Current Events

A 50-year-old man was arrested and remanded for 4 days by the Limassol district court after the police found a connection between him and an attempted murder that was committed in 2001.

The victim in question, Andreas Pafitis, aka ‘Yena,’ was shot outside his warehouse on October 16, 2001 in Limassol. Though he survived, he was critically injured. There were multiple perpetrators at the scene, all of whom had fled in a stolen car with fake registration plates, which was found burnt in a hospital’s parking lot. The police could recover the license plates and filed them as evidence since they bore DNA evidence.

According to the police investigator, the 50-year-old man was arrested by the police during a periodic crackdown on organized crime. An illegal hunting gun was found in the man’s residence. Once his fingerprints were taken during questioning for the possession of the hunting gun, and were found to have matched the ones on the license plates of the stolen car used to commit the attempted murder, the man was remanded by the district court in Limassol.

The investigator further added in his statement to the court that the suspect was uncooperative, and his defense lawyers alleged that the police illegally took their client’s’ fingerprints illegally and are trying to “frame him” to the attempted murder.

Interestingly, the suspect had been questioned in 2001, but was released after no evidence could be gathered against him.

The Cyprus problem has caused grief to generations, and judging the current circumstances, the people are now keen to see it end. Unite Cyprus Now, a advocacy group seeking an end to the Cyprus issue, called to courage on the political level as marked its first year anniversary.

The group, which calls itself multi communal and works for the people, celebrated the occasion by gathering at the Ledra/Lokmaci crossing, and actively calling for a solution for the Cyprus problem. They gave particularly during the botched round of talks in Crans Montana.

In the gathering, spokespersons for the group touched upon their one-year anniversary and their cause in ending what they believe to be a “shameful division” of the island nations. They added that all Cypriots, regardless of their age, backgrounds, and political preferences wanted one thing – for Cyprus to be reunited.

The also said that the entire atmosphere lacked some political courage and the only way that could be accomplished is for people to push for a united Cyprus and make their best effort to leave for the future generations a country which remains united, peaceful stable and secure.

In what is being considered a shocking piece of news for the European sporting community, former Barcelona captain and current midfielder Andres Iniesta announced that he was making a move to Japan. It is heavily speculated that Iniesta will sign up for J-League side Vissel Kobe, given that Iniesta made the announcement on social media by posting a picture of himself along with the Hiroshi Mikitani – the chairman of the club.

The midfielder made his decision public by breaking the news on Instagram – “Heading to my new home, with my friend @hiroshi.mikitani”
Hiroshi Mikitani owns Vissel Kobe, and also serves as the chief executive of Rakuten, one of the main sponsors of Barcelona.

In what can be considered as a great news for the art and culture of Cyprus, the island country has managed to get back a rare 6th century Christian mosaic that was stolen decades ago.

The mosaic, which depicts the St. Andrew was taken from a looted church in four decades ago and will be returned to the Church now that it has been found again.

According to Archbishop Chrysostomos II, the mosaic depicted a rare kind of artistry, which made the work one of Cyprus’ biggest pieces of “stolen heritage.” It is in fact only one of the few mosaics to have survived the 8th and 9th centuries – a time when most icons of Orthodox Christianity were destroyed.

The mosaic itself depicts a bearded St. Andrew (one of the first apostles of Christ), and was among the many that were stolen from the Church of Panayia Kanakaria soon after Cyprus’ Greek-Turkish split in 1974.

Over 2 decades later, Aydin Dikmen, a Turkish art dealer, was arrested for selling said piece among others – both from Kanakaria Church and from other churches.

The only Kanakaria Church mosaic that is yet to be repatriated is the one of St. Luke.

The citizens of Cyprus are very concerned about the quality of their surroundings, and the enthusiasm shown by them for the annual cleanup only affirms this fact.

For this year’s ‘Let’s do it Cyprus’ clean-up campaign, the number of volunteers has already crossed 40K volunteers – much before the actual event. The event itself is an annual one held every year in April which aims to clean the island of as much rubbish as possible within a one-day period. The date for this year is April 29th.

The registration turnup, which is currently at 43,000, has far surpassed the target of 40K volunteers (i.e. around 1/20th of the population). More are expected to register before the actual event.

The ‘Let’s do it Cyprus’ campaign is in fact a function of the larger and international ‘Let’s Do It World’, campaign, one of the largest volunteer programmes of the world which sims to utilize the power of the common people to get rid of rubbish. The campaign is in fact the largest civilian movement to have been organized on a global scale.

The campaign started in Estonia in 2008, with over 50,000 volunteers gathering to clean up 10,000 tons of rubbish. They managed to clean up the entire country in a mere five hours.

Nine years later, over 16 million volunteers across 113 countries has been participating in Let’s do it campaigns.

The Let’s do it campaign has been taking place in Cyprus since 2012 and has had over 120 tons of rubbish collected and cleaned.

The app taxi services have taken the entire world by storm, and Cyprus is certainly no exception. The island country will soon get its own get its own app cabs service in the form of a new application called Taxify.

Not only does the app allow seamless ordering of taxis regardless of the time, it will give the user other facilities as well. With the help of the app, the user can set their own location and then see and order the partner taxi that is closest to them. They can also tracked the taxi’s location and get estimates of how long the taxi will take to arrive.

Furthermore, users can track their routes whilst being inside the cab, which will prevent drivers from taking longer or unknown routes and also from overcharging for trips. Customers will have the option to pay either by cash or through their mobiles.

Taxify has already garnered a good reputation in Europe and after a successful run in the Cypriot capital, will expand its services to the whole island.

The Estonia-made app has already proved to be a massive success in Europe, Africa and Central America, having over 5 million users across 30 countries and transactions worth more than $1 billion.

The app will be available on Windows, iOS and Android phones.

Despite all the troubles and tribulations, the average Cypriot goes through, chances of them being healthy are much higher than that of other countries.

According to a new European survey, over 80% of Cypriot respondents reported that they believed they were in good health. This ranks the island country as tenth among all EU countries in this context.

The statistic, among several others were published in a special Eurobarometer report which showed the degree of inequality, fairness and inter-generational mobility within the European Union.

According to said report, north, central and west EU countries were the ones to report that they believed they were in good health. Specifically, Ireland and Luxemburg aced the list, with 92 and 87 per cent respectively.

The lowest end of the list had Latvia and Romania at 55 and 57 per cent respectively.

Nothing, both good and bad, remains permanent. And Cyprus, which is on its road to recovery (after suffering a crippling financial nearly 5 years ago) is no exception to the rule. Cyprus’ tourism sector, in particular, has received a massive boost after seeing a record increase in the number of tourists visiting the island country.

That being said, every area of Cyprus isn’t reaping the rewards of increased tourist numbers equally.

While the shores are getting a lot of attention, the other parts of Cyprus, such as its rich heritage and its mountainous areas.

The Cypriot government is now all set to launch an initiative which will attempt to revive tourism in these areas, and encourage tourism beyond the shores. The initiative will involve several plans and adverts that will be launched in due course, along with restoration projects which will be undertaken in these areas.

A resident of Paphos aged 39 was called to trial after a case of his two dogs attacking two women and injuring them gravely.

The dogs – specifically, two Rottweilers attacked and injured a 79-year-old woman and her 45-year-old daughter as they were taking a walk in Paphos’ Pharos area. Both women are currently in hospital.

The dogs, who had initially set upon the elderly woman, escaped the owner, who was in fact a relative of the two women. The daughter, who rushed to her mother’s aid when she saw her mother was attacked, was attacked as well.

Both were rushed to Paphos hospital by car and had sustained multiple injuries. The mother had sustained a head injury, while both of them had sustained multiple bites and scratches.

According to Panicos Stavrianou, the pathologist who had examined the women on Monday, reported that they will remain in hospital for some time in order to recover from the treatment done by surgeons and orthopedic doctors.

They will also be examined by Sofoclis Sofocleous the State-pathologist on behalf of the authorities.

In the meantime, the owner of the dogs went to trial at the Paphos district court for their negligence and offences. A hearing date of May 9 has been set while the man has been charged and then released. The dogs were also examined by professional vet services but have not been deemed as “dangerous” and will not be put to sleep.

The island country of Cyprus may have its own problems, but that does not stop its people from taking part in the global community and care for the deprived. Demonstrating a rare act of kindness, Pastor Isaac Samuels II, the General overseer of the Jesus Inspiration Christian Commission (JICC), donated several materials to the Christian Association of the Blind in Liberia.

Held under the theme of “We Stand for Miracle”, the donation programme was held on the Christian Association of the Blind’s compound, which stands along the Robertsfield High Way.

The donated items were an assortment of different essential materials, including (but not limited to clothes, toys, soaps and tissue, vegetable oil and five bags of rice.

Speaking in an interview, Pastor Samuels explained the reason behind the initiative. According to the Pastor, the spirit of God inspired him to go all the way to Liberia and help the those who need them. Which in this case were the blind children.

The Pastor also explained how the deplorable condition of the children moved him to tears, seeing the effect of what happens when there is no one to take care of the young ones.

The General Overseer of JICC has said that the donation programme won’t be all – they have plans to build an orphanage so that they can provide a home to as many disadvantage young people as they possibly can.

An international church based in Nicosia, JICC is dedicated make lives better through “the word of God.” It is also involved with charity and helping the deprived all over the world.

The Police may have come out empty thus far, but that hasn’t stopped them from continuing their search for the reason behind Limassol’s mysterious death case.

The Police are currently to investigate the circumstances behind the death of an unidentified woman whose body was found floating near port in the old Limassol area.

According to the Police, the body of the woman, who is believed to be of 45-50 years of age, did not sustain any external injuries.

Local fishermen who had found the body floating on the water had initially brought it ashore on a Port Authority-owned boat. The woman’s purse was found on a nearby jetty. Also found was a mobile phone, which is currently being examined by forensic scientists.

In a rather rare turn of events, a car that recently reported as stolen along with its owner has been found in northern Cyprus.

The car, whose theft was reported by its owner, 65-year-old Solomos Apostolidis, was missing for over three days before being finally located in Karavas on Saturday.

Kibris, a Turkish Cypriot newspaper, has reported that the car was located in Karavas close to a military area. The car contained Mr. Apostolidis’ passport and card, along with some cash.

Apostolidis, who apparently had crossed over to north Cyprus via the Astromeritis crossing, was last seen spending time at a casino in Kyrenia

Kibris also took a statement from Apostolidis’ brother, who expressed his concern regarding the missing status of his brother. He went on to express his family’s concern for his life.

A missing person bulletin for Apostolidis has been lodged by the Police.

The US-led airstrikes on Russia has had repercussions all over the world, the Cyprus is no exception. In this case, though, it is the British who are wary of staying in the country as they fear a retaliation from Russia.

Such a reaction is only obvious since the tornado jets that had fired on Syrian chemical weapons centers flew from none other than RAF Akrotiri.

Cyprus has a noticeable British, with over 25,000 of them living on the island and more than 10,000 visiting on holiday annually.

According to a defense source, it is highly unlikely for the Russians to attack. A contingency plan to let people get out has been kept out regardless.

The Britons themselves aren’t all that confident, however, and are saying that they have very little trust in the defense’s statements. Their conviction is not entirely dumbfounded, given Russia’s not so subtle outrage on the matter. Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s US envoy recently warned that the Allied bombing raids “will not be left without consequences”.

In the meantime, chiefs of the Air traffic control system have warned possible “missile activity” in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Airlines too are exercising caution over the matter, with both Air France and EasyJet re-routing their flights.

In a shocking piece of news that shows the unfortunate rise of youth-perpetrated crime, a 17-year-old teenager has been arrested in connection to the sexual assault of a senior citizen.

The teenager, who has not been named for security reasons, has been arrested on grounds of allegedly raping and injuring an 81-year-old woman, and will be in custody for a minimum of five days.

Said incident, which took place in Nicosia in the evening, was reported by the victim’s husband, also 81. He gave the details of the assault, wherein that an unknown perpetrator broke into their house while he was away, and went on to rape and injure his wife. The woman sustained pelvic fractures and was transferred to Nicosia general hospital for treatment.

The arrested 17-year-old is currently being investigated, and if found guilty will be charged with break and entry, rape, sexual assault, as well as causing grievous bodily harm.

