Current Events

UNESCO has finally accepted Cyprus’ Commandaria into its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

This decision was announced on the 20th session of Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in New Delhi in India.

According to Deputy Culture Minister Dr Vasiliki Kassianidou, this marks a major milestone for Cyprus’ cultural identity. He called the Commandaria more than wine – emphasizing how it captures the very heart and soul and rich history and culture of the island nation and its people. He further added that getting this award honors tradition as well as the generations of winemakers and vine-growers from the fourteen villages dedicated to making it.

Dr Kassianidou said that while Cyprus is indeed small, it has a great spirit and has contributed a lot to the world. He expresses his happiness at the Commandaria now being recognized as one of them.

The last entry to this list was the Art of Midwifery in 2023.

Five-star resort City of Dreams has been voted as the best MICE hotel in Cyprus.

The Limassol-based destination is now among a list of exclusive locations that are known as some of the finest destinations for international-scale meetings, incentives, conferences and events (i.e. MICE).

The votes for this came from consumers, the media and from MICE professionals themselves.

Opened as recently as 2023, City of Dreams has been fast to establish itself as a world-class venue for events with high-quality hospitality, service and facilities.

It already has an impressive portfolio of events hosted, which include I-CON and IFX EXPO, meetings hosted by the likes of Exness, LVMH, NMBS and Google, events hosted by Coca-Cola and Cyprus Tourism. It has also hosted several international and local wedding ceremonies, which include the largest Indian wedding in Cyprus so far.

GM Grant Johnson was very pleased with the development and expressed his appreciation. He added that the award not only highlights the exceptional services, but also he people working behind making them happen.

This year’s MICE Awards was held at Bahrain’s World MICE Awards Gala Ceremony along with the World Travel Awards Grand Final Gala.

Located in the heart of the Mediterranean, City of Dreams is spread across a vast area of 8,000m�. Facilities within the premises include the largest expo center in Cyprus, a convertible Grand Ballroom, an Amphitheatre that works outdoors, bespoke business areas and meeting spaces, and a sprawling lawn for outdoor events.

The resort has over five hundred suites and rooms, and sports the biggest pool complex in Cyprus. It even has its own catering system and highly prestigious restaurants such as Amber Dragon, Prime Steakhouse and Anais.

Cyprus President Nicos Christodoulides has stated that one of his main activities during his upcoming Council of the European Union presidency would be to support Moldova’s goal of becoming an EU member in 2026.

Christodoulides said this after meeting with his Moldovan counterpart, Maia Sandu in Cyprus.

Moldova was one of the countries that had applied to join the EU after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Their aim is to become a full-fledged member by 2030.

Sandu, who is on an official visit to the island nation, criticized Russia’s actions in Ukraine and its attempts to destabilize its neighboring country.

Sandu also said that their inclusion in the EU will determine how Moldova will survive facing aggression and threats. Their inclusion would also help the European Union strengthen the eastern side and protect Ukraine better.

Finally, she said that an EU membership would enhance security on the regional level and protect Moldova’s electoral systems from becoming an instrument to pull it under Russia’s thumb.

The European Commission released its annual enlargement package around a month ago. It lists progress made by Ukraine as well as its partners over the last year. According to this document, Ukraine qualifies for opening Clusters 1, 6 and 2 – Foundations, External Relations, and Internal Market, respectively.

The Israeli yacht that had gone missing due to stormy weather has been found off the Cypriot coast after a nationwide search.

According to CyBC, its crew were four in total – all of them male. They were all sound and did not need any further assistance.

The yacht in question had engine issues while returning to the Israeli city of Haifa from Crete in Greece. After being missing for more than 24 hours, Cyprus launched a nationwide search operation along with Greece and Israel.

After a thorough search, the yacht was finally located within the Cyprus Search and Rescue Region (SRR), specifically around 165 kilometers away from Paphos.

The island nation of Cyprus has one of the largest SSR zones in the eastern Mediterranean region and is known to conduct joint operations with neighboring countries.

As mentioned before, the vessel is back on track and is currently en route to Haifa. It is expected to take longer due to its mechanical issues.

