Thursday, June 25, 2026
8e73b61c-6ad3-474c-8801-4aaff193ffbd
| Summary | ⛅️ Clear throughout the day. |
|---|---|
| Temperature Range | 21°C to 30°C (69°F to 85°F) |
| Feels Like | Low: 71°F | High: 93°F |
| Humidity | 66% |
| Wind | 13 km/h (8 mph), Direction: 261° |
| Precipitation | Probability: 0%, Type: No precipitation expected |
| Sunrise / Sunset | 🌅 05:36 AM / 🌇 08:04 PM |
| Moon Phase | Waxing Gibbous (37%) |
| Cloud Cover | 3% |
| Pressure | 1009.21 hPa |
| Dew Point | 66.01°F |
| Visibility | 6.43 miles |
New discoveries at Fabrika Hill in Kato Paphos have provided fresh insight into how ancient Nea Paphos was defended and developed over centuries, following the completion of this year’s excavations by a French archaeological mission.
The excavation, led by Professor Claire Balandier of Avignon University in collaboration with the French School at Athens and the antiquities department, focused on the acropolis of ancient Nea Paphos and sections of the city’s Hellenistic walls.
Among the most significant findings was further evidence confirming the location of a major defensive tower forming part of the ancient city’s fortifications.
Archaeologists identified the remains of a large square tower carved into bedrock near the church of Ayios Agapitikos, concluding that it formed part of the Hellenistic defensive wall protecting the city more than 2,000 years ago.
The well in the underground gallery cutting the water channel on the top
Researchers also uncovered part of the final preserved floor inside another defensive tower near the city’s north-west gate.
One of the most important discoveries came from the investigation of an underground water system near the ancient theatre.
Archaeologists found that a rock-cut channel discovered last year extended further than previously known and once carried water above an underground storage gallery dating to Hellenistic times.
The team believes the system was later altered during the Roman period, when a well was dug to redirect water into underground storage before it was transported to a nearby cistern.
Fragments of a large terracotta pipe were recovered during the excavation.
Researchers also uncovered evidence suggesting the water system may have been damaged by an ancient earthquake.
A substantial crack running through the gallery wall appears to have allowed water to escape, potentially leading to the abandonment of the structure.
Nearby, excavators discovered a previously unknown wall standing around three metres high.
Archaeologists have yet to reach its foundations and say further investigation next year will determine whether it dates to the Roman or Hellenistic period.
The excavation also completed work inside one of Fabrika Hill’s underground chambers.
The space was originally carved as a quarry in the early Hellenistic era before being converted into what archaeologists believe was intended to become a tomb.
It was abandoned before use, likely after the area was incorporated within the expanding city. During later centuries it was reused, first in Roman times and eventually as a church during the early Byzantine period.
The discoveries form part of an ongoing international research programme examining the history, fortifications and urban development of ancient Nea Paphos.
The topographic survey on the remains of the Hellenistic city-wall in front of Panagia Theokepasti
The government has moved to strengthen support for Cypriots receiving medical treatment in France, as western Europe experiences an unprecedented heatwave.
The cabinet has approved the creation of a dedicated position at the embassy in Paris to assist Cypriot patients travelling for subsidised specialised treatment, along with their families and accompanying persons.
The role will focus on providing direct guidance and practical help during extended medical stays abroad.
Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides said the decision reflects the state’s “responsibility towards vulnerable citizens abroad”, stating that “patients who are forced to travel abroad for health reasons need substantial guidance, support and practical assistance during their stay”.
He added that the initiative aims to improve what he described as a “protection and care network” for Cypriot patients.
The announcement comes as France faces its hottest day since national records began in 1947, with temperatures exceeding 40C in Paris and reaching up to 43C in parts of the west.
More than half the country remains under the highest red alert level.
Greece has called for strict implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions on Cyprus.
Speaking on Wednesday at UN headquarters in New York, Greece’s deputy permanent representative Ioannis Stamatekos raised the issue during meeting of the Security Council focused on gaps in implementing UN resolutions.
Stamatekos said the Cyprus problem illustrates concerns regarding enforcement of Security Council decisions, stating that “the Cyprus issue is a typical example” of where implementation has not matched agreed resolutions.
He added that “respect and commitment to Security Council Resolutions 541 and 550 must be the compass for member states in addressing the issue”.
Those resolutions, adopted in 1983 and 1984, call on states not to recognise the declaration of a separate entity in the north and reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic.
Stamatekos reiterated that the council had “called on all states to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and not to recognize the separatist, illegal entity or assist it in any way”.
Cyprus is preparing to establish a new organisation modelled on the British Council to promote its universities abroad and attract higher numbers of international students
The announcement was made by President Nikos Christodoulides during a ceremony at Frederick University in Nicosia on Wednesday, where he said preparatory work had begun for a coordinated national effort involving both public and private institutions.
The aim is to present Cypriot universities as an international education destination and improve recruitment of what he described as “quality students from abroad”.
The planned body would support overseas promotion and cooperation between institutions.
Higher education was described as a key economic sector, contributing around 7 to 8 per cent of GDP.
Christodoulides said “we should not get carried away” with figures alone, stressing that emphasis must remain on academic standards and course quality.
He said the government is implementing “a coherent strategy for Cyprus’ higher education” aimed at improving opportunities for young people and bolstering research capacity.
The president also drew attention to Frederick University’s new medical school in partnership with the University of Manchester, calling it part of the sector’s “continuous development path”.
Expectations surrounding renewed efforts on the Cyprus issue risk leading to disappointment if they are not grounded in realistic objectives, former Turkish Cypriot negotiator Kudret Ozersay said on Wednesday.
In his statement issued on social media, the leader of the People’s Party (HP) said there is currently no concrete negotiation process in place and cautioned against raising hopes that cannot be fulfilled.
