Current Events

The police in Cyprus have arrested 5 men – all between the ages of nineteen and twenty, on the basis of a complaint by a tourist from Britain.

The tourist, a woman, aged 20 told the police that the men sexually assaulted her in a hotel room.

They have already been produced before the district court in Paralimni, where they were remanded in custody for 8 days, while the preliminary investigation is underway.

Once the police got a testimony from a witness, they formally arrested the group.

Further investigation, including medical examinations of both the accuser and the accused is currently underway.

Organic farming in Cyprus has made big advances in the past 20 years.

Petros Xenophontos, the Minister of Agriculture of the island nation made said announcement at Denia’s yearly organic farming celebration.

He further elaborated how the numbers of organic farming have moved up from 0.22% of total farming in 2003, to 5.87% of total farming in 2023; meanwhile the number of farmers in the industry has grown from 85 to over 1500 in this time period.

He then mentioned how their goal is to reach at least 7.5% by the year 2025, and commended the efforts of our organic farmers.

He went on to state the various obstacles that organic farmers face – most of which is rooted in the lack of budget.

He also said, however, that the country at large is trying to move past it through strategic programs and plans aimed to encourage the growth of chemical-free cultivation.

Stefanos Kasselakis, the new leader of the Syriza party has announced his maiden overseas visit to Cyprus.

Aged 35, Kasselakis became the leader of Syriza, winning against Efi Achtsioglou – both of who scores 56.69 and 43.31 percentages of the votes respectively.

More recently, Kasselakis was criticized for calling Northern Cyprus as a “statelet” of Turkey.

He, however, apologized – and attributed his error to tiredness from the campaign, further adding how his own move to Greece comes after living in the United States for over two decades.

An entrepreneur in the shipping line, Kasselakis was formerly an associate of Goldman Sachs.

Tensions between the divided regions of Cyprus have always been present on the larger scale, but the recent series of event proves this exists on the smaller scale as well.

In the latest incident, a citizen of Greek Cyprus will be produced in a court of Turkish Cyprus over the use of fake vehicle insurance papers whilst entering the territory via Ayios Dometios.

The police apprehended the man in the late house of the night, as he was making his attempt to enter Turkish Cyprus using insurance papers, he was claiming to have received from the Creditwest bank, which operates in the north.

However, a quick examination by the Turkish Cypriot police detected the documents to be counterfeit. The man was soon arrested.

After his arrest, it was discovered that the man had in fact done this seventeen times before getting caught. He also confessed to have fabricated the documents himself.

The man shall remain in custody pending further investigation and court appointment.

In a bid to work with the shipping and maritime industries, Italy’s Cisalpina Tours has opened their new office in Cyprus’ Limassol.

This development is part of the company’s plans for international expansion, and is their fifth office being opened since December 2022.

Owned by the Bluvacanze Group (which in turned is owned by shipping conglomerate MSC Group), CEO Domenico Pellegrino mentioned how the presence of Cisalpina will help their parent companies establish a stronger system of business travel to cater customers in the maritime industry.

Vaso Nikola Leonidou, the MD of Cisalpina Tours Cyprus added to this, saying how they know the specific requirements of corporate travelers, and aim to fulfill them.

Asian entertainment superpower Melco has opened ‘The City of Dreams’ Mediterranean in Cyprus, which will now hold the title of being Europe’s biggest casino.

According to CEO Lawrence Ho, the idea to build the casino and resort has been his dream for over a decade and a half, when he visited the island nation for a wedding.

Located in Limassol, the casino cost over 637 million Euros and took more than 3 years to be built.

It is now fully in operation and employs more than 2,000 people as staff.

City of Dreams is now being eyed by many as a major game-changer in the country’s tourism scene, attracting visitors from Gulf countries, Israel and the world at large.

A one-of-a-kind resort, the property lies on the sea in Limassol, and resembles an Inca temple. It has 14 floors, with more than 7,500 sq. m. of gaming space equipped with 1,000 slot machines and 100 tables.

This is Melco’s first venture outside of Asia – having endured further delays due to the COVID pandemic and by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and resulting restrictions and sanctions.

In a bid to help their fellow nation, Jordan has sent three of its helicopters to help Cyprus fight its wildfires.

Said fires have been creating a major ruckus these days, having killed a minimum 4 people, and displaced scores of others.

The most recent of these fires have occurred in the forests of Alassa in Limassol’s northwest – they burnt across more than 3 sq. kms worth of land and rendered over a 100 people homeless.

In response, Jordan’s Air Force sent an MI26 and two Super Pumas to help put out the fires.

Said helicopters first landed at Andreas Papandreou airbase near Limassol, before leaving for the spot.

Trained directly by the US Marines, the military forces of Jordan today are much better equipped to handle natural disasters.

