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Tuesday, July 28, 2026

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• Cyens excellence centre shortlisted for EU award

  The transformation of Nicosia’s old municipal market into a research and innovation centre, which now hosts the headquarters of the Cyens excellence centre, has been chosen as one of Europe’s top 25 social cohesion projects for 2026.

  The finance ministry said on Monday that the project, implemented through the Thalia 2021-2027 programme, co-funded by the EU, Cyprus and the Nicosia municipality, had qualified for the final phase of the Regiostars Awards 2026.

  Cyens Hub Nicosia was among 274 candidates from across Europe and is competing in the A Competitive and Smart Europe category.

  The finalists will present their projects before the panel of judges in Brussels on October 13 in the context of the European week of regions and cities. The winners of the five categories and the project chosen by the public will be announced on October 14.

  “This distinction is an important European acknowledgement for a project that combines preserving architectural heritage with urban revitalisation, research, innovation and entrepreneurship,” development director Anthi Philippidou said.

  The project was implemented with an investment of €7.8 million, turning the historical building within the walled old town of Nicosia into a modern ecosystem, preserving the historical character of the emblematic building and at the same time incorporating modern architectural and operational specifications to meet the needs of an international research and innovation centre.

  It also opened up new possibilities for cooperation between researchers, universities, businesses, creators and society, while creating new jobs and promoting collaboration with other projects, the ministry said.

  The buildings house research facilities, seminar halls, multimedia studios, exhibition areas and specialised infrastructure to support research, technological development and innovative businesses.

  The project is part of the urban Nicosia development strategy and displays how EU social cohesion investments can connect protecting cultural heritage to innovation, economic growth and sustainable revitalisation.

  Cyens lies at the centre of the Nicosia municipality’s Creative Business Neighbourhood initiative that “contributes to revitalising the walled city and highlighting the capital as a regional centre for creativity, technological advancement and entrepreneurship”, the ministry said.

  The centre of excellence is the product of cooperation between the University of Cyprus, Tepak, the Open University, University College London and the Max Planck institute.

  It specialises in interactive media, smart systems and emerging technologies, and is active in cutting-edge sectors, such as artificial intelligence, cultural technology and user experience, operating as a meeting point for research, business and the society.

• CHP’s Cyprus branch defects to Ozel’s New Party

  The Cyprus branch of Turkish opposition party the CHP has defected to the new party formed by its former leader Ozgur Ozel, which he has named the New Party, following 91 members of parliament and numerous mayors across the country who have joined the party.

  On Monday, the now former chairman of the CHP’s Cyprus branch Mustafa Yurukcu announced that he had left the CHP to join the New Party, saying that “I am resigning from the CHP, our ancestral home and the great family to which we belong, with the ideal of a better country in mind”.

  “There is much to say, but it is time to speak of something better, with what is in our hearts and on our lips. It is easy for a poet to say that yesterday is in the past, but it leaves our hearts bleeding. Whatever happens, we say hello to a new page, a new day, hope, and the continued fight,” he said.

  Earlier, social media pages belonging to the CHP’s Cyprus branch had rebranded themselves as the New Party’s Cyprus branch, while the now former Cyprus branch youth wing chairman of the CHP, Emre Dizel, has also joined the New Party.

  Despite having only officially having been formed last Friday, the New Party is already Turkey’s official opposition, with its 91MPs more than any other party in the Turkish parliament except for the ruling AK Party.

  The CHP is now the fifth largest party in the Turkish parliament, with 44 MPs, and has lost its place as the official opposition and the second-largest party in parliament for the first time since 2002.

  Additionally, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the man installed as CHP leader in Ozgur Ozel’s stead by a court decision in May, has become the first person in the history of the Turkish republic to preside over a party losing its position as the official opposition without an election being held.

  The local CHP’s defection to the New Party will likely arrest a steady rise in the CHP’s popularity among Turkish citizens living in Cyprus, with the CHP having won more votes than any other party among voters in Cyprus at the last Turkish parliamentary election, held in May 2023.

  In total, the CHP won 35.2 per cent of the vote, with the AK Party taking 30.1 per cent of the vote, and Devlet Bahceli’s MHP, which caucuses with the AK Party in parliament, taking 7.3 per cent of the vote on the island. That result had been the best in Cyprus for the CHP – and the worst for the AK Party – in over a decade.

  Likewise, initial polling conducted over the weekend across Turkey has the New Party ahead of the CHP nationwide, with the former finding itself in second place and the latter in third place, both behind the AK Party.

  Ozel had been elected as CHP leader in the autumn of 2023 after Kilicdaroglu had been defeated by Recep Tayyip Erdogan in that year’s presidential election and led the party to second place in the simultaneous parliamentary election.

  He then oversaw in 2024 the party’s best local election results since 1977, when it was led by Bulent Ecevit, retaining the mayoralties of the key cities of Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir, and taking Bursa, Turkey’s fourth-largest city, as well as Adiyaman, Afyon, Balikesir, Denizli, Giresun, and Zonguldak from the AK Party.

  However, problems began to arise last year when Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu had his degree revoked by the Istanbul University and was then arrested, accused of having “led a criminal organisation” among a litany of other charges.  

  Imamoglu was selected as the CHP’s candidate for the next presidential election, though it is a requirement for Turkish presidents to have a valid university degree.

  In July last year, he was sentenced to 20 months in prison for “insulting and threatening” Akin Gurlek, who was at the time Istanbul’s chief public prosecutor, but was in February this year appointed as Turkey’s justice minister. 

  The CHP continued regardless thereafter, insisting that Imamoglu was its presidential candidate, but ground to a halt in May this year when a court annulled the results of the party’s 2023 conference, removing Ozel from office.

  Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who had led the party between 2010 and 2023, was installed as party leader by the court, with Ozel immediately demanding that a fresh party conference be held so as to reset matters and to allow the party’s membership to elect its leader.

  However, Kilicdaroglu chose not to heed those calls, and Ozel created the New Party on Friday.

  “Having exhausted all legal avenues and rendered an internal political fight possible, we embarked on this path, called upon to do so by the people and the streets,” he said, before setting his sights on forming a government after the next election.

  He said that the New Party will “serve as the main opposition party for a period until the next election”.

  “This will be the first and only year in which the New Party participates in budget discussions while in opposition. Then, with God’s permission and the people’s approval, we will establish a government which will bring smiles to the faces of the people, solve their problems, an bring peace, prosperity, and tranquillity to the country,” he said.

  The next Turkish elections must take place on or before May 7, 2028, though it is believed that they may take place sooner than that date.

