Wednesday, July 1, 2026
9614f9c0-cd84-4fba-9723-dc16d5e1d6a1
| Summary | ⛅️ Clear throughout the day. |
|---|---|
| Temperature Range | 22°C to 31°C (71°F to 88°F) |
| Feels Like | Low: 72°F | High: 96°F |
| Humidity | 56% |
| Wind | 13 km/h (8 mph), Direction: 265° |
| Precipitation | Probability: 0%, Type: No precipitation expected |
| Sunrise / Sunset | 🌅 05:38 AM / 🌇 08:04 PM |
| Moon Phase | Waning Gibbous (55%) |
| Cloud Cover | 1% |
| Pressure | 1008.05 hPa |
| Dew Point | 64.47°F |
| Visibility | 6.47 miles |
By Terra Cypria staff
The Mediterranean has long been associated with mild winters, dry summers, and landscapes that have learned to coexist with fire. Wildfires are not foreign to Mediterranean ecosystems; on the contrary, they are part of a natural regeneration process to which vegetation has evolved to adapt and recover.
Characteristic species such as rockrose (Cistus sp.), Calabrian pine (Pinus brutia), kermes oak (Quercus coccifera), oak (Quercus infectoria), mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus), and many others possess mechanisms that enable them to survive and recover after fires. Some are protected by their bark, others activate dormant buds preserved within their upper root systems beneath the soil, waiting for the right conditions to sprout again, while some encase their seeds in hard protective coatings that make them resistant to fire.
This balance, however, is becoming increasingly disrupted.
Climate change is rapidly altering the conditions. The Mediterranean is considered one of the planet’s most vulnerable climate “hotspots,” with temperatures rising faster than the global average, while climate models warn of further declines in rainfall and more severe droughts in the years ahead.
As a result, wildfires are occurring more frequently, spreading more rapidly, burning with greater intensity (megafires), becoming far more difficult to extinguish, and leaving ecosystems with insufficient time to recover between successive fire events.
At the same time, human activities such as rural abandonment, fuel accumulation, uncontrolled urban sprawl, illegal waste disposal, and inadequate forest management further increase the risk. In this way, a natural phenomenon is gradually being transformed into a human-driven crisis.
The consequences do not end with the loss of vegetation and wildlife.
After a wildfire, the soil loses organic matter and much of its ability to retain water. It becomes more vulnerable to erosion caused by wind and rainfall, while its capacity for natural regeneration is drastically reduced. At the same time, ash and sediment are washed into rivers and dams, degrading water quality and reducing water availability for human use and irrigation.
The increasing recurrence of large wildfires raises the likelihood of permanent landscape changes and accelerates desertification.
And this is precisely where the vicious cycle begins.
The loss of vegetation cover leaves the soil exposed. Erosion accelerates, moisture levels decline and natural recovery becomes increasingly difficult. As landscapes degrade, the likelihood of new wildfires rises even further.
Desertification also directly affects local hydrology. Degraded soil cannot effectively absorb water. As a result, during periods of intense rainfall, water flows across the surface, causing floods instead of infiltrating the ground and replenishing underground aquifers.
This phenomenon became particularly evident in the fire-affected areas of mountainous Limassol, where following last summer’s major wildfire, warnings were issued regarding an increased risk of flooding.
On the other hand, once the wet season ends, limited water storage leads to more severe drought and water scarcity. The impacts are multiple: losses in agricultural production, restricted access to water for households and crops, as well as further degradation of habitats and biodiversity.
Wildfires, desertification, floods, and water scarcity are not isolated phenomena. They are interconnected manifestations of the same climate and environmental crisis.
For this reason, addressing them cannot be done through fragmented approaches.
It is not enough to focus solely on firefighting or on restoring damage after disasters occur. What is needed is a comprehensive strategy that combines prevention, ecological restoration, and sustainable management of natural resources.
The creation of mosaic landscapes with diverse vegetation, the reintroduction of traditional land uses such as controlled grazing and agriculture, soil restoration after disasters, wetland protection and reforestation with suitable species can significantly reduce the risk.
At the same time, spatial planning must incorporate climate change adaptation, while public awareness and the active participation of local communities are essential prerequisites for strengthening resilience.
The Mediterranean stands at a critical crossroads.
The challenge is not simply to react when disaster strikes, but to anticipate, plan, and intervene early, before this vicious cycle becomes irreversible.
Success will not be measured solely through ecological indicators. It will also be measured by the protection of human lives, the safeguarding of local economies, and the ability of our societies to continue coexisting harmoniously with the natural environment.
Breaking this cycle is no longer a choice. It is a necessity.
Terra Cypria is a non-governmental organisation officially established in 1992 as a charitable, non-profit organisation. Its overall aim is to promote environmental awareness and sustainability through pressure and environmental education, as well as through programmes that promote conservation, environmental protection and research
Two American foreign policy analysts urged the United States Congress on Tuesday to adopt a firmer approach towards Turkey’s policies in Cyprus, arguing that Washington should explicitly describe the northern part of the island as being “under Turkish occupation”.
The testimony was delivered before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission ahead of the Nato summit, with both witnesses arguing that Turkey’s military posture and continued presence in the north raise broader security concerns for the alliance and the Levant.
Michael Rubin, director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum, told lawmakers that the United States should abandon what he described as “diplomatic evasions” and clearly recognise that the northern part of Cyprus “remains under Turkish occupation”.
Rubin argued that Turkey has consolidated its position through military reinforcement, settlement activity and economic development in the north.
He rejected Ankara’s perennial justification for its invasion in 1974, arguing that while the coup against Archbishop Makarios provided the initial pretext, the second phase of Operation Atilla amounted to “a clear land grab” after democracy had been restored in Greece.
He said “avoiding the term occupation does not contribute” to efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue but instead “rewards aggression” and reinforces the existing situation.
Rubin also expressed concern over demographic changes in the north, arguing that settlement from mainland Turkey has altered the population balance and affected the identity of the Turkish Cypriot community.
He further criticised development in Varosha, saying any redevelopment without the return of its lawful residents remains contrary to United Nations resolutions.
He also pointed to Turkey’s military build-up in the north, including the establishment of a drone base at Lefkoniko and the deployment of Turkish fighter aircraft, arguing these developments have altered the security balance across the Levant.
