Current Events

Cyprus saw the international youth event ‘Youth 4 HEALTH’ being held in Agros before Easter.

The event, which was by Youth Dynamics had a total of 68 attendees – all youth from Hungary, France, Greece, and of course Cyprus.

Financed partially by the EU, the event was part of the Erasmus + program

The meeting discussed topics surrounding maintaining good health and lifestyle practices, with young people working in groups to brainstorm a variety of ideas to improve health awareness among the youth.

Topics discussed include processed foods, obesity, mental health problems, and the general reduction in physical activity – all of which affect the youth at wholesale rates.

The attendees also visited the Cyprus Sports Medicine & Research Center, where they got to know more about preventative health interventions and preventing factors for longevity. They also found out more about how wellness and health of athletes can be better promoted while training.

Participants who completed the training successfully were presented with the EU certificate ‘Youthpass.’

As the world is inching towards the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cyprus too is easing its safety measures in the wake of reducing numbers and more vaccinations.

Michael Hadjipantela, the Health Minister of Cyprus has declared that from of May 15, the government is scrapping compulsory vaccination and/or recovery certificates for most public places, bar music halls, hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and nightclubs.

Furthermore, the unvaccinated who are in close contact with others infected from COVID-19 will not be required to self-quarantine. Compulsory testing for school goers and teachers will also cease.

As of April 22, people will no longer be mandated to wear masks in the outdoor sections of restaurants and bars. The bar on maximum capacity is also set to be lifted.

The government of Cyprus has announced a warning over a large number of children contracting severe hepatitis.

According to Pediatrician Michalis Anastasiades, the symptoms presenting themselves include belly aches, gas, diarrhea, and vomiting, which may progress to more severe symptoms such as excess liver enzymes or jaundice. Fever, however, has been less frequent.

The virus is very contagious, and those affected are being asked to stay as isolated as possible.

In the last few weeks, 169 cases of severe hepatitis were identified in children across 12 countries. At least 1 child has died, while 17 others have needed liver transplants to survive.

Parents are being asked to watch out for symptoms and reach out for medical care as soon as possible, if needed.

Bulgarian investment firm HR Capital has announced its investment in Cyprus-based startup, QCommerce.

The investment, worth a total of 150,000 Euros, will be offered as a convertible loan for a period of 12 months.

QCommerce helps develop technology solutions to facilitate the swiftness and efficiency of orders for food, beverages, and other consumable items. The company is the creator and owner of the mobile app PopMarket, which facilitates express deliveries.

This new announcement comes after HRC’s investment in eBag.bg, an online local grocery shop based in Bulgaria.

The investment company has also made investments in OhmniLabs (a US artificial intelligence startup), The Recursive (a digital news outlet), and Releva (an analytics platform to monitor domestic revenue).

After having served as VP, chairman, and most recently a member of the board of directors, Thanasis Tsokos is all set to head Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) as its Director General.

The appointment was announced first by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which has the CyBC as one of its members.

The CyBC is the premier public service broadcaster on the island nation, operating 4 radio stations, one satellite channel, and 3 terrestrial channels (CyBC1, CyBC2, and CyBC HD).

Two individuals faced amputation after a firecracker accident.

The individuals, a 35-year-old man from Geri, and 17-year-old man from Acropolis in Nicosia were using firecrackers to celebrate Holy Saturday, when a freak accident led to severe injury.

A spokesperson for the Cyprus Police said that paramedics took both men to Nicosia General Hospital. They were thereafter transferred to a private clinic, where a finger was amputated for each person.

Notably, the men had similar accidents and injuries, despite being in two very separate places.

In yet another missing person’s case happening this month, the Cyprus Police is actively looking for a 16-year-old child, last seen in her own home in Nicosia.

Alissa Pitt was last seen by her family and neighbors wearing a blue T-shirt, green tights and black boots. She was carrying a light blue backpack with her.

The girl is fair, about 1.55m tall, and has short, red hair.

The police are encouraging people who have any helpful information to come forward and help them find Alissa.

A civilian has found and reported a plastic bag, which contains the charred remains of what is possibly a small puppy, was found near outside a veterinary clinic in the city of Larnaca

According to the animal rights advocacy group Animal Party, the man who found the bag described being horrified at what clearly looked like barbaric behavior.

He further added that he hopes the police can catch the perpetrator of the crime soon, so they can get the judicial judgment they deserve.

The Animal Party has declared that it shall keep the public abreast about both the development and the outcome of the case.

The explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) has destroyed an ATM in Paphos.

According to Kyriacos Nicolaou, a spokesman for the police, the explosion happened near a bank on Ellados avenue at around 5am in the morning.

He added that the explosive device in question was placed inside the ATM machine, which was completely decimated once the device detonated.

Further extensive damages were sustained – both on the inside the outside of the bank.

Investigation of the site is currently underway – pyrotechnicians are working with the Paphos CID round the clock to get information on the mishap, and find evidence that can help identify the perpetrators.

The police are also evaluating CCTV footage from the site and nearby areas

CCTV footage from the area is also being evaluated, he added.

Cyprus Police in Famagusta are currently investigating the theft of a sum of €7,500 from the residence of a pensioner in Paralimni.

The crime came on the Police’s radar, after the pensioner, an elderly woman reported an unknown man who apparently visited her home under the pretense of selling cooking gear, but actually stole her money.

