Cyprus Beat

In today's episode, Cyprus and the US signed a strategic dialogue agreement on Monday, during a visit of Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos to Washington DC, where he met the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou hit out against the UN peacekeeping force (Unficyp) over the dozens of migrants stranded in the buffer zone for weeks. Elsewhere, t...

In today's episode, the war in Ukraine “must end”, President Nikos Christodoulides said at the Ukraine peace summit at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland. Meanwhile, the fire brigade and the electricity authority found themselves at odds with one another over the cause of a wildfire which broke out near the Nicosia district villages of Farmakas and Fikardou. Elsewhere, the amount invested i...

In today's episode, the cross examination of Attorney-General George Savvides became heated on Thursday before the Supreme Constitutional Court, as accusations of ineptitude and inappropriate conduct were flung about rampantly in raised tones. Meanwhile, close to two dozen homes were affected by the two days of wildfires in the Paphos area, with the blazes destroying five homes completely. Els...

In today's episode, immediate action from on-the-scene firefighters stopped a flare-up from spreading on Thursday morning in the Paphos district. A fire department spokesman told the  Cyprus Mail  that the flare-up was noticed at 9am on Thursday and was “put out very easily by 9.20am”. Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said Cyprus has a specific plan for the procurement of priva...

In today’s episode, sixty Cypriot antiquities looted after the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974 are to be returned to the island following the signing of an agreement between Cyprus and German authorities, it was announced. Elsewhere, Cyprus is ready to contribute to the ‘herculean effort’ required to reconstruct Gaza if a ceasefire goes ahead, President Nikos Christodoulides said. President...

In today’s episode, all the traditional political parties came out bruised from EU parliamentary elections on Sunday, while Cyprus echoed the EU generally by electing far-right nationalists Elam to a seat at the table in Strasbourg. Elsewhere, the election of social media influencer Fidias Panayiotou to the European parliament is something “we have never seen before”, according to elections expert...

In today’s episode,  24-year-old influencer Fidias Panayiotou sent shockwaves through Cypriot and European politics in the European parliament elections, winning just shy of 20 per cent of the vote and a seat as an independent candidate. Meanwhile, Elam also won a seat at the European parliament for the first time, with former party spokesman Geadis Geadi being elected. Elsewhere, the loss of the...

In today's episode, Cyprus has topped the European chart for prison overcrowding, with a staggering 166 inmates per 100 places. Meanwhile, with temperatures in Cyprus reaching a record high for early June, main culprit El Niño is set to give its place to cooler La Niña in the Pacific, promising worldwide relief over the next few months. Elsewhere, since the beginning of the year nearly 4,900 p...

In today’s episode,   Deputy Tourism Minister Costas Koumis said the bankruptcy of German tourism group FTI is a negative development for Cyprus' tourism. Meanwhile, the owners of a hotel in the north on Tuesday denied rumours that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy owns the property .. Elsewhere, Nicosia’s municipal swimming pool will not be open to the public until next year. All this a...

In today’s episode, the Cyprus government ‘doesn’t have a leg to stand on’ by leaving migrants stranded in the UN buffer zone for close to a week, sources close to the matter told Cyprus Mail on Monday. Elsewhere, Greek Cypriots have received a total of €29.8 million worth of compensation from the Immovable Property Commission in the north so far in 2024, according to Turkish Cypriot newspaper Hal...

In today’s episode,   Energy Minister George Papanastasiou said “there is light on the horizon” regarding the construction of the liquefied natural gas terminal at Vasiliko . Meanwhile, Another 14 migrants have arrived in the buffer zone, raising the number of people stuck there to 27. Elsewhere, The met office issued a yellow weather warning for Monday, as the temperature is expected to rise to 4...

In today’s episode,   the government's decision to allow branches of foreign universities to operate in Cyprus could be a "game changer" for the island's tertiary education sector, officials said. Meanwhile,  Qatar has shown an interest in taking on the running of the Larnaca port. Elsewhere, British newspaper the Independent claimed a total of 50 British politicians have penned...