Rubin also alleged that the north has become a centre for money laundering and other illicit activity involving casinos and higher education institutions, though these claims have not been independently verified during the hearing.
Among his recommendations, Rubin called for Washington to officially refer to the north of Cyprus as being “Turkish occupied”, recognise Turkish Cypriots only through Cyprus passports, close offices representing the Turkish Cypriot ‘administration’ in the United States, as well as bolster he American military presence in Cyprus.
Appearing before the same hearing, Sinan Ciddi, director of the Turkey Programme at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, argued that Cyprus has become central to Ankara’s wider regional strategy.
He described Turkey as “a revisionist force” that undermines Nato cohesion and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and argued that “Cyprus is under illegal occupation”.
Ciddi told lawmakers that Turkey has maintained tens of thousands of troops alongside drones and missile systems in the north since 1974, while emphasising that the Republic remains the island’s only internationally recognised government.
He drew attention to the deployment of six Turkish F16 fighter aircraft to the north in March, describing it as a significant military escalation.
Ciddi argued that Congress should investigate whether “the use of American supplied aircraft in occupied territory” complies with the conditions governing United States military exports.
He also referred to an incident in June in which Turkish fighter aircraft harassed aircraft carrying the defence ministers of Greece, France and the Netherlands as they travelled to Cyprus for an informal European Union meeting.
Ciddi argued that Turkey’s “Blue Homeland” (Mavi Vatan) doctrine seeks to reshape the geopolitical balance in the Eastern Mediterranean and prevent Greece, Cyprus and Israel from fully exploiting regional energy resources.
He also warned that any future Turkish return to the F35 fighter programme would significantly alter the regional military balance.
He urged Congress to maintain sanctions imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act and continue restrictions preventing Turkey’s return to the F35 programme while Ankara retains the Russian S400 air defence system.
Among his recommendations were officially describing the north of Cyprus as occupied territory, strengthening strategic cooperation with Cyprus, Greece, France and Israel, as well as increasing pressure on Ankara over its alleged support for Muslim Brotherhood networks.
Concluding his testimony, Ciddi argued that “the image Turkey is trying to present as a loyal ally of the West does not correspond to reality” and called on the United States and its allies to confront Ankara “with clarity and not with wishful thinking”.
House President Annita Demetriou told the plenary of the Hellenic Parliament on Tuesday that Greece and Cyprus should deepen cooperation across defence, and regional security.
Taking to the dais to address the ‘Parliament of the Hellenes’, Demetriou described Greece and Cyprus as neighbouring European democracies with enduring historical and national ties situated on what she called “the most sensitive edge of Europe”.
She said both countries face common challenges including wars, migration pressures, energy disruption, hybrid threats and what she described as revisionist behaviour.
“Greece and Cyprus have the ability to transform their geographical position into a source of strength,” she said.
“Peace requires extroversion, security requires deterrence and development requires stability.”
Demetriou said the two countries should strengthen their role as a common European gateway connecting the Levant with the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.
She argued that debate over the future direction of the EU extends beyond Brussels and requires reforms to improve decision making, strengthen foreign policy coordination, enhance defence capabilities and deepen energy cooperation.
She said Europe must move “from a Europe of embarrassment to a Europe of determination” through faster decision making, stronger solidarity mechanisms and greater competitiveness while balancing economic responsibility with investment and maintaining both humanitarian values and effective border security.
Referring to European defence initiatives, Demetriou welcomed the SAFE programme and efforts to reinforce the European defence industry, saying they provide opportunities for joint procurement, interoperability and industrial development.
She also argued that participation by third countries in European defence mechanisms should be considered in a broader political context.
“It is inconceivable that European money for armaments would end up supporting a country that maintains occupation troops on European soil and that threatens war against another member state,” she said.
Demetriou identified energy infrastructure as another strategic priority, pointing to natural gas projects, electricity networks and the Great Sea Interconnector project (GSI).
She said these projects could reduce Cyprus’ energy isolation, improve security of supply and integrate the Eastern Mediterranean more closely with the European energy market.
Addressing regional security, she said the Levant should become “a place of cooperation and mutual benefit” for countries that respect international law, state sovereignty and good neighbourly relations.
Referring to Turkey, she said its interests would be better served through regional cooperation than confrontation.
“Turkey has much more to gain from a region of cooperation, interconnections and common development than from aggression”, she said.
Demetriou also called for continued defence cooperation between Greece and Cyprus alongside partnerships with countries including France, the United States, Israel, Egypt, India and Gulf states.
She expressed appreciation for Greece’s recent assistance during a security threat affecting Cyprus, saying the deployment of Greek aircraft and naval assets had operational and symbolic importance.
Demetriou reaffirmed Cyprus’ position on the Cyprus issue, calling for “the withdrawal of the occupying troops, the termination of the guarantees, the abolition of interventionist rights and the restoration of the unity, sovereignty and freedom of our homeland”.
“The survival of Hellenism on the island cannot be jeopardized. The Greeks of Cyprus cannot be turned into a minority in their own land,” she concluded.
German forensic and technical experts have been brought in to assist investigations into the deaths of two boys found inside a BMW in Xylofagou, with authorities examining whether an electronic locking system may have played a role in the incident.
The involvement of the specialists was confirmed on Tuesday as British Bases Police continue inquiries into the deaths of the children, aged eight and ten, who were discovered inside the vehicle on Sunday evening in circumstances that remain unclear pending further forensic analysis.
Speaking to local media, police said the German team has been tasked with examining the vehicle’s electronic locking mechanism to determine whether the doors may have locked automatically and whether any malfunction could have prevented exit from the car.
Local authorities have so far remained outside the technical investigation, although the electromechanical service confirmed it has not been formally asked to contribute.
Speaking to Omega, Director Pavlos Giavris said “our assistance has not been requested”, adding that in other cases police may seek input from the department depending on technical expertise required.
The case has raised a series of questions for investigators, including why the children entered the vehicle, how they became locked inside, and how long they were exposed before being found.
Police are also examining whether any fault existed in the locking system or whether the mechanism functioned normally.
Postmortem examinations carried out earlier have not yet established a definitive cause of death.
