This puts the island nation on the second rank in this regard, with Spain?s 53% land at the first place and Greece?s 35% at the second.

Cyprus was also found to have the largest percentage of people living in habitable areas influenced by desertification. The approximate number for this is estimated to be 700,000 people i.e. roughly 61% of the total population.

Other countries that top this list include Romania and Bulgaria, having 39 and 37 per cent land under desertification, respectively.

As of 2026, 15% of the lands in the European Union are drylands, covering roughly 611,000 square kilometers of land. 530,000 out of these are currently under desertification, which impacts over forty-two million people in total.

The post CYPRUS SECOND IN QUANTITY OF LAND AT DESERTIFICATION RISK, SAYS REPORT appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

Specifically, customs agents at the crossing found over 245 kilograms of offal and bovine hides inside the vehicle the man was driving while he was going through the crossing point at Ayios Dhometios.

According to the department of customs, the vehicle in question had Republic of Cyprus number plates, but was being driven by a foreign national.

The man was arrested immediately, but released a few days later on the condition that he paid an out-of-court settlement worth ?2,000 along with ?500 for returning the vehicle.

Green Line Regulation strictly forbids the transport of both animals as well as animal products from Turkish to Greek Cyprus. Any animal products, if found, shall be destroyed immediately.

The post CUSTOMS APPREHEND MAN CARRYING SEVERAL ANIMAL PRODUCT CONTRABAND appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

The burning vehicle was found on a dirt road in the Cypriot municipality, and the fire department was called to the scene to extinguish it as soon as possible.

After it was safe to go near the vehicle, the police conduction an inspection of the same, whereupon they found a burnt body inside.

The police have not yet found the identity of this person.

Further investigation is currently underway. As the police continue their line of investigations, a forensic pathologist will be visiting the scene to run theirs.

The post BURNT BODY FOUND IN A BURNING CAR IN AVGOROU appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

Specifically, the fire broke out at a rental shop in Famagusta at 4 am in the morning.

The police arrived at the scene, along with the fire department who extinguished the blaze.

The police?s preliminary investigation reveals that incident may have been an act of arson as there is evidence of the fire being set on purpose.

Apart from the cars, several buggy vehicles and quad bikes were also destroyed.

For now, police have sealed the area as they work with the fire department to find out the exact cause of the fire.

The post FIRE GUTS A ROW OF RENTAL CARS IN PROTARAS appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

The man, aged 37, had all travel restrictions lifted off of him for an exact period of a month, so he would be able to make funeral arrangement and attend the same.

However, he is mandated to return within this stipulated time, failing which the Cypriot authorities will issue a European arrest warrant against him.

The police in Cyprus arrested the man after his son had died after falling from the 4th floor of the hotel window while the family was holidaying in Paphos. The exact circumstances of the tragedy continue to stay unclear.

Before this, he was released on bail after giving his passport, checking in with the police every week, and signing a bond with 20,000-euros.

The post UK NATIONAL CHARGED OVER THE DEATH OF HIS SON GRANTED PERMISSION TO LEAVE CYPRUS appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

Prosecutors on the island nation are trying to merge the three different cases lodged against them into one indictment, which will cover all five along with their offenses.

The investigation in question started when the two men, both Palestinian nationals aged 38 and 32, were arrested at Pentakomo. Further investigation led to the police discovering dangerous chemicals such as ammonium nitrate along with materials that can easily be combined to create explosives.

According to investigators, interrogation led to the 32-year-old confessing that he was recruited by Hamas to buy said materials and conduct target surveillance. Meanwhile, the other man was a physics teacher and had entered the country illegally via Turkish Cyprus.

Meanwhile, another Palestinian-origin Cypriot, aged 54, was found to have received packages with dangerous materials. While he was not granted bail and remains in police custody, he denies any involvement in the matter. Another man, a Cypriot national aged 41, thought to be the coordinator of the operation, was arrested by Indonesian authorities and sent back to Cyprus.