In what is being considered a big step by the FinTech community of Cyprus, the island country’s upcoming iCoin summit will be hosting the world’s first ever ICO battle. The event will entail a live investment, over thirty famous speakers, and 16 different blockchain start-ups, not to mention a grand prize worth $250,000.

The one-of-a-kind event will be sponsored by 7Marketz one of the biggest ICO companies and will be held on 8th and 9th May at Atlantica Oasis.

The event is the result of a rapidly developing ICO sector, which has called for a bigger demand for blockchain calls. A unique blend of learning and networking opportunity, the event will be held in Limassol, one of the biggest trading hubs of the world.

The iCoin Summit has garnered attention from a lot of places already, including (but not limited to) well-known blockchain publishers such as Webrazzi, CoinMarketCap, ICOwatchlist, and CoinTelegraph.

Participants of speeches and panel discussion include industry stalwarts such as Benjamin Biliski of NAGA Group (who was listed in Forbes 30 under 30) and Yagub Rahimov.

For more information and registration, and to book your seat as an attendee, visit www.icoinsummit.com.

The Cyprus issue has truly come to a head, and the latest move by the UN only proves that the international community at large wishes nothing less than unification. In order to speed-up the unification process, the United Nations peacekeeping mission will hold an unofficial meeting between the two factions of the divided island country on the 16th of April. According to a statement issued by the United Nations, the meeting will have leader of Greek and Turkish Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci respectively, who will be presided over by Elizabeth Spehar, UN Chief of Mission to Cyprus. The meeting itself will be held at Spehar’s residence in Cyprus.

Intended to be an icebreaker of sorts between the two divided factions, the upcoming meeting will be first time of the two rival leaders interacting since the botched high-level peace talks in Switzerland in July last year.

UN officials hope that the meeting will help both leaders re-engage after what appears to be several months of no interaction.

While both sides have agreed that the meeting is one that goes in a positive direction, it does not mean that it will actually make a tangible contribution in resolving the issue – or even resuming negotiations in the first place.

While the victims of Nicosia’s double murder incident have been laid to rest, the police are continuing their investigation into finding the murderer.

Giorgos Hadjigeorgiou, 60, English School maths teacher and his 59-year-old wife, Dina Sergiou, an employee of the Central bank were laid to rest in Strovolos, a little away from their home where they were found murdered.

According to the post-mortem, Hadjigeorgiou had been stabbed at least 25 times while his wife received at least 10 blows. Both were found with a defensive wound on their right arm.

The couple is survived by their 15-year-old adopted son, who was also the sole witness. He says that two hooded people had forcefully entered the house and told him that they would not hurt him. He panicked and fled and finally took shelter in a neighboring house.

The Police, on the other hand, have not found any sign of forced entry and/or robbery and have not found the murder weapon either.

Andreas Angelides, police spokesman has assured the Police’s intentions to stay put on the case, saying that the investigation procedure will not stop until the murderer is found and arrested.

The manufacture and sale of fake diamonds in Cyprus has been on the rise, and recent events show that the case is in fact pretty widespread. A 34-year-old man has been arrested in relation to the sale of fake diamonds in Cyprus.

Apparently, the man, a resident of the island country, was involved in the sale, which was reported by a jeweler in Larnaca. The 34-year-old is now the second person who has been arrested for the case.

The first person to be arrested by the police was a 59-year-old man from Larnaca, who, according to the jeweler, had visited his shop and sold him 4 fake diamonds for a high-price of €44,000.

The jeweler, who felt unsure about the nature of the diamonds only found out the truth after showing the diamonds to a gemstone expert, who confirmed that they were in fact fake and shouldn’t have been sold for anything more than €2,500.

Crime has been on the rise in Cyprus, and the latest event only seems to affirm that fact. A successful bakery in Nicosia was robbed by a knife-yielding man, terrorizing the employees and the owners.

A man yielding a knife entered the popular Larnaca bakery at around 12.30 am, and forced the employees to open the cash registers. No sooner has they done that, he took all the cash and left. While it is known that he took a lot of cash, the exact amount is yet to be known.

While the man could not be completely identified (he has a cloth covering his face), the two employees present at the scene described him as a normal-built, 1.80 meters tall man, wearing black clothes. The man had covered his face with a red scarf.

Police are currently looking for the perpetrator’s whereabouts.

In what is being considered as good news for the population in Cyprus, the island country has seen a record rise in birth rates. According to the Statistical Service of Cyprus (CYSTAT), as of 2016, the total fertility rate in the island country stood at 1.37 children per woman in 2016.

Publishing its “Demographic Report 2016”, CYSTAT has stated that the birthrate in 2016 was 9.455, a welcome increase from 9.170 in 2015. Further information in the report revealed that the number of deaths in 2016 was 5.471 while the crude death rate remained at 6.4 deaths per thousand population.

All of this makes the expectancy rate as 84.7 years for females and 80.3 years for males.

Other information reveals the increase of marriages from 13.006 in 2015 to 13.558 in 2016. Cyprus residents’ marriages totaled 6.375 in 2016, from which of which 2.449 were civil and 3.926 were ecclesiastical. Also increased in 2016 were the number of divorces – going up from 1.807 in 2015 to 1.948 in 2016.

Russian biker Sergey Severin has completed a bike-ride all around Cyprus in only 3.5 days, setting a record in his area.

Covering a total distance of 600 kilometers, Sergey Severin started his Limassol at 6 am, and rode all along the island’s perimeter till he came back to his starting point.

The athlete he spent a total of 53 hours in the saddle and only took small breaks for sleeping and eating. Mr. Severin crossed the Green Line twice.

Mr. Severin had great things to say about the island nation, emphasizing how Cyprus remains a beautiful country even in the winter season, and that there are always a healthy amount of landscapes and opportunities for outdoor activities available all year.

He also added that while it was more of a timed challenge for him, one should take a week if they truly want to enjoy the scenery.

Mr Severin heads the Russian extreme PLAN X Adventure Team, and in 2015, had used his bicycle to cross the frozen Lake Baikal from its northern to southern tip.

In what can be considered a truly moving event for veterans and their families, hundreds of British Forces Cyprus personnel commemorated Bases Remembrance Day services by personally paying their respects to troops which have fought in conflicts in different parts of the world.

In a very moving gesture, hundreds of civilians, sailors, soldiers, and airmen attended services in Ayios Nikolaos, Episkopi, Akrotiri, and Dhekelia – laying wreaths and bowing their heads to commemorate the sacrifice made by military personnel in the name of their country.

Attending the services in Dhekelia, Major General James Illingworth, Commander British Forces Cyprus, gave the crowd a moral impetus, emphasizing how everyone was there to honor the courage and sacrifice made by generations of men and women in the British service who have their lives to protect the very freedoms that is being enjoyed at this date.

Also present at the event were spouses and children of military personnel. Many children paraded in their guides and scouts uniforms. Scores of ex-service personnel organizations also showed up at the event.

In a disappointing piece of news for both Cyprus and Cyprus-Fiji relations, two Cyprus nationals have been jointly charged with 293 counts of money laundering as well as attempting to garner property by deceiving people in the island country of Fiji.

FijiVillage, a local newspaper, has reported that Loizos Petridis and Cleanthis Petridis have been arrested due on grounds of their alleged involvement in multiple suspicious ATM transactions. The two will be further remanded in custody till further investigations.

According to the report, while the two men were originally jointly charged with 6 counts of money laundering worth $3,060, the police actually found and seized money worth $150,000.

The two will be tried before court on the 16th of next month.

In what may turn out to be great news for both national and international law enforcement and the justice system in general, a man has been arrested by Cyprus police, who suspect that he is in fact a wanted trafficker in human organs.

Moshe Harel, an Israeli national has been arrested and is currently facing extradition to Kosovo, where he has been accused of illegally luring kidney donors from the ex-Soviet Union and Turkey over 10 years ago.

Baki Kelani, a spokesman for Kosovo police, recently told Reuters that the suspect “M.H.” has been arrested in the island country on the basis of an international arrest warrant. The man has been on their most wanted person since 2010.

According to the policer’s report, Harel lured donors by promising them up to $14,500 in payment, sold the extracted organs being sold to Israelis for prices that went as high as $120,000. Additionally, Harel reportedly did not pay some of the donors at all.

International arrest warrants for Harel were issued by both Russia and the Interpol. The Kosovan authorities are currently requesting his extradition.

Kosovo is a Serbian province which despite having declared independence in 2008, continued to be unrecognized as a separate entity, both by the UN and by Cyprus.

Saipem 12000, the star drillship of energy giant ENI has left for Morocco, after being anchored off Limassol for refueling and equipment loading and unloading for over two days.

After failing to reach Cuttlefish target in Cyprus’ offshore plot 3 to drill an exploratory gas well for the second time, the Saipem 12000 began to prepare for its next destination and to that end, docked about 17 nautical miles off of Limassol. The three support vessels of the ship (namely Vos Prime, Vos Purpose and Vos Prudence) started to load and unload equipment at the Limassol port and began to arrange for refueling.

The Cyprus News Agency has announced that the Saipem left for Morocco at around midnight Monday.

Both the first and the second attempts of the vessel were thwarted by Turkish navy vessels over three weeks ago, with the latter having intercepted the former. After realizing that any attempts that would be made were futile, the Saipem finally docked off Limassol.

A spokesperson for ENI added that while they are disappointed about the cuttlefish incident, they intend to proceed with the rest of the plan as it were, and the drillship will therefore depart to its next destination as planned.

Cyprus has had a fantastic year as regards tourism arrival figures, and if Tourism Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis’ words are anything to go by, this should be the third year for the island country in maintaining the coveted record.

According to Lakkotrypis, after last year’s record 3.6 million tourists, it definitely looks like Cyprus’ tourism sector will see another good year. He added that this was in part because of an increase in available airline seats to Cyprus and agreements made with foreign travel organizers.

Last year saw the island country having a 15% increase in tourism arrivals, with the proceeds reaching €2.6 billion by November 2017.

Lakkotrypis also added that while ‘sea and sun’ are very much an important part of Cyprus, the island destination does have more to it, which should be showcased in the best way possible. He mentioned that the government will be implementing its own national tourism-growth strategy, which is due to be launched soon. A revised bill to create a tourism secretariat is currently in the process of being sent to parliament.

Disorderliness has no exception, and the latest incident has proved that the country of Cyprus intends to make that very clear to all – citizens or not.

A drunk Swedish tourist was recently fined and asked to pay €400 by the Famagusta district court for being in possession of a collapsible baton, a sledgehammer and two knives. Said weapons were found by the Police in the man’s car once they stopped him for reckless driving in Protaras right before midnight.

According to the arresting and standby officers, the car was seen coming from the opposite direction of Protaras avenue. Not only did it have its headlights on, it was being driven at a dangerously greater speed, was overtaking other vehicles without any regard of the rules, drove right through a red traffic light.

After chasing and halting the car, the police found the 28-year-old tourist in the driver’s seat, smelling strongly of alcohol. The police arrested him, and after taking the breathalyzer test, found that the reading showed 60µg (as opposed to the permitted 22µg).

After being charged €300 by the Police for driving under the influence of alcohol and being arrested, the tourist was charged a fine of €400 by the district court and was only released after said fines were paid in full.

In a shocking news for the Ayia Napa community, a deadly fire completely gutted a local styling salon, and caused extensive damage to five shops adjacent to it. The fire has been ruled as an accidental fire, not caused by any deliberate action they can identify or tie to any individual(s).

Starting at the beauty salon on Nissi Ave. around 4 in the morning; the fire spread rapidly to the clothes shop, a souvenir shop and an ice cream parlor.

The fire was brought under control by the fire department at around 6.30am – about two and a half hours after it started.

According to Andreas Constantinou, a spokesman for the Famagusta police, all stores were covered by an insurance policy, with the hair salon being the only exception.

According to the authorities, the cause of the blaze was an electrical fault. Any intentional act of arson has been ruled out.

Marios Demetriades, the Transport Minister of Cyprus has announced that two of the bids for the development of the port and marina in Larnaca from Israel and China will be submitted latest by the end of April.

This announcement came after a meeting between Demetriades and Mayor Andreas Vyras, with the latter expressing his wish to see the end of the development process of the port and marina before the end of his term. He did express his happiness at seeing the process be near its completion, before saying how he firmly believed the project could very well be implemented with the right amount of patience and persistence.

