Current Events

The Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs is accusing Cyprus of actively supplying “weapons from Western nations” to Israel to use against Gaza.

This development, which is happening weeks after the island nation working as a home for UK’s military base and by extension “helping out” Israel to continue its “atrocities” on the Gaza Strip.

Minister Hakan Fidan spoke about Cyprus’ role in the war at the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), adding that Turkish Cyprus shall not support these endeavors and will aim to serve Gaza’s humanitarian needs.

Fidan continued to mention the UK’s increasing presence in Cyprus – chiefly the RAF Akrotiri, which serves as a collection-and-distribution point for delivering supplies to Israel.

Temperatures are set to rise in the week, along with some dust circulation.

According to the Cypriot Meteorological Office, temperatures are expected increase overall, standing at around 22 degrees Celsius in the mountainous regions, 29 degrees Celsius inland and 25 degrees Celsius in the coastal areas.

Temperatures post-sunset is set to stand at around 12 degrees Celsius in the mountainous regions and 16 degrees Celsius inland and in the coastal areas.

The week is expected to become progressively warm followed by temperatures reaching 36 degrees Celsius i.e. the seasonal average by the latter end of the week.

2 short movies have received accolades internationally.

According to the island nation’s Ministry of Culture, the movies – namely, Savvas Stavrou’s “Buffer Zone” and Constantinos Nikiforou’s “Taxi” have won big prizes on the global scale.

“Buffer Zone” is a tale of soldiers on opposite sides in Cyprus’ Buffer zone who find common ground via music. The film has already had several awards to its name, and won the Greek Film Festival’s Best Short Film prize – including a 500 Euros cash award.

On the other hand, “Taxi” is about a female cab driver who always talks to her customers about her spouse’s death – keeping them engaged in her conversations and of course, the story. It was featured in the Greek Film Festival held in San Francisco and also secured a seat in the comedic section of the European Independent Film Festival.

Cyprus’ Troodos Mountain ranges are buried under snow due to recent heavy snowfall.

In the central square, the depth of the snow measures to around 27 centimeters, making the landscape look like the clichéd Christmas snow-laden scene.

Contributing to the situation is “Dawn.” a low-pressure system consisting of both temporarily and partly cloudy skies that permeate all over the region.

The meteorological department predicts that the weather in the next few days would have the same type of weather, along with isolated rain showers and possible occurrence of a storm – especially in the mountainous and south-eastern regions. Mountains on a higher altitude might even see some snow.

A teenaged student from Agios Vasileios Gymnasium was stabbed by a knife in Strovolos.

Philenews reported that in the evening hours, the teenager who was stabbed came back home with his stab wound, and claimed it happened due to falling off of his bike.

However, his mother’s constant questioning led him to confess that it happened because of a time.

The mother admitted her son into the hospital almost immediately, where the attending doctor confirmed the fact.

The doctor added that while the injury is major, no important organ was affected.

The police are currently investigating the incident. They have already arrested another teenager and are questioning him and his parents.

Cyprus is all set to see the opening of two brand new golf-themed resorts in the next few years.

The resorts are part of the island nation’s latest investment efforts to bolster the economy, make jobs and get more visitors.

The Limassol Hills Golf Resort features among one of the projects. Designed by Cabell B. Robinson, the resort has over seven hundred and fifty villas, apartments and townhouses constructed near a golf course with eighteen holes and over six thousand four hundred square feet worth of area. The resort, which is being developed right now, will include other facilities, like a wellness center, a spa, stores, offices and several types of eateries.

Lanitis Golf Public Co (co-owned by the Maltese investor consortium and the Lanitis Group) is developing the property and announced that it will deliver the first golf course and residential properties in late-2024.

The second biggest project among these is the Eagle Pine Golf Resort. Located in Limassol and made by Aristo Developers, this Graham Marsh-designed resort shall also include an eighteen-hole golf course, along with flats, stores, offices, a premium hotel, a club house, golf instructor, spas and eateries. They are yet to announce when they shall open the establishment.

Right now, Cyprus has 4 golf resorts – Elea Estate, Minthis, Aphrodite Hills and Secret Valley.

The Government of Cyprus is prioritizing establishing an independent authority for food safety, to make sure that chain of control from farm to table gets supervised with utmost protection and health safety.