Finally, a Limassol resident aged 32 was arrested for allegedly arranging travel arrangements and logistics. The arrest was only made public recently.

Charges currently levied against these five include money laundering, participating in a criminal organization, conspiracy, and attempted murder. All court proceedings in this regard are currently not open to members of the public.

The post FIVE ACCUSED IN HAMAS-INVOLVED TERRORISM PLOT SET TO APPEAR IN CYPRIOT COURT appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

The initiative has been launched as part of a cooperation agreement between the organizations, with the ultimate aim of preventing crime by raising people?s awareness on the topic of having better residential security.

Various awareness workshops shall be conducted throughout the island, where practical advice and informational leaflets shall be offered, so that people are better-equipped to protect their homes, property and families.

The post COUNTRYWIDE CAMPAIGN FOR BURGLARY PREVENTION LAUNCHED IN CYPRUS appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

The incident happened in Paphos?s Chloraka village, where the family had been vacationing for their summer holiday break.

Local reports say that the child accidentally fell from the balcony on the 4th floor.

An ambulance soon arrived at the scene and took the toddler to Paphos General Hospital. However, despite the prompt action, the doctors failed to save him.

Reportedly, the family had plans to make a month-long stay. The family itself includes the couple and another child aged 5.

Cypriot police?s initial investigation led to them arresting the father, aged 37. The charge in question was death by negligence, which the father could have committed for failing to care for his child as a father.

He shall be produced in Paphos?s district court, where the police shall probably ask for him to remain in custody till their investigation is done.

The boy?s post-mortem examination is currently pending.

So far, the police have declined to reveal any further information to the press, to maintain the integrity of the matter.

The post 2-YEAR-OLD DEAD AFTER PLUNGING FROM HOTEL BALCONY appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

According to the Police, the fire started at around 10:20 pm in the night. It was reported soon after, and within minutes, both the fire department and the police had already reached the scene.

They worked together and eventually managed to extinguish the fire.

Over 750 bales of hay were completely destroyed by the fire.

The fire department stayed on scene as a preventative measure against flare-ups later, although that did not happen.

The reason for the fire remains to be found as Famagusta?s CID is conducting its own investigations into the matter.

The post AVGOROU SUFFERS MAJOR DESTRUCTION FROM FIRES appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

According to their statement, the man, aged 76, swindled around ?9,800 in early 2024 by talking to ?users? and claiming to be the owner of a company that would install photovoltaic panels for someone (who later became the complainant).

Allegedly, the man took the payment but did not carry out any installation work. Investigators further found that the company he claimed to head in fact did not exist.

After weeks of looking, the police finally found the man and arrested him.

Further investigation by the Paphos CID is currently underway as the man remains in their custody.

The post POLICE ARREST MAN FOR DEFRAUDING PEOPLE appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

The accident, which took place in the morning hours, happened as a private company?s workers were making road repairs on the vehicle.

Three out of four of the injured suffered lighter injuries as they got out of the overturned machine just in time. The fourth, however, suffered worse injuries as he got trapped within the machine. He had to be freed by the fire department before they were all transported to the hospital for treatment.

The Department of Labour Inspection, the district administration, and, of course, the police have launched their investigation into the matter, which is currently underway.

The post CONSTRUCTION MACHINE ACCIDENT LEAVES 4 INJURED appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

The man, Rashad Sultanov, aged 44, is a British-Azerbaijani national and is currently on his way to being extradited to the UK for his offenses.

His arrest was a part of the activities of London?s Counter Terrorism Policing?s 5-week-long investigation into what had transpired at the RAF Akrotiri base.

According to their investigation, Sultanov conducted a lot of ?hostile surveillance? on the military base – already a restricted area, and then shared the information he ?gathered? with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

The man has a history too. He has a prior arrest in 2025 for spying and terrorism, and had links with Iran.

