Current Events

The Cyprus Police has arrested a British national for allegedly committing espionage as well as terrorism-related activity.

The individual was produced before court, where an eight-day-long detention was ordered, pending inquiry.

The police has refused to divulge any further details on grounds of national security.

A British Foreign Office spokesman has confirmed that the arrested individual is indeed a British national. They also confirmed that their office is in touch with Cypriot authorities on this matter.

Many news outlets in Cyprus have reported that the man, who was arrested in Limassol’s Zakaki is of Azerbaijani origin.

This news comes as a surprise to many, even with the current tensions in the middle east – especially given as there are very few terrorism-related offences in the island nation of Cyprus.

Airliners in Cyprus have cancelled several flights in response to the airstrikes in Iran.

Ten flights have been confirmed to be canceled – all of which go from Cyprus’ Larnaca International Airport to Israel.

While airports remain open, several other flights have also been affected due to growing tensions in the Middle East region. According to radar images, most civilian flights in the airspace lying between Israel and Iran at large have been cleared.

Meanwhile airlines running flights between Israel and Cyprus are taking strict precautionary measures in response to the situation. Ben Gurion Airport, however, has suspended all of its upcoming flights.

Finally, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus has issued their travel advisory for Cypriots currently in Israel – asking them to be fully compliant with local rules and regulations. They have asked Cypriots to not travel unless absolutely necessary, keep themselves as secure as possible and stay fully aware of current affairs – especially in light of Israel declaring a state of emergency.

Both Paphos and Larnaca have been put on emergency standby, upon requests to have several Israel-bound airplanes to make emergency landings on the island nation. The airports have successfully executed said request.

For the first time since 2021, Cyprus has entered into deflation.

The Statistical Service of Cyprus has revealed that the island nation’s yearly rate of inflation has gone down to the negatives up to -0.2%, This previously happened in 2021, when the Consumer Price Index (CPI) went on a year-on-year decrease to stand at -0.72% inflation.

While the CPI did slightly increase in May 2025 – going up of 117.57 units instead of April 2025’s 117.31 – the prices were much lower than that of the same time in 2024.

Prices increased the most for services (by 3.5%) and agro products (by 4.7%), where is they decreased for things utilities such as power (by 8.6%) and gas (by 12.8%). The latter especially played a major role in making said deflation happen.

Footwear and clothing saw a decline of 5.3% in prices, whereas transport was a 6.6% decrease. Meanwhile the prices of education, restaurant & recreation increased by 3.7%, 4.9% and 4.0% respectively.

Speaking of month-on-month increase, footwear and clothing increased the most (by 2.4%), whereas transport reduced by -2.4%.

The lowered cost of gas and transport is believed to have contributed to the deflation, despite the pressure exerted by the rising costs of food & beverages and hotels & restaurants.

Over sixty-four beaches and two different marinas in the island nation of Cyprus have collectively won sixty-six Blue Flags on account of their high-quality and clean atmosphere.

The flags, awarded by Maria Panayiotou, Cyprus’ Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment – are a prestigious award for beaches that maintain a high order of cleanliness.

Minister Panayiotou went on to deliver her speech at the ceremony, which was held at Famagusta’s Fig Tree Bay, where she hailed the Blue Flag as one of the most internationally recognized symbols of good-quality beaches. She further added that winning the award is no small feat, since it requires adherence to very specific criteria, along with impeccable quality control.

Factors taken into consideration for evaluating an island’s cleanliness include bathers’ safety, availability of proper and helpful visitor information, the level of protection that can be provided to the surrounding flora and fauna, and of course how clean and in order the coast is.

Eighteen Blue Flags were awarded to Paralimni – Deryneia Municipality, sixteen were awarded to Ayia Napa Municipality, nine were awarded to the Amathus Municipality, six were awarded to Paphos Municipality, three were awarded to Hierokipia Municipality, where the Municipalities of Larnaca Akamas received three and two, respectively.

One blue flag was awarded to each of the community councils of Episkopi, Pentakomo, Zygi, Lempa, Oroklini, Pissouri, and Parekklisia. Ayia Napa and Limassol marinas were also awarded Blue Flags – one for each region.

George Nicolettos, Paralimni – Deryneia’s mayor, remarked on how much these awards mean to them and to the Cyprus tourism industry at large.

President of the National Blue Flag Judge and Secretary General of Cymepa Michalis Ierides announced that a further evaluation visit will be made at the award-winning beaches for verification. Any beach be found not fulfilling the criteria at any point will have their Flags suspended.

