Wednesday, August 5, 2026
cf0ec7a3-799f-4dfb-898d-420d847865f7
| Summary | ⛅️ Clear throughout the day. |
|---|---|
| Temperature Range | 23°C to 32°C (73°F to 89°F) |
| Feels Like | Low: 79°F | High: 100°F |
| Humidity | 75% |
| Wind | 11 km/h (7 mph), Direction: 205° |
| Precipitation | Probability: 0%, Type: No precipitation expected |
| Sunrise / Sunset | 🌅 06:01 AM / 🌇 07:46 PM |
| Moon Phase | Waning Gibbous (73%) |
| Cloud Cover | 7% |
| Pressure | 1009.32 hPa |
| Dew Point | 72.56°F |
| Visibility | 5.68 miles |
Forest fires have lasting effects on biodiversity with some regions taking decades or even centuries to become mature forests again, forestry department spokesman Glafkos Kyriakou said on Tuesday.
He said the ecosystem of a region is particularly vulnerable in the aftermath of a fire, with the recovery period depending on the type and intensity of the fire, human interaction and prevailing weather conditions.
According to Kyriakou, one of the earliest and most pressing threats following a forest fire is soil erosion driven by rain and wind.
Compounding the problem, the risk of landslides rises significantly, while the loss of fertile topsoil slows the forest’s long-term recovery.
He added that the destruction of vegetation strips the land of its natural ability to absorb rainwater, setting off a cascade of ecological consequences with animals losing their food sources, shelters and breeding grounds, forcing them to move to other areas, while at the same time hindering the forest’s natural regeneration, which relies on animals and birds to disperse seeds.
Beyond their impact on the region’s biodiversity, forest fires also affect local communities, tourism, agriculture and degrade air quality by releasing large quantities of carbon dioxide, while the loss of trees simultaneously reduces the forest’s capacity to capture carbon, with serious implications for climate change, he added.
Despite the severe impact on the region, Kyriakou said the forestry department has sought to keep its interventions in the natural environment to a minimum, pointing to the forests’ natural regeneration mechanisms.
He said that after each fire within a state forest, local forest officials prepare a management plan, which is submitted for approval and determines how each area will be restored, however, he emphasised that this did not apply to private land as the department could not intervene on private plots without the owner’s explicit request.
“When asked, we stand by the owners to help them,” he said, adding that there are relevant support plans.
Kyriakou referred to the Planting for the Climate plan, which was announced during the winter and provides for the free provision of basic tree and shrub species, with thousands of plants already having been supplied to communities and individuals.
According to Kyriakou, the plan is open to all, and plantings can be carried out in public or private spaces. If an application is made for more than 50 plants, a planting plan is required.
Representatives of Larnaca communities near the Kalo CHorio firing range on Tuesday expressed their concern over its continued operation, stressing that the safety of residents must be prioritised and was “non-negotiable”.
In a meeting held following a fire last week that broke out at the site and spread to neighbouring villages, the representatives discussed the safety of residents and their properties, as well as the protection of the environment.
They said that “in addition to ashes and cinders”, the fire had left behind “many questions that the authorities must answer”.
“We have received several promises from the minister and the chief [of the National Guard], all these issues were discussed,” said Tremithos community leader Stavroulla Vassiliou, referring to a meeting held last week with Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas and National Guard chief Lieutenant General Emmanuel Theodorou.
She said a second meeting with the minister has been scheduled for mid-September to decide how to proceed and emphasised throughout that resident safety must remain non-negotiable.
“We have been informed that MPs will also register the issue in parliament, so we will wait for the results from there as well,” she said.
The fire at the Kalo Chorio firing range broke out following a national guard live-fire exercise that spread beyond the range on July 27, scorching around 120 of land and prompting the evacuation of the villages Ayia Anna and Psevdas.
Those looking for dancing events in Cyprus have to go on a rather exhausting hunt, as the events are few and rare. This summer, though, a party where you can dance and that is full of summer vibes returns to Paphos. Nostalgia Parties heads back to Polis Chrysochou in the quaint Paphos district this month for an epic summer party.
“After an epic debut last summer,” say organisers, “Nostalgia Parties is returning to Polis for the second time. We’re bringing the Ultimate Disco Party to the Magic Oak Bar in Polis – and you’re invited to dance under the stars and the majestic Oak Tree!”
The Nostalgia Disco Party – Polis Chrysochous takes place in the hea(r)t of the August holidays, on Saturday, August 15, returning to the garden of The Magic Oak. The evening fun will begin at 8pm, and until just after midnight, the venue will fill with favourite tunes from the 70s and 80s.
A night of disco, funk, new wave, classic pop rock and retro hits will be the perfect opportunity for those seeking a good boogie. DJ Loco will warm up the crowd with a special set before DJ Claudio takes over the decks, leading party-goers into a dance frenzy.
Mark your calendars for August 15 if you are in Paphos and get ready for “non-stop good vibes, dancing and pure nostalgia,” as organisers say. Plus, the party welcomes all – children and families included!
Nostalgia Disco Party – Polis Chrysochous
70s and 80s disco, retro party with DJs Loco and Claudio. Event by Nostalgia Parties. August 15. The Magic Oak, Polis Chrysochous, Paphos. 8pm-12.30am. €10. Tel: 99-845761, 99-498642. Facebook event: Nostalgia Disco Party – Polis Chrysochous
President Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday unveiled a partial cabinet reshuffle which will see four ministers replaced.
The reshuffle affects the transport ministry, the agriculture ministry, the deputy ministry of social welfare and the deputy ministry of culture.
Evanthia Tsolaki has been appointed as the new transport minister, succeeding Alexis Vafeades.
Christos Senekis takes over as the new agriculture minister, replacing Maria Panayiotou in the role.
She announced last month that she would be taking up a position as a teacher in state high schools.
Tina Pavlou, the director of the Ayia Skepi drug rehabilitation centre, who also stood for MP with Disy, has been named deputy minister of social welfare, succeeding Clea Hadjistefanou-Papaellina, who moves to the position of deputy minister of culture, succeeding Vassiliki Kassianidou.
In addition, the president also announced changes to three commissioner posts.