British base police said that following the autopsy “the cause of death will require further testing to be determined”, with additional forensic and toxicological analysis expected.
Investigators are also reviewing electronic devices belonging to the children’s father and stepmother, who are both in custody following their arrest on suspicion of negligence.
Mobile phones have been seized for forensic examination to retrieve data including messages, photographs and location records.
The father has been questioned further by British authorities as part of ongoing inquiries, alongside other relatives who have also provided statements to investigators.
The stepmother is understood to have been among the first to alert authorities after the children were discovered in the vehicle.
Police said a full technical inspection of the BMW is ongoing, while a pathologist from Greece assisted with postmortem procedures as part of the examination process.
Investigators are also awaiting additional expert reports before reaching conclusions on the cause of death.
Authorities confirmed that both suspects remain in custody following remand orders issued earlier this week, with a further court hearing scheduled for Thursday at 12pm.
Over 150 people gathered outside the presidential palace on Monday evening to protest the start of a multi-day meeting of the Gaza Board of Peace in Cyprus.
The protest was organized by a coalition of advocacy groups and left-wing parties, including Alliance Against the Far Right, Fascism and Racism; Accept LGBTI; Kisa; Akel and Volt.
Protestors criticized Cyprus for allowing the meeting to happen in the country, although Cypriot authorities have said Cyprus was not an organiser of the meeting. They repeated chants including “Nikos, Nikos, you can’t hide. You’re supporting genocide,” referring to President Nikos Christodoulides, and “Justice is our demand. No support from Cypriot land.”
The Board is a body organised by United States President Donald Trump that is meant to manage Gaza. However, over six months after its creation, it has not taken over power from Hamas. Protestors criticised the Board as a group of wealthy interests not respecting Palestinian self-determination.
Speakers included AcceptCY secretary Stephanos Stavros Evangelides as well as the actress Popi Avraam.
“There is no such thing as an innocent when the meeting is a disgrace,” a speaker from the organisation Palestine Solidarity Action said during the protest, challenging the government’s position that it did not help organise the meetings. “When you rent your house to criminals, you do not get to claim clean hands because you’re sitting in the garden.”
Protestors also put up a display of bloodied sheets with children’s shoes and toys, along with poems written by Palestinian poets and in support of the Palestinian people, to represent the tens of thousands of children killed in Gaza since the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
The location of the Board of Peace meeting is at an undisclosed resort, and there have been conflicting reports over whether the meeting will last for two days or three days. It was not possible to confirm on Tuesday whether the meeting had gone ahead as planned due to the lack of public information.
Participants include leaders of the group, including Tony Blair, and members of the committee of Palestinian officials who are meant to replace Hamas as the governing force in Gaza, according to The Times of Israel.
Blair planned to meet with President Nikos Christodoulides ahead of the Board of Peace meetings, but those plans were scrapped due to a flight cancellation, and the two now plan to speak by phone.
MPs warned on Tuesday that current water policy risks driving professional farmers out of agriculture, while questioning the government’s decision to extend water supplies from dams to four golf courses until September.
The concerns were raised during the first meeting between the newly elected House agriculture committee and Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou, who defended the government’s water management strategy while outlining reforms and investment programmes across the sector.
Committee chairman and Akel MP Yiannakis Gavriel warned that “within three years there will be no primary sector, especially for seasonal crops,” criticising the exclusion of seasonal crops from this year’s irrigation allocation.
He also questioned the decision to continue supplying dam water to four golf courses despite previous assurances that the practice would end in May.
Panayiotou said the golf course operators had requested and received “a short extension” while completing their own water infrastructure projects.
She said they were receiving only 1.5 per cent of the available water stored in dams and stressed that “this percentage will not be exceeded.”
The minister said irrigation policy for 2026 had been based on “a difficult but necessary balance” between supporting agricultural production and preserving water reserves for future years.
Priority had been given to permanent crops, greenhouses, livestock and industry through a three-year planning framework.
She added that irrigation allocations had increased from approximately 15.3 million cubic metres to 18.7 million cubic metres following improved rainfall and inflows into reservoirs, with the additional quantities directed exclusively to professional farmers.
Panayiotou also outlined the government’s wider strategy to strengthen long term water security, saying four desalination plants had been brought into operation within two years while further units would enter service later this year and in 2027.
“We are solving the water supply problem, covering 100 per cent of the needs from desalination, so that the water we have in the dams can be made available to farmers without any problems and continuously,” she said.
Addressing the foot and mouth crisis, Panayiotou said no cases had recently been recorded and confirmed compensation payments exceeding €28 million for affected livestock farmers would begin by early next week.
She added that the second phase of vaccinations would be completed in early autumn while veterinary authorities were examining requests from livestock farmers for further easing of restrictions.
Panayiotou also presented progress under the government’s Primary Sector Strategy, describing it as the largest package of reforms undertaken by the ministry.
The programme comprises 11 actions with a budget of €109.3 million, of which two have already been completed and seven are currently being implemented.
According to a University of Cyprus economic study cited by Panayiotou, the strategy is expected to generate €138.6 million in additional economic activity, increase gross domestic product by €70.8 million and create around 1,370 jobs.
Diko president Nikolas Papadopoulos called for clear implementation timetables for irrigation projects and questioned progress on infrastructure upgrades by district local government organisations aimed at reducing water losses.
Akel MP Valentinos Fakontis described the €10.5 million allocated for pipeline replacement as “a drop in the ocean”, while Disy MP Charalambos Pazaros warned that continued water shortages and delayed compensation could force more farmers to leave the sector.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and House President Annita Demetriou reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination between Athens and Nicosia on Tuesday, saying renewed diplomatic efforts on the Cyprus issue made cooperation between the two governments more important than ever.
Meeting at Maximos mansion in Athens, Mitsotakis congratulated Demetriou on her re-election as House president and praised her role in promoting Cyprus’ positions through parliamentary diplomacy.
“You have an extremely important mission both as a state institution and through parliamentary diplomacy, which you have exercised with great effectiveness, raising international awareness of the national issue,” he said.
Referring to renewed diplomatic activity on the Cyprus problem, Mitsotakis said Demetriou’s visit came “at a critical juncture”.
“There is again substantial movement on the Cyprus issue, and I am very interested in hearing your views, as it is our duty to have absolute coordination, as we have had throughout all these years,” he said.