Said Authority will function to serve several purposes, including dealing with emergencies pertaining to food safety.

Currently, there are independent authorities for food safety in every EU country bar Cyprus. On a pan-European side, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) performs a similar function.

Keeping this in view, establishing a similar organization in Cyprus would be highly instrumental for its citizens.

In a bid to improve the safety levels in Cyprus, the Public Works Department of Cyprus has presented a study strongly suggesting reducing the current speed limit from 50 kilometers per hour to 30 kilometers per hour.

They are recommending the speed limit be applied to certain urban areas to begin, so that they can reduce pollution levels and lower accident numbers.

Specifically, the Public Works Department recommends the lowered speed limit be put into effect in Larnaca, Limassol and Nicosia. They plan to speak with Alexis Vafeades, the transport minister so that the Road Safety Council can take their suggestions into consideration.

This development in Cyprus is in line with similar initiatives being taken in European countries in their bid to reduce current speed limits.

Currently, the idea has support from the Cypriot Traffic Police.

Paphos police have arrested 3 people and subsequently broken up a group of thieves who had been robbing churches in Paphos.

The 3 people – each aged 16, 20 and 21 are all foreign nationals.

In the meantime, the police continue to search for another man, aged 44 – who is regarded as the operation’s brain.

According to the police, they have made successful links between them and fifteen other thefts and burglaries from a host of chapels and churches all over Paphos.

Stolen items include money and religious objects.

The rising number of booked Airbnbs – according to the startup itself, over 6700 accommodations with services and over thirty thousand ones with do-your-own-catering options have been booked so far.

According to Marios Tsianakas, the Tourism Ministry Officer, the island nation has seen a gradual increase in total rooms booked – and especially with self-catering options.

According to Tsianakas, this is a growing trend all across Europe – especially among the younger crowd who want to save on accommodation and maintain as much flexibility as possible.

Also, part of the trend are cheaper flights, which make for a more attractive package overall.

Tsianakas remarked that this has a positive effect overall, since the added flexibility allows travelers to spend on a variety of things, such as more travel, rental transportation and restaurant dining.

The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment has reported a rise in the numbers of Mediterranean seals on the island nation.

According to Minister Maria Panayiotou, the total population of the mammals stands at around twenty-two. She spoke about this development at a workshop conducted at Peyia’s Cap St Georges resort.

Panayiotou remarked that the increase has taken place due to the successful execution of the species monitoring program. The program has led the population of these seals to increase from around ten to around twenty-two in a matter of ten years.

The Mediterranean seal is one of the most endangered animals – and the most endangered water mammal in Europe. There are currently seven hundreds of these – and around 400 of them live in and around Greece and Cyprus.

Sergio Mattarella, the Italian President has come to Cyprus on his two-day-long visit.

According to Konstantinos Letymbiotis, a spokesman for the Cypriot Government, the fact that Mattarella is visiting Cyprus is a very important cornerstone in fostering a better relationship between the two nations.

The presidential visit coincides with the island nation’s 20th year of joining the EU – and the sordid 50th year anniversary of Turkey’s invasion.

Accompanying President Mattarella will be other government representatives of Italy, as well as a delegation of people.

The President is due to reach Cyprus towards the afternoon and will visit the Presidential Palace and meet the Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.

Their meeting will be succeeded by a meeting between the two nations’ delegations. Finally, statements summarizing the Then, Presidents Christodoulides and Mattarella will make statements.

The duo and their delegations shall then see the Nicosia City Hall and the old section of Nicosia.

President Mattarella will also speak with other Italians residing in Cyprus.

The visit will end with the Cypriot President and his wife hosting a dinner to honor his Italian counterparts.

The Cyprus Police in Limassol conducted four hundred and forty car checks, four hundred and seventy six person checks and two hundred and eleven DUIs – all in the span of four days.

Out of all of these checks, twenty-two were written down for driving while being drunk over the limit one hundred and seven were reported for committing traffic violations, sixteen were reported for other traffic-related issues, fifteen vehicles and four two-wheelers were seized.