Demetriades added that the aim here is not to have the state earn from said deals and developments but to create a better infrastructure project which will be of great benefit to the city.

About the tender process itself, he said that the respective interested companies have each asked for their deadline to be extended from the original March 16.

Mayor Vyras too had nothing but good words to say about the project, calling it an essentially important one, which is directly related to the city’s economic growth and is instrumental in sending for new investments.”

The people of Cyprus are very conscious of their political atmosphere, and the turnout at the latest elections only serves to prove that as true. A huge turnout at the Turkish Cypriot ‘elections’ have shown how invested its people are in who will run the country and how.

Although the elections are being contested by 8 different parties, only five are expected to actually win any seats in what will be a “parliament of 50.”

While the opinion polls are looked at with a hint of skepticism (being famous for their inaccuracies), it is believed that the winner will be either left-wing solution-supportive party or a center-right one which will stand against reuniting Cyprus.

According to analysts, the Cyprus issue has been increasing in intensity, being only second to issues such as jobs, economy, and Cyprus-Turkey relations.

In what is being considered as a surprising piece of news for many within the legislature and the executive, President Nicos Anastasiades has decided to release a total of sixty-six convicts through presidential pardon on the occasion of his re-confirmation as president.

Out of the total sixty-six convicts who are due to be released, thirty-eight are Cyprus nationals while and the rest are foreign nationals.

That is not the entire extent of the reprieve, however. In addition to the convicts being released, the jail sentences of 342 inmates will be reduced by a quarter. This figure, however, does not include criminals who have been convicted of sexual crimes and/or abuse of minors – these are ineligible for any kind of pardon whatsoever under any and all circumstances.

Nicosia is trying very hard to boost its reputation as a hub of tourism and culture, and its latest campaign only serves to affirm that fact. the Nicosia Tourist Development and Promotion Company recently launched a campaign called “Meet Nicosia. Meet Culture,” which will serve to promote Nicosia as a suitable destination for tourism and culture.

The campaign will raise the awareness of the public as regards Nicosia’s art galleries, museums, and archaeological with the help of ads, media, and other promotionals, which in turn will attract tourists.

According to Elena Tanou, President of Nicosia Tourist Development and Promotion Company, Nicosia currently attracts only a small percentage of the total number of tourists who visits Cyprus – which is unfortunate as Nicosia has a rich culture which can and should be enjoyed by the people.

In a news that has people enthralled, an unidentified “glow” that appeared over the Nicosia sky and over the Limassol motorway has scores of people wondering what its reason may be.

Filmed first at 5:50 SM, the “glow” appeared as a triangular-shaped beam of light and has since been the object of several theories from experts and laymen alike.

Surprisingly, both the Fire Department and the Police claim that they were not contacted by anyone, and that they have neither knowledge nor information of the incident.

According to Chrysanthos Fakas, an astrophysicist who spoke with Sigma (a local channel), the “glow” is not a meteorite, and in fact looks similar to a gas cone, which is often left behind by rockets.

Parallel to this, the western Russian city of Lipetsk saw a similar-looking a ball of light in its night sky, which was later seen exploding in mid-air.

In a news that causes nothing but worry and concern among locals and law enforcement alike, over €364,000 worth of valuables and cash have been stolen from a villa in Kouklia. Paphos Police is currently investigating the burglary, which took place early on Saturday.

The occupant of the villa is a Russian businessman, 44, who was also the one to report the break-in to the Paphos police. According to the investigators’ preliminary findings, the perpetrator (or perpetrators) gained access to the villa by breaching the wooden kitchen door.

It was also confirmed that none of the stolen valuables were insured.

This has not been the first time such an incident has occurred in recent times. In fact, on the very same day (Saturday), a holiday home in Kissonerga had been burgled, with items worth €6,500 having been stolen. In this case too, the incident was reported by the owner, who further added among the stolen items were his stamp, a coin, two hunting weapons, sword collection and several types of paper currency. Several electrical appliances were also missing.

According to investigators, the perpetrator (or perpetrators) in this case had entered through closed (but not locked) aluminium balcony door in the bedroom.

While the house did have an alarm, it was not operational at the time. Furthermore, none of the items were insured. The police said that even the security camera system was destroyed.

Yet another incident at Coral Bay had a hotel resident reporting that that the safe in his room was stolen, along with his credit cards, ID, wallet, two car keys, and €30 worth cash.

Honesty is indeed the best policy – and the latest incident proves that this is anything but false. Costas Tanos, the honest and brave bus driver who promptly returned an elderly man’s €10,000 after the latter has left the money in his vehicle was recently honoured by House President Demetris Syllouris.

House President Syllouris awarded the driver with a plaque and a certificate and went on to express how Tanos’ action reverberates a resounding positivity throughout a society which is riddled with people facing financial problems. His actions prove that humanity truly exists, in spite of all troubles.

Ever the modest man, Tanos claims that the did nothing more than what he thought was obvious. He extended his thanks to officials all the same.

Mr. Tanos, bus driver of age 54 living in Lakatamia, Nicosia, found the bag filled with money neat the driver’s seat after completing route two hundred from the local bus station to the hospital and stadium.

He soon remembered that an older gentleman who had earlier come on board with a very similar bag. Remembering that the man got down at the hospital, he too did the same, found the owner, and promptly returned the bag to him.

The elderly man, who was clearly very grateful, offered Tanos a reward, but the latter refused, saying that what he did was his duty, and nothing out of the ordinary.

A high-ranking court in Cyprus has ordered two asylum-seekers to be detained on suspicion that they were responsible for instigating an uprising at an immigrant reception center, which involved perpetrators setting trash bins and furniture on fire and causing massive damage to the office at large.

According to members of the Cyprus police force, the incidence of violence which took place on Friday night has over 25 people expressing their aggression at the Kofinou reception center. They added that they have arrested a third man who they suspect is also responsible.

Kypros Kyprianou, a senior official from the Cypriot Interior Ministry, was recently quoted by the government-run Cyprus News Agency. Kyprianou said on Saturday that those who were detained were among the forty Eritreans who arrived to Cyprus from Italy as part of an EU-sponsored transfer program.

According to Kyprianou, it is highly suspected that the detained carried out the actions they were accused because they were angered at having their allowances deducted after they failed to work in accordance with regulations.

In what is being considered a rather depressing news for all living in Cyprus, the meteorology department has reported that the island nation will be facing another week of unsettled cold weather, which will keep the coastal areas blustery.

The met department said that chances of showers are high, and all districts, especially the coastal ones may experience a powerful storm.

It is predicted that the weather will be chilly, with temperature highs during the daytime reaching an average of 18C and 19C in Paphos and Larnaca respectively.

Nicosia will be hit most by the harsh and cold weather, with temperatures set to drop down to less than 14C in daytime midweek, and till 6C in the night. Occasional showers can also be expected.

The Cyprus situation is a problem for all concerned, including Russia, if the words of its ambassador to the Russia are anything to go by.

Leonidas Markides, ambassador of Cyprus in Russia, who recently Mr. Kirill, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to discuss the Cyprus situation, recently expressed the latter’s concerns on the matter.

After being briefed on the latest developments in the Cyprus situation, the Patriarch called the apparent non-solution an “open wound”, which affects not just Cypriots, but all the people who belong to the Orthodox world.

According to a press release that was issued by the Cyprus PIO, the discussion that took place between Mr. Kirill and Ambassador Markides included the destruction of religious and cultural heritage in the island nation, as well as the various efforts that both the Church and Government of Cyprus are making to curb the illegal export and trade of religious heirlooms on international markets.

In what is being a considered a breath of fresh air in the Iran-Cyprus diplomatic scene, Petros T. Nacouzis, Cyprus’ new ambassador to Iran has submitted his Credentials to President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran.

Forwarded warm greetings from the island country’s President Anastasiades, Ambassador Nacouzis extended his best wishes for prosperity and progress of the Iranian people, and also briefed the latter on the Cyprus issue’s latest developments.

In the post-ceremony meeting, the two exchanged their views on Iran-Cyprus bilateral relations, and after much discussion, mutually arrived at the conclusion that they must strive to further improve their relations.

During recent years, both Cyprus and Iran have placed considerable stress on expanding their bilateral relations across several fields. Both sides say that this should not be too difficult a task, given that the two countries already share a great bilateral relationship, especially in the parliament division.

Marios Demetriades, the Transport Minister of Cyprus has resigned from his post as on Monday. He made this news public on his Facebook page.

Announcing the development on his social media account, Demetriades expressed his desire to make a return to the private sector but thanked President Nicos Anastasiades for the generous offer of staying on in his new cabinet.

He added that while he had a great run as the Transport Minister, his term has come full circle and he feels that it is best for him to end things while the going is good. He went to express great gratitude to President Anastasiades for the faith he had in him when taking care of things during a time when Cyprus was going through a difficult time.

Demetriades’ resignation isn’t something entirely new, though. In fact, his is the official secondary resignation, following Ioannis Kassoulides (Foreign Minister) who recently announced that he did not want to stay on after his term.

February 28 will be the final date for the present minister’s council. Members of the new cabinet will be sworn in the next day on March 1.

The recent resignations, however, have churned a lot of speculation as to who will take up the mantle of various ministers. With 11 different ministerial posts, many things are expected and many anticipated. Many experts are of the opinion that Kassoulides may be replaced by government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides, or even by Finance Minister Harris Georgiades, who has previously expressed interest in taking the job.

Invited by His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos, Primate of Church of Cyprus, American Archbishop Demetrios made a visit to the island nation, where he received one of the most prestigious medals of the Order.

On the 11th of February, His Eminence officiated the Liturgy with His Beautitude as well as hierarchs from the Church of Cyprus. This was done in a suburb in Strovolos at the church of God’s Wisdom in Saint Sophia.

The Archbishop was accompanied by Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos and from Pittsburgh His Eminence Metropolitan Savas and Kyriacos Papastylianou, President of the Federation of Cypriot American Organizations.

His Eminence was awarded the Gold Medal of Saint Barnabas by the Church of Cyprus. Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus the First Lady Andri Anastasiades and several leaders from politics and academia were also present during the ceremony.

His Eminence will meet and speak with the President Nicos Anastasiades later on, and also plans to deliver a lecture at the Theological School of the Church of Cyprus on – “Modern Theological Challenges and Opportunities.”

The Mayor of Pahpos has announced that the famous Paphos carnival parade which was set to take place on Saturday has now been to Sunday.

Making the announcement on social media, Mayor Phedonas Phedonos said that the parade will be held on Sunday afternoon (instead of Saturday afternoon), due to unprecedented bad weather. The news was duly confirmed by a spokesman for the municipality.

The Paphos carnival will be held along Poseidonos Avenue in Kato Paphos on Sunday.

The Paphos environment is currently undergoing a lot of turbulence, with less-than-desirable weather conditions and pollutant levels as high as a ‘3’.

With a high volume of small-sized particles floating around the atmosphere, authorities are advising vulnerable groups like elderly, children, and pregnant women and patients to avoid going out into open spaces, especially when the pollutant levels are high.

According to the spokesman, the dust, which has originated from Africa, will remain till Friday evening and will only move away once the rain comes in.

According to several political experts in both Egypt and Nicosia, the increasing closeness and cooperation between Cyprus and Egypt as well as the maritime demarcation deal between them will raise severe concerns in Turkey, whose capital has strained relations with both Nicosia and Cairo.

As a repercussion to the ongoing cooperation, Turkey declared that it would reject a maritime border demarcation agreement from 2013 involving Cyprus and Egypt which was set to allow exploration for natural fuel sources.

Cairo responded to the rejection as Turkey’s deliberate attempt to prevent Egypt’s from entering the Eastern Mediterranean’s E.E.Z., which is in fact its maritime right.

According to Mevlut Cavusoglu, foreign minister of Turkey, their country sees the maritime border demarcation agreement as violating the continental shelf of Turkey and therefore declares it as non-active. He added that no other vessel, company or foreign country has any right to conduct any unauthorized scientific and/or hydrocarbon research activity on said continental shelf.

According to Tarek Fahmy, political science professor at Cairo University, both Cyprus and country of Turkey disagree in matters of territory, and Ankara’s pass on the Egypt-Cyprus demarcation issue shows that the country plans to make gas explorations of its own.

