Current Events

As part of a co-ordinated campaign by the Limassol traffic police to handle juvenile offences and noise pollution, over 6 cars and 18 motorbikes were caught and confiscated for violating traffic rules.

In addition to this, over 60 people were booked for comparatively lesser traffic violations such as driving without registration plates, not having adequate papers, or driving in the directions opposite to the norm.

This comes after the last three days of police activity, where 140 drivers were booked in total, with over 24 for drunk driving and 47 for driving over speed limits.

The Nicosia Water Board has announced that the fixed cost of drinking water is set to increase to 11 euros for every 2 months, starting the 1st of November.

The Board explained how the increase had to be made to make sure the water-supply infrastructure of Nicosia can be properly maintained as needed.

The announcement further added that the water network of the island nation’s capital is long overdue for an upgrade – and that said upgrades require a boost in the budget, which can only be done by increasing the prices.

The last price hike was done in September 2017.

The two suspects who were arrested for murdering a 36-year-old man have been produced in a Paphos criminal court.

According to the Cyprus News Agency, has set the date of the hearing to November 22, 2022.

The defense lawyer for the suspects, aged 20 and 27, asked for bail, but were denied any by the prosecutors. The court ultimately ruled that the suspects will remain in custody till the proceedings begin.

The case involves the murder of a 37-year-old, who passed away in the ICU of Nicosia general hospital. He was admitted after intruders broke into his apartment and hit him on the head.

Over 200 fines were awarded to truck drivers, as part of a brand-new policing campaign that focuses on the operation of heavy vehicles.

The campaign, which is aimed at improving road safety, had 203 fines issued within a total of 247 inspections. Another one fine was issued out of 80 bus inspections.

The campaign is a small part of the larger initiative by the Roadpol European Traffic Police Network’s member countries.

The Paphos police arrested four people who tried to attempt a robbery, but failed.

The men were trying to break into the home of a 53-year-old woman, when she noticed the intruder and sounded the alarm. While the intruder tried to escape, a neighbor caught him.

Once the suspect went into the police’s custody, he immediately told them about his accomplices who were in a nearby car and had dropped him near the lady’s home.

The Paphos police eventually found them in the agricultural district nearby – in a car that had since broken down. They went on to find another man there trying to help these two.

After arresting them, the Paphos police identified them as two men, aged 29 and 25 and a woman, aged 27. They also found lots of gold items, along with foreign coins, a precision ruler and over 3 gms of cocaine.

The National Guard of Cyprus has signed fresh defense agreements with over fifteen countries, and welcomes several new helicopters as part of said agreement.

According to Charalambos Petrides, the Defense Minister of Cyprus, the defense is looking at its relations with other countries now to level up its training facilities and infrastructure, and the current developments are only the beginning. He added that the National Guard will be a part of several collaborations and joint training exercises.

Petrides continued by saying how these series of events would help the National Guard ensure the country maintains its integrity. He also said that they are in the process of signing agreements for the equipment program, and are proceeding with installing the Green Line e-monitoring system.

He paused at this point, mentioning how it was not safe to discuss issues pertaining national security in public.

The Cyprus Police have arrested a 22-year-old tourist for both driving under the influence and driving without a valid license.

Steve Theodoulou, a spokesman for the Famagusta police, said that the 22-year-old came under their radar when he failed to stop at Protaras, and proceeded to speed up and try to evade the police.

The man had to stop once he encountered a dead end, making it impossible for him to drive. But he still proceeded to get out of the vehicle and tried to attack the police.

The police eventually restrained and arrested him. It was then that they found out that he did not have a licence and tested 70 mg – well above the 9mg limit on the alcohol test.

He is due to appear in court on charges of multiple traffic violations and resisting arrest.

The diver who had fallen unconscious in the Zenobia wreck area is now alright.

According to Phileleftheros, the diver – member of a five-person group had dived into the sea in the wreck area. But once he resurfaced, the lost his consciousness.

Fortunately, the man was rescued almost immediately and was given water and oxygen. He was rushed to Famagusta General Hospital, where the doctors diagnosed him with Caisson disease.

However, the man in question is now well, and will pursue adequate treatment for his medical issues.

A man has lost over €89,000 after unwittingly becoming part of a property scam. The man, 45, situation came to light after he made a complaint to the police about him being scammed.

He explained that he was approached by a man who claimed he could get him in touch with “Harry” the Prince of Gabon, who apparently was interested in buying his cellar for one million Euros.

He claimed that the money would need colour-correction with chemicals, which would require him to send a “small sum” of money prior.

This led to the 45-year-old handing over €89,000. One of the suspects informed him they would “need a few days” to bring the chemicals, at which point they disappeared.

The police’s investigations have not been able to locate the suspects so far. Further investigation is currently underway.

According to the Cyprus Meteorological Department, the temperature over the weekend is set to reach around 40 Degrees Celsius on an average.

The Met Department said that the overall temperatures will be 3-4 degrees higher than the seasonal average everywhere, making it rise up to 28 degrees Celsius in the mountains, and 31 and 34 degrees Celsius in the western and southwestern coastal areas and other coastal areas, respectively.

Humidity levels will proportionately be higher all round, especially in the coastal areas.

Residents are advised to stay hydrated, while those with chronic health issues are advised to stay indoors.