He argued that a durable agreement can only emerge through “realistic approaches in both method and content” and by taking account of what he described as the realities on the island.
Ozersay criticised the announcement of a planned expanded meeting on the Cyprus issue, saying expectations had been created before any process had been properly prepared or focused on achieving results.
According to him, domestic political considerations are playing a significant role in shaping the current climate.
He claimed that President Nikos Christodoulides faces increasing pressure to demonstrate movement on the Cyprus issue ahead of the 2028 presidential election and suggested that the objective is to restart negotiations rather than secure a comprehensive settlement.
Ozersay argued that this could result in “negotiating for the sake of negotiating” rather than pursuing a process capable of producing an outcome.
He further alleged that political actors on both sides may seek electoral advantage from the launch of a new dialogue, regardless of whether it ultimately succeeds.
What Cyprus requires, he said, is “a comprehensive and lasting solution” rather than “a new and endless negotiation process”.
Addressing the international dimension of the issue, Ozersay questioned the ability of the United Nations to drive a breakthrough under current circumstances.
He argued that the organisation’s influence in global affairs has weakened in recent years and suggested that the prospect of launching a successful new Cyprus initiative remains limited, particularly with the term of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres approaching its conclusion.
While reiterating that a comprehensive settlement remains important, Ozersay maintained that no process can succeed if it ignores political realities on the island and broader regional developments.
He said any future effort must be built around achievable goals and a clear understanding of the balance of interests involved.
A fire that broke out between the villages of Malia and Dora in the Limassol district was brought under control on Wednesday evening after a burning vehicle ignited surrounding dry grass.
The fire started at around 7.21pm when a vehicle caught fire on a roadside stretch in the Limassol foothills.
According to fire brigade spokesman Andreas Kettis, the blaze spread from the vehicle into nearby vegetation.
Six fire engines from the Limassol district were dispatched to the scene, while support was provided by the forestry department, civil defence and volunteers.
The fire brigade also activated its crisis management centre at headquarters, with chief officer Nikos Longinos overseeing the response.
Kettis said the circumstances surrounding the vehicle fire will be investigated.
The blaze was contained shorty after 8.30pm, although firefighting crews remained in the area to deal with hotspots and prevent any risk of reignition.
Residents speaking to local media expressed concern over the latest outbreak and questioned the speed of the initial response.
According to testimony recounted to Politis, residents alleged that the fire brigade were slow to arrive on the scene, although no official information has been released to support those claims.
The fire brigade has not reported any injuries or damage to homes, and authorities indicated that the fire was contained before it could spread further into the surrounding countryside.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.
It is almost time for one of Cyprus’ biggest music festivals to make its annual and long-awaited return. This year, Fengaros Festival returns renewed at a new location and with other 60 performing artists presents its biggest edition yet.
Between July 30 and August 1 artists from Cyprus and abroad will meet with music lovers at Petrides Farm Park. Six different stages will host the musicians this year, creating a rich festival experience.
This year’s line-up spans from European regulars to local gems and soon-to-be household names. None other than Eisvoleas will finally return for a standout set that blends tradition with rap, Billie Kark will craft a late-night electronic set with live vocals, and from the UK the mesmerising Eleni Drake.
The classic Ypogeia Revmata will take listeners back in time, while Hofe from Spain will give audiences a taste of the future. Paidi Travma’s dark pop will deliver a cathartic performance and Expe will be impossible to ignore.
Fengaros Festival will once again spotlight Cyprus’ standout music scene with the striking Della returning from her European tour, Demetris Mesimeris following his new album release and Anemourio with their aggression and sensitivity. Other local artists include the iconic Alejjos, the hypnotic The Smallest Creature, and the unmatched live energy of Sais.
“Fengaros is not just the music,” say organisers, “it’s an immersive experience built on sustainability, inclusivity and art. Its 14th edition raises the bar for an experience that’s not to be missed.”
Fengaros Festival
Local music festival’s biggest edition to date. July 30-August 2. Petrides Farm Park, Marki, Nicosia district. www.fengaros.com
The Larnaca district government’s water supply and sewerage services announced on Wednesday €1.2 million in funding to replace and repair dozens of manholes in the city.
Eighteen manholes will be replaced and 55 will be repaired over a 36-month period. The manholes are within the Phase A sewer system, which were built during the first stage of the modern wastewater and sewerage treatment system in the 1990s.
The goal of the renovations and repairs is to reduce the inflow of brackish groundwater into the sewer network. Brackish water is saltier than freshwater but not as salty as seawater and results from Larnaca being a coastal area.
The Larnaca district government organisation wrote in a statement that the brackish groundwater “places a burden on the network, the treatment facilities and the management of reclaimed water”.
The repairs and replacements are being funded by the Water Development Department. The first 14 months will be spent replacing the 18 manholes, and the remaining time is allocated for preventative repair work.
Alma has called for criminal investigators examining the findings of the Mafia State report to be selected by the independent anti-corruption authority rather than by the cabinet, arguing that the process must be free from both actual and perceived conflicts of interest.
The intervention came after government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis confirmed that the government intends to appoint a team of independent criminal investigators to assess the findings of the authority’s probe into the allegations levied in the book Mafia State.
The report concluded that former president Nicos Anastasiades may face potential criminal liability for abuse of power.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Alma argued that the central issue is not the number of investigators to be appointed but “who will choose them, who will appoint them and with what institutional legitimacy”.
The party said President Nikos Christodoulides faces an “obvious conflict of interest” because he served as a minister in the Anastasiades administration and also gave testimony during the investigation.
“With two obstacles and an obvious conflict of interest, will Christodoulides decide on the investigators?” the party asked.
Alma pointed to previous decisions excluding officials from involvement in the case.