Demetriou thanked the Greek prime minister for Greece’s continued support, describing the relationship between the two countries as one of close cooperation across political, parliamentary and diplomatic levels.
“Greece was, is and will remain our strongest brotherly ally, which we need so much,” she said.
She said parliamentary diplomacy could further strengthen cooperation between the two countries, particularly in defence, security and European affairs, adding that closer cooperation between parliamentary committees would reinforce their common positions.
Demetriou also referred to efforts to advance the Cyprus issue, saying discussions had focused on maintaining momentum towards the resumption of negotiations.
“We hope that we will have the mobility that will ensure real progress on the Cyprus issue,” she said, adding that talks had also covered the Euro-Turkish dimension and wider regional challenges.
Mitsotakis also congratulated Cyprus on what he described as a successful EU council presidency, saying there had been “universal recognition” of the work carried out by the Cypriot government despite the challenges smaller member states face in organising the rotating presidency.
The meeting followed Demetriou’s discussions in Athens on Monday with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, during which both sides stressed the need for substantive progress towards the resumption of Cyprus settlement negotiations and continued coordination between Greece and Cyprus on regional and European issues.
Parliament on Tuesday began discussing a government bill aiming to crack down on ‘greenwashing’ – the practice of presenting commercial products as environmentally friendly when they are not.
The government wants to push through the legislation quickly, in order to harmonise Cypriot law with a relevant EU directive.
An official with the commerce ministry’s Consumer Protection Service said the proposed legislation would place the burden of proof on vendors.
Vendors, rather than producers, would be liable for making false or misleading representations about a product being eco-friendly.
In addition, such claims cannot be generic or abstract, but rather must pertain to a product’s entire life cycle – from manufacturing through to marketing.
Greenwashing is the deceptive marketing practice of making a company, product or investment appear environmentally friendly or sustainable when it actually is not.
Companies use several strategies to create a false ‘eco-friendly’ image. This includes vague buzzwords, such as undefined terms like ‘eco-friendly’, ‘natural’ or ‘green’ without any scientific backing or third-party certification.
The EU’s primary anti-greenwashing legislation, Directive 2024/825 (often called the Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition or Greenwashing Directive), bans vague, unverified and misleading environmental claims. It requires companies to substantiate all sustainability claims with concrete, independent evidence before they can be used in marketing.
Last year saw an increase in Green Line crossings by Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, non-Cypriot European Union citizens, and third country nationals, the European Commission said on Tuesday in its annual report on the implementation of the Green Line regulation.
The report was one of two released by the body on Cyprus on Tuesday, with the other concerning the EU’s aid programme for the Turkish Cypriot community.
It cited figures from Cyprus police, which stated that 1,453,135 crossings by Greek Cypriots and 833,786 by Greek Cypriot vehicles took place throughout the course of last year, up from 1,346,121 Greek Cypriot people and 822,443 vehicles in 2024.
Likewise, it stated that 1,983,610 crossings by Turkish Cypriot people and 748,061 crossings by Turkish Cypriot vehicles took place, up from 1,814,617 people and 705,532 vehicles the year before.
The number of non-Cypriot EU citizens and third country nationals crossing between the island’s two sides was reported as 2,053,958 last year, up from 1,777,946 in 2024.
In addition, the report pointed out that the Republic’s figures did not include data on people crossing southwards from the Pergamos and Strovilia crossing points, as at both crossing points, the north borders the British Dhekelia base.
As such, it cited the bases’ figures, which stated that at those crossing points, the number of crossings made by Greek Cypriots decreased last year compared to the year before, while the number of crossings made by Turkish Cypriots, non-Cypriot EU citizens, and third country nationals increased.
It also pointed out that the Turkish Cypriot police’s official figures indicated a decrease in the number of crossings made by Greek Cypriot vehicles last year compared to the year before, but maintained in its conclusions that overall, the number of crossings made by Greek Cypriots and others increased.
“It was reported that high prices and inflation in the Turkish Cypriot community discouraged Greek Cypriots from crossing the Green Line for personal shopping and encouraged Turkish Cypriots to cross the Line in the other direction,” the Commission said.
“Long queues continued to be reported at the Ayios Dhometios crossing point. The Republic of Cyprus authorities noted that additional human resources had been deployed to facilitate crossings,” it said.
To this end, it said that in December last year, “works funded under the aid programme for the Turkish Cypriot community began to increase the number of lanes at this crossing point”. These works were completed in January.
On the issue of irregular crossings, it said that the number had fallen from 3,319 in 2024 to 2,433 last year, with last year the third year in a row that the number had decreased from an all-time high of 16,627 in 2022.
It pointed out that the Turkish Cypriot community “noted that efforts had continued in the northern part of Cyprus to prevent irregular migration”, with a total of 5,230 people being refused entry to the north and 1,754 people deported last year.
It was not possible on Tuesday to verify whether the Board of Peace (BoP), reported to be meeting in Cyprus this week, had in fact come together on the island.
Last week the government had confirmed the meeting would be held here, on the back of a report by Politico that the BoP would be convening to “readjust its strategy”. The publication had quoted two senior EU officials involved in the arrangements as saying the meeting would take place at a resort in Cyprus.
“Cyprus is not a co-organiser of the event, and it is not taking place at a political level. Cyprus was chosen by the executive committee,” one of the officials told Politico.
The Cyprus Mail asked the government if the conclave had in fact begun its meeting, and which arm of the BoP it concerned.
A source said they had “no more information” on the matter.
We reached out to the police, which presumably would be involved in security. A source said they’d get back to us. They did not by the time of writing.
The Akel spokesman could not be reached for comment. Akel was participating in a protest against the BoP outside the presidential palace on Tuesday evening.
The government has sought to put some distance between itself and the BoP meeting, with the foreign minister insisting that Cyprus serves merely as the venue.
Cyprus participates as an observer on the BoP, and only insofar as discussions concern post-war governance and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, as endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803 in November 2025.
It likewise remained unclear which arm of the organisation would be meeting in Cyprus.
The body consists of various structures. The BoP is led by US President Donald Trump, designated chairman for life.
Then there is the board proper, mainly comprising national leaders.