In a new development for the Cypriot economy, the island country is trying to win the coveted the Youth Capital Title.

The Youth Capital is a respected title which is awarded to a European city for a year-long period. During this period the city gets a chance to form a multi-faceted programme and show its social, cultural, political and economic activities that are centered around development of the youth.

Nicosia recently entered the race to win the title, which is being supervised by Cyprus’ foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, who has recently pledged the support of his ministry

to the cause.

The EYC is a unique initiative which aims to encourage cities to both continue as well as expand the implementation of novel ideas and creative that help involve the active participation of the society’s youth.

The current incumbent of the title is Cascais, a municipality in the suburbs of Lisbon, Portugal.

There is optimism and positivity in the air with the new year in Cyprus. However, the weather for the island country has not quite followed suit. The nation continues to face blustery weather, thanks to grey skies and showers being visible in various parts of the country.

The people don’t seem to have been taken aback by this, however, and plan to go through with their New Year’s Eve parties, many of which are set to be held at outdoor venues. The most anticipated party here will be in Ayia Napa, which is famous for its annual end-of-year party. As part of the celebration, the resort will be hosting several programmes, having various musical groups, entertainers and dancers set to perform on the stage.

This free and highly anticipated by thousands every year. Visitors include Scandinavian long-stayers, expats and locals, all of whom join for a night of various festivities.

Crime in Cyprus has been rising, and recent events prove that this problem is not reducing soon. In a very concerning news, Paphos police have been very busy after being alerted to three different burglaries in the Paphos district on Sunday. Two of these were done in Peyia while one was done in Tsada.

Reported by a A-year-old Peyia homeowner, the incident has unknown people entering her home in her absence (between 6.15pm and 7.30pm). They got away with €220 and with jewelry whose value has not yet been determined.

The perpetrators did not stop at this, having gone on to rob another residence that was located opposite to the former. This residence belongs to a British couple who were abroad at the time. Stolen items for this property are as of yet unknown.

It was later found the thieves also managed to break into a Tsada residence between 4.15pm and 6.30pm. They took valuables worth €4,800 and €200 in cash.

The thieves were identified by their method which in all three cases was forcing open the doors with the help of sharp objects.

The number of crimes have increased significantly in Cyprus, and recent events only prove that the situation is indeed getting worse by the day. The latest news in this regard being the fatal stabbing of a 27-year-old man outside a nightclub in Nicosia.

The victim, whose name has not been released due to security reasons, is currently in critical condition at the Nicosia general hospital where he has been recuperating after being stabbed by two men outside a night club in the early hours of Sunday.

Occurring at around 1.30am, the incident involved the man’s hands grabbed by one of the assailants, while the other was said to have stabbed him on multiple areas of his body. The police said that the two assailants fled thereafter.

The 27-year-old man was found by his friends, who transferred him to the hospital. He underwent surgery, but has been in critical condition since.

In what is being regarded as great news for Turkish Cypriots and for The European Commission, the E.C.   announced that it would offer EU Scholarships as part of the Turkish Community Program for the Cypriot Academic Years of 2018 and 2019, which will be funded under the Aid Programme.

The EU Scholarships Programme plans to grant scholarships to around 140 Turkish Cypriot graduates, professionals and students, in addition to the 1,050 individuals who have received the EU Scholarship since its inception in 2007.

This year’s edition of the Turkish Cypriot community programme will be held to fund undergraduate and postgraduate studies, language courses, short-term programmes and various internships held in countries that are members of the EU. The 2018/19 edition mentions a list of high-priority areas, which will receive extra preference during the evaluation process.

Funded entirely by the EU, the EU Scholarships Programme will be implemented by the British Council. Those applicants who are interested and eligible can apply online via the official website of EU Scholarships Programme (www.abburs.eu). Applications must be sent latest by March 15, 2018, 23:59 (Cyprus time).

For more information and/or to make enquiries, please contact the relevant authorities at euscholarships@abburs.eu

In a bid to improve the level of marine security and improve the military relations between Italy and Cyprus, the island nation’s EMERGENCY services have started a new joint exercising program along with crew from the Italian Navy.

Supervised by the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Larnaca, the exercise was conducted near the Cyprus coast and had helicopters simulating a situation of emergency.

The Ministry of Defense in Nicosia says that the joint exercise was held as a part of the ongoing actions to promote cooperation development, and aims to improve upon response of Search and Rescue incidents and other emergency situations which may arise in the course of operations within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as well as the Cyprus’ Search and Rescue Region.

This exercise comes right after the all-important announcement in November which declared that the trilateral cooperation between Cyprus, Egypt and Greece and Egypt will expand a quadrilateral one after the inclusion of Italy – a move that has been initiated by President Anastasiades.

Cyprus has indeed been keen on furthering its foreign relations. Last month the island country had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (also known as a M.O.U.) with Israel, Greece, and Italy to help in the construction of EastMed, which is a gas pipeline that will run under the sea to Europe from the Eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea.

Strikes always have a devastating effect wherever they take place, and Cyprus and its aviation system is no exception.

In what is being considered as a major hiccup for Cyprus’ aviation industry, around eight flights going to and coming from Cyprus will be rescheduled courtesy a strike in Greece. Said strike was enforced by Greek air traffic controllers on Monday for three hours – from 12 noon till 3pm.

According to Adamos Aspris, an airport operator for Hermes, the flights which have been affected from the three-hour-strike include four arrivals from Athens, Heraklion and Thessaloniki, and four departures to Athens and Heraklion.

The airport operator further added that the flights have been rescheduled and will take off or land on the same day, albeit at different times. He also said that further information about flight schedule changes can be obtained from travel agents and airlines.

In a bid to improve upon bilateral relations between Cyprus and Australia, the island country’s High Commissioner in Australia, Martha Mavrommati, visited the Greek Centre on Lonsdale Street in Melbourne on Wednesday, the 3rd of January. Marina Theodorou, a representative of the Cypriot Community of Apostolos Andreas, accompanied her on the trip.

As a part of her visit to the Greek center, the High Commissioner also met with the top officials of the Greek Community of Melbourne and Victoria (GCMV), which included Bill Papastergiadis (the president), Theo Markos (the Vice President), Kostas Markos (the General Secretary) and Dimitris Bosinakis – an esteemed board member.

Mavrommati discussed several pertinent issues with the GCMV leaders, which included (but were not limited to) the progress of the Cypriot reunification issue and the pending elections for the next president in Cyprus, which will be held on the 28^th of January and have a second round that will probably be held on the 4th of February.

The meeting consisted of the GCMV’s board member in conjunction with the president offering a detailed account of the activities of the organization. They further affirmed that the Greek Centre will always remain open and would love to host events that have been organized by the Cypriot Community Associations and the High Commission.

The traffic police chief of Cyprus Spyros Spyrou has announced that the narcotest will become active from January 25 this year.

Speaking at a press conference, the law enforcement officer announced that this measure is being taken to reduce the high number of accidents and deaths on the road. He also showed a demonstration of the test, and said that the police have already been trained to carry the tests out and that the device has been distributed to every city.

The device will give a negative result if the one being tested is not under influence, and positive if it finds traces of cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, methamphetamines or cannabis.

Should the device give a positive result, the officer at the scene will take a saliva sample and send the same to the state laboratory. The state laboratory will then take at most 15 days to find out the drug the driver was under the influence of, after which the case will go to court.

Drivers caught up in such cases face punishment according to their crime, from up to €3,500 in fines, up to a three-years of imprisonment and/or losing their driving licenses till 3 years at most.

Those who refuse to give the saliva tests after they have been tested positive will also be subjected to the same fines.

According to Chief Spyrou, these tests have been introduced to prevent accidents from happening, and not to punish the people without reason. That being said, punishment will be inevitable for those driving while under the influence.

Legislation for the Narcotest first began in March 2016.

In what is being considered a rather surprising news, both for Cypriots and for people across Europe, people from the island country are prone to taking sick leaves than others.

According to a study conducted by Eurostat, Cyprus had the most number of paid sick leaves across the EU in 2015.

The figures say that Cypriots received a total of 8.5 per cent of all total social benefits spent on paid sick leave, which is more than twice of that of the average in the European Union.

While these developments are not new, they are worrisome for employers as well as the economy at large.

Second on Eurostat’s list were the Netherlands and Germany, both of which paid a total social benefit of 6.1 per cent for paid sick leave. Lowest on the list was Greece at 0.7 per cent, followed by Italy, Portugal and Romania at 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 per cent, respectively.

According to a news release from the municipality in Paphos, five urban regeneration projects in the city that have been in planning will finally be inaugurated by President Nicos Anastasiades.

A spokesman for the President revealed that the island nation’s leader will be visiting Paphos on Sunday to preside over the celebrations which will be held at Kennedy Square. He added that these projects, which have been meticulously planned and thoroughly well-kept, have already changed Paphos and will give its image a much-needed makeover that will change the lives of people for decades to come.

The projects include a number of tasks, from improving sections of Evagoras Pallikaridis Avenue and Andreas Tselelepou and Zenonos Kitionos Streets, remodeling sites in Mouttallos,  and upgrading the Governor’s Square and its nearby buildings, to upgrading Kennedy Square and the traditional center.

The upcoming inauguration event will have greetings from Phedonas Phe-donos (the mayor of Paphos), a speech by the director of European and investment funds of European programmes, a short film portraying the upcoming projects, a musical programme presented by the Paphos music school and the Philharmonic orchestra of the municipality of Paphos, and of course, a speech by the Cypriot president.

The spokesman further added that the President would be taking a tour of the works before the event which is set of be an open reception. President Anastasiades will be revealing a commemorative plaque as well.

In addition to the municipality’s issuance, the news of the inauguration ceremony was also announced by Phedonos on social media using his famous slogan: “Paphos is changing and celebrating!”

According to Nicos Christodoulides, a spokesman for the government of Cyprus, the island nation is hopeful of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Greece yielding positive results for the never-ending process of the island’s reunification.

Briefing reporters after a meeting that was presided over by Cyprus’ President Nicos Anastasiades and US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Jonathan Cohen, Christodoulides revealed that the two were supposed to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci later that day. He added that the meeting went exceedingly well and discussed much about security, defense, bilateral relations, energy, and of course, the Cyprus issue.

The spokesman also said that this meeting has put a lot of attention on the upcoming meeting between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Erdogan – specifically on the discussion security and Cyprus reunification-related issues.

Speaking more on the Cyprus problem, Christodoulides said there was no fresh news from the US in this regard. The only hope here is for the upcoming meeting between the Greek prime minister and the Turkish president to yield results that are tangible and beneficial for the situation. In fact, as of now, this meeting is the only priority, especially considering the constantly-failing round of constant negotiations.

Notably, the most recent round of reunification talks, which took place at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana between June 28 and July 6 disintegrated due to disagreements on guarantees security and guarantees, with either side blaming the other for the collapse.

Cyprus has seen its fair share of refugee arrivals. And from the looks of it, the island country will also be impacted by the migrant crisis.

In a shocking new reveal, a group of 38 refugees (reportedly Syrians) were found to have unexpectedly arrived on the island country’s northwestern shores on Tuesday – being the 7th such group to have arrived by sea in 2017.

According to the police, the small boat, which was seen approaching the island a few kilometers off the coast carried 33 men, 1 woman and 4 children. The police sent a patrol once the boat carrying the refugees reached 2 nautical miles off the shore. The former then directed the man at the wheel to follow them.

According to some sources, the man, who was probably petrified ignored the directions of the police and did his best to evade them. It was then that that the commander of the local marine police made his message clear by firing two warning shots.

According to the police’s statement, however, said the boat was towed and brought to a small port at the fishing and agricultural community of Kato Pyrgos with very little hassle. The statement made no mention of any warning shots being fired.

The refugees, who were reported to have been at sea for 2 days, were offered food and water by the local authorities and the Social Services department. Then were then transferred to a refugee reception center near Nicosia for due processing.

With the arrival of these refugees, their number in the island country has raised to almost 700 this year. Most of these are Syrians, who arrived on the island after having sailed from Turkey.

In what is being considered an eye-opening news for institutions and the common public alike, a study has found out that e-payment is yet to catch on in Cyprus as people prefer to make their transactions in cash.