Volunteers teamed up to collect more than a hundred kilos of trash from Lady’s Mile beach in Limassol in Cyprus.

Cyprus Ecological Movement (CEM), the non-profit which organized the event in collaboration with the Green Party Youth Wing, RESET Cy and NGOs Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), said in a press release how the volunteers collected over 107 kilos of trash in almost an hour.

The event is meant to highlight the plight of debris collection – this was seen from 68% of the total trash collected being plastic materials. Cigarette butts made up a major portion of this – and overall constituted 43% of the trash.

According to Natasa Ioannou, CEM’s General Secretary, this collection of waste, while a win in and of itself is also a major warning with regards to the management of waste products in and around coastlines.

She further emphasized that the fact that over 40 kilos worth of bulkier materials really stresses the need for people, corporations and the government at large to be on a much higher level of awareness – both for the safety of humans and animals, and for the better health of the environment.

The British man was arrested for killing his terminally sick wife has been released from prison in Cyprus.

David Hunter, 76, a retired miner who had been serving 19 months in prison for the crime, was released after Paphos’ apex court ruled the time to be “enough” given the circumstances.

This development comes within a month of Hunter being cleared of charges of premeditated murder, which were then replaced by manslaughter charges and an accompanying 24-month sentence.

He first went on trial in 2021, for killing his wife, Janice (then 74), who had been suffering from a rare manifestation of blood cancer. She was constantly in pain, and tired of being in that position, had been repeatedly asking her husband, to whom she was married for over five decades – to assist in her death.

Mr. Hunter proceeded to listen to her, suffocating her with his own hands in their home. He then tried to commit suicide using alcohol and pills.

Andreas Hadjikyrou, prosecutor for the state, said in a statement to the press that he and the court did understand that the act, despite everything, did come from a place of love.

The court also It also considered other factors, like his advanced age and lack of any prior criminal records.

The news was well-received by Lesley Cawthorne, his daughter, who began a fundraising campaign to aid in her father’s predicament.

The legal system in Cyprus does not allow assisted deaths so far.

Russia is set to open a new consular office in Turkish Cyprus.

This comes after a major push from Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey to for legally and internationally recognizing Cyprus as a sovereign entity – a status that has never been fulfilled since the Turkish army’s invasion of the area in 1974.

According to Ersin Tatar, the Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed nation, they are welcoming Russia’s decision to open their office.

So far, the UK already has an office in the region.

Meanwhile, Tahsin Ertugruloglu, the foreign minister said to TRT Haber about Russia’s intentions to open their office being on the cards for a while now.

They have, however, made it clear that this is not in any way instrumental in recognizing the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as an independent entity.

Robert Paschall, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs of the United States’ Department of Homeland Security has issued a statement regarding Cyprus’ status via-a-vis their Visa Waiver Program.

Mr. Pascall said that while Cyprus has fulfilled certain key requirements, it needs to fulfill some more to be truly eligible.

These remarks were made while Paschall was in Cyprus on an official visit, which included meeting with Constantinos Kombos, Cyprus’ Minister of Foreign Affairs.

He also gave an interview to the CNA, explaining how both the US and Cyprus are dedicated to achieving results on the matter as early as possible.

He also emphasized on the program’s importance, mentioning how it can both enhance security, help facilitate travel, and generally speaking strengthen the ties between people and communities.

The Visa Waiver is a special US program, which allows citizens from participating nations to travel to the United States with a 90-day term – for either tourism or business.

Terrorists attacked a mosque in Limassol with a Molotov cocktail.

According to Azernews and Yeni Shafak, the attack at Koprulu Haci Ibrahim Aga Mosque happened at nighttime, when the Molotov cocktail was lobbed at the property.

The mosque sustained damages to its wall and door.

Some other sources have revealed that the attackers spray painted the phrase “Immigrants’ Islam not welcome” on the mosque prior to attacking it.

The attack has been highly condemned by Ersin Tatar, the president of Turkish Cyprus. Unal Ustel, the Prime Minister also criticized the attack, calling it severely Islamophobic.

Tom Wlaschiha, famous for playing the role of Enzo in the TV series Stranger Things and Jaqen H’ghar in HBO’s Game of Thrones is all set to headline the celebrity presence at Cyprus Comic Con.

According to a spokesman, Wlaschiha being present at Comic Con in Cyprus should immensely boost its presence. With a screen and theater career as versatile as his, he should attract audiences unlike ever before.

Wlaschiha will be present on both days of the event, including offering a Q&A panel and a talk on the main stage. He will also be present for a meet and greet with fans in the special guest zone, where autographs and selfies will be permitted. These can be purchased beforehand online and available for €20 (each).

Aside from starring in various US and European TV shows and movies, Wlaschiha has spent decades perfecting his talent. He is fluent in English, Russian, Italian and French.

