Geopolitical tensions raise risks for global insurers, agency warns

Rising geopolitical tensions centred on Iran are fuelling increasing concern in the global insurance sector, particularly in areas linked to terrorism and political violence, according to ratings agency Morningstar DBRS. The report warned that prolonged instability in the Middle East could lead to higher volatility in risk underwriting, as well as stricter insurance terms for […]

Seafarers can refuse travel to war-risk areas, union says

Seafarers who do not wish to sail through war-risk zones have the right to disembark from vessels, Charalambos Avgousti, head of the Cyprus maritime union Omepege-Sek, said on Tuesday, stressing that the union’s primary concern is the safety of crew members. Avgousti said there are no Cypriot seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, based […]

Our View: Perceptions, not performance, drive approval ratings

Opinion polls dealing with how people view the way the government is carrying out its job are not reliable indicators. This is because people’s responses are primarily based on perceptions of how government policies are implemented rather through direct experience. For example, an opinion poll carried out for Politis newspaper showed that the highest approval […]

‘We must expect developments soon’ on Cyprus problem, Christodoulides says after Guterres meeting

President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday evening said that “we must expect developments soon” on the Cyprus problem, after having held a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Brussels. He described the discussion as “very substantive and very productive”, and stressed that he and Guterres “have a common goal … and this goal entails […]

Cyprus Hands Over Digital Copies of Archives Linked to Grigoris Afxentiou to Research Center

Cyprus’ Deputy Minister of Culture Vasiliki Kassianidou on Tuesday welcomed the handover of 258 digitized archival documents to the Grigoris Afxentiou Research Center, calling the initiative an important step in supporting historical research and public access to state records. The material, drawn from Special Court collections held by the State Archives, includes primary sources relevant […]

Police investigate scam scheme involving fake Gesy messages

More than €10,000 were stolen from the bank account of a citizen after receiving messages allegedly send by the national health scheme (Gesy), requesting him to update his online profile, police said on Wednesday. According to the police, the complainant had turned to the police on Wednesday to report the incident which occurred on November […]

Barcelona hit seven past Newcastle to roar into Champions League quarters

Barcelona stormed into the Champions League quarter-finals with a thumping 7-2 victory over Newcastle United at Camp Nou on Wednesday, sealing an emphatic 8-3 aggregate triumph in a compelling round-of-16 tie. Raphinha opened the scoring in the sixth minute after Fermin Lopez led a swift counter attack, but Anthony Elanga levelled nine minutes later from […]

Sweden says Iran has executed a Swedish citizen

Iran executed a Swedish citizen on Wednesday, Sweden’s foreign minister said, adding that she had summoned the Iranian ambassador in Stockholm to condemn the decision. The person, who was not named, was arrested in Iran in June of last year and Sweden has repeatedly raised the case with Iranian officials, Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard […]

EU to provide ‘substantial’ financial support to combat FMD

Cyprus is set to receive financial support from the European Union to move forward with measures to combat the outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), President Nikos Christodoulides said in Brussels on Wednesday. “I thanked the President of the European Commission for the substantive financial support not only to address the challenges that arise immediately, […]

Saudi intercepts four ballistic missiles launched towards Riyadh

Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed four ballistic missiles that were launched toward Riyadh on Wednesday, the Defence Ministry said, just ahead of a meeting of regional and Islamic foreign ministers in the Saudi capital. “Scattered debris fell across various areas of the capital, with initial assessments indicating no casualties or damage,” the ministry said. Several […]

Slovakia allows setting higher fuel prices for foreigners

Slovakia’s government on Wednesday approved a resolution allowing service stations to set higher diesel prices for cars with foreign plates as it clamps down on “fuel tourism” amid a global surge in energy prices due to the Iran war. Refiner Slovnaft said earlier this week that in some northern districts bordering Poland, lower diesel prices […]

Von der Leyen reiterates EU solidarity with Cyprus amid ME war

The European Union will continue to stand with Cyprus amid the instability caused by the developments in the Middle East, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after her meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday. “Europe expresses its full solidarity with Cyprus, amidst the instability caused by the crisis in the Middle East. […]

