Scientists advising the government on handling the coronavirus pandemic are split over whether authorities should reinstate a face mask mandate as cases and hospitalisations have shot up. According to the Health Ministry’s weekly epidemiological report, 10,879 cases were found, with a positivity rate of 11.62%, with 75 COVID patients in hospital, four in a serious
More
Cypriots will be heading to the polls to elect the country’s eighth President on Sunday, 5 February 2023, the Ministry of Interior announced. If no candidate obtains the 50% plus one vote needed for victory, the two candidates with the most votes will go head-to-head in a run-off the following Sunday, 12 February. According to
More
The Cyprus Rare Birds Committee has confirmed that the Akrotiri Environmental and Education Centre’s record of an African Desert Warbler last year is officially recognised as the first of its species on the island. The African Desert Warbler is traditionally a sedentary bird better known for living on the breeding grounds of northwest Africa and
More
Larnaca police have launched an attempted murder probe after a high-yield explosive device was placed inside the engine of a van that went off while the vehicle was in motion in Oroklini on Tuesday. The van was driven by a 30-year-old man, who was seriously injured and taken to Larnaca General Hospital, where he underwent
More
While consumers brace for another wave of energy and fuel price hikes, the government is throwing in the towel, claiming it has run out of ammunition to contain costs. Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides was quoted by Phileleftheros daily on Tuesday saying: “There are no ways to reduce the cost of electricity substantially, and the government
More
The Transport Ministry and Limassol bus company EMEL have signed a €129 mln public transport agreement providing for 177 new buses to operate in the town, 35 of which will be electric. According to a Ministry statement, the 10-year contract with EMEL has a budget of €129,220,332, including VAT. And the contracting Authority reserves the right to extend
More
By Jeffrey Halley Volatility remains elevated across every asset class, although a US holiday overnight meant a 12-hour break from the noise. The strategy of watching the rooster fight from the sidelines instead of getting involved remains the sensible one. Financial markets continue to tie themselves in knots so complicated, that they would give even
More
The Bank of Cyprus has announced plans to downsize its staff, officially offering a Voluntary Retirement Plan to 500 – 600 employees from its 3,400 workforce to maintain profitability. The news comes as the European Banking Authority (EBA) said Cypriot banks led EU member states in labour costs. According to EBA data, the staff cost
More
Yiannis Toumazis was appointed on Monday as Cyprus’ first Deputy Minister of Culture, which President Nicos Anastasiades described as a landmark step. During the ceremony, President Anastasiades said the establishment of the Deputy Ministry of Culture would give new impetus and dimensions for a more effective and structured upgrade in managing Cyprus’ cultural wealth. He
More
The Health Ministry issued a weak response to doctors and patient claims that lives are endangered from delays in sending innovative treatments, chemotherapy, and special drugs from the capital to the other districts. On Monday, the ministry attributed delays to a technical ‘glitch’, arguing that it is working on fixing problems causing delays in transferring
More