At the time, Cypriot police did not provide details about the man who was reportedly seen acting suspiciously near the air force base near the southern coastal city of Limassol.

London?s Metropolitan police did not respond to a question by Agence France-Presse (AFP) to confirm whether the man arrested on Friday was the same as the individual detained in Cyprus last year.

UK bases have become a flash point in the United States and Israeli war with the Iranian nation, with London also permitting Washington with the use of Akrotiri for against Tehran.

The post MAN SPYING ON BRITISH MILITARY BASE HAS BEEN ARRESTED appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

The man, aged 20, did this heinous act in August 2024 when he raped her while she was not awake and tried to kill her. The only reason she survived was because the man had believed she was dead when she, in fact, wasn?t.

The court will award the man?s sentencing in a separate court hearing to be held at a future date.

The woman had initially met the man at a nightclub and later went to her hotel room. She did not give her consent to have sex with him, which prompted the man to violently attack and then rape her.

The attack led to the woman being admitted to the ICU for 48 hours before she was declared to be out of danger. It took her a few more days in the hospital to fully recover from her physical injuries.

The man?s crime was proved by a solid combination of witness statements, surveillance footage, DNA evidence, and, of course, the victim?s testimony. Meanwhile, the defendant?s argument was dismissed for being ?unreliable.?

The post MAN FOUND GUILTY OF ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SEXUAL ASSAULT appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

Specifically, the warning was issued after a resident filed a complaint about a shady call from someone claiming to be from a portal and stating that their account will get a ?200 deduction.

CID was notified immediately, and as a result, the cybercrime unit responded how they?ve received similar complaints as well.

This led to the decision to raise a public alert about the admittedly very concerning matter.

According to them, calls and messages are made by scammers in this way to defraud unwitting recipients into sharing information that could compromise their financial security.

The cybercrime unit said that while they are doing everything they can, more attempts can and will be made and that the only way to keep these scammers at bay is for the public to become more alert and cautious. A key step to this is to verify any and all contacts who claim to be speaking about financial matters in any capacity.

People must enable two-factor authentication on their accounts online for added security, always check the number and type of devices that are connected to their profiles and accounts, and make sure to always update their contact details they may store on their social media. Passwords used must be strong, and only one password must be used for each account – not to mentioned by changed regularly.

The public has also been asked to report any dodgy links, emails or messages to the police as soon as they receive them so that they can identify and/or block them in time.

The post CYPRUS POLICE ISSUES WARNING AFTER INCREASING NUMBER OF SCAMS OVER PHONES appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

According to recent media coverage, the conflict slowed down tourism but ended up with many vacationers seeing Cyprus as a solution, due to its affordability, safety, proximity and friendly atmosphere

Walla, a news website from Israel, reported that Israeli visitors? increased numbers are one of the main reasons behind the island nation?s tourism sector?s steady improvement over the last few months. It cited proximity, the number of available connecting flights, and a general familiarity with the place as reasons for it to rise as a great destination, especially for those looking for a short trip.

They even reported that while there was uncertainty in the air, flights and trips were booked pretty quickly the moment services were restarted.

Calcalist, a site reporting business news, said that touching 600,000 Israeli nationals visited the island nation in 2025, already 39% more than in 2024. They have cited the shorter flight duration, welcoming atmosphere, attitude towards Israeli visitors, the Euro/Shekel weakening, and Cyprus? existing reputation as a highly affordable holiday spot.

At this moment, there are eight airlines operating between the two countries, and over 150 flights running between Paphos and Larnaca every week.

Louiza Varakla, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, was quoted as saying that the two countries have had a long history of friendship with each other, and that it shall only increase as time passes by.

The post CYPRUS HAILED AS A FRESH HOLIDAY SPOT BY MAN ISRAELI VACATIONERS appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

Allegedly, an explosive device was planted in a building in the city center, which went off at around 3:30 am.

