Current Events

The UNDP has confirmed that the restoration work on the historic Limnia windmill is now complete.

Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage?s co-chair Ali Tuncay spoke about the project, emphasizing how it has helped preserve the important facets of Cyprus?s rural economy and classic production systems.

Specifically, he explains how structures like it form to showcase the island nation?s way of producing goods, and how well they have endured the centuries in staying consistent with production by adapting to the environment.

Limnia is located between Trikomo and Famagusta.

It used to be populated by Greek Cypriots till the 1974 invasion drove them out. Turkish Cypriots who were ousted from Larnaca now live in the village.

Disturbances in the Middle East have led to multiple flights getting canceled, causing disruption to the travel industry, as well as people?s plans.

Specifically, thirty-seven flights arriving to and departing from Larnaca airport have been cancelled.

This includes nineteen departures and eighteen arrivals from and to Larnaca Airport.

Meanwhile, flights going from and to Paphos Airport shall continue as usual, the singular flight bound for Haifa.

Those whose flights have been cancelled have been asked to contact their respective travel agents or airlines to receive the latest updates.

Children First, which observes child health and behavior have released their findings, which reveals that most Cypriot children aged 6 and 7 have a screen time higher than their safety limits.

According to the WHO guidelines, children between the ages of 5 and 13 must not have a screen time that is more than 2 hours per day.

However, the survey revealed that children spent over 90 minutes watching content daily, in addition to 45 minutes and 90 minutes of gaming per day in the weekdays and weekends respectively.

The study mentioned that this level of screen exposure can cause digital addiction, which in turn may cause physical and mental health issues.

More specifically, children using screens for over 120 minutes can cause lack of mental wellness, lessened self-esteem, strained family bonds, and higher degree of sedentary lifestyle, which in turn can lead to obesity and being overweight.

The observatory was founded in 2022 and is operated by Cyprus University of Technology and the University of Cyprus. Its job is to monitor the health as well as environmental factors for children across twenty-two schools in the island nation.

They report children’s individual data to parents securely, and report the total data to the scientific community at large and of course to the authorities.

The research further revealed that children?s behavior largely also depends upon that of their parents – and screen time is no exception.

To no one?s surprise, children often imitate their parents and parents who use screens when they shouldn’t tend to have children who do the same.

The observatory recommends that simple acts like regularized breaks, consistent exercise, a wholesome daily routine and encouraging engaging work can easily cut down the need to take to a screen to spend time.

A Lebanese national was arrested at Larnaca airport on grounds of terrorism.

The man, aged 25, had an outstanding German warrant against him for the same reason.

He had started his journey from Beirut, and intended to run through Cyprus to reach yet another European nation.

Cypriot authorities have detained him on the basis of a provisional arrest warrant – the end goal being to extradite him to Germany. The court has remanded him custody of the few days he is to remain on the island nation until then.

Any further information, if available, has not been released so far.

An elderly retired man has lost over 90,000 Euros in almost 7 months.

The process started when certain unidentified people reached out to him on social media and convinced him to ?invest? in cryptocurrencies.

In reality, the man was simply transferring his money to an account set up by the miscreants – and within the span of months had transferred around a whopping 90,000 Euros.

It is only after these people cut off communicating did the man realize that he might have been the victim of a scam.

The Paphos Police?s Economic Crimes Unit is currently investigating the case.

Scams of all kinds have been rampant lately, which is why the police are actively urging people to be vigilant, especially when making monetary transactions involving the internet.

Over and above anything, people should never share their personal details like bank account card information and password to anything that needs one to anyone for any reason.

YKAN, the special squad of the Cyprus Police that deals with drug-related offences has seized a package of over 6 kilograms of drugs.

Specifically, a total of 6.72 kilograms of cannabis were packed into 6 plastic bags in roughly an equal volume.

Cyprus Police could detect the illegal narcotics due to cooperation from the government of the country from which the package was sent.

Further Investigation is currently underway.

Cyprus cancelled an upcoming EU meeting in Nicosia after a British military base there was hit by a drone.

A spokesperson for the Cypriot EU Presidency Team made the announcement, explaining that they have decided to postpone the talks to a future date.

The aim of the meeting was to talk informally about the upcoming budget for the European Union.

The news comes after Cyprus confirmed that Iran?s ?Shahed? drone hit a British military base on the island. Some minor damage was caused.

The spokesperson who officially made the confirmation made sure to let it be known that Cyprus was not meant as the target of the attack.

This comes weeks after President Nikos Christodoulides statement that Cyprus shall not participate in military operations of any kind.

President Christodoulides also spoke with Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. von der Leyen made it clear through her social media posts that the European Union will stand by every single one of its members should they be under threat.

Meanwhile, the second meeting of EU ministers to be held in the country has not been postponed. The aim of this meeting is to have ministers from all over the bloc discussing cultural goods trafficking and the larger topic of cultural rights.

An on-road collision led to the death of a young motorcyclist in Nicosia.