UK looks to provide more support to Gulf allies amid Iranian attacks

Britain said it was working to provide more support for its partners in the Gulf who are under attack from Iran, as it announced plans to buy extra missiles to protect the region. Britain’s fighter jets and other forces have been helping shoot down Iranian drones, and one of its warships is heading to the […]

Cyprus Tourist Arrivals Up 9.5% in February; Resident Trips Abroad Jump 22.5%

Tourist arrivals to Cyprus rose 9.5% in February compared with a year earlier, reaching 146,516, the Statistical Service has said. Arrivals for January–February totaled 268,141, up 9.1% from the same period in 2025. The United Kingdom remained the largest source market, accounting for 19.3% of February arrivals, followed by Poland (18.4%), Israel (12.6%), Greece (9.3%) […]

Iceland could become EU member in 2028

Iceland’s Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir told Reuters on Wednesday she is optimistic her country could join the European Union as early as 2028, adding she expects fisheries and agriculture to be the toughest points of negotiation. The Icelandic government has proposed holding a referendum on August 29 on resuming EU membership negotiations, a process […]

Turkish crowds protest in support of jailed Erdogan rival one year after arrest

Thousands of Turks gathered in central Istanbul on Wednesday in support of jailed mayor Ekrem Imamoglu at an opposition rally, one year after President Tayyip Erdogan’s main rival was arrested on corruption charges. Supporters waving red party banners and Turkish flags gathered at city hall for the rally by Imamoglu’s party, the main opposition Republican […]

Iran’s government appears intact, if degraded, US spy chief says

Iran’s government has been degraded since the war began on February 28, but it appears to be intact and Tehran and its proxies remain capable of attacking U.S. and allies’ interests in the Middle East, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Wednesday. “The regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely […]

Senegal calls for inquiry into removal of its Africa Cup of Nations title

Senegal’s government on Wednesday called for an international investigation into what it said was suspected corruption within the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after the country was stripped of its 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title. CAF’s appeals board ruled on Tuesday that Senegal had “forfeited” the January final by walking off the pitch in […]

FMD cases remain stable as mass culling continues

The infection rate of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) remained stable on Wednesday, with a total of 42 cases recorded in the Republic of Cyprus, as further cullings were carried out in Dromolaxia, Geri and Livadia. “We have reached a vaccination rate of over 85 per cent of the cattle population nationwide and 49.3 per cent in […]

Sharp rise in amphetamine use recorded in Cyprus cities, study finds

A sharp increase in the use of amphetamines and methamphetamines was recorded in several cities across Cyprus in 2025, according to a study published on Tuesday by the SCORE network in collaboration with the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA). The Europe-wide study analysed urban wastewater in 115 cities across 25 countries to assess the consumption […]

Israel has more than doubled the number of troops along its border with Lebanon since March 1 and they are searching homes in southern Lebanese villages that the military has ordered evacuated, a senior Israeli commander said on Wednesday. As Israeli warplanes pound Beirut in operations against Hezbollah that have become the deadliest spillover of […]

Pakistan, Afghanistan to pause fighting for Eid

Pakistan and Afghanistan said they were pausing their military operations against each other on Wednesday for the Islamic festival of Eid-al-Fitr, a surprise move two days after a drug rehab centre in Kabul was hit in the deadliest strike in months. The Afghan Taliban government has said that more than 400 people were killed and […]

After PSG mauling, Chelsea face another scramble to salvage their season

Chelsea’s Champions League exit on Tuesday after a thumping 8-2 aggregate defeat by Paris St Germain means the big-spending Londoners and their U.S. owners are once again trying to rescue something from the tail-end of a chaotic season. Having promised to end the carousel of managers at Stamford Bridge under former owner Roman Abramovich, the […]

Free cinema nights in Larnaca and Nicosia

European cinema hits the big screens as the Office of the European Parliament in Cyprus presents select film screenings. Pantheon Cinema in Nicosia and the Larnaca Municipal Theatre are hosting movie nights this March, and with a few evenings already passed, three screenings remain. Up next is the Spanish film Sorda (Deaf), screened in Nicosia […]