Next, the Board of Peace Executive Board, with a focus on diplomacy and investment.
There is also the Gaza Executive Board, which directs the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (Ncag).
Some of the members of the Board of Peace Executive Board are also members of the Gaza Executive Board.
These include: Nikolay Mladenov, the High Representative for Gaza, and former UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process; Tony Blair, former British prime minister; Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law; and Steve Witkoff, the US Special Envoy to the Middle East.
Meanwhile a planned meeting in Cyprus between Blair and President Nikos Christodoulides on Monday, that would have been held on the sidelines of the BoP, was cancelled.
Phileleftheros said the face-to-face was cancelled after Blair’s flight was delayed. The two would likely speak on the phone instead.
The Financial Times reported recently that the Board of Peace fund is empty; despite $17 billion (€15 billion) in pledges, the organisation is stuck in limbo with no money flowing to projects in Gaza.
France has reportedly rejected Turkish claims that its recently signed defence agreement with Cyprus violates international law, insisting the arrangement is a technical framework for military cooperation rather than an agreement to establish a French military base on the island.
Responding to criticism from Ankara, French diplomatic sources are reported to have informed the Turkish news outlet Türkiye Today, that the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) creates the legal framework governing the presence of French military personnel in Cyprus and is intended to support humanitarian operations in the Levant.
The French side said such agreements define the legal status of one country’s armed forces while operating in another state and are concluded with countries outside multilateral defence structures such as Nato.
As Cyprus is not a Nato member, Paris said a bilateral arrangement was required to regulate existing military cooperation.
The agreement was signed on June 8 by French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin and Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas.
It simplifies procedures governing French military stopovers, overflights and deployments, particularly during operations to evacuate civilians from conflict zones such as the Estia programme.
France also recalled that Cyprus had been used in June 2025 to facilitate the evacuation of French nationals from Israel, describing the agreement as part of wider efforts to strengthen regional crisis response capabilities.
Turkey has strongly criticised the accord, with Defence Minister Yasar Guler arguing earlier this month that the agreement “lacks legitimacy, disrupts delicate balances, and violates international law”.
Ankara has also argued the agreement threatens the security of Turkish Cypriots, with Turkish officials warning that the country’s armed forces possess “the strength and determination to give the harshest response” to actions they consider a threat.
Paris rejected those claims, maintaining that the agreement “is not directed against Turkey” and serves humanitarian and operational purposes.
The French diplomatic source added that France had also supported Turkey during recent regional crises and remained prepared to respond to requests from allies in accordance with its international commitments.
An Israel-bound passenger flight sought permission to land in Cyprus on Tuesday after the pilot accidentally activated the aircraft’s hijack signal.
Israeli authorities said the Electra Airways flight from Warsaw to Tel Aviv transmitted the emergency code while carrying 180 passengers.
Shortly afterwards, the captain informed air traffic controllers that the alert had been activated in error and that there was no incident affecting the safety of the aircraft.
According to Israeli media, the aircraft circled near Cyprus after the emergency signal was transmitted.
The captain reportedly requested permission to land at Paphos airport, but the request was declined because the airport was unable to accommodate the aircraft due to increased traffic.
The aircraft was instead diverted to Sofia, Bulgaria, where it was expected to land while aviation authorities examined the circumstances surrounding the false alarm.
Despite the clarification from the cockpit, Israeli authorities implemented standard security procedures.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said two fighter jets were scrambled after receiving a report of a “lack of contact with the aircraft” and were deployed to intercept and escort the flight.
“The incident has been concluded,” the military said after communication with the aircraft was restored, adding there was “no fear of a security incident”.
Israeli security officials said there was no indication of a hijacking or terrorist act and attributed the alert to human error in the cockpit.
The emergency transponder code used to indicate a hijacking automatically triggers international aviation security procedures, requiring an immediate response from civil aviation and defence authorities until the nature of the alert can be verified.
Authorities have reported no injuries among passengers or crew, while the incident remains under investigation by the relevant aviation authorities.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Tuesday paid tribute to Cyprus’ presidency of the EU Council, praising its leadership, effectiveness and cooperation as the island’s six-month term drew to a close.
In a social media post accompanied by a video featuring highlights from meetings held over the past six months, von der Leyen described the Cyprus presidency as “a true success”.
Addressing President Nikos Christodoulides directly, she said Cyprus had helped advance key European priorities during its tenure.
“You advanced the EU agenda, from competitiveness to enlargement,” she wrote. “Abroad, you built bridges with our partners in the Middle East at a critical moment.”
Congratulations and Ευχαριστώ dear Nikos @Christodulides.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 30, 2026
The @CY2026EU presidency was a real success.
You drove forward our EU agenda, from competitiveness to enlargement.
Abroad, you built bridges with our partners in the Middle East at a crucial moment. pic.twitter.com/T06fsnPW0k
Meanwhile, Metsola thanked the Cyprus presidency team for what she described as “excellent cooperation and close partnership” with the European Parliament.
In a post on X, she also praised Christodoulides’ leadership and commitment to a “strong and united Europe”, adding that the cooperation between the institutions had delivered “tangible results for European citizens”.
Tuesday marked the final day of Cyprus’ presidency of the EU Council, with Ireland set to assume the rotating presidency on Wednesday.
The official handover ceremony will take place in Dublin in the presence of both von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.
The court of appeal on Tuesday increased the prison sentences of two men convicted over a series of residential burglaries, ruling that the original penalties were too lenient.
In a unanimous decision, it partly upheld appeals by the attorney-general, finding that the Nicosia district court had failed to give sufficient weight to the pair’s repeated criminal activity, and the need for deterrent sentences.
The two men admitted carrying out a series of burglaries, many of them at night, stealing jewellery, cash and other valuables worth tens of thousands of euros.
They also pleaded guilty to laundering €43,780 obtained through the offences.
The appeals court said the trial court had made an error by not treating the repeated nature of the crimes as an aggravating factor.
It stressed that residential burglaries remain a serious offence that undermines people’s sense of security and requires firm punishment.
Judges noted that mitigating factors, such as guilty pleas, clean records, youth and personal circumstances, were considered but did not outweigh the need to protect the public and deter similar crimes.
The ruling highlighted burglaries in occupied homes, including one involving a 96-year-old woman, as particularly serious. Several prison terms were increased.
