33 m. ago Death toll in Pakistan’s train hijacking rises to 31, army says

The death toll from a militant hijacking of a train in Pakistan’s southwestern mountains has risen to 31 soldiers, staff and civilians, the military said on Friday as it accused India and Afghanistan of backing the insurgents. The separatist Baloch Liberation Army, which claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, released a statement saying its fighters had […]

Events

80 m. ago Christodoulides meets selection of Turkish Cypriots ahead of Geneva meeting

President Nikos Christodoulides on Friday welcomed a selection of Turkish Cypriots to the presidential palace to speak about next week’s enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem, which is set to take place in the Swiss city of Geneva. The group, which among others included the leaders of minor Turkish Cypriot political parties, the YKP’s Murat […]

Politics

2 h. ago Environmental group condemns rally in Paphos forest as illegal

Organising car races in the Paphos state forest, a Natura 2000 special protection zone, violates both national and EU legislation on nature and biodiversity conservation, environmental organisation Terra Cypria said on Friday. The group called on the agriculture ministry to cancel the rally, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, in the areas of Anadiou, Stavros tis […]

Events

3 h. ago Lawyer says Philippines’ Duterte was ‘abducted’, too ill to testify at ICC

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was “abducted” before being taken to The Hague to face murder allegations and is too ill to give evidence, his lawyer told International Criminal Court judges at his initial appearance on Friday. Duterte – who arrived in the Netherlands on a flight from Manila on Wednesday after being arrested on […]

Politics

3 h. ago Municipalities threaten payment suspensions over budget delays

The restructuring of local government hit another snag on Friday as municipalities threatened to halt payments if their budgets are not approved by the end of the month. The interior ministry, however, attributed the delays to municipalities failing to submit their budgets in the required format. Speaking on CyBC’s morning programme, head of the union […]

Economics

3 h. ago Cardano (ADA) bulls target 120% rally to cross $1 again as $0.20 rival gears up for a 38x jump

Investors previously anticipated a significant price surge for Cardano (ADA), and it is now gaining momentum, with analysts predicting a rally of 120%. This places the token on track to reclaim its $1 mark. Additionally, the bullish sentiment has increased due to recent infrastructure advancements within the Cardano blockchain ecosystem and the possible approval of […]

Events

4 h. ago Basceri formally retakes reins as Turkey’s ambassador to north

Ali Murat Basceri on Friday formally recommenced his duties as Turkey’s ambassador in the north, submitting his credentials to Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar at Tatar’s official residence in northern Nicosia after a three-year absence from the role. There, he said he will do his best to “further strengthen the exceptional relations between the two […]

Politics

4 h. ago Children’s state allowances withheld to cover social insurance debts

Children’s state allowances were withheld to offset outstanding social insurance contributions, the Hope For Children policy centre said on Friday. However, the social welfare services later announced that arrangements had been made to process the payments and provide the allowances. “This is unprecedented in the ten years our organisation has been providing shelter and care […]

Politics

5 h. ago State scholarships foundation ‘rents out €600k building for €500 per month’

The Cyprus state scholarships foundation (Ikyk) has reportedly spent the last 15 years renting out a building valued at €615,000 for as little as €500 per month to the law firm which used to represent it it, according to reports which surfaced on Friday. The building, which is located in the Nicosia suburb of Aglandjia, […]

Politics

5 h. ago Report concludes there was ‘no misconduct’ over drug storage flood

There is “no suspicion of disciplinary misconduct” regarding any public servant over the flooding of a drug storage warehouse last year, a report into the matter found. The report, which was brought to light by newspaper Politis on Friday, instead focused on potential missteps made at an institutional level by the health insurers’ organisation (HIO) […]

Events

6 h. ago Rashford and Henderson included in Tuchel’s first England squad

New England coach Thomas Tuchel recalled striker Marcus Rashford and midfielder Jordan Henderson as he raised eyebrows with his first squad announcement on Friday. Rashford, on loan at Aston Villa after being frozen out at Manchester United, last appeared for England in a friendly against Brazil in March last year. Henderson, 34, last played for […]

Politics

6 h. ago George Pantelides named new Oev president, takes office in May

The Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (Oev) announced on Friday that George Pantelides, head partner at Deloitte and current deputy president of the federation, will assume the role of president on May 7, 2025. According to Oev, the transition follows the completion of the two consecutive two-year terms of current president Antonis Antoniou, which is […]

Politics

8 h. ago US and Israel look to Africa to resettle Palestinians from Gaza

The U.S. and Israel have contacted officials from Sudan, Somalia and its breakaway region of Somaliland to discuss using their territory for resettling Palestinians from Gaza, the Associated Press reported on Friday, citing U.S. and Israeli officials. Sudan officials said they rejected the proposal by the United States, and officials from Somalia and Somaliland said […]

Politics

8 h. ago Putin sent Trump a message on Ukraine ceasefire idea, talks of ‘cautious optimism’

he Kremlin said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had sent U.S. President Donald Trump a message about his proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine via Trump’s special envoy and that there were grounds for “cautious optimism.” Putin held late night talks in Moscow with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy, to discuss the U.S. proposal […]

Politics

9 h. ago Greek PM names new finance and transport ministers in reshuffle

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday named new finance and transport ministers in a cabinet reshuffle designed to boost support after mass protests over a 2023 train disaster. Kyriakos Pierrakakis becomes finance minister, replacing Kostis Hatzidakis, who will take over as deputy prime minister. Pierrakakis is a computer scientist who has spearheaded the digitisation […]

Politics

10 h. ago Ferrari’s Leclerc puts teammate Hamilton in the shade in Australian GP practice

Charles Leclerc left new Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton trailing in his wake in free practice at the season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix on Friday as defending champion Max Verstappen struggled with the Red Bull car. Third quickest in the first practice session (FP1), Leclerc topped the timesheet in the second (FP2) at Albert Park […]

Politics

31 h. ago UN experts accuse Israel of genocidal acts and sexual violence in Gaza

srael carried out “genocidal acts” against Palestinians by systematically destroying women’s healthcare facilities during the conflict in Gaza, and used sexual violence as a war strategy, United Nations experts said in a report on Thursday. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the report’s findings, saying they were biased and antisemitic. “Instead of focusing on the […]

Politics

45 h. ago ‘We are not under anyone’s supervision, like Tatar is with Turkey’

“We are not under anyone’s supervision, like Tatar is with Turkey,” President Nikos Christodoulides said on Wednesday. Speaking during a televised interview held to mark the completion of the second year of his term, he defended Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ remark on Saturday that Greece will participate and support the Greek Cypriot side’s efforts […]

Politics

51 h. ago Pakistani player Waheed smashes record for most serves in a minute

Pakistan’s Talha Waheed has aced his way to a world record, smashing the mark for most tennis serves in a minute, Guinness World Records said on Wednesday. Waheed destroyed American John Perry’s 2019 record of 42 by delivering 59 successful serves in a November attempt that was ratified this week. Pakistan Tennis Federation President Aisam-ul-Haq […]

Sport

3 d. ago Israeli fire kills four Palestinians in Gaza, amid new ceasefire talks

An Israeli air strike killed four Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday, the territory’s civil emergency service said, as Arab mediators and the United States tried to hammer out differences between Hamas and Israel over a January 19 ceasefire agreement. The Israeli military said its air force attacked “terrorists who were engaged in a suspicious activity […]

Events