2 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

4 h. ago Trump’s criticisms of EU create mounting fiscal policy challenges

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance of the new US administration have recently levelled pointed criticisms on the policies and democratic values of Europe. They have criticised European states for not spending enough on defence and implying that in the event of a peace settlement of the Russian-Ukraine war, Europe would have to […]

Politics

19 h. ago Απελευθερώθηκαν δύο ισραηλινοί όμηροι που κρατούνταν στη Γάζα για 10 χρόνια (video)

CYPRUSTIMES

Politics

22 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

28 h. ago Cyprus Business Now: Eurobank, labour ministry and AI, vehicles first choice in Cyprus

The ‘Money Conference 2025: Investment Outlook Opportunities & the AI Impact’, held in Nicosia this week, explored key investment prospects and the market impact of artificial intelligence. The conference, which was organised for the seventh consecutive year, attracted distinguished speakers from Cyprus and abroad, as well as leading executives from the financial, technology, and business […]

Economics

45 h. ago Tourism minister optimistic about Cyprus’ 2025 prospects despite challenges

Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis on Friday expressed optimism about Cyprus’ tourism sector in 2025. He pointed out that “strategic planning is essential” as the industry enters a new cycle with fresh challenges and evolving traveller expectations. Koumis’ comments were delivered by tourism ministry general manager Costas Constantinou at at the opening ceremony of […]

Politics

48 h. ago Eurobank Cyprus aims for steady and sustainable investment growth

The significant prospects in the investment sector and the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the market were the focus of the interesting conference ‘Money Conference 2025: Investment Outlook Opportunities & the AI Impact’, which was held in Nicosia this week. The conference, which was organised for the seventh consecutive year, attracted distinguished speakers from […]

Economics

50 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

51 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

61 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

62 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

63 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

69 h. ago Europe needs to ‘wake up’ following US policy shift, Greek PM says

Europe should wake up and build its own defence policy following a dramatic shift by the United States over Ukraine and geopolitical developments in recent months, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said late on Wednesday. U.S. President Donald Trump upended U.S. policy on the Ukraine war this week, denouncing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a […]

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 Trump tells ‘dictator’ Zelenskiy to move fast for peace or lose his country

U.S. President Donald Trump denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as “a dictator without elections” and said he better move fast to secure a peace or he would have no country left. Trump spoke hours after Zelenskiy hit back at his suggestion that Ukraine was responsible for Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, saying the U.S. president was […]

Politics

4 d. ago Trump, Musk target tax enforcers, rocket scientists, bank regulators for job cuts, DOGE in full flow

President Donald Trump’s administration targeted bank regulators, rocket scientists and tax enforcers for dismissal, as a federal judge gave the green light for its unprecedented remaking of the US civil service, at least for now. With Trump’s blessing and praise, tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has swept through federal agencies […]

Events

4 d. ago Trump says he may meet Putin later this month, blames Ukraine for war

US President Donald Trump said he might meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this month and dismissed Ukraine’s concern about being left out of US-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia on ending the Ukraine war. “Probably,” Trump said as he ended a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach when asked if he still expected […]

Politics

4 d. ago Shein executive seeks to reassure investors after Trump crackdown on low

Fast-fashion retailer Shein’s executive chairman Donald Tang told investors in a letter on Monday that “growth remains strong” despite the United States ending duty-free treatment of low-value ecommerce packages from China and hiking tariffs. Shein is working towards an initial public offering in London, but U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to end the “de minimis” […]

Politics

4 d. ago Israel will begin negotiations on next phase of Gaza ceasefire

Israel will begin indirect negotiations with the Palestinian militant group Hamas on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal this week and it demands a complete demilitarisation of the enclave, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday. Negotiations for the second phase of the deal were supposed to start on February 2 but Qatar, […]

Politics

5 d. ago EU antitrust chief slams Trump’s chaos: Vows to defend stability against Washington’s ‘bullying’ tactics

The EU’s competition chief says US President Donald Trump has upended the “trustful relationship” between the United States and Europe, and that Brussels should focus on providing the predictability and stability that is lacking in Washington. Teresa Ribera, the second most powerful official at the European Commission after President Ursula von der Leyen, told Reuters […]

Politics