It referenced the recusal of deputy attorney-general Savvas Angelides because of his role in the Anastasiades government and the exclusion of prosecutor Elena Kleopa from the prosecutorial council after she appeared as a witness in the matter.
The party argued that while the cabinet became involved because the leadership of the legal service was unable to act, the exceptional procedure should not create further institutional concerns.
It maintained that accountability could only be secured through a process that is demonstrably independent from the outset.
UN Special Representative and UNFICYP chief, Khassim Diagne is reported to brief the Security Council in New York next month as diplomatic efforts to revive negotiations on the Cyprus issue gather pace ahead of a planned expanded meeting.
According to information obtained by the Cyprus News Agency, Diagne’s briefing is expected to take place behind closed doors during the second week of July.
The Security Council has yet to announce the dates for its consideration of UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres’ reports on his good offices mission and the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus.
Discussions over the apparent direction of proposed talks have intensified in recent days following reports that alternative notions of a ‘loose federation’ for a future settlement framework may be under consideration.
President Nikos Christodoulides has meanwhile stressed that the European Union has “the most decisive role” in supporting the UN-led effort, arguing that any future settlement must be fully compatible with EU principles and law.
Former Turkish Cypriot negotiator Ozdil Nami argued that a new power-sharing model was “neither necessary nor appropriate”, saying the core elements of governance had already been negotiated through previous rounds of talks.
Moreover, Akel secretary-general Stefanos Stefanou has called for the Greek Cypriot side to maintain a clear position that negotiations should resume from where they ended at Crans-Montana in 2017 while preserving previously agreed convergences.
Seven foreign nationals were arrested in Nicosia on Wednesday during a immigration raid.
The operation was carried out by officers from the aliens and immigration service (YAM) between 6am and noon.
Police said 35 people were checked during the operation, with seven found to have been staying in Cyprus illegally.
The suspects were arrested and taken into custody, whereupon, according to police, repatriation procedures have already begun for all seven individuals.
New powers to tackle organised crime and bolster policing reforms were at the forefront of Justice Minister Costas Fitiris’ agenda presented to MPs on Wednesday.
Addressing the House legal affairs committee, Fitiris said the government’s immediate priority was the introduction of stronger tools to combat organised crime, including the revival of a surveillance bill that has remained stalled since the previous parliamentary term.
“We will re-enter the discussion process to find the golden middle way,” Fitiris said, adding that the objective was to balance parliamentary concerns with “the operational requirements of the police”.
A key proposal expected before parliament in the coming months would allow authorities to confiscate assets that cannot be legally justified.
The minister said the legislation, which follows EU rules due to be implemented by member states by 2027, had already been approved by the cabinet and would be submitted to the House.
Fitiris also correlated the fight against organised crime to proposed constitutional changes and amendments relating to privacy and surveillance powers.
The minister told MPs that 38 government bills are currently pending before parliament, while a further 10 are expected to be submitted by the ministry.
Alongside organised crime measures, discussions focused on policing reforms, prison overcrowding and the delivery of major justice infrastructure projects.
Fitiris confirmed that a specialist police unit dedicated to combating organised crime is operationally ready and is expected to begin functioning fully once accommodation arrangements are completed in the coming months.
He also revealed that between 300 and 500 body cameras will be purchased this year on a pilot basis, with funding earmarked in next year’s budget to equip the remainder of the force.
The minister acknowledged concerns over the delayed construction of a juvenile detention facility in Menoyia, warning that the project may miss its revised completion target of this coming December.
The facility is intended to comply with legislation governing young offenders and relieve pressure on the overcrowded central prisons.
Lifeguards on Wednesday complained of severe understaffing on beaches across Cyprus, and warned of the potential safety implications that may entail, as they downed tools for a 24-hour strike.
Limassol lifeguard unit head Sakis Nikolaou, for example, told the Cyprus News Agency that of a total of 24 lifeguard stations in the city, only 13 are operational, with 43 lifeguards currently employed in the district.
One example of understaffing, he said, is the Lady’s Mile beach, south of the city of Limassol, where only one lifeguard tower is currently operational. Additionally, he said, on Governor’s beach, there is no lifeguard at all.
“This understaffing is unacceptable and endangers the lives of bathers,” he said, before adding that lifeguards, in going on strike, are demanding that more permanent lifeguards be hired, and that 10-month contracts be offered, so as to incentivise people to join the profession.
On this front, he also called for more year-round contracts to be offered, so as to “ensure the uninterrupted operation of lifeguard stations throughout the year”, and for salary increases, improved benefits, better insurance coverage and working conditions, and “substantial support” from the central government.
“Limassol is the heart of tourism and safety in its seas is not a luxury, but a necessity,” he said.
Meanwhile, Famagusta district lifeguard supervisor Michalis Adamou said that as a result of Wednesday’s strike, not one lifeguard would be on duty throughout the district.
He said that 82 lifeguards are employed across the district, manning a total of 30 stations, with 40 of those lifeguards working year round, 28 working on eight-month contracts, 13 working on six-month contracts, and one working on a three-month contract.
“We are in June, a month when people are on the beaches, yet there are no lifeguards to staff the towers. The reason is because there are vacant positions advertised, but there is no interest from people to wither work or be trained,” he said.
He added that to become a lifeguard, one requires “a period of time” to undertake the requisite training courses and attain the requisite qualifications.
“At the same time, there is no interest in this profession, since lifeguards often only work for six months, something which is completely a deterrent to many people from being interested in this profession,” he said.
Two doctors have been suspended from practising medicine in Cyprus for six years after being found guilty of conduct incompatible with the medical profession, the Cyprus Medical Association (CMA) announced on Wednesday.
The decision was issued by the medical disciplinary council on June 22 and concerns doctors Alevtina Kouzitseva Markou and Victoria Kouzitseva Christodoulou.