The yacht’s engine trouble and subsequent route loss are being attributed to Storm Byron, which caused high-speed winds and heavy rainfall in and around Cyprus.

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides has announced a cabinet reshuffle. One minister has been shuffled to a new post, while four new ministers have been introduced.

According to the statement by the Presidency, George Papanastasiou has left the post of Energy, Commerce and Industry Minister, and has been replaced by Michalis Damianou, who was previously the Health Minister.

Marinos Mousiouttas has replaced Yiannis Panagiotou to become the Labour and Social Insurance Minister.

Marios Hartsiotis, who was the Justice and Public Order Minister, will be replaced by Constantinos Fytiris. Hartsiotis himself will now become the Commissioner to the President.

Michalis Damianou will replace Neophytos Charalambides as Health Minister, while Klea Hadjistefanou Papaellina will replace Marilena Evangelou as the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare.

The village of Tala in Cyprus saw major destruction as it was hit by a tornado, including at least 10 uprooted trees and widespread damage to a car parking area as well as the area near Vrasidas Folk Art Museum.

Tala Community Council President Ioannis Konnikos revealed that he was informed of the cables in the parking zone which caught on fire due to an uprooted tree.

The EAC was brought in to make repairs almost immediately, although it led to a two-hour-long power outage to make room for said repairs.

Konnikos was also informed of the trees which fell in the area near the museum, which caused widespread damage. He said that due to the extent of the damage, the community authority will try and help rectify the situation.

Museum owner Vrasidas Neofytou spoke about the ‘significant’ damages, while also mentioning Tala had borne witness to a similar storm nearly a decade ago.

Government employees, both active and retired, have a reason celebrate as the Cypriot Treasury has announced that salaries as well as pensions for the month of December shall be released early.

Payments were personally approved by the Minister of Finance and will include government officers and civil servants, as well as staff paid on an hourly basis.

The treasury also clarified that bonus payments and pensions shall be released on the 29th of December.

According to the announcement, beneficiaries shall be able to see the amount reflected in their accounts within twenty-four hours of disbursal.

Greek villages like Sartana, based in Mariupol, Ukraine, have been resettled in Cyprus. Residents of the village are well on their way to finding suitable work and integrating themselves into the larger community.

Ukrinform says that the initiative was made by Serhiy Nizhynskyi, the ambassador of Ukraine in Cyprus.

Cyprus’ Interior Ministry has revealed that Cyprus has a total of thirty-three thousand Ukrainians, and around twenty-four thousands of them came after the war and have a temporary protection status.

Nizhynskyi called the move a great step in relocating people who will easily adjust to a place physically far, but culturally near. He also said that being from Ukraine, they will not waste the chance they have received and will get themselves gainfully employed and integrated as fast as possible.

Nizhynskyi also spoke about whether this move would lead to them losing their Ukrainian identity and citizenship. He said that this depends entirely upon them, and they may choose either path.

This development comes on the heels of the opening of the ‘Ukrainian House’ – a place where Ukrainians can meet, exchange ideas and celebrate their culture.

Hakan Fidan, the Foreign Minister of Turkey, has accused Cyprus of blocking the growing rapport between the European Union and Turkey.

While speaking in Brussels, Belgium, at NATO, Fidan said that Cyprus and Greece together were blocking the progression of relations between the Middle Eastern nation and the EU.

He further explained how the two countries’ actions are behaving in a way that’s stalling relations between the two.

He said that everyone he speaks with complains about the Greek Cypriot authorities, and that their behavior is causing great obstruction between the EU and Turkey. However, he did not give any further details.

Fidan also spoke about how quick and solid steps need to be taken to jumpstart EU accession. Steps include reversing certain decisions taken in 2019. This is a direct referral to the European Parliament suspending Turkey’s accession over issues of law, freedom of media and state of human rights in the country.

According to Fidan, it is imperative to remove blockages and reopen chapters that have been in limbo. He emphasized recent conversations with top European Union officers such as Kaja Kallas, the High Representative, and Marta Kos, the Enlargement Commissioner. Topics covered in said discussion include visa expansion, Turkish European banking operations, modernizing the EU-Turkey Customs Union, and visa liberalization.

