6 h. ago Hamas says Israel’s claim on hostages’ handover ceremony is pretext to evade its obligations

Hamas on Sunday condemned Israel’s decision to postpone the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, saying its claim that the hostages’ handover ceremonies are “humiliating” was false and a pretext to evade Israel’s obligations under the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Netanyahu’s decision reflects a deliberate attempt to disrupt the agreement, represents a […]

Politics

12 h. ago Bank of Israel expected to hold rates again after inflation spike

The Bank of Israel is expected to leave short-term interest rates unchanged at a policy meeting next week after inflation spiked in January, although analysts believe a rate cut is possible in the coming months should price pressures ease. All 13 economists polled by Reuters said they expected the central bank to keep its benchmark […]

Politics

27 h. ago Hamas frees six hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian detainees

Hamas freed six hostages from Gaza on Saturday, the last living Israeli captives slated for release under the first phase of a fragile ceasefire accord, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Shem Tov, 22, and Omer Wenkert, 23, all seized from the site of the Nova music festival […]

Events

29 h. ago Meta reduces stock options for staff despite trading at record highs, FT reports

Meta Platforms has cut back on its yearly distribution of stock options by about 10 per cent for tens of thousands of employees despite the social media giant trading at record highs this month, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. Employees receive equity refreshers every year that make up the majority of their remuneration, alongside […]

Politics

49 h. ago Libertex revs into Formula One as KICK Sauber F1 team’s online trading partner

Libertex, one of the leading online brokers, is proud to announce a groundbreaking multi-year partnership with KICK Sauber F1 Team, becoming the team’s Official Online Trading Partner. The collaboration signifies a new era in Libertex’s dedication to performance, precision and innovation, aligning seamlessly with the exhilarating world of Formula One, as KICK Sauber F1 Team […]

Politics

51 h. ago Cyprus accounting and audit bodies renew MoU to combat financial crime

The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC) and the Cyprus Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA Cyprus) renewed their agreement, reaffirming their commitment to good governance, transparency, and accountability. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Kyriakos Iordanou, general manager of the ICPAC and IIA, president Aristodemos Yiannaka, further strengthening the strategic partnership […]

Events

53 h. ago Labour Ministry stresses the importance of AI in employment sector

Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou, in his intervention on Thursday at the ministerial conference organised by the Polish presidency of the EU in Gdańsk, addressed the challenges and opportunities presented by the rapid progress of digital technology and its impact on the labour sector. Panayiotou stressed the importance of developing artificial intelligence applications, emphasising the need […]

Politics

54 h. ago Trump, Putin meeting depends on progress toward ending Ukraine war

A possible meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin “will largely depend on whether we can make any progress on ending the war in Ukraine,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday. Rubio said he discussed such a meeting when he met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Saudi […]

Politics

55 h. ago Home owners urged to take part in building amnesty, secure title deeds

Far fewer applications have been received than anticipated for the small-scale building violations amnesty, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Friday. The measure announced in September had been intended to run for a period of six months and resolve a number of problems. Owners would receive withheld title deeds through a simplified process, the authorities’ […]

Politics

56 h. ago Elon Musk wields the chainsaw as Trump slashes 6,000 IRS jobs

A tearful executive at the US Internal Revenue Service told staffers on Thursday that about 6,000 employees would be fired, a person familiar with the matter said, in a move that would eliminate roughly 6% of the agency’s workforce in the middle of the busy tax-filing season. The cuts are part of President Donald Trump’s […]

Politics

57 h. ago Police chase ends in arrest of two after car falls down cliff

Police arrested two men, aged 43 and 53, after they fell into a cliff in Larnaca district in their attempt to escape the law. Previously officers had secured evidence that the 43-year-old was in Kalo Chorio after failing to appear before the Nicosia court for a theft case. Around 3.30pm on Thursday police located the […]

Events

57 h. ago Israel says body released by Hamas is not of a hostage, vows retribution

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel would make Hamas pay for failing to release the body of hostage Shiri Bibas as agreed. “We will act with determination to bring Shiri home along with all our hostages – both living and dead – and ensure Hamas pays the full price for this […]

Politics

66 h. ago Trump FBI pick Patel confirmed amid Justice Department tumult

The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate confirmed Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick for FBI director, on Thursday, putting a Trump loyalist atop the nation’s most prominent law enforcement agency at a time of growing upheaval. Patel was confirmed by a 51-49 vote. Two moderate Republicans, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined […]

Politics

66 h. ago Macron says he will tell Trump not to be weak with Putin in Washington visit

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday he will travel to Washington to try to convince President Donald Trump that his interests were in line with European allies and that showing any weakness to Russia’s Vladimir Putin would make it harder to deal with China and Iran. “Trump, I know him. I respect him and […]

Politics

68 h. ago US Mideast envoy says Trump’s Gaza plan is about better prospects, not eviction

The United States’ envoy to the Middle East said on Thursday that President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza was not about evicting Palestinians, and the conversation about Gaza’s future was being shifted towards how to create a better future for Palestinians. Trump proposed on February 4 the U.S. should take over Gaza, with Palestinians resettled […]

Politics

3 d. ago Greens incensed at Famagusta governor over palm trees’ uprooting

Green party leader Giorgos Perdikis on Thursday sent a strongly worded letter to Famagusta district governor Yiannis Karousos after it was alleged that district government employees uprooted palm trees from a beach in Protaras and erected an “illegal” prefabricated building. Perdikis demanded an “immediate investigation” and the “restoration of legality” over the matter, saying that […]

Politics

3 d. ago Fire brigade report on Limassol fire to be submitted on Monday

The fire brigade’s report on the fire which killed a family of five in Limassol last weekend is set to be submitted to the police on Monday, fire brigade spokesman Andreas Kettis said on Thursday. Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), he said the cause of the fire thus far “remains unknown” and that […]

Events

3 d. ago Two more arrests made in connection with bizarre criminal group

Two more people were arrested in the early hours of Thursday in connection with police investigations into the bizarre criminal groups which has made headlines in recent weeks after using forged state seals and impersonating officials. Their arrests bring the total number of arrests to five, with the arrestees a 45-year-old man and a 42-year-old […]

Events

3 d. ago Hamas hands over bodies of youngest Gaza hostages taken from Israel

Hamas handed over the bodies on Thursday of Israeli infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel, the two youngest captives taken by Hamas in their October 7, 2023 attack and among the most potent symbols of the trauma inflicted that day. Red Cross vehicles drove away from the handover site in the Gaza Strip […]

Events

3 d. ago Christodoulides attends Macron’s summit to discuss Ukraine and European security

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides is among the 20 world leaders participating in a critical summit to address the ongoing Ukrainian crisis. The virtual meeting, spearheaded by French President Emmanuel Macron, focuses on reinforcing European unity against Russia’s continued aggression. The summit, which includes prominent figures such as Romanian President Iohannis, Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, […]

Politics