  This is because under Turkey’s current constitution, incumbent President Erdogan cannot run for re-election as Turkey’s president if the next election is held at the end of his currently foreseen term, but if the country’s parliament calls an election ahead of time, his current term will not be considered fulfilled, and he will be able to stand again.

  The consent of 60 per cent of Turkey’s 600-member parliament – 360 MPs – would be required for such an election to be held. At present, Erdogan’s government commands the support of 328 MPs – 277 from his own party, 46 from the ultranationalist MHP, four from the Kurdish Islamist Huda Par, and the vote of Onder Aksakal.

  On this front, it has been rumoured that the AK Party may use the occasion of the 25th anniversary of its founding, August 14, to call snap parliamentary and presidential elections.

• Guterres to discuss ‘efforts to advance peace process’ with leaders

  United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will discuss “efforts to advance the peace process and support stability on the island” during his visit to Cyprus, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday evening.

  These efforts to support the peace process, he said, include “the work of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus”.

  According to the Cyprus News Agency, Guterres arrived in Cyprus on Monday evening and was welcomed to the island by his Cyprus problem envoy Maria Angela Holguin and the UN’s special representative on the island Khassim Diagne.

  Guterres will hold separate meetings, first with President Nikos Christodoulides and then with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, at their official residences on Tuesday morning. Later on Tuesday, he will visit the Committee on Missing Persons, before holding a tripartite meeting with both leaders on Wednesday at the UN’s good offices mission.

  Earlier on Monday, Holguin had said that Guterres will “encourage” Cyprus’ two leaders to re-enter negotiations to bring about a solution to the Cyprus problem.

  “The mission of [Guterres] is to facilitate, encourage the people and the leaders to look forward for a negotiation [process] and this is why he is coming. He is visiting Cyprus after pushing to support the Cyprus issue for almost ten years, so he is coming for that,” she said after meeting Christodoulides.

  She added that she hopes for “progress” to be achieved during Guterres’ visit to the island.

  “I came from a long trip to Brussels and Ankara, with good meetings, talking on all the necessary points that we need for a push forward, and I am very happy to have the secretary-general here,” she said.

  Following that meeting, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis described Guterres’ visit as “very important”.

  He said the Greek Cypriot side hopes for the meeting to be “the beginning, the springboard which will lead to the convening of an enlarged meeting” on the Cyprus problem, which would involve the island’s two sides, its three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, and the UN.

  “Holguin informed the president about a series of contacts she had in the past programme,” he said, before saying of Holguin’s trip to Ankara, during which she met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, that “we are realistic and aware of the many challenges which exist, mainly due to Turkish intransigence”.

  Nonetheless, he said that “we have said from the very beginning that we should take into account the fact that [Guterres] has taken this initiative since March, following his own contracts, and the fact that he is personally investing time, as well as the institutional role he serves in this visit”.

  He added that more regarding Turkey’s stance on the matter will be discussed between Christodoulides and Guterres on Tuesday.

  Unconfirmed reports on Friday suggested that Fidan had told Holguin during their own face-to-face meeting in Ankara that a solution to the Cyprus problem must come about upon the basis of two states, though Fidan had last month signed a joint declaration with three European commissioners offering his support for Guterres’ efforts.

  Letymbiotis on Monday stressed that “common ground exists” between the island’s two sides regarding a solution to the Cyprus problem, and that “that common ground is the UN security council resolutions”.

  Later in the day, Holguin met Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, and stressed that Guterres’ visit to the island is “the testament of [his] commitment” to solving the Cyprus problem.

  Erhurman promised that “we will continue to contribute in good faith to [Guterres’] efforts to ensure that the meetings of tomorrow and the day after tomorrow are fruitful”, having said on Sunday said that it would not be correct to attach the meaning of a solution or the beginning of the end of anything to this visit”.

  He added that “as always, we are carrying out our work in consultation with the authorities in the Republic of Turkey”, and said that “as has been the case until now, our guiding principle will continue to be the will of our people”.

  In preparation for his arrival to Cyprus, Guterres had held a telephone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday, while Christodoulides had himself prepared for Guterres’ visit by visiting Athens and meeting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

  Mitsotakis had said of Guterres’ arrival that that with the secretary-general set to leave office at the end of this year, a sense of urgency has been created.

  “Now is the time to explore the possibility of turning this into reality,” he told Christodoulides.

  On Friday, Fidan had met Holguin in Ankara, with Holguin having arrived directly from Brussels, where she had met both European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the commission’s envoy for the Cyprus problem Raffaele Fitto in separate meetings.

• North’s ruling coalition divided over Guterres visit

  The north’s three-party ruling coalition found itself divided on Monday over its stance on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ arrival in Cyprus, with one of the parties saying it hopes for “constructive results for the Cyprus negotiation process” and the other briefly calling for a protest against his visit.

  It was the DP which was most amenable, with party secretary-general Serhat Akpinar saying that he hopes Guterres’ contacts on the island will “contribute to strengthening lasting peace, mutual trust, and stability on the island”.

  “The Cyprus issue has become a process marked by unfulfilled international commitments, unimplemented decisions, and political, economic, and international injustices suffered by the Turkish Cypriot people for many years,” he said.

  As such, he added, the UN “should go beyond its role as a facilitator between the two parties and take the lead in fulfilling the promises made to the Turkish Cypriot people in the past”.

  This, he added, is “important for re-establishing trust”.

  One example he gave was the 2004 Annan plan referendum, which was accepted by the Turkish Cypriot electorate but overwhelmingly rejected by the Greek Cypriot electorate.

  He said that “despite the Turkish Cypriot people demonstrating their will for a solution, the [international] commitments to lift the isolations on them were not fulfilled”.

  “Removing the obstacles to the Turkish Cypriots’ political equality, sovereign rights, and direct contact with the international community is an important responsibility for the United Nations, and a lasting solution should be shaped on the basis of equality, mutual respect, security, and the sovereign will of the two peoples,” he said.

  He added that the DP will “continue to support peace, stability, and cooperation in Cyprus”, and said he hopes that Guterres’ visit to the island will “contribute to a better understanding of the Turkish Cypriot people’s rights and to the beginning of a fair, realistic, and sustainable process for the future”.

  However, his stance was not shared by ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel, who leads the coalition’s largest party, the UBP, and who said that “if Guterres wants to go down in history by finding a solution to the Cyprus problem, this is what he must do: convene the UN general assembly and recognise the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”.

  “This is an urgent necessity which can no longer be postponed in terms of accepting the existing realities in Cyprus, establishing lasting peace, and abandoning the understanding which has yielded no results for more than half a century,” he said.