In light of its acquisition by Eurobank Cyprus, Hellenic Bank has officially changed its name to Hellenic Bank.

The decision was made by the board of directors at the end of May 2025, and announced a few days later.

It took a few weeks to make the actual change happen, due to securing the required supervision approvals.

This new chapter in the bank’s functioning was highly anticipated, and is being looked at by key officials in a good light – especially now that they are part of one of the biggest banks in the EU and an important one in the world.

The official statement from the bank called the event more than a simple change of name – they called it a promise to offer new and improved finance solutions and proactive services, to help Cyprus develop more, economically and socially.

Michalis Louis, the CEO called the change of name as a “promise” to their customers for a much brighter future.

The island nation of Cyprus is making a bold, yet kind move by offering money and resources to Syrian families in order to help them re-settle in their country.

To help ease the transition, they are allowing breadwinners of families on the island to stay, work and earn for up to three years, in order to provide a stable income and ease the burden of such a large repatriation process.

Nicholas Ioannides, Cyprus’ Deputy Minister for Migration mentioned that this is a voluntary program, with one of the main requirements being that the families in question have to withdraw their asylum claim and/or their international protection status (if they received the latter before Jan 1 2025).

He further added that the program will provide qualifying families a 2,000 euros lumpsum per adult, and 1,000 euros per child.

While the main focus is on families, couples without children may also apply. The application window started on 2nd June and will end on the 31st of August.

As mentioned before, the family’s breadwinner will be given a special work permit, so that they can complete their jobs and get a head start once their family is fully re-settled in Syria.

This move comes after the government’s observation that several Syrians do wish to return to their nation, but are in no position to do this due to the uncertainty of how they will be able to live a financially and socially secure life.

Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India – received a warm welcome on his latest visit in Cyprus. In addition to a highly positive reception, he had his feet touched by one of the government officials.

Specifically, Michaela Kythreoti Mhlapa, who works as a Member of Council of Nicosia, touched PM Modi’s feet to show their respect for him.

PM Modi reciprocated the gesture by praising the act and appreciating the awareness they had about the intricacies of the Indian culture.

Several videos and reports of the greeting have been made since. Pralhad Joshi, the Union Minister of Indian lauded it as a “heartfelt” interaction on social media, saying how Indian values such as reverence and humility are now being felt and worldwide.

The government of the island nation has awarded Modi with the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III. Named after the country’s first president, this is Cyprus’ highest civilian award. It is typically given to the head of a state and/or other people who have made significant strides in serving their country.

While accepting the award, PM Modi said that the honor bestowed upon him is not just his, but of all the 140+ crore Indians.

His Cyprus visit was a part of his latest three-nation tour, which included the G7 summit.

After a devastating financial and economic crisis, Cyprus is showing promise with the improvement of its labor market.

According to Eurostat, the rate of unemployment has dropped to being the lowest in the last fifteen years.

The rate fell to 4.9% from 2023’s 5.8% – making it the lowest ever since the levels of 2009. This also puts Cyprus under the current 5.9% EU-wide average rate of unemployment.

Specifically, long-term unemployment (i.e. when a person has been unemployed for more than one year) went down to 1.3% – compared to 0.6% recorded in 2009.

Unemployment of those under 25 years of age has gone down to 13%, which shows an improving job market for the youth.

The European Union at large has also seen improvement in this regard – especially with long-term unemployment, which has gone down to 1.9%—Cyprus’ recovery stands out.

This positive development is being attributed to recent improvements in the tertiary and tourism sectors, increased foreign investments and government-sponsored programs for continued education.

https://greekcitytimes.com/2025/05/28/cyprus-jobless-rate-hits-15-year-low/

The Cypriot government has fined at least twenty-four employers on grounds of illegally employing foreigners.

As a part of its 7-day campaign for immigration enforcement, the Aliens and Immigration Service fined the businesses over €156,000 in total, along with legal charges.

The investigation was done in Famagusta & Larnaca, where twenty separate counts of illegal employment were found.

The employers committing the crime will have to appear in court, in addition to paying their fines.

According to officials, companies illegally employing people is one of the biggest reasons for illegal migration to the island nation. If caught, it can and does lead to punishments like 5-year jail sentences or €20,000 fines – and sometimes, both. Fines may also be awarded to those employed illegally.