According to the council, the two doctors submitted inaccurate information when applying to the Cyprus Medical Council for recognition of a specialty qualification in general medicine.
The disciplinary body found that they had claimed to have completed four years of continuous postgraduate training at the Gomel State Medical University in Belarus, despite knowing that this was not the case.
Based on those declarations, the doctors obtained recognition of a medical specialty which, according to the council’s ruling, they would not have received had the true facts been presented.
In its decision, the council described the case as a particularly serious disciplinary offence that strikes at the heart of trust in the system for recognising medical specialties and undermines the integrity of the medical profession.
It said the conduct of the two doctors could not be viewed as a simple procedural error but rather amounted to the deliberate misrepresentation of material facts.
While the council took into account mitigating factors, including the doctors’ previously clean criminal and disciplinary records as well as their personal and family circumstances, it concluded that the seriousness of the case did not justify a more lenient penalty.
The suspension took effect on June 22, 2026 and will remain in force until June 22, 2032. During that period, neither doctor will be permitted to practise medicine in Cyprus.
Former Disy member of parliament Nikos Sykas will not face criminal charges over allegations of abusing his partner, after the legal service on Tuesday said it had found insufficient evidence to proceed.
“It was held that, in the circumstances and in the absence of a testimony from the complainant, which constitutes an essential part of the evidence which could be put before a court for evaluation, there was insufficient evidence to proceed with criminal prosecution,” it said.
It added that “in this case, any other evidence obtained during the investigation was not considered sufficient in and of itself to proceed with the case before a court”.
Sykas had been accused by his partner of physically abusing her during a holiday in Greece on New Year’s Eve.
She withdrew her complaint against him shortly after the allegations surfaced, but an investigation was nonetheless launched, and the supreme court unanimously lifted his immunity in January, allowing the investigation to go ahead.
In light of the allegations, he was removed from Disy’s party list for last month’s parliamentary election, and as such lost his seat in parliament when the elections took place.
The legal service on Wednesday said that it has been decided “that the case shall remain pending for the period of one year”, and that as such, “the state remains available to provide the complainant with any necessary form of support and protection”.
MPs expressed differing opinions during the House institutions committee on Wednesday over the initial screening of a government bill seeking to remove the president and members of the advisory council from the obligation to submit asset declarations.
The proposal would exempt members of the body responsible for recommending appointments to semi-governmental organisations from declaring their assets, the so-called ‘pothen esches’ scheme, with government officials arguing that the council’s role is purely advisory and carries no executive authority.
Diko and Elam have backed the amendment, whilst Akel opposed it.
Alma and Direct Democracy expressed reservations and called for further clarification before taking a final position.
Committee chairman and Disy MP Demetris Demetriou outlined the history of the issue, explaining that a similar proposal had previously been rejected by parliament in 2025 after concerns were raised by members of the advisory council over their inclusion in the disclosure regime.
Justice ministry spokesperson Phaedra Grigoriou told MPs that the law was designed to cover public officials and politically exposed persons exercising authority and decision-making powers.
She argued that the advisory council’s function is consultative rather than executive.
“The character of the council is advisory and not decisive,” she stressed, remarking that the government believes its members should not fall within the provisions of the law.
Similar arguments were advanced by the legal service, the tax department and the deputy ministry to the president, which described the amendment as an application of the “principle of proportionality” and insisted that accountability mechanisms would remain intact.
Supporters of the amendment argued that members of the council neither exercise executive authority nor make final appointments and should therefore not be subject to the same disclosure obligations as public office holders who wield decision-making powers.
Opposition centred on concerns that the council still plays an influential role in the appointments process.
Akel MP Constantinos Constantinou argued that the reasons parliament originally included the body within the asset declaration framework remain valid.
“From the moment it receives CVs and recommends people to important organisations, we see no reason why it should not be included in the list,” he said.
Direct Democracy MP Diana Constantinides questioned how the public would view the exemption and whether transparency considerations should outweigh arguments based on proportionality.
Alma MP Irene Charalambides raised concerns regarding the institutional framework governing appointments, arguing that stronger safeguards and clearer procedures were needed.
Diko president Nicholas Papadopoulos defended the proposal, saying it had never been parliament’s intention for the advisory council to be subjected to the same disclosure requirements as officials covered by the legislation.
“This mistake must be corrected,” he affirmed.
The committee is expected to continue examining the bill before deciding whether to forward it to the House plenary for a vote.
The Gaza Board of Peace will hold a two-day summit in Cyprus on June 30 and July 1, Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis confirmed on Wednesday, though he was keen to stress that the government remains on the board’s periphery.
“The Republic of Cyprus is neither an organiser, nor a co-organiser of the event, of course,” he said, while also saying that the board’s decision to convene in Cyprus constitutes evidence of the importance of Cyprus on the international stage.
“The fact that this board’s administrative arm … has chosen our country, a country which has proven in practice how beneficial it is and how many initiatives it has undertaken, as well as the efficiency of those initiatives in terms of humanitarian support for the civilian population in Gaza, has its own high importance,” he said.
Asked who may participate in the summit, he said that “officials” will be there, some of whom have “already requested meetings” with Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos while in Cyprus.
On the matter of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, he said that “we, as the Republic of Cyprus, not only welcomed [it], but supported [it] from the very beginning”.
“I remind you that [President Nikos Christodoulides] participated in the first conference announcing this plan and had submitted a proposal of eight specific points based on [United States] President [Donald] Trump’s plan for the faster implementation of the reconstruction of Gaza,” he said.
While the exact composition of the summit has not yet been published, Israeli newspaper the Times of Israel reported that the gathering in Cyprus will include representatives from the Board of Peace’s executive board, the Palestinian-run committee for the administration of Gaza, and the office of Nikolay Mladenov, the Bulgarian diplomat appointed by Trump as his high representative for Gaza.