Besides the above, 2 nightclubs were booked for code violations, 3 warrants to award fines were issued – one for possessing tobacco and the other two for illicit narcotics. A warrant – this time for arrest – was issued to a person living illegally in the island nation. Yet another warrant was issued for illegally keeping and transporting a weapon.

Charalambos Charilaou, the press officer for Cyprus’ health services (Okypy) has released a statement via the media on the rising number of people being hospitalized for the novel coronavirus.

Speaking with the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), which officially released the statement, Charilaou states how over seventy individuals suffering from the disease are being treated in hospitals. He further added 3 of these are in the ICU, though are not in immediate danger.

Most admitted individuals’ ages range 75 to 80 years – many of these are from nursing homes, which indicated a series of chain transmission of germs.

He also remarked on how most of the hospitalized were found to not be inoculated with the vaccine, which indicates that they could have caught the pathogen while meeting with others who were.

He urged the public to “continue to observe public hygiene measures”.

Famous designer Michalis Anastasiades is on King Charles III’s Order of the British Empire (OBE) list for New Year Honors.

Lina Kassianidou, Cyprus’ Deputy Culture Minister sent her congratulations on the occasion via a post on social media platform X (formerly, Twitter).

She appreciated Anastasiades and his skills in the post, saying how proud her and everyone in the country and in the field of design is about the development. She further added that this has only been possible after decades of hard work and pure dedication.

The Order of the British Empire is an award that is presented to someone for achieving regional success in their area of expertise or by servicing their community.

Nicosia CID’s Anti-Smuggling Unit has found over five hundred kilos of illegally procured meat in a vehicle.

The police initially spotted the vehicle moving suspiciously and having its headlights switched off.

They then stopped the car and inspected it, only to find a half ton package of beef.

A second car was also found, inspected and detained – only this one was carrying large amounts of cash that is so far unaccounted for.

The first car had a 41-year-old man as its driver, while the second had a 31-year-old.

Judicial warrants have been issued against both of them – and they remain in custody pending further investigations.

Makis Keravnos, Cyprus’ minister of finance has reached Brussels to take part in the large-scale meeting with the EU council of finance ministers (Ecofin) & Eurogroup as its participants.

The meeting’s agenda includes an in-depth discussion of current policies and its negative effects on the price of energy resources. Also included will be a discussion with representatives from the International Monetary Fund about the current economic climate – and strategizing on making developments within the same.

Keravnos is expected to not only attend the meeting but to also participate in it. He will also see the reveal of Belgium’s plans as the council’s president for the first six months of 2024.

In a bid to help Cyprus in its mission to find persons missing since the war, Greece has donated 40,000 Euros to The Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP).

The addition of this amount to the donation pool makes the total funding since 2006 stand at 385,000 Euros.

Founded in 1981, The CMP was formed via a formal agreement between the two regions of divided Cyprus, supervised by the UN.

The mission of the organization is to find missing people and give them the justice they deserve.

Their special project on the ‘Exhumation, Identification and Return of Remains of Missing Persons in Cyprus’ started 2006. It is partially funded by the EU.

Till date more than a thousand missing persons – both from Greek and Turkish Cyprus were found, identified and taken back to their respective families.

The organization, which is the only one that works across both Cypriot communities relies solely on donations to operate.

An official from the Cypriot forces has confirmed that one of the children found in the migrant boat has died.

The child – one out of five – was hospitalized having been found in critical condition on the makeshift boat with sixty migrants on board.

The migrants, all of whom are Syrian nationals, were en route from Lebanon – and went adrift in the Mediterranean on account of the stormy weather.

They eventually ran out of food and water and were left afloat with no direction until they were spotted and rescued by Cypriot authorities.

Among the five children, two are still in intensive care while two are less serious.

Nikos Christodoulides, the President of Cyprus has completed his meeting with Marija Pejčinović Burić, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Topics discussed during the meeting were mainly about the following up to the Reykjavik Summit. It included matters such as rising to the needs and challenges of artificial intelligence, changing climatic situations, damage to the environment and human rights in general.

Discussions also included topics such as the Convention-system and its value, how judgments must be executed, and how the European Union and the Council of Europe can make their relationship stronger.

Meanwhile Burić spoke about how the Council of Europe is ready to help Cyprus reconcile with its north and help the island nation with its Confidence Building Measures (CBMs).