The nations of Lebanon & Cyprus have finally signed the long-awaited maritime border agreement, putting an end to over two decades of impasse, which had put a pause on oil & gas exploration initiatives in the Mediterranean Sea.

This is an extremely crucial time for this development, since Europe is already seeking suitable alternatives to fuel from Russia.

Lebanese and Cypriot Presidents Joseph Aoun and Nikos Christodoulides respectively signed the agreement at Baabda presidential palace near Beirut. This deal was initiated first in 2007 and now being finalized.

According to Christodoulides, the deal is historic, while Aoun says that its signing sends across a clear message to those wishing to foster better collaboration.

The 2007 agreement was ratified by Cyprus but not by Lebanon on account of the latter?s internal political crisis, as well as their sea border disagreement with Israel.

In 2012, Cyprus did offer their mediation services but failed. A mutual agreement between Lebanon and Israel on this matter was reached in 2022, after US acted as the mediator.

Aoun expressed his hope that this would help them improve their offshore exploration, which in turn would benefit their still-fledgling economy.

All said and done, Lebanon is yet to reach upon a similar agreement with Syria, which too is dealing with political crisis after the ousting of former President Assad.

Cyprus? Fire Department received over sixty calls from all over Nicosia, which was badly affected by large-scale floods caused by torrential rains.

One of the more severe incidents in the line was that of students getting trapped in a school bus with the water rising rapidly.

According to Fire Department spokesman Andreas Kettis?s post on social media platform X (formerly, Twitter), calls originated from as far as old Nicosia, Engomi, Lakatamia, and Strovolos. Several calls were reporting culvert openings and requests for emergency pumping of rainwater. In the case of the schoolchildren, the brigade helped them by unlocking the bus and evacuating the students to a safer space.

As a result of the flooding, the streets of Erithros Stavros and Alexandroupoli were closed, and drivers were urged to avoid these and other areas negatively affected.

The results of a government survey has revealed that people?s satisfaction with their internet services is steadily and surely rising.

Conducted by the Commissioner of Communications, the survey was carried out via a series of questions prepared by the market observation team. Over 1200 people participated in the survey in the span of approximately a month, with one-third of the respondents living in rural areas and the rest in urban ones.

The overall score of satisfaction with internet services was found to be 8.3 – a small but sure uptick of 0.1 from the same time last year. That said, the people?s level of satisfaction with price and quality had decreased by a similar number to land at an underwhelming 7.6.

It was also found that more than eighty per cent of those who responded had no idea about the details of their own internet services as mentioned in their service agreements – a whopping 4% increase from the previous year. Details-wise, over 50% & 62% of the respondents had no idea what their download and upload speeds were, respectively.

Concurrently, the number of users who don?t measure how their internet performs also fell to 6 in 10, from last year?s 8 in 10.

Qualitatively, the respondents rated their feelings of satisfaction with the speeds to an average of 7.9 and network reliability at a solid 8.1 – indicating good performance with regards to expectations.

It was found that the majority of the users (roughly 88%) used Wi-Fi as their primary route of access. 78% also used their mobile phone networks as the main device used to access the internet.

According to other results, 29% of all users reported seeing a complete lapse of their connection at least once every month. 24% though reported never experiencing any lapses at all.

Those who reported bad connections largely said to have experienced them between 8 and 10 PM in the evening, and pinned the reason as operational issues.

As for switching a service provider – the main reasons cited were more affordable rates, better service quality, and an increase in fixed service costs.

Cyprus Police has remanded a man they had arrested for carrying out the attempted homicide of a businessman back in July.

The man, aged 22, is a prime suspect of six crimes, which include felony conspiracy, stealing and receiving goods that were stolen, illegally possessing and transporting explosives and a firearm, and, of course, attempted homicide.

The accused has a lawyer, who has so far raised no objection on the development.