  He added that “the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a living state with institutions, democracy, an economy, and the will of its people”, and that “no approach which ignores this reality has any chance of success”.

  “For more than half a century in Cyprus, the same methods have been tried, the same cliches have been repeated. The result has not changed. Because the problem was never the Turkish Cypriot side’s will for a solution. The problem was the international understanding which ignored the realities on the island,” he said.

  He, too, pointed out the 2004 Annan plan referendum, and said that despite the fact that the Turkish Cypriot side voted in favour of a solution to the Cyprus problem, “the promises were not kept”.

  “Instead of the isolations being lifted, they were further intensified. Law was used as a tool of politics. Political, legal, and economic pressures on the Turkish Cypriot people and economy were systematically increased,” he said.

  He added that “the main responsibility for this lies with the United Nations and the European Union”, and that given that no progress has been achieved towards a solution, “the United Nations should now abandon the concept of a federation, which has not produced results for more than 60 years”.

  “The reality on the island is clear. There are two peoples in Cyprus, there are two democracies, and there are two separate states,” he said.

  The YDP, the coalition’s third party, had briefly called a protest against the UN and Guterres for Tuesday morning, with a poster shared on social media declaring both to be “passive, unprincipled, biased, failed, not welcomed, not trusted, not wanted”.

  Party leader and ‘transport minister’ Erhan Arikli then said that the protest had been called off following “statements of support for the UN’s efforts from Turkey and President Tufan Erhurman”.

  However, he nonetheless expressed reservations about Guterres’ arrival, saying that “while there is so much bloodshed and oppression in the world, it is not normally your job to make an island where peace, tranquillity, and serenity have prevailed for 50 years a problem again and present a solution model”.

  “Let us see what it will bring and what it will take away. If he brings proposals for confidence-building measures, not just a solution based on a federation, then we need that, too. Let us see his hand, first, then we will evaluate the situation,” he said.

  He went on to say that it is “not possible for Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots to live under a common state”, but said that instead, “the two communities could live side by side with good neighbourly relations”.

  On this front, he pointed out the rise of Elam in Greek Cypriot politics and “its rhetoric regarding Kyrenia”.

  “It is impossible for us to live together with these people. We can be good neighbours, but it is impossible for us to live next to them,” he said, before issuing a warning to those in Greek Cypriot politics speaking of returns to Kyrenia.

  “Those who set their sights on Kyrenia should consider that they could lose Larnaca and Limassol. Our eyes are still on the Hala Sultan Tekkesi. The Hala Sultan Tekkesi is waiting there, orphaned. This is a wound in our hearts,” he said.

  The Hala Sultan Tekkesi is one of the holiest sites in Islam, with some scholars ranking it fourth in importance after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.

  Umm Haram, a foster sister of the prophet Mohamed’s wife, Amina, is buried there, having died during the first Arab conquest of Cyprus in the seventh century.

• Guterres’ arrival a ‘significant opportunity’, Annita says

  The arrival of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Cyprus on Monday night constitutes a “significant opportunity” for Cyprus, House President Annita Demetriou said.

  She added that this opportunity is one which the island must “seize with seriousness, responsibility, and national unity”.

  “Disy remains steadfastly by the side of every substantive effort which can lead to the resumption of negotiations in earnest and positive outcomes for our country,” she said of her own party.

  Akel also described Guterres’ visit as an “opportunity to break the longstanding impasse on the Cyprus issue and pave the way for the resumption of negotiations on the agreed basis and framework, for an end to the occupation and the reunification of our homeland and people”.

  “It is crucial to preserve the entirety of the convergences reached and negotiations should continue from the point at which they were interrupted in 2017 on the remaining issues,” it said.

  It added that it “will not tire of repeating that only the solution of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality can free our homeland from occupation and partition and lead our people to a future of peace and permanent security”, before offering its endorsement for a pro-federation demonstration which is due to take place on Tuesday evening.

  Diko, meanwhile, said that Guterres’ visit “should be a starting point for a substantive restart of the Cyprus problem on the agreed basis”.

  “Guterres’ contacts must lead to concrete next steps, including the convening of an enlarged meeting, with the clear aim of returning to substantive talks on the agreed basis, the relevant [UN] security council resolutions, and the principles of international and European law,” it said.

  However, the party also criticised Guterres for electing to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman at his official residence in the northern sector of Ayios Dhometios.

  “This specific venue should be avoided, and the meeting should not be organised in a way which gives even symbolic characteristics of a head of state to the Turkish Cypriot leader. Unfortunately, this leaves room for propaganda exploitation on the part of the occupation regime and of Turkey,” it said.

  Guterres will hold separate meetings, first with President Nikos Christodoulides and then with Erhurman, at their official residences on Tuesday morning. Later on Tuesday, he will visit the Committee on Missing Persons, before holding a tripartite meeting with both leaders on Wednesday at the UN’s good offices mission.

• Firefighters to remain near Kalo Chorio overnight to manage flareups

  Firefighters will remain in the area surrounding the military firing range near the Larnaca district village of Kalo Chorio overnight on Monday and into the early hours of Tuesday morning to deal with possible flareups, chief fire officer Nikos Longinos said.

  He said the fire brigade had been on the scene within seven minutes of being informed of the fire at 12.27pm, and that aircraft operating in the area were also “immediately informed”.

  Additionally, he said that the civil defence was called upon to aid in the evacuations of the nearby villages of Ayia Anna and Psevdas, while “instructions were given through the CYAlert system to inform people”, though Ayia Anna mukhtar Anastasis Georgiou had earlier complained that the CYAlert emergency warning was not received by villagers until 5.20pm.

  Regarding the fire itself, he said that tackling it was “not easy, due to the intensity of the winds and the morphology of the terrain”, and disclosed that a “minor civilian injury” was recorded as a result of the fire.

  He added that it is “clear” that the fire broke out at the firing range, but that for now, he does not wish to expand on the issue.

  “Statements have been made by the defence minister on the matter, so I will remain committed to speaking about our own actions, along with those of the other competent services,” he said.

  He said that once the fire had reached the perimeter of the firing range, windspeeds had heightened, and that this, in addition to the existence of “vegetation” nearby, makes it “very easy for a fire to start and for a front to open up”.

  On the matter of aerial means used to tame the fire, he said that “helicopters were operating in the difficult areas”, and that aircraft were deploying retardant “in front of the fire … so that it would not have an uncontrolled course towards populated areas”.