While the exact building has not been identified yet, authorities believe that the target was probably a nightclub.

Cyprus Times says that the building that was targeted is the home to EDON, Cyprus?s communist party?s youth wing, officially called The Progressive Party of Working People.

The explosion has caused major damage to buildings, as well as to a vehicle that was parked nearby.

Limassol is Cyprus? second-biggest city after the capital, Nicosia. It is situated on the island nation?s southern coastline. Highly popular among tourists, it is home to several attractions, including a marina, the Old Town and even a Medieval Castle.

The post EXPLOSION IN LIMASSOL LEAVES CITY ON HIGH ALERT appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

This development has happened despite the fact that 84% cattle, 78% sheep, and 41% pigs have all received the second dose of FMD vaccines.

The most recent case was found in Mammari?s infected area, specifically at a goat and sheep farm, which is home to over eighty livestock animals.

Veterinary Services have confirmed that the infected animals have been culled with immediate effect to prevent any spread.

At this point, over 6,650 animals have met this fate since the presence and rise of FMD was detected back in the month of February. Culling has since been done in most major districts – including Larnaca, Limassol, and Nicosia.

The post 121 UNITS OF LIVESTOCK NOW AFFECTED BY FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

Danae Kaza of the CVA stated that they require authorization cards from the Ministry of Agriculture, which allows them to neuter animals. Moreover, the rumors circling regarding cats being abducted from homes for TNR projects have made workers vulnerable to physical attacks.

Kaza has publicly requested that they be issued official authorization, since over a hundred procedures are being done every week.

The CVA itself released a statement on the matter, stressing how volunteers working for them have been threatened and attacked verbally and even physically as they went about their way to collect stray cats to sterilize them. Some have even been dragged to police stations and deemed as criminals. This is very disheartening, since most of them did so using their own time and money and with no support from the government.

According to the CVA, the pause will most surely spike uncontrolled breeding, which in turn will force municipalities to face situations far beyond their control and increase animal suffering. The current events, however, have left them with no choice.

The post STRAY CAT NEUTERING INITIATIVE SUSPENDED OVER SECURITY ISSUES appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

With this in tow, the organization?s total money raised since by Cyprus alone stands at a grand total of ?4,772,700.

The CMP has thanked the island nation for the contribution, highlighting how the funding will make a big difference in helping the organization run and advance its core mission, which is to find and return missing persons? remains to families, where applicable. They further said that this will go a long way in helping families with decades of trauma get much-needed closure.

Since its activation in 2006, the CMP has set a target of finding the 2,002 individuals who were declared missing in communal conflicts. So far, they have managed to find 1,717 bodies, identified 1,069 of them, and brought closure for another 217 people not on the list in the process. This includes 764 Greek Cypriots and 305 Turkish Cypriots.

In 2025, the CMP found the remains of 23 persons, 12 of whom were identified. This included 4 Turkish Cypriots and 8 Greek Cypriots.

The CMP also receives donations from other nations and international organizations. In 2026, the European Union donated ?2.6 million, while the UK donated ?15,000.

The post CYPRUS DONATES ?380,000 TO HELP FIND MISSING PEOPLE?S FAMILIES appeared first on The Cypress Observer.

Marios Drousiotis, who is the association?s president, has expressed the organization?s concerns over the handling of food in the journeys between leaving the restaurants and reaching customers? destinations.

According to Drousiotis, the organization has already received several public complaints regarding the lack of cleanliness in boxes used to transport food. They reported that the containers appeared to be dirty on several occasions. Drousiotis stated that this may imply a lack of safe hygiene practices in spaces less visible to both restaurants and customers.

The complaints prompted the association to contact the relevant authority that is responsible for food safety inspections. The latter responded to them by saying that they are aware of the matter and are soon going to begin checks.

Notably, this chain of events unfolded prior to the mass food poisoning at the wedding party in Limassol, which has been widely circulating in the news.

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