Cyprus

Initiative to assist hotels install private desalination units, aiming to enhance water security as dam levels decline, was announced; Agriculture Minister said to expedite implementation licensing processes are simplified and a €3 million grant secured

The UN Security Council’s renewal of the UN peacekeeping force mandate until 31 December 2027 has been criticized by the North, with its ‘foreign ministry’ urging UN to abandon the federal model and adopt a two-state solution based on sovereign equality

The women of Kalavasos are coming together this holiday season to create a marketplace where each woman participating showcases handmade creations: designers, artists, painters, healers and community weavers join forces for solidarity

Police has called to make football violence ‘a thing of the past’, implementing security inside and outside the stadium and neighbouring areas and inviting teams to tone down the rhetoric; measures are taken after recent episodes of inconsiderate behavior

Around 2.000 animals at the Paphos animal shelter are at risk of losing their home after private landowners requested the return of the property where the shelter is based; the shelter operates through volunteer support and receives no government funding

Sixteen archaeological sites and monuments across Cyprus will be open with free entry this weekend as part of the celebrations for the European Heritage Days

About 21.000 children up to the age of four will have their preschool fees and lunches paid by the state for the 2025–2026 school year, the finance ministry announced, saying it will budget €73 million, with €43.8 million funded by the EU

School bus fees and subsidies for the new academic year have been announced: monthly student fare is set at 5 euros with a subsidy of €17, annual fare at €30 with €190 subsidy, all children from large families in sec and tech education will be exempt

Website mindsincyprus.com has been launched with the aim of persuading Cypriots living abroad to return to the island; authorities say return and reintegration of talents is an integral part of broader plan for the development and future of the homeland

A Turkish Cypriot has been diagnosed with mad cow disease, prompting the north’s veterinarians’ association to demand urgent biosecurity measures, pointing out that in southern Cyprus, eradication and surveillance are implemented following EU regulations