Christos Tsamis Tsangaris, aged 25, a resident of Pallouriotissa, died due to his motorbike colliding with another?s at high speed. The other motorcycle was being driven by a 19-year-old.

The collision led to both motorbikes overturning, although the former one immediately collided again with a car parked nearby.

Both riders were admitted to the General Hospital in Nicosia – the 25-year-old was pronounced dead-on-arrival, while the 19-year-old suffered minor injuries and was later given a discharge.

The police checked the latter for drugs and alcohol – both came out negative. Nonetheless an arrest warrant was issued and the younger man was taken into custody.

The mishap occurred in the evening in Aglandjia?s Larnakos Avenue. Further investigation is currently underway.

Cyprus? Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas has said that the defense is taking every possible measure to safeguard the island nation in light of the Iran war.

He said this in a statement to the Cyprus News Agency, right after Iran declared both the Cypriot Navy and the Air Force as ?terrorists? by extension of declaring the same of all EU members.

This declaration was made after the European Union and the Council of Europe declared the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization.

Cyprus, which currently sits in the chair, is the one that formally adopted the declaration.

Geadis Geadi, the MEP of Ilam, had very famously said in this discussion how the large number of missiles that had Israel as its target were seen in Cyprus? skies. He had said then that the unfolding situation poses a huge threat to the entire area, especially Europe and the West at large.

This was followed by a motion to condemn the Iranian government. An overwhelming 524 MEPs voted in support, 3 against, while 4 abstained.

All of Cypriot MEPs ? Akel?s Giorgos Georgiou, Disy?s Michalis Hadjipantela, Costas Mavrides and Loucas Fourlas, and independents Geadi and Fidias Panayiotou voted to support the motion.

A police check executed countrywide has led to the arrest of 7 individuals for a litany of crimes, which include unlawful employment, driving without a driver?s license, illegal residency, violating traffic rules, and not abiding by the instructions of an officer of the law.

The Police said that they patrolled numerous urban spaces, and overall stopped 234 cars, checked 274 passengers and drivers, and raided 29 areas.

Traffic stops led them to ninety-one registered complaints – forty-seven of them were for speeding, four were for traffic violations, and one each was registered for driving under the influence and one for vehicle seizure. Meanwhile, the raids led to the registration of three cases where people were operating businesses without a permit.

According to the police, the aim of the large-scale operation was to reduce criminal activity, maintain law and order, and improve safety within the larger community.

Cyprus is set to receive over half a million vaccines to combat the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

The request was put forward by Maria Panayiotou, the Agriculture Minister of Cyprus to Christophe Hansen and Oliv?r V?rhelyi, the agriculture and health commissioners, respectively. The latter then approved their request.

Panayiotou said that V?rhelyi shall be visiting Cyprus for reasons other than this, but will endeavor to include it in his agenda.

V?rhelyi also said that this was the amount of vaccines available right now. He took to X (formerly, Twitter) to explain that the top priority right now is to help farmers do their job by stopping the outbreak as swiftly as possible. He also mentioned that the EU will support the island nation through other means, such as compensation and funding.

Vaccines were also delivered to the breakaway Northern Cyprus. V?rhelyi said that it?s too soon to tell what kind of impact that has had yet.

The EU also confirmed they will be assigning an ?EUVET? team, who are subject matter experts in this field. Once their job is done, they will report their findings to the Standing Committee on Animal Health. They reiterated that the focus right now is on managing the crisis, regardless of its origin.

Emily Louise Pugin, the new Australian High Commissioner in Cyprus, has presented President Nikos Christodoulides with her letters of credence.

She described the event as an honor, and expressed her pride at serving in a country that has a long-standing, deep friendship with her native Australia.

Australia is the biggest center of the Cyprus diaspora – big enough to be identified as a group and to have made a large contribution to the country?s progress. The two countries have also enjoyed a historically pleasant bilateral relationship.

Ms. Pugin also stressed upon the various values that bind the nations together, which include every nation being sovereign and a peaceful international system of order that is based on rules.

The Cypriot High Commission in Australia congratulated Ms. Pugin and expressed their good wishes. They said that they sincerely hope that both High Commissions will keep working closely and deepen the very good relations enjoyed by the two nations.

Andreas Vyras, the chairman of the Union of Municipalities, has said that Easter celebrations will be celebrated with full pomp and fervor, but will also be fully adherent to rules and regulations, especially those surrounding safety.

Vyras said that there will be tighter controls on lambradjies, i.e. the tradition of lighting Easter bonfires. This especially comes after some hooliganistic behavior that happened, and which Vyras said had nothing to do with the actual reverence of the custom or of the morals at large.

His reveal came after his meeting with Costas Fitiris, the Minister of Justice.

According to Vyras, the issue of hooliganism includes not just the bonfires but a larger pattern of actions that tends to start in the weeks before Easter.

He called out the biggest of these as collecting bonfire materials in bulk and then storing them unprotected in residential areas, posing threats to their own homes and those around them.

