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Tuesday, July 14, 2026

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• Limassol chamber of commerce says wastewater crisis could have been avoided

  The Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Evel) has said the wastewater disruption that recently triggered an indefinite strike by tanker operators could have been avoided, arguing that it had warned the government for at least five years about the need for alternative disposal infrastructure.

  In an interview with Entrepreneurial Limassol, a periodical published by the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Evel), chamber president Andreas Tsouloftas said repeated warnings to the competent authorities went unheeded, leaving Limassol vulnerable when the Vati Wastewater Treatment Plant reduced operations during an ongoing upgrade.

  Tsouloftas said the chamber had repeatedly sent letters and held meetings with the relevant ministers, stressing the need for timely planning.

  However, he said the necessary measures were never implemented.

  According to Tsouloftas, the current disruption is the result of inadequate planning and a lack of coordination between the authorities involved.

  He described the current arrangement, under which the wastewater reception facility operates only two days a week, as unsustainable.

  Tsouloftas also pointed out that, unlike other districts, Limassol has no alternative facility capable of receiving wastewater when the main treatment plant is partially out of service for upgrading or maintenance works.

  The issue came to the forefront after wastewater tanker operators launched an indefinite strike and staged a protest outside the Presidential Palace, demanding that the government immediately designate a lawful site for wastewater disposal.

  The operators said the reduced capacity at the Vati plant has resulted in long waiting times for tanker lorries, overflows and major difficulties in servicing households, businesses and hotels.

  They also made clear that their industrial action would continue until a meaningful solution is found.

  The Limassol District Local Government Organisation (EOA Limassol) has defended its handling of the situation, saying it cannot indefinitely increase the volume of wastewater accepted from tanker operators because its priority is the safe operation of treatment facilities serving the wider Limassol area.

  The organisation said previous incidents had demonstrated the risks associated with overloading the treatment plant.

  According to the EOA, the request to substantially increase the daily volume of wastewater received from tanker lorries cannot be accommodated because it could jeopardise the operation of a facility that processes approximately 30,000 cubic metres of municipal wastewater every day.

  The organisation also explained that wastewater delivered by tanker differs significantly from sewage entering through the sewerage network because it may contain solid materials, toxic substances or other unsuitable waste capable of damaging the plant’s equipment.

  An EOA spokesperson said tanker-delivered wastewater requires a dedicated acceptance procedure and pre-treatment process before entering the treatment system.

  The spokesperson added that the long-term solution is the construction of dedicated storage facilities at the Vati plant, allowing wastewater to be received and treated gradually without disrupting normal operations.

  According to the Water Development Department, unsuitable wastewater has also been identified at the facility, creating additional operational challenges during the upgrade.

  The department expects the plant to return to full operating capacity by the end of the year.

  The Water Development Department and the Department of Environment have attributed the current problems to the temporary impact of the upgrade works at the Vati facility.

  They said measures have already been introduced to assist wastewater transport operators, including allowing the use of treatment facilities at Moni and Vathia Gonia, while additional options are also being examined.

  The Vati Wastewater Treatment Plant handles domestic wastewater, industrial effluent, excess sludge and landfill leachate.

  The ongoing upgrade is being carried out under a contract awarded by the Water Development Department following a public tender.

  The contract was awarded to Michaniki Perivallontos S.A., with the agreement signed on February 4, 2026.

  The agreement provides for the refurbishment of the treatment plant during the first year, followed by its operation and maintenance for five years, with an option to extend the contract for a further year.

• State gets tough on asylum seekers breaking law

  Authorities have revoked asylum status for nearly 100 people due to their involvement in criminal activity, as part of a new get-tough policy, media reported on Monday.

  On the instructions of Deputy Migration Minister Nicolas Ioannides, the Asylum Service removed asylum status for 95 individuals – 80 of whom are Syrian nationals. They are to be deported.

  At the same time, the government has ordered the revocation of the residency permits for Indian nationals who took part in violent scuffles in Limassol in May.

  In addition, the government will revoke international protection status for Syrian nationals involved in the recent street brawl in Xylofagou.

  These actions are intended to send the message that the state will not tolerate individuals breaking the law, and will initiate procedures to immediately deport them.

  Meanwhile, Phileleftheros reported, authorities will soon make the first forced returns of a number of Syrian nationals no longer entitled to stay in Cyprus due to the change in the political situation in their home country.

  Also, the deputy migration ministry continues to implement a repatriation programme with financial incentives for Syrian families.

  Known as the Assisted Voluntary Repatriation Scheme, and largely funded by the EU, it concerns families of Syrian nationals, including couples without children, where at least one of the two spouses submitted an application for international protection or obtained international protection status before December 31, 2024.

  Under the scheme, one adult member of the family may remain in Cyprus for employment purposes, with a special two-year residence permit and unrestricted access to the labour market until end of August 2028. The rest of the family may return to Syria, benefiting from increased financial incentives.

  Specifically, €2,000 will be provided to the spouse who returns, while €1,500 will be provided for each child who returns. Families that already hold international protection status, rather than merely having a pending asylum application, will receive an additional amount of €1,000 per family.

  In recent remarks, Ioannides noted that following the change of government in Syria in December 2024, approximately 5,000 Syrians have either withdrawn their asylum applications or renounced their subsidiary protection status and have voluntarily returned to Syria.

  At the same time, instructions have been issued for the examination of asylum applications by Syrian nationals to resume, taking into account the new circumstances.

  To date, more than 1,500 asylum applications submitted by Syrian nationals have been rejected, while the process is continuing at an intensive pace.

  The European Union Agency for Asylum recently published two Country of Origin Information (COI) reports on Syria.

  The reports said that since December 2024, since the toppling of the Assad government, more than 1.6 million Syrian refugees and 1.9 million internally displaced persons returned to their areas of origin. However, damaged infrastructure, a deteriorating economy, limited access to essential services, and a lack of livelihood opportunities continue to pose significant challenges to sustainable return.

• ‘We have seen it’ – UN coy over reports of ‘looser’ Cyprus solution

  United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Monday remained tight-lipped over media reports that the UN is seeking to bring about a “looser” solution to the Cyprus problem, after the reports resurfaced in British newspaper the Independent on Sunday.

  “I understand your interest and curiosity about the Independent article. We have seen it. We have read the publication. [Guterres] and his envoy, Maria Angela Holguin, remain committed to supporting the leaders in Cyprus towards the resumption of negotiations,” he said.

  Reports which first surfaced in newspaper Politis three weeks ago had suggested that Holguin has presented a “looser” solution to the Cyprus problem, with two constituent states in a structure wherein the island’s central government “would retain only absolutely necessary competences so that the new state can function internationally, within the European Union, and institutionally”.

  Additionally, the reports suggested that the central government would be led by a “presidential council” led by the two communities’ leaders, with a cabinet consisting of only five or six ministers, dealing with foreign affairs, defence, internal affairs, finance, and European affairs.

  Most, if not all other competencies, would be left to the constituent states.

  The reports also suggested that guarantees would be offered in the form of the new Cypriot republic’s accession to Nato, alongside the presence of Nato troops from Turkey, Greece, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States on the island.

  On the matter of the transitional phase, the reports suggested that the solution would be implemented over a period of two or three years, with territory being ceded by the Turkish Cypriots during that period, in return for the Turkish Cypriot side being allowed direct trade, direct contact, and direct flights to Ercan (Tymbou) airport.

  The reports were denied in the Independent by Cypriot deputy high commissioner in London Spyros Miltiades, who said that “as far as I know, there has been no formal UN proposal that either side has been asked to respond to”.

  “The ideas being circulated appear to be speculative rather than a concrete proposal or plan. Any meaningful progress would need to come through the established UN-led process and within the agreed UN framework,” he said.

  Likewise, when asked by the Cyprus Mail about the prospect of the proposed Nato guarantees or a “looser” solution to the Cyprus problem after the publication of the original report in Politis, deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou refused to be drawn, saying that the content of any given solution is not currently a matter for discussion.

  This stance largely echoes that which was taken by Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman at the time, too. He said then that while “there are some ideas being put forward at the moment”, none of those ideas have reached “a level of significance which would warrant public discussion, let alone acceptance”.

• EU’s Kallas tells Turkey to ‘respect’ Cyprus’ sovereignty over gas pipeline

  The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday called on Turkey to “respect” the Republic of Cyprus’ sovereignty, after Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot authorities had last week signed an agreement which foresees the construction of a natural gas pipeline between Turkey and Cyprus.

  “On the eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus raised Turkey’s plan for a gas pipeline with the island. The EU expects Ankara to respect the sovereignty and sovereign rights of all member states,” she said at the conclusion of the day’s meeting of the EU’s 27 foreign ministers.

  Her comment comes after the Cypriot foreign ministry had said that Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos would raise the matter of the natural gas pipeline agreement at the meeting, saying that he would “denounce Turkey for its new illegal actions”, having already declared the agreement “illegal” within hours of it being signed last Friday.

   “The ‘memorandum’ in question, which was signed during the illegal visit of [Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz] to the occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus, constitutes yet another manifestation of Turkey’s revisionist policy in the eastern Mediterranean,” it said at the time.

  It added that the agreement is “part of ongoing efforts to consolidate faits accomplis of the occupation and the further integration of the occupied areas with Turkey”.

  Hours earlier, Yilmaz had said that “Turkey will continue to support the TRNC in achieving a strong infrastructure and a highly competitive and sustainable economic structure”.

  “This step taken in the energy sector will be a historic turning point in cooperation between the two countries,” he said.

  Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel had said that “the project is not for today, but for future generations”, and that “it is a demonstration of our will to leave a stronger, more sustainable, and more competitive country for our children”.

  On the political front, he said that the signing of Friday’s agreement “sent a strong message to the eastern Mediterranean”,

  “The Turkish Cypriot people are present in this region, have deep roots, and are building their future with their sovereign will. With the strong support of their motherland, Turkey, they will continue on their path. We know that where Turkey is, there is security, and where Turkey is, there is strength,” he said.

  Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar had explained the technical aspects of the pipeline, saying that t will stretch from the town of Anamur, which sits on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast in the Mersin province, to the Teknecik power station, located just outside Kyrenia.

  Anamur is located between the cities of Mersin and Alanya, with work currently underway to connect those two cities with a natural gas pipeline. At present, Mersin is supplied by natural gas flowing from Azerbaijan via Georgia, and from Turkmenistan via Iran.

  Bayraktar also said that the project would in fact consist of two parallel pipelines, each 22 inches (56 centimetres) in diameter, thus allowing the system to be “bidirectional”, meaning that natural gas will be able to be transported to Cyprus from Turkey, and to Turkey from Cyprus.

  The pipelines will stretch a total of 101 kilometres, of which 97km will be under the Levantine Sea.

• Two Greek Cypriots arrested in north handed three-day remands

  The two Greek Cypriots who were arrested in the north on Sunday were both remanded in custody for three days on Monday.

  The Turkish Cypriot police informed the Cyprus Mail that both appeared in court on Monday to be issued remands, with their next court date set for Thursday.

  Additionally, the Turkish Cypriot police confirmed that the pair had been arrested at the Astromeritis crossing point, near Morphou after having allegedly crossed into the north at the Limnitis crossing point, near Lefka, without having “completed the necessary immigration procedures”.

  This likely means the pair have been accused of failing to display their identity cards or passports to the Turkish Cypriot police at the crossing point.

  Thus far, it appears that they stand accused of “violating a military zone”, the charge often brought against those accused by the Turkish Cypriot authorities of having crossed the Green Line illegally.

• Dana calls on Fitto to facilitate implementation of direct trade regulation

  Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman’s undersecretary Mehmet Dana on Monday called on newly appointed European Commission envoy for the Cyprus problem Raffaele Fitto to facilitate efforts to implement the EU’s direct trade regulation with the Turkish Cypriot community.

  “The European Council, in its decision taken in 2004, emphasised its commitment to ending the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot people and called on the commission to prepare comprehensive proposals for this purpose, However, to date, no significant progress has been made in this regard,” he said.

  He said that this lack of progress “includes the implementation of the direct trade regulation”, and that as such, “Fitto’s ensuring that the necessary steps are taken in this direction without further delay would be the greatest support given by the European Union to the efforts for a solution”.

  “As we have emphasised many times before, the Turkish Cypriot people’s strong will for a solution has continues, and in this context, we, as the Turkish Cypriot side, fully support United Nations Secretary-General [Antonio Guterres’] efforts,” he said.

  However, he did say that “it is impossible to expect the European Union, of which the Greek Cypriot side is a member and therefore has a veto power, to be neutral in any possible negotiation process”.

  “Indeed, the unilateral decisions and biased statements made by various European Union institutions in the past period are the most important indicator of this,” he said.

  As such, he said that since Erhurman took office in October last year, he “has emphasised the importance of establishing trust not only with the Greek Cypriot side, but also with the European Union”.

  Fitto had last year offered compliments for Erhurman, telling the European Parliament in November that that “the change in leadership in the Turkish Cypriot community can open a new window of opportunity to move forward”.

  “The window of opportunity must not close without progress. We hope that the coming months will lead to more concrete discussion towards the resumption of the formal settlement process. The EU counts on all parties to play a constructive and positive role in the discussion, and we are ready to use all the means at our disposal to support,” he said.

  He added that “beyond diplomatic engagement, the Commission is also continuing its work to create the conditions for future reunification on the ground”, and that “we aim, through our work, to foster engagement, cooperation and inclusion between both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities”.

  November’s address was given in his capacity as European cohesion commissioner, a position which he will continue to hold following his appointment as envoy.

  As cohesion commissioner, he was responsible, among other things, for overseeing the commission’s directorate-general for regional and urban policy (DG-Regio), the office which operates the Cyprus settlement support unit.

• Court debates evidence in Avakoum trial

  The defence attorneys of the two Avakoum monastery clerics raised serious objections in court on Monday, challenging whether a number of pieces of evidence presented by prosecutors are in fact admissible.

  On trial are monks Nektarios and Porfyrios. They face charges including conspiracy to defraud, forgery and the use of false documents, theft by proxy, handling stolen goods, money laundering, interfering with judicial proceedings and submitting fraudulent tax returns.

  Both have pleaded not guilty.

  The case came to light after authorities discovered €800,000 in cash and uncovered alleged fake miracles and CCTV footage of prohibited sexual acts.

  Earlier during the trial, the defendants’ attorneys said that on the night of March 5, 2024, after the monastery had shut its gates, a number of individuals wearing hoods trespassed into the premises and removed various objects – which ended up at the Tamasos bishopric.

  The lawyers said these items subsequently came into the possession of the police. They called for a trial within a trial, seeking a court ruling that would rule if the items were obtained unlawfully.

  Though the court subsequently rejected the motion for a trial within a trial, it also said objections to the admissibility of certain evidence could be raised by the defendants.

  On Monday, the defendants’ lawyers revisited the matter of admissibility.

  Testifying on the stand was a witness for the prosecution – a constable who was entrusted with the safekeeping of evidence gathered by the police.

  During her testimony, prosecutors presented a number of evidentiary items.

  This gave Costis Efstathiou, a defence attorney, the opportunity to challenge not only the admissibility of the evidence, but also to suggest that the chain of custody had been broken.

  The purpose of having an unbroken chain of custody is to ensure that the evidence collected is the same evidence that’s being used to prosecute someone.

  Efstathiou said that whereas the witness can affirm to having been given the evidence for safekeeping, she cannot testify as to what had transpired before that.

  “To date, under no circumstances has the legitimacy of [authorities] holding the evidence been proved,” the attorney told the court.

  “Even if this position of ours is not accepted, there remains the issue of the chain of custody up until the handing over of the evidence to the police.”

  The lawyer claimed that it has not been proved who located the items, who received them, where they were stored, or which persons had access to them and what was their route until the police took custody of them.

  These questions are crucial to the case, in order to determine whether any of the evidence was tampered with.

  And according to the lawyer, all this poses the issue of whether the Law of Evidence – how authorities can secure and present evidence – has been violated.

  Responding to the objection, the lead prosecutor dismissed the notion that the defendants’ right to a fair trial might be trampled on if the disputed evidence is shown in court.

  He said questions about the chain of custody can be assessed during the course of the trial. Moreover, all persons involved with keeping or handling the evidence would be summoned to testify.

  Hearing both sides, the court said it would rule on the defence’s objection on July 20.

  The court also set the next hearing for July 22.

• Cyprus among European countries pledging more funds for Palestine

  Cyprus was one of 11 European countries which, alongside the European Union, pledged a total of €41.7 million worth of what was described by the European Commission as “new contribution agreements” for the Palestinian authority.

  The funds will be channelled through Pegase, the EU’s mechanism through which it offers financial support for the Palestinian people, which was created in 2008, with Cyprus being joined by Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland in Monday’s agreement.

  According to the commission, the funds will be directed to the Palestinian authority alongside a total of €310m which has been committed by the commission itself for the period covering this year and next year.

  It added that a total of €3.8 billion has been donated to the Palestinian authority since Pegase was created, before explaining that Pegase has “high standards of control”, while also contributing to “the considerable reduction of transaction costs for financial support to the Palestinian authority”.

  “It also allows for increased transparency and effectiveness of international contributions to the Palestinian authority,” it said.

  The pledging of funds through Pegase comes alongside the launch of the “Team Gaza initiative”, a plan for the disbursement of almost €900m worth of financial contributions which the commission says will “support early recovery actions in various sectors, to the benefit of civilians in Gaza”.

  The initiative’s launch was led by European Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Suica, with the launch being attended by Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos in his capacity as the foreign minister of one of the EU’s 27 member states.

  According to the commission, the initiative has been launched by itself, alongside the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Investment Bank and the World Bank.

  In addition, it said, “more countries, including Australia and Canada, have expressed interest and are expected to join”.

  It said the initiative is rooted in the joint assessment of the “rapid damage and needs” of Gaza which was released by the EU, the United Nations, and the World Bank in April, with that assessment finding that the reconstruction of Gaza will require US$71.4bn (€62.6bn) over the next decade, of which US$26.3bn (€23.1bn) must be spent by the end of next year.

  The initiative, it said, is “intended to coordinate early recovery projects in Gaza to address the restoration of basic services for the population”, including “water and sanitation infrastructure, debris and solid waste management and removal, and restoring health, energy, agriculture and food systems”.

  Following the initiative’s launch, Suica said that the EU “has the political commitment, the partnerships and the financial tools to contribute to Gaza’s early recovery”.

  “Through the Team Gaza initiative we will launch concrete projects that will restore essential services and improve people’s daily lives. Our objective is clear: to help build hope, resilience and a better future for the Palestinian people,” she said.

  Likewise, the EU’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said that the bloc is “the most reliable and credible partner for the Palestinian people”, as well as being “the largest donor and the strongest supporter of a two-state solution”.

  “To turn this into reality, the Palestinian authority must stick with reforms and strengthen its capacity to govern. The people of Gaza need sustained financial support to meet basic needs, recover and rebuild their lives,” she said.

  She added that “ultimately, the building of a Palestinian state must be owned and led by the Palestinian people, but they need the backing of the international community”, and that “the many countries gathered in Brussels today show that this support is there”.

• State allocates €27 million to support 142 voluntary organisations

  The state has allocated €27 million to support 142 voluntary organisations providing social care services in Cyprus, Deputy Social Welfare Minister Clea Hadjistefanou-Papaellina announced on Monday.

  She was speaking during the fifth annual dialogue with voluntary organisations, and said the funding will assist organisations that serve older people, children, those with disabilities, victims of violence, and other vulnerable groups.

  Papaellina said that this investment shows the government’s commitment to collaborating with the voluntary sector to strengthen the social support network.

  She described voluntary organisations as strategic partners in implementing the state’s social policy, highlighting their vital role in caring for vulnerable citizens.

  Dialogue serves as an important platform for communication between the government and the voluntary sector, she added.

  Papaellina mentioned recent developments to strengthen the sector, including a comprehensive legal framework for Pancyprian Volunteerism Coordinating Council for promoting volunteerism and supporting various organisations across the island.

  She pointed out the signing of the first nationwide sectoral collective labour agreement for social welfare institutions and community volunteering bodies in January, calling it a significant milestone.

  Cyprus will celebrate the international year of volunteers for sustainable development 2026, with over 300 volunteer activities planned.

  A volunteering day in September will encourage newly retired individuals to share their skills with local communities.

  The deputy minister also highlighted reforms aimed at strengthening social inclusion and independent living for people with disabilities.

  This includes the national strategy and action plan for early childhood education and care 2025-2030, enhanced child protection measures, changes to child benefit schemes, and national strategies on autism, disability and active ageing.

  Papaellina stressed that voluntary organisations are essential partners for the state in creating an inclusive society with access to quality services and equal opportunities.

• Business support pledged for gender equality

  The Larnaca Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Evel) and Gender Equality Commissioner Josie Christodoulou discussed ways to strengthen women’s participation in business and promote equal opportunities during a recent meeting.

  The meeting, held on July 10, brought together Evel president Nakis Antoniou and Christodoulou, with both sides highlighting the importance of cooperation in developing initiatives that support gender equality and create a more inclusive modern workplace.

  According to Evel, discussions focused on advancing gender equality in the business sector, increasing women’s participation in entrepreneurship and decision-making positions, and adopting practices that encourage fairer working environments.

  The chamber said that the meeting provided an opportunity for a constructive exchange of views on the challenges still limiting equal participation in the economy.

  Antoniou reaffirmed the chamber’s commitment to supporting initiatives that promote equality, equal opportunities and sustainable growth within the business community.

  The Evel president also stressed the importance of closer cooperation between institutions to develop actions that strengthen women’s entrepreneurship and help remove stereotypes and barriers that continue to exist.

  Meanwhile, Christodoulou expressed satisfaction with the meeting and highlighted the important role business and professional bodies can play in promoting equality policies and building a culture of equal opportunities in workplaces.

  “Business organisations can play a decisive role in promoting equality policies and shaping a culture of equal opportunities in workplaces,” Christodoulou said.

  Finally, the two sides agreed that cooperation between Evel and the equality commissioner’s office could contribute significantly to initiatives aimed at strengthening gender equality and ensuring wider participation in Cyprus’ economic and social development.

• Turkey calls on Fitto to help change EU’s ‘partisan stance’ on Cyprus

  Turkey’s foreign ministry’s spokesman Oncu Keceli on Monday called on the European Commission’s newly appointed envoy for the Cyprus problem Raffaele Fitto to “make efforts toward the European Union changing” its “partisan stance” on Cyprus.

  He said that Turkey also expects Fitto and the EU to “realise that a solution to the Cyprus issue can only be achieved through negotiations conducted between two sovereign and equal states based on the realities on the island”.

  “We regard the European Commission’s decision to appoint a new Cyprus envoy as an internal matter for the European Union, just as we have with similar appointments in the past,” he said.

  He added that “we once again wish to issue a reminder that the EU lost its impartiality in the context of the Cyprus issue by admitting the Greek Cypriot side as an EU member despite its rejection of the UN’s comprehensive settlement plan in 2004”.

  “Indeed, we observe that the EU institutions’ entirely biased approach, particularly in the European Parliament, regarding the Cyprus issue, has continued to solidify in recent times,” he said, with the parliament having last week adopted a resolution condemning Turkey for sexual violence committed on the island in 1974.

  It is exceedingly unlikely that Fitto’s appointment will bring about a gear change in the EU’s policy on Cyprus, given that during his time as a member of the EU’s college of commissioners so far, he has not deviated from it in his public remarks.

  In November last year, for example, he told the European Parliament that “the EU has always been clear: we recognise only the Republic of Cyprus as a subject of international law”, and that “the EU has also repeatedly stated that the only solution for Cyprus is the reunification of the island”.

  Despite belonging to the European Conservatives and Reformists’ group, the same European grouping as Elam, he did offer praise for Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman at the time, saying that “the change in leadership in the Turkish Cypriot community can open a new window of opportunity to move forward”.

  He added that “beyond diplomatic engagement, the Commission is also continuing its work to create the conditions for future reunification on the ground”, and that “we aim, through our work, to foster engagement, cooperation and inclusion between both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities”.

  November’s address was given in his capacity as European cohesion commissioner, a position which he will continue to hold following his appointment as envoy.

• Second arrest over attempted bank robbery

  A second suspect was arrested on Monday in connection with the attempted robbery of a bank in the Larnaca district on June 19.

  Both suspects were already in police custody after their arrest in connection wit the attempted robbery of a goldsmith’s in the Larnaca district.

  The first suspect, a 41-year-old man was arrested on Sunday.

  Both men remain in custody.

  Police said the 42-year-old’s arrest is also linked to the theft of vehicle registration plates reported in Larnaca on June 19.

  The investigation into both cases is ongoing.

• Report advising govt on how to deal with new laws handed over

  The Office of the Law Commissioner on Monday handed over to the government a report regarding actions needed to be taken for full compliance with existing legislation.

  The report, issued biannually, concerns the cabinet, ministers and deputy ministers, state officials, government services and public-sector departments.

  The latest dossier concerns the period January 1 to June 30, 2026.

  The Law Commissioner tracks new laws and regulations published in the government gazette, including laws ratifying international treaties, and advises the relevant government bodies of their responsibilities.

  The biannual reports include both new obligations arising as well as pending issues for which there is still no compliance.

  According to a statement by the Office, the goal is to assist the executive branch of government to identify and implement required actions in a timely manner.

  Published online, the reports are also sent to the House legal affairs committee.

• Man jailed eight years for Famagusta rape

  A 30-year-old man was sentenced to eight years in prison on Monday after the Famagusta permanent criminal court found him guilty of rape.

  The offence was committed in the Famagusta district on July 13, 2024, against a female victim, according to the police.

  Following the complaint and subsequent investigation by the Famagusta CID, the case was filed before the court for immediate trial.

  The defendant remained in custody throughout the legal proceedings on the court’s instructions.

  After examining the evidence presented by the prosecution, the court convicted the 30-year-old and imposed an eight-year prison sentence.

• Fitto ‘honoured’ to be named EU’s Cyprus envoy

  The European Commission’s new envoy for the Cyprus problem Raffaele Fitto on Monday said he is “honoured” to undertake the role, after his appointment was announced earlier in the day.

  “I would like to thank [European Commission] President Ursula von der Leyen for her trust and confidence. I welcome this responsibility and remain fully committed to supporting the United Nations-led process, in close cooperation with [UN envoy Maria Angela] Holguin,” he said.

  He said he will work to “help create the conditions for the resumption of negotiations” and to “support a comprehensive and lasting settlement, including by building trust among all stakeholders and interlocutors”.

  Unlike his predecessor, Austrian diplomat Johannes Hahn, Fitto is currently a member of the European Union’s college of commissioners, having been appointed by von der Leyen as executive vice president for cohesion in 2024.

  Prior to that, he had served as Italy’s European affairs minister between 2022 and 2024, and before that had served two separate stints as a member of the European Parliament, between 1999 and 2000, and between 2014 and 2022. He also served as  Italy’s regional affairs minister between 2008 and 2011, under late prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

  He most recently visited Cyprus at the end of last month, travelling to Paphos to attend the final EU high-level conference of Cyprus’ six-month term as the holder of the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency, where the matters of islands and coastal communities were deliberated.

• British father remanded after three-year-old dies in hotel fall

  A 37-year-old British tourist was remanded in custody for eight days by the Paphos district court on Monday in connection with the death of his three-year-old son, who fell from the fourth floor of a hotel in Chlorakas on Sunday evening.

  The father is being investigated for causing death by a reckless, negligent or dangerous act, neglect of duty as the head of a family, and failing in his responsibility as a person having care of another.

  A post-mortem examination carried out by forensic pathologists Angeliki Papetta and Orthodoxos Orthodoxou found that the three-year-old died from a severe traumatic brain injury, as well as multiple injuries to the body and vital organs, sustained in the fall from height.

  The British High Commission told the Cyprus Mail they are “aware of the case” and “are providing Consular assistance to the family.”

  At court, police requested the father be remanded in custody for eight days to facilitate ongoing investigations.

  The hearing was briefly interrupted after the father became visibly distressed and overcome with emotion while the investigator outlined the circumstances of the case.

  Investigators are examining evidence suggesting that the father and the child’s grandfather had left their rooms and were waiting for a lift to go to dinner when the incident occurred.

  The court heard that the father was holding the three-year-old in his arms and playing with him while they waited outside their fourth-floor room.

  A large window was located next to where they were standing, and investigators are examining whether one section of the window had been left open without the father realising it.

  Police are investigating whether, during the course of playing with the child, the boy slipped from his father’s arms and fell through the opening.

  The child’s grandfather is understood to have witnessed the incident.

  The father, his wife and five-year-old daughter, were on the first day of their holiday with the grandparents when the tragedy occurred.

  The child was taken by ambulance to Paphos general hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

  The family had arrived in Cyprus in the early hours of Sunday for a holiday and had been due to remain at the hotel until July 25.

  The father appeared in court without legal representation.

  Police requested an eight-day remand to allow investigators to continue their inquiries, a request to which the father did not object after the proceedings resumed.

  Police spokesman Vyron Vyronos said the eight-day remand represents the maximum period a court can grant at this stage of an investigation and does not necessarily mean the suspect will remain in custody for the full duration.

  “If the investigation is completed earlier, the father may be released before the remand expires,” Vyronos told the Cyprus Mail, adding that the length of the remand is ultimately at the discretion of the court.

  Police said five witness statements have so far been obtained, with additional statements still to be taken from people who were present at the hotel.

• Ioannou hails signing of contract for ‘next generation 112’

  Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou on Monday welcomed the signing of a contract by the Civil Defence and the Cyprus telecommunications authority (Cyta) which will allow for the rollout of a more technologically advanced emergency calling system across the island, known as ‘Next generation 112’.

  “With the project, our country is taking another substantial step towards more effective emergency management. The Next generation 112 system will operate as the national emergency call receiving centre, serving all of the republic’s response services,” he said.

  He added that Monday’s agreement will see the new technology rolled out over a period of 20 months, and that once the technology has been implemented, it will constitute “another substantial step towards more modern, effective and reliable emergency management”.

  According to the European emergency number association, the implementation of Next generation 112 entails “integrating… new technologies into emergency services, so that they can receive not just voice, but location information, real-time text, photos, video calls and other data” from members of the public alerting the emergency services.

  “This means that emergency services will have to upgrade their technology to embrace internet-based communications in the next years,” it said.

  It added that “the Next generation 112 architecture enables the modernisation of emergency communications, allowing for far more data collection, which will result in a more efficient response”.

  Additionally, it said, the inclusion of this technology will help “to ensure equivalent access for all … including people with disabilities”.

• New head of Fiscal Council appointed

  The government on Monday appointed Andreas Charalambous as the new head of the Fiscal Council.

  Charalambous replaces Michalis Persianis, who had held the position since 2022. Persianis is leaving before his six-year term is up.

  The new head of the Fiscal Council holds a PhD in economics. He had previously worked for a number of years at the finance ministry and also served as head of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

  An advisory body, the Fiscal Council consists of three members appointed by the cabinet after consultation with the House finance committee.

  According to its website, its mission is “the timely and effective public intervention aimed at the avoidance of a fiscal derailment that will entail the adoption of socially painful measures, and that could be avoided by effective fiscal management that includes counter-cyclical and macro-prudential policies.”

• Police waiting instructions on Mafia State case

  The police are not currently participating in any investigations related to the Mafia State case and are awaiting instructions from the team of independent investigators, spokesman Vyron Vyronos said on Monday.

  The government named a team of independent investigators following the anti-corruption authority’s report on the claims in journalist Makarios Drousiotis’ book Mafia State concluded that former president Nicos Anastasiades and others may be criminally liable for abuse of power.

  Vyronos said that the anti-corruption authority’s findings have been forwarded to police chief Themistos Arnaoutis but that members have not yet reviewed it.

  “We are standing by and awaiting instructions from the criminal investigators,” Vyronos said.

  He added that the police are prepared to assist investigators if requested.

  The initial five independent investigators were named in early July, but one member, Christos Mylonopoulos, recused himself. Criminologist Ilias Anagnostopoulos was named to replace Mylonopoulos last week.

  Government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said last week that the independent investigators’ needs are being met, including an office space and administrative support staff.

• Lawyer pens book of Cyprus solution

  Lawyer Levon Arakelian has written a book in which he outlines what he describes as the “basic parameters” of a solution to the Cyprus problem.

  The book, The basic parameters of the comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, outlines six separate areas of discussion regarding the Cyprus problem and talks geared towards a settlement thereof.

  Those six areas are the conditions at play and the talks to be held towards a solution, how a post-solution Cyprus should be governed, the question of the territory governed by each constituent state, the island’s future demographic balance, security, and property.

  Arakelian is one of the advisors for the Greek Cypriot side’s Cyprus problem negotiating team, and accompanied President Nikos Christodoulides to the first of last year’s two enlarged meetings on the Cyprus problem, which took place in the Swiss city of Geneva.

  Away from the Cyprus problem, he is a partner at the Chryssafinis and Polyviou law firm and advised Polys Polyviou during his inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the deadly 2011 explosion at the Evangelos Florakis naval base in Mari.

  Read the book here

Github

• GitHub Code Quality license estimate in public preview

  You can now see the number of active committers on repositories using GitHub Code Quality across your enterprise, giving you an estimate of your Code Quality license cost before it becomes a paid product on July 20, 2026.

  Code Quality is free during the public preview, so this usage isn’t billed today. The estimate helps you understand the per-committer license impact on your bill so you can decide whether to keep Code Quality enabled for your organizations ahead of general availability.

  Where to find it

  To view your estimate, go to your billing entity’s Billing and licensing page and open Licensing. The Code Quality card shows your consumed licenses and estimated monthly payment.

  What the estimate includes

  The estimate only reflects the per-committer license cost. It doesn’t include the GitHub Actions minutes that CodeQL analysis consumes or the usage-based charges for AI-powered capabilities such as GitHub Copilot Autofix. It also reflects standard list pricing, so it doesn’t account for any discounts that may apply to your account.

  Availability and pricing

  GitHub Code Quality is available on GitHub Enterprise Cloud and GitHub Team but isn’t available on GitHub Enterprise Server. When Code Quality becomes generally available on July 20, 2026, it will be priced at $10 per active committer per month. The preview estimates will reflect the committers you will be billed for.

  Learn more

  • Learn more about Enabling Code Quality.
  • Share your feedback in the GitHub Community.

  The post GitHub Code Quality license estimate in public preview appeared first on The GitHub Blog.

• Separate SSO and Organizations pages in Settings

  We’ve separated the combined SSO & Organizations page in your user settings into two distinct pages: SSO and Organizations.

  This update makes it easier to find and manage these settings independently, with a clearer experience in your account settings.

  If you use SSO or belong to organizations on GitHub, you’ll now see these options on separate pages instead of in a single combined view.

  Join the discussion within GitHub Community to leave your feedback.

  The post Separate SSO and Organizations pages in Settings appeared first on The GitHub Blog.

Reddit

r/golang

• Small Projects

  This is the weekly thread for Small Projects.

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

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

  submitted by /u/AutoModerator
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• FlowG now has a FoundationDB storage backend
  submitted by /u/david-delassus
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• Dependency Injection approach

  I'm experimenting with two different approaches to structuring a monolithic Go application and would appreciate your feedback from the perspective of building a system that will continue to grow in complexity. Rather than focusing on formatting or minor implementation details, I'm interested in architectural decisions and long-term maintainability. Specifically, I'd like your thoughts on questions such as: Which approach would you choose for a production system, and why? How would this design evolve as the codebase grows to include dozens of use cases, services, and developers? Where would you place business logic, orchestration, validation, and persistence? How would you organize dependency injection and package boundaries? Do you prefer services with injected dependencies, standalone domain functions, or another pattern? What design trade-offs do you see in each approach? Are there any code smells or future maintenance issues that stand out? If you were designing this project from scratch for a long-lived, complex backend system, how would you structure it differently? I'm not looking for a "correct" answer—I'm interested in understanding how experienced engineers think about architecture, dependency management, and maintainability as systems scale. Any suggestions, alternative designs, or examples from your own experience would be greatly appreciated. submitted by /u/Competitive_Zone_480 [link] [comments]

• Existing Go package for extracting embedded JSON?

  I'm extracting JSON assigned to js variables inside html <script> blocks (e.g. window.__DATA__ = {...}), where the JSON aint in a clean application/json script tag.

  I ended up writing a manual brace matching scanner (tracks string/escape state and counts { }/[ ] depth) instead of using regex, since JSON isn't a regular language.

  is that the correct approach for this, or is there an existing Go package for pulling JSON values out of arbitrary text like this? I don't want to build it if a package already exist, so wanted to ask.

  submitted by /u/Lower_Airport_6852
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• Is there a golang library for AWS Kinesis KCL?

  Is there a golang library for AWS Kinesis KCL?

  submitted by /u/kekekepepepe
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• Why TypeScript 7.0 Was Rewritten in Go (and what it means for your dev stack)

  Over the last year, the team that invented TypeScript ported the TypeScript compiler and tools to Go. Not Rust. Not C++. Go.

  https://spf13.com/p/go-the-agentic-language/

  submitted by /u/reisinge
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• [ Book ] Beginning Game Programming in Go with Ebitengine

  Hello!
  I'm a backend developer (banking/finance/utility for the day job), and I've been building games in my spare time for years — Unity, Unreal, Godot, and lately from scratch in C++ and Go. I kept wishing there was a resource that treated Go game dev seriously, so I wrote one.

  The book is called Beginning Game Programming in Go with Ebitengine, and it builds one game across 14 chapters: Gopher Survivor, a small Vampire Survivors–style game. The catch is that you build almost everything yourself — the game loop, a scene graph, a camera, collision detection, an input layer, a state machine, particles — instead of leaning on an engine. No editor, no black boxes; every chapter is the previous chapter plus a small, deliberate diff, and the project compiles at every step.

  By the end you've got: an infinite tiled world, four weapons that unlock and upgrade, scaling enemies and a mini-boss, XP/leveling, a main-menu/pause/options state machine, music and SFX, screen shake and floating damage numbers — packaged into a native binary and a WebAssembly build that runs in the browser.

  The code is fully open and free, one directory per chapter, so you can read/clone it even if you never buy the book: 👉 https://github.com/LuigiVanacore/beginning-game-programming-go-ebitengine

  It's written for intermediate Go devs who've never built a game — it won't teach syntax, it teaches the patterns and architecture that make a game tick.

  The link to the book is here ---> https://leanpub.com/gameprogramminggolang

  submitted by /u/LuigiVanacore
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• Is it possible to write a long-running Go program with `GOGC=off`?

  I might sound a little insane (i.e. why choose Go when you don't want GC), but I am just curious how viable that is. Wanna know whether it's possible to write Go programs in a style similar to C or Zig with arena allocators etc, or maybe an approach similar to Swift?

  Have anyone tried that? I suppose it's not very idiomatic?

  It will probably break every single used library or something? Or I can selectively enable GC for just the libraries but manage my own part of the program's memory myself?

  Is GOGC=off basically only for short-living programs such as CLI tools? Or it has potential for long-running programs too?

  *by long-running I mean like servers, daemons, games, etc, that are not meant to exit unless asked to

  submitted by /u/jerrygreenest1
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Movie Trailers

• Mutiny Movie Trailer
• The Wrong Girls Movie Trailer
• Dune: Part Three Movie Trailer