Current Events

In what is being considered good news for public health, the Cypriot Health Ministry has stated that nearly 78% of all adults and over 30% of teenagers (i.e. those between 16 to 17 years of age) have received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

As of August 23, the data says that around 77.6% adults have been inoculated with the first dose of the anti-covid vaccine, while 72.3% have seemingly completed the vaccination process. In the meantime, after about two months of the extension of the National Vaccination Scheme to those under-18, around 34.4% of those between 16 to 17 years of age were vaccinated with at least the first dose of the vaccine, with the percentage of fully vaccinated standing at 25.6.

As per the data, 70% of those aged 30 to 39, 59% of those aged 20 to 2, and 47% of those aged 18 to 19 have received the first dose of the vaccine.

District-wise, Paphos with 88.5 % of its population vaccinated continues to retain the first place in the chart, whereas the district of Larnaca seems to be the last with around 71.6% of its population being vaccinated so far.

Cyprus is preparing to vaccinate all of its elderly population by the end of September 2021.

88 Syrian migrants, who tried to reach Cyprus in two boats, have been sent back to Lebanon.

According to the Interior Minister Nicos Nouris, 5 men had jumped overboard. The Cyprus Police rescued 4 men. However, a fifth, who was wearing a mask, a life preserver and flippers managed to flee. Rescue crews are still looking for this individual.

Others among those rescued include a sick man and a pregnant woman. They were airlifted and later hospitalized.

The boats were originally detected by the coastal radar, and first intercepted by the marine police vessels with 48 men, 15 women and 25 minors on board – roughly 15 kilometers away from the coastline.

All of them were transferred to Lebanon under police escort on a chartered boat, under the agreement signed between Cyprus and Lebanon, which says that any person trying to reach Cyprus via boat shall be deported back to Lebanon.

Cyprus is situated at a distance of around a 230 kilometers west of Lebanon and around 170 kilometers west of Syria.

The Cyprus Police has revealed that they have handled a total of 36 sexual harassment cases thus far, 22 of which have been filed in court.

According to Eleni Constantinou, a spokesperson for the Cyprus Police, there are a total of 36 cases under investigation by the special unit dealing with sexual harassment issues. 22 of these have already been filed in court, while 9 others are still being investigated.

Ms. Constantinou stated that the police are continuing to collect statements, evidence and clues concerning the cases under investigation. She further added that legal service, has decided not to press charges in 2 out of 3 cases it is currently studying.

She has urged people with information to remain quiet in public, but be as detailed as possible when interacting with the police.

The Cyprus police has seen a considerable increase in complaints – chiefly after the incident of the Greek athlete Sophia Bekatorou, who spoke about her rape publicly.

The Cyprus police’s cybercrime unit has reported that two men – aged 32 & 45 have been identified in connection with the ongoing fake news post scandal.

The scandal in question is one that arose from a post that claimed that a 12-year-old child in Limassol less than a day after being administered the Covid-19 vaccine. It was later confirmed, however, as fake news after being denied by the health authorities.

The police, who identified the suspects via testimonies, brought both suspects in for questioning. They even obtained a search warrant and searched the 45-year-old suspect, where they seized a mobile phone.

Both of the accused eventually confessed about their connection to the crime. As of now, the elder of the two is being charged in writing, and is due to appear in court soon.

The office of the Ombudsman of Cyprus has not been upgraded to A status accreditation awarded by the sub-committee on accreditation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Earlier this year, it was given a time frame of eighteen months to fulfill and submit a new reassessment application in order to get the promotion to A status.

Several vulnerabilities were identified to be the reason for this development. This includes (but is not limited to) the office’s funding and financial autonomy, the level of pluralism and of course the process of selection of the ombudsman by the President of the republic.

The Sub-Committee on Accreditation has compiled and published a detailed report on this, which was released in June 2021.

The Office of the Cyprus Ombudsman was established in 1991. Based in Nicosia, it currently holds B status accreditation

The use of safe pass has forced people and doctors to adopt illegal methods to fulfil the mandatory norms – primarily by presenting fake certificates. 

Simultaneously, it has been noticed that the doctors are certifying that their patients do not require any vaccination while prioritizing other norms such as mandatory use of masks.

This is indeed a serious and threatening phenomenon and quite a few of such complains and cases have been formally submitted for investigative measures.  

Michael Anastasiades, the President of the Doctor’s Association Ethics Committee has voiced his concern on the matter. He further added that a decision should be taken to appoint an investigator, and once appointed, should have a non-partisan membership.

