Новости за 05.01.2018

Slightly fewer than half as many migrants reached Europe by sea in 2017 than 2016, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Friday, with curbs finally cutting traffic on the deadly route from Libya to Italy. Two years after more than a million people entered the EU, mostly fleeing war in the Middle East and poverty […]

The UK is a “key partner” in the effort to tackle common threats, Defence Minister Christoforos Fokaidis said on Friday after a meeting with his British counterpart Gavin Williamson in Nicosia, the latter’s first visit to Cyprus. The British Minister appeared positive towards further developing the cooperation between the British and Cypriot armed forces as […]

If you are a teacher or a parent of a primary school child, and you believe that singing is of great educational value, then you might want to see how you can get the kids involved in the international programme World Voice, which will run in Cyprus for the first time this month. The programme, which […]

People with heart disease have better long-term survival odds when they are married, a recent US study suggests. Compared to divorced, widowed and never-married peers, who were up to 71 per cent more likely to die during a follow-up of several years, married patients also had fewer heart risk factors like high blood pressure and […]

French President Emmanuel Macron told his Turkish counterpart on Friday that democratic countries had to respect the rule of law in their fight against terrorism as he voiced concerns about the fate of students, teachers and journalists in the country. “Our democracies must be strong standing up to terrorism… But at the same time our […]

A dog has been rescued by animal protection services in Hungary after being found lying alongside the body of her mistress who died weeks before. The 9-year-old Havanese, called Zsazsa, was in a severely dehydrated state when she was found in a Budapest apartment on Wednesday but was now recovering, Gabor Pataki, head of the animal rescue […]

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said on Friday the government is trying to mobilise countries that maintain friendly relations with Turkey to exert their influence and help find a negotiated settlement to reunite the country. Nicosia, the president said, seeks the support of these countries to help Ankara realise that it must abandon its demands – […]

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called on Friday for a fresh start in his country’s rocky relationship with Germany, holding out the prospect of closer economic cooperation if ties improved. But his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel, who will host Cavusoglu for talks in his hometown of Goslar in central Germany on Saturday, made clear Turkey […]

Limassol municipality is currently evaluating a cabinet approval for the construction of two high-rise buildings near the coast, which appears to contradict a court decision on how the development will affect local residents, it emerged on Friday. The case concerns the Blue Marine project, a €300 million investment undertaken by Leptos Estates set to be […]

The output of the construction sector rose 13 per cent in the third quarter of 2017 compared with the respective period of the year before as producer prices continue to rise, the statistical service said. The output in buildings rose an annual 13 per cent in July to September while that of civil engineer projects […]

Nicosia municipality on Friday told owners of hybrid and electric cars that the city council had decided to renew free parking for the vehicles free of charge for residents, employees and companies located within the municipal boundaries of Nicosia. Parking will be free from January 1 until December 31, 2018 in all municipal parking areas, […]

England international Ross Barkley would be a good addition to the Chelsea squad, manager Antonio Conte said on Friday after media reports the Everton midfielder had undergone a medical. “We are talking about an English player and a young player – he is a good prospect for Chelsea. Good opportunity for the club to buy […]

The website for the 2018 presidential elections has been launched at http://www.elections2018.gov.cy/, the Press and Information Office (PIO) said on Friday. The content of the website includes information on the process of electing the President of the Republic, information about polling stations abroad and voting hours, the candidates, data and photos from previous elections, and […]

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is expected to issue its decision on Tuesday in an appeal filed by a trainee pilot who was fired by Cyprus Airways more than 20 years ago. According to a statement, Charalambos Nikolas, who has Cypriot and British nationality, filed a case against the now-defunct Cyprus Airways in […]

Spain’s supreme court ordered on Friday that Catalan separatist leader Oriol Junqueras must remain in custody after over two months in prison while authorities investigate his role in the Spanish region’s independence movement. In a written ruling, the judges said there was a risk that Junqueras would again commit an offence if he were released […]

By January 15 the narcotest to check if drivers are under the influence of drugs will be implemented, justice minister Ionas Nicolaou said on Friday. The minister said on the sidelines of a visit to the central prison that a decree will first be issued, subject to approval by the cabinet, which will discuss the […]

Tens of thousands of government supporters rallied across Iran on Friday, swearing allegiance to the clerical establishment and accusing arch enemy the United States of instigating the largest anti-government protests in nearly a decade, state TV reported. Tehran’s Friday prayer leader called on authorities to deal “firmly” with those responsible for igniting over a week […]

The number of people in Cyprus who could not afford to heat their homes last year was almost three times the EU average, according to an infograph released by Eurostat on Friday. Nine per cent of people in the EU said they could not afford to heat their home sufficiently, according to the stats. The […]

Energy, tourism and technology are just three areas in which Cyprus and Israel have developed strong ties, the latter’s new ambassador to Cyprus Shmuel Revel said on Friday when presenting his credentials to President Nicos Anastasiades in Nicosia. “During the last years the bilateral relations and strategic cooperation between our countries have reached an unprecedented […]

Italian naval frigate the Espero arrived in Larnaca port as part of maritime operations on January 4 and will remain docked there until January 8. The vessel has been taking part in the Safe Sea Plan since December 28. The project aims to protect Italian interests in the Central Mediterranean, guarantee the security of maritime […]

Poetry and hiking have more in common than you may think, especially where Xenophon Hasapis is concerned. The man behind Cyprus Strollers is bringing a sense of rhyme and rhythm to our footsteps, as he leads us through the hills of Lythrodontas next Sunday. The hiking group, which has expanded rapidly since its conception in […]

Lionel Messi could leave Barcelona without a transfer fee if Catalonia ceded from Spain and the club did not compete in any of Europe’s top four leagues, El Mundo said on Friday, citing a clause in his new contract. Barca’s all-time top scorer signed the contract in November, seven months before his old deal expired. […]

Fans of the hit show – starring Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage and Gwendoline Christie – will have to wait a whole year to find out the fate of their favourite characters when the final six episodes will be screened. HBO said in a statement: “‘Game Of Thrones’ will return for its six episode, eighth and final season in 2019.” […]

The economic sentiment indicator dropped by 3.4 units in December to 118.9 units from its November peak, mainly on reduced business confidence in the services sector, the University of Cyprus said. The deterioration of confidence in services was mainly on less favourable evaluation of the current financial situation by interviewed companies and a downwards revision […]

Former CEO of the Bank of Cyprus Andreas Eliades was sentenced on Friday to 2.5 years in prison while the lender itself was slapped with a €120,000 fine after being found guilty by the Nicosia criminal court of the charge of market manipulation through misleading statements to investors about the bank’s capital shortfall in June […]