UN official says world body committed to Cyprus peace deal
March 15, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The United Nations remains committed to helping rival Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots reach an agreement to bridge the island nation’s ethnic rift, a senior U.N. official said Wednesday.
Cypriot president pledges 2% of GDP on defense spending
March 10, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus will earmark 2% of gross domestic product to defense spending in line with other European Union member states as a means to strengthen the east Mediterranean island nation’s foreign policy bargaining power, the new Cypriot president said Friday.
Cyprus’ new president says country on firm Western footing
February 28, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) —
Cyprus' new president affirmed the island nation's Western foreign policy orientation as a member of the European Union that seeks to further strengthen its bonds with the U.S.
Cyprus court detains Syrian suspected of migrant trafficking
February 25, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A Cyprus court on Saturday ordered the detention for six days of a Syrian man suspected of illegally bringing 21 Syrian migrants to the east Mediterranean island nation aboard a boat.
Divided Cyprus’ new president scopes out peace talks reset
February 23, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The new president of Cyprus met informally with the leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots on Thursday to test the waters on reviving stalemated talks to end the island’s ethnic division, which has been a source of instability in the east Mediterranean for decades.
Ex-minister Christoulides wins Cyprus presidential election
February 12, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Former foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides was elected as the new president of Cyprus in a runoff election Sunday, pledging to revive stalemated reunification talks with the nation's breakaway Turkish Cypriots and to form a coalition government with women filling half of the Cabinet positions.
Battle of former diplomats in Cyprus’ presidential election
February 10, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A former foreign minister who campaigned as a unifier unconstrained by antiquated ideological and party lines will take on a veteran diplomat with broad voter appeal in Sunday's runoff for the presidency of ethnically divided Cyprus.
Ex-foreign minister will face diplomat for Cyprus presidency
February 5, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A center-right former foreign minister and a career diplomat backed by a communist-rooted party will battle it out for the presidency of ethnically divided Cyprus in a Feb. 12 runoff, according to official voting results announced Sunday.
Cyprus presidential candidates push leadership credentials
February 3, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The three front-runners vying for the presidency of ethnically split Cyprus wound down their campaigns Friday, putting pronouncements of their leadership credentials ahead of issues two days before the election.
Cyprus picks new president amid economic doubt, ethnic split
January 31, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cypriots are voting Sunday for a new president who they’ll expect to decisively steer the small island nation through shifting geopolitical sands and uncertain economic times that have become people's overriding concern, eclipsing stalemated efforts to remedy the country’s ethnic division.
Workers stage 3-hour strike in Cyprus to demand pay raises
January 26, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Thousands of workers in Cyprus, including government employees, teachers and builders walked off the job Thursday for an island-wide, three-hour work stoppage to protest what they claim is employers’ backpedaling on a deal for inflation-linked pay increases.
Cyprus so far strips 222 people of ‘golden passports’
January 18, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The government of Cyprus has stripped 222 wealthy investors and their family members of citizenship, an official said Wednesday, part of efforts to mend a reputation sullied by an investment-for-passports program that an inquiry found had unlawfully granted citizenships in hundreds of instances.
Mufti’s talk of women’s duties angers some Turkish Cypriots
January 18, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A Muslim religious leader’s instruction to women to dutifully accept a husband's “invitation to bed” to procreate has sparked outrage among many Turkish Cypriots, who saw the remarks as an imported encroachment of fundamentalist Islam on their secular community.
Cyprus to require COVID-19 tests for all arrivals from China
January 11, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The government of Cyprus said Wednesday it will require all passengers arriving from China to produce evidence of a negative coronavirus test as the Asian country grapples with a nationwide COVID-19 outbreak.
UK’s Princess Anne visits British peacekeepers on Cyprus
January 11, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Britain’s Princess Anne cast aside the controversy surrounding her nephew Prince Harry and carried on with her royal duties Wednesday by visiting British soldiers serving with a United Nations peacekeeping force on ethnically divided Cyprus.
Israeli planes help fight wildfire in Cyprus breakaway north
June 23, 2022 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Israel on Thursday dispatched two water-dropping aircraft to help battle a large wildfire that has scorched at least 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) of forest in the foothills of the Pentadaktylos mountain range in the breakaway north of ethnically divided Cyprus.
Official: Ukraine told Cyprus of $420m Russian asset seizure
May 24, 2022 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Ukrainian authorities have informed Cyprus about their seizure of $420 million worth of shares and securities linked to the east Mediterranean island nation, which belong to a Russian billionaire and other businessmen, a Cypriot official said Tuesday.
Split Cyprus seeks equal say for women in future peace talks
April 13, 2022 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The rival leaders of ethnically divided Cyprus on Wednesday kicked off an initiative to give women an equal say in any renewed push to reunify the eastern Mediterranean island nation.
Cyprus holds rig security drills amid hydrocarbon tensions
November 3, 2021 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Ships and aircraft from eight nations took part on Wednesday in annual drills to boost safety and security procedures on vessels and oil rigs off Cyprus' southern coastline amid ongoing tensions with neighboring Turkey over competing claims to hydrocarbon reserves.
Cyprus asks EU, Israel for help fighting huge forest fire
July 3, 2021 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus asked fellow European Union nations on Saturday to help battle a huge forest fire in a mountainous region of the east Mediterranean island nation that has forced the evacuation of at least seven villages.
Probe: Cyprus wrongly issued passports despite warnings
June 7, 2021 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) —
The Cyprus government continued for at least four years to unlawfully issue passports to relatives of wealthy investors under an investment-for-citizenship program, despite warnings by the Attorney-General that this could be in breach of the law, the head of an independent commission said on Monday.