Sentences for the most serious night-time burglaries rose from 22 to 36 months, and the sentence for money laundering increased from 24 to 36 months.
The court of appeal concluded that the original sentences did not adequately reflect the seriousness of the offences or the sustained nature of the criminal activity.
It said the penalties should better serve the principles of punishment and deterrence in cases involving burglary and theft.
MPs on the House refugees committee on Tuesday called for improvements in the government’s Ktizo housing scheme for refugees and the implementation of legislation governing Turkish Cypriot properties.
Committee chairman and Akel MP Nikos Kettiros said discussions focused first on continued delays affecting Ktizo, particularly grants for existing apartment buildings in government refugee settlements and financing arrangements for beneficiaries.
He said the committee was informed that funding would be considered by the agency’s board on July 9 before being forwarded to the finance ministry, expressing hope that the process would be completed quickly so beneficiaries could join the scheme.
According to Kettiros, €4.3 million has so far been allocated for rent subsidies, while beneficiaries’ total contribution is expected to amount to around €6 million, with the final figure to be confirmed in the coming days.
He also raised concerns over public safety, saying none of the apartment blocks designated for demolition had yet been demolished or secured, resulting in the structures being repeatedly broken into and materials stolen.
Referring to apartment buildings in Larnaca, he said some structures earmarked for demolition around 15 years ago remain illegally occupied by squatters.
The committee also examined the operation of the legislative framework introduced in July 2025 for the management of Turkish Cypriot properties.
Kettiros said weaknesses had emerged during its implementation despite the introduction of objective criteria and a points-based allocation system, adding that both the committee and the competent service supported corrective changes.
Turkish Cypriot property management service director Anthi Lakkotrypi said the new framework was introduced to strengthen “transparency, meritocracy and equality” in property allocations.
Since the legislation came into force, she said four allocation rounds had resulted in the concession of 37 residences, 71 commercial premises and open spaces and 177 agricultural plots.
Lakkotrypi said inspections had resulted in the recovery of 79 properties, while another 130 cases were at an advanced stage before the courts.
She added that some shortcomings had already been addressed through internal circulars, with further amendments planned to clarify issues identified during implementation.
MPs from across the political spectrum called for further improvements.
Disy’s George Lysandrides said serious delays remained three years after the launch of Ktizo and stressed that procedures must be accelerated.
Diko’s Zacharias Koulias said only two apartment buildings had been completed despite substantial expenditure on rent subsidies, arguing that the scheme required reassessment.
In a trial concerning the alleged possession of 15 kilograms of cocaine, the defence on Tuesday questioned the police’s narrative regarding the circumstances in which they arrested two suspects.
Nicosia criminal court is re-trying Giorgos ‘Mavrantonas’ Christodolou, previously convicted for possessing 15kg of cocaine with intent to sell. He has pleaded not guilty.
Christodoulou was originally sentenced in December 2022 to 22 years in prison, but that conviction was recently overturned by the appeals court, which ordered the case to be retried from scratch.
Tuesday’s hearing focused on the events transpiring on January 16, 2019 when police arrested two men for possession of narcotics – Aristos Kyprianou and Yiannis Andreou.
The arrests took place in Lakatamia, at Andreou’s residence.
Andreou had initially been sentenced to 16 years in prison for the same case. Having served four, he was subsequently granted a presidential pardon. In the current trial, he is a witness for the prosecution.
The prosecution called to the witness stand two drug squad officers who had taken part in the narcotics bust. An army-style bag, allegedly containing 14kg of cocaine and seized by police during the operation, was shown as an exhibit. The bag was found inside Kyprianou’s car, parked outside Andreou’s house at the time.
Drug squad officer Erotokritos Panayiotou said that on the day he was outside Andreou’s house, and saw Andreou and Kyprianou arrive at the location inside Kyprianou’s car.
The two suspects then entered the residence, with Kyprianou holding the army-style bag. Shortly after, Kyprianou came out of the house holding the same bag and got back in his vehicle, where he placed the bag on the passenger seat. At that point, police officers – who had been surveilling the suspects – carried out the arrests.
According to the witness, Kyprianou told him the bag contained 14kg of cocaine, and that Kyprianou pointed out the packages inside the bag.
At this point, lead defence attorney Christos Poutziouris submitted to the witness that the bag’s volume while inside the car was different to when it was taken inside the house.
Responding, the drug squad officer repeated that Kyprianou told him the bag contained 14kg of cocaine, after Kyprianou had come out of the house.
The second witness, drug squad officer Anastasios Constantinou, said the drugs bust was organised after a tip given to police.
He said he personally knocked on the door of Andreou’s house. Andreou did not open the door. Constantinou said he then forced the door open, and told Andreou he had a search warrant.
According to the officer, Andreou at the time told him he refused to let the police in because the narcotics belonged to him. Andreou also told the officer that he had tossed one of the packets in the garden of an adjoining house.
Elsewhere in his testimony, officer Constantinou said that police also found two mobile phones. The phones were ringing, and the officer asked Andreou who was calling.
One of the callers was Christodoulou, the defendant in the case. According to the officer, Christodoulou was also sending text messages to the mobile phones, asking Andreou to call him back.
The witness said he saw the missed calls and the text messages by looking at the screens of the mobile phones. He did not interfere with the phones to get this information.
Cross-examined by the defence attorney, the witness repeated that police had been tipped off about the narcotics being moved.
Asked whether this information was provided orally, the witness said yes.
The defence lawyer next asked why police did not make the arrests before the two suspects arrived at Andreou’s house.
Police had tracked the two suspects in the car on a highway up until the residence in Lakatamia.
Responding to the question, both drug squad officers said it was deemed better to effect the arrests at the Lakatamia residence, where all involved police had converged for the operation.
The next hearings in the trial have been set for July 16, 17 and 21.
The lead prosecutor informed the court that their next witnesses will include Andreou
A man who has confessed to the killing of 22-year-old Bangladeshi student Shahruar Ahmed Emon was on Tuesday referred for trial before the Larnaca permanent criminal court, which is scheduled to convene on September 24.
The defendant faces seven charges, including premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit a felony, abduction and unlawful deprivation of liberty with intent to cause grievous harm, unlawful detention, extortion, demanding property through threats, and illegal stay in the Republic.