The police in Turkish Cyprus have arrested two protesters for attacking the police while carrying out a demonstration against the new government complex.

The building, which is worth €155 million, is being criticised over its insensitivity towards the Cypriot economic situation. According to various members of the public and opposition, the construction of the building is unnecessary, and does not respect the financial difficulties faced by average Cypriot citizens.

This led to protests from some members of the public.

In the latest round of protests, the protesters ran through the barb wired fence to enter the construction site. Some of them went to attack members of the police and the government.

According to Turkish Cypriot ‘Prime Minister’ Unal Ustel, such acts of condemnation shall not be tolerated. He further added that those carrying out protests do not have good intentions in mind.

The Cypriot Health Ministry has issued a warning on the presence of Aedes Aegypt mosquitos, having found and identified them in the Dromolaxia area near Larnaca.

The discovery happened when a bicommunal health committee project revealed the existence of the pests. The mosquito has been known to cause serious diseases such as yellow fever, Zika fever and dengue.

According to a statement from the Cypriot Ministry of Health, the public has been urged to do their part by keeping their area clean and removing any sites of water accumulation, which could encourage the breeding of mosquitoes.

It further stated that should the situation escalate, they will not hesitate to start an information campaign to educate people personally and even carry out mass exterminations.

The Republic of Cyprus is due to celebrate its 62nd anniversary of its independence from Britain.

The highlight of the celebrations will be a traditional military parade. This will include several sections such as pedestrian, motorised, airborne, with participants from the Police, the Fire Service and of course, the National Guard.

Prior to the parade, President Anastasiades will give his speech. This will be followed by the hoisting of the flag of Cyprus, the singing of the national anthem, and a 21-gun salute.

Other national attendants include Chief Lieutenant General Dimocritos Zervakis of the National Guard, and Defense Minister Charalambos Petrides.

Several Foreign dignitaries and army attaches will also be attending the parade. The guests of honor will be National Defense General Staff Chief General Konstantinos Floros and National Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos.

The Cyprus Police in Paphos has arrested a man on grounds of suspicion that he masterminded two burglaries.

The man, 24, is allegedly supposed to have carried out the criminal activities – one of which happened at a restaurant while the other happened at a hotel.

The police suspect that the suspect broke into the spaces to steal electronic items and small sums of money.

Further investigation is currently underway as the police is trying to ascertain if he is connected to any other incidents.

A violent homicide attempt has left its victim in serious condition.

The victim in question, a 36-year-old man and Cypriot permanent residency holder, was found grievously injured in his home by his neighbors

He was subsequently rushed to Paphos General Hospital via ambulance, where the doctors treated him for his injuries. The doctors revealed to the police that he suffered two major head injuries and some minor scratches.

The police later revealed that a 27-year-old has been arrested on grounds of suspicion. They have put the crime scene with the victim’s apartment under seal while they continue their investigation.

A British man was discovered dead mid-flight by his wife.

The man, 63 and his wife, 62 were traveling to Paphos for their vacation when this happened.

Once the plane landed, the man was sent to Paphos General Hospital, and at that location the man was declared DOA (dead-on-arrival).

The police’s preliminary investigation into the matter says that they do not consider the death to have any criminal or otherwise suspicious links.

With the COVID-19 pandemic waning, several countries are loosening their restrictions and Cyprus is no exception to this. The island nation recently lifted the mandatory use of face masks in indoor spaces after the country’s health authority deemed the situation to have considerably improved.

According to Michalis Hadjipantela, Cyprus’ health minister, the rule, however, will continue to apply to clinics, nursing homes and hospitals, and public vehicles. People suffering from chronic illnesses are also recommended to use face coverings.

Also lifted are the capacity limitations for public places like casinos, churches, stadiums, stores, malls, restaurants, and nightclubs.

The Republic of Cyprus has issued a Navtex revealing that the French Navy has started its military exercise.

Coinciding with this is a “war” Navtex warnings issued between Turkey and the island nation over the BILIM 2 Survey/Research vessel.

So far, Cyprus has slammed Turkey’s Navtex for scientific research. Part of this actually takes place in the continental shelf of the island nation.

This comes after Turkey issued an anti-Navtex where it disputed Cyprus’ sovereignty.

The BILIM 2 was first to the north of Cyprus, where Turkish-majority village Yiallousa is located.

Cyprus has signed a brand-new defense agreement with fellow EU country Romania.

Specifically, the agreement in questions was signed by Cypriot and Romanian Defense Ministers Charalambos Petrides and Vasile Dincu respectively at an informal meeting held around the European Union Foreign Affairs in Prague.

According to Andreas Stylianou, a spokesman for the defense ministry, this agreement will form the basis of a series of cooperative activities, which include personnel exchange, joint personnel training, among other military training-related topics.

The Paphos police has arrested 2 individuals on DUI and narcotics possession charges.

Paphos police has revealed that they stopped a 23-year-old car driver earlier, and upon a search found him to have €1,170 case, along with a scale and 82 gms of cannabis. He has been put under house arrest for 3 days.

The police also stopped a 22-year-old scooter driver. He was later found to have been possessing 0.86 grams, and even tested positive on the police’s drug test.

The police stopped a third vehicle, driven by a man, 23, with 4 passengers. The driver was found with traces of cannabis, two hand-rolled cigarettes, and also tested positive on the narcotics test.

Further investigation by Paphos police is currently underway.