Friday, July 31, 2026
1b1bc712-4532-4e2c-a108-dfa9b4809e6f
| Summary | ⛅️ Clear throughout the day. |
|---|---|
| Temperature Range | 23°C to 32°C (74°F to 89°F) |
| Feels Like | Low: 78°F | High: 103°F |
| Humidity | 66% |
| Wind | 10 km/h (6 mph), Direction: 164° |
| Precipitation | Probability: 0%, Type: No precipitation expected |
| Sunrise / Sunset | 🌅 05:57 AM / 🌇 07:50 PM |
| Moon Phase | Waning Gibbous (56%) |
| Cloud Cover | 5% |
| Pressure | 1004.59 hPa |
| Dew Point | 70.33°F |
| Visibility | 6.14 miles |
By Penelope Vasquez Hadjilyra
The sea off Dasoudi has turned brown again. Swimmers are filming it, not as an eyesore, but as evidence of a gamble people are asked to take with their health every time they go in.
The wider Limassol district held 19 Blue Flag sites in 2024, 14 in 2025, and five in 2026, four beaches, Pissouri, Kourion, Parekklisia, and Governor’s Beach, plus the Limassol Marina. The high traffic municipal stretches of the city seafront and Dasoudi are missing from that list, not because they applied and failed, but because they did not apply. Cymepa’s National Blue Flag Jury says the municipalities agreed in advance not to submit, given the pollution reported the previous year and an assessment that certification was not achievable.
A body does not usually withdraw from a competition it is confident of winning. What does it mean that they withdrew before the vote was even cast?
A commons is a resource that belongs to everyone, and because it belongs to everyone, it can start to feel like it belongs to no one. The sea and the shoreline are the clearest examples. Garrett Hardin described the tragedy of the commons in 1968 as the depletion of a shared resource when each user acts in their own interest.
Elinor Ostrom’s answer was that a commons survives only when the right to use it is bolted to an enforced obligation to protect it. What happens to a shared right when nobody agrees who holds the obligation?
The local deadlock is close to absolute. The Environment Department, the Water Development Department, and the Sewerage Board point mainly toward ships; the deputy shipping ministry, now coordinating the response, points substantially toward land. A scientific advisor to the deputy shipping ministry gave the number that matters most: 53 per cent of pollution incidents in 2023 to 2024 had no identified source, and only 13 per cent of those documented led to a fine.
Who is left to hold accountable when more than half the pollution has no known author?
Into that vacuum, people have started monitoring the coast themselves, reports of a south wind, a ship’s bilge pumps running for hours near Dasoudi, photos of foam close to shore. None of this proves a cause. It could be organic matter churned up by waves, or detergent runoff, wastewater, or a vessel offshore. But it is real time reporting that official monitoring, a handful of inspectors, one or two tests a month, cannot provide. Is a resident with a phone camera oversight, or a sign that oversight has failed?
The municipality of Limassol absorbs the frustration by default, not jurisdiction.
It does not control shipping or permitting, but it is the government people can see. The mayor of Limassol has spoken publicly on other environmental failures and joined seafront clean ups. Whether municipal, national, or maritime authorities carry the greater blame remains unresolved.
Should the address people write to be the one that can act, or the one they can find?
A parliamentary disclosure in late 2025 found thirty organisations with licensed pipelines discharging wastewater into the Limassol sea, some high rises using the pipes to fix basement flooding, not wastewater. The Environment Department admitted these operators were largely left to self-report their own violations, a system that only works if everyone volunteers the truth.
When the House environment committee examined the issue in November 2025, members described a serious lack of coordinated oversight and marine surveillance, pressing officials on staffing and on the use of technology able to catch incidents as they happen.
The committee’s own conclusion traced the deadlock to the same interagency disagreement described above, when three services cannot agree what they are monitoring for, none of them owns monitoring it properly. Add years of rapid seafront development, and a question follows. At what point does an unfunded gap stop being an accident and start being an arrangement?
Official testing rated all 123 of Cyprus’s beaches excellent through 2025, putting Cyprus top of the EU at 100 per cent, against an EU average of 84.8 per cent. The European Parliament credits that to the Bathing Water Directive’s mandatory monitoring, evidence the obligation side of a commons can work when enforced.
A Blue Flag, though, rests on 33 criteria covering management and prevention, not water quality alone. How does a country top an EU table on water and still see two municipalities walk away? Is the difference in the sea, or in how it is managed?
It does not have to stay this ambiguous. On July 1, 2025, Finland banned cargo ships from discharging sewage in its waters, requiring ports to have reception facilities and charging a waste fee regardless of discharge, removing the incentive to dump at sea. It resolved its version of this argument by making the obligation absolute and funding it.
Cyprus has its own version of that instinct. OESAR, the Team for Supervision and Coordination of Pollution Response, was established by Cabinet decision in early 2025 and has been operating since, though its tools, a drone and a system to trace pollution by chemical signature, are still being installed.
Three agencies producing three theories has not functioned as oversight so far. Will a properly resourced coordinating body change that, or become a fourth voice in the disagreement?
Until then, the people defending Limassol’s coastline are the ones with nothing to gain, swimmers filming brown water and residents raising the issue with a mayor who cannot fix what he does not control. The beach is theirs by right. Whether it stays theirs may depend on whether the state decides the cost of finding out is lower than the cost of not looking.
Penelope Vasquez Hadjilyra was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and grew up in Limassol, Cyprus. She studied architecture in the UK and Cyprus, and today runs the architectural research laboratory “The way space begins” in Limassol, alongside collaborating with the CYENS Research Centre and MaaSlab Institute on urban greenery, smart transit, and energy applications
Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos on Thursday spoke on the phone with his Iranian counterpart about the current crisis in the Persian Gulf.
Cyprus’ chief diplomat later posted on X: “Held a telephone discussion with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi with a focus on regional developments. Diplomacy remains imperative for sustained de-escalation.”
According to both The Times of Israel and Irna, Iran’s state-run news agency, during the phone call Araghchi stressed the importance of preventing foreign military bases in Cyprus from being used against Iran.
Cyprus hosts two British sovereign military bases, including RAF Akrotiri, struck by a drone in early March, days after Israel and the US initiated strikes on Iran.
Britain agreed early on in the war to a US request to use British bases for “defensive strikes” against Iranian missiles in storage depots or launchers. Britain later clarified RAF Akrotiri would not be involved in its defensive agreement with the United States to use UK bases.
Asked by the Cyprus News Agency to comment on Araghchi’s reported urging to Cyprus, a diplomatic source in Nicosia neither confirmed nor denied.
The source said only that the two countries’ foreign ministers communicate “quite frequently”.
During all such contacts, the source added, Cyprus conveys its position regarding its respect for international law.
The same source also indicated that Britain’s public position regarding the use of its bases has not changed.
During a separate phone call with the Bulgarian foreign minister also on Thursday, Araghchi urged Sofia not to approve a US request to station military aircraft at the Bezmer air base to support US military operations.
The Iranian foreign minister told his Bulgarian counterpart that such a decision would amount to facilitating aggression against Iran.
The Cyprus Union of Nursing Staff (Oyyk-Sek) on Thursday welcomed Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides’ initiative and the cabinet’s decision to approve an additional grant scheme for nursing and midwifery students, saying it had been advocating for such a measure for the past two years.
In a statement, the union said the provision of an additional grant for nursing and midwifery students, on top of the existing student grant, both as an incentive to encourage young people to choose the profession and as support during their practical training, had been one of its longstanding proposals.
It added that it has consistently maintained that policies aimed at making better use of the domestic workforce, combined with closer links between higher education and the labour market, represent “an investment and the best and most meaningful solution to any labour market needs.”
The union said it believes the new measure “will have a multiplying effect” in encouraging secondary school graduates to pursue studies in nursing and midwifery.
It noted that the scheme provides an annual grant to undergraduate nursing students, with the amount increasing according to the year of study. First-year students will receive €1,000, second-year students €1,250, third-year students €1,500 and fourth-year students €2,000 per year.
According to the union, a key condition of the scheme is that graduates commit to working for at least two years in state healthcare facilities after completing their studies.
Oyyk-Sek added that the scheme will be available to permanent residents of the Republic of Cyprus enrolled in nursing or midwifery programmes and will come into effect in September.
It said the measure will cover both new entrants and students already enrolled in nursing and midwifery programmes, including those in their second, third and fourth years of study.
Recorded cases of human trafficking “do not reflect the true extent of the problem”, Human Rights Commissioner Maria Stylianou-Lottides said on Thursday, revealing that 30 victims were identified in Cyprus last year.
Lottides said the victims comprised 16 women and 14 men, while five people were convicted of human trafficking-related offences during the year.
Despite improvements to the legal and institutional framework, she said “significant challenges remained”, including difficulties in identifying victims, limited access to justice, fear of reprisals and the emergence of new forms of exploitation through digital technology.
On this front, she said that “new forms of exploitation are emerging through artificial intelligence and online fraud, while criminal organisations are using high-level technologies to recruit victims”.
Lottides said combating human trafficking was not only about prosecuting perpetrators but also about protecting victims’ human rights.
“It requires the timely identification of victims, their safe access to protection, support and rehabilitation, as well as the effective safeguarding of their right to regain control of their lives, without fear, stigmatisation or being re-victimised,” she said.
She added that the state “has an obligation to develop effective prevention, detection and prevention mechanisms, to strengthen the competent authorities’ cooperation and to appropriately train frontline professionals”.
“Equally important is the substantive cooperation which exists with civil society, which plays a crucial role in supporting awareness in society,” Lottides added.
She said her office promoted a “victim-centred approach based on respect for human rights and equal treatment”, adding that tackling human trafficking was a shared responsibility.
“Every victim who is identified and protected, every form of exploitation which is prevented, and every perpetrator who is brought to justice is another step towards a society which does not tolerate the exploitation of human beings by other human beings,” she said.
She concluded by saying that human dignity was “a non-negotiable right” and that the state must remain relentless in prosecuting those responsible for such crimes.
The prosecution and the defence squabbled on Thursday on the admissibility of phone communications as evidence in the ongoing trial of Giorgos ‘Zavrantonas’ Christodoulou.
Christodoulou is on trial before Nicosia criminal court, facing charges of importing 15kg of cocaine with intent to sell.
In 2022 he had been found guilty of possession with intent to sell, with the court then sentencing him to 22 years in jail. But in May of this year an appeals court declared a mistrial, ordering the case to be re-tried from scratch.
Thursday’s hearing focused on authorities’ handling of the mobile phones belonging to Yiannis Andreou.
Andreou had initially been arrested and sentenced as well. He was later granted a pardon and has turned witness for the state.
Testifying on the stand was an officer of the drug squad who was the case investigator. He described the police’s actions following the arrest of Andreou as well as the subsequent investigation.
Andreou has admitted to being an accomplice, naming defendant Christodoulou as the mastermind behind the drugs smuggling. He cannot now legally implicate himself.
According to the witness, who had deposed Christodoulou, the latter denied any involvement in the case and claimed he had no contact with Andreou.
Answering questions from the prosecutor, the officer acknowledged a series of evidentiary items relating to mobile phones seized during the investigations.
The hearing turned heated when lead prosecutor Vasilis Bissas attempted to submit as evidence a court order concerning access to private communications.
The defendant’s attorney objected, claiming the order was being notified at an advanced stage of the trial proceedings – which he said would adversely affect his client’s right to a fair trial.
Responding, the prosecution said the defence had been made aware of the order early on.
Having heard both sides, the court overruled the objection, allowing the order to be submitted as evidence.
The defence then raised another objection, when prosecutors presented a document prepared by the witness. The document recorded phone calls and text messages between Christodoulou and Andreou.
According to the defence, the document does not constitute primary evidence, but rather a summary drafted the officer. As such, its contents could be taken out of context.
Primary evidence is first-hand, original material or data.
The court allowed the document to be submitted.
Continuing his testimony, the witness referred to correspondence with Dutch authorities, after Cypriot police requested information about Christodoulou’s stay in the Netherlands – from where the defendant allegedly smuggled the narcotics.
The trial continues on Friday.
A new bridge loan scheme allowing farmers to access funding before receiving grants under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will be introduced this year, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said on Thursday.
Speaking after a meeting with representatives of the banking sector, Panayiotou said the scheme would address a long-standing liquidity problem faced by farmers waiting for approved subsidies to be paid.
Farmers may lack the start-up capital to implement their intended investment. A bridge loan will help them through until the grant is paid out.
“For the first time, Cypriot producers have access to an integrated financial tool that provides a solution to a long-standing problem – the lack of liquidity needed to implement essential investments,” she said.
Two Cypriot lenders have agreed to participate. Panayiotou said the banks putting their signatures on the agreement is now a mere formality.
“The meeting we’ve had formally confirmed the participation in the financing tool of Bank of Cyprus and Eurobank, through the Association of Banks of Cyprus,” the minister said.
She added that strengthening the agricultural sector required both appropriate financial tools and faster procedures to provide farmers with greater financial security.
Eurobank general manager Fivos Stasopoulos described the initiative as an “important partnership” that would support investments aimed at improving the competitiveness and productivity of the agricultural sector.
He explained that the financing would cover the period between the implementation of an investment and the payment of the subsidy, providing farmers with the capital needed to proceed with their projects.
To access the scheme, farmers will first need to obtain approval for the relevant subsidy.
Those requiring additional liquidity may then apply to one of the participating banks for interim financing at preferential lending rates.
Once the subsidy is paid, it will be used to repay the bridge loan.
This funding is offered at a significantly lower borrowing cost than would otherwise be the case. Once the grant has been paid to the farmers, this amount will be used to repay the initial funding granted to the beneficiary.
Association of Cyprus Banks director general Marios Skandalis described the cooperation with the agriculture ministry as an “essential step” in the support of the primary sector.
He said that the new financial tools give farmers more flexibility and direct access to the resources they need to make more effective use of state funding.
According to the Association of Banks, interested farmers will be able to directly contact the banks participating in the financing scheme, which will include a preliminary check on the creditworthiness of the applicants.
It added that the disbursement of the funding would take place gradually, so as to cover both the initial phase of the start of the projects and the main phase of their implementation, during which the majority of the grants would be paid.
Bank of Cyprus retail banking director Theodosios Theodosiou expressed his satisfaction with the project and its support of the agricultural sector.
“The support of the rural world is a timeless commitment of the Bank of Cyprus, which recognises the contribution of farmers, farmers and producers to the economy, food sufficiency, regional development and the preservation of life in local communities,” he said.
Foreign workers are almost three times more likely to be subjected to forced labour than Cypriots, while accounting for around 9 per cent of Cyprus’ workforce, figures presented at an event marking World Day Against Human Trafficking showed on Thursday.
Speaking at the event in Nicosia, head of the Step Up Stop Slavery initiative Katerina Stefanou said Cyprus “already has legislation and mechanisms to combat human trafficking”, but stressed that their effectiveness depended on cooperation between all relevant stakeholders.
She said the Host project had trained more than 400 municipal employees, over 300 hospitality workers and more than 500 migrant workers to identify trafficking cases, understand labour rights and access available support mechanisms.
European Commission Representation in Cyprus official Alexis Pantelidis described human trafficking as “a serious and constantly evolving crime” across the European Union.
He said official figures record around 10,000 victims each year, although the true number is believed to be significantly higher because many cases go unreported.
Pantelidis added that labour exploitation now accounts for 36 per cent of recognised trafficking cases in the EU. In Cyprus, foreign workers make up almost 40 per cent of the hospitality workforce, compared with around 9 per cent of the labour force overall.
Justice ministry representative Andreas Hatzigeorgiou stressed that the hospitality and tourism sector was an important pillar of the Cypriot economy, emphasising that the increased need for labour created the need to ensure safe and fair employment conditions.
He said workers from third countries could face greater risks of exploitation due to unclear recruitment practices, language barriers, limited knowledge of their rights and dependence on individual employers.
“Human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation is a flagrant violation of fundamental human rights and an affront to human dignity,” he said, adding that “economic development cannot be built at the expense of the protection and rights of workers.”
In an online address, Susan Kerr, head of the Human Rights Department at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said cooperation between governments, civil society, migrant communities and the private sector was essential to preventing exploitation.
“Migrant workers are not the problem here,” she said.
Referring to the OSCE 2026 review report on the Implementation of Commitments to Combat Human Trafficking, she said that trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation “is not only increasing, but has become the most widespread form of human trafficking, accounting for almost a third of all identified victims.”
“The real vulnerability lies not in migration, but in the conditions and protection gaps that persist in our systems and that can leave migrant workers exposed to greater risk of exploitation,” Kerr added.
Citing International Labour Organisation figures, Kerr said around 28 million people worldwide are trapped in forced labour.
She described the National Reporting Mechanisms as necessary coordination tools for the cooperation between authorities and the provision of support, stressing that “identification is not the finish line. It is the starting point.”
She stressed that identifying victims was only the first step and said support should include legal assistance, social services, healthcare, psychological support and long-term rehabilitation.
Kerr also called for survivors of human trafficking and migrant community organisations to play a greater role in shaping policies and initiatives.
“Survivors are not just recipients of protection and assistance. They are experts,” she said.
The government said Thursday that by year’s end it plans to get the wheels turning on a significant segment of the planned highway linking Paphos to Polis Chrysochous.
Speaking in Paphos, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades said they aim to come out with the call for tenders by the end of this year or beginning of the next.
However, the minister described this as a target, not a hard-and-fast timetable.
In Paphos, Vafeades met with local authorities to discuss the planned project, which concerns the second phase of the Paphos-Polis motorway – a four-lane segment connecting Polis to the village of Stroumbi.
Plans for the highway have been discussed on-off for the past two decades.
Although the tenders for the second phase haven’t been published yet, the minister estimated the cost of the project at €108 million.
Right now, the project is in the land expropriations phase. At the same time, environmental studies are being carried out.
The minister said that, after two decades of waiting, people have justifiably grown disappointed and tired of repeated promises.
But, he added, this shouldn’t be a reason to abandon the project.
“We’re determined to press ahead.”
Regarding a related issue – the construction of a third lane on the existing road connecting Paphos to Polis – Vafeades said the first segment is expected to be delivered soon, perhaps within days.
On the second segment, the project has been delayed by about three months – attributed to the contractor, who is incurring penalties.
Speaking to the media, Polis mayor Yiotis Papachristofi spoke of “fatigue” concerning the Paphos-Polis connection that’s been pending for 20 years.
On the plus side, he noted that the current government intends to speed things up.
As for the first phase of the Paphos-Polis highway project, the bids are currently being assessed by a board.
The first phase concerns a 15km-long section linking the villages of Ayia Marinouda and Stroumbi.
According to reports, there are two bids: one from Cyfield Construction Ltd for €124 million, and the other from Araco Construction Cy Ltd for €128 million.
The cabinet on Thursday approved a new annual grant scheme for undergraduate nursing and midwifery students, with Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides describing it as “a particularly important step towards addressing “perhaps the most pressing issue in the country’s health sector”; the shortage of nursing staff.
Speaking after the cabinet meeting, Charalambides said the scheme would take effect from the 2026-27 academic year and would be available to both new and existing students.
“Our aim is to provide meaningful incentives for young people to choose nursing and midwifery as their professional path, contributing to ensuring adequate staffing of healthcare structures,” he said.
The grant will be paid on a sliding scale, with students receiving €1,000 in their first year, €1,250 in their second year, €1,500 in their third year and €2,000 in their fourth year.
“Any student who is a permanent resident of the Republic of Cyprus and is enrolled in a recognised programme of study at a higher education institution in Cyprus, regardless of year of study or financial circumstances, may receive the grant,” he said.
Recipients will also be required to work for two years in healthcare institutions in Cyprus after completing their studies.
“The decision taken today is not an isolated intervention, but forms part of a comprehensive plan being implemented by the health ministry to address the shortage of nursing staff,” he said.
The minister pointed to measures already under way, including awareness campaigns for final-year secondary school students and a targeted communications campaign, now in its third consecutive year, aimed at promoting nursing as a profession.
“According to the available data, the campaign has succeeded in doubling the number of undergraduate nursing students over the past two years,” he said.
Charalambides also said the government remained committed “to taking and implementing meaningful initiatives aimed at strengthening the work of healthcare professionals and ensuring a stronger and more resilient healthcare system for the future.”
He also referred to scholarships offered by private hospitals in return for post-graduation employment, a fast-track training programme for healthcare assistants to undertake duties that do not require nursing qualifications, and legislative amendments currently before parliament.
Meanwhile, the Cyprus Federation of Patient Associations (Osak) welcomed the introduction of the grant scheme, describing it as “a positive initiative” towards strengthening the healthcare workforce.
The federation said the shortage of nurses was affecting all healthcare providers and had delayed the implementation of important legislation, including measures relating to community nursing, palliative care, rehabilitation and recovery centres.
It warned that rehabilitation and recovery centres would be unable to obtain licences or begin operating under the national healthcare system(Gesy)unless they met the legal staffing requirements for nurses.
“As a result, the unavailability of nurses renders this legislation ineffective, affecting the services available to patients,” the federation said, adding that the new grant scheme should be viewed as a first step rather than a final solution.
Osak also urged young people to consider nursing as a career and called on both employers and the state to improve working conditions and introduce measures that help nurses balance their professional and family responsibilities.
Such measures, it said, are necessary to support “a profession that constitutes a pillar of the services provided to the Cypriot patient.”
The investigation into the wildfire that erupted following a military exercise at the Kalo Chorio firing range has widened to examine decisions taken at the highest levels of the National Guard.
According to information obtained by news outlet Reporteron Thursday, the disposal of some seven articles of ammunition was conducted as a training exercise intended to instruct personnel responsible for future disposal operations.
The exercise reportedly included the participation of American soldiers and had received the necessary approvals from the National Guard general staff.
The focus of the criminal investigation has now shifted beyond the 70th Engineer Battalion, whose personnel carried out the destruction, towards the military chain of command that authorised the operation.
The inquiry, led by Brigadier General Savvas Stefanou, is examining who ordered the exercise to proceed and how far responsibility may extend within the National Guard hierarchy.
Military sources have indicated within the same report that any use of the firing range requires approval from senior command, making it unlikely that such an exercise could have proceeded without the knowledge of the general staff.
Investigators are also examining whether the appropriate procedures were followed before the operation began and whether all relevant state authorities had been informed.
While some services have reportedly maintained they had no prior knowledge of the exercise, others have claimed there was full coordination.
Stefanou is expected to submit his findings to Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas by the middle of next week.
The investigation is considering whether any criminal or disciplinary offences, arise from the circumstances surrounding Monday’s fire.
Should evidence of criminal offences by serving National Guard personnel emerge, the case would be referred to the military court, subject to the approval of the attorney general, George Savvides.
If only disciplinary breaches are identified, responsibility for further action would rest with the defence ministry.
The inquiry is also expected to obtain data from the Met Office to establish the weather conditions on Monday, when the fire broke out, and determine whether the operational protocol governing ammunition destruction was followed.
Akel has further renewed criticism of the authorities’ handling of the incident during a visit to the affected communities.
A delegation led by House interior committee chair, Aristos Damianou, visited Kalo Chorio, Ayia Anna, Psevdas and neighbouring villages to meet local representatives and assess the damage caused by the blaze.
Damianou described the incident as the result of “inadequacy and criminal negligence”, arguing that repeated warnings about fire preparedness had not been addressed.
“Despite our warnings, despite our admonitions, despite the assurances of the authorities’ preparedness, we are once again spectators of the same play, a fiery blaze, destruction and poor management,” he said.
He said the visit aimed to document the damage, express solidarity with affected residents and relay their concerns to the government.
“It is obvious that there is a perennial issue that also concerns the shooting range, but it is also obvious that the perennial problem of inadequacy in fire prevention and response continues,” Damianou said.
Palmas is due to meet community leaders tomorrow to discuss the impact of the wildfire and hear proposals from residents regarding the future operation of the firing range, which neighbouring communities have sought to relocate for several years.
Migrant workers need better access to information about their rights, to prevent their abuse by unscrupulous employers, speakers at a roundtable said on Thursday.
The roundtable was held on the occasion of World Day Against Trafficking, observed every year on July 30. Attending were lawyers as well as representatives of the SEK and PEO trade unions.
Attorney Eleni Charalambous said the key issue is not the absence of relevant legislation safeguarding workers’ rights, but rather the effective implementation of it.
Workers from non-EU countries often face difficulties in exercising their rights, she noted.
Charalambous said a person’s residence status does not affect their labour rights, “as it makes no difference to the employer’s obligation to enforce labour laws or to pay a salary”.
She also said it’s important to distinguish between the trafficking of persons and other forms of labour exploitation.
“Before we get to trafficking, there are many other violations of labour legislation and forms of labour exploitation that don’t constitute trafficking in a legal sense.”
Regarding access to the justice system, the lawyer pointed out that migrants frequently face practical impediments due to lack of awareness.
“The problem is not so much the legal framework, as much as its implementation in practice. We need mechanisms so that workers can take recourse to the relevant services, not only whenever a case develops into trafficking, but already from the first stages of labour exploitation.”
For example, when it comes to asylum seekers, in some cases there is confusion as to their right to work. As a result, many remain unemployed for long stretches.
“What is needed is a functional information system, so that it’s clear to all the relevant departments what the status of each asylum seeker is.”
For his part, Panayiotis Ioannides, a SEK trade unionist representing hotel workers, called for more “tools” so that workers have instant access to information and support.
“When we speak of workers, we make no distinction,” he said. “For us, there are no immigrants, there is no distinction between Europeans or Cypriots. Collective agreements apply to all.”
On the practical side, SEK wants to develop a mobile phone app where workers can inform themselves, in their own language, about collective agreements and their rights.
Ioannides made special mention of subcontracting chains active in the hospitality sector.
“Subcontracting chains are the scourge of the hospitality industry across Europe, not just in Cyprus,” he remarked.
He said European trade unions have already submitted proposals to the European Commission on how to contain this phenomenon.
A subcontracting chain is a sequence of business contracts where a main client hires a primary contractor, who then hires lower-tier subcontractors to complete parts of a project.
Subcontracting chains often dilute labour rights by separating the main company from the actual workers, leading to lower pay, poor safety, and hidden exploitation.
Neofytos Timinis, of the PEO union, stressed that all workers – regardless where they come from – are entitled to rights.
“For us, fair employment is not a theoretical concept. It is a matter of class solidarity and equality,” he said.
Paphos municipality on Thursday cleared tree branches left on a pavement near Archbishop Makarios III lyceum after residents raised concerns that they were obstructing pedestrians and creating a road safety hazard.
The branches had been left on 1st April avenue following emergency tree pruning carried out by the fire service.
According to the municipality, the fire service undertook the work without prior notification because the trees were considered hazardous and at risk of shedding branches.
Acting mayor Angelos Onisiforou told the Cyprus News Agency that firefighters had been called out on Wednesday night after part of a tree trunk broke, requiring the immediate removal of the dangerous section.
Following the operation, the cut branches remained temporarily at the site.
Onisiforou said the municipality had not been informed of the incident and only became aware of it through media reports on Monday morning.
He said municipal crews were immediately dispatched to the area, where they removed the branches and cleaned the site.
The branches had partially blocked the pavement, forcing some pedestrians to walk on the road. Local reports said there was at least one near miss involving a passer-by.
Onisiforou added that the municipality remains on standby to respond promptly to incidents affecting public safety.
The Israeli Hadassah Medical Organisation has formally launched its first European medical centre outside Israel in Limassol, marking the latest stage of a broader expansion into Cyprus.
A blessing ceremony was held on Thursday at the Hadassah Medical Centre Limassol, attended by government representatives, business leaders and healthcare professionals.
The ceremony was led by Bishop Athanasios of Limassol and Chief Rabbi of Cyprus Arie Zeev Raskin before invited guests toured the facility.
The centre is the first permanent European presence established by the Israeli medical organisation, which manages Hadassah’s two university hospitals in Israel.
The Limassol facility follows plans first announced earlier this year as Hadassah confirmed its intention to establish a permanent healthcare network in Cyprus.
The centre will provide diagnostic imaging, specialist consultations, laboratory medicine, rehabilitation and preventative healthcare.
It also allows patients requiring more complex treatment to receive second opinions or referrals through Hadassah’s Israeli network, with the Cyprus centre coordinating care before and after treatment.
The organisation’s expansion extends beyond Limassol, for Hadassah confirmed that within the next 12 months it intends to establish another hospital in Nicosia with five operating theatres and approximately 50 inpatient beds.
A separate Category A hospital is also being evaluated in Limassol, with plans for between eight and 10 operating theatres and more than 100 beds.
Both projects form part of a deliberate programme that Hadassah has previously described as the Hadassah Healthcare Park, an integrated medical network intended to expand hospital capacity, specialist services and research activity in Cyprus.
Earlier plans had envisaged a larger hospital development within Lakatamia over the next several years.
The latest announcement suggests the organisation is moving towards a phased approach, beginning with a medium sized hospital while continuing to assess further investment opportunities.
The expansion reflects increasing healthcare cooperation between Cyprus and Israel, with Hadassah seeking to establish a regional base capable of serving both local patients and international referrals.
The organisation said its operations in Cyprus will continue to develop ahead of an official grand opening ceremony scheduled for October 15, which is expected to be attended by senior representatives from Cyprus, Israel and Greece.
Delegations from the transmission system operator and the energy markets association discussed efforts to reduce electricity costs for households and businesses, and ways to make the new competitive energy market more efficient, both organisations said on Thursday.
According to both sides, the energy markets association “presented proposals and positions on issues which fall within the competence” of the transmission system operator, while an “exchange of views” also took place “on practices which can contribute to the more efficient functioning of the market and the de-escalation of electricity costs”.
Cyprus’ energy market opened up to private companies for the first time in October last year.
At the time, the energy regulatory authority (Cera) said that the move would “mark a new era in the electricity sector”, with it hoped that in time, the island will have “a fully free competitive market, where all parties, producers, suppliers, and end customers are free to decide among themselves … how to manage and pay for the electricity they produce”.
Questions were raised at the time regarding whether the opening of the energy grid would help to reduce consumers’ bills, but energy minister of the day George Papanastasiou said that he “cannot tell” whether this will be the case.
“I cannot tell you whether the price will go down, because this particular model, namely the ‘target model’, has not been tested in small markets such as in Cyprus,” he said.
“If you ask the minister whether prices will go down, that will depend very much on how the parties compete in a small market in which he decided to apply the ‘target model’.”
The ‘target model’ aims to create a unified electricity market across the European Union, with all 27 member states’ electricity grids open to private companies, with the hope that widespread competition will drive down prices for consumers across the bloc.
Earlier, he had said that he was unsure whether the opening of Cyprus’ electricity grid to private companies will lower people’s electricity bills, adding that in large electricity markets, prices typically remain stable when private first companies are allowed to enter, with them then falling later on “due to competition”.
“In a smaller market, which has not been tested often, we will see along the way,” he said, adding that his ministry can intervene “if we see that things are going in the wrong direction”.
Asked what will change when private companies are allowed to partake, he said energy producers and suppliers will “enter an environment which is essentially a stock market, in which every half hour, quotes will be made, and electricity can be bought”.
Cyprus residents faced continued difficulty affording a week-long annual holiday in 2025, with Eurostat data released on Thursday showing that 27.6 per cent of people aged 16 and over could not afford a one-week break away from home.
The figure placed Cyprus slightly above the European Union average, where 27.5 per cent of the population in the same age group were unable to afford a week’s annual holiday last year.
The share in Cyprus was significantly lower than in some southern European countries, with Greece recording the second-highest proportion in the EU at 46.6 per cent, while Romania topped the ranking with 61.4 per cent.
Bulgaria and Hungary followed, both reporting that 39.1 per cent of people were unable to afford a one-week holiday away from home in 2025.
Cyprus also compared favourably with neighbouring Turkey, where 50.5 per cent of people were unable to afford a week-long holiday, according to Eurostat figures.
Across the EU, the proportion of people unable to afford annual holidays increased slightly in 2025, rising by 0.5 percentage points compared with 2024.
However, the longer-term trend showed a notable improvement, with the share falling by 7.7 percentage points over the past decade, compared with 2015.
At the other end of the scale, Luxembourg recorded the lowest share of people unable to afford a one-week holiday at 10.6 per cent, followed by Sweden at 12.4 per cent and the Netherlands at 12.8 per cent.
The figures measure the proportion of the population aged 16 and over who reported being unable to afford a one-week annual holiday away from home, highlighting differences in household financial capacity across Europe.
Two men accused in the Pyla torture case pleaded not guilty before the Larnaca permanent criminal court on Thursday, with proceedings adjourned until October 8 as police continue investigating other suspects allegedly involved in the case.
The 48-year-old and 27-year-old denied all charges arising from allegations that several victims were abducted and subjected to torture at a casino in Pyla during the summer of 2025.
The case forms part of a wider organised crime investigation centred on Larnaca, in which prosecutors allege victims were unlawfully detained, tortured and assaulted.
Police investigations remain ongoing to identify additional individuals believed to have participated in incidents captured on video.
The court’s latest hearing followed an earlier ruling rejecting an application by the 48-year-old to dismiss the case on grounds of abuse of process.
His defence had argued that prosecutors improperly registered two separate criminal cases against him, one relating to the January 17 shootings and violent brawl outside Larnaca police headquarters and another concerning the alleged torture in Pyla, maintaining the matters should have been brought under a single indictment.
The criminal court dismissed the application as “premature”, ruling that the evidence available at this stage did not “unequivocally support” allegations of abuse of process.
The 48-year-old faces a series of serious charges, including subjecting a person to torture, unlawful deprivation of liberty with intent to cause serious bodily harm as well as blackmail.
The 27-year-old likewise faces charges including unlawful deprivation of liberty, torture and assault.
The prosecution alleges the offences involving torture were committed during the summer of 2025, while the separate shooting and brawl case concerns incidents outside Larnaca police headquarters on January 17.
Police have identified six alleged victims, including three Cypriot nationals, one Indian national and one Arab national, while investigators believe a sixth victim is a European citizen whose identity has yet to be established.
According to investigators, one Cypriot and the Indian national are currently overseas, while the Arab national remains in Cyprus.
The investigation relies heavily on recordings recovered during police searches.
Prosecutors have previously told the court that investigators seized thousands of photographs and videos allegedly documenting assaults carried out against multiple victims at a casino office in Pyla.
Police are continuing efforts to identify additional suspects allegedly appearing in the footage as part of the ongoing investigation by Larnaca CID.
By late afternoon on Thursday firefighters brought under control a blaze that had broken out near the Limassol village of Arsos.
The flames had spread through dry grass from a rubbish dump fire.
At around 7pm fire department spokesman Andreas Kettis posted that the blaze was under control.
Firefighters on the scene were extinguishing a few remaining hot spots.
Kettis said the extent of the burnt acreage would be announced at a later time.
Authorities had deployed both ground and airborne means to contain the fire.
Five fire engines have been deployed alongside six vehicles from the forestry department, while firefighting aircraft carried out water drops. Volunteers assisted.
There were no reports of injuries.
Tourism revenue figures for May and the first five months of 2026 confirmed that Cyprus tourism has returned to a stable recovery path, Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis said on Thursday, following the release of data by the Statistical Service.
In a written statement sent to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Koumis said the 4.8 per cent decline in tourism revenue in May compared with 2025 was not excessive, while compared with 2024 the sector recorded growth of 14.4 per cent.
“The statistical measurement confirms that the tourism sector is without doubt now on a stable path, and proves that the coordinated and targeted actions of the government, always in cooperation with our country’s tourism industry, had a positive impact on the sector,” Koumis said.
Regarding the first five months of the year, the deputy minister said the overall revenue picture had improved by 7.4 percentage points compared with the first four months, which he said reflected the gradual and now established recovery of the sector.
Commenting on the 16.5 per cent decline in tourism revenue during the January to May period compared with the previous year, Koumis estimated that the gap would continue to narrow as the year progresses.
He pointed out that the decline had stood at 23.9 per cent the previous month, while the comparison between the first five months of 2026 and the same period in 2024 showed an increase of 6.3 per cent.
“The situation must always be judged according to the circumstances in which it takes place. We were called upon to manage an unprecedented situation in recent months,” Koumis said, adding that a climate of uncertainty had dominated during that period.
“We were essentially called upon to manage a very difficult situation in relation to tourism, the most difficult of recent decades,” he said.
Koumis said the government’s priority had been to preserve Cyprus’ strong reputation as a destination by investing in every aspect of safety.
He added that the main objective of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism had been to maintain flight capacity and organized travel programmes to Cyprus while limiting potential losses.
“Maintaining close contact with the country’s strategic partners so they would retain their programmes, as well as sending messages about the safety that has characterised and continues to characterise our country as a tourism destination, were, I would say, the leading actions during the previous period,” Koumis said.
“Several months later, the year is progressing quite well, taking into account the circumstances, and as the Deputy Ministry of Tourism we are working intensively so that the results of the second half of the year will be even better,” he added.
The deputy minister also rejected suggestions that hotel occupancy rates of around 85 per cent should be considered low, arguing that comparisons should not be made exclusively with 2025, which was a record year for Cyprus tourism.
He said average occupancy rates in several competing destinations during July were also around 85 per cent.
“In Mallorca, for example, it is 80 per cent to 88 per cent, in Crete 85 per cent to 89 per cent, in Turkey 75 per cent to 90 per cent, in Egypt 80 per cent and so on,” Koumis said.
Regarding Cyprus, he said the nationwide average occupancy rate in July 2025 stood at 81.4 per cent, noting that the figure was affected by districts with lower visitor numbers.
Occupancy in the Paphos district reached 82.4 per cent and in the Famagusta district 90.7 per cent last July, he said.
For 2024, occupancy rates stood at 81.4 per cent in Paphos and 85.5 per cent in Famagusta, according to the deputy minister.
Koumis also highlighted that Cyprus recorded the largest increase in overnight stays between 2024 and 2023 across the European Union, with growth of 14.5 per cent.
“I am certain that there is a small decline in many tourism businesses compared with the previous year, but let us consider what happened in recent months in our country and the wider region, and what continues to happen,” he said.
The deputy minister added that Cyprus could have achieved results similar to 2025 this year, based on the booking trends recorded before recent developments.
“Success in tourism is never guaranteed. We all know that tourism is affected by external factors and unfortunately we cannot change our geographical position,” Koumis said.
He stressed that international competition in tourism had increased significantly and that the state could not take responsibility for every individual business.
“The public sector cannot be behind every business. The tourism sector operates in an international and highly competitive environment, and within this framework there is both corporate and personal responsibility,” he said.
Looking ahead to the autumn period, Koumis said he remained “quite optimistic” about prospects, pointing to expectations that the second half of 2026 would deliver better results than the first half.
“Personally, I consider it a given. The messages we are receiving from our strategic partners abroad are only positive,” he concluded.
Accident and emergency (A&E) departments at public hospitals across Cyprus have recorded an increased influx of patients as the ongoing heatwave continues to drive up heat-related illnesses, state health services organisation (Okypy) spokesman Charalambos Charilaou said on Thursday.
“There is internal population movement to coastal areas and increased tourist traffic, and several incidents end up in the emergency response centres,” he said.
He said many of the cases were linked to activities at the beach or in the mountains, with the most common conditions being heat exhaustion, dehydration and gastroenteritis.
Gastroenteritis is particularly common during the summer, he said, often caused by the consumption of food that has spoiled because it was not stored properly.
“If food or beverages are not stored under the appropriate conditions, then there is a risk that they will spoil and their consumption will cause gastrointestinal problems,” he stressed.
Charilaou said patients included people of all ages, but that children, older people and those with heart or lung conditions were most frequently affected.
“Our advice to people is to stay in a cool and shady place during high temperatures – preferably air-conditioned if possible – to drink enough fluids to hydrate the body, because high temperatures increase sweating and fluids are lost from the body, and to wear light clothing,” he said.
Cyprus has been experiencing an intense heatwave over the past two weeks, with temperatures exceeding 40C and the meteorological department issuing repeated warnings over extreme heat and a heightened risk of forest fires.
Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos on Thursday said that the Turkish government’s stance will provide the “key” to there being progress on the Cyprus problem in the coming weeks and months, as he exited the day’s cabinet meeting.
He said that United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had “received Turkey’s consent” for a new enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem to be held, and said that as such, “it is now up to Turkey to possibly take up a new position, positively within what the secretary-general described yesterday”.
Otherwise, he said, “it is up to them how they will explain it to the secretary-general”.
“However, we, here, must have a positive outlook, which is why we insist on the dimension of relations between Europe and Turkey. We believe that there is the possibility of creating that critical mass which can give further impetus to the way in which the Turkish side can implement things,” he said.
He added that “all of us admit, because I think there is no longer any doubt, that the key to a positive outcome is and remains in Ankara”.
Asked about what the Greek Cypriot side intends to discuss with the European Commission’s Cyprus problem Raffaele Fitto, who will meet President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Friday, he said that there is no “specific strategy” for that meeting.
“On the contrary, our strategy began in March 2023. Adjustments are made, of course, depending on developments. So, for us, we believe that the mobility on substantive proposals in relation to the European Union and relations between Europe and Turkey must be created,” he said.
He added that “we have the proposals, we have the opportunity to convey them, to discuss them”, but acknowledged that “no one can make a safe prediction as to the time period within which they will be concluded”.
“We can, however, safely predct and position ourselves as to our own will. In other words, if this depended only on us, be sure that it would be completed as soon as possible because we have this very clear disposition and strong will. However, time must be given, the necessary consultations must be held, given our own very positive attitude,” he said.
Then asked about Guterres’ reference to methodology on Wednesday, he said that such a reference is “perfectly logical … in the sense that the effort aims to achieve a result on the substance during this process”.
“I do not think anyone can interpret this as meaning that this discussion will take place from a to z within the framework of an enlarged meeting. There must be some discussions, some understandings, some negotiations, some exchanges of views on how they proceed, how this critical mass is formed,” he said.
Asked if this position is in line with Erhurman’s four points, he said only that “we have seen the statements, both from the occupied territories and from Ankara”.
“We refer to what the secretary-general has publicly stated, about the framework, about the convergences, about the need to walk the last mile in terms of the negotiation process and the substance,” he said.
He added that “these are issues on which opinions can be expressed”, and that the Greek Cypriot side is on this front “synchronised with what the secretary-general said yesterday, with what we will discuss tomorrow in terms of issues related to the relationship between Europe and Turkey”.
“We want to move forward to a final conclusion and a successful, enlarged process with results,” he said.
Then asked whether Turkey’s upgraded role in the region and its closer relationship with the United States should be taken into account, he said that “Turkey’s role in the region has been upgraded for a very long time now”.
“The Republic of Cyprus is making its own effort to highlight its own usefulness and role in the region, due to the network of relations we have with all the countries around us,” he said.
He added that Turkey “has various aspects of the issue of relations between Europe and Turkey which interest it”.
“These are issues which can be discussed under conditions, without affecting the core of the Cyprus problem, without changing our negotiating stance and position, in the sense that where leverage for progress can be created, the Republic of Cyprus, as a member state of the European Union, is ready to enter into a substantive treaty which will yield some positive results,” he said.
Questioned on the reports that the idea of a “loose federation” may be put before the sides, he said that “what our side insisted on and will continued to insist on is that we can enter into a process of substantive negotiation for a comprehensive resolution of the Cyprus problem, only and exclusively within the framework set by the UN security council”.
“Regarding anything which falls outside these parameters, both rhetorically and in substance, our position was and remains absolutely clear and firm,” he said.
As of July 30, 2026, GitHub Models is now retired. The playground, model catalog, inference API, and bring your own key (BYOK) are no longer available to any customer, including existing customers with active usage.
This completes the retirement we announced on July 1.
For new and existing projects that need AI model access, Microsoft Foundry offers a broad model catalog. To build AI-powered workflows directly on GitHub, GitHub Copilot gives you access to a range of models.
To learn more, check out our docs about GitHub Models. You can also join our community discussions to ask questions and share feedback.
The post GitHub Models is now retired appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
You can now reference an action or reusable workflow that lives in the same repository using the new self-repository syntax. A uses: value that starts with $/ resolves to your workflow’s own repository at the exact commit that is running, with no checkout required. It works everywhere the workspace-relative ./ syntax works, including workflow steps, composite action steps, nested composition, and reusable workflow calls.
Before this, referencing an action defined in your own repository meant either relying on ./ and a checkout, or hardcoding a version. This was a maintenance burden and quietly defeated commit SHA pinning. With self-repository references, sibling actions and workflows automatically match the ref you are already running, so your internal references stay consistent even when callers pin to a full-length commit SHA. This also makes it possible to adopt the enterprise policy that requires actions to be pinned to a full-length commit SHA for workflows that call their own actions.
Self-repository references are now the recommended way to compose actions and reusable workflows within a repository. They are available on github.com. This feature requires the GitHub Actions runner to be on version 2.336.0 or newer.
Learn more by checking out our docs about finding and customizing actions, or join the discussion within GitHub Community.
The post Reference same-repository actions with self-repository syntax appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
Stacked pull requests break large changes into small, reviewable pull requests. They’re an ordered series of pull requests that each represent focused layers of your change. With stacks, you can independently review and check each pull request, then merge everything together in one click. No more opening a single large pull request that takes forever to review, or splitting work across multiple branches you have to keep manually rebasing.
“We’ve been using GitHub stacked PRs for Next.js for the past few months. It has helped us introduce smaller individual changes while shipping larger features, making it easier to review PRs. – Tim Neutkens, NextJS lead, Vercel”
With stacked pull requests, teams can:
main.And because stacked pull requests are built into GitHub, your existing reviews, checks, and merge requirements all work out of the box.
“The new Github Stacked PRs preview is incredible. Landing 5 stacked PRs directly to a merge queue all at once! A+++! This removes so much friction (and the gh cli tools + agent skill help a ton)” – John Resig, creator, jQuery
Install the CLI extension and create your first stack in under a minute:
gh extension install github/gh-stack
Work with stacks on github.com, the GitHub CLI, the GitHub mobile app, or with a coding agent such as GitHub Copilot using the gh-stack skill. Start with a branch and pull request for your first change. Then add branches and pull requests on top of it; each pull request targets the layer below it.
Open any pull request in the stack to review only the diff for that specific layer. Use the stack map at the top of the pull request to see how the change you’re reviewing fits into the larger work. You and your teammates can each review different layers in parallel without blocking further work.
“AI has made TED’s developers dramatically more productive, but that created a new bottleneck: PRs were growing large enough that reviewers were struggling. Stacked PRs help to solve that. By breaking large changes into small, dependency-ordered pieces, review happens in smaller logical chunks – not just faster PR reviews, but more accurate ones. Stacked PRs tighten our feedback loop and help get stable code to ted.com faster.” – Andy Merryman, CTO, TED
Merge the latest ready pull request to land it and every unmerged layer below it in one single operation. To land part of a stack, merge one or more lower layers—the pull requests above it stay open and automatically rebase and retarget. Your existing branch protections and required checks still govern what reaches main.
“A big change used to mean one giant PR nobody wanted to review. Now it’s a stack of small ones reviewers can actually follow, and the whole stack merges in one shot. It stopped feeling like a tool on top of GitHub and started feeling like GitHub.” – Mayank Saini, connectivity engineer, WHOOP
Stacked pull requests are rolling out in public preview to all repositories over the coming days. Merge queue support for stacked pull requests is rolling out progressively over the coming weeks.
For more information, check out the stacked pull requests documentation, and share your feedback with us in the stacks discussion.
The post Stacked pull requests are now in public preview appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
July 2026 brought a new agent based on the Copilot SDK, built-in expertise from the .NET and Azure teams, and more ways to tailor GitHub Copilot to how you and your team work.
Here’s what’s new with GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio 2026. Check the Insiders channel for the latest:
Availability varies by feature. Organization-level custom instructions require GitHub Copilot Business or GitHub Copilot Enterprise. The new agent, built-in skills, and selected-code review features are available in all plans. See GitHub Copilot plans for details.
To learn more about what’s new, check out the Visual Studio blog and release notes.
Stay up to date on the latest Copilot features by following the Visual Studio blog, where you’ll find roadmap updates and opportunities to share feedback.
The post GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio — July update appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
Enterprises and organizations can now restrict which devices are eligible to host remotely controlled Copilot sessions, giving administrators fine-grained control over where remote control access is permitted.
The new remoteControl enterprise managed setting gives administrators the ability to define exactly how remote control works on managed devices, whether that means requiring SSO authorization for specific organizations or tailoring access on a per-device basis. This setting works alongside the existing enterprise policy, which controls whether remote control is available to users at all. Together, this gives you layered control from broad access down to per-device restrictions.
Set mode to requireSSO to enforce SSO authorization, disabled to block remote control entirely, or enabled to allow it without restriction.
You can also add the remoteControl key to your copilot-settings.json file.
You can deploy this setting through three mechanisms:
.github-private repository): Applies to user accounts in your enterprise.For more information on enterprise managed settings, check out the GitHub docs.
The post Limit remote control to managed devices appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
This changelog covers VS Code v1.127 through v1.131, shipped throughout July 2026.
These releases improve how you work with agents, review changes, use chat, and navigate VS Code. They also add new browser, accessibility, and dictation features.
The Agents window, currently in public preview, adds a redesigned layout, faster review workflows, and improvements for managing multiple sessions.
You can now keep related conversations in one session. This makes it easier to compare ideas, split up work, and explore other approaches and work in parallel.
Chat now shows more information about your conversations and gives you more control over the models you use.
! prefix: Start a chat message with ! to run its contents as a terminal command in the Agents window.Editor, terminal, and browser updates improve navigation, customization, and everyday workflows across VS Code.
git diff: Select a file path in terminal diff output to open it directly. VS Code now recognizes Git-prefixed paths such as i/ and w/.Accessibility updates bring built-in dictation and improved screen reader support for the integrated terminal.
dictation.enabled setting to use dictation in chat, the editor, and the integrated terminal.dictation.experimental.llmCleanup setting to let Copilot tidy your transcript as you speak by adding formatting and removing filler words.Browse the full release notes for Visual Studio Code 1.127, 1.128, 1.129, 1.130, and 1.131 to explore everything that’s new.
Download the latest version of Visual Studio Code and, as always, happy coding!
The post GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code, July 2026 releases appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
Recently found out the about the gogpu project. It's an ecosystem of libraries that focuses on computing on GPU. It recently caught my eye because of the ui library which is part of the same ecosystem. It's pure Go, UI toolkit with support for GPU accelerated rendering. Which, IMO, is a pretty solid alternative to something like Fyne, and may even be the first approchable and practical retained mode UI toolkit that I found.
I wonder if anyone in the community has tried the gogpu project or has any thoughts on it?
Link to project: - https://github.com/gogpu - https://github.com/gogpu/ui
Repo: https://github.com/SID-Technologies/Pilum Docs: https://www.pilum.dev/docs/getting-started/introduction/
The problem: I run side projects across GCP, AWS, and Cloudflare, and each one has its own deploy incantation. gcloud commands for one, SAM for another, wrangler for a third. I kept forgetting the flags and the order of operations and wanted a simpler CI/CD pipeline.
Pilum is a single binary (Go, Cobra) that reads one pilum.yaml and handles the deploy for whichever provider the service targets. Define your services once, then pilum deploy will build, push, provision, and deploy.
What it supports today: - GCP Cloud Run - AWS Lambda - Azure Container Apps - Homebrew - GitHub npm packages - Cloudflare Workers
The README has an honest provider status table, some paths are better tested than others. It's not trying to be Terraform or Pulumi; there's no state file and no general-purpose infra provisioning. It's for when you have a container or function and just want it running without remembering five CLIs.
Happy to answer questions about the internals. And if anyone wants to add a provider, there's a contributing guide for adding exactly that.
Similar to Ansible facts is there a golang library that behaves this way? The problem with ansible-facts is I have to have a python interpretor. Is there a go library that uses ssh to capture similar information?