Allegedly, the suspect had confessed to his act of attempted homicide to a third person. Further investigations revealed that on the day of the attack, he had been tracking the victim?s location and even asked for a leave of absence from his place of work.

The Police even found a piece of cloth belonging to him, which he allegedly dropped while running away from the scene of the crime. They are waiting for the DNA test to confirm the connection.

Examination is also being carried out on the suspect?s cellphone and the firearm found at his residence.

The suspect does not have any criminal or deviant past, and so far has lawyered up and refuses to cooperate with the Police on any level.

Further investigation is currently underway.

Cyprus was hit by an earthquake of 5.3 magnitude around half an hour before noon, with its tremors felt as far as Israel and Lebanon.

The Geological Surveys Department has confirmed that at around 11.32 AM in Cyprus, an earthquake originated 15 km below ground and approximately 20 km northeast of the district of Paphos.

All public buildings within the district followed evacuation protocols. Others in residences and private buildings, too, came to the streets fearing for their safety.

Multiple social media posts show surroundings in varying levels of disorder and chaos, though no structures were damaged and no injuries or casualties have been reported since.

Cyprus is present in a region that is seismically very active. However, rarely does it incur an incident where it suffers any major damage.

According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the tremors of the earthquake spread as far and wide as Israel and, of course, Lebanon.

Tayyip Erdo?an, the President of Trkiye, recently said that it was better for the island nation of Cyprus to stay divided into two states i.e. Greek and Turkish Cyprus.

The news comes after the shock victory of the people of the ?rogue? Turkish Cyprus voting for Tufan Erhurman to be their next leader, as opposed to Ankara?s favorite Ersin Tatar.

Interestingly, one of the main reasons Erhurman gained his popularity is due to the fact that he is a supporter of reunification. He is eager to negotiate with the Greek Cypriots to come to a solution that is beneficial to both sides and can bring long-overdue peace to the citizens of the island.

However, right after hosting the new Turkish Cypriot leader on his maiden diplomatic visit to Turkey, President Erdogan reiterated that it was best for Cyprus to have the two states remain friendly but separate.

He further added that his view represents the sentiments of his country at large, and they would rather have the talks continue in that direction, than one where the borders and put down and the factions are dissolved.

This comes in stark contrast to Erhurman?s statement of Turkish Cypriots being an equal one out of two of Cyprus? founding partners. He said that while they will not compromise on unequal terms of any kind with regard to their status as Turkish Cypriots, they are willing to discuss bringing the matter to a suitable conclusion.

Cyprus was divided into two states in 1974, and multiple rounds of negotiation have since failed. The last official discussion on this topic was held in 2017 in Switzerland, but it remained inconclusive.

The Energy Ministers of the United States, Israel, Cyprus, and Greece reached a commitment to make a bold move to replace Russia?s energy influence with that of the US.

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen was joined by the co?chairpersons of the National Energy Dominance Council of the US, who together confirmed their commitment to providing better cooperation and security when it comes to energy in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

The end of the forum event was marked by a joint criticism of Russia, and especially its dominance over energy supply in Europe, while being such a hostile actor.

There was an official photography session with Cohen and his Cypriot, Greek, and US counterparts.

A fresh trade route was also finalized to help Europe become more independent from Russia?s energy and to allow the Gulf countries and the US to take its place. The move will also help reduce energy expenses for Europe, which is a heavy plus.

Other discussions during the forum included supporting regional initiatives for producing energy and developing infrastructure, such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).

Besides Cohen, the other chief attendees at the summit were Chris Wright (Energy Secretary of the US), Doug Burgum (Interior Secretary of the US), Stavros Papastavrou (Energy Minister of Greece) and Cypriot Energy Minister George Papanastasiou.

The plan is to have the next edition of this forum in Washington between April and June 2026, to strengthen the countries’ cooperation on the topic of Energy.

The Cyprus National Guard has enlisted its first female volunteer.

Sotiroula Spanou, aged 22, became the first woman to volunteer and successfully enlist for the Cyprus National Guard. This became fully official once she reported for duty at the ?KEN? Recruit Training Center and formally completed her induction.

