Current Events

The Cyprus police has arrested two people, aged 41 and 40 in Paphos for physically assaulting a 46-year-old man.

According to a spokesman for the police, the incident came to the police’s attention after the 46-year-old filed a complaint explaining how he was attacked by the two people while he was spending time with his friend on the beach of Lemba.

After being attacked, the man was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a hematoma on his head and a broken left leg.

The police arrested the two people, who were first accused in writing and later released.

The Pournara Reception Center in Kokkinotrimithiathe saw two fires breaking out within the span of a single day.

The incidents, each of which took place on consecutive mornings, had the fire service sending out fire engines with expert personnel. While they did manage to put out the fires, the building sustained major damages.

Investigations are currently underway. The investigators are saying that the first fire was in all possibility caused due to arson.

The recent spate of strong winds that have been blowing all over the island nation have intensified, greatly increasing the chance of vehicular accidents.

For this reason, the Cyprus police are actively urging people to drive slower and be extra careful when on the road. According to them, a vehicle with higher velocity makes it vulnerable to be thrown off course.

The results of the spring Eurobarometer of the European parliament has revealed that as less as 54% of participants in the island nation of Cyprus agree with the sanctions against Russia, as opposed to European Union average of 80%.

Parallelly, as many as 80% of Cyprus citizens also believe that the Russian invasion in Ukraine will affect their daily lives. This is by far the biggest percentage after Greece (86%), as opposed to the much lower European Union average of 61%.

Interestingly, 36% of participants said they had a positive view on Russia, quite higher than the European Union average of 10%.

Meanwhile, 42% of Cypriots said they have a positive image of the EU, which is not very far behind the 52% EU average.

Other percentages recorded from Cypriot participants include guarantee of freedom and democracy (48%), and the feeling that the European volume and should pay attention to Cyprus’ public health (58%).

The island nation of Cyprus has established a sea link with Greece – something that hasn’t been done in the last 21 years.

According to president Nicos Anastasiades, who attended the ceremony that marked the launching of the sea link, the event is indeed historic. He called the connection between Cyprus and Greece an “umbilical cord,” and that having the modern ships will further strengthen both countries.

According to Xinhua news agency, the last ferry that moved between these two countries was in October 2001.  So far, only international cruise ships and cargo vessels have moved between them.

While a sea link did exist till 2001, the more affordable 90-minute flights to Athens became more common, effectively putting the former out of business.

Daleena – a Cyprus-based cruiser will be operating on the route. Each trip will last 30 hours, and carry 100 cars and 270 passengers.

A major traffic accident that occurred this morning in Limassol has left a 59-year-old woman in critical condition.

The accident in question, which took place at Promachon Eleftherias street involved a car hitting said woman, who at that time was crossing the road.

The woman, who was gravely injured on spot was first transferred to the Limassol general hospital. But she was later admitted to the Nicosia general hospital on account of her critical condition.

Investigation of the accident is currently underway. The Limassol traffic police is appealing to people to contact them if they have any useful information about the accident.

The District Court in Limassol, Cyprus has sentenced a 23-year-old man to a 15 months prison term for negligence that led to a major car accident.

The accident in question, which occurred right after 12am on the 14th of September in 2020, had the 23-year-old as the driver of a car with an 18-year-old woman as his co-driver moving towards the south of the Kyvides-Kantou road. It was here that he lost control of his car, which then proceeded to overturn and hit a house fence. The collision caused the 18-year-old to be thrown straight out of the vehicle and die on the spot.

In addition to his sentencing, the man’s driving license will be suspended for 24 months.

A 72-year-old man in Paphos is in serious condition in the hospital after falling from his balcony.

The man, a pensioner, was trying to climb up his balcony, which stood at two-meter-high, to get into his home as he had accidentally locked himself out.

After neighbors informed the police, he was found and taken to Paphos general hospital’s A+E department, where the doctors diagnosed him with facial fracture and a head injury.

His condition has been described as serious.

The Cyprus police has arrested a 25-year-old British nation in connection to the traffic accident that led to the death of a Swedish tourist.

The man was allegedly driving the dune buggy that struck the tourist on a crosswalk in Ayia Napa and killed him on the spot.

The man, who will not be named in public due to state rules, shall stay in custody for 6 days will charges are formally brought against him in court for the manslaughter of 46-year-old Camilla Christina Pamdahl.