  He also called on the public to “be extremely careful” going forward, because “you see that a spark can cause a great disaster”, before adding that the coming days may be “particularly difficult due to the high temperatures and strong winds”.

  Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas had earlier said that he had “already ordered an investigation to establish the exact circumstances around which this specific situation developed”.

  “At the same time, I must say that those responsible have names and surnames, and the responsibility lies with the 70th engineers’ battalion,” he said.

  “Expect developments on this issue within days,” he said, before adding that the 70th engineers’ battalion should have consulted those higher than it in the chain of command before launching live weaponry.

• Two farming units ‘may’ have FMD

  Authorities on Monday said two more farming units may have been infected with foot and mouth disease(FMD), with confirmation pending.

  The two suspected farming units are located in Pentakomo, Limassol district, and Avgorou in the Famagusta district.

  Samples from animals have been taken for testing.

  “These are two cases under investigation,” said Demetris Epaminondas, a member of the team of epidemiologists working against FMD.

  They have yet to be officially classed as cases of FMD.

  If confirmed, they would bring the number of infected farming units up to 123. In addition, they would be the first instances of FMD detected in eastern Limassol and Famagusta district.

  The latest confirmed case of FMD in the south was detected on June 10.

  The first case was confirmed on February 20 of this year.

  To date, 56,632 sheep and goats have been culled, representing 11.5 per cent of that animal stock. In addition, 24,483 pigs (7.8 per cent) and 3,018 cows (3.5 per cent) have been put to death.

  Approved compensation to livestock farmers – for loss of animals, milk and animal feed – stands at €19.4 million.

  By mid-June, second-dose vaccination coverage stood at 84 per cent for cattle, 78 per cent for sheep and 41 per cent for pigs.

• Palmas says ‘no active front’ in Kalo Chorio fire, police reopen Psevdas road

  Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said there is currently “no active front” in the fire which broke out at the firing range near the Larnaca district village of Kalo Chorio, while ordering an investigation into the circumstances surrounding how it started, while the police reopened the road linking Kalo Chorio and nearby Psevdas.

  Shortly before 7.45pm, the fire brigade declared that the fire had been “contained”, with efforts ongoing to extinguish it in its entirety.

  Earlier, Palmas said he had “already ordered an investigation to establish the exact circumstances around which this specific situation developed”.

  “At the same time, I must say that those responsible have names and surnames, and the responsibility lies with the 70th engineers’ battalion,” he said.

  He added that with temperatures having reached 40 degrees Celsius in the area, and “with heavy weapons explosions prohibited during the summer months”, the battalion “proceeded” to conduct a live firing drill.

  “It will be investigated why they proceeded to let these missiles off with tragic results, fortunately without threatening human lives and destroying property,” he said.

  While he did declare that there is “no active front”, he said that he did not wish to “downplay the damage we have done to the surrounding areas”, and as such promised to “exhaust all the severity provided for such cases”.

  “Expect developments on this issue within days,” he said, before adding that the 70th engineers’ battalion should have consulted those higher than it in the chain of command before launching live weaponry.

  He also stressed that responsibility for the matter was not in any way his, saying that “no reasonable person would place any responsibility on the president or the defence minister regarding this issue”.

  “As far as the president is concerned, we must leave him completely out of this issue. If issues of political responsibility are raised, then I want you to know that I will take it on with all responsibility,” he said.

  He added that he is “not under any emotional stress”, but that “this should not imply that I am not angry”.

  The fire broke out at the firing range at around 12.30pm and spread in a north-westerly direction to the nearby village of Ayia Anna.

  Village leader Anastasis Georgiou told the Cyprus News Agency that despite this, the CY-Alert emergency alert message was only sent to villagers at 5.20pm, but that “we took the initiative ourselves”.

  “We rang the village bell and said the village was to be evacuated,” he said.

  He also said that missiles were exploded in the area last summer, and described the situation as “unacceptable”, before pointing his finger at both Palmas and President Nikos Christodoulides.

  “It is not possible for projectiles to explode at such temperatures. We have been put in danger too many times. It is happening again. The fire came to our village and we have the same problems,” he said.

  While the road between Kalo Chorio and Psevdas was closed, the police had earlier also urged the public to stay away from both villages and nearby Ayia Anna, “both for their own safety and so as to ensure the unhindered movement of firefighting forces”.

  Psevdas itself was evacuated shortly after 5pm.

• 65% of Turkish Cyprus in favour of Cyprus solution

  A large cross-section of Turkish Cypriots are dissatisfied with the current status quo and favour a settlement to the Cyprus issue, a survey in the north found on Monday.

  Conducted by the Cmirs (Centre for Migration, Identity and Rights Studies) think tank, the rolling poll found that 65 per cent of Turkish Cypriots would like a deal on the Cyprus issue.

  Meanwhile nearly 76 per cent of respondents picked the bizonal, bicommunal federation (BBF) model as the preferred settlement. At the same time, though, 63.52 per cent had concerns about such a settlement – likely reflecting longstanding reservations regarding the implementation of BBF and possible consequences.

  The think tank carries out the poll every quarter. For the June survey, Cmirs polled 500 respondents.

  The results also showed that a substantial segment of society no longer sees the current status quo as sustainable – with 59.96 per cent of respondents opining that the continuation of the current situation is unacceptable.

  Whereas a BBF-type settlement received the broadest support, 61.37 per cent of respondents said a confederal model was considered acceptable. Meanwhile a unitary state model received support from only 25.95 per cent, making it the least favoured option.

  Nevertheless, according to Cmirs director Mine Yucel, support for a unitary state has increased compared with previous years; she said this may reflect growing dissatisfaction with the status quo.

  The poll also tracked a clear divide among Turkish Cypriots on the question of living with Greek Cypriots again. Here, 50.31 per cent of respondents considered the idea acceptable.

  The survey found that the Cyprus issue remains a major source of concern not only politically but also economically, socially and in terms of security.

  For example, 88.38 per cent of respondents expressed concern over the current uncertainty surrounding the Cyprus problem; 82.36 per cent view the suspension/failure of negotiations as worrying; 92.58 per cent are concerned about the possibility of increasing isolation and restrictions; and 91.98 per cent believe the unresolved Cyprus issue will slow economic development.

• ‘Clean and inexpensive energy is being thrown away’

  Even though battery storage is key to bringing down electricity costs, the state is restricting the utilisation of this technology, a collective of businesses said on Monday.

  The Electricity Market Association (EMA) said energy poverty remains one of the biggest challenges, with consumers in Cyprus saddled with among the highest electricity bills across the EU.

  “For Cyprus, the stakes of transitioning to green energy concerns not only increasing production from renewables sources,” the EMA said.