Between 2024 and 2025, 512 illegal employment cases have been identified – involving 799 foreigners and 499 employers.

https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-hits-employers-with-massive-%E2%82%AC156-000-in-fines-over-illegal-employment

Alen Simonyan, Speaker of the Armenian Parliament announced that Annita Demetriou, the President of the House of Representatives has agreed to work with him and the Armenian government to strengthen their bilateral ties through a series of partnerships.

Speaker Simonyan made the announcement with Demetriou in a press conference in Yerevan.

He mentioned their intention to take their ongoing cooperation to the level of a proper strategic partnership, that shall stay for decades to come and benefit both nations.

He also appreciated Demetriou’s encouragement and thanked her on her efforts on helping make these visions a reality.

The two also discussed other topics of international importance, and discussed the centuries-old cultural ties between the two countries.

https://armenpress.am/en/article/1219990

After weeks and months of delays, the much-anticipated e-kalathi app is finally ready for launch.

Cyprus’ consumer protection service explained that the delays were caused largely by the approval for iOS systems – which got stalled since April 2025. Now, the approval is finally complete.

According to Aliki Iordanou, a spokesperson for the organization – all obstacles have been crossed and the launch can now move ahead.

They plan to inform the supermarkets two or three days prior to the app’s launch to let them be able to upload their prices for all products listed. They have already been notified about the iOS approval.

The app will list prices of over four-hundred-and-seventy-eight products from 22 supermarket brands, which operate over one-hundred-and-sixty-five outlets.

Prices will be updated if and/or when they change. However, if an unusually high price is found, it will be flagged and the feedback will be sent to the appropriate vendor.

A tourist from England has died after being found to have been unconscious in the swimming pool of a hotel in Paphos.

The man, aged 60 was found by local swimmers, who pulled him out of the water and helped get medical attention.

Unfortunately, the man was declared dead on arrival at Paphos General Hospital, despite everyone’s best efforts.

An autopsy was made by the mortuary at Nicosia to find out the exact medical cause of his death, with the police investigating the matter on the ground.

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-tourist-death-cyprus-pool-b2758318.html

A recent “fake news” scam has left many in distress, with victims claiming to have been swindled of hundreds and even thousands of Euros.

The bad actors in question have been posing as the Cyprus Mail or the famous and Cypriot businessman Sir Stelios to lure people into investment schemes.

Potential victims are directed to a “limass.info” website, where a Cyprus Mail article written by journalist Tom Cleaver claims to reveal a massive opportunity for investment opportunity, where people could earn “over five thousand euros” every month. All they need to do is invest a minimum amount of 250 Euros.

The article also says that the more people invest, the higher returns they will get.

The article promotes an “underrated” schemed called ‘easy Invest’ – which is non-existent in reality.

The scam also involved the circulation of an advertisement, which “quotes” Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou claiming that he will personally deposit ten thousand Euros into the account of those who do not earn at least five thousand in their first month.

The country’s tax department has done its best to combat this scam by issuing public interest warnings and alerting the people not to pay heed to any unsolicited emails, even if they contained the department logo. They have further asked people to be alert and wary of any emails, phone calls or messages – especially those seeking personal information (of any kind) under the guise of tax refunds or benefits.

https://cyprus-mail.com/2025/05/10/fake-news-scam-poses-as-cyprus-mail-sir-stelios

Nikos Christodoulides, the President of Cyprus recently announced that Cyprus is gearing up to the join the countries within the Schengen Zone – which he assumes will be complete by 2026.

The leader of the island nation made this announcement at an event in Nicosia, where he explained that this is not simply a wish, but a goal they are actively working towards so that they can meet every requirement as soon as possible.

Entering the Schengen Zone shall be very beneficial for Cypriots – it will allow more seamless travel, encountering lesser border issues and be more in line with pan-European operations.

Overall, this move would be very beneficial for the island nation in terms of both polity and economy.

In his speech, President Christodoulides also explained why this will also be beneficial for the EU at large – something that he plans to explain as he makes his tour of the European Union capitals.

To further its goal, Cyprus is also dependent heavily on European organizations. Christodoulides mentioned how he feels encouraged through the things he’s heard from Brussels, as well as the European Parliament’s President.

He went on to remind the reporters that the move is not new – and that this was one of the biggest promises he made while campaigning for President, and one he intends to fully deliver during his term.

https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-will-join-schengen-in-2026-says-president

The President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides and the President of the UAE His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed several topics related to strengthening ties between the two nations over the phone.