According to a study conducted by the European Central Bank (ECB), Cypriots are likely to pay for their services or goods in cash as compared to their counterparts in other countries in the Eurozone. In fact, the island country ranks just below Malta, whose citizens have been identified as most likely to make their transactions in cash.

The study, which was conducted throughout the first half of 2016 among more than 65,000 people found that bloc itself more prone to using cash to pay bills, though the extent of this varies greatly across the states. Malta ranks first in this regard, with over 92% of transactions being made in coins or notes. Close behind are Greece and Cyprus at 88 percent. The lowest rate of cash transactions was found to be done in the Netherlands at only 45%.

The study revealed that the Maltese made an average of 1.6 cash transactions during the survey period, as opposed to 0.1 per day cashless and traceable transaction. It was also found that while 15% used cash to pay their rent, more than 60% used it to pay their medical bills, and just above 20% percent said used cash to pay for their electricity and water bills.

The tendency to use cash (or not) also varied significantly by gender and age. While men were found to carry an average of 12 euros (i.e. 14.27 USD) more than women, older people had an average of 43 euros more cash than their younger counterparts.

2017 has been a year of improving foreign relations for Cyprus, and judging by the latest developments, this will only serve to make all-round improvements for the island country.

Making a move to further educational cooperation between Cyprus and Oman, the former country recently hosted a meeting where strategies and plans in this regard were discussed. Presided over by the House President of Cyprus Demetris Syllouris and Higher Education Minister of Oman Rawiyah bint Saud Al Busaidiyah on Wednesday morning, the meeting concluded with several plans to increase educational relations, including (but not limited to) special study programmes and student and academic exchange schemes. A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between the two countries.

Demetris Syllouris, who is currently in Oman on an official, added that they have plans to introduce a student exchange plan similar to Erasmus, which will help the educational sector of both countries. He also said that students from Oman who would attend Cyprus universities will have the added advantage of obtaining a European degree.

Syllouris, who seemed to be in high spirits also explained that Brexit might inspire universities in the UK to cooperate with their Cypriot counterparts. He cited Bristol university’s latest developments as a prime example in this regard, explaining that similar kind of cooperation from countries like Oman (and others in the Middle East) and also from European universities will help the island country become a bridge of cooperation between the two otherwise alienated regions (as far as education is concerned).

Oman’s higher education minister Rawiyah bint Saud Al Busaidiyah affirmed the good words of her Cypriot counterpart, expressing both hers and the country’s openness to such partnerships, and adding Memorandum of Understanding in these areas would be signed in the near future.

Cyprus’ education sector is completing one milestone after the other, and the Open University’s recent celebrations have only served to affirm this.

In what is being considered a grand celebration in Cypriot’s higher education sector, the Open University of Cyprus (OUC) celebrated its 10th graduation ceremony on November 17. The auspicious ceremony, which was held to honor students graduating in the academic year 2016-2017, had over 1120 graduates from over 26 different undergraduate as well as postgraduate programmes. An additional twelve graduates received their doctorate – the highest-ranking academic title.

The event, which was held at the Tassos Papadopoulos Eleftheria stadium in Nicosia was presided over by President Nicos Anastasiades and key officials of the Cypriot government. President Anastasiades extended his heartiest congratulations to the new graduates on working hard and achieving their diplomas which are recognized in Cyprus and elsewhere over the world.

President Anastasiades also spoke very highly of the OUC, hailing the institution as Cyprus’ sole higher education institution which completely functions on distance education, and has been successful in its endeavor to bring forth new perspectives on university studies and lifelong learning. In its 10 years of successful operation, the OUC has made a considerable contribution in improving and develop a wide range of skills which are required after having obtained a – or even a higher degree. The President added a positive note on the development of the university itself, emphasizing on how the institution has made a name for itself and gained a place among internationally recognized higher education institutions by keeping its dynamism alive and making diverse partnerships with universities, research houses, associations, and other institutions, both in Europe and in other parts of the world.

The President’s good words were reaffirmed by Costas Christos, chairman of the OUC administrative committee, who expressed his deep satisfaction with the state offering practical and continuous efforts that have helped the OUC to expand its multi-level social, educational, and research work. He further added that in addition to making an important milestone for the OUC, the date also marked 15 since the founding of the institution.

In a welcoming piece of news that will serve to strengthen the bilateral relations between Cyprus and Lebanon and increase the quality of maritime security in the east Mediterranean, the Defense Ministry of the island country has announced that it will help Lebanon build a search-and-rescue center which will respond to emergencies occurring in and around the Mediterranean Sea coastline.

The statement from the Defense Ministry added that officials from Cyprus will offer their Lebanese counterparts the financial and technical training and know-how required to build and maintain the rescue center. The rescue center itself will serve to encourage cooperation between the two countries in matters of maritime security in the east Mediterranean.

This announcement was made after a meeting that was held between Cypriot Defense Minister Christoforos Fokaides and Lebanese Defense Minister Yaacoub Sarraf in the Cyprus’ capital city of Nicosia. The two ministers have further agreed to hold a three-way meeting with their Greek counterpart Panos Kammenos, which is due to be held in the first quarter of 2018.

Cyprus currently supplies the armed forces of Lebanon with small arms and ammunition.

In what is being considered a welcoming news for the real estate industry in Cyprus, property purchases in the island country has risen by leaps and bounds, and going by the latest figures, shows very little signs of slowing down.

Figures from the Dept. of Lands & Surveys, property sales in the island country as of November 2017 has increased by an impressive 39 per cent since November 2016 – an impressive feat given the blows taken by the economy and real estate industries in the past years. This rise comes after an 18% increase in the month of October, an 8% increase in September, and a 27% increase in August.

In the month of November itself, 906 contracts were signed (for the purpose of selling land as well as commercial and residential and properties) and deposited at Land Registry offices all over Cyprus, as opposed to only 651 that were deposited in November 2016.

All districts in the country saw a rise in sales. In terms of percentage, Famagusta saw the biggest rise in sales (174%), followed by the country’s capital Nicosia (98%). Sales in Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos rose by 32%, 29% and 16% respectively.

Meanwhile, the number of property sale contracts deposited at Land Registry offices were 7,197, rising by 21% since November 2016.

Recent government schemes and measures have played a major role in the rise of property transactions. Specifically, the abolition of Immovable Property Tax and reduction in Property Transfer Fees have given property sales a much-needed boost. The country has also seen a rise of property being sold to Non-EU citizens who are looking for citizenship or residency and are using two different government schemes to their advantage.

The bitcoin revolution is taking the world by storm – and Cyprus is certainly no exception to this rule.

Hello Group, a Fintech company based in the island country announced the launch of the country’s first ever Bitcoin ATM in Limassol. Installed with the sole aim of helping people make their bitcoin transactions in a way that is most safe and secure, the ATM will be directly in contact with the top cryptocurrency exchange agencies to provide the highest rates available.

Set to be installed under Hello Group’s Limassol office in the Pitta & More café-restaurant, the ATM will allow customers to directly download bitcoin wallets by making a QR scan with their smartphone. To buy bitcoins using the machine, the buyer will simply need to scan their own wallet’s QR code.

The company made further statements to supplement its announcement, saying that the introduction of a Bitcoin ATM in the island country will spread awareness about the rapidly-growing bitcoin industry and give the relatively new blockchain and cryptocurrency currency industry a much-welcome boost.

Coincidentally, this news comes at around the same time as the announcement of rise of Bitcoin’s value to more than $10,000. Needless to say, the announcement of news such as this will serve to affirm the strength of what is indeed the most valuable cryptocurrency in the world.

The ATM will be located at Pitta & More — 56 Griva Digeni, Limassol, Cyprus

Cyprus Airways has spent the larger part of this year in strengthening its system, and recent developments show that it is not slowing down anytime soon.

In what is being considered a very good news for both the aviation and travel industries, Cyprus Airways has announced its plans to increase the frequency of flights on Larnaca-Saint Petersburg route for the upcoming summer 2018. Cyprus Airways Chief Commercial Officer Natalia Popova elaborated that they plan to increase the number of weekly flights from the current two to at least seven. She added that this improvement will include other perks, all aimed at offering our passengers more flexibility and capacity in their travel arrangements.

Not only will this change strengthen Cyprus Airways, it will also strengthen the ties by Russia and Cyprus and give a boost to the tourism and aviation industries.

Currently Cyprus Airways flights are available in two fare categories, namely Basic and Flex. Each of these have their specific features and variations, and include add-on features and services like changes, seat selection, baggage allowance and the like.

Single direction ticket prices from Cyprus to Saint Petersburg start from EUR 110 (w/ tax & charges). Flights can be booked via a travel agent, Cyprus Airways Call Center (National toll free 8000 8111 or international on +357 24000053) or directly through www.cyprusairways.com.

Those who wish to see the entire schedule of all the destinations of Cyprus Airways can visit the company’s website at www.cyprusairways.com.

In what is being considered a very divisive statement that will give a new turn to the Cypriot political scene, a senior Turkish Cypriot official has said that Cyrpus reunification talks should only resume only if there is any intention to address the political needs and status of the Turkish Cypriots.

According to Ozdil Nami, chief negotiator of the Turkish Cypriots, the Turkish Cypriots also have their rights, which should be duly addressed by the Greek Cypriots. Furthermore, the former group should get the assurance that their political status would be spelled out even if the talks broke down.

Speaking to Reuters in an interview earlier last week, Nami, who was “speaking for the Turkish Cypriot side” insisted that regardless of what the new process would turn out to be, it should be something that brings stability and transparency to the political status and rights of the Turkish Cypriots. Specifically, the talks should specifically spell out what the political status would be if the Greek Cypriots decide to go back on anything they have – or will – promise. Pressed further on whether he meant Turkish Cypriots should be given some kind of permanent recognition that would protect them should the new initiative sink due to the Greek Cypriots backing out, he said: “Exactly”.

This comes in response to the collapse of talks to unite Cyprus in July, which effectively ended what was considered the most promising round of negotiations. A deal that would have the island reunited and brought under the rule of a two-zone federal system simply collapsed into a two-sided “blame game,” with each pointing fingers at the other.

Nami echoed the voice of the Turkish Cypriots, saying that the lack of unity has led to an atmosphere of political ambiguity, and it is high time that this should end. He added that the need of the hour is to change the status quo in a way that is mutually agreed upon.

A former naval officer who has allegedly been linked to the Gülen network and accused of leading the failed coup attempt in Turkey last year has finally left Greek Cyprus after having sought political asylum on the island country, according to an official source.

Kadir Karaman, Former Naval Captain along with his Kazakhstani-origin wife Nina Pozhidaeva, who arrived on the Larnaca marina from the southern province of Mersin on October 1 in their luxury yacht named “Sanchez,” had previously requested asylum on the basis of the fact that they were being persecuted in their home country of Turkey. The couple, who had been staying on the yacht under police surveillance ever since, have now left the island.

The Greek Cypriot government, which attempted to handle the matter in a hush manner, failed to do so when Karaman’s identity was revealed after having an alleged public phone conversation with one of the most sought-after “secret imams,” while working as a part of İzmir-based operation into the Gülen network.

This led to the issuance of a detention warrant, followed by the Police conducting raids in his residence. By that time, however, Karaman had already left the Mersin port with his wife aboard the 10.5 meter luxury yacht. Arriving at Larnaca around a day later, Karaman and his wife requested to gain political asylum on the island, explaining to the Greek Cypriot police that the authorities wanted to falsely detain him over links to the Gülen network.

Karaman’s case is being considered as the first time ever when a Turkish Armed Forces member has requested asylum in Greek Cyprus.

In what is being considered alarming news as regards availability of natural resources in Cyprus, water reserves in reservoirs in the country have been found to stand at 14.6% of its total capacity, plummeting down further from last year’s 20%.

The finding sparked several discussions at the House agriculture committee, with the chairman Akel MP Andreas Kakalias concluding that such a situation has arisen primarily due to the fact that the water management system of the island country is riddled with problems. He also added that the island country currently lacks a holistic approach which will properly solve the issue.

In response to the situation, the House agriculture committee raised the issue of implementing a uniform pricing policy for water charges, emphasizing that special tariffs should be there in place to cater to livestock and farming needs, which do not exist at the current moment. With livestock areas being billed the way households are, farmers are facing immense difficulties in coping with high charges. Kakalias responded to the issue by having the agriculture committee request relevant ministries to take a look at the issue and subsequently formulate a farm-specific tariff.