  “Nor whether our country will attain its EU targets. In essence, it is about finding a way of effectively utilising green energy, with a real benefit to consumers.”

  As technology advances, electricity does not need to be consumed the moment it is generated – particularly since the production of solar energy does not always coincide with the hours of the day when demand peaks.

  Without storage, the EMA said, a significant amount of this cheap energy cannot be fully utilised.

  The association also recalled the forced interruptions on solar energy production (commercial and household) whenever energy output exceeds demand.

  Only last April, the EMA said, these cuts to large photovoltaic parks “reached 60 per cent”. Also, from January 1 to May 1, the losses from household PV systems would have covered the power needs of some 7,500 households over a year.

  “Clean and inexpensive energy is being thrown away,” the association added.

  The combined use of PVs and storage batteries allows households and businesses to make the most of the energy they generate. Instead of feeding excess supply to the grid and later buying electricity at a higher price, they can use the stored energy whenever they need it.

  “In this way, electricity bills go down, energy autonomy is enhanced, while exposure to energy price fluctuations is limited.”

  Despite all these clear benefits, the EMA said, in Cyprus progress in energy storage is being held back by time-consuming procedures and red tape.

  “The delays in issuing connection permits on the part of the Distribution System Operator, which comes under the Electricity Authority of Cyprus, create legitimate questions regarding the transparency and effectiveness of the procedures, equal treatment of investors, as well as the independence and impartiality of the involved [state] agencies.”

  These delays “discourage investments of millions of euro, restrict the further utilisation of inexpensive energy from renewables, maintain market distortions and, ultimately, pass on the higher costs to consumers”.

  Paradoxically, the EMA noted, this is happening at a time of heightened business interest in renewables and energy storage.

  “What is therefore needed is a stable and predictable regulatory environment, faster licensing procedures and clearcut rules regarding the participation of storage systems in the electricity market.”

  Registered with the Federation of Employers and Industrialists, the EMA is a collective of private-sector energy companies.

• Man to stand trial over attempted murder after stabbing

  A 22-year-old man was sent to trial by the Larnaca permanent criminal court on Monday over the attempted murder of a 33-year-old man in Aradippou, with the case scheduled to be heard on October 15.

  The defendant, who has been in custody since his arrest on July 19, remains in custody and faces charges including attempted murder, acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm and assault.

  The incident occurred shortly after midnight on July 19 at a residence in Aradippou, where the two men, both Greek nationals, lived and worked together.

  According to evidence presented during earlier court proceedings, the men had spent the evening out with a third person before returning home at around 12.30am.

  Police said an argument began outside the property before continuing inside the house, where the suspect allegedly took two kitchen knives and stabbed the victim twice in the chest, once in the abdomen, three times in the left arm and once in the right hand.

  Emergency services were alerted shortly before 1am after reports of an injured man with apparent knife wounds in the area.

  He was taken to Larnaca general hospital before being transferred to Nicosia general hospital.

  Police said the suspect left the scene after the incident and was located about two hours later in a nearby area before being arrested later in the morning.

  During questioning, investigators said the suspect admitted inflicting the injuries, telling officers that he and the complainant were friends who lived and worked together.

  Scientific examinations were carried out at the residence after the area was cordoned off overnight.

• Erhurman pledges to ‘contribute’ to ensure Guterres meetings are ‘fruitful’

  Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Monday promised to “contribute” to ensure that the forthcoming Cyprus problem meetings involving United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres are “fruitful”, after meeting UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin at his official residence.

  He described Monday’s meeting as “productive”, and said that “we will continue to contribute in good faith to [Guterres’] efforts to ensure that the meetings of tomorrow and the day after tomorrow are fruitful”.

  Holguin, meanwhile, said that she had “a good meeting with Tufan”, and stressed the importance of Guterres’ visit to the island.

  “This is the testament of [Guterres’] commitment … to Cyprus. This is why he is coming, why he maintains his good offices for years. He has been involved in the Cyprus issue for his ten years as secretary-general, so he has come here to support the efforts and try to move forward with the possibility of having a negotiating process,” she said.

  Of her own presence on the island, she said that “I am just listening to the leaders and welcoming the secretary-general as he comes to Cyprus”.

  Holguin had earlier in the day met President Nikos Christodoulides, having previously travelled to both Brussels and Ankara ahead of her return to the island.  

  Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said after Holguin’s meeting with Christodoulides that he hoped Guterres’ forthcoming visit would serve as a “stepping stone towards convening an enlarged meeting” on the Cyprus problem.

  Such a meeting would involve the island’s two sides, its three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, and the UN, and Letymbiotis was keen to stress that he believes that the root cause of the lack of progress on the Cyprus problem in recent years is Turkey.

  “We are aware of the challenges ahead, mainly due to Turkish intransigence,” he said, before later adding that “even a slight glimpse of hope, a window of opportunity, we will take it”.

  In preparation for his arrival to Cyprus, Guterres had held a telephone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday, while Christodoulides had visited Athens and meeting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

  Mitsotakis had said of Guterres’ arrival that that with the secretary-general set to leave office at the end of this year, a sense of urgency has been created.

  “Now is the time to explore the possibility of turning this into reality,” he told Christodoulides.

  On Friday, Fidan had met Holguin in Ankara, with Holguin having arrived directly from Brussels, where she had met both European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the commission’s envoy for the Cyprus problem Raffaele Fitto in separate meetings.

  Guterres will hold separate meetings, first with Christodoulides and then with Erhurman, at their official residences on the Tuesday morning. Later on Tuesday, he will visit the Committee on Missing Persons, before holding a tripartite meeting with both leaders on Wednesday at the UN’s good offices mission.

• Building demolition ceased after hitting asbestos

  Authorities on Monday immediately terminated works on a building being demolished in Ayios Andreas, Nicosia, following the discovery of asbestos sheets on the site.

  The Nicosia district government organisation (EOA) and the labour inspection department ordered that the removal of debris from the worksite cease, following complaints by residents on Saturday that prescribed safety measures for handling asbestos had not been taken.

  EOA officers checked the worksite and determined that the demolition permit – providing for the notification of neighbours in writing and handling waste and in particular asbestos – was not being observed.

  The labour inspection department contacted the contractor, who then followed the initial instructions given by the authorities.

  During a new inspection on Monday, asbestos sheets were found on site and the contractor was instructed to immediately stop works and draft a plan for their safe removal to protect public health.

  The department also gave instructions for the debris to be doused in water and for measurements to be taken for asbestos in the atmosphere.