High-profile members of the executive board include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former British prime minister Sir Tony Blair, and World Bank group president Ajay Banga.
Cyprus was one of dozens of countries invited to join the Board of Peace, with Kombos saying on the day of the board’s inauguration that the island was waiting for the European Union to form a common position on the matter before taking a decision.
EU members Bulgaria and Hungary did join the board as full members, while Cyprus, in line with the EU’s broad position, in the end decided to attend meetings as an observer.
Since the formation of the Board of Peace in January and the opening of the Rafah border crossing in February, little has happened in the way of progress, though there have been multiple recorded incidences of Israeli Defence Forces soldiers killing Palestinian civilians in the intervening months.
On Tuesday, the Times of Israel reported that an “Arab diplomat” from “one of the mediating countries” and a “Palestinian official familiar with the matter” had said that the meeting in Cyprus will constitute a “reset”, which will allow stakeholders to “recalibrate” and “get on the same page”.
However, it also reported that some members of the Board of Peace had “expressed discomfort with the optics of holding a meeting at a Cyprus resort amid the ongoing suffering in Gaza”, and that as such, “a decision was accordingly made to scale back the guest list”.
The Board of Peace formed the effective second phase of Trump’s plan for the future of Gaza, with the first phase being enacted following the convening of an international summit in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh in October last year.
Christodoulides returned from that summit speaking of “six initiatives the Republic of Cyprus can undertake” based on Trump’s then 20-point plan for Gaza’s future.
Shortly afterwards, presidential press office director Victor Papadopoulos had said that Cyprus would seek to offer “operational support” for international efforts to ensure peace in and reconstruct Gaza.
The government, he said, had “proposed an applied contribution model which has already been codified in six operational pillars, building on the successful implementation of the Amalthea plan,” Cyprus’ humanitarian aid corridor to the strip.
On this point, he highlighted the fact that the Amalthea plan “operates through a bilateral security mechanism and in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates and the United Nations office for project services (Unops)”.
With the Board of Peace having been formed in January, European Affairs Deputy Minister Marilena Raouna had in April demanded that progress be made, warning that a lack of progress may allow Palestinian insurgent group Hamas to “consolidate control” of the strip.
“There needs to be progress on the implementation of the Gaza peace plan, in the absence of which there is a risk of undermining the fragile political momentum, with all that entails, including providing Hamas with the opportunity to consolidate control,” she said at a European Parliament plenary session.
Cyprus’ role as a bridge between countries was highlighted on Wednesday, as patriarch Aram I of Cicilia, of the Armenian church, decorated President Nikos Christodoulides with the Prince of Cicilia medal during a meeting in Nicosia.
The medal is bestowed on individuals as a gesture of gratitude for their service towards Armenians.
“We are living in a world stigmatised by many conflicts. Cyprus, due to its geographical and geopolitical position, is exposed to these realities that are taking place in the Middle East in particular,” the patriarch, based in Lebanon, said.
He added that in this time of globalisation, everything is interlinked. Conflicts such as those in Ukraine, Lebanon, Syria, Iran and the Middle East in general have widespread impact.
Aram said “Cyprus’ role must be one of a bridge” and, addressing Christodoulides, he said “you personally have this precise role and I know you have a special relationship with Armenia and Lebanon,” a role the patriarch said he wish to see “renewed and intensified”.
He also spoke of the Armenians living in Cyprus and expressed gratitude to the president, the government and the people of Cyprus “for everything you have done for our community”.
The medal, he added, was “an expression of our love and gratitude towards you and your government and the people of Cyprus”.
Christodoulides said he was receiving the medal with “great pride” on behalf of the government and people of the island.
“Lebanon for us is the most important country in the region. I will never forget 2016 when the tragic event happened at Beirut port, when we heard the explosion in Cyprus and we thought an earthquake had happened in Cyprus. That is how close the two countries are,” he pointed out.
He also referred to the political ties between Cyprus and Lebanon, as well as the fact that Lebanon’s ties with the EU were discussed during Cyprus’ EU presidency.
Regarding Armenia, Christodoulides said Cyprus is its “most ardent supporter”.
“We are very proud of the Armenian community in Cyprus, which is part of the rich culture of the island, and I will always support the community,” he added.
Concluding, Christodoulides promised to “prove in practice that I truly deserve this medal”.
Record cocaine seizures and the emergence of powerful new synthetic drugs have prompted concern among Cyprus police, who warned on Wednesday that criminal networks are rapidly adapting their methods and introducing increasingly dangerous substances to the local market.
Unveiling anti-drug squad (Ykan) statistics for the first half of 2026, police said they had already seized more than 75kg of cocaine this year, surpassing the total amount confiscated during the whole of 2025 by 130 per cent, alongside sharp increases in methamphetamine seizures and the appearance of several synthetic drugs not previously encountered in such quantities in Cyprus.
The announcement comes ahead of the International Day Against Drug Abuse on June 26 and was accompanied by a warning from police chief Themistos Arnaoutis that drug trafficking remains one of the main sources of income for organised crime groups worldwide.
“We cannot speak about drugs without speaking about serious and organised crime,” he said.
“The two phenomena are directly linked. One feeds and strengthens the other.”
Arnaoutis said police strategy was increasingly focused not only on intercepting drugs and arresting traffickers but also on dismantling criminal networks and tracing the illicit profits generated by the trade.
He said the seizure figures represented far more than statistics.
“They are substances that never reached our streets, our schools or our neighbourhoods. They represent risks that were prevented and lives that were protected,” he said.
The figures, he added, highlight two realities, that criminal organisations are constantly evolving and seeking new ways to profit, and that Ykan must continually adapt to new forms of trafficking and emerging threats.
According to Ykan chief Christos Andreou, authorities seized 71.5kg of cocaine by June 22, compared with 30.2kg during the corresponding period last year. The figure increased further after officers intercepted four kilograms of liquid cocaine at Larnaca airport on Tuesday hidden inside bottles of cleaning products.
Liquid cocaine seized on Tuesday
Andreou described the seizure as particularly concerning because laboratory tests showed the substance had a purity level of around 97 per cent.
The seizure was made following intelligence received through cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies, highlighting what police described as the increasingly sophisticated methods being used by traffickers.
Alongside cocaine, police seized significant quantities of cannabis, cannabis resin, methamphetamine and other drugs during the first six months of the year. Authorities also reported the appearance of several new synthetic substances that are becoming increasingly common across Europe and have now begun reaching Cyprus.
Among the drugs seized this year were 1.5kg of paper infused with synthetic cannabinoids, known as “pinaka”, along with 993 treated sheets. Police also confiscated 1,181 Captagon tablets, compared with only 32 tablets seized during the same period last year.
Opium poppies seized by customs
In the past four days alone, officers uncovered 31.5kg of opium poppy products and one kilogramme of Kief, a concentrated cannabis product with a significantly higher THC content than conventional cannabis.
Police are particularly concerned by the growing presence of synthetic drugs, which are often easier to manufacture, more difficult to detect and potentially more harmful than traditional narcotics.
Andreou said officers had observed a clear shift towards stronger substances across European markets, with criminal groups continually modifying products and introducing new compounds.
He revealed that police officers across Cyprus were currently involved in ongoing operations aimed at preventing the new substances from becoming established in the local market.
“Our objective is to stop this phenomenon at the beginning and cut it off at its roots before it spreads more widely,” he said.
Responding to a Cyprus Mail question on whether the sharp increase in seizures reflected larger quantities of drugs entering the country or improved police detection, Andreou said there was no straightforward answer, describing the issue as part of a constantly evolving European and global phenomenon.
“The situation changes continuously,” he said, explaining that Cypriot authorities regularly exchange intelligence with their European counterparts on new trafficking trends, emerging substances and changes in consumption patterns.
What police could say with certainty, he added, was that they were removing increasingly large quantities of dangerous drugs from circulation.
“What we see is, that every time, we try to remove as many drugs as possible from the market, especially these dangerous substances that we have been finding recently,” he said.
Andreou noted that police had seized around 370kg of drugs of all types so far this year, equivalent to approximately 370,000 individual doses.
Asked by the Cyprus Mail about the role of social media in the promotion and trafficking of drugs, Arnaoutis stated that police increasingly relied on Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and specialist analysis units to monitor online activity and identify emerging threats.
“You can be sure that our analysis services utilise OSINT and we make use of it,” he said.
He revealed that one of the major investigations currently being pursued by Ykan had begun after officers identified activity on social media platforms, describing it as a clear example of how online monitoring can contribute to significant drug investigations.
Arnaoutis said such operations relied not only on officers conducting searches and arrests but also on analysts working behind the scenes to identify patterns, gather intelligence and assess information from open sources.
Andreou thanked members of the public for providing information through anonymous reporting channels, including the police’s 1498 hotline, social media platforms and email.
“Many of these cases have resulted from information provided by the public,” he said, stressing that tip-offs can be submitted anonymously and that the identity of those providing information remains protected.
Police also highlighted efforts to target the financial proceeds of drug trafficking.
According to Andreou, investigations carried out jointly with the anti-money laundering unit resulted in the identification or freezing of assets worth more than €2.5 million between 2020 and the end of 2025.
Those assets included real estate, vehicles, cash, company shares and funds held in bank accounts.
Authorities said their concerns extended beyond law enforcement to public health, particularly given the growing availability of new psychoactive substances and the risks they pose to young people.
Police said they were working closely with European and international partners to identify emerging threats early and prevent them from becoming entrenched in Cyprus.
“The fight against drugs is not solely a police matter,” Andreou said. “It concerns parents, teachers, local communities and everyone involved in creating a safe environment for our children and young people.”
The government intends to appoint not just one, but multiple independent investigators to evaluate the findings reached by the anti-corruption authority during its own probe into the book, Mafia State, which concluded, among other things, that former president Nicos Anastasiades may be criminally liable for abuse of power.
“What was decided, of course, following the initial intention, which was announced last week, is the intention to appoint a team of criminal investigators, so more than one person, as soon as possible, with the selection of suitable persons,” government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said.
He added that “decisions will be made as soon as possible” and that those decisions “will certainly be announced” by the government.
Regarding the qualifications of those who will be appointed to investigate the matter, he said that this “is something that is always evaluated in relation to the duties they will have under the provisions of the law”.
Then asked whether the investigators will be Cypriot or not, he said, “we are not ruling anything out”.
He was also asked whether the government has contacted attorney-general George Savvides over the matter after Savvides recused himself from any further investigation last week, and said that “at this stage, and in accordance with the provisions of the law, this is a competence, a power, of cabinet”.
Following on from this, he was asked who, if not Savvides, will act as the state’s legal advisor in the case, and answered that “we should always keep in mind the separation of powers”.
“These are issues which concern the legal service. From what I have been informed from the legal service’s announcement, the prosecutorial council has been established. Furthermore, in accordance with the course of the investigations, once the criminal investigators have been appointed, they will make the decisions,” he said.
He was then asked about the pace at which the next steps will proceed, and said that “precisely because we must approach these issues seriously … I think that the persons who will make up this group of independent criminal investigators should be selected after a thorough study regarding qualifications, adequacy, and the absence of any conflict of interest”.
