Israel says aid is moving into Gaza more quickly after international pressure to increase access, but the amount is disputed and the United Nations says it is still much less than the bare minimum to meet humanitarian needs. Israel said 468 aid trucks moved into Gaza on Tuesday, the highest...
Turkish Cypriots and other Muslims across Cyprus are preparing for the start of Eid al-Fitr, one of the two main festivals on the Muslim calendar, which is to begin on Wednesday. The festival marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, during which Muslims fast during daylight hours. Eid...
Opposition MPs on Tuesday piled on Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou for the government’s refusal to compensate farmers who had used waste material other than compost as fertiliser. Legislators said a way should be found to compensate the farmers in question – about 15 of them – but the minister insisted...
Hotel occupancy rates in Cyprus are expected to range from 50 to 55 per cent in April, according to the president of the hoteliers association (Pasyxe) Thanos Michaelides, who also added that about 90 per cent of hotels on the island are operational. Regarding reservations for 2024, Michaelides said there’s...
The interior ministry and audit service crossed swords on Tuesday over proposed changes to laws regulating the management of Turkish Cypriots properties, sparking concern among MPs at the House refugee committee. During the session, Auditor-General Odysseas Michaelides said they were concerned about proposed changes to allow for Turkish Cypriot properties...
The government on Tuesday rejected accusations there were efforts to spare Tamassos Bishop Isaias of any criminal charges amid ongoing investigations of a major scandal surrounding the Osiou Avakoum monastery. “We outright reject this,” government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told journalists during a press briefing. He was asked to comment on rumours there...
Almost 30,000 companies have yet to make updated disclosures about their Ultimate Beneficial Owners (UBOs) and could face hefty fines for non-compliance, MPs said on Tuesday. The House commerce committee again discussed the issue of the UBOs that need to be filed by corporate entities. Under a directive issued by...
The government on Tuesday rebuffed renewed calls to convene a National Council meeting amid growing irritation over the secrecy surrounding the UNSG proposals that President Nikos Christodoulides has agreed to. During a press briefing at the presidential palace, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis fielded a host of Cyprob-related questions but kept the specifics...
Personal data protection commissioner Irene Loizidou Nicolaidou on Tuesday approved a plan to install CCTV cameras at schools. The plan had been submitted to her by the education ministry with the aim of “dealing with violence and delinquency.” Following the completion of an impact assessment, she gave her approval for cameras...
The Luxury One Day Retreat – Step into Your Power this Saturday at Aelia Wellness Retreat will be all about authentic branding, mastering mindfulness and cultivating a strategic mindset. A full day experience is planned with three facilitators guiding participants through workshops and sessions from 9am to 6.30pm. Following an...
Conditions at the police holding centre in Limassol are miserable – congestion, inadequate ventilation, rundown toilet facilities – report released on Tuesday by the ombudswoman’s office said. Ombudswoman Maria Stylianou-Lottides drew her findings from an unannounced visit to the Limassol facility on March 26. The ombudswoman’s office is also responsible...
Demand for luxury apartments in high-rise developments set to decline Limassol dominated the real estate market in 2023, accounting for 41 per cent of the total sales value across the country in a year a Deloitte report published on Tuesday described as record breaking. The Cyprus Real Estate Review 2023 revealed that...
Cyprus’ proximity to regions experiencing long-term political crises and military conflicts leaves no room for complacency over handling migration, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Tuesday. In a speech at the 14th Nicosia Economic Congress, the minister underlined the humanitarian aspect of migration. “Migration is a phenomenon that has existed throughout...
Russia and Kazakhstan ordered more than 100,000 people to evacuate after swiftly melting snow swelled mighty rivers beyond bursting point in the worst flooding in the area for at least 70 years. The deluge of melt water overwhelmed scores of settlements in the Ural Mountains, Siberia and areas of Kazakhstan...
If the ongoing traffic issues in Limassol are not properly addressed, people’s quality of life “will deteriorate very quickly,” Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades said on Tuesday. He was speaking at the For Limassol conference at Frederick University, where he stressed the need to study the challenges posed by the recent significant development...
Euro zone banks lowered the bar on mortgage approvals last quarter for the first time in over two years but demand for credit kept falling amid high borrowing costs and a stagnant economy, a European Central bank survey showed on Tuesday. The ECB has pushed interest rates to record highs...
The Olympic rings for the Paris Games will be displayed on the Eiffel Tower, the president of the monument’s operating company (SETE) said. Jean-Francois Martins said work to set the rings on the tower would begin at the end of the month after the Olympic torch has left ancient Olympia...
MPs expressed their disappointment at the lack of ATMs available in Cyprus at the House commerce committee on Tuesday. Committee chairman and Disy MP Kyiacos Hadjiyiannis said he had contacted banks about the issue, but that “unfortunately, the banks told us they are not interested.” He said that instead, they...
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Rwandan President Paul Kagame are looking forward to the first flights under Britain’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda departing in the spring, a readout of their meeting said on Tuesday. Sunak wants to relocate thousands of asylum seekers who arrive in Britain...
The government is still searching for a new premises in which to store medicines, spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Tuesday. Speaking to journalists, he said Health Minister Michael Damianos is working in “close cooperation” with Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades to “find a suitable state-owned location, if there can be one.”...
Refugee estate apartment buildings deemed unsafe over two decades ago still have people living in them, the House refugee committee heard on Tuesday. A static adequacy study was conducted on the buildings in 2000, and they were deemed unfit, but refugees were allowed to continue living in them despite the...
With women giving birth to 1.4 children, Cyprus falls way below the level of fertility needed to replace the population, which stands at 2.1, the House ad hoc demographics committee heard on Tuesday. Head of the committee, Elam MP Linos Papayiannis highlighted the persistently low birth rate in Cyprus despite...
Intership Navigation will be investing in digital ship management solutions following a management buyout which led to a strategic partnership with MariApps Marine Solutions Through this partnership, Limassol-based Internship, which manages a fleet of 100 ships, will implement MariApps’ smartPal suite, covering various operations. MariApps Marine Solutions is a maritime...
France and Spain will step up security ahead of the Champions League quarter-finals being held in Madrid and in Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, top government officials said, citing threats from the Islamic State. “Regarding the game that will take place in the Paris region, the head of police...
The enrichment of Cyprus’ economic model is of vital importance, said the finance minister, Makis Keravnos, stressing that “the bet is to maintain the investment level” which was objective of the government’s economic policy. Speaking at the 14th Nicosia Economic Conference, on Tuesday, on “Forecasts for the Cypriot economy and...