According to the police, the accident happened early Wednesday evening, when Pamdahl was moving along the then busy crosswalk. Once the accident happened, the suspect proceeded to flee the scene on foot. The Police, however, soon tracked him down and killed him.

The Courts in Cyprus have charged a 30-year-old in their investigations into the incidents that happened during the Anorthosis-Apollon football match, which led to a 20-year-old man getting gravely injured.

The suspect in question willingly surrendered himself to law enforcement once the police published the information of the ten people who are wanted in connection with the incident.

The incidents of Saturday led to the 20-year-old man suffering serious burns, with up to 45 percent of his body sustaining severe damages.

According to eyewitness reports, the incident was started by fans of the rival football teams who had started fireworks. The resulting fire went out of control and caused considerable damage.

Aside from the 20-year-old, damages include five police cars, and several plants. Reports say that the man who was injured had been walking his dog when a Molotov cocktail got thrown at him.

The Cyprus Police caught a driver driving much higher than the speed limit, and then discovered that he was under the influence of narcotics the whole time.

At around 3am, the police caught the 27-year-old man speeding along the Kofinou-Larnaca motorway at 174 kph, much higher than the prescribed 100 kph limit.

The police initially signaled him to stop, but the driver ignored the signs and continue to speed through. Officers finally stopped him near Klavdia, and gave him an alcohol and a narcotest. The man tested positive for the latter.

The man is currently in custody, pending his appearance in court.

The Cyprus Police have arrested a man for allegedly conducting a robbery at knifepoint at a hotel.

The man, 26, is a Cypriot citizen who wore a hood, entered a hotel, threatened one of their employees with a knife, and forced him to give up his car.

Paphos Police Director Nikos Tsappis has said that the man, who was later caught by the police, had the key belonging to the hotel employee, along with the hood and a plant of cannabis in his possession. The car itself was found at Ha-Potami in an open space near his home.

Further interrogation of the man is currently underway.

The Police in Cyprus has arrested a 22-year-old man who has reportedly confessed to having raped three women in the Ayia Napa area during the months of April and May.

According to a statement from the police, the discovery was part of an ongoing investigation, which started when the police received complaints from three women in the same area using similar descriptions.

Each of the women claimed to have been approached by a stranger who then took them to a dark place and raped them there. This led the police to CCTV footage, which revealed evidence that ultimately led to the police finding and arresting the perpetrator.

The Police found some visual stills of the suspect, and presented them to the suspect as well and showed them door-to-door. The man in question was confirmed by one of the victims, and identified by a member of the public, who also knew his whereabouts.

The man, a foreign national, finally confessed to the crimes after having been questioned by the police. He has been remanded in custody for 6 days.

The world has been seeing the concept of the four-day work week for a while now, and Cyprus is the latest country to see new plans being implemented surrounding this.

For the first time on the island nation, PwC Cyprus has launched the four-day work week system for its employees during July and August.

The system, which is to be introduced on a trial basis, is being introduced as a strategy for companies to cut down on mass job losses.

According to experts, it is a good strategy for companies and by extension their employees to find new paths to productivity. It is not about increasing the amount of workload, but for people with jobs to either work with increased work hours for four days, or work the same time for four days but find ways to be as productive as they would for five.

While the prospect of the ten-hour weekday sounds hard, having the prize of a three-day weekend has people motivated to pay the smaller price.

A man died after choking on a piece of meat while having dinner in a restaurant.

The man, 43, was having dinner at a restaurant in Germasoyia when he choked on said piece of meat. He panicked and asked someone nearby to give him a blow to the back to solve the problem. When that did not work, he went outside to find another solution but fainted and subsequently died.

He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. The doctors at the Limassol General Hospital then went on to recover the piece of meat lodged in his throat.

Police investigation is still underway to confirm the cause of death.

Community Democratic Party’s (TDP) leader Mine Atli has been ordered to pay a bond worth €3,000 for having “slandered” the name of Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in public.

Atli is required to pay the bond as part of the proceedings of the charges being pressed against her by Tatar, who claims that the former insulted his personality. She will, however, remain free till the trial proceeds further.

According to the Cyprus Police, the complaint and resulting court proceedings in question originate in a post made by Atli on May 10th on Facebook. An attorney herself, Atli claims that she has only practiced free speech and intent on standing trial. After all, she has not made any mistakes, and in fact advises her clients to freely post their thoughts online.

She has further added that any and all attempts to “intimidate” will make no difference.

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).