Another issue that was addressed at the committee was that of the Limassol water board’s debts. Kakalias assured the people that he will have the relevant authorities look into the matter and solve the problem as soon as possible.

In what is being considered great news for innovation in Cyprus, a team from Cyprus is now going to compete in the European Cyber Security Challenge (ECSC).

One of Europe’s biggest competitions, the ECSC, which is organized and hosted by the Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute INCIBE, has the support of the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA), will take place between 31 October to 3 November in Malaga, Spain.

The much-awaited event, which will bring together the best and the brightest young cyber-security experts from Europe, is set to feature over 150 participants from across 15 countries who will participate in a variety of challenges including (but not limited to) tasks such as gaining access to a protected system, deciphering encrypted documents and finding out security vulnerabilities in web applications.

According to Professor Dr. Udo Helmbrecht, Executive Director of ENISA, this exercise is important both for the participants and for the countries to which they will take back the international experience they will gain by taking part. He further added in the three years in which ENISA supported the event, he has seen a positive growth in terms of number of participants as well as the number of participating countries.

This year’s edition of the ECSC will include participants from the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Romania, Italy, Switzerland, Austria,  Estonia, Denmark, Greece, Germany, Liechtenstein, Ireland, Norway, Spain, and of course, Cyprus.

Aside the titular main hacking contest, the ECSC will be hosting a job fair and certain specialized conferences. The fair will feature industry-leading organizations who will discuss career opportunities with participants.

According to President Nicos Anastasiades of Cyprus, the idea of any European state lagging behind other European states terms of human rights and fundamental freedoms is nothing short of appalling, and that Cyprus should make sure that it can never fall into this dreaded situation.

Speaking at the national memorial service of 1955-1959 EOKA heroes of Neo Chorio Pafos community, the Cypriot President stressed upon the importance of fundamental freedoms and human rights, saying that it is unacceptable for military intervention to stay in the country forever, given its adverse effects on the sense of security of Greek Cypriots. He even added that the country can never accept to serve the interests of another third country or become a protectorate.

While the President does understand certain compromises need to be made to return the island to the peaceful state it was in once, he also conveyed the fact that he knows the extent of said compromises, and can never allow the State to accept anything that tramples upon the rights of the Greek Cypriots and make them feel small and ignored in front of their Turkish counterparts.

Emphasizing on the need for a peaceful and stable country, especially for the upcoming generations, President Anastasiades stated that peace can only prevail when basic human rights are accepted, and when there are conditions that will inculcate good conscience. He concluded his speech by saying that the need of the hour is to create a European state that is stable, durable, does not discriminate on any grounds whatsoever and protect its citizens against any and all forms and manifestations of injustice.

Cyprus has notably been a divided country since 1974, when the Turks invaded and took over the island country’s northern third. It has since been a constant strife and series of negotiations, with the latest round of UN-sponsored negotiations having ended inconclusively in July 2017 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

In what is being considered ground-breaking move by a country that is not known for passing statements on the international stage, Cyprus recently announced how appalled it was to have seen the violent attacks against security forces in Egypt.

More specifically, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the small island country stated in a public statement how it “strongly condemns” the ruthlessly violent terrorist attack made on security forces on the 20 October 2017 in Al-Wahat, Egypt.

Speaking at a press release, the Ministry added that both the Government and the people of Cyprus took this matter to heart and needless to say, extend their sincerest condolences – both to the Egyptian Government and to the families, friends and relatives of the unfortunate victims of the incident. It also wished a sound and speedy recovery to those who survived but were injured.”

The Ministry also pledged that it would do all it can to help the both Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the people of Egypt in fighting against terrorism. Extending both its support and its solidarity to them, the Cyrpiot Ministry reaffirmed its own commitment and determination to pursue every emthod that would help in curbing terrorism, “in all of its forms and manifestations.”

In what is being considered a new move against crime in Cyprus, an illegal casino in Trachoni, Limassol was raided by the British bases (SBA) police on Tuesday, arresting 13 people and seizing several merchandise including gambling tables, computers, and cash.

Conducted by SBA police at 8pm on Tuesday morning, the authorities found the illegal establishment, which was already the subject of a closure order, occupied by 10 people who playing the gambling tables. Upon searching the building further, they found a woman and three men – all of whom were trying to hide from the police.

Led by Chief Inspector Panicos Panayi, the raid team consisted of 10 Bases police officers in total.

Chief Inspector Panayi stated how peaceful the raid actually was, along with the fact that the people found didn’t even make an effort to put any resistance. The top cop added that this was perhaps due to the fact that the people inside the illegal establishment knew that there simply was no chance to escape.

The 13 people who were found were arrested and taken to the Akrotiri police station. Other materials that were seized from the casino included 36 gambling computers, 11 blackjack tables, two roulette tables, and €1000 in cash. Also found was a sophisticated security camera system that was used in the establishment, whose data will soon be analyzed by the authorities.

Sean Tully spokesman for the Bases, spoke on the matter, stating that illegal gambling is absolutely intolerable and if found, will be dealt with the strictest hand. He further added that this raid should act as a warning for other who think that they can get away with breaking the law run such kind of establishments.

In what is being considered very reassuring news for peace in Cyprus, President Nicos Anastasiades recently made a statement emphasizing upon the need for having a united front to counter Turkish intransigence and overturn the current situation in the island country.

Speaking in Nicosia after a religious ceremony which commemorated the anniversary of 28th October, 1940, President Anastasiades said that history can only be written when everyone stays united. He further explained his rather cryptic statement, saying that in order to truly honor the commemorated anniversary, Cyprus must join forces and subsequently confront Turkish intransigence and its effects and finally overturn the sad and painful circumstances that currently exist in Cyprus thanks to Turkish interference.

President Anastasiades was asked regarding the effects of the developments in Spain on Cyprus, to which he confidently replied that the Spanish problem should and does not have any bearing on the situation in Cyprus, especially after the kind of reactions it has received from both Europe and other parts of the world.

Cyprus has been a divided country since 1974, when the Turks invaded and took over the island country’s northern third. It has since been a constant strife and series of negotiations, with the latest round of UN-sponsored negotiations having ended inconclusively in July 2017 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

The anniversary of 28th October, 1940 serves to commemorate the rejection of an ultimatum by Benito Mussolini to Greece’s then Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas. The event marks the start of the Greco-Italian war as well as the subsequent conquering of Greece by the Axis Powers.

In what is being considered a refreshing news for Cyprus and the start-up and innovation community in general, “GrowGreen“ a Cyrpiot team, has bagged the first place in the thematic category of Sustainable Land Use at the Grand Final of ClimateLaunchpad 2017 held at Limassol, Cyprus. Climate Launchpad is well-known as the world’s largest competition that fosters green business ideas.
In addition to the winner’s spot in the thematic category, the Cypriot start-up also received standing ovation, critical acclaim, and a monetary prize of €5.000. GrowGreen received said accolades on account of for their groundbreaking idea of using coffee grounds to produce biodegradable fertilizing flower pots.

Other teams which represented Cyprus were ‘Be Right Bag’, which manufactured biodegradable and plantable bags which were made from seed-infused recycled paper and ‘Echofixer’ which made acoustic panels made of paper pulp to improve sound clarity.

ClimateLaunchpad 2017 had 964 start-ups from 35 countries submitting their green business ideas, and 105 of them being selected to pitch their idea in the Grand Final. The Grand Final was hosted and organized by Chrysalis LEAP, and co-organized by the Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA).

Held over the course of two days, the event, which ended on Wednesday, featured over 550 different people from a variety of fields including investment, academics and business from all over the world. Not only did it feature an entire upcoming generation of successful start-ups, it revealed several new trends and offered valuable insight into a better and more sustainable future.

ClimateLaunchpad is sponsored by Climate-KIC, Europe’s largest public-private innovation partnership.

In what is being considered shocking news for the academic community in Cyprus and beyond, Panos Pashardes, the former head of the University of Cyprus’s Economic Research Centre (ERC), passed away at the age of 68 last Sunday.

The late professor, who joined the University of Cyprus in 1994, previously received his economics degree in 1973 at the University of Athens in Greece, and master’s as well as his PhD at the Birkbeck College of the University of London in 1975 and 1979 respectively.

Professor Pashardes has a broad range of knowledge as regards economics, but made his specializations in in public and welfare economics, consumer behavior, Cypriot economy and applied econometrics. Throughout his academic career, he has published dozens of academic journals, many of which stand as staple texts for reference.

Pashardes’ views on economic policies were largely liberal in nature, despite the fact that he was himself a member of the socialist party Edek. He even publicly advocated privatization of state-owned enterprises including (but not limited to) telecoms company Cyta, and supported overhaul of human resource management in the public sector.

The loss of the ace academic comes as a big shock and massive loss for the academic community – both in Cyprus and other European countries.

In what is being considered an interesting new development in European political relations at large, Cyprus and Russia have signed a new protocol, which outlines prospects and possibilities to expand the level of cooperation of cooperation between the two countries, including (but not limited to) telecoms and information technology, transport, industrial cooperation, innovation, and medical services.

Delegations were made on relevant issues between the two countries at the 10th summit of the Cyprus-Russia Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation held at Nicosia, which was headed by Harris Georgiades, Cypriot Finance Minister and Alexey Gruzdev, Russian Deputy Minister of Economic.

The meeting acted as a preparation of sorts for the Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades’ forthcoming visit to the Russian capital.
Speaking to the press after signing the protocol, Mr. Georgiades explained how the new protocol will be instrument in expanding relations based on good faith and practice between the two countries. He even went on to call Russia an “extremely important partner” for Cyprus, explaining how Cypriot exports worth over €1.3 billion go to the country. He also elaborated on Russia being an important political ally for Cyprus.

Mr. Gruzdev too, had nothing but good words. Not only did he describe the meeting as “very fruitful,” he also proceeded to explain the relationship of Russia and Cyprus are strategic partners in various spheres of politics, business and commerce.

In what is being considered breakthrough news after a long period of inactivity, Ioannis Kasoulides, Cyprus’ Foreign Minister has announced that the Cypriot government will negotiate with their British counterparts the status of Cypriots who have been working and/or living in British military bases. The discussions will be made keeping Brexit in view.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Mr. Kasoulides told reporters that the negotiations between the governments of the UK and the Republic of Cyprus and will concern rights of Cypriots who are living and working on British bases, and attempt to keep the same attached to the treaty of Great Britain’s secession from the EU.

Mr. Kasoulides added that the upcoming negotiations between Cyprus and Britain as regards what to what happens to Cypriots working on British bases after will start on Oct. 11th, something that automatically dismissed calls from deputies to put their own closure on the matter. The minister also confirmed the European Commission’s agreement to not take any steps unless the Republic of Cyprus explicitly agrees and allows the country to enter bilateral negotiations.

According to Mr. Kasoulides, the main factor they want maintained post-Brexit is for the rights of Cypriot nationals working on British bases to remain the same as they are under the currently installed regime. Under this (pre-Brexit) regime, the acquis was able to be applied successfully in the British Bases – according to Protocol 3 of the Accession Treaty of Cyprus to the EU.

Cyprus has now made itself an active part of the world’s largest anti-fraud community with Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the world’s largest anti-fraud organization, announcing its inaugural assembly in the island country.

Speaking at a press conference, ACFE Cyprus explained that its aim is to play a constructive role in observing, identifying and eliminating fraud-related happenings in Cyprus. It added the Cyprus chapter intends to act as a force of meaningful change, and help in reducing, if not fully preventing instances of fraud and corruption in Cyprus, and well as helping to promote training in the field and impart both skills and knowledge to members.

Also present at the assembly, was Georgos Zornas, Internal Audit Director at the Bank of Cyprus Group, the main supporter of the new initiative. The director spoke at the occasion, describing the ACFE’s role at length and analyzing the goals it plans to achieve in Cyprus, adding that they while they have made a step in the right direction, they still “have a long way to go,” before they can safely speak to have established an effective governance mechanism in public as well as organizations.

In his speech, Mr. Zornas mentioned the PwC’s annual report, according to which, around 24 percent of participating Cypriot organizations were seen to have no proper ethics training program in place, whereas 42 percent were seen to have not performed any fraud risk assessment.

He also listed numerous fraud and corruption-related incidents which involved well-regarded politicians and senior state officials.