She has described the man as having a small build, standing 1.70 meters tall, and having black hair cut very short.

Two brothers have been arrested for trying to cross the government-controlled sections of Cyprus with forged identity documents.

The brothers, aged 52 and 44, were arrested in North Cyprus for this reason. According to the Cyprus News Agency, they came from Turkey posing as tourists trying to cross over.

Initially arriving at the Ayios Dometios checkpoint, they were using fake Belgian identity cards bought in Turkey.

The brothers have been remanded for 3 days for possessing and circulating forged documents.

A group of Russian expats in Cyprus are protesting in support of their country’s involvement in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

The group, comprising around 150 Russians living on the island nation, protested in the central Foinikoudes area of Larnaca.

They were chanting slogans like ‘Russia save the planet’ and ‘Down with NATO’, while speaking on propaganda and media misinformation regarding Ukraine’s involvement in the Donbass region.

The Russian Compatriots of Cyprus Coordination Council is the organization officially responsible for organizing the protest.

The Cyprus police in Paphos has taken a man in custody over obstruction of justice in an ongoing investigation.

The man, 57, against whom a warrant was already issued, is a part of a case which the police is currently investigating.

According to Michalis Ioannou, a spokeswoman for the Paphos police, the man had threatened a 75-year-old witness who had reported the theft of aluminum from her residence. The intention of said threat was to have her forcibly withdraw the case.

The 57-year-old has been placed under mandatory police custody, as police investigations continue.

A 43-year-old woman has passed away in the emergency room of Larnaca General Hospital.

The woman, who was a mother-of-six, reported not feeling well, and for that reason was taken to Larnaca General’s ER Department. Unfortunately, she collapsed just as she was being registered and despite the doctors’ best efforts her life could not be saved.

The death was ruled as suspicious. A post mortem has been carried out, the results of which should be available in the near future.

Her death is being investigated by the Aradippou Police.

25 state schools all over the island nation are all set to receive their very own solar panels.

The move comes as part of the “PEDIA” plan, which aims to update all state schools in the European Union to a point where they can be declared as zero energy consuming.

The first stage of this plan will see 25 approved school buildings, which includes 12 elementary schools, 4 kindergartens, 2 lyceums, 5 high schools, a special needs school, and a technical school as well.

These 25 institutions were chosen from a grand total of 144 applications, having been evaluated via a specific methodology framework developed by EU analysts.

The island nation is currently seeing an influx of over 100-180 Ukrainian refugees per day.

According to a statement by Interior Minister Nicos Nouris, the total number of asylum seekers has shot up to more than 1,200 in a matter of days. He added that while this is a sticky situation for the resource-limited nation, they are gearing up to manage as many applications as they possibly can.

The statement from Mr. Nouris comes after his meeting with a delegation from AKEL, where he argued that the actual number of Ukrainians seeking asylum in Cyprus is indeed larger than the calculations of the Ministry. He went on to explain that this might happen due to the fact that several refugees have friends or relatives on the island, and are residing at their residence as a temporary solution.

In the latest incident, the police have arrested a woman for using a stolen cheque to pay for her shopping bills.

The woman, 45, was initially flagged by a supermarket, whose authorities found what they described the woman as using a cheque they suspected as stolen.

Apparently, she racked up a total of €112, but submitted a cheque worth €300, demanding the change in cash.

It was only later that the supermarket found out that the bank in question that “issued” the cheque is defunct, and the cheque was a page out of 2 cheque books reported missing in 2017 at a butchery in Limassol.

The police investigation on this matter is currently underway.

The Cyprus Police has issued 10 fines on 10 individuals found violating existing measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The police conducted a total of 1,314 checks in the span of 24 hours, 284 of which were done in Nicosia, 131 were done in Limassol, 263 were done in Larnaca, 421 in Nicosia and 74 in Morphou. Furthermore, the Traffic Police conducted over 124 checks.

Out of these checks, 2 people were fined in Nicosia, 1 in Limassol, 4 in Larnaca and 3 in Famagusta. No persons or businesses were fined in Morphou or in traffic police checks.

The government of the island nation has announced that all senior citizens are approved for a 4th dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The vaccine booster, which is available for those over the age of 70, and for those under 70 with major comorbidities (such as HIV, major organ failure and immunosuppression) – has been approved after a major spike in new cases of the novel coronavirus.

The 4th dose will also be available to doctors, nurses, and nursing and care home employees to ensure the protection of patients.

The surge of new cases are being seen after the carnival celebrations, which happened in the first week of March.

About 90% of the cases are detected by the BA.2 sub-variant, and the major part of those afflicted include the unvaccinated and younger children.

To that end, the Health Ministry has stepped back on further relaxations for the next 2 weeks.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades is all set to meet Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

The meeting will include discussions on various topics related to the Cyprus issue such as the Turkish interventions in Varosha, the proposal being made for confidence-building, as well as other developments in the Eastern Mediterranian region.

The President’s visit to Abu Dhabi also includes other activities such as a visit to the island nation’s kiosk at EXPO 2020, where he will be speaking at the event for the celebrations of Cyprus’ National Day.

President Anastasiades will head a delegation including the ministers for Agriculture, Energy, Finance, and Transport, the deputy ministers of Tourism, Innovation and Shipping, along with some eminent businesspersons.