Spanou was, in fact, one of two women to have been interested in volunteering, but the other one decided to withdraw her application in the final moments.

Spanou made history that day by arriving at 9 AM in the morning, whereupon she got all of her equipment and military kit. She was asked to report the next working day to start her training period.

She has been placed in a company comprising only women, which has been equipped with precision infrastructure that can both train and accommodate women volunteers.

Spanou has been very happy with the developments and talked about her view of joining the National Guard on a longer-term basis, and adopting the military as a profession.

She further encouraged more women to consider joining the military, saying that there isn?t ?anything to lose? by doing it and that it is certainly a one-of-a-kind experience.

Spanou?s grandfather is very proud of her and expressed his happiness on the matter. He mentioned that she had taken exams prior to this and did not pass, but remained persistent in her efforts and finally succeeded.

Right now, Spanou is waiting for her marching orders for the unit assignment she is expecting.

Cyprus and the UAE have been making efforts to strengthen their ties, and aviation is its latest initiative.

The Intercontinental Aviation Academy?s (IAA Global) subsidiary, the Intercontinental Aviation Enterprise FZ-LLC (IAE), has signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Cyprus Airways Flying Academy?s (CAFA) main operator MA Group.

The MoU was signed at the 2025 Dubai Airshow and kicked off the start of a new chapter between both organizations.

The agreement was then announced, where it was revealed that the partnership in question shall remain at the board level, and that the two companies will have a share exchange between them.

This brings forth the CAFA into the larger training network of IAA Global, while allowing its subsidiary IAE to expand its operations into Europe.

This new combined board will be responsible for overseeing matters such as the modernization of fleets, rolling out more updated training and learning programs, as well as developing new satellite bases in the near future.

According to Wissam Mehyou, the CEO of the IAE, the collaboration will mark a milestone for the company, changing how it’s seen and operates globally in the best way possible.

A bulldozer from the forest department in Turkish Cyprus has uprooted and badly damaged vegetation in the protected area of Afentrika in Karpasia.

According to Yeni Dzen, a newspaper published in Turkish Cyprus, several locals witnessed the mishap and were angry at the fact that many juniper and olive trees were irreparably damaged.

Ercan Poyraz, the director of the Forestry Department of Turkish Cyprus did confirm that the vehicle was government-issued but did not take any responsibility. According to Poyraz, the vehicle was on loan to the municipality of Yialousa-Rizokarpaso to conduct road works on the latter?s request, which makes the responsibility all theirs.

He further explained that after the municipality had taken the bulldozer, they had it fueled and then gave it to some private subcontractors, who then used it without any supervision.

Hasan Sarpten, who formerly served as the president of the Association of Biologists in the protected areas, called the whole situation as leaving the lamb in charge of a wolf.

Sarpten does not believe that the ?forest department? imposed any fines on any of the responsible parties. He further accused everyone involved, including the forest and environment departments, and the municipality itself of shrugging off blame and not caring about the damage they?ve done.

Cyprus is once again witnessing a boom in tourism, and its resulting revenue.

The month of August saw over 581 million euros worth of revenue coming in – more than fourteen percent from August 2024.

In the meantime, the island nation earned €2.47 billion revenue for travels between January to August 2025, which is more than 16.5% from the same time period in 2024.

The number of visitors have also increased significantly, from over 555,000 arrivals in August 2024 to 602,000 arrivals in August 2025.

Tourists in 2025 are also spending more than their 2024 counterparts. The average spend is €966 per tourist. The largest group of visitors – British nationals spent about €113 daily. Other major spenders include Israeli nations (€152 per day), and Polish tourists (€96 per day).

As a result of the boom, resorts and hotels are also enjoying more bookings and higher earnings. Pancyprian Federation of Leisure Facility Owners’ President Neophytos Thrasyvoulou stated that several hotels already reported being more than 80% occupied as early as September – which gave the industry at large great hope/

Thrasyvoulou emphasized on how support programs should be implemented for those running and working in the tourism industry so that business operations run smoothly and employees and staff’s employment sticks.