8 h. ago 18 injured in knife attack in Hamburg, four in critical condition

Eighteen people were injured in a knife attack in Hamburg station on Friday evening, Germany’s Bild newspaper reported, and local police confirmed they had arrested the suspected assailant. Four victims are in critical condition and six others are seriously injured, Bild reported, saying the motive for the attack was unclear. Police said the suspected assailant […]

Events

8 h. ago Cyprus faces water emergency as EU calls for investment and reform

In a report entitled “Europe’s waters: key challenges and EU solutions”, published on May 7, the European Parliament (EP) draws attention to the key issues concerning Europe’s scarcity, pollution and climate risks. For Cyprus this is quite timely. Water scarcity has become an extremely serious issue. Recent headlines ranged from “Is Cyprus running out of […]

Politics

22 h. ago ‘Grey vehicle’ airbag charges are legal, importers’ association says

The charges levied on motorists driving ‘grey vehicles’ – those which are imported second-hand privately – for having their airbags replaced amid mass recalls are “completely legal”, the motor and electric vehicle importers’ association (Semio) said on Friday. Semio expressed “deep concern” over what it described as a “distorted image” regarding recent changes to vehicle […]

Politics

24 h. ago Greek court charges 17 coast guard officers over 2023 migrant shipwreck

A Greek naval court has charged 17 coast guard officers over one of the Mediterranean’s worst shipwrecks two years ago, in which hundreds of people are believed to have drowned, three sources said on Friday. The shipwreck of an overloaded migrant boat in international waters off the southwestern Greek town of Pylos on June 14, […]

Events

29 h. ago Three in custody after attempting to steal €15k worth of sheep

Remands were handed to three people on Thursday who had been caught attempting to steal around €15,000 worth of sheep on the British base of Dhekelia. The trio had been apprehended in the village of Xylofagou on May 10, and now face a total of 13 charges related to the theft of the sheep and […]

Events

32 h. ago Trump pushes EU to cut tariffs or face extra duties, FT reports

U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade negotiators are pushing the EU to make unilateral tariff reductions on U.S. goods, saying without concessions the bloc will not progress in talks to avoid additional 20% “reciprocal” duties, the Financial Times reported on Friday. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is preparing to tell European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic on […]

Politics

36 h. ago Nicosia psychiatric clinic needs more staff, patient segregation, says ombudswoman

The psychiatric clinic at Nicosia general hospital needs more staff as well as better segregation of patients according to the type of treatment they receive, the ombudswoman has recommended in a report made public on Thursday. Maria Stylianou-Lottides’ report was based on an on-site visit to the psychiatric clinic that took place on November 7 […]

Science

45 h. ago North ‘MP’ calls for crossing points to be closed over property arrests

Turkish Cypriot ruling coalition party DP ‘MP’ Serhat Akpinar on Thursday called for the north’s authorities to close the island’s crossing points over the recent arrests and court cases regarding the alleged development of Greek Cypriot-owned land in the north. “The United Nations’ representative [Maria Angela Holguin] is here Attention must be drawn immediately. […]

Events

48 h. ago Iran warns Israel, US against any attack on its nuclear sites

The United States will bear legal responsibility in the event of an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday, following a CNN report that Israel might be preparing strikes on Iran. Iran and the U.S., Israel’s closest ally, will hold a fifth round of nuclear talks on Friday in […]

Events

48 h. ago Oil prices fall more than 1 per cent on potential further increase to OPEC+ output

Oil prices dropped by more than 1 per cent on Thursday after a report that OPEC+ is discussing a production increase for July, stoking concerns that global supply could exceed demand growth. Brent futures lost $1.08, or 1.7 per cent, to $63.83 a barrel by 1134 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude was down $1.02, […]

Politics

49 h. ago Britain considering chemical castration for sex offenders under prison reforms

Britain is considering mandating the use of chemical castration for sex offenders under an overhaul of the justice system aimed at freeing up more space in its overcrowded prisons. One of the first acts of the Labour government in July was to announce plans to release more prisoners early to tackle a crisis of overcrowding […]

Events

51 h. ago Three dead, thousands stranded in Australia’s Southeast flood disaster (V)

Flash flooding on Australia’s southeast coast has killed three people and cut off towns, isolating tens of thousands of residents, as officials on Thursday warned more downpours were expected over the next 24 hours. Major flooding hit several rural towns in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia’s most populous […]

Events

60 h. ago No full postponement for EU’s green taxes for Cyprus – reports

Despite efforts by the current government to fully postpone green taxation, which the Anastasiades administration had built into the framework for Cyprus to access recovery and resilience funds, the EU does not appear to be amenable to any postponements, it was reported on Wednesday. Instead, the so-called “green” taxes are likely to be walked back […]

Politics

65 h. ago Turkish Cypriots protest over school bus crash, demand ‘education minister’s’ resignation

Turkish Cypriots demonstrated outside the north’s ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel’s office on Tuesday night against the ruling coalition’s alleged negligence on the matter of school transport in light of the overturning of a school bus in the Karpas peninsula village of Yialousa, which saw 28 children and the bus’ driver hospitalised. Children, parents, and teachers were […]

Events

66 h. ago North journalists charged with trespassing after reporting on school crisis

Two journalists in the north were charged with trespassing after reporting on an incident in which teachers were locked out of a school amid souring relations between the ruling coalition and teachers over the former’s decision to legalise the wearing of hijabs at public schools. The charges were revealed to the public by the north’s Press […]

Events

69 h. ago Liverpool to unveil new Heysel memorial marking 40th anniversary of disaster

Liverpool will unveil a new memorial at Anfield to mark the 40th anniversary of the Heysel Stadium disaster where 39 supporters were killed, the Premier League club said on Wednesday. The fans, mainly Italian Juventus supporters, were killed when a wall collapsed after Liverpool fans charged them before the European Cup final in Brussels in […]

Events

69 h. ago North police board bus headed for protest, prevent it from going

The Turkish Cypriot police on Wednesday boarded a bus which was due to take schoolchildren to a protest outside the north’s ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel’s office and prevented it from travelling. The bus was set to take children from Karpasia to the protest, which was being staged against the ruling coalition’s alleged negligence on the […]

Events

2 d. ago Akel bill aims to ensure foreign language uni courses are free of charge

Akel have put forward a bill which would ensure that undergraduate programmes taught in foreign languages at Cyprus’ public universities are free of charge for students. The matter was discussed at Wednesday’s meeting of the House education committee, with Akel MP Christos Christofides warning after the meeting that if the bill is not passed into […]

Politics

3 d. ago EU plans to introduce flat fee on all small personal items ordered online

The European Union plans to levy a flat fee on billions of small packages entering the bloc, mainly from China, the Financial Times reported citing a proposal. The European Commission circulated a draft proposal on a handling fee on Monday after pressure from member states whose customs authorities are overwhelmed by the 4.6 billion items […]

Politics

3 d. ago Buffer zone contract officers enter race for permanent police posts

Three hundred special police officers, originally hired to patrol the Green Line and prevent illegal crossings through the UN-controlled buffer zone, have reached the end of their contracts. Those wishing to remain in the force are now competing for permanent positions, the justice ministry said on Wednesday. Responding to recent press reports, the ministry clarified […]

Events