Vyras said that the need of the hour here is for the fire department, police, and other local bodies to cooperate and suss out any delinquent activities to ensure that the public is safe and can actually enjoy a revered traditional celebration.

In the previous year, many teenagers and even children were found handling dangerous explosives – and in one instance, a young man, Daniel Christian Fratilescu, died while making a bonfire that was far beyond his skillset.

Not only did this traumatize many, but it also led to a call for tighter rules and safety measures around the bonfires.

Cyprus? Electricity Authority (EAC) has warned its customers regarding a scam which has been fooling tenants in apartments to part with their hard-earned money.

According to them, the scammers make fake requests for them to make large sums of money as payment to get smart meters installed by private electricians.

To this point, the EAC clarified that it doesn?t levy any charges for the replacement of conventional meters with smart ones. This cost is borne by them and the recovery and resilience funding of the EU.

The EAC stressed upon the fact that it owns all electricity meters and is thus the only responsible party for any activity related to it. Also, only EAC electricians will work on them – they do not outsource any work, let alone electricians.

Every once in a while, they announce the areas where they will be replacing meters en masse. These schedules are live on their website, and tenants will receive a notification on their mobiles prior to replacement.

The public is urged to identify EAC workers through their official vehicles, uniforms and IDs, and to ask to see them if they are unsure. They must also know that there is no mention of payment anywhere in these services – anyone who claims as such is by default a scam.

Several people were arrested on a variety of offences on an overnight patrol orchestrated by the Cyprus Police.

The police checked over eight-hundred-and-ninety-two individuals, including passengers and drivers, and checked thirty-nine properties.

Checking the passengers and drivers led to over one-hundred and twenty reports for traffic violations and found seventeen old violation cases under investigation. Checking the properties led to ten reports.

Ten people were arrested on a variety of offences, including physical assault, illegal staying, narcotics possession, evading court orders, impersonation, and prohibited immigrant status. Meanwhile, forty drivers were booked for speeding and fifty-one were booked for driving under the influence. Last but not least, 20 cars were impounded.

An apartment fire occurred on the third-floor of an apartment in Engomi after an oil heater caught on fire on its terrace.

It started with the Cyprus Fire Department receiving a report in the morning about the fire in the residential building in Nicosia. All residents were evacuated to ensure safety.

Immediately, a hydraulic telescopic platform and three fire engines were dispatched to combat the fire.

It took a little over 60 mins to bring the fire under control. However, by this time, much of the paint in the verandahs was damaged due to the smoke. No deaths or injuries were reported.

That was a busy day in general, since the fire department responded to over thirty-two incidents within the span of 48 hours. Fourteen of them were fire-related.

Cyprus Police has confirmed the death of a woman and three others critically injured after an early morning car crash in Sotira, Limassol.

The crash happened at approximately 1:30 AM on Sotira?s Ayia Thekla, with the vehicle being driven by a man, aged 19. There was another man, aged 20, on the passenger?s seat and two women, both aged 19, in the back.

Preliminary investigations show that the car veered off the road and collided straight into the tank wall made of concrete.

The driver, passenger and one of the women in the back seat were admitted to Famagusta hospital and later to the General Hospital in Larnaca.

The other 19-year-old woman, however, was declared dead immediately. She was a Sotira resident.

Further investigation is currently underway.

A construction worker fell from a great height while at work, which has rendered him gravely injured.

The worker, aged 24, was admitted to the General Hospital in Paphos after having fallen from an astounding eleven meters high.

He has sustained grievous and extensive injuries in multiple places, including his pelvic area, head, neck and also his lungs.

While he is still in a critical condition, his situation has since stabilized.

The mishap originally happened while the young man was making a photovoltaics installation on the rooftop.

According to the doctors, his situation is severe, but he is not in any immediate danger at the moment.

Police investigation into the incident is currently underway to find out exactly how the chain of events played out.

A senior citizen died after being run over by another vehicle on the Nicosia-Limassol highway.

The mishap took place at around 7:30 pm in the evening, when a vehicle struck and killed the man, aged 70.

The man has been identified as Paphos resident Savvas Ioannou, who was a crew member placing traffic cones on the same highway?s right side.

The car which ran him over first hit the illuminated ?arrow? signboard, and then straightaway slammed into the man.

The car?s driver, 37, was also injured in the mishap. He was tested for narcotics as well as alcohol, but tested negative for both.

Further police investigation is currently underway.

Cyprus Police have arrested a man for assaulting two police personnel and allegedly mugging a teenager at knifepoint.

The Police said that they were tipped off about the robbery at the Limassol kiosk at a little under 3 pm in the afternoon.

This was when they saw the man attack the teenager.

The officers took action and were attacked by the same man in turn. They ultimately subdued the man and arrested him on multiple charges.

When the police searched him later, they found a switchblade knife along with a cellphone that was probably the minor?s that he stole.

The man, aged 39, is under police custody and will soon have his court hearing.