Young people make better talent and mean more progress, and Cypriot politics is no exception to the rule.
I, the Citizen, Cyprus’ youngest party made this point very clear just as it announced the start of its operations via a well-executed press release.

At the party’s inaugural press release, members stressed on the importance of having more young people get into politics. Many of the backers and founders of the popularly-called “Russian Party” also went on to highlight its key goals, which includes eliminating corruption and fostering a hi-tech culture which would integrate religious freedom, multiculturalism, and multi-ethnicity. They further added that these goals can only be truly and properly realized if and when the younger demographic takes an active part in the matters.

The press release reflected this view of the party and its members, saying that it is of utmost importance for the able, young, and educated to get and stay actively involved in the political scenario of the country.

The party, which aims to integrate all Cypriots and EU citizens at large, is being led by Mr. Alexey Voloboev, a Russian-born Cypriot businessman and citizen who has been based out of the island country for over 15 years.

In what is being regarded as a shocking news, The Cyprus Society of Cardiology announced on World Heart Day that over 2,000 people in Cyprus die every year due to heart disease, while over 40,000 other undergo serious treatment for some or the other heart-related problem.
According to the results of several epidemiological studies that were recently conducted in Cyprus by the Society, 27.8 percent of all adults were obese and 36.1 percent were overweight. Children under too had a less-than-desirable percentage of overweightedness and obesity, with 8.1 percent of children in the former and 20.1 percent in the latter category.

Dr Georgos Georgiou, Chairman of The Cyprus Society of Cardiology spoke on the issue at a news conference which marked World Heart Day, under the slogan ‘Give your Heart Strength’. Announcing a brand new enlightenment campaign that will be organized by the society in all towns on Friday, Dr. Georgiou explained how the campaign aims to make the public more aware about cardiovascular diseases, which have been an increasing cause for concern in several developed countries all over the world.

The campaign will be presided over by Cardiologists, who will make it point to inform the public about the functioning and prevention of cardiovascular diseases, and provide informative brochures. They will also take people’s blood pressure at no charge.

The campaigns will be held at Ermou square in Larnaca, My Mall in Limassol, the Mall of Cyprus in Nicosia, and Kings Avenue Mall in Paphos.

In what is being regarded as a welcoming new development in taking care of the disabled, Zeta Emilianidou, Labor minister of Cyprus has announced that the government will now offer specialized support systems and services to autistic children and their families.
The announcement has come after the cabinet has given the centre the green light to assess and evaluate children suffering from autism, and subsequently create independent homes suited to them.

Speaking after a cabinet session, Ms. Emilianidou explained that said the operation of the evaluation centre for autistic children will offer specialized services to both the children as well as to the families who need to take care of them. This facility will become part of the Christos Stelios Ioannou Foundation, alongside a child care center for children with autism which will soon be created. The centre is estimated to run with an expense of around €700,000 a year.

Ms. Emilianidou further announced the creation of over ten communal houses which would cater to individuals with disabilities, adding that the aim of the scheme is to integrate into society the people who live with serious disabilities. By helping these people into assisted-living programmes, the centre wants to help adults with special needs be more comfortable in their lives.

Both schemes will be co-financed by the European Social fund.

In what is being considered as a great move for innovators and environments alike, the Larnaca has announced that the city has saved over 59,000 kWh and has managed to lessen the emissions of carbon monoxide by at least 51 tons as part of the 3 year program which ended on September 30.

Issuing a statement, the municipality added that the results are indicative of the willingness of participating families to adopt style of living that is more sustainable in the short and long run.

Family Intelligent Energy Targeted Action is a special European initiative, which includes 19 different partnering institutions from as much as 5 different European countries in the south – Cyprus, Italy, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus, who are all committed to helping families reduce their energy consumption. Spanning three years, the program reduced CO2 emission by 896 tons.

As part of the project, residents were visited at home and their energy consumption was recorded and analyzed. After that, every received a personalized report along with advice on how they can reduce their consumption. Special attention was paid to vulnerable consumers, those who lived on low incomes.

According to Fiesta’s website, households were responsible for a large share of energy consumption in Europe, and therefore program made them the main target of reducing energy consumption. The website says that over 29 percent of total energy consumption actually takes place in households.

The Fiesta program is co-funded by the Intelligent Energy for Europe Programme package, and Area Science Park Trieste acts as the project coordinator.

More information can be found at www.fiesta-audit.eu/

In what is being considered fantastic news for the researchers and innovators in the world of tech, the island country will be celebrating its own `Researchers’ Night`, along with 300 cities all across Europe.

Organized by The Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation for the 11th consecutive year, the event, which is receiving support from the European Commission, will attract the interest of thousands of people who want to take part or be informed about research and innovation in science and technology, and how said innovations will contribute to everyday living in the modern society.

The event, which will be held the premises of the State Fair in Nicosia will be free to attend, and will be inaugurated by President Nicos Anastasiades. Several notable personalities, such as Dr Vassilis Tsakalos, Director General of the Research Promotion Foundation, will also be present. As already mentioned, the event will aim to bring together people of all ages, attributes and perspectives, who are interested in innovation, and showcase innovation and research projects that have been implemented by Cypriot enterprises, universities, and research centers.

The evening will include experiments, discussions, games, competitions, as well as musical and theatrical events, along with a ceremony that will be held in honor of and Nobel Prize winning Economist and Professor Christoforos Pissarides.

More details on the event can be found at found under www.research.org.cy.

In what is being considered a breakthrough development in live art, a brand new live art experience has been launched in Paphos, which has proved to be a hit among both fans and critics.

Launched as a part of the Pafos2017 program, “Remote Paphos,” sees groups of people put on their headphones to get in for an immersive and collective, yet individual experience that is bound to make a lasting impression. The project has been created under the guidance of Rimini Protokoll, a one-of-a-kind theatre group that has established itself as one of Europe’s the most important and influential performers and artistes.

Executed in a simple, yet clever concept, the live experience involves fifty mostly-strangers, participating as actors, and being guided through a pre-planned route through instructions that will be relayed via high quality Sennheiser headphones, which will remain attached to mini-player that will stay clipped to a pocket or belt. The experience is set to continue for an hour and 40 minutes.

A truly one-of-a-kind system, ‘Remote Paphos’ intends to take a look at the systems which govern us and our lives and studies the way we respond to them, socially, physically and mentally. Aside from being memorable and enjoyable, it also manages to bring out the thinkers in people by questioning their individuality, judgment and tendency to (or not to) confirm.

More information on the live art experience can be found at www.pafos2017.com

The Cypriot band Barebone, known for delivering hit-after-hit, have now released a brand new song which has already won the Best Rock song prize for the September 2017 Academia Music Awards at Los Angeles.

Called Edge of the Blade, the song, which has proved to be equally popular between fans and critics alike, has now been released by the band on their official YouTube channel. The song will also be a part of Barebone’s upcoming album.

Formed in 2014, Barebone has proved to be extremely popular throughout the world, and has been touring all over the world and participating in various events, including The Masters of Rock, the biggest festival in the Czech Republic.
The Barebone Band, which comprises four members – George Solonos, Constantinos Pavlides, Takis Foitos and Constantinos Constantinou, say they aim to have their material and their live appearances give an experience of upbeat Rock that is “focused on groove and pure hard dirty sound.”

The pop band has so far performed at every venue in Cyprus and has also taken part in major events and festivals like the Cyprus International Tattoo Convention and the Legion Run, among others.
Their first video, Early Years of My Dementia was released in 2015, just before their maiden Slovakian/Czech Rep. tour in May 2015.
More information on the band can be found at @Facebook/bareboneband

According to the findings of a survey, the rather predictable presidential race of Cyprus could get completely shaken-up by the possible candidacy of Constantinos Christofides, the rector of the University of Cyprus.

Commissioned by Stockwatch, an online business portal, the survey asked voters to choose and state their preference among all the candidates for the presidential election in 2018, in addition to asking them regarding their opinions on the expected run-off between the two candidates that will prevail in the first round. Quite unsurprisingly, for every tested scenarios tested, the incumbent President Nicos Anastasiades won against both Akel-backed former Health Minister Stavros Malas, and Diko leader Nicolas Papadopoulos.

For the first round, Anastasiades won 27 percent votes, followed by Papadopoulos (16 percent), Malas (13 percent), and Yiorgos Lillikas (3 percent). Interestingly, 1 in 5 remained undecided, while 14 per cent of the population stated that they do not intend to vote.

With Christofides in the first-round mix, however, the dynamics changed completely, with both Papadopoulos and Anastasiades seeing their shares drop in favor of the latest candidate, despite having maintained their position otherwise. According to the voters’ preferences in this scenario, Anastasiades ended up with 23 percent votes, followed by Papadopoulos (14 percent), Malas (12 percent), Christofides (with an impressive 9 percent) and Lillikas (2 percent). The undecided population, however, remained as 1 in 5.

The poll results clearly shows that Christofides drew most his votes from Anastasiades and Papadopoulos’ pool, and from the pool of voters who had previously said that they did not intend to vote.

As of now, Christofides is yet to announce his candidacy for the Presidential elections in 2018.

The survey in questions was commissioned by Stockwatch from Cymar Market Research Ltd, and was conducted during a 7-day-period (from September 21 to 27). The survey comprised 1,006 telephone interviews that were conducted with voting-age individuals.

In what is being considered a bold new move that will bring in more business in Cyprus, Emirates, the largest international airline in the world, organized its first-ever informative media breakfast in Nicosia, Cyprus on Wednesday, the 27th of September. The meeting was presided over by Ms. Asma Al Rahma, Emirates’ Country Manager in Cyprus, and attended by a wide variety of media and communications professionals.

As a part of the event, Ms. Al Rahma and her team met with several top journalists, marketing officials and communication professionals, and informed them on a wide variety of topics including (but not limited to), the level of commitment Emirates has to Cyprus, the range of global destinations, the exclusive advantages that Emirates offers, the world-class fleet, and how Emirates helps in the progress of tourism and trade in the region.
As the world largest international airline, Emirates is known for its quality service and high-grade infrastructure, its world-class fleet comprising Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s, very high comfort levels, and the world’s most privileged Economy Class with over 2,500 entertainments channels, and excellent staff service.
Armed with a wide range of options, Emirates plans to give Cypriots the opportunity to fulfill their desire to travel comfortably to top destinations such as Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Johannesburg, and also to closer ones such as Dubai and Malta, which are increasingly becoming popular with the Cypriots who wish to travel in style.

Stressing upon the strong relations between Emirates and the island country of Cyprus, Ms. Al Rahma explained how said relation has been growing among the two sides for several years. She expressed her happiness at Emirates’ increased involvement in Cyprus, and further added that the relationship between the two will only serve to grow in the future. Al Rahma also said that she was proud to see a growing number of Cypriot employees at Emirates itself, and would love to see the numbers grow faster.

In what is being considered great news for Cyprus’s tourism industry and for Cypriot-British relations, the island country has witnessed a much larger influx of tourists from UK rising in the months of July and August, making 2017 a record-breaking year for UK-to-Cyprus tourism.

UK-to-Cyprus travel grew by an impressive 6% year-on-year in July to 176,880 visitors and by an even more impressive 7.9% in August to 185,831 visitors. Travel in the first eight months of the year (i.e. from January to August) collectively went up by 8.6% and had over 874,055 visitors, while the total visitor arrivals reached 2.5 million, as opposed to 2.2 million the year before.

Orestis Rossides, UK Director of the Cyprus Tourism Organization, was nothing short of delighted over the matter. Stressing on how tourism is one of Cyprus’s most important sectors, Rossides stated that he was proud to announce that 2017 would go on to be yet another record-breaking year for them. He further added that the Cyprus Tourism Organizations plans to reach 6 million global tourist arrivals by 2030, and to that end intend to provide the best amenities and necessary infrastructure.

The Ryanair crisis is affecting Europe very badly, and now Cyprus is no longer an exception.
In what is being seen as devastating news for flyers and travelers alike, Ryanair has announced that it will be cancelling flights for Paphos, despite having previously given the assurance that no such thing would happen.
The cancellation of Paphos flights comes two weeks after the low cost Irish carrier service announced that it will be cancelling over 2,100 flights going till the end of October, and only a few days after it added several other flights to the list which were originally scheduled for November 2017 to March 2018.