  The Nicosia EOA said it remained in constant coordination with the labour inspection department with the aim of protecting public health, the safety of the people and the strict adherence to the law.

  It added that the law also provided for an administrative fine.

• Two villages ordered to evacuate as fire spreads from Kalo Chorio

  Residents of Ayia Anna and the village of Psevdas were ordered to evacuate on Monday afternoon after a fire that broke out at the Kalo Chorio firing range spread beyond the military area.

  Civil Defence spokesman Panayiotis Liasidis said some 350 residents from Ayia Anna were being transferred to a temporary shelter at the Mosfiloti community council under the ‘Icarus’ evacuation plan until authorities determine it is safe for them to return to their homes.

  The fire broke out at around 12.40pm during national guard exercises at the firing range.

  Authorities have extended precautionary evacuations to the neighbouring village of Psevdas.

  Residents received emergency alerts on their mobile phones instructing them to leave the area, while the village church bell was rung shortly before 5pm to begin the evacuation of the community of around 1,000 people.

  A coordination centre was established in Ayia Anna by the forestry department and the fire service to oversee the response.

  Ambulances were stationed in the area as a precaution, while one volunteer firefighter sustained minor injuries during the operation and received medical assistance.

  Firefighters are continuing to to prevent the blaze from reaching additional homes as crews battled the advancing fire front.

  Fire brigade spokesman Andreas Kettis said three fire engines from the Larnaca branch were initially dispatched before being reinforced with additional crews from the forestry department.

  Three aircraft have likewise been deployed to carry out water drops around the perimeter of the blaze, while the forestry department assumed operational responsibility for coordinating the response.

  Police officers were also deployed to the area to assist with the emergency operation.

  Ayia Anna’s Mukhtar, Anastasis Georgiou, confirmed that the fire has already damaged houses within the village while efforts to contain the fire were continuing on Monday afternoon.

  The Kalo Chorio firing range has previously been the focus of military investigations after two TNT explosive charges disappeared in January during an engineer training exercise after a controlled detonation failed to ignite.

  More to follow….

• Cyprus expresses solidarity with Saudi Arabia after Red Sea attacks

  Cyprus on Monday expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia following attacks on Saudi vessels in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, including recent direct missile strikes.

  In a post on X, the foreign ministry said the attacks against Saudi vessels, including the latest missile attacks, were further destabilising the region.

  “The freedom of navigation and the safe passage of vessels, in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), are absolutely imperative,” the ministry said.

  It added that diplomacy and dialogue remained “the only sustainable path towards lasting de-escalation.”

  The statement comes amid renewed concerns over security in the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, where attacks on commercial vessels have continued to disrupt maritime traffic and heighten regional tensions.

• Paphos EOA defends recruitment procedures

  Paphos district government organisation (EOA) insisted on Monday that all recent recruitment procedures were carried out in accordance with existing legislation, following questions over delays in publishing results and the evaluation process used for certain positions.

  It said that all procedures followed complied with legislation.

  The EOA said it had faced significant understaffing across several departments since beginning operations, creating urgent need for personnel.

  It said that where legislation allowed for an exclusively oral examination process, this option was used in accordance with the law.

  “This choice was not made outside the prescribed procedures but within the framework established by law,” the organisation said, adding that the aim was to complete recruitment more quickly and address immediate staffing requirements.

  Regarding communication with candidates, it said all participants were informed individually by letter on whether they had been selected.

  It added that where written examinations were held, results were published in the official government gazette, as required by law.

  The clarification follows questions over why the results for some candidates had not been published on the Paphos EOA website, despite some successful candidates reportedly already taking up their positions.

  Concerns had also been raised over the evaluation method used for certain posts, including mid-to-high ranking positions on salary scales A9 and A13, (€33,810 up to over €77,000) where selection was based solely on personal interviews.

  The EOA insisted these procedures were applied only where permitted by law and rejected claims that recruitment processes had deviated from the established framework.

• National response plan aims to coordinate response to emergencies

  “This incident rattled us,” Justice Minister Costas Fitiris said on Monday unveiling a national rapid response plan to improve coordination between emergency services and prevent a repeat of the seven-hour closure of the Nicosia-Limassol motorway seen last week.

  Speaking after a meeting with all the services involved, Fitiris said the government had completed a full review of the response to the accident and prepared a draft plan setting out the responsibilities and actions of each agency.

  The meeting brought together representatives of the police, fire service, Civil Defence, ambulance service, Public Works Department and other authorities whose involvement may be required during a serious incident.

  “All these services must work together and respond in the shortest possible time,” Fitiris said.

  The minister said the plan was intended to improve coordination between authorities and prevent a repeat of the prolonged disruption experienced after a lorry overturned and blocked the motorway.

  “This incident, to put it simply, rattled us,” he said, adding that the government had moved immediately to prepare the new framework.

  Under the plan, there will be a clearly defined chain of command, setting out which authority will coordinate the response, what actions each service must take and how information will be communicated to the public.

  Fitiris said the police would have overall responsibility for coordination, although the response would involve several other agencies depending on the nature of the incident.

  The plan will also determine which authority issues public warnings and how existing systems, including CY-Alert, will be used to notify drivers and residents at an early stage.

  The aim, he said, was to prevent vehicles from continuing towards the scene of an incident and becoming trapped in congestion, while directing motorists towards alternative routes.

  The minister said the framework would not apply only to highway accidents but to any serious incident requiring the involvement of several services.

  He cited as an example an emergency in which an area had to be evacuated while another incident was taking place nearby, requiring a fast and coordinated response.

  Special response teams will be established in every district to implement the plan.

  Asked by the Cyprus Mail whether the plan would require additional funding, Fitiris said the government would initially make use of existing resources, including CY-Alert and announcements through the media, which would not create significant additional costs.

  Any expenditure would mainly relate to additional equipment and agreements with private companies for services that cannot be provided by government departments.

  He said contracts could, for example, be signed with private companies in each district to provide cranes capable of removing overturned lorries or other heavy vehicles.

  Such contracts would specify that the company must respond immediately, with the cost calculated on an hourly basis.

  Asked by the Cyprus Mail whether the plan would include measurable response times, Fitiris said targets would form part of the framework.

  “If there are no measurable response times, it will not be a plan,” he said.

  He rejected suggestions that responsibility for the seven-hour closure rested solely with the police, saying the force had responded but did not have the equipment or authority to remove the lorry or clear the road.

  “The police can respond to an accident, but only up to a point,” he said.

  The minister said different services were responsible for investigating the accident, clearing the road, cutting safety barriers if necessary and issuing public warnings.

