Cyprus

NICOSIA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission (EC) signed its first deal to buy COVID-19 vaccines from pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides said on Thursday.

She told state television after signing the agreement at the EC premises in Nicosia with AstraZeneca that the deal makes it possible for EU countries to purchase up to 300 million vaccines.

NICOSIA, August 25. /TASS/: Some categories of Russian citizens will be able to visit the Republic of Cyprus starting from August 28 provided that they self-isolate for 14 days, the country’s Health Ministry said in its new weekly list published on Monday.

For the first time since the start of the pandemic, Russia was officially included in this list as a Category C country.

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus on Sunday denied fresh allegations that it was granting citizenship to foreigners accused of crimes in exchange for millions in investments, insisting that all those who received a passport met all criteria in place at the time.

NICOSIA, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus and Greece have agreed on joint action at the upcoming EU meetings to deal with Turkish activities in the eastern Mediterranean, which they consider to encroach on their rights, foreign ministers of the two countries said after talks here on Tuesday.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias paid a one-day visit to Cyprus during which he met with President Nicos Anastasiades and had talks at the Cypriot Foreign Ministry.

NICOSIA, May 14. /TASS/: A plane delivering medical equipment from China to Cyprus, which had to land for refueling in Moscow after Turkey refused to allow it to fly through its airspace, has successfully arrived to Larnaca on Wednesday night, Cyprus’s Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Yiannis Karousos said in a Twitter post.

NICOSIA, March 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cyprus said it was closing schools in the capital, banning mass gatherings and locking down two major hospitals to combat novel coronavirus, after three people on the Mediterranean island tested positive for the illness.

The Republic of Cyprus had on Monday reported its first two cases of the disease, including the chief heart surgeon at its biggest hospital.

And on Tuesday, the Turkish-controlled north of the island announced the first case there, a 65-year-old German woman.

NICOSIA, Jan 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cyprus intercepted a vessel carrying 101 Syrians off its coast on Tuesday, police said, one of the largest arrivals of refugees from the neighbouring country in recent months.

The Syrians were loaded at sea onto a coastguard vessel and from there led to a harbour in the south-east of the island.

“There were minors among those on the boat, which appears to have set off from Turkey,” a police spokeswoman added.

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Turkey’s willingness to dispatch troops to Libya is “unacceptable” and such a move would constitute unwanted meddling in the affairs of a friendly country, the speaker of the North African country’s parliament said Saturday.

Aguila Saleh said in a joint statement with his Cypriot counterpart that Turkey’s actions are increasing tensions and destabilizing the region.

NICOSIA, Nov 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — Greek and Turkish Cypriots joined forces on Friday night in a bid to nudge their leaders towards new peace negotiations to reach a Cyprus reunification arrangement.

After marching in the streets of both the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot sectors of the divided Cypriot capital, delegations handed to the community leaders a petition, expressing concern at the long stalemate in the negotiations and calling for a solution.

18 Nov 2019; MEMO: Police in Cyprus confiscated a van on Saturday with high-tech surveillance equipment inside, news agencies have reported. Police officers took its Israeli owner for questioning after reports that the vehicle was used to spy on people.