Elias Myrianthos has been appointed as the new environment and animal welfare commissioner, Irini Poyatzi takes the role of commissioner for the citizen and Panayiotis Palates has been named as the new director of the president’s office.
The new appointees will be sworn in at a ceremony at the presidential palace on Thursday.
The 31-year-old man who stabbed a woman multiple times at a supermarket in northern Nicosia arrived in Cyprus last Thursday, the north’s ‘interior minister’ Dursun Oguz said on Tuesday.
“He came and went. He entered via the Republic of Turkey like a normal tourist. Then, this tragic incident happened,” he told the north’s public broadcaster BRT, explaining that the man had travelled to Cyprus on three previous occasions: in 2018, last year, and in February.
As such, he said, “the incident should be addressed from a national security perspective, beyond its personal dimension”. He then added that the Turkish Cypriot authorities are as such “making our assessments within this framework”.
Earlier in the day, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman had said that “violence against women constitutes a loss of civilisation”.
“We need to move away from the normalisation and sensationalism, focusing on individual incidents and asking “who” and “why”, and instead focus on holistic policies to eliminate violence against women in particular, and all forms of violence in general,” he said, before adding that he was “saddened” by the incident.
Meanwhile, northern Nicosia’s Dr Burhan Nalbantoglu hospital’s chief physician Hasan Birtan told the north’s Tak news agency that the woman has been intubated and remains in a critical condition, and that “[her] life is still in danger”.
He said that she had sustained “multiple organ injuries” and “significant blood loss” as a result of the attack, adding that she is being treated at the hospital’s intensive care unit.
Additionally, he said that the woman’s attacker, who stabbed himself after the initial attack, is receiving treatment on a “regular ward” at the hospital and is in a stable condition.
The man has not yet been brought before a court due to his health condition.
The incident occurred inside the Metropol supermarket in the suburb of Taskinkoy shortly before midday on Monday, with the man first stabbing the woman, and then stabbing himself.
A 24-year-old man from Syria has died from injuries he suffered in a traffic accident in Limassol on July 26, police said on Tuesday.
Ibrahim Al Aawad was seriously injured when the electric scooter he was riding crashed with a car on Solon Street, Limassol ten days ago at around 10.45pm.
Police said the driver of the car left the scene, and officers are continuing their investigation into the circumstances of the crash.
Al Aawad was taken by ambulance to a private hospital, where he later died. His relatives have been informed.
The driver of the car, a 20-year-old man, was arrested last Tuesday after turning himself in at a police station.
He told police officers he had fled because he did not have the necessary papers to be driving the car.
Police urge anyone with information about the collision or the vehicle to contact Limassol traffic police at 25 805244, the nearest police station, or the citizen’s line at 1460.
Cyprus Airways has signed a new agreement with Bird Aviation for the provision of heavy aircraft maintenance services, further strengthening the long-standing partnership between the two Cyprus-based aviation companies as both continue to expand their operations.
The airline said the agreement will see Bird Aviation continue providing heavy technical support for the Cyprus Airways fleet through a range of scheduled maintenance services carried out at its facilities in Larnaca.
These services include periodic inspections and other scheduled technical work, ensuring that aircraft remain available for operations while meeting the highest technical and safety requirements.
Cyprus Airways said the renewed agreement reflects its continued investment in maintaining the highest technical standards, while ensuring the ongoing efficiency, reliability and availability of its fleet.
The airline added that as it continues to expand its route network and upgrade passenger services, dependable technical support remains a central pillar of its operational strategy.
“Safety, reliability and operational excellence are the cornerstones of the experience Cyprus Airways offers,” said Cyprus Airways chief executive Thanos Paschalis.
“Our partnership with Bird Aviation has been built on mutual trust, expertise and our shared commitment to the highest industry standards,” he added.
“As we continue to grow and expand our network, we are particularly pleased to strengthen this partnership further, ensuring that our passengers continue to enjoy a safe and reliable travel experience,” Paschalis stated.
Bird Aviation chief executive Frederic Pralus said the agreement demonstrates the strength of the relationship the two companies have developed over the years.
“The agreement reflects the strong relationship our teams have built over the years and our shared dedication to safety and operational excellence, while also serving as a positive example of how cooperation between Cyprus-based aviation companies can support the development of the domestic aviation sector,” Pralus said.
The latest agreement comes just days after Bird Aviation announced another significant expansion of its maintenance business, underlining the growing importance of its Larnaca facilities within the European aviation industry.
Last week, Bird Aviation announced that it had signed a long-term agreement with low-cost carrier easyJet to provide scheduled aircraft maintenance services from its facilities in Larnaca, reinforcing Cyprus’ position as a regional aviation maintenance hub.
That agreement has an initial duration of seven years, with an option to extend it for a further three years.
Under the easyJet contract, Bird Aviation will operate two dedicated maintenance lines carrying out scheduled heavy maintenance checks on the airline’s Airbus A320 family aircraft, with all work taking place at its facilities in Cyprus.
The company said the agreement builds on its long-standing relationship with easyJet and establishes a stable framework for the continued delivery of heavy maintenance services.
Bird Aviation also said the deal will further strengthen the role of its Larnaca maintenance base in supporting easyJet’s fleet maintenance programme over the coming years.
Taken together, the Cyprus Airways and easyJet agreements reinforce Bird Aviation’s expanding role as a major aircraft maintenance provider and highlight the growing significance of Cyprus as a centre for heavy aircraft maintenance and technical support in the eastern Mediterranean.
The Cyprus Financial Literacy and Education Committee (CyFLEC) on Tuesday launched moneypedia.cy, introducing Cyprus’s new national digital financial literacy portal designed to empower citizens through reliable economic knowledge.
The creation of the platform marks one of the flagship initiatives under the National Strategy for Financial Literacy and Financial Education in Cyprus, bringing together integrated, evidence-based, and accessible information under a single digital roof for the first time.
According to the announcement, the new portal aims to serve as a trusted guide for individuals across all age groups and levels of financial expertise.
In addition, it offers practical assistance to students, young people, families, employees, entrepreneurs, and pensioners alike.
Designed to cover critical life decisions ranging from basic budgeting and saving to complex borrowing, investing, insurance, and retirement planning, the platform provides clear explanations of key financial concepts.