  “What we have done after this incident is bring all these services together and prepare a single plan, so that they can coordinate in the shortest possible time,” he said.

  Fitiris described the highway accident as unprecedented, as the overturned lorry and its spilled load had blocked all lanes rather than a single one.

  However, he said the incident had shown that the authorities must be prepared even for unusual or previously unforeseen situations.

  The draft plan will now be reviewed by the services involved before being finalised and put into effect.

• Why Cyprus crows are smarter than you think

  Spending the past year feeding the neighborhood crows has changed the way I see them. What began as a simple routine soon became something stranger. They learned a whistle, anticipated feeding times, and even began appearing outside different windows of the house. Watching them steal cat food and scare away pigeons, I began to wonder if these birds were paying more attention than people think. Scientists, it turns out, have been asking the same question.

  Often considered just noisy scavengers, crows have lately gained scientific recognition as some of the most intelligent animals on our planet. Crows have problem solving skills, can remember individual people, learn from one another, and exhibit behaviours that were considered exclusively human.

  Cyprus is home to several species belonging to the corvid family. Apart from the well-known Hooded Crow, there are Eurasian Magpies, Jackdaws and Cyprus Jay, an endemic subspecies that inhabits the Troodos, Paphos and Machairas forests.

  “Corvids absolutely deserve to be part of that conversation because their intelligence has been repeatedly demonstrated through observation and experiments,” says Elena Markitani, Communication Coordinator at BirdLife Cyprus.

  What is especially interesting about corvids, according to Markitani, is that they possess such capabilities with brains that are vastly different from those of other animals.

  “What makes them especially fascinating is that they achieve all this with a very different brain structure from mammals,” she says. “When we see corvids showing behaviours that look ‘ape-like’-tool use, planning, social learning, memory, it tells us that advanced intelligence can evolve in very different branches of the animal kingdom”.

  The corvid family includes crows, ravens, jackdaws, magpies and jays, which are known for consistently astonishing scientists with their unique skills and traits, which had been thought characteristic only to humans and other primates.

  Research has revealed that crows are able to recognise faces of individuals and associate particular faces with danger. More remarkably, they can communicate this information with other crows.

  “They are extremely remarkable,” says Markitani. “A crow is not simply reacting to a human; it can distinguish one person from another and adjust its behaviour based on past experience. That kind of ability is highly valuable for survival, especially in environments shared with people.”

  Recent research has gone on to show the incredible sophistication of these birds. Scientists from the University of Tübingen discovered that the carrion crows had the ability to make a certain number of sounds depending on numerical cues, with scientists making parallels between the way toddlers first learn to count.

  Other studies have shown that corvids were able to create tools and plan for future gains, as well as the ability to understand recursive patterns, something that was long considered fundamental to human language and reasoning.

  For Markitani, some of the most interesting examples can be witnessed much closer to home. The Hooded Crow in Cyprus is an extremely adaptable and observant bird. They are often seen searching for sources of food, watching humans and quickly taking advantage of opportunities.

  The most impressive behaviour demonstrated by Hooded Crows in Cyprus involves the use of traffic for cracking nuts.

  “Yes, crows in Cyprus show many signs of adapting very successfully to human environments and routines,” says Markitani.

  “One interesting behaviour observed in urban areas is crows dropping hard shell nuts such as pecans onto roads so that passing cars crack them open. This shows opportunistic problem solving: the birds are using something in their environment, traffic, to access a food source that would otherwise be difficult to open.”

  In areas frequented by tourists, crows have figured out how to feed from garbage cans where food waste is regularly left behind. They have also been observed feeding among cats when food and water are left out for strays.

  “These behaviours may seem ordinary at first, but they reveal a great deal about crow intelligence,” says Markitani. “They show learning, memory, flexibility and the ability to connect human routines with feeding opportunities”.

  Their success is helped by the fact that humans have a lot of predictable patterns of behaviour. Waste management systems, places where people eat outdoors, gardens, and farms are places that are accessible to birds, which can learn and adapt.

  “They are omnivorous, intelligent, and socially aware”, Markitani says. “A bird that is observant, cautious, opportunistic and able to learn can do very well in such places.”

  The research on crows has also led to new perspectives on intelligence. “They teach us that intelligence has evolved more than once, in different forms and under different pressures,” says Markitani. “Corvids challenge the old idea that complex cognition belongs mainly to mammals with large primate-like brains.”

  Scientists believe that studying corvids can help shed light on general issues surrounding the evolution of intelligence and the types of pressure that favour problem solving and innovation.

  Crows and corvids also perform a vital function in the ecosystems of Cyprus. As scavengers, they help remove carrion and organic waste, while the jays help in seed dispersal and regrowth of woodlands. Even though corvids prey on eggs and can come into conflict with farmers, Markitani says it’s important to see them as a functioning ecosystem rather than just labelling them as pests.

  “Their impact is not one-dimensional,” she says. “They can create costs in some situations, but they also provide ecological services such as scavenging, nutrient recycling and helping to control some invertebrates”.

  For those who may not give them much thought, Markitani says one thing worth remembering is “they are not just noisy black and grey birds in the city or countryside. They are among the most intelligent birds on earth, and they offer us a daily reminder that remarkable wildlife can be found right next to us, even in the most familiar places”.

• Fire breaks out after national guard firing exercise

  Firefighting crews and aircraft were mobilised on Monday after a fire broke out at the Kalo Chorio firing range following national guard live-fire exercises that spread beyond the range.

  Fire service spokesman Andreas Kettis said three fire engines from Larnaca responded to the scene, while additional ground forces were deployed to strengthen firefighting efforts.

  The response was also supported by the forestry department, with three firefighting aircraft carrying out water drops around the fire’s perimeter to contain the blaze.

  The affected area falls under the forestry department’s operational responsibility, with the department coordinating the firefighting operation.

• Police launch nationwide burglary prevention campaign

  The Cyprus police, in partnership with Trust Insurance Cyprus, on Monday launched a nationwide public awareness campaign to help prevent residential burglaries and thefts.

  Running until Friday, the initiative is part of a cooperation agreement between the two organisations, aiming to raise public awareness about home security and effective crime prevention.

  Throughout the week, police will conduct awareness activities across the island, distributing leaflets and providing practical advice for residents to better protect their homes and property.

  The campaign aims to enhance prevention efforts and promote a stronger culture of safety among the public.

Github

• Manage GitHub Copilot app access with a dedicated policy

  The GitHub Copilot app now has its own policy, so you can control who has access to it at the enterprise and organization levels.