The latest series of cancellations include the very popular route that connects Paphos in Cyprus to Chania in Greece, which has ruined the plans of least hundreds of passengers and left them disgruntled.
Ryanair has suspended a total of 34 routes on account of what it claims as a “staff holiday rostering problem.” The low-cost airline further added that it will be removing 25 of its 400 planes from operations and reduce its passenger load by two million to avoid having to make further cancellations. It even went forward to claim that as Europe’s largest airline, it had made a grievous blunder by introducing the “pilot’s annual leave” scheme, which left Ryanair with a much lesser number of pilots than were needed to operate the flights in the following weeks.
The worst part is that the news of cancellation comes after David O’Brien, Ryanair’s Chief Commercial Officer assured that Cyprus would not be affected by any of the cancellations at a press conference at a prominent hotel in Paphos.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has taken heed of the entire matter, and has reported that Ryanair may end up facing legal action for “persistently misleading” passengers whose flights have been cancelled due to lack of pilots to operate planes. The regulatory body claims that the airline has indeed breached several norms – legal and otherwise – by failing to inform the passengers regarding their full rights covered by the EU Flight Delay Law repeatedly.

According to the EU Flight Delay Law, any airline which cancels a flight with a notice of more than two weeks need not pay compensation, but should offer the best-possible alternative flight with another carrier for the passenger. Additionally, the cancelling airline also has to bear the cost of transfers to or from the alternative airports, as and when necessary.

Ryanair spoke on this issue, stating that it had already emailed all of the affected passengers, and gave them a minimum of five weeks’ (and a maximum of five months’) notice regarding and all changes and cancellations. It further added that the cancellations have cost Ryanair over 25 million Euros till date.

In what is being considered an interesting new development for Cyprus, it has been observed that almost all pupils in the island country are learning a foreign language.

According the findings of a survey conducted by Eurostat, the Directorate-General of the European Commission, all the primary school pupils and 98 percent gymnasium pupils in Cyprus are learning at least one foreign language in the classroom, in addition to learning their native language.

The survey, which was conducted in 2015, further found that among the primary school pupils, 91.2 percent were learning one foreign language, while the remaining 8.2 percent were learning two or more.
Among the foreign languages learnt, English was the most popular (with 99.8 percent of the pupils learning them), followed by French (which is being learnt by 2.3 percent of the students)
Eurostat conducted the survey throughout Europe, and the findings showed some significant and interesting developments in terms of language learning.

According to the findings, 84 percent primary school pupils all over the European Union Member States were being taught at least one foreign language, while 5 percent taught two or more foreign languages.
Unsurprisingly, English has proved to be the most popular language in the EU, being studied by 83.5 percent of all primary school pupils across all member states. French, once again follows (with 4.8 per cent students learning the language). Close on its heels is German (3.9 per cent), Spanish (0.6 per cent), Russian (0.3 per cent) and Italian (0.2 per cent).

Cyprus was not the only country to gain a perfect score as far as the percentage of primary school pupils learning a foreign language is concerned. Austria, Luxembourg, and Malta too boasted the same score. Croatia, Spain and France stays close to this score at 99.9, 99.4 and 99.2 per cent respectively.
Eurostat’s survey also found that learning foreign languages is quite commonplace at the lower secondary level. In fact, more than 98.6 percent of secondary school pupils have been found to study at least one foreign language, while 58.8 per cent were seen to study two or more foreign languages.
As of 2015, 98% of the 27,100 lower secondary level pupils in Cyprus have studied and successfully learnt at least one foreign language.

KPMG has been going from strength-to-strength in the last few years, and its latest move in Cyprus only shows that it is not slowing down anytime soon.

The Big Four auditor organized a Welcoming Event for its new members in the country on the 22nd of September, and needless to say, was more than successful in its endeavor.

The Event was presided over by Mr. Andreas Christofides, KPMG’s Managing Director in Cyprus, who addressed the event by extending a warm welcome to all the attendees. He stressed on how it is the people who work for KPMG that have truly made it what it is today. He further added that KPMG will always stay by their side, from the beginning of their journey to professional success, and beyond.

Mr. Christos Vasiliou, KPMG’s Deputy Managing Director and Head of Advisory in Cyprus was also at the event. Mr. Vasiliou expressed his delight on being surrounded by a large number of enthusiastic youngsters with an appetite for working hard, who will only serve to strengthen their efforts to offer the customers more comprehensive solutions, and make an overall positive contribution to the Cypriot society.
Apart from the staff and Board Members, another 100 people who had been hired by the company in the past year were present at the event.

In what is being a considered a groundbreaking move that will go on to redefine the political structure of Cyprus, the country’s interior ministry has approved its first ever “Russian party” comprising Russians who have gained Cypriot citizenship.

The newly-formed party that the interior ministry has approved is formally called ‘I the Citizen’ (EOP) will be unveiled officially in the upcoming week, according to the Cyprus Mail.
Widely known as the “Russian Party” in Greek-Cypriot media, the EOP is reportedly being headed by Alexei Voloboev, a Russian-Cypriot who owns a restaurant in Limassol and was granted Cypriot citizenship later in life.
The EOP filed an application to register as a new party with the interior ministry in May, and after much discussion and deliberation, was approved by the Cypriot regulatory body. Kypros Kyprianou, the permanent secretary of the interior ministry himself confirmed the approval, stating that the party had followed every rule and regulation and fulfilled every requirement.

While the party is indeed back by Russian businessmen who are based in Cyprus, Demetris Michalokakos, spokesperson for the party has told Phileleftheros, the local daily newspaper that the party is very popular and been welcomed by several Cypriots with open arms. He also added that the party was open to all Cypriots and Europeans citizens to join and be involved in.

The newly-minted party aims to bring about large improvement in the business side of public life, which includes (but is not limited to) developing new technology, advancing the e-government system, propelling the economy towards growth, and most importantly, cutting through red tape.

The party has a decent social media presence, which will only serve to expand in the near future. Currently, the party has accounts on Twitter (@EOP_CYPRUS), Instagram (@eop.cyprus) and Facebook (@EOP.Cyprus).
The party lists its mission statement on its social media accounts as “the unification of citizens of Cyprus with modern views into a single political party”. It also has some posts on social media which contain links to press stories about the party’s founding and logo.

While the details are unclear, it is known that the EOP plans to contest in the European parliament elections in 2019. It is unlikely, however, for the party to back any of its existing candidates in said elections.

In what is being considered a great move to cover the needs of the country’s youth, Labor Minister Zeta Emilianidou has announced that the state will hand out a €650 monthly stipend to all law-school graduates who are unemployed and are yet to be fully and formally trained.

Emilianidou further elaborated that the scheme was specifically aimed at helping unemployed, young law graduates under the age of 29 complete their mandatory training. She also stated that similar schemes will be launched for civil engineers and other professions which legally require practitioners to complete a certain period in training.
Co-funded by the European Social fund, the scheme includes employer’s insurance and social insurance contributions, in addition to the monthly €650 stipend.

Over 450 individuals graduate from law school in Cyprus every year. The scheme will help a large percentage of these secure the financial support that they need as long as they are completing their post-study training.
Intended to run till 2020, the scheme will be operated by the Cyprus Bar Association, along with law graduates who had begun their one-year training period on September 1.

As of 2017, Cyprus is the 64th most competitive country in the world, according to the Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum.

Popularly known as the Davos Forum in Cyprus, the international institution announced that the island country climbed 19 places and to gain its current rank as 64th among 137 countries all over the world in the comparative table of economies, and the 25th among European Union member states. For a country that has suffered much throughout its history, that surely does signify a considerable amount of progress.

The study was of course, conducted by the World Economic Forum, with the Bank of Cyprus and the European University of Cyprus acting as its partners within the country.

According to a press release that was issued by the European University of Cyprus, the island country ranks 64th as regards the extent of competitiveness of its economy.

The top ten players in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, however, remains exactly as they were last time, with one minor difference. Switzerland was once again at the top of the list and the USA took second place, overtaking Singapore which slipped down one place. Close on its heels are The Netherlands, Germany, Hong Kong, and Sweden, followed by Britain, Japan, and Finland – all of which make up the top ten.

The ranking was decided on the basis of every country’s statistical financial data, along with in-depth and insightful interviews that were conducted with organizations and with representatives of various businesses.
The rank awarded to Cyprus’ was based on the following “twelve pillars”: Goods market efficiency (25th), Infrastructure (30th), Technological readiness (32nd), Health and primary education (39th), Labor market efficiency (39th), Higher education and training (46th), Institutions (51st), Innovation (53rd), Businesses sophistication (55th), Macroeconomic environment (97th), Financial market development (108th), Market size (109th).

The wise man always said to keep your friends close (and your enemies closer too – but that’s another matter), and Cyprus and China’s recent exchanges have only served to affirm the adage. Nicos Anastasiades, the President of the island country of Cyprus had nothing but good words to say for China and the relationship between the two nations.

Speaking on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China at the Chinese Embassy in Cyprus, President Anastasiades emphasized how the relationship between the two nations is based on mutual friendship and true friendship, which is bound to increase over time. He further elaborated how bilateral relations amidst the two countries had grown in a wide variety of fields such as commerce, energy, and investment, and of course, technology and tourism, and added how these relations will only serve to strengthen with the passage of time.

The President also extended his gratitude to the Chinese government for providing much-needed support to the Cypriot government, following a meeting between President Anastasiades and Wang Yi, the Foreign Minister of China, which was held on the sidelines of the UN Assembly. Huan Xingyuan, the ambassador of China in Nicosia, wished the Cypriot President a happy birthday, which was coincidentally on the same day, and emphasized on the importance of China to further the already very close bilateral relations between the two nations. The relationship between the two countries has warmed-up considerably in the last few years, with President Anastasiades visiting China in 2015 to establish firm business relations to allow for better trade and commercial activities, and with Chinese entrepreneurships and companies being given the green signal to invest in and increase their involvement in Cyprus, and avail some added opportunities and advantages.

In what is being regarded as a landmark decision that will have a great impact on the criminal justice system throughout Europe, High Court Judges in Cyprus have ruled that the country will no longer act as a safe haven for UK national fugitives to avoid punishment for their crimes.

The island country’s breakaway Turkish part, which has long since been used as a haven by fugitives from the UK, ceased to act as one after the High Court Judges ruled that extradition from the country is very much on the charts. The judges explained there was “absolutely nothing” that should prevent the British police from co-operating with Cypriot law-enforcement agencies to catch and extradite criminals from their country who are currently hiding in the island country. They added that this also implies that fugitives who would refuse to return to the UK for their trial can and will be prosecuted in Northern Cyprus.

The case in question that led to the landmark change was that of Hasan Akarcay, a 60-year-old businessman who is a prime suspect in a serious crime involving narcotics. After the discovery of a consignment of 12.5kg of heroin in Bradford, Mr. Akarcay had left the UK and made Northern Cyprus his home in 2006. The West Yorkshire Police has stated that fingerprint evidence has been found on the drugs, which successfully links Mr. Akarcay to the crime. The drugs have been estimated to be worth £600,000.

Mr. Akarcay will now be prosecuted in Northern Cyprus after the UK authorities have proved his involvement in the crime, and passed on evidence of the same onto Turkish Cyprus. A part of said evidence was given to Northern Cypriot officers on official visit in the UK, while the rest was handed over to Cypriot authorities directly by an official of the National Crime Agency.

Mr. Akarcay, however, wouldn’t give up without a fight, with his legal team taking the case to High Court, claiming that it was illegal for the UK to offer any kind of assistance, let alone pass over evidence to authorities in Turkish Cyprus. His lawyers stated that by co-operating, the UK and Northern Cyprus engaged in an “act of recognition” – an act that is illegal since it breaches the UN Security Council resolutions’ terms.

Their claims were soon rebuffed by Lord Justice Burnett, who declared that UK is not obliged to follow any law which prevents their government from recognizing Northern Cyprus, further adding that the UN itself works closely with enforcement agencies in the latter country in order to maintain law and order and maintain an optimum level of co-operation between the island’s two parts.

The judge, who considered the case with Mrs. Justice Thirlwall, further added that the co-operation was made due to the fact that the issue in question was that of public interest. Akarcay was a prime suspect in a drug conspiracy, and would certainly have been prosecuted if he had stayed in the UK.