Новости за 06.02.2024

Chilean ex-President Sebastian Pinera died in a helicopter crash in the south of the country on Tuesday, the government and former president’s office said, plunging the country he led for two terms into mourning and prompting an outpouring of condolences from Latin American leaders. Interior Minister Carolina Toha confirmed the...

European Parliament Member (MEP) Costas Mavrides on Tuesday reached out to the UN secretary-general’s personal envoy to Cyprus Maria Angela Holguin on behalf of civil society groups who have expressed interest in meeting with her. In a letter sent to Holguin, Mavrides, a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists...

The Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) has decided not to pursue its request for a 25 per cent hike in their tariff, following a meeting with Energy Minister George Papanastasiou. Reports on Tuesday evening said EAC had backed down from its request, with the authority chairman Giorgos Petrou telling Politis...

Work is underway to iron out the kinks in the e-justice platform to get it back online after the system came crashing down last month, the government said on Tuesday. Deputy Minister of Research Nicodemos Damianou said the contractor is working to fix the system so that it can delivered...

The UN Special Rapporteur for Environment Defenders Michel Forst has called on Cyprus to lead a group of countries in promoting the Aarhus Convention. Adopted in June 1998, the Aarhus Convention protects every person’s right to live in a healthy environment. It guarantees the public three key rights on environmental issues: access...

Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou reiterated the government’s goal of safeguarding halloumi exports, adding that the protection of halloumi as a national product remains unchanged during a meeting with the the Cyprus Cheesemakers’ Association. In a statement issued on Tuesday following Monday’s meeting, cheesemakers and dairy farmers voiced their concerns regarding...

Rents on commercial Turkish Cypriot properties in Limassol have sharply increased, the House refugee committee heard on Tuesday. Rent increases from €150 to €2,800 a month and in another case from €30 to €999 a month were reported. The increases were instigated by the interior ministry’s Turkish Cypriot Property Management Service....

Education Minister Athena Michaelidou made it clear she would not tolerate “tactics of the past” on Tuesday as teaching union Oelmek threatened it would take measures. Speaking to state broadcaster CyBC, the education minister suggested she would not be bullied by the union tactics. Michaelidou underlined dialogue is the way...

By Andria Kades and Jonathan Shkurko In what appears to be a path towards agreement, the state health services (Okypy) and trade unions representing public hospital workers made progress on the issue of understaffing in public hospitals, Health Minister Michalis Damianos said on Tuesday after meeting union members. Damianos said...

Two people, aged 23 and 22, were sentenced to four years in prison by the Famagusta district court on Tuesday after being found guilty of charges related to illegal drug possession, intent to supply and illegal cultivation of cannabis plants. According to the police, following a search of their homes...

The Nicosia International Festival, which is part of the capital city’s bid for the European Capital of Culture 2030, remains true to its long-term strategy of showcasing Cypriot creators alongside internationally renowned artists and dedicates February to them. Ten performances by local creators will fill the Nicosia Municipal Theatre, many...

First Lady Philippa Karsera Christodoulides and Education Minister Athena Michaelidou cooked healthy meals for children at the Elenion primary school on Tuesday. The pair used ingredients sourced from the garden of the Presidential palace in the meals, while also receiving gifts and listening to songs prepared by the children. In...

The government on Tuesday hinted it may extend some of the relief measures it introduced last November – such as subsidising electricity bills – beyond the end of the month. Taking journalists’ questions, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis confirmed the administration is considering extending the measures set to expire at the...

Lives were put at risk by the severe weather seen in the north last week, deputy mayor of Kormakitis Valentinos Koumettos told MPs on Tuesday. The weather last Tuesday night was unpredictable and very dangerous, he told the House refugees committee. “The waters of the river had such momentum that...

Famagusta Mayor Simos Ioannou has requested a meeting with the UN Secretary-General’s envoy Maria Holguin, filing his request with President Nikos Christodoulides, who he met earlier on Tuesday. Ioannou said Christodoulides told them that Holguin made a positive impression on him, as she is fully informed on the issue, has...

By Kate Abnett What a difference five years make. During the last European Union elections in 2019, hundreds of thousands across the 27-nation bloc staged protests to fight climate change. Ahead of this year’s EU vote, farmers are in the streets demanding fewer green rules, and politicians cannot afford to...

By Kate Abnett The European Commission recommended on Tuesday that the EU slash net greenhouse gas emissions by 90 per cent by 2040, an ambitious target that will test political appetite for the region’s fight against climate change ahead of EU elections. While the overall target was within the range recommended by the...

British High Commissioner in Nicosia Irfan Siddiq was on Tuesday summoned to the foreign ministry to be served with a demarche, following comments made in a newspaper interview, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said. Siddiq had spoken about the Cyprus problem to newspaper Kathimerini on Sunday, drawing the ire of both...

Sevilla have called on LaLiga to take action after winger Lucas Ocampos was touched “inappropriately” by a fan during their 2-1 win at Rayo Vallecano, the club said on Tuesday. The incident occurred 33 minutes into Monday’s match when a fan poked Ocampos from behind while he was taking a...

February heralds Open Days at The Island Private School. In addition to our weekly Wednesday school tours, which you can book all year round HERE, this month we have two special events: If you don’t happen to be in Cyprus, you are invited to a virtual Open Day on February...

Nicosia’s art scene welcomes several new art shows this month, and adding to the cultural calendar is a showcase at Alpha CK Art Gallery by Greek artist Thanasis Lala. Titled I Volta tou Mialou me tin Psychi (The Walk of the Brain and the Psych), the exhibition opens this on...

King Charles’ cancer was caught early and the whole country is hoping he can make a full recovery, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday, as messages of support for the 75-year-old monarch poured in from world leaders. Buckingham Palace revealed on Monday that Charles, on the throne for...

The share of renewable energy sources in transport in Cyprus stood at 7.2 per cent in 2022, without significant change compared to 2021, according to a report released this week by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. However, the EU average increased by 0.5 per cent, from 9.1...

Strengthening the vital work of the Cyprus Fire Service is one of the priorities of Genikes Insurance (GI). As part of their Corporate Social Responsibility, GI has donated five high-power battery-powered floodlights – equipment that significantly enhances the efforts of firefighters to provide night-time assistance. The funds were handed over...

By H.E. LIU Yantao, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Cyprus Terrorism is the common enemy of humanity, posing a grave threat to international peace and security. As a victim of terrorism, China has always fought it in a law-based manner, including by concluding or joining international...