The leaders exchanged their greetings, and proceeded to brainstorm and discuss ways to potentially fortify the bilateral relations between the two nations – specifically in context of economy and development.

President Christodoulides took the opportunity to express their gratitude to the UAE for providing the island nation with portable desalination plants so that they can deal with their water shortage issues in time.

Cyprus has been well on its mission to create such plants to prevent major water shortage, and supply an adequate amount of potable water.

Other topics of local and international important involving the countries were also discussed, and opinions on pertinent issues were shared.

https://www.arnnewscentre.ae/en/news/uae/uae-cyprus-presidents-discuss-boosting-ties-in-phone-call/

Indian Tech MNC LTIMindtree has chosen Cyprus as the destination for its latest office.

The company, which has its headquarters in Mumbai is opening its ‘Digital Innovation Hub’ in the island nation – to be able to work better with its clients there as well as the EU at large.

Specifically, the hub will be situated in CYENS Center of Excellence in Nicosia’s Research and Innovation Hub. Its main purpose will be to improve the ability to offer technological and digital solutions to their clients.

Right now, LTIMindtree’s top clients in the area includes Eurobank- (which operates over six hundred branches alone in Cyprus, along with several others in the UK, Luxembourg, Bulgaria and Greece. Their other biggest client is Canadian investment and insurance company, Fairfax – which also maintains several offices in the region.

Srini Rao, President & CBO Europe of LTIMindtree hailed the step as a major step – elaborating how the Digital Innovation hub will function as a major force behind driving faster, better and more sustainable business growth.

LTIMindtree is a Multinational Corporation which employs over eighty-four thousand people across forty different countries. It is a part of Larsen & Toubro, another MNC.

https://www.consultancy.eu/news/11847/ltimindtree-launches-digital-innovation-hub-in-cyprus

Cyprus’ flagship airliner Cyprus Airways has chosen to use AirGain to gather real time insights on competitive pricing, so that they can serve their customers better.

Powered by RateGain, AirGain offers strategic intelligence to its customers on pricing and allows customers to adjust their prices and offerings accordingly.

This is a strategic partnership between the two companies, driven by Cyprus Airways’ dedication to providing the best quality and most affordable flights for its customers all over Europe as well as the Middle East.

Thanks to AirGain, the airliner will have real time access to pricing data of over three hundred airline services, as well as over fifty premier Online Traveling Agencies. This will allow Cyprus Airways to adjust their own strategies, offer timely promotions, maximize their profits as well as customer satisfaction – thus being able to maintain leadership in the aviation market.

https://www.business-standard.com/markets/capital-market-news/cyprus-airways-selects-airgain-for-competitive-pricing-intelligence-125050800416_1.html

The Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection’s Asylum Service received over 767 applications for asylum, as opposed to over 3,660 departures.

Both figures were recorded over the period of three months from January to March, 2025.

Specifically, 256, 232 and 279 applications were submitted in January, February and March respectively.

Meanwhile, departures in question included voluntary and involuntary returns of people, as well as deportations. They were done with the joint efforts of the Cyprus Police’s Aliens Immigrant Department and the Deputy Ministry of Migration.

The Hellenic Bank and the Bank of Cyprus are going ahead with making good on their agreements that were made with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.

Mr. Panicos Nicolaou & Mr. Michalis Louis, Chief Executive Officers of the two banks have agreed to have new ATM units installed in relatively far-off areas, where cash machine access is limited.

The two banks are installing the JCC Payments ATMs together (since they’re both shareholders in the JCC).

The tentative locations for the ATMs are Xylotymbou, Pelendri, Astromeritis, Salamiou, Avgorou, Parekklisia, Lythrodontas, Argaka, Pissouri, Frenaros, and Eptagonia.

The locations are tentative, as the project is still in progress and the management might adjust the venues to help as many people as possible.

Installing and maintaining an ATM in a remote place costs over €50,000 every day.

Cyprus Police has confirmed that the man killed in the Limassol collision was a Pakistani national.

The man, Yasir Shah, aged 34, was on duty and delivering food on his electric bike when he was hit by a car driver.

He was taken to the hospital, but was ultimately pronounced dead.

The driver of the car, aged 38, was arrested and placed under police custody.

The driver was administered alcohol and drug tests – he tested negative in the first one and positive in the second one.

So far, he has claimed that he was not at fault – and the man on his electric bike had abruptly come in his way.