Paschal Donohoe, President of the Eurogroup, shall make a visit to Cyprus and Greece for bilateral meetings. 

Minister Donohoe will be meeting the President as well as the finance minister of Cyprus and shall frame the priorities he has as the President of the Eurogroup.

He will discuss the prospects of recovery of the Euro Area in meetings with the business frame of Cyprus. 

All the meetings are focused on the economic recovery caused by the pandemic.

The Cyprus police have arrested two men, 21 and 22, for at least 8 days on suspicion of stabbing a 23-year-old man in Nicosia.

The incident in question happened around 12 noon in a central Nicosia parking lot, where it is being ascertained that the 22-year-old injured the 23-year-old in the neck and face while scuffling with him.

Once the latter was injured, both the 21 and the 22-year-old fled the scene to avoid being found and arrested. Various eyewitness account that put them on the scene, along with a statement from the 23-year-old got the two men arrested.

The 23-year-old is currently recovering in the hospital. All of the three men are from Syria.

At least three persons were held for crimes related to illegal entry, stay and identity theft.

Firstly, a Congolese woman was arrested at Paphos international airport early on Monday. The airport authorities became suspicious during the required passport check when she presented a French passport. On further interrogation, she confessed to the police that the identity card was given to her by a man of African descent not known to her in Larnaca. 

Incidentally on the same flight, a person of African descent displayed a Belgian ID during the passport check, which turned out to be a fake one. The man then revealed to the police that the Belgian ID he displayed did not belong to him. He found it on lying on the ground somewhere in Larnaca. 

Finally, a female of African descent was arrested at the same airport, for displaying a Belgian identity card. Although the identity card was alright, it has been stated lost as per records.

On Tuesday, the District Court of Paphos remanded them for three days.

A woman, 29, allegedly wanted on an international arrest warrant for crimes related to fraud and money laundering, was held on her arrival in Cyprus Paphos’ airport, as per police statement on Friday.  

On her arrival on a flight from Moscow, the airport authorities found that an international arrest warrant pending against her.

The warrant was issued by the United States for crimes related to fraud and money laundering that the woman committed in 2017.

The Cypriot authorities are currently preparing to deport the woman back to the US, where she will stand trial for her crimes.

The Cyprus Police have declared that they will be destroying all confiscated fireworks at the Sha quarries. The destruction has been scheduled between 5 and 11 pm.

To that end, they have issued an advance warning to the public on the explosions that might be heard as a result of this activity. They explained that while they would rather not have these interruptions, it is important to dispose off the hazardous materials as fast as possible.

They have assured the public that they have taken the necessary precautions, and that they would have no cause for concern.

The fireworks in question are those the police have seized on multiple occasions. Almost all of these were found to be illegally possessed.

An athlete participating in the Cyprus national team in the Olympic Games along with her coach have tested positive for Covid-19.

The diagnosis has happened after the athlete had completed her sporting competition.

Andreas Theophylactou, the head of the Cyprus delegation in Tokyo, confirmed the grim development. He further added that the two were no longer staying in the Olympic village.

While he is relieved that the two infected are safe to themselves and others, he is worried that about other members of the team, especially with other cases (in other countries’ teams) being recorded in the Olympics village.

So far, 16 people in the Olympic village – all from various countries – have tested positive for COVID-19. This makes the total number of infected rise to 148 – a number that includes volunteers, assistants and organizers in general.

The criminal court of Larnaca-Famagusta has found prima facie case against the former bishop.

In response to this development, Michalis Pikis, the former cleric’s lawyer has requested a period of a day to prepare his defense against the newly obtained information.

According to the Cyprus News Agency, this development has come after 2 more witnesses have testified against Chrysostomos. This includes a police officer who had investigated the case to begin with.

The offence in question that forms the basis of this case is a rape the ex-bishop committed against a woman in 2011, in his own office in Larnaca.

The Cyprus Police have arrested a man on suspicion of arson after a fire burnt down roughly 2kms of wild vegetation and dry grass in Analiontas.

The authorities came to know about the fire after nearby residents and witnesses reported it to the police. The fire had become massive by then, and it took the collective efforts of 19 fire engines, 3 aircrafts and a police helicopter.

Once the fire was finally extinguished, the police investigated the case, which led to them arrested the man, 33. The man came under the police’s radar after they found cut iron bars and a metal cutting machine on the plot, which belonged to said man. The police also found 2 cannabis plants.

The man was then arrested on charges of drug possession, illegal cannabis growing, and of course, starting the forest fire.

Limni beach, Cyprus’ one and only beach for turtles has been completely flooded.