The offences are alleged to have been committed in Larnaca district during June.
According to evidence presented before the court, the accused met the victim on June 7 during a bus journey.
The two young men exchanged contact details and, according to statements attributed to the suspect, he formed the impression that the student came from a wealthy family.
Two days later, on June 9, the suspect allegedly purchased a knife.
On June 11, according to the prosecution, he contacted the victim and told him he had found him a job paying €50 per day. Later that evening, Emon travelled to the Kofinou area to meet the suspect.
Investigators are continuing to examine a series of statements attributed to the accused concerning the events that led to the student’s death.
The victim’s body was later discovered in an open area in Kofinou, where police also recovered a knife believed to be linked to the crime.
Findings from the post-mortem examination revealed three stab wounds to the shoulder blade area and one wound to the left side of the neck.
Police also told the court that, at the time of the suspect’s arrest, he was found in possession of personal belongings belonging to the victim, including boarding passes and a bank card bearing the student’s name.
Authorities are also investigating allegations that messages and telephone calls were made to the victim’s father demanding money in exchange for his son’s release.
A 41-year-old man arrested in connection with a child sexual abuse material case was remanded in custody for six days on Tuesday by the Paphos district court.
The suspect was arrested on Monday after investigators linked him to online searches for illegal material.
Police seized a laptop, three mobile phones and two external hard drives from his home.
As part of the allocation of €5 million to provide relief to communities in Limassol affected by 2025’s devastating fires, the XM Group, at a June 30, 2026 press conference in Nicosia, announced the second phase of its CSR initiative, aimed at supporting the communities’ recovery and long-term resilience.
After addressing the immediate critical needs of fire-affected communities in 2025, the XM Group, in collaboration with local authorities, and following a targeted, transparent and effective use of resources, is now set to finance a series of major infrastructure projects, aiming to breathe new life into the region’s villages. To enhance the region’s protection against future blazes, the XM Group will also fund the installation of 10 portable water tanks.
Speaking at the press conference, XM Co-CEO Stavri Morti said that part of the €5 million that the Group pledged toward the restoration and revitalisation of fire-affected communities had been immediately distributed to families who lost their homes in the fires. Today, the XM Group is contributing more than 1 million euros to fund four major projects in Souni-Zanatzia, Agios Amvrosios, Agios Therapontas and Vouni, aiming to transform these villages into attractive destinations for local and overseas tourists, while also providing residents with modern, accessible spaces for socialising, sports, recreation, culture and relaxation.
“The XM Group was founded in Cyprus in 2009 and currently serves more than 20 million customers worldwide. Cyprus, however, is our home. It is the place where approximately 800 colleagues work and raise their children. It is the place where this company was built from the ground up. When Cyprus is in distress, we are in distress too. So, we are not here as donors. We are here because this is our homeland, and we have responsibility for it,” noted Co-CEO Morti.
“I would like to thank the community leaders who placed their trust in this collaboration, as well as the Cyprus Fire Service, which, during those difficult days in July 2025, fought with all its might to save whatever could be saved,” she continued. “Today we are not announcing the completion of a project, but its beginning. The projects are getting under way, and we will be there, every step of the way, until they are handed over to the communities to which they belong.”
For his part, Chief Fire Officer of the Cyprus Fire Service, Nikos Logginos, thanked the XM Group for its long-standing contribution, which he described as an initiative of solidarity, social responsibility and collective effort, given that recovering from the aftermath of a major natural disaster is not the sole responsibility of government agencies, but also a responsibility for society as a whole.
After emphasising the importance of fire prevention measures, Chief Fire Officer Logginos stated: “The Fire Department works tirelessly to continuously upgrade its infrastructure, modernise its fleet and operational equipment and provide ongoing training to its members, so that it can respond with a high level of professionalism to the complex and demanding tasks it is called upon to perform every day.
“In addition to this effort, the XM Group is donating 10 mobile water tanks, each with a capacity of 56,000 litres, to the Republic of Cyprus. This is a particularly significant contribution, which substantially enhances firefighting capabilities and helps provide more effective support to ground and air forces during the management of large wildfires.”
Thereafter, the President of the Community Council of Agios Therapontos, Therapon Chrysostomou, stressed the importance of XM Group’s assistance to residents of the fire-stricken areas in July 2025. “The future of our region seemed extremely bleak at the time. But even in the midst of that darkness, we were not alone. The XM Group stood by us from the very beginning, demonstrating what true, hands-on social contribution really means,” he shared.
Community Council President Chrysostomou referenced, in particular, the generous sponsorship provided by the XM Group for the creation of a modern multipurpose centre for culture, creativity, and social development, which will help the village rise from the ashes.
Meanwhile, the President of the Agios Amvrosios Community Council, Stelios Gregoriou, thanked the XM Group for funding the construction of a modern football field, which will provide local youth with healthy, safe activities, and a modern home for the area’s football teams. He added: “At the regional level, this infrastructure unites and strengthens the entire area of the wine-producing villages of Limassol. It will serve as a vibrant gathering place for the surrounding communities, a venue that will host sporting events and other activities, bringing people and vitality to our villages.”
Additionally, Vouni Community Council President, Matthaios Protopapas, reported on funding for the creation of a community park in the village, around the ‘chavouza’ archaeological site, with the aim of boosting local tourism and hosting major events. “The deadly fire last July destroyed the green lung of the entire area around Vouni. We are striving to recreate that green lung. And we thank the XM Group for its contribution and support in creating this ambitious project,” he added.
In his own address, Community Leader Nikos Vikis spoke of the creation of a community park in Souni-Zanatzia, which will include a playground as well as sports and recreational facilities. “From the very beginning, the XM Group has stood by us and by the residents. It was the only company that immediately helped those affected by the fires by matching the amount provided by the government. Now it will also help revitalise our community by funding a multifunctional activity park. The contribution from the XM Group is making a significant difference in improving the quality of life for residents in the fire-affected areas,” he said.
The four major EU projects are expected to be completed within 18 months after the necessary permits have been obtained.
Two men have been arrested following the reported stabbing and assault of a 26-year-old man at a house in Paphos, police said on Tuesday.