As such, he said, “this should be done after a serious study, and once this study is completed, of course, the priority is to appoint them as soon as possible”.
“I think, however that what should concern us is that the investigations touch all of what is contained in the report, about which I have been informed by the media, so that through this work, society’s trust in the institutions is restored,” he said.
Later, police chief Themistos Arnaoutis said that the police are now “waiting to help with anything that is needed” and “on standby” pending the government’s appointment of independent investigators.
“We still have [the report] in our hands and are awaiting instructions on the procedure to be followed. The police’s assistance will certainly be very important,” he said.
Mafia State was first published by Anastasiades’ former aide and journalist Makarios Drousiotis in 2022, with the anti-corruption authority launching an investigation into its findings the following year, after former Greek Cypriot chief negotiator for the Cyprus problem and then presidential candidate Andreas Mavroyiannis had written to them.
The anti-corruption authority’s investigation into its findings began in 2024. In total, 150 people were interviewed across 200 sessions, with no fewer than 793 pieces of evidence being submitted during the course of the investigation.
For a timely response to security incidents involving compromised accounts or stolen credentials, GitHub Enterprise owners can now use new “break-glass” capabilities to instantly revoke all credentials for a given user. This builds on the enterprise-wide credential management tools for incident response released earlier.
With this release, enterprise owners and members with the fine-grained permission Manage enterprise credentials can trigger the following bulk actions for all users or for a specific user in their enterprise:
Additionally, we have introduced a new self-service revocation experience for individual enterprise members as part of Settings -> Credentials view, which enables you to:
Enterprise owners and affected users can review details about revoked and deleted credentials via audit logs and email notifications generated by each of the new actions above.
To learn more, see our documentation around how to respond to security incidents in your enterprise and GitHub credentials reference.
Join the discussion within GitHub Community.
The post Self-service credential revocation for incident response appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
Copilot Free and Student plans will now use Copilot auto model selection as the default and only model selection experience. Auto dynamically selects the best model for each task, removing the need for manual choice. Auto provides access to models across multiple model families, subject to plan restrictions. For more information, see our documentation on supported models in auto mode.
As part of this simplification, we are also retiring the (Preview) label from Microsoft-released models. With Copilot auto model selection managing model routing and continuous improvements happening behind the scenes, these labels are no longer needed to guide user decisions.
Join the discussion within GitHub Community.
The post Changes to model selection for Free and Student plans appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
hi guys how r u
i want resources about improving my self in go as a backend i find it difficult
to found someone on youtube, blog, or anything that explain how you could improve your self or explain how to work advance with
- pgx v5
- gin
- tech stack with go
or any tools
all of them explain something old 1 Year >
and my point is about i want to see the other technique to learn from them i don't need to learn basics because i pass it
or only the basic so if there are something help me with that please share it
There are some changes I quite like from editions, like the explicit field presence change is extremely welcome, as it will more easily allow things UpdateXyz RPC methods in gRPC to only update fields which are present which was a little awkward to deal with before.
The removal of optional (and it's replacement, adding [features.field_presence = LEGACY_REQUIRED] to a field) means it's now much more cumbersome and verbose to write ProtoBuf definitions which clearly articulate whether something can be nullable; at least that seems to me to be semantically what was meant by using optional when looking at the generated Go code before in proto3 (and what still is if you use that new feature option). Maybe I'm misunderstanding what the intention behind optional was though.
Basically, I want to write ProtoBuf definitions such that, in my generated Go code, I could have a service where I have something like an UpdateXyzInput message, and maybe every field on that type is omittable, but also potentially (but not always) nullable. In proto3 you could use something like a field mask to articulate this:
```proto message UpdateXyzInput { string slug = 1; optional string title = 2;
google.protobuf.FieldMask field_mask = 3; }
message UpdateXyzRequest { string id = 1; UpdateXyzInput input = 2; } ```
This is nice because I can say all fields on this type may or may not be present, perfect, and I can say whether they should accept null or not (i.e. if it's present, and set to null, then update the value in the database to be null, for example).
With editions I don't need the field mask for presence, but I can't control the nullability in a nice way, not without either wrapping each field in another type, without generics (so, nullable.String, nullable.Bool, nullable...), or by using that verbose feature flag on these things. The story is similarly verbose with repeated fields, where everything needs extra layers to properly articulate these semantics.
Is there a better way?
I'm using pflags and viper modules for load configuration information from the command line, environment.
I'm loading config from the command line (pflags) , a yaml file (viper), and env variables (viper), and then I'm unmarshalling the configuration into a struct called appConfig.
Where I'm stuck is taking unmarshalling 3 command line arguments into a struct nested inside of the AppConfig struct.
Unfortunately, my code contains employer confidential information, so I can't paste it here. so I wrote up an shorter but equivalent code for my situation.
// global configuration object. Populate configuration from config file, from env vars, and command line parameters. type DNSConfig struct { username string `mapstructure:"username"` password string `mapstructure:"password"` ipAddr string `mapstructure:"ipaddress"` } type AppConfig struct { dnsConnect DNSConfig `mapstructure:"what goes here?"` } func LoadConfig() (AppConfig, error) { var config AppConfig v := viper.NewWithOptions(viper.ExperimentalBindStruct()) pflag.String("username", "", "username") pflag.String("password", "", "password") pflag.String("ipaddress", "", "ip address") pflag.Parse() v.BindPFlags(pflag.CommandLine) if err := v.Unmarshal(&config); err != nil { return config, fmt.Errorf("failed to unmarshal config: %w", err) } }// global configuration object. Populate configuration from config file, from env vars, and command line parameters. type DNSConfig struct { username string `mapstructure:"username"` password string `mapstructure:"password"` ipAddr string `mapstructure:"ipaddress"` } type AppConfig struct { dnsConnect DNSConfig `mapstructure:"vinylDNS"` } func LoadConfig() (AppConfig, error) { var config AppConfig v := viper.NewWithOptions(viper.ExperimentalBindStruct()) pflag.String("username", "", "username") pflag.String("password", "", "password") pflag.String("ipaddress", "", "ip address") pflag.Parse() v.BindPFlags(pflag.CommandLine) if err := v.Unmarshal(&config); err != nil { return config, fmt.Errorf("failed to unmarshal config: %w", err) } } My work around it create an dnsConfig struct , populate it, and then assign it to the AppConfig dnsConnect property.