In today's episode, the government on Wednesday clinched a deal with Larnaca port and marina workers who were fired by Kition Ocean Holdings, ensuring they will not be left without a job. Meanwhile, the Supreme Constitutional Court is set to announce its decision on June 5 on whether attorney-general George Savvides is constitutionally allowed to initiate dismissal proceedings against auditor-...

In today’s episode,   President Nikos Christodoulides said Cyprus can be considered as Qatar's "ambassador in Brussels" . Meanwhile, Makarios hospital paediatric department director Avraam Elias urged people to get their children vaccinated amid a rise in measles cases in Europe. Elsewhere, Cyprus ranked in first place in Europe in terms of the quality of its bathing waters in 2023....

In today’s episode, the government on Monday moved to terminate its agreement with Kition Ocean Holdings over the Larnaca port and marina project, leaving the future of the stalled €1.2 billion development up in the air yet again. Elsewhere, the ongoing drought and looming water crisis facing Cyprus this summer will be raised by Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou during a meeting with her count...

In today's episode, what is happening in the Osiou Avakoum monastery is within the statute of the Church and everything is legal, Archbishop Georgios said on Sunday, while noting that the trial will take place normally. Meanwhile, Cape Aspro and Petra tou Romiou could be included on the Unesco Cultural heritage list if a proposal by Environment Commissioner Antonia Theodosiou and the communiti...

In today’s episode,   an "unprecedented mass claim" of Laiki Bank and Bank of Cyprus depositors and bondholders amounting to 600 million dollars  was dismissed at the International Arbitral Tribunal of the World Bank . Meanwhile, the Legal Service has done nothing wrong in the way it has handled the case of Thanasis Nicolaou, attorney-general George Savvides said. Elsewhere, Conflicts of...

In today's episode, four ships travelled from Larnaca over the weekend with almost 1,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid for Gaza along the Amalthea corridor. Meanwhile, the Vasiliko liquified natural gas (LNG) project is “not shipwrecked” President Nikos Christodoulides said, after widespread speculation that the project’s future was looking increasingly dire. Elsewhere, two men were remanded in c...

In today’s episode, President Nikos Christodoulides met Chinese ambassador Liu Yantao on Monday to discuss the increasingly fractious dispute over the liquefied natural gas terminal (LNG) being built in Vasiliko. Elsewhere, the rate of progress on the under-construction road between Paphos and Polis Chrysochous is “worrying”, Paphos chamber of commerce chairman George Mais said on Monday. Also, li...

In today’s episode, the government was in contact with Lebanese authorities on Tuesday over statements made by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who called on Lebanon to “open the sea” so that Syrian migrants can make their way to Cyprus. Elsewhere, the European Commission will reinforce Cyprus' firefighting fleet with two aircraft this summer, amid increased risks of forest fires, it announc...

In today’s episode, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during talks in Ankara on Monday that there were "no unsolvable problems" between their countries.  Elsewhere, UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin on Monday said she would be preparing a report after her visit and meet with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the coming days.  Also, the S...

In today's episode, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Sunday that the executive branch will move to examine why for 19 years the tragic case of national guardsman Thanasis Nicolaou was not properly handled. Meanwhile, respondig to Christodoulides’ statements later in the day, lawyer for the family Leto Cariolou said the attorney general should no longer be involved in the case. Elsewhere...

In today’s episode, Cyprus joined in the celebrations for Europe Day . Meanwhile, President Nikos Christodoulides said he "cannot understand" why Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar declined the chance of a tripartite meeting with himself and United Nations Envoy Maria Angela Holguin. Elsewhere, the latest aid ship to depart Cyprus for Gaza left the Larnaca port. All this and more in the...

In today's episode, hoteliers are furious with the police and the labour ministry over their raids on hunting down illegal workers in Cyprus. Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar said on Wednesday he rejected a UN proposal suggesting a trilateral meeting with UN secretary-general envoy Maria Angela Holguin and President Nikos Christodoulides. Elsewhere, a third of Cypriots are “financ...

In today’s episode, a total of nine people were remanded for eight days after being arrested in connection with an attempted murder committed in Lakatamia last month. Meanwhile, two port police boats have been sent from Cyprus to patrol off the coast of Lebanon for migrant boats after the arrival of two boats a day prior. Elsewhere, Cyprus participated in an international police operation that led...