He came into the public eye in 2011, when he played Jaqen H’ghar in Game of Thrones.

Tom Wlaschiha will be joined by several other celebrities, namely Miltos Yerolemou, famous cosplayer Pretzl, Brian Muir and Ferran Rodriguez.

Cyprus has rejected the development plan from a consortium led by Chevron.

The consortium in question is for the Aphrodite gas field in Block 12 of the island nation’s EEZ. Discovered originally in 2011, this field is situated 30 km northwest from the Leviathan field and 160 km south from Limassol.

Giorgos Papanastasiou, the Energy Minister of Cyprus did not disclose the specific reason for the plan’s rejection, but did inform the news agency that project parties are now permitted to engage in discussions and come to agreement within a 30-day-period, with effect from 25th of August, 2023.

As of today’s date, Chevron and Shell each have 35% stake in the field, followed by NewMed Energy, which has 30% stake.

Estimatedly, the offshore field has over 124 billion m³ worth of gas.

The plan, which was originally submitted In May 2023, included an up to date development plan for Aphrodite, including constructing an underwater pipeline to transport gas, as well as using the system to connect the reservoir of Aphrodite to existing Egyptian onshore and offshore infrastructure.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel has praised the act of Cyprus successfully foiling the potential attack on Israeli citizens in Cyprus.

While the statement from the Prime Minister did not disclose any more details.

However, Ynet – an Israeli news website disclosed the details of an attack being planned against Israeli nationals based in Limassol.

Meanwhile, Cyprus itself has declined to give any comments on the matter.

The Audit Office of the Republic of Cyprus has launched an investigation into the Cyprus Police Force on grounds of finance and compliance matters.

According to Philenews, which broke the story, the former began its Investigation in January 2023, focusing on 3 main issues that involve police services within the public domain.

In particular, the matters concern the compliance audits of 2015 to 2023, 2022’s financial audit and certain submitted complaints concerning said audits.

According to some inside sources, the investigation is also partially focused on police’s behavior with regards to out-of-court complaints, their in-house system of photocopying and their conduct with the Department of Aliens and Migration.

Last but not least, the Audit Office is also looking in to the Police Security Commission’s system of issuing licenses and permits for carrying weapons.

Their latest development includes have sent an inquiry to the Police with regards to their legal status whereby they allow certain members to carry their weapons even outside their shifts – or to members of the public.

The Cypriot authorities have arrested the captain of a migrant boat which recently arrived in Cyprus.

The police have stated that a boat filled with over twenty-three migrants including children and women were found near Cyprus’ Cape Grecco.

They were captained by a 17-year-old boy, who was arrested upon interception and is due to be produced in court.

This comes only 2 days after another boat – also with twenty three people on board – were found in the same area, and roughly a week after the coast guard has spotted a boat carrying forty-nine migrants near the Paphos coast. The latter, however, was found to had Italy as its destination.

It is said that the passengers on both (and similar boats) pay over thousands in Dollars to get their place.

The surgery of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel has led to the postponement of the trilateral meeting with Greece & Cyprus.

According to a statement by the office of PM Netanyahu, his previously planned journey to Turkey & Cyprus have been moved to a later, yet-to-be-undisclosed date.

The surgery happened after Mr. Netanyahu, 73, was rushed to Sheba Medical Center right outside Tel Aviv after the heart monitor which was implanted one week prior detected an arrhythmias episode.

The surgery was successful, with the Israeli PM confirming it himself via video conference.

The Sheba Medical Center confirmed the same, also adding that Mr. Netanyahu shall remain under the cardiology department’s supervision.

In a bid to protect the safety of delivery persons, Yiannis Panayiotou the Labour Minister has announced that delivery services shall remain banned during the daytime owing to the extreme heat wave.

This includes both food and other delivery services, which will not operate between noon and 4pm on days that are on red or even orange alerts.

All two-wheelers are liable to adhere to this directive.

On a parallel scale, any type of outdoor work will not be allowed on days with red alerts.

The announcement comes after the government of Greece’s announcement of banning delivery and outdoor work from noon till 5 pm wherever the temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek PM has postponed his planned trip to Cyprus owing to the firefighter aircraft disaster in the former country.

The development was made public after a conversation between the Greek PM & Cyprus President.

Nikos Christodoulides, the President of Cyprus expressed his condolences for the disaster which happened in Karystos in Evia, also extending his support to Greece for the fires.

Given the disaster, the leaders of the neighboring countries decided that it would be best to postpone the visit to a future date.

The aircraft, a Canadair CL-215 aircraft, flown by Hellenic Air Force officers, crashed while fighting a wildfire in Platanistos village near Evia.

The airmen, Captain Christos Moulas, 34 and Lieutenant Pericles Stefanidis, 27 both died at the scene.