That is clunky, in my mind. I'd rather have a more elegant way to do this, such as getting v. unmarshal to do it.
Ideas?
Hey r/golang,
First, thank you for the support on my last post. The feedback from this community helped a lot, and GoPdfSuit has now crossed 500 GitHub stars.
In this release, I wanted to see how far I could push performance in my Go PDF engine without compromising PDF compliance.
The main focus was reducing allocations, improving buffer reuse, avoiding unnecessary copies, improving streaming paths, and making the validation flow faster without skipping PDF/A 4 and PDF/UA 2 checks.
GoPdfSuit v6.0.0 is now out, and these are a few short benchmark numbers from the latest BENCHMARKS.md:
GoPDFLib compliant went from 2,646 ops/s to 6,611 ops/s, around 150 percent faster
GoPDFLib no compliance hit 37,853 ops/s peak
GoPDFSuit retail went from 1,978 ops/s to 6,146 ops/s, around 211 percent faster
PyPDFSuit compliant went from 235 ops/s to 937 ops/s, around 299 percent faster
PyPDFSuit no compliance hit 1,284 ops/s peak
HTTP weighted k6 went from 910 req/s to 1,333 req/s, around 46 percent faster
For the GoPDFKit comparison, GoPDFLib was earlier winning 5 out of 7 workloads. It now wins all 7. One example is table_180_rows, where GoPDFLib is now 47,707 pdf/s vs 11,883 pdf/s for GoPDFKit. Another is png_rows_60, where GoPDFLib is 53,935 pdf/s vs 5,474 pdf/s.
One experiment I tried during this release was building an internal experimental Go linter called SlopGuard. It is not released yet. I created it because finding performance bottlenecks manually was taking a lot of time. Even with AI tools like Codex, OpenCode, and Cursor CLI, the tools still had to scan through a lot of code before suggesting useful changes.
SlopGuard helped reduce that scanning time by pointing me directly to suspicious performance patterns in the codebase. From there, I created a feedback loop: run SlopGuard, review the findings with AI tools, apply the useful changes manually, benchmark again, validate with veraPDF, and repeat.
Using SlopGuard guided changes alone, I saw some benchmarks improve by up to 13 percent. The overall v6.0.0 benchmark improvements were larger because of the full optimization work across buffering, streaming, validation paths, structure handling, and bindings.
This release also keeps the compliance side intact, with PDF/A 4 and PDF/UA 2 validation for the main Zerodha workloads, and veraPDF wired into the test flow.
Repo: https://github.com/chinmay-sawant/gopdfsuit
I will add the dev to article in the comments for anyone interested in the SlopGuard optimizations.
Once again, thank you very much for all the support. The feedback from this community genuinely helped improve the project.
I have made a SEO & content generation tool in go but the problem is it's fully local and it has an embedded server and also uses go rod to scrape google bing and store it in sqlite db. now I want to sell it as a SaaS but I face a problem of hacking.
like no matter what I do anyone can decompile my app and remove license verification. or distribute cracked version of it.
and if I for some reason dont think about hackers still it's not possible to simply host my exe to download as windows browser will block it as unknown. and most users will not use it.
what should I do. i can't move everything to the server the scrapping of google and bing for keywords takes very much resources only local pc can do it properly.
is there anything I can do to make some money from my code?
Built a free online Go playground that also visualizes what your code does, step by step slices reordering, maps filling, trees/graphs being walked with the current line highlighted as it runs.
The Go-specific part was the fun bit. Instead of a debugger, it does source-to-source AST rewriting (go/parser + go/ast): it injects hooks around index reads/writes, map ops, append, struct-field writes, and function entry/exit, then go runs the result in a sandbox and streams a JSON command log that the frontend animates.
A few things Go made pleasant:
defer for call-stack push/pop — correct on early returns and panics, for free.arr[i] → _r.LoadSubscript(arr, i).(int). Falls back to the original expression when the type can't be named, so the rewritten program always compiles.go/types — any struct with a field pointing back to its own type (Left/Right, Next, Neighbors []*Node) renders as a graph; map[int][]int is auto-detected as an adjacency list and adj[u] = append(adj[u], v) becomes an edge.Try it : https://8gwifi.org/online-go-compiler hit Visualize, or load a template (bubble sort, BFS/DFS, tree traversal, matrix transpose…)
Feedback welcome
Pretty much every Go conference in the last two years has had at least one talk on how to build agents from scratch, and then another one on which framework to use.
I am curious about two things:
Most current agent frameworks don't feel Go-native. Go seems like an afterthought, and the APIs are pretty bad. Google ADK felt a bit better. Many vendors don't even have a first-class Go SDK, which is a shame, since Go is much better suited than TS/Python for this kind of work. Which framework do you use, and how has the experience been with Go?
What are you even using agents for? To me, agents are slightly smarter REST APIs that can do some extra stuff compared to a deterministic service. Weather apps, travel companions, or smart code formatters are nice. But I am having a hard time figuring out why everyone and their mom is writing one, and what problem you are solving with it.
Golang imports and suggestions are loading very slowly on vscode
It says running code actions and formatters.. and keeps running for 5-10 sec
Also says Getting code actions from Go
Anyone having any answer please help