The flooding has happened due to water emptied from a duct by the Water Development Department (TAY). This has surprised members of the government and the public alike, who are wondering how the TAY did not realize about the number of turtle nests in the area.

The mishap was only found out once the photos of the incident began to circulate online, which led to the Phileleftheros contacting the Ministry of Agriculture.

Upon investigation, it was found that it was the TAY that emptied the duct, one that connected the dams of Evretou and Pomos.

In response, the TAY has started up with their repair works and have assured that there are no more trouble-causing leakages.

The TAY emptied the duct in four different points – and Limni beach was only one of them.

Players of the Anorthosis football team got their jab of the COVID-19 vaccine before their participation in the European fixtures.

According to a statement from Demetris Christoforou, a spokesman for the club, the team decided to green light the vaccination in order for them to be eligible for the green pass required to travel abroad.

Upon being asked if the vaccines would play a role in bringing about a better future, Mr. Christoforou praised the medical community, saying that it was only medicine that could end the pandemic.

He further added that he hopes that the vaccine, along with a future drug specifically for the virus is the aim, and will help footballers and the sporting community at large in gaining back their motivation.

He went on to explain how difficult it is for footballers to maintain motivation when playing without people. The vaccine will help people get back to where they used to be – faster.

Those who were vaccinated will have the day off.

Players from the Aei, Omonia and Apollon clubs have already received their doses of the coronavirus vaccine.

The Cyprus Institute (CyI) is all set to hold its 2^nd International Conference on Climate Change in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East on the 13^th and 14^th of October 13.

These dates come just before the 2021 edition of COP 26, the global climate to be held in Glasgow in November.

The Cyl conference will be held in the hybrid format, with some sessions held in person in Cyprus and being held online.

Participants in the conference will include regional government officials, policymakers, international scientists, and key decision-makers and experts.

They will be discussing various recommendations – based on which they will be prepare the Regional Climate Action Plan for the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME).

The first edition of the CyI conference was held in 2018. It led to the government starting with the Eastern Mediterranean Middle East Climate Change Initiative, which coordinates the regional climate action in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

A woman who had been killed while walking along a highway has been identified.

The Cyprus Police revealed in a statement that the deceased woman was a 52-year-old Bulgarian national, who lived and worked in Cyprus.

The claim comes after the police’s public request to help identify the woman.

She was killed by a speeding car while she was walking along the highway to the airport from Larnaca via the Kalo Chorio roundabout.

The person driving the car was a 65-year-old man, who also suffered injuries and taken to Larnaca general hospital along with the woman.

The woman ultimately succumbed to her injuries. Meanwhile, the man was give a drug and an alcohol test, both of which came back negative.

The police confiscated his car and ultimately found that the woman was in fact walking in the middle of the highway when she was hit.

The woman had no living relatives on the island nation. A friend of the woman helped the police identify her body.

A study has revealed that despite being a relatively cheaper country to live in, Cyprus has costlier prices when it comes to furnishings, food and, communication.

The study conducted by Eurostat, which compared the prices of over ten categories of products in an interactive graph, showed the differences in prices between a country and both of its EU and non-EU counterparts.

The data for Cyprus showed that for most products, the price indices were lesser than the EU’s average. For instance, Cyprus’ footwear and clothing price level index (PLI) stood at 95.3 per cent, much lower than the EU’s average of 100. Hotel and restaurants were at a lower level at 87.3, compared to EU’s 100 average. Cultural and recreational activities stood at 91.3, compared to EU’s 100 average. Tobacco and alcohol was at 91.3 compared to EU’s 100 average. Cyprus also has a remarkably low price index for housing – 26.2 percent – much lesser than most EU countries.

Cyprus, however, did show higher PLI levels when it came to some categories. Food, for instance stood at a 106.9 PLI, high than EU’s 100 average. Similarly, communications were priced at 9.7 above the EU’s average PLI. Last but not the least, the PLI for furniture stood at 2.8% higher than the EU average.

Price level index is calculated by taking the present nominal exchange rate of a country and dividing it by its Purchasing power parities (PPPs).

The Cyprus News Agency has reported that the man will be standing trail for raping a woman.

The man, 24, will be standing trial at the criminal court in Paphos.

Until his court appearance, he will stay in police custody.

The man was arrested after his victim, a 24-year-old female had filed a complaint with law enforcement. She gave a statement on how a stranger dragged her and raped her against her will in the Ayios Antonios church’s courtyard.

She also gave the police a description of the man, which helped the police find and arrest him.