  Until now, access to the Copilot app depended on your GitHub Copilot CLI policy being enabled. From several conversations with customers, we understand that many of you want to manage each client independently. Now the Copilot app and the Copilot CLI each have their own policy, giving you the flexibility and control to enable the right clients for your teams.

  This new policy keeps your developers’ work within the guardrails you already rely on. When using this app, developers drive agent sessions in isolated workspaces and land changes through pull requests. This means the same reviews, checks, and audit history apply as they would to any other contribution. The Copilot app also joins Copilot CLI and VS Code as a supported client for enterprise-managed settings, so the guardrails you define once (e.g., which plugins developers can use) are consistently enforced in the Copilot app as well.

  You’ll find this policy alongside your other Copilot policies. It’s set to Enabled everywhere by default, so your developers can start using the app right away with no action needed from you. You have three options:

  • Enabled everywhere gives your developers access to the app.
  • Disabled everywhere turns the app off across your enterprise.
  • Let organizations decide passes the choice to each organization’s admin.

  If the Copilot app isn’t the right fit for your teams, set it to Disabled everywhere. Developers who open the Copilot app will see a notice that their admin hasn’t enabled it.

  To review or change the policy:

  1. From your enterprise or organization settings, open the AI Controls tab.
  2. Go to the “Copilot Clients” section.
  3. Select the Copilot app policy.
  4. Choose Enabled everywhere, Disabled everywhere, or Let organizations decide.

  To learn more about the Copilot app, including how to get started and manage policies, explore our Copilot app documentation.

  To download the Copilot app, visit our landing page

  The post Manage GitHub Copilot app access with a dedicated policy appeared first on The GitHub Blog.

• Enterprise managed settings in the GitHub Copilot app and Copilot cloud agent

  You can now govern the GitHub Copilot app and Copilot cloud agent with enterprise managed settings, the same centrally managed policies you use to control Copilot across your enterprise. With a managed-settings.json file, enterprise owners define one set of guardrails, such as which plugins and marketplaces developers can use and whether they can bypass approval prompts. Copilot clients automatically enforce these settings for everyone on your enterprise’s Copilot plan.

  As your developers adopt Copilot across more surfaces, you’re accountable for applying the same governance everywhere they work. Any client that sits outside your policy is a gap, a place where someone could install a plugin you haven’t vetted or run a command you’d normally gate. Your governance is only as strong as its least-covered surface.

  The Copilot app and cloud agent now join Copilot CLI and VS Code as supported clients for enterprise managed settings, so your guardrails follow your developers into the app and cloud agent tasks. You define your policy once, and it’s enforced consistently wherever your teams build. That’s the cross-client consistency and high-trust teams need to adopt Copilot with confidence.

  Bring every client under the same guardrails

  The Copilot app reads the same managed-settings.json you already use for your other clients. You can govern things like:

  • Which plugins are available.
  • Which plugin marketplaces developers can install from.
  • Whether developers can bypass approval prompts before Copilot runs commands, accesses files, or fetches URLs.
  • Setting auto model selection as the default for new conversations.

  The Copilot cloud agent reads the applicable managed settings, including those for plugins and marketplace controls. It only uses the plugins and marketplaces you’ve approved. Bypass-prompt controls only apply to the interactive clients (i.e., the app, Copilot CLI, and VS Code).

  For each supported key, your managed value takes precedence over anything a developer sets locally. See the full list of options in the enterprise managed settings reference.

  If you already deploy managed-settings.json for Copilot CLI and VS Code, there’s nothing new to set up. The Copilot app automatically picks up your existing configuration the next time a developer signs in or restarts the app, and the cloud agent observes changes on the next task assignment.

  Getting started

  If you’re setting up enterprise managed settings for the first time, the default approach is server-managed deployment:

  1. Create and configure a .github-private repository in your enterprise. For more information, see our guide.
  2. In that repository, create or update copilot/managed-settings.json.
  3. Add your enterprise policy keys and values in JSON, then commit and push to the default branch.

  Supported clients apply updated settings within about an hour, immediately after a developer restarts the client, or when a developer signs back in. You can also deploy through MDM or a distributed file.

  To learn more, see configuring enterprise managed settings.

  Join the discussion within GitHub Community.

  The post Enterprise managed settings in the GitHub Copilot app and Copilot cloud agent appeared first on The GitHub Blog.

Reddit

r/golang

• Concurrent Access to Map Values?

  I know that maps aren't safe for concurrent access, but I've always thought this meant that you can't add or delete keys concurrently.

  Let's say I already have a map[string]int that has been filled with keys that are file names. I want to add an int value for each key to contain the file size. Could I do this by running a bunch of go routines, one per file name key?

  My thinking is that this should be allowed because adding a file name to the map should have also added space for an int value. So, I'd just be modifying this int, and not changing the hash table data structure. Is this correct?

  submitted by /u/Business_Chef_806
  [link] [comments]
• Changing log levels at runtime in Go

  Wrote up some thoughts on changing log levels at runtime in Go — mostly because the top SO question on this (23k views) has an answer that seems like only half an answer to me. Short version: slog.HandlerOptions.Level takes a value unless you hand it a *slog.LevelVar, so runtime changes only work if you wired that in when you built the logger — same deal with zap's AtomicLevel. The back half of the question to me is how do you actually tell the handler to change, since once you're past one instance, an endpoint that flips the level only fixes the pod it happens to hit. imo the right model is instances reading the level from config stored in git and then figuring out ways to have get that config to update Disclosure: I work on Quonfig — the back half of the post covers the config-driven approach, which we build. You can use it free and open with some assembly to git pull. The slog/zap half is stdlib. submitted by /u/jeffdwyer [link] [comments]

• Small Projects

  This is the weekly thread for Small Projects.

  The point of this thread is to have looser posting standards than the main board. As such, projects are pretty much only removed from here by the mods for being completely unrelated to Go. However, Reddit often labels posts full of links as being spam, even when they are perfectly sensible things like links to projects, godocs, and an example. r/golang mods are not the ones removing things from this thread and we will allow them as we see the removals.

  Please also avoid posts like "why", "we've got a dozen of those", "that looks like AI slop", etc. This the place to put any project people feel like sharing without worrying about those criteria.

  submitted by /u/AutoModerator
  [link] [comments]
• What’s one Go standard library package you think deserves more attention?

  We talk a lot about popular third-party libraries, but Go’s standard library is already incredibly capable.
  What’s one package you think more developers should use, and what problem does it solve particularly well?

  submitted by /u/StoneLantern97
  [link] [comments]