Huginn Daily

Saturday, July 25, 2026

fffa0958-8b46-4bf6-91b6-afe5a1393696

Weather

XKCD

Other

• Drowning deaths in Cyprus prompt renewed safety push

  Thirty-three people died from drowning in Cyprus during 2025, with authorities warning that prevention measures remain necessary.

  Marking world drowning prevention day (July 25), the health ministry presented the figures on Friday.

  Men accounted for 73 per cent of victims, 61 per cent were foreign nationals, while fifteen of those who died were aged over 70.

  Safe Water Sports marketing and public relations manager Eliza Karabetian said 36 per cent of incidents occurred between 8pm and 8am.

  Famagusta recorded the highest number of deaths with ten, followed by Limassol with nine, Larnaca with six, Paphos with two and Nicosia with one.

  Karabetian said drowning remained a serious global health issue, with around 300,000 deaths recorded worldwide each year, including 75,000 children under the age of five.

  Deputy Minister to the President Irene Piki said Cyprus had recorded 533 drowning deaths over the past 21 years, with an average of 29 deaths annually over the last decade.

  She said around half of those who died were aged 65 and over, while drowning remained among the main causes of death among children and teenagers.

  “Every life lost in the water is a loss that could have been avoided,” Piki said, adding that 51 per cent of incidents involved tourists and non-permanent residents, while 68 per cent of victims were men.

  The government’s national action plan, approved in 2024, includes prevention programmes, education initiatives and changes to legislation.

  Piki drew attention to the safe swimming programme for children up to 12 years old, which provides eight practical lessons in the water as part of the school curriculum.

  “We consciously focus on our children and our schools, where we can cultivate from an early age a proper culture, attitudes and behaviour,” she said.

  Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides said drowning prevention was a public health priority and warned that familiarity with the sea should not lead to carelessness.

  Education Minister Athena Michaelidou said swimming should be considered a survival skill rather than only a sporting activity, adding that the government aimed to expand the programme to schools nationwide.

• Turkish Cypriot coalition largely silent over failed Turkish bill to change northern Cyprus’ name

  The Turkish Cypriot ruling coalition was largely silent on Friday over a bill which was put forward to and eventually rejected by the Turkish parliament late on Thursday night, demanding that the north be called the “Turkish Republic of Cyprus”.

  The bill had been put forward by the New Path party, which was jointly founded former Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his former deputy prime minister Ali Babacan, who both served under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but subsequently split off from the ruling AK Party and now sit in opposition.

  New Path MP Mustafa Kaya, the bill’s sponsor, told Thursday night’s plenary session that “if we have a say on the entire island, and if the Turkish Cypriot people have a right to all the hydrocarbon deposits, then from now on, there is no ‘north’ or ‘south’ of the island”.

  “We must continue on this path under the name of the Turkish Republic of Cyprus,” he said, before criticising the Greek Cypriot side for “playing games by making distinctions between the Turks who lived on the island before and after 1974”.

  Iyi Party deputy leader Ayyuce Turkes Tas, whose father, former Turkish deputy prime minister Alparslan Turkes, was himself a Cypriot, also addressed the parliament, saying that “we find that two-state solution and sovereign equality policy put forward by the government to be correct, and we support it”.

  “Changing this policy due to external pressure would be absolutely unacceptable. The Cyprus policy should be an immutable policy of the state at large, not of individual governments. Turkey’s red lines are clear – there will be no return to federation. There will be no compromise on the sovereignty of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” she said.

  She added that “Turkey’s effective and actual guarantee is absolutely non-negotiable, and the presence of Turkish soldiers on the island cannot be a subject of negotiation”.

  “The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus exists, will continue to exist, and will certainly be recognised. This is not just the cause of the Turkish Cypriots, but also the indispensable national cause of the Republic of Turkey and the Blue Homeland,” she said.

  The “Blue Homeland” doctrine, known as the “Mavi Vatan” in Turkish, outlines Turkey’s maritime claims in the Aegean, Black, and Mediterranean seas.

  Pro-Kurdish Dem Party deputy leader Sezai Temelli said that “to defend the rights of the Turkish Cypriots on the island, it is essential to first and foremost show respect for their free will”.

  “Especially today, when we look at the Cypriot economy, when we look at the difficulties the Cypriot economy is facing, in fact, in our relations with Cyprus, we are both exporting and importing poverty. Therefore, we are as far as possible from the conditions under which the Cypriot economy can utilise its potential,” he said.

  Next to speak was Utku Cakirozer, who was at the time a member of the CHP, but on Friday was one of 91 CHP MPs who defected from the party to join the New Party, which was established by Ozgur Ozel after he was removed from his position as leader of the CHP by a court decision in May.

  Instead of speaking on the bill itself, he chose to criticise the European Parliament for adopting a report into the sexual violence suffered by Cypriot women during Turkey’s invasion of the island in 1974.

  “Those who wrote this report should first recognise the sovereignty, rights, laws, independence, and equal status of the Turkish Cypriots, instead of insulting our country and our heroic army,” he said.

  Regarding the modern state of Cyprus, he said that “we stand by the just fight of the Turkish Cypriot people to the very end”, and added that “in the people’s government which we will establish, we will ensure stronger international representation and absolutely defend its rights until the very end”.

  Ruling AK Party MP Orhan Erdem stressed that in spite of the fact that the north remains unrecognised, Turkey, in his view, has kept the Turkish Cypriots safe.

  “Of course, it should be recognised, but today, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is one of the safest islands in the world. Look at Palestine, Gaza, which is recognised by 155 countries, and our hearts ache,” he said.

  He added that “in a world order where might is right, not the just, we are striving for the latter”.

  “The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a country under the guarantee of Turkey, where no one can even touch it in terms of security. At this point, this is very important, and this goes beyond recognition,” he said.

  However, the Iyi Party’s Turhan Comez argued that Turkey has in recent years “lost ground” on the Cyprus problem.

  “Take ownership of the Cyprus issue, not with the palaces you have built there or the infrastructure investments you have made, but with your diplomatic power. Let us all take ownership of it together,” he said, with the “palaces” remark a reference to the new official residence of the Turkish Cypriot leader opened by Erdogan last year.

  Erdem responded to Comez’s comment, asking, “Mr Comez, should North Cyprus continue having its president live in a building erected by a British government, and should its parliament be in a tobacco factory?”, with the latter also referring to the new legislature built, replacing the former Turkish Cypriot legislature building, housed in the old Dianellos cigarette factory.

  “Can there be a state without institutions? Why are you bothered to mention these things?” Erdem added.

  The bill was voted down by MPs from the AK Party and the MHP, which caucuses with it in the parliament, with the topic provoking a muted reaction in Cyprus.

  Of the ruling coalition’s cabinet, only ‘transport minister’ Erhan Arikli passed public comment on the matter, though he did go as far as to say that he had “followed with astonishment and horror” the bill’s submission.

  “The YDP has repeatedly stated that the name of the TRNC should be changed to the Turkish Republic of Cyprus or to the Turkish Cypriot State, the name given to us by the United Nations in the Annan plan,” he said, with the latter referring to the plan for a Turkish Cypriot constituent state within the foreseen bizonal, bicommunal federal Cyprus.

  However, he said, “the decision on this matter rests with the Turkish Cypriot people”.

  “Submitting such a motion to the Turkish parliament is meddling and a way of diluting the issue. It is also an action which would put Turkey and the TRNC in a difficult position in international platforms. We believe that [Mustafa Kaya] made this move solely to gain attention, and we express our regret,” he said.

  The move comes just a week and a half after Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the man installed as CHP leader by the court in Ozgur Ozel’s stead, had also suggested that the north be called the “Turkish Republic of Cyprus” during a televised interview.

  “The late [Turkish prime minister Bulent] Ecevit went and took Cyprus, did he not? The Turkish Republic of Cyprus was established. I do not call it northern Cyprus. Its name is the Turkish Republic of Cyprus. Its official name should be the Turkish Republic of Cyprus,” he said.

  He added that “with the Turkish Republic of Cyprus, our rights in the eastern Mediterranean have been secured”, and that “this is what I mean by republican autonomy”.

  Previously, Former Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, too, said he wished the north could change its name, “because after all, when the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was declared by our founding president, it was continuing talks for a federal solution at that time, and it was Turkey’s policy, of course”.

  However, there is no legal mechanism for such a change to take place, and it is expressly prohibited by the ‘TRNC’s’ constitution. As such, any name change for the north would require that the ‘TRNC’ be dissolved.

• Limassol to receive new ‘northern bypass road’ in drive to ease congestion

  A new northern bypass road will be built around Limassol, as part of a wider effort to ease congestion in Cyprus’ second city, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades announced on Friday.

  The road is part of what the transport ministry described as a “comprehensive” plan, which will “create alternative routes, improve traffic distribution, and provide substantial relief in areas where there is heavy congestion”.

  In line with this, the northern bypass has been described as the “most important project” of the plan. The ministry said the new road will “channel traffic outside the densely built urban fabric”.

  The road will be built in five parts, and will eventually connect the city from east to west, allowing motorists to avoid the existing and often congested motorway which runs through the city’s suburbs.

  Other projects in the plan include a motorway heading north out of the city towards the Saittas reservoir, near the village of Moniatis, on the way to the Troodos mountains, as well as suburban roads in areas with high levels of traffic, including a new road linking Ypsonas and Polemidia.

  The ministry said that “these projects aim to improve connections between individual areas, enhance alternative routes, and relieve congestion on the city’s main road axes”.

  As well as the construction of new roads, the ministry also put forward plans to introduce smart traffic lights at 50 new locations across the city, which it said will allow for “better coordination of traffic lights and the adaptation of their operation to real traffic conditions”.

  Newspaper Philelftheros reported that altogether, the plan will cost the taxpayer €493 million, while the northern bypass alone will cost €182.5m.

  At the presentation of the plans, Vafeades said that “for the first time, we have before us a comprehensive mapping of the needs and projects required for Limassol”.

  “Through cooperation with the local authorities, we want to agree on priorities and coordinate the next steps. We need to proceed in parallel with interventions which can provide immediate relief to traffic and with the major projects which will complete the city’s road network,” he said.

  To this end, he described the northern bypass as a “central priority”

• Larnaca campaign teaches children to save water

  The Larnaca district government has launched an educational initiative to encourage water conservation among children as part of its “Larnaca -26” campaign, the authority said on Friday.

  The initiative includes an activity book designed to teach primary school pupils and preschool children about the importance of protecting water resources through games, creative exercises and interactive learning.

  The booklet has already been distributed to public and private summer schools and nurseries across the district, with wider distribution planned at the start of the new school year.

  Through activities such as identifying water-wasting habits, observation exercises and creative tasks, children learn how simple changes in their daily routines can help conserve water.

  The programme aims to encourage children to become ambassadors for responsible water use by sharing what they learn with their families and communities.

  The wider “Larnaca -26” campaign seeks to reduce daily water consumption across the district by 26 litres per person.

  The district government said it would continue investing in environmental education, stressing that raising awareness from an early age is key to building a more sustainable future.

  “Every drop counts,” the district government said, urging the public to help protect the island’s water resources.

• One in five Europeans lives in poverty, says deputy minister

  One in five Europeans and one in four children live in poverty, Social Welfare Deputy Minister Clea Hadjistefanou-Papaellina said on Friday, highlighting Cyprus’ efforts during its presidency of the Council of the European Union to strengthen European social policy.

  Speaking at a press conference, she said Cyprus had set out to promote a more social, inclusive and people-centred Europe during its six-month presidency.

  Cyprus, she said, took the presidency as an opportunity to contribute substantively to forming European policies that would meet the true needs of the people.

  Among the presidency’s main achievements, she highlighted progress towards a European anti-poverty strategy, an initiative on housing, strengthening the European Child Guarantee and advancing the EU’s strategy on the rights of persons with disabilities through 2030.

  “Poverty continues to affect one in five Europeans and one in four children,” she pointed out.

  Addressing this issue, she added, was not just a matter of social justice, but an investment in the future of Europe, competitiveness and social cohesion.

  Referring to the informal employment and social policy council, held in Nicosia in February, she said it discussed all these issues and adopted conclusions that encouraged investing in children with the purpose of improving their welfare and social integration.

  The deputy ministry’s permanent secretary Yiannis Nicolaides said the results of Cyprus’ EU presidency proved that “there are no small and large member states in the EU, but equal member states”.

  Nicolaides said small member states could contribute substantively to progress for the whole EU when they are properly prepared, work systematically and have the ability to effectively exercise the mediating role of the presidency.

  Cyprus, he said, proved this and created the preconditions for a strengthened participation in future EU processes.

  He furthermore pointed out that “the European role of Cyprus is not concluded with the end of the presidency, on the contrary a successful presidency allows for a more active role in the EU.”

  During its presidency, Cyprus hosted the informal employment and social affairs council, two formal employment councils and 11 high-level and technical meetings attended by more than 1,500 delegates from member states, EU institutions and international organisations.

• Court upholds landlord’s burglary conviction

  The appeals court has upheld the conviction of a landlord found guilty of burgling a property he had rented out and stealing his tenant’s belongings following a dispute over unpaid rent.

  In its July 16 ruling, the court rejected all grounds of appeal, confirming the landlord’s conviction for the burglary and theft of items worth €2,850 from premises that had been leased as a nightclub.

  In addition to the burglary and theft charges, the landlord had also been accused of extorting money from two people to whom he sold the tenant’s belongings after claiming they were his own. He was acquitted of those charges by the trial court.

  According to the judgment, the landlord admitted changing the locks on the premises and selling the tenant’s belongings.

  He claimed the tenant owed him rent and said he had informed him that the lease had been terminated and that the items would be sold to recover the debt, arguing he had acted in a “state of emergency”.

  The court of appeal rejected that argument.

  “It is obvious that the appellant, while being aware of the procedures he could take to restore his rights, chose to act in the manner he did,” the court said.

  The court ruled that the claim that the situation was an emergency was unfunded, stressing that the landlord had the judicial remedy at his disposal and had not presented any evidence of irreparable damage caused by the tenant’s failure pay.

  The appellant also argued that the trial court had wrongly assessed the evidence and failed to take proper account of his claim that he believed he was acting lawfully and had no intention to defraud.

  The appeals court found all grounds of the landlord’s appeal to be unfounded and rejected the appeal in its entirety.

• Kisa furious as 23 migrants ‘forced to leave’ state accommodation

  Non-governmental organisation Kisa on Friday expressed fury after the social welfare services department “abruptly terminated the accommodation and food support” it had provided to 23 Indian nationals, who, it said, are now “homeless in the middle of a heatwave”.

  “Under these inhumane circumstances, Kisa was forced to temporarily convert part of its offices into a dormitory so that these individuals would not be left sleeping on the streets. However, these premises are entirely unsuitable for residential use,” it said.

  It had on Wednesday warned that the social welfare services department wished to “throw” the migrants, whom it described as “victims of exploitation”, onto “the streets”.

  The 23 individuals had reportedly been informed by the department on Tuesday that they would be required to vacate their accommodation.

  Kisa stressed that “it should be noted that, until they find new eligible employers, these individuals are not permitted to work”, and that “consequently, they have neither the means to rent accommodation nor the resources to cover their basic needs, including food”.

  “These individuals are part of a group of 50 migrants from India who were deceived by a company, a private employment agency, and their associates in Limassol,” it said.

  It added that “when they arrived in Cyprus, already burdened by substantial debt, they discovered that they had been deceived regarding their wages, employment conditions, accommodation, and their living circumstances more generally”.

  The Cyprus Mail attempted to contact the social welfare services department and received no response.

• Israeli football fan fined after AEK arena clashes

  An Israeli football fan was fined €1,200 on Friday after pleading guilty to offences arising from clashes outside the AEK Arena yesterday.

  The 24-year-old appeared before Larnaca district court, pleaded guilty to having participated in the melee, and paid his fine immediately.

  The disturbances broke out before kick-off outside the stadium, where police said supporters from both AEK Larnaca and Beitar Jerusalem became involved in clashes.

  Officers intervened to prevent the violence from escalating, deploying the anti-riot water cannon vehicle ‘Aiantas’ (Ajax) and increasing the police presence around the stadium.

  Despite the disorder, the situation was brought under control, and the match went ahead as scheduled.

  According to reports, a group of Beitar Jerusalem supporters moved towards a nearby parking area, where they came into contact with AEK supporters and fighting broke out.

  Police are continuing to examine CCTV footage and witness statements in an effort to identify everyone involved.

  The incidents came after tensions involving Beitar Jerusalem supporters on near the Larnaca port roundabout, where police intervened and launched smoke bombs to disperse a crowd.

  The violence also affected bystanders, for a South Korean tourist couple reported that their rental car, which they said had been legally parked near the stadium, was damaged during the disorder.

  They said they were now facing substantial repair costs and described it as “deeply concerning that peaceful tourists can face such violence and financial loss in public space during football events”.

  Police confirmed there had been “an incident between fans of the two teams before the beginning of the match outside the stadium” and said officers restored order after intervening.

  Beitar Jerusalem is the only club in the Israel Premier League to have never signed an Arab player, while its ultra fanbase is notorious for their Islamophobic culture.

  AEK Larnaca fan’s themselves have historically aligned to the right of Cypriot politics.

  The investigation remains ongoing as police seek to establish the full circumstances of the disturbances and identify any additional suspects through video evidence and witness testimony.

• Up to 33,000 healthy piglets to be slaughtered under government support scheme

  Up to 33,000 healthy piglets will be slaughtered under a government support scheme aimed at preventing the collapse of Cyprus’ pig farming sector after an export ban left producers facing a growing surplus of animals.

  The cabinet on Wednesday approved a compensation scheme for pig farmers after the European Commission extended foot-and-mouth disease restriction zones across the whole of Cyprus until August 1. The restrictions prohibit exports of fresh pork and non-heat-treated pork products.

  Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Cyprus Pig Farmers’ Association chairman Giorgos Andreou said the export ban had created a serious imbalance in the domestic market.

  “Production is highest during the winter months, which is when exports become crucial,” he said. “We normally export around 1,500 surplus pigs each week.”

  To avoid a more serious crisis later in the year, the association proposed reducing animal numbers at the earliest possible stage.

  “The piglets will be slaughtered after they are weaned, about one month after they are born,” Andreou said. “This way, not only do we avoid a surplus, but we also avoid having to slaughter the breeding sows.”

  He said the piglets would be euthanised at a slaughterhouse using carbon dioxide before being treated as animal by-products and sent for biogas production.

  “From an animal welfare perspective, this is the approved method,” he said. “The only reason this is happening is because exports are prohibited and there is a surplus of pork. If exports were possible, there would be no need for this measure.”

  Andreou said that “there may be concerns that this is being done to increase the price of pork, but that is not the purpose. The aim is to prevent a market surplus that would create even bigger problems for producers.”

  The decision has prompted a strong reaction from the Cyprus Animal Party, which described the planned slaughter as “a mass death sentence for innocent animals” and blamed what it called government failures in managing the crisis.

  “It is not the piglets that are surplus. It is incompetence,” the party said in a statement.

  It argued that the slaughter was the result of inadequate planning rather than an unavoidable consequence of the disease restrictions, questioning why contingency plans had not been in place before the export ban took effect.

  “Instead of protecting production, the economy and animal welfare, the state is leading tens of thousands of living creatures to destruction and then asking taxpayers to pay millions of euros in compensation for a disaster that could have been avoided through proper planning,” the statement said.

  The party called for the resignation of Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou, the head of the veterinary services and the commissioner for the environment and animal welfare, arguing they had failed to prevent the crisis or adequately protect animal welfare.

  It also urged members of the public to adopt piglets where possible, saying pigs are intelligent, social animals that deserve “the right to live” rather than being born only to be slaughtered weeks later.

  The export restrictions remain in force until at least August 1 under the European Commission’s implementing decision, with producers warning that further measures may be needed to stabilise the market unless exports resume.

• Man dead after grain silo collapses in Koma tou Yialou

  A man died on Friday after a 2,500-tonne grain silo collapsed in the Karpas peninsula village of Koma tou Yialou.

  The man, named as 46-year-old Lokman Hacihasanoglu, was initially rescued alive from under the rubble of the silo by Turkish Cypriot civil defence and fire brigade teams, before being taken to a nearby hospital.

  The silo, which belonged to the Turkish Cypriot publicly owned agricultural products corporation, had collapsed at around 12.15pm.

  The Turkish Cypriot police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the silo’s collapse.

• Holguin meets Fidan ahead of Guterres’ Cyprus visit

  United Nations envoy for the Cyprus problem Maria Angela Holguin on Friday met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, as she completed her latest round of contacts ahead of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ visit to Cyprus next week.

  No official statements were made by either party after Friday’s meeting, though Turkish news website T24 quoted Turkish foreign ministry sources as having reported that Fidan said that Turkey, “as a motherland and a guarantor power, believes that the most realistic solution to the Cyprus problem lies in the coexistence of two states side by side”.

  The website added that Fidan had told Holguin that “approaches which do not recognise the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot people, namely sovereign equality and equal international status, based on the realities on the island, will not contribute to a solution”.

  Holguin had earlier in the week met both European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the commission’s envoy for the Cyprus problem Raffaele Fitto in separate meetings in Brussels.

  Von der Leyen had said after her meeting with Holguin that “I welcome her active engagement, alongside [Guterres], to resolve the Cyprus issue within the UN framework and in line with European Union principles, values, and legislation”.

  “The European Commission will support this effort with all the assistance and tools at our disposal,” she said, before adding that Fitto is “engaging with all key stakeholders”.

  Fitto, meanwhile, described his own meeting as “an important opportunity to establish a constructive working relationship and exchange initial views”, and added that “the European Union remains fully committed to supporting the UN-led process”.

  While as yet unverified, Fidan’s reported return to rhetoric regarding a two-state solution could prove to be evidence of a hardening of Turkey’s position ahead of Guterres’ visit to the island, especially after Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said words to the same effect when he visited Cyprus on Monday.

  Yilmaz had said that “the way for a permanent and sustainable solution is to accept the sovereign equality and equal international status of the two states”, and lamented that “negotiations which have been going on for years have been inconclusive because the Greek Cypriot side does not see it fit to … accept the Turkish Cypriots as an equal partner”.

  However, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman remains unwavering in his position, saying himself on Monday that the Turkish Cypriots “have been willing to solve [the Cyprus problem] for many years”, pointing to their vote in favour of the 2004 Annan plan to reunify Cyprus and its support for the most recent round of negotiations in earnest, held at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana in 2017, as examples.

  He also referred to Guterres’ insistence that “this time it must be different”, saying that “we do not want negotiations for the sake of negotiations, or a five-plus-one meeting for the sake of a five-plus-one meeting”, before stressing that “we want to be result-oriented”.

  The term “five-plus-one” is a reference to the island’s two sides, its three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, and the UN, who would all attend an enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem were it to be convened.

  Prior to this week, Turkey, too, had appeared to be more open to such a prospect, with Fidan, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, and Internal Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner, signing a joint declaration offering his support for Guterres’ efforts in Cyprus last month.

  Additionally, both von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa had called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to “seize the renewed momentum” to bring about a solution to the Cyprus problem, when the trio met on the sidelines of the Nato leaders’ summit in Ankara earlier this month.

  Cyprus did not feature at all during Erdogan’s statements to the press following Friday prayers in the Istanbul suburb of Uskudar, on the eastern banks of the Bosophorus.

  Guterres will arrive in Cyprus on Monday, before holding 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.

  At the beginning of this month, Holguin had called on Cypriots to “seize this historic opportunity to negotiate a lasting solution” and said that Guterres is “evaluating which could be the next phases that will convince both parties to take concrete steps towards a final solution”.

• Man arrested after stolen car chase ends in crash in Paphos

  A 28-year-old man was arrested after allegedly driving a stolen vehicle, crashing into another car and assaulting a police officer during a pursuit in the Paphos district, police said on Friday.

  The vehicle was reported stolen at around 3pm on Thursday after it was allegedly taken from a parking area in Paphos shortly after midday.

  Officers quickly located the car being driven through a village in the district and signalled the driver to stop.

  Instead, he allegedly sped away, driving dangerously along the Polis Chrysochous-Paphos road before colliding with another private vehicle.

  The pursuit continued until the suspect lost control of the stolen car and crashed into a roadside safety barrier.

  He then attempted to flee on foot and allegedly assaulted a police officer before being overpowered and arrested at around 3.20pm.

  During the pursuit, police fired a warning shot into the air.

  A preliminary drug test on the suspect was positive, while an alcohol test was negative.

  The 28-year-old was later formally arrested under a court warrant and remains in custody. The Paphos CID and Stroumbi police station are continuing their investigations.

• Minister chairs talks on policing and migration

  Public safety, crime prevention and strengthening policing in areas with larger migrant populations were the focus of a meeting chaired by Justice Minister Costas Fitiris on Friday.

  The meeting, attended by a delegation from the Cyprus Institute for Demographic and Migration Policy and police representatives, highlighted the need for enhanced crime prevention and policing measures.

  Participants also discussed the handling of migration-related cases and broader policing challenges in areas with higher migrant populations.

• Lawyers call for full Videogate report after Paschalides’ about turn

  Lawyers Yiannis Ioannou and Simos Angelides have called for the full publication of independent criminal investigator Andreas Paschalides’ Videogate report, arguing on Friday that his second public statement materially changed the understanding created by his original announcement.

  Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, both lawyers said Paschalides’ clarification, issued yesterday, differed significantly from his initial statement, which many had interpreted as clearing those involved before he later confirmed he had recommended criminal prosecutions.

  Ioannou said the differing interpretations demonstrated the lack of clarity surrounding the findings.

  “It is amazing that different interpretations have been given by lawyers, journalists and politicians,” he said.

  “The reality is that everyone has been confused.”

  He argued that Paschalides’ latest statement, confirming he had recommended prosecutions under anti-corruption legislation, contrasted with the impression created by the original announcement.

  Ioannou called for the publication of both the complete audiovisual material and the agreement reached between the legal service and private intelligence firm Black Cube after immunity was granted to the company’s representatives.

  Ioannou further argued that editing footage should not automatically be equated with forgery.

  “If stitching was done, it does not necessarily mean that the end product is itself false,” he said, distinguishing between simple editing and manipulation intended to alter meaning.

  He also expressed concern that the prosecution could ultimately fail if crucial audiovisual evidence was ruled inadmissible before the court.

  Angelides similarly said Paschalides’ second statement substantially altered the public understanding of the findings.

  “The announcement significantly differs from the picture that had reasonably been formed by the announcement on Monday,” he said.

  He said the latest statement made “explicit reference” for the first time to recommendations for criminal prosecutions involving certain individuals.

  Angelides said the only way to restore confidence was through full disclosure of the report, arguing that it should be presented to the House institutions committee.

  He also questioned whether investigators had obtained all relevant information before granting immunity to Black Cube, including the identity of those who financed the operation.

  Paschalides confirmed yesterday that he had recommended criminal prosecutions under legislation implementing the Council of Europe Convention on the Criminalisation of Corruption, rejecting claims that his findings had exonerated everyone involved in the Videogate affair.

• Rapid response teams planned after highway chaos

  The Justice Ministry is moving to establish special rapid intervention teams following the seven-hour closure of the Nicosia Limassol highway after a lorry overturned.

  In a statement issued on Friday, the ministry said the disruption caused significant inconvenience to thousands of motorists and demonstrated the need to strengthen the operational readiness of the police, fire brigade and other relevant authorities.

  Following instructions from Justice Minister Costas Fitiris, special teams will be created in each district involving police officers, firefighters and, where necessary, specialised private companies.

  The teams will focus on the immediate removal of obstacles from roads and the reopening of motorways as quickly as possible after serious incidents.

  The ministry said the programme would be supported by funding to ensure the teams have the necessary equipment and can operate effectively across all provinces.

  The measures follow yesterday’s highway closure, which occurred after a lorry carrying gravel overturned near the Dali industrial area shortly before 4pm.

  The vehicle struck the central barrier before crossing onto the opposite carriageway and overturning, scattering its load across both sides of the motorway.

  The crash forced the closure of the highway in both directions as emergency services worked to remove the vehicle and clear the gravel from the road.

  One lane towards Nicosia only reopened at around 9pm, while the remaining lane reopen later around midnight.

  The ministry also stressed the importance of timely public information during emergencies, saying the traffic police would implement organised diversion plans and provide updates through media outlets and social media.

  It assured that funding requirements submitted by the police and fire brigade would be addressed immediately to support the creation and operation of the rapid intervention teams.

• Golden passport trial set for September

  The prosecution in the ‘golden passport’ case concerning alleged irregularities in Cyprus’ citizenship-by-investment scheme told the court on Friday that it had provided all the information requested by the defence ahead of the trial, which is due to begin on September 14 at 9.30am.

  Senior prosecutor Charis Karaolidou said the prosecution had responded to all pre-trial requests in a letter dated July 20.

  Former transport minister Marios Demetriades and nine co-defendants – seven individuals and two legal entities – face charges including influence peddling, bribery, extortion, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and offences under the Council of Europe’s criminal law convention on corruption.

  The other defendants are Andreas Demetriades, Demetris Demetriades, Giorgos Demetriades, Eleni Symillides, Jing Wang, Josef Friedrich Santin, Vasiliki Georgiou Santin, law firm Andreas Demetriades & Co LLC and Delsk (Cyprus) Business Services Ltd.

  The pre-trial requests included clarifications regarding the identity of an individual mentioned in the indictment as having conspired to commit VAT fraud.

  According to the defence, the prosecution said it was an individual on the witness list who was not facing charges.

  The issue was raised by defence lawyer Elias Stefanou, who represents Andreas, Demetris and Giorgos Demetriades, Eleni Symillides, Vasiliki Georgiou Santin and Andreas Demetriades & Co LLC.

  Counsel for Marios Demetriades, Petros Stavrou, separately sought clarification on whether the individual had been granted immunity from prosecution. According to the defence, the prosecution said no such agreement has been made.

  Stefanou had also requested clarifications regarding the evidence the prosecution intended to present during the hearing. The defence notified it intended to object to any submission of evidence linked to irrelevant testimony, personal communication or attorney-client privilege.

• Government rejects ‘any ideas outside UN framework’ on Cyprus issue

  The government has assured that any proposals for a settlement on the Cyprus problem falling outside the framework of UN Security Council resolutions would be rejected.

  Speaking on Friday, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis affirmed that the objective remained the resumption of substantive negotiations from where they stopped at Crans Montana in 2017, based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality.

  “The goal remains unchanged,” Letymbiotis said, adding that the solution must be based on “one sovereignty, one citizenship and one international personality” in accordance with UN resolutions and compatible with EU law.

  Asked regarding possible new ideas submitted by both the UN and Turkish Cypriot side, with recent reports suggesting a deviation into a loose confederation model, Letymbiotis said he was not aware of any such proposals.

  “If any ideas from anyone go beyond the framework of the UN Security Council resolutions, the answer is categorically negative,” he said.

  He added that the upcoming expanded conference sought by the UN secretary general would not be an end in itself, but a step towards restarting negotiations.

  “The goal is the resumption of substantive negotiations,” Letymbiotis said, adding that all sides would need to demonstrate political will for progress to be achieved.

  He said the government recognised the difficulties ahead but maintained that there was political momentum surrounding the UN initiative and the appointment of European Commission Vice President Rafaelle Fitto as EU special envoy for the Cyprus problem.

  “The importance of the national council as the institutional space for collective assessment of the data surrounding the top national issue was proven once again,” Letymbiotis said, adding that unity did not require agreement on all issues but required “responsibility, sobriety and a shared awareness of historical responsibility”.

• The Cyprus taverna serving wagyu souvlaki

  By Marko Ljubicic

  Sometimes I wonder about the motives of the friends, colleagues and family members who recommend restaurants for me to review.

  Most, I imagine, have good intentions. They point me towards the finest Indian restaurant in town, the newest hotspot or perhaps a hidden gem tucked away on some side street.

  And then someone recommends Three and the Cuckoo (3 Kai O Koukos).

  “It’s a taverna that has wagyu souvlaki,” they tell me, which is rather like describing The Godfather as “a film with gangsters”. While technically correct – the best kind of correct – it is neither practically nor contextually correct.

  To be fair, one look at the exterior does little to dispel the illusion. Utilitarian chairs and paper-clothed tables pepper a prodigious patio. Waiters weave effortlessly between diners while children dart between the tables.

  Yes. Definitely a taverna.

  As our party of four is shown to our seats, however, the notion that this is merely a snazzy taverna with wagyu on the menu goes up in souvlaki smoke.

  The menu is gargantuan.

  An A3-sized laminated affair spanning 85 items (yes, I counted), covering everything from salads and starters to sausages, souvlaki, steaks and seemingly everything in between. As if that were not enough, a second laminated menu lists another 15 dishes of the day, ten of which are available that evening, helpfully denoted by black marker ticks.

  I am thankful that the restaurant is bathed in the warm, reddish glow of the setting sun as we wave the waiter away for a second time, our collective inability to decide what to order beginning to betray itself. The fading daylight does an admirable job of concealing the redness of embarrassment slowly creeping up my neck.

  The menu begins sensibly enough, anchored by the usual taverna staples: chicken and pork souvlaki, sheftalia and charcoal-grilled meats.

  Then the menu seems to lose the ability to say ‘no’.

  Wild boar sausages. Deer souvlaki. Rabbit. Rooster. Iberico pork. Kurobuta pork. Wagyu kebab.

  And, just in case all that still leaves you wanting, there is an entire section devoted to USDA Prime and A5 Wagyu steaks.

  By the time we finally settle on our order, I feel like a round of applause is due.

  A village salad, spicy feta dip, wild boar sausage, Iberico pork souvlaki, deer souvlaki, beef short ribs, pourgouri, French fries and, naturally, the dish that started this entire adventure: the wagyu souvlaki.

  Incidentally, the wagyu souvlaki appears only on the separate ‘dishes of the day’ menu, meaning it could very well have been unavailable the evening we visited. Go figure.

  At first glance – and maybe more so once you see the prices – it would be easy to dismiss Three and the Cuckoo as attempting to subvert the taverna through expensive ingredients and novelty meats.

  Ordinarily, I’d probably agree. Except for one rather inconvenient fact.

  The food is genuinely excellent.

  Deer souvlaki aside, which arrived looking like charcoal and possessed the unfortunate crumbly consistency of overcooked liver, everything else was cooked, prepared and seasoned beautifully.

  The wild boar sausage was lean, gamey and wonderfully balanced. Paired with a salad or a small side, it could easily pass for a meal in its own right.

  The Iberico pork and wagyu souvlaki were both cooked beautifully, with a buttery texture, deep umami notes and the sort of tenderness that makes you slow down simply to appreciate them.

  The beef short ribs were slow-cooked, rich and deeply satisfying.

  Somewhat surprisingly, the vegetable-studded bulgur stole the show, tying with the spicy feta dip as the unanimous favourite around the table.

  In Greek tradition, the phrase ‘three and the cuckoo’ describes a social gathering attended by disappointingly few people.

  By the time dinner service was in full swing, however, the irony was impossible to miss. The patio was packed, with every table occupied.

  Looking back, those who recommended this place weren’t wrong.

  Three and the Cuckoo is a taverna that serves wagyu souvlaki.

  It just also happens to serve another hundred or so reasons to visit.

  VITAL STATISTICS:

  SPECIALTY: Taverna food

  WHERE: Three and the Cuckoo, 49 Antistratigou Evaggelou Floraki street, Nicosia

  WHEN: Monday to Saturday 7pm to 1am; Sunday 7pm to 11pm

  CONTACT: 22 320380

  HOW MUCH: Starters: €2.25 – €10; Sides: €3 – €7; Grill: €9 – €12; Steak: €70 – €225 (per kg)

• Self-Host Weekly (24 July 2026)
  Become a paid subscriber to access the newsletter’s full-text RSS feed or continue reading on selfh.st.
• Police defend motorway chaos as expert calls for rush-hour truck ban

  Police have defended their handling of Thursday’s motorway closure, saying the hours-long disruption on the Limassol-Nicosia highway was unavoidable because of the complexity of recovering a heavy goods vehicle and clearing tonnes of gravel from the carriageway.

  Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, traffic police spokesman Giorgos Milis said the incident affected traffic in both directions after a truck weighing more than 35 to 40 tonnes overturned and spilled its load onto the road.

  “The incident affected both directions because of the cargo that was spilled onto the carriageway,” he said. “We were dealing with a truck weighing more than 35 to 40 tonnes, so cranes were needed to recover it and the road also had to be cleaned.”

  Milis explained that whenever a heavy goods vehicle is involved, specialised recovery cranes must be used and these can be located anywhere in Cyprus.

  “In this case, the crane came from Larnaca,” he said, adding that the cranes are called by the truck’s insurance company rather than by police. Ultimately, two cranes were required to recover the vehicle.

  Asked why motorists remained trapped for several hours, Milis said safety could not be compromised.

  “Safety rules do not allow for haste. If a crane lifts the load incorrectly, the crane itself could overturn.”

  He described incidents of this scale as rare, occurring only once or twice a year, but noted that any prolonged closure on the Limassol-Nicosia motorway has major consequences because it is Cyprus’ busiest road.

  Responding to criticism over the apparent lack of police presence, Milis said officers had been deployed to manage traffic and divert vehicles onto the old Limassol-Nicosia road.

  “We staffed three key junctions with police officers to help keep traffic moving. We had a three-lane motorway that suddenly had to be channelled into a single lane before traffic could be diverted.”

  He added that every major incident is assessed according to its circumstances and that delays are inevitable when several agencies are involved.

  “In this case, the public works department, the fire service and the two crane operators were all involved. We immediately issued announcements informing the public that the motorway had been closed and that traffic was being diverted.”

  The motorway was closed shortly after 5.15pm on Thursday after a truck overturned near the Dali industrial area, spilling a large quantity of gravel across both carriageways. Traffic was diverted onto the old Limassol-Nicosia road, with the motorway reopening shortly after 11pm.

  Following the incident, civil engineer and transport expert Neophytos Zavrides suggested restricting heavy goods vehicles from using motorways during peak hours.

  He proposed banning trucks above a certain weight from category A roads between approximately 7am and 5pm, arguing that vehicles carrying construction materials and other heavy loads could instead use the old category B road network.

  “It is not logical for these vehicles to be using the busiest roads during the hours when people are taking their children to school or travelling to work,” he said, adding that exceptional journeys could still be permitted through a police authorisation and escort system.

  Despite the diversion measures, hundreds of motorists remained trapped for hours on what was the hottest day of the year.

  Cyprus Mail journalist Rebekah Gregoriades was among those caught in the congestion.

  “It normally takes me 25 minutes to get home, but on Thursday it took me four hours, and I was one of the lucky ones,” she said. “Others told me they had been stuck for seven hours.”

  With temperatures reaching 40C, conditions quickly became unbearable.

  “It wasn’t just the air temperature. It was also the heat coming from hundreds of engines.”

  Some vehicles succumbed to the conditions.

  “There were cars breaking down, with water pouring from overheated engines. Many of us, especially those driving older cars, switched off the air conditioning to stop the engines overheating.”

  The greatest concern, however, was for vulnerable passengers.

  “There were elderly people and children suffering. I saw one man get out of his car, open the back door and lift an infant into his arms while blowing on the baby to try to cool it down.”

  Access to drinking water also became a problem.

  “For a journey that usually takes half an hour, you don’t keep large supplies of cold water in the car. We were desperate. By the time I finally reached a kiosk, my mouth was so dry I could barely speak.”

  Looking back, she said there were lighter moments amid the frustration.

  “There was a man in a sports car who kept changing lanes every time traffic moved a few metres. After a couple of hours he started sounding his horn, eventually annoying everyone around him, who all began hooting back. After all that, he still ended up a few cars behind me when we finally started moving.”

• Fidias skips National Council, claims ignorance on Cyprus problem

  Fidias Panayiotou did not attend today’s National Council meeting ahead of next week’s UN talks on the Cyprus problem, claiming he did not possess sufficient knowledge to advise President Nikos Christodoulides and instead appointed businessman Mike Spanos to represent his party.

  The decision, announced in a video published on Thursday night, has prompted debate over Spanos’ role after reports that he is not a party official.

  However, any registered party member may represent a political party at the National Council, whose role is advisory rather than in actual decision making.

  Panayiotou said he had chosen not to attend because of the importance of the upcoming discussions before UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ visit to Cyprus next week.

  “Because I have self-awareness, and like Socrates used to say, know thyself, I recognise that I don’t know enough about the Cyprus issue so as to advise the president,” he said.

  The MEP said Direct Democracy would instead be represented by Spanos, whom he described as someone with extensive knowledge of the Cyprus problem, Turkey and the economy.

  “He is someone I trust because he has a great deal of knowledge about Turkey, the Cyprus problem and the economy,” Panayiotou said.

  Questions were initially raised over whether Spanos could attend because he is not part of the party leadership.

  Spanos is a registered member of Direct Democracy through the party’s digital membership platform, with the party’s constitution recognising all registered users as members.

  Spanos is an established business figure, having married into the Lanitis family and previously led Coca Cola’s operations in Cyprus from 1981 before becoming chief executive of Coca Cola Turkey until 2008.

  He has also served on the boards of the Central Bank of Cyprus and Bank of Cyprus in 2014 and is the founder of consultancy firm MS Business Power Ltd and founding chairman of Green Dot Cyprus.

  In 2017, Akel selected Spanos as its preferred candidate for the 2018 presidential election before the agreement collapsed within a week over differences on economic policy as well as Spanos’ position on the Cyprus issue.

  Friday’s National Council meeting was held ahead of Guterres’ arrival on Monday for a new round of discussions aimed at restarting negotiations on the Cyprus problem.

Github

• Claude Opus 5 is now available in GitHub Copilot

  Claude Opus 5, Anthropic’s newest Opus model, is now available in GitHub Copilot. It is designed for complex, long-running coding tasks that require careful reasoning, effective tool use, and reliable execution across multiple steps.

  In our early testing, Opus 5 showed strong performance on agentic coding workflows, including autonomous code changes, regression verification, and tasks that require coordinating multiple tools. The model was especially effective at making targeted changes, validating its work, and reducing unnecessary execution overhead on complex tasks.

  The model includes enhanced safeguards for high-harm cyber content. These safeguards may block some cyber-related or security-adjacent requests. If a request is blocked, try rephrasing it with additional benign context or select another available model.

  Claude Opus 5 is billed at provider API list price under usage-based billing. See GitHub Copilot’s pricing for models and requests for details.

  Availability in GitHub Copilot

  Claude Opus 5 will be available to Copilot Pro+, Max, Business, and Enterprise users. You’ll be able to select the model in the model picker in:

  • Visual Studio Code
  • Visual Studio
  • Copilot CLI
  • GitHub Copilot cloud agent
  • GitHub Copilot app
  • github.com
  • GitHub Mobile iOS and Android
  • JetBrains
  • Xcode
  • Eclipse

  Rollout will be gradual. Check back soon if you don’t see it yet.

  Enabling access

  Copilot Enterprise and Copilot Business plan administrators must enable the Claude Opus 5 policy in Copilot settings.

  Learn more

  To explore all models available in GitHub Copilot, see our documentation on models and get started with Copilot.

  Share your feedback

  Join the GitHub Community to share your feedback.

  The post Claude Opus 5 is now available in GitHub Copilot appeared first on The GitHub Blog.

Reddit

r/golang

• vscode "unsupported modify tags operation:"

  I encountered this recently.

  In vscode, I used to be able to automatically add json tag to structure from context menu "Go: Add Tags To Struct Fields". But now I just get the error message at the lower right corner "unsupported modify tags operation:", with no additional info.

  I think I may have removed some command line tool but I am not sure which.

  Anyone has clue or pointer to debug/fix this?

  submitted by /u/js1943
  [link] [comments]
• Generating swagger docs?

  What's the recommended approach nowadays? A lot of tools seem to only support openapi 2.0. Is this a problem? Also is it worth testing wether the api is still in sync with the docs?

  submitted by /u/Stupidprogramner
  [link] [comments]
• How to reuse code in multiple projects?

  I want to create my own little modules for reusing code I regularly use. Like handling files and paths.

  I was hoping I could just create a module put it somewhere on my PC and import that into every project where needed. Seems like that's not possible.

  I'm not sure if workspaces is what I need. What's the difference to just copying and pasting the module files into the project?

  How do you handle reusing code in multiple projects? Is it just copy paste? Would it be better to have a single reference which all projects point to (this is the solution I was looking for)?

  submitted by /u/Tuomas90
  [link] [comments]
• Idea for a change to defining test functions

  Currently tests are functions in files named as *_test.go.

  The idea is to drop the reliance on naming convention and define tests as follows

  whereas currently you have a file named *_test.go and in that file you have one or more functions that are like

  func TestFunctionToBeTested(t *testing.T) 

  the idea is instead to have in files of any name in a package

  test FunctionToBeTested(t *testing.T) 

  Then, when testing, instead of looking for a file, you could specify a package and all tests in that package would be ran. You could, if desired, specify a file in that package and tests within that file.

  submitted by /u/SnugglyCoderGuy
  [link] [comments]
• Golang Maps: How Swiss Tables Replaced the Old Bucket Design

  Deep dive on Go's map internals in Go 1.24 and how the runtime moved from the classic bucket + overflow-chain design to a Swiss Table-inspired implementation: what changed structurally in the runtime how control bytes and h2 filtering reduce wasted key comparisons why this improves cache behavior and practical load factors Go-specific constraints (iteration semantics, GC integration, incremental growth behavior) benchmark context and caveats (microbench wins vs smaller app-level geomean gains) current trade-offs and open performance areas submitted by /u/OtherwisePush6424 [link] [comments]

• Any thoughts on Go as a monolithic application?

  I know Go is powerful for microservices, gRPC, and all that, but for small companies that lack cloud or distributed infrastructure—and only have a single workstation—how do you work with Go to build an application without ending up with "spaghetti code" or bad practices down the line? Have any of you had experience with this?

  submitted by /u/jeremycy94
  [link] [comments]
• Updated the Razify tool

  Updated the Razify tool to make environment variable bugs and leaked secrets impossible in your projects.

  It's a fast, 100% offline CLI that validates .env files against templates, checks types (@type(port), u/enum(dev,prod)), and catches exposed secret keys before you commit.

  Added a zero-install runner so you can test it right away with npx razify check, plus a new VS Code extension for inline error squigglies.

  Runs in under 10ms, requires zero cloud signups, and includes a pre-commit git hook to keep your commits clean.

  Open sourced it on GitHub if you want to test it or share feedback — PRs are super welcome! https://github.com/Hossiy21/razify

  submitted by /u/hossiy16
  [link] [comments]