Users accessing the portal will find a modern, user-friendly environment featuring interactive decision-support tools, financial calculators, educational videos, tailored quizzes, and practical guides tailored to specific life stages.
The name moneypedia was chosen through a participatory evaluation process that included students, university scholars, educators, academics, and committee representatives, who selected the title for being concise, engaging, and clear in its educational intent.
Funding for the development of the portal was secured by the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) through the Finance Ministry, supported by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support in cooperation with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The European funding supported three separate initiatives under the national strategy, with project oversight managed by the Coordination and Management Team alongside content contributions from board members and academic partners.
The committee emphasised that moneypedia.cy will operate as a dynamic, evolving digital destination, with continuous updates planned for its tools, announcements, educational materials, and practical resources.
“The launch of this financial literacy portal marks an important step towards strengthening financial education in our country and represents a meaningful investment in the future of our citizens,” CyFLEC chair and governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus Christodoulos Patsalides said.
“Our aim is to provide people with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed financial decisions and to foster a society in which individuals manage their finances with confidence and responsibility,” he added.
Finally, the committee formally invited all citizens to visit the platform and “to take advantage of its regularly updated content and tools to strengthen their financial knowledge and improve their understanding of financial matters”.
Discussions between Cyprus’ two sides are underway to organise a new meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, with the aim of bringing about the conditions suitable for an enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem to be held later this year, the Cyprus Mail has learned.
Presidential press office director Victor Papadopoulos told the Cyprus Mail that the Greek Cypriot side has requested a leaders’ meeting within the month of August, and is now awaiting a response from the Turkish Cypriot side.
Later, deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou told the newspaper that it is planned that the two leaders will “discuss the methodology and record convergences reached” in historical Cyprus problem negotiations, among other matters.
Sources close to Erhurman offered a somewhat different version of events, but told the Cyprus Mail that “as a result of our suggestion at the meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the leaders meet weekly, both sides are now working with each other to organise a new leaders’ meeting”.
The comments come after Papadopoulos had on Monday said that “anything that can lead us to the goal of resuming talks and resolving the Cyprus problem, the president of the republic is ready to do” in response to a question regarding Erhurman’s earlier suggestion that the pair hold weekly meetings going forward.
Erhurman had earlier in the day renewed his call upon Christodoulides to meet him once a week to complete what he described as the “homework” set by Guterres during his visit to the island.
“What did we say? As we left the meeting, in front of Guterres, we said that we are ready to meet Christodoulides once a week. We also said this in the press conference we held immediately after the meeting,” he said.
Guterres had said after last week’s tripartite meeting that a new enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem will be convened “after adequate progress” is achieved on confidence-building measures, the meeting’s methodology, and the substance of the talks. This is the “homework” to which Erhurman has since referred.
That meeting, also referred to as a “five-plus-one” meeting, will involve the island’s two sides, its three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, and the UN.
Erhurman’s call for weekly meetings echoed an agreement reached by then acting president Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader of the day Rauf Denktash when then UN secretary-general Kurt Waldheim visited the island in August 1974.
At the time, Waldheim described the leaders’ agreement to hold weekly meetings as “a limited step” but acknowledged it as “a very encouraging sign for the future”.
Two 22-year-old men were sentenced on Tuesday to six and two and a half years in prison after being found guilty of possessing more than 1.5kg of cannabis with intent to supply.
Larnaca Criminal Court issued the sentences following an operation carried out by the drugs squad Ykan on January 31, during which officers found the cannabis in Larnaca.
A car belonging to a 45-year-old woman was searched and officers found more than one kilo of cannabis.
A search of her home, where one of the men lived, uncovered further quantities of cannabis, a precision scale and additional packages of the drug.
The woman and the two men were arrested and later brought before Larnaca District Court.
The two men were later convicted of drug offences and sentenced by the criminal court.
A string of outstanding issues affecting the public sector workforce were discussed on Tuesday by civil servants’ union Pasydy, President Nikos Christodoulides, Finance Minister Makis Keravnos and Labour Minister Marinos Mousiouttas.
Union officials raised several issues deemed necessary to ensure the smooth functioning of the public sector including the status of permanent employees, digital transformation and the progress of civil service reform.
“We are pleased with the results of the meeting,” Pasydy general secretary Stratis Mattheou said.
He added that the union was now awaiting further contact with the finance ministry to address the issues raised during the meeting.
Asked whether the finance ministry had greenlit Pasydy’s demands and whether these came with a financial cost, Matteou said that the union had not requested an increase in wages.
He said the discussion focused primarily on the modernisation of the public service, with the union aiming for “a quality public service, [that is] modernised, efficient, friendly and supports residents, businesses and the state.”
He described conditions of public buildings in some areas of the public sector such as the social welfare services as “third world” and said that while a plan for the gradual construction of government buildings already existed, the latter’s implementation was dependent on the government’s budgets and could not be completed immediately.
Referring to the timetables for other outstanding issues, he said that recommendations for the planned reform of the public sector were expected by the end of September, while for other issues, a timeframe has been set out until the end of the year.
The recommendations are set to officially be submitted to the president by a joint working group with the participation of the finance ministry, the public service committee and Pasydy.
Fourteen 14 cartons of cigarettes were seized by customs officials at the Deryneia crossing point on Sunday during routine checks under the Green Line Regulation, it was announced on Tuesday.
The cigarettes were found in the luggage of an Israeli passenger travelling in a Turkish Cypriot taxi to Larnaca Airport.
Customs officials said the products did not carry the required health warnings in Greek and Turkish, security features or unique traceability codes, indicating duty had not been paid.
The tobacco products were confiscated and will be destroyed.
The passenger was initially arrested but later released after accepting an out of court settlement and paying €840.
An 18-year-old man appeared in court in Lefka on Tuesday, accused of having assaulted his 48-year-old fiancee, who is currently undergoing treatment in hospital.
In court, a police officer explained that at around 6.30am on Saturday, the 18-year-old “hit” his fiancee “on the head with his hands” during what was described as a “verbal argument” at their home in the village of Elia, near Lefka, about the prospect of her “taking the child with her”.
At one point, the officer said, the woman locked herself in the bathroom, before, fearing that he would force himself in, jumping from its window and falling around four metres to the ground.
The officer said that she suffered a fractured spine and a brain haemorrhage as a result of the fall, and that she is now being treated at northern Nicosia’s Dr Burhan Nalbantoglu hospital.
Following the officer’s testimony, judge Ergin Atici remanded the 18-year-old for three days.
A 26-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman were remanded in custody for eight days by Larnaca district court on Tuesday after a fire was started in a forest area in Kornos on Sunday.
Members of the public spotted suspicious activity and managed to extinguish the fire before it spread.
Around 7pm on Sunday, people travelling by car in the Kornos area saw two people getting into a vehicle and leaving the scene.
At the same time, they noticed that a fire had broken out in a nearby forested area and succeeded in putting it out before it could spread further.
During the investigation, police secured evidence leading to the arrest of the 26-year-old on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a felony, attempted arson of a forest and other offences. He was subsequently arrested and taken into custody.
The 28-year-old woman was later arrested as part of the same investigation.
They were both taken to court on Tuesday.
The Kofinou regional police station is continuing its investigation.
Plans to boost participation in the labour market of people with disabilities were announced by President Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday, who stressed the government aims for the them to “work, create, contribute, be recognised for their many abilities, and have equal opportunities”.
According to the new policies, a personalised plan will be curated for each graduate of special education before they leave the system at the age of 22, while the government has also promised two new “employment programmes” which will be implemented before the end of the year.
These plans will be complemented by an increase in the subsidies offered to “social enterprises” from €10,000 to €25,000 when they hire people for “special purposes” – a term which typically denotes temporary hires.
The government said that this subsidy will be offered until 2030, while investments in social enterprises will not be taxed up to a value of €150,000.
At present, it said, around 460 people partake in employment programmes with government support.
In addition, the government said that post-secondary education programmes will be offered to people with special needs aged over 22, while personal professional helpers and vocational teachers will also be provided.
As such, school leavers with disabilities who wish to stay in education past the age of 22 years old will be offered a place in a new “inclusion and professional empowerment” programme at post-secondary vocational education and training institutes across the island.
Those who complete the course will be given diplomas.
The government also promised that day centres will be opened in the near future, subsidised by €4m worth of government funding.
Additionally, the centres will offer 30 education programmes for adults with disabilities, while the government will offer €300 worth of grants to each day centre attendee for transport to and from the centre.
The government also announced that three new autism centres in Nicosia and Ayia Napa will be opened.
Christodoulides stressed that there are “some political decisions which are not judged only by the amount of funds or by the number of actions they include”, but instead that they are “judged by the degree to which they change the lives of our fellow human beings”.
“In essence, today, we are presenting a new, different approach to how the state truly stands by young people with disabilities who leave school and will transition into adulthood – a new approach which proves in practice that as a government we stand by the parents and families of young people with disabilities who are justifiably anxious about their future,” he said.
He added that the state of affairs his government inherited contained “a critical gap which justifiably created uncertainty”, meaning the “interconnection between education, training, employment and care was limited”.
As a result, he said, “a significant number of our school leavers with disabilities, after leaving special education, were neither included in higher education programmes, nor in work, nor in day centres”.
“Therefore, a significant number of our children remained outside active social and economic participation, with all that implied for the children and their families”.
He said that “this gap was first conveyed to us by those who were experiencing it”, before saying that one of the first actions the government took in this regard was to raise the leaving age for special needs schools from 21 to 22 years old.
“At the same time, we began the preparatory work to find a permanent solution, as this is an obligation. We worked methodically and in a coordinated manner, and today, we can present a comprehensive and long-term policy which includes options for every school leaver with disabilities,” he said.
He went on to say that another very important element is that with the new policy, the state operates as a whole.
“Five ministries, together with the deputy minister to the president and the social welfare deputy minister, who coordinated this entire effort, collaborated systematically with a common goal and a common plan,” he said.
He then addressed people with disabilities directly, declaring that “today is primarily your day”, and that “as a government, we are sending a clear message in practice”.
“We see you, we hear you, we count on you, we value you, and we are here to do whatever is necessary so that you can actively participate in the economic, educational and social life of the country – in every aspect of everyday life,” he said.
He added that “we believe in your potential”, and that “those who have the opportunity to see this potential will be amazed by the results”, before adding that as a result of the government’s new plans, “we believe that you now have the right to plan your life like any other child in this country”.
“This is the true meaning of inclusion. Society becomes better when no one, absolutely no one, is left behind – when everyone has choices and the same opportunities,” he said.
There is something quietly remarkable about watching a 10-year-old walk onto a stage, bow to the audience and sit confidently at a grand piano that drowns him. There are no toys in sight, no nervous glances towards his parents and no sign that he is about to perform music that many adults would find intimidating.
Instead, Lev Nekhin places his hands on the keyboard and loses himself completely in the music.
For the next half hour, he performs some of the world’s most demanding classical works entirely from memory. Bach, Beethoven, Debussy and Chopin flow effortlessly from one piece to the next. When the final note fades, it marks not just the end of a performance but the culmination of years of determination, discipline and quiet ambition.
That recital earned Lev one of the highest honours available to young pianists. At just 10 years old, the Limassol resident passed the Associate of the Royal Schools of Music diploma, known as the ARSM, with Distinction. It is a professional level qualification that many talented musicians do not attempt until much later in life.
Ironically, Lev himself never expected such a result.
“I felt shocked and proud at the same time,” he says with a smile. “I never thought I would get a Distinction. I thought I would get below pass.”
The reaction is surprisingly modest for someone whose achievement has attracted attention well beyond Cyprus. Lev is thoughtful, self-critical and far more interested in improving than celebrating.
Like many stories that change a person’s life, Lev’s began almost by accident. During the Covid 19 pandemic, families around the world suddenly found themselves spending far more time at home. For Lev, those long days led him towards an electronic piano that had been sitting quietly in the house.
“My babysitter played the piano,” he recalls. “I thought, ‘Why don’t I learn it too?’”
His father listens to classical composers while driving or relaxing at home. And athough Lev did not realise it, those melodies had become familiar long before he ever placed his own fingers on the keys.
Instead of formal lessons, his first teacher was the internet.
He searched for a beginner’s tutorial explaining how to play Beethoven’s Für Elise and before long he had managed to teach himself one of the most recognisable pieces in classical music.
His parents quickly realised this was much more than ordinary childhood curiosity. They enrolled him at a music school in Moscow, where the family was living at the time. It gave him a foundation, although Lev soon discovered that learning technique was only one part of becoming a musician.
Not long afterwards, the family relocated to Cyprus, where Lev joined the Tatiana Stupak School of Music in Limassol. She recognised not only his technical ability but also his musical potential and encouraged him to work towards internationally recognised examinations.
Lev embraced the challenge and progressed through every level with remarkable speed. Within just three years he had advances to Grade 8, something that often takes students considerably longer.
The next milestone was unlike anything he had attempted before. The ARSM diploma is not simply another exam. Candidates must prepare a continuous recital lasting around 30 minutes, demonstrating technical control, musical maturity and artistic interpretation.
For Lev, the programme included Bach’s Prelude and Fugue No. 12, Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 2 No. 1, Debussy’s Clair de Lune and Chopin’s Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor.
To make the challenge even greater, he decided to perform the entire programme from memory. “It definitely was difficult,” he says. “Sometimes we had to restart recording because I forgot a few notes.”
Although every work demanded intense preparation, Beethoven proved the greatest obstacle. “The most challenging piece was Beethoven’s First Sonata because of its length. My hands also had to work very hard to play it.”
Achievements like these often create the impression that gifted children spend every waking hour practising. Lev’s routine is certainly demanding, but it is also balanced. He practises between one and a half and two and a half hours each day, but school remains a priority and he still makes time for friends and hobbies.
“My whole family is very organised, so I am very good at time management,” he says.
Even after countless hours of preparation, however, performing in public never becomes completely easy. “I do get nervous,” he admits. “When I start playing, I concentrate on the mood of the music and how I need to play it. Then I forget about being nervous.”
His favourite performance so far took place at the Russian House in Belgrade earlier this year. “I played almost perfectly,” he says. “I do not usually think I play badly, but I really liked how I played that time. That is quite rare when you are a pianist.”
Like many musicians, Lev is his own toughest critic. Rather than chasing perfection, he seems to chase improvement, always listening for what could be better the next time he performs.
The creation of an electronic platform aimed at helping authorities prevent and respond to incidents of violence more quickly was discussed on Tuesday at a meeting chaired by Justice Minister Costas Fitiris.
The meeting was the second held on the proposed system.
The platform aims to improve coordination between services dealing with violence cases.
The meetings included the data protection commissioner, the commissioner for gender equality, and representatives from the education ministry, deputy ministry of social welfare, social welfare services, and the police.
The platform will allow relevant services to exchange necessary information through clear procedures while protecting victims and people at risk.
The system aims to identify warning signs early, prevent violence from escalating and support faster intervention by authorities.
During Tuesday’s meeting, officials examined a preliminary proposal covering the structure and operation of the platform.
Discussions focused on technical and legal issues, including data protection, security measures and compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation.
The ministry said the initiative is distinct from the system being developed for collecting statistics on violence against women and domestic violence as part of Cyprus’ European obligations.
All countries in the region have “a responsibility to protect water resources” and in this context the Nicosia district government organisation EOA signed a memorandum of cooperation on Tuesday with Israeli national water company Mekorot for the sustainable management of its water resources.
Nicosia EOA president Constantinos Yiorkadjis said the district organisation continued to invest in state-of-the-art infrastructure, digital transformation and innovation in a bid to secure reliable, high quality and viable water supply services.
One of the main objectives of the memorandum is to further reduce untaxed water, which currently stands at approximately 20 per cent – the lowest percentage compared to the other districts and lower than the EU average.
Yiorkadjis said Mekorot had experience and know-how in desalination, water reuse, smart supply networks and advanced water technology, and through this collaboration the two organisations would be exchanging best practices that would lead to better services for the people.
He explained that the memorandum provided for the exchange of views to identify areas to focus on, with priorities being the reduction of untaxed water, sewerage management and addressing floods.
Mekorot CEO Barak Graber said the two countries shared the same climate and responsibility for securing water supply for their people, while at the same time sharing the same Mediterranean water source, which created a special context for cooperation in the water management sector.
He added that through the memorandum both sides would identify the main challenges, set priorities and develop the appropriate solutions, through a comprehensive and holistic approach.
Israeli ambassador in Nicosia Oren Anolik said cooperation between the two countries was strong in many sectors. Water, he added, was a sector in which this collaboration could benefit the people.
“This is not just an environmental challenge. It is a financial and strategic challenge,” Anolik said, adding that Israel had developed a “unique” know-how in water management, utilising every drop of water.
Anolik pointed out that Mekorot had already contributed to projects in Cyprus, including desalination plants in Larnaca and Limassol.
Director of Cyprus’ Water Development Department Eliana Tofa said the department had been collaborating with Mekorot since 2015 in desalination and that the company had provided valuable support.
A 17-year-old boy from Romania died in a Limassol hospital on Tuesday after being seriously injured in a traffic accident on Sunday.
Mario Gabriel was riding a motorcycle when it collided with a car driven by a 37-year-old man on Spyrou Araouzou Street at around 1am on Sunday morning.
He was taken to a private hospital in Limassol where he underwent an operation before being transferred to ICU, where his condition was described as extremely critical.
Limassol traffic police are investigating the circumstances of the crash.
One Love Cyprus Festival: Until August 2
Some of the month’s festivals have already begun and at Val’s Place overlooking the Argaka-Pomos bay in Paphos, the One Love Cyprus Festival is currently on. Reggae vibes, camping, DJ performances, arts and crafts and comedy shows make up the festival’s 2026 agenda.
Taste of Cyprus Festival: Until August 2
In Paphos, the new culinary festival Taste of Cyprus runs until this Sunday, August 2, bringing exquisite flavours. Chef stations at the Paphos Medieval Castle will cook up gourmet street food dishes, while DJs add tuneful touches. Sunday’s agenda also includes traditional dances, gastronomy workshops, a fire show and live music by Black Sheep and Time Surfers.
9th Beer Phelstival: Until August 2
Street food, local microbreweries and live music add a lively note to Pelendri village’s events agenda this weekend. On its final day, this Sunday, the festival welcomes the Bandama band to perform live while food vendors prepare delicious bites and ice-cold beers are served.
Th-eros festival: Until August 2
At Larnaca’s central Europe Square, a festival dedicated to tradition and Cypriot folk culture is on until Sunday. Local craftspeople, traditional dancing ensembles and live music by Michalis Tterlikkas, Santouto and Nomades will entertain the crowds into the evening.
www.facebook.com/therostraditionalfestival
21st Lemesos International Documentary Festival: August 8
The annual Lemesos International Documentary Festival brings award-winning documentary screenings to Ceronia Hall at the Lanitis Carob Mill. Three screenings will be on each evening as the festival dives into different human, social and emotional themes.
25th Countryside Animafest Cyprus: August 7-9
Moving to Koilani village this summer, Animafest has a fun agenda planned for all ages. Creative workshops, exhibitions, a competition programme for animation films and daily evening screenings are taking place. Plus, live music and audio-visual performances.
44th Lefkara Festival: August 7-22
Lefkara Municipality brings once more a month-long festival this August with cultural events, parties, music and theatre nights that span the whole month. This year’s agenda includes concerts that pay tribute to Marinela and Manos Loizos, a DJ party that brings back the 80s, 90s and 00s and a Street Food Festival in the middle of the month. The full programme is now available on the Municipality’s Facebook page.
2nd Mahalepi Festival Amiantos: August 8-9
On the second weekend of August, Amiantos organises the second Mahalepi Festival bringing refreshing and sweet tastes. Its programme includes a live radio link with Zenith FM, a market of local products, circular routes with a train, dance performances, live music by Greek stars (Sasa Basta, Nikos Vezirakis, Evros Antoniou, Natali Irodotou, Stephanos Pelekanis, Areti Ketime, Etous Pale and Minoites from Crete) a drone light show and mahalepi workshops.
26th Paradise Jazz Festival: August 21-22
Jazz lovers will enjoy the intimate Paradise Jazz Festival this summer again as it returns for its 26th edition. On August 21 and 22, Val’s Place in the Paphos region will welcome international and Cypriot musicians who will perform under August’s star-filled night sky. Four performances will be on each evening featuring female vocalists, exceptional international soloists, intimate recitals, contemporary dance, classical percussion performances and jam sessions.
Larnaca Film Festival: August 27-30
The Larnaka Cinema Society transforms its outdoor film screenings into a curated four-day festival. Different open-air locations will host the cinema festival this year starting from the Larnaca Municipal Gardens on day one, the House of Arts and Letters, Salina Park on day two and three and Europe Square on the final day. Other locations around the city will be activated throughout the festival as the events spread out.
The featured films this year include Belle Epoque, Dancing Queen and Thank you for Banking With Us, as well as a series of short films. Apart from film screenings, the festival also has music performances, workshops for educators and teens, and a guided walk through the old town.
10th Anti-Skino Festival: August 28-29
Anti-Skino Festival celebrates its tenth anniversary this summer and returns to the Paphos district for a vibrant two-day agenda. A series of theatre and music performances, workshops and parallel activities will spread around the nature-filled grounds of Val’s Place in Gialia – a new location for the festival. Nestled in between the performing arts events of the festival are also pop-up creatives, tattoo artists and barbers who join the festival this year. The Closing Party on Sunday night welcomes band Usurum which will wrap up the festivities.
You can now apply your own configuration file to code scanning default setup, using the new github-codeql-config-file repository property. This gives you control over how CodeQL scans your code for security vulnerabilities, whether that’s on one repository or across your whole organization. We recommend using this way to customize your security analysis at scale. You get the granular control of advanced setup without writing or maintaining a GitHub Actions workflow file in every repository.
Set the github-codeql-config-file repository property to the path of a CodeQL configuration file, and code scanning now merges your settings with its built-in defaults. You can add queries, exclude paths, or set threat models, and still keep default setup’s low-maintenance benefits. Any threat models and CodeQL model packs you picked in the default setup user interface are kept in the merged configuration.
Repository properties support organization-wide default values, and organization owners decide whether individual repositories are allowed to override it. So you can keep one configuration file in a central repository and have every repository automatically pick it up, enforce it everywhere, or let teams tailor it where they need to. You can also try a value out on one repository before rolling it out. For more information, see customizing default setup with a configuration file.
There’s a new, more flexible syntax for pointing at a configuration file that lives in another repository. Only the repository name is required. If you leave out the ref and the file path, the reference falls back to a default configuration file path on the main branch of a repository in the same organization as the one being analyzed. For more information, see how to reference a configuration file in another repository.
If that repository is private, you can now grant default setup access to it by configuring a Git Source private registry for your organization, instead of managing a token in a workflow. For more information, see giving your organization access to private registries.
This is now generally available on github.com and will ship with GitHub Enterprise Server 3.23. To get started, see repository properties for code scanning.
The post Customize code scanning default setup at scale appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
We’ve retired the GitHub Copilot Billing Preview app, and it’s no longer available. You can review and manage your Copilot spend directly in your GitHub billing settings.
The app helped you understand your bill during the move to usage-based billing. Your billing settings now give you a more complete view that the app’s underlying reports couldn’t show, including user-level budgets, cost centers, and usage pool allocation.
You can review and manage your Copilot spend in your billing settings:
To learn more, see GitHub Copilot billing.
The post Retiring the Copilot Billing Preview app appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
Beginning August 4, 2026, GitHub Spark no longer accepts new users or allows the creation of new apps. Existing users can continue to access GitHub Spark until August 31, 2026 to export apps they’ve already created. Apps you’ve already deployed will continue to work after GitHub Spark is retired.
GitHub Spark was created to help people quickly move from an idea to a working application. Since its launch, AI models and agentic development tools have advanced significantly. Builders can now build and refine these experiences through GitHub Copilot in the environments where they already work, including VS Code, Copilot CLI, and the GitHub Copilot app. We’ve seen builders increasingly choose these integrated workflows for application development, and we’re aligning our experiences accordingly. This change applies specifically to the current GitHub Spark experience on github.com.
Separately, GitHub Models, the inference service used by Spark’s llm() function, retired on July 30, 2026. As of that date, calls to llm() no longer work. Apps that don’t use llm() aren’t affected by the GitHub Models retirement.
llm(), replace it with your own inference provider to keep AI features working.Not all Spark apps use AI inferencing. To check whether an app is affected by the GitHub Models retirement, open the app in Spark and search the code for llm(). If there are no llm() calls found, no action is needed. If the app does use llm(), replace inferencing with a separate provider to keep the app running with AI capabilities. Users will need to supply their own API key and manage billing going forward in this instance, as GitHub will not provide the underlying model or tokens any longer.
Questions or feedback? Join the discussion within GitHub Community.
The post Upcoming deprecation of GitHub Spark on github.com appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
You can now customize the branch names Dependabot creates for pull requests. New pull-request-branch-name options in .github/dependabot.yml let you set a prefix and maximum length, choose segment and word separators, set letter case, or define a custom template using placeholders.
For example, a branch like dependabot/npm_and_yarn/Lodash-4.17.21 can become dependabot-npm-and-yarn-lodash-4.17.21 with a few lines of configuration.
These controls help you keep Dependabot branch names compatible with CI/CD systems that enforce naming or length limits. They also make branches easier to identify in monorepos and repositories with established naming conventions.
This improvement is available to all github.com users and will be included in GitHub Enterprise Server 3.23.
Learn more in the Dependabot options reference.
Join the discussion within Dependabot’s open source community.
The post Customize Dependabot pull request branch names appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
We’re making code coverage setup faster and simpler. You’ll now see a new option in your repository’s Code Quality settings that lets GitHub generate your coverage workflow automatically with AI. We’ll open a pull request so you can review the changes before you merge them.
Setting up code coverage has traditionally felt disconnected and manual. Now, you can get contextual help right in settings and create a working pipeline with a single click. You won’t need to author the workflow yourself, which cuts down setup time and removes guesswork.
Code Quality can now generate a pull request for a coverage workflow. From the Code Quality settings page, you can start an agent that creates a pull request with a coverage workflow configured for your repository. The workflow builds your code, runs tests, generates a coverage report, and uploads it to GitHub, using least-privilege permissions by default.
Code coverage automatic enablement is now in public preview for all GitHub Code Quality users on github.com. GitHub Code Quality is available today for GitHub Enterprise Cloud and Team, but isn’t yet available on GitHub Enterprise Server.
The post Code coverage automatic enablement in Code Quality settings appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
CodeQL is the static analysis engine behind GitHub code scanning, which finds and remediates security issues in your code. We’ve recently released CodeQL 2.26.2, which adds support for Swift 6.3.3 and Kotlin 2.4.10, and improves the accuracy of path injection, URL redirection, and GitHub Actions queries.
Swift: CodeQL now supports analysis of apps built with Swift 6.3.3.
Java/Kotlin: CodeQL now supports Kotlin versions up to 2.4.10.
C#
System.Web.HttpRequest.RawUrl is no longer a sanitizer for cs/web/unvalidated-url-redirection, since it contains the unnormalized request line. This may lead to more results.cs/useless-assignment-to-local query from the code-quality suite. It remains in the code-quality-extended suite.Go
path/filepath.Rel is no longer a sanitizer for go/path-injection and go/zipslip, which may lead to more results.Java/Kotlin
java.io.File.getName() is no longer a complete sanitizer for java/path-injection, since it doesn’t remove a .. path component. This may lead to more results.C/C++
cpp/new-free-mismatch query to use the external/cwe/cwe-762 tag instead of external/cwe/cwe-401, which better matches the query’s behavior.GitHub Actions
EnvironmentCheck logic so it only protects against non-TOCTOU scenarios, which surfaces more results in the untrusted checkout queries.[[-style links in alert messages. This undocumented legacy feature let query authors embed links inline in select clause message strings. Use $@ placeholder pairs instead.For a full list of changes, please refer to the complete changelog for version 2.26.2. Every new version of CodeQL is automatically deployed to users of GitHub code scanning on github.com. The new functionality in CodeQL 2.26.2 will also be included in a future GitHub Enterprise Server (GHES) release. If you use an older version of GHES, you can manually upgrade your CodeQL version.
The post CodeQL 2.26.2 adds Swift 6.3.3 and Kotlin 2.4.10 support appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
When you delegate a task to GitHub Copilot cloud agent, you can now set the reasoning level for models that support it.
This allows you to control how much the model reasons before it responds. A higher level can improve answers to complex problems, but it consumes more tokens, and therefore more credits.
Pick a reasoning level alongside the model when you start a task, and Copilot cloud agent will use it for the run.
This is available on all paid Copilot plans that include Copilot cloud agent (i.e., Copilot Pro, Pro+, Business, Enterprise, and Max).
To learn more, see our documentation on choosing the right AI model for your task.
The post Customize the reasoning level for Copilot cloud agent appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
You can now create Copilot cloud agent automations that run when an issue comment or pull request comment is created.
Common use cases include:
When configuring an automation, specify the comment text that should trigger it. To get started, click through to the Agents tab in your repository, then pick Automations in the sidebar.
Automations are available for existing Copilot Pro, Pro+, Max, Business, and Enterprise users. Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise users need the Copilot cloud agent policy enabled by an administrator.
Learn more in About Copilot automations in the GitHub Docs.
The post Trigger Copilot automations with comments appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
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a while back i posted benchmarks for my distributed token bucket rate limiter here and got a lot of useful feedback. one of the biggest suggestions was to profile it.
turns out my benchmark setup had a flaw. i was running k6 and the server on the same 4c/8t machine, and on my hardware k6 itself was using around 600% cpu, so it was competing with the server.
this time i switched to hey, profiled the server under load with pprof, and found a bug where /check was making 2 backend calls instead of 1. fixed that and reran everything.
current numbers:
in-memory
redis + lua
profiling was the most interesting part. around 86% of sampled cpu time was in the net/http request lifecycle. most of the remaining time was spent in socket writes, request/response buffering and timestamping, while the token bucket itself accounted for only a small fraction of the sampled cpu.
I've been learning backend for a while. I currently use JavaScript (Express.js) and Python (FastAPI) for my projects, and I feel that I'm a bit decent at them rn. But I don't know which is better, Rust or Golang? Both r fast, but Rust is much faster, but in a trade-off, Rust is more complicyed than Golang, as I've seen both Languages docs and learned the very basics, I don't have a final answer.
Hi Gophers
govaliator v2.3.0 is now available.
A simple, efficient, type-safe, easy to use Golang validator.
Highlights of this release:
Benchmarks:
The result on Apple M3 Pro, 11 CPU Cores, 18GB RAM:
| Library | Operations/sec (ns/op) | Memory Allocations (B/op) | Allocations/op |
|---|---|---|---|
| govalidator | 500 ns/op | 0 B/op | 0 allocs/op |
| go-playground | 878 ns/op | 0 B/op | 0 allocs/op |
| ozzo-validation | 3477 ns/op | 6394 B/op | 78 allocs/op |
Install or update:
go install github.com/rezakhademix/govalidator Feedback are always welcome.
I'm a big fan of Go for several years now and used it on several projects related to industrial automation. One of the projects was a simulator of manufacturing machines where I needed a GUI to visualize machine states. I came across packages in Go for incorporating a GUI but found them lacking in capabilities and/or modern style. So I sacrificed in the short term, but set out to build a solution that I would enjoy using in Go and potentially other languages.
The solution, called ProntoGUI, consists of two parts.
First, it there is a Go library (golib) that provides "primitives" for the backend developer to compose their GUI and "embodiments" to specify how these primitives appear and behave on the surface. If you're familiar with HTML/CSS then primitives are like div, span, p, input, textarea, and so on. They form the essential contract between the backend code and the GUI. Embodiments are sort of like CSS selectors and various properties that define color, style, positioning and so on. The embodiments can be changed anytime without breaking the contract.
The second part is a GUI desktop App that runs on Windows or macOS (Linux coming next). It is built on top of Google's Flutter project, which takes care of all the Material design, high performance rendering (think 60 fps), and cross-platform support. The solution you build (by way of golib) streams the GUI information to the App and events are streamed back to your solution for you to react to. I've kept the library pretty lightweight and all the heavy work is done in the App.
The open source for this project can be found at https://www.github.com/prontogui . To make it easy for people to use ProntoGUI right away, there are installers for Windows and macOS available for download at www.prontogui.com. There's also a mailing list you can subscribe to for regular updates on the project and tips on developing with ProntoGUI. You'll also find some examples in Go and more background information on Github site.
Always happy to get feedback and answer questions!
Let's say, not hypothetically, that I have a few golang based command line tools hosted on GitHub. I use goreleaser to release binary releases for convenience of myself and others.
My problem is that these aren't reproducing builds - the build chain isn't fully pinned.
Is there an existing tool to create a fully reproducible build? I'm fine if this requires a branch with extra pins or similar.
Hey r/golang. After hitting operational walls with VerneMQ's CRDT-based clustering (non-deterministic merges between diverged nodes) and watching EMQX gate real clustering behind a BSL license from 5.9 on, I started building a small MQTT broker cluster on top of mochi-mqtt, which handles the actual MQTT protocol layer.
The core idea: instead of symmetric eventually-consistent clustering (CRDT), a small quorum of "core" nodes runs Hashicorp Raft for strong consistency (session ownership, ACLs), while stateless "edge" nodes terminate MQTT connections and scale independently via K8s HPA. The routing table lives in a separate gossip-based store (Olric) rather than Raft, since it's fully reconstructable from local node state if lost. Message forwarding between nodes runs over a dedicated gRPC data plane so it never touches the Raft log.
A few decisions I'd like pushback on:
Evict RPC to the old owner, rather than a queue/claim protocol. Curious if anyone's hit cases where that's not enough.go-plugin gRPC sidecars specifically so a stuck output can never block OnPublish — process-level isolation, not just a goroutine boundary. Overkill for this, or the right call?Status: not "years of uptime" production-hardened, but it's not just a simulation either — currently running against a live IoT device fleet in a telecom deployment (~1,200 devices today, staged to scale into the tens of thousands). Disaster recovery scenarios validated in docker-compose, real bugs found and fixed against the live environment, not just synthetic tests. Looking for architectural criticism more than "nice project" at this stage.
TL;DR: Lunar is a new embeddable Lua 5.1 VM for Go that aims to improve performance and memory usage over the existing pure-Go Lua implementations. In my benchmarks and real-world use cases, it is around 2x faster and can use up to 7x less memory, depending on the workload.
Project note: Lunar in many ways started in April as a fork of gopher-lua. My initial goal was to improve its performance and memory usage, with the hope that I might be able to upstream some of the changes. As the work progressed, the implementation began to diverge more than I felt would be reasonable for an upstream contribution and their design philosophy. At that point, I decided to start over and build a new VM around those ideas.
Today, I’m sharing Lunar 0.1.0 beta for anyone looking for an embeddable Lua VM for Go.
The primary motivation for creating Lunar came from my work on Rune, a new MUD client written in Go that relies heavily on an embedded Lua VM as its core scripting engine.
There are two Lua VMs for Go that I’m aware of: gopher-lua and Shopify’s go-lua. Rune initially used gopher-lua because it was a VM I was already familiar with and had used in previous projects.
I started receiving reports from Rune users that some larger MUD map files loaded through Lua were causing the client’s memory usage to explode. In one case, loading a 9 MB CBOR file resulted in roughly ~500 MB of persistent heap usage. Users also reported that some heavier operations were much slower than in other MUD clients. One user’s pathfinding script took nearly three seconds in Rune, compared with around 0.1 seconds in another non-Golang based client.
I initially hoped to improve gopher-lua, but the memory and performance issues were tied to some of its core design choices. Fixing them would have meant changing enough of the VM that starting over made more sense. Lunar grew out of that work, with a more compact internal representation.
Lunar is still in beta, so let me know if you try it and run into any issues.