Police said the suspects, aged 39 and 42, were arrested as part of an investigation into offences including causing grievous bodily harm, stabbing, illegal possession and carrying of an offensive weapon.
According to investigators, the pair went to the property at around 9pm on Monday seeking payment of money allegedly owed to the 39-year-old by a 35-year-old man who was not at the house.
Police said the only person present was the 35-year-old’s 26-year-old employee, who was allegedly attacked with a knife and a golf club before the suspects left the scene.
The 26-year-old was taken to Paphos general hospital, where doctors found he had suffered a broken arm and abrasions.
The 39-year-old was also treated at the hospital for a broken arm before being discharged and arrested.
Police investigations are continuing.
Claude Sonnet 5 is Anthropic’s latest Sonnet-class model, now available in GitHub Copilot. It brings strong coding performance to everyday development and agentic workflows, giving developers a new Sonnet-class option for tasks across the IDE and CLI.
In our internal testing, Claude Sonnet 5 showed strong results across a range of coding scenarios, including particularly strong performance on CLI-style tasks. It also demonstrated excellent prompt-cache utilization and competitive latency at lower effort levels, making it a strong choice for developers who want fast, capable Sonnet-class performance in Copilot.
This model is billed at provider list pricing under Usage Based Billing. See GitHub Copilot’s pricing for models and requests for details.
Claude Sonnet 5 will be available to Copilot Pro, Pro+, Max, Business, and Enterprise users.
You’ll be able to select the model in the model picker in:
Rollout will be gradual. Check back soon if you don’t see it yet.
Copilot Enterprise and Copilot Business plan administrators can enable Claude Sonnet 5 for their organization through the model policy settings in Copilot. Like other Sonnet models in GitHub Copilot, Claude Sonnet 5 operates under Zero Data Retention (ZDR).
To explore all models available in GitHub Copilot, see our documentation on models and get started with Copilot.
Join the GitHub Community to share your feedback.
The post Claude Sonnet 5 is generally available for GitHub Copilot appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
You can now use branch rulesets to block pull requests from merging when test coverage drops below thresholds you set.
You can set a minimum coverage percentage, a maximum allowed drop from the default branch, or both. You can start in evaluate mode to understand impact first, then switch to active mode when you’re ready to enforce merge protection.
This gives your team a practical quality gate at merge time so you can reduce accidental regressions and keep testing standards consistent as code changes.
This feature is now in public preview for all GitHub Code Quality users on github.com. GitHub Code Quality is available today for GitHub Enterprise Cloud and Team, but isn’t yet available on GitHub Enterprise Server. It’s free during the preview period.
The post GitHub code coverage merge protection for pull requests appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
You can now scan and navigate release pages more easily with a dedicated sidebar table of contents. We also updated release metadata placement for a more consistent layout so it’s easier to move between entries on long pages.
Users with write access can also now see download counts per release asset directly in the Releases UI. Previously, this data was only available through the API. With counts now visible in-product, you can more quickly understand release adoption and identify which assets are downloaded most often.
Note: Download counts do not include tarball or zipball downloads because those are not included in the API response.
If you have any questions, feedback, or ideas about how we can continue to improve the Releases experience, leave a comment in our Community discussion.
The post Releases: Sidebar navigation and per-asset download counts appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
Today, JetBrains and GitHub are announcing a deeper integration between JetBrains AI Assistant and GitHub Copilot. Millions of developers already rely on the GitHub Copilot plugin as their AI pair programmer in JetBrains IDEs, and Copilot has also been available inside JetBrains AI Assistant through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP). Now we are taking the next step: GitHub Copilot is a first-class option in the AI Assistant agent picker, so you can choose the entry point that best fits your workflow.
GitHub Copilot as a native agent picker: Open the agent picker in the AI chat and select GitHub Copilot to make it the active agent for the conversation.
Pick your Copilot model: Choose between supported Copilot models and tune reasoning depth right in the AI chat to balance speed, depth, and cost.
Real coding tasks: Hand off multistep work and Copilot will reason through your project, propose changes, run commands, and iterate with you.
JetBrains and GitHub will continue working closely to make this integration even better. In the coming releases, we’ll focus on key next steps including:
NES support: Next Edit Suggestions will guide you through multistep code changes by surfacing your next likely edit.
Skills: Helping developers invoke reusable, specialized capabilities more quickly, making common workflows more efficient and consistent.
Deeper orchestration across tools: Further improving how Copilot plans, executes, and iterates on complex development tasks directly within the IDE.
Your feedback helps shape the future of GitHub Copilot. Share your thoughts through the in-product feedback option, our feedback repository, or by taking our quick survey.
The post Copilot Agent is now available in JetBrains AI Assistant appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
Enterprises can now manage their dependencies’ licenses at scale with sophisticated, ruleset-based checks that enforce a centralized policy. Open source license compliance is in public preview, letting you block noncompliant dependencies before they reach production.
Open source license compliance expands on the capabilities of the dependency review action by introducing an enterprise-wide license policy. The policy is activated by targeting repositories with a ruleset that uses a new “Require license compliance check results before merging” condition, similar to the existing code scanning conditions. When developers open pull requests that add or modify dependencies, license checks automatically run against your policy to ensure each new or changed dependency has an acceptable license. The feature will annotate the pull request for any noncompliant dependencies. These annotations must be addressed by either removing or replacing the dependency, amending the license policy, or creating package exceptions.
Open source license compliance introduces a new predefined enterprise role, Enterprise Open Source License Policy Manager. Assign this role to individuals or teams who should review and approve closure requests. Policy managers receive email notifications about pending requests and can review them from the enterprise console.
License compliance is available today in public preview for all GitHub Enterprise Cloud customers with GitHub Advanced Security Code Security licenses. For detailed setup instructions, see About open source license compliance.
Join the discussion within GitHub Community.
The post Open source license compliance is in public preview appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
Dependabot will no longer attempt to infer .npmrc configuration for npm private registries. Previously, Dependabot tried to reconstruct .npmrc contents from lockfile resolved URLs, but incorrect lockfile URLs, lockfile format differences across npm, Yarn v1, Yarn Berry, and pnpm, and other edge cases regularly caused registry authentication failures.
You can now define a scope property on registries in your dependabot.yml. Dependabot uses this to automatically generate the correct .npