Brussels said it was shocked by an Al Jazeera undercover report that showed Cypriot officials willing to sell EU passports for a price. The European Commission is looking into compliance of the Cyprus passport to investors scheme with EU law for possible infringements, spokesman Christian Wigand said. Wigand said the European Commission “watched in disbelief
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With far less money available to football clubs and a steep drop in footballers’ value, the coronavirus outbreak triggered a sharp fall both in the volume of transactions and transfer fees. According to data presented by SafeBettingSites.com, the combined value of 1,381 transfer deals completed in the this year’s summer transfer window hit €3.3 bln
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Cyprus Attorney-General George Savvides said there will be an exhaustive probe following outrage over an Al Jazeera report where officials appeared happy to bend the rules for a criminal to acquire a Cypriot passport. Noting that the Al Jazeera expose has caused “outrage, anger and concern” among public opinion, Savvides said he gave clear instructions
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In a demonstration of the breadth of the UK-Cyprus defence relationship, HMS Albion, the Royal Navy’s flagship, will participate in an extensive programme of exercises and training with Cypriot forces throughout October-November. Activities will include participation in the seventh NEMESIS multinational crisis management exercise, led by Cyprus’ Joint Response Coordination Centre (JRCC), as well as
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After 13 years, Cyprus is scrapping its maligned Cypriot citizenship scheme for foreign investors next month as it is no longer fit for purpose. Cypriot government spokesman Kyriacos Koushos made the announcement after an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the passport for investment programme. He said the scheme will end in its current guise after
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A sharp rise in COVID cases could see Cyprus taken off the UK’s safe list after daily infections have hit their highest point since the lockdown ended. Unlike many EU destinations, Cyprus has remained on the UK’s travel corridor list (no need to quarantine) due to its low coronavirus infection rate but that is changing
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Eurobond volumes in emerging markets (EM) are on course to reach a record high in 2020 as central banks’ unprecedented liquidity support to counter the coronavirus crisis provides an attractive funding environment for high-rated issuers, Moody’s Investors Service said in a report. EM debt issuers brought a total of $488 bln of eurobonds to market
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Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, issued a new statement on Varosha Tuesday which calls on Turkey to reverse its decision to open the fenced-off ghost town. “The EU expresses its grave concern over the decision to proceed with the `opening` as of 8 October 2020 of part of the fenced area of Varosha,
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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas visits Nicosia and Athens on Tuesday for talks as developments in the Eastern Mediterranean point to an escalation of tension. Maas arrives in Cyprus at noon where he will be received by President Nicos Anastasiades and hold talks with his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides. Later Tuesday he will travel to
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Covid-19 cases leapt to 41 on Monday, suggesting that Cyprus is headed to a second week of near-record cases of 20-30 daily infections and justifying extending stricter measures to Nicosia and Limassol earlier in the day. The past week saw the second highest rate of new SARS-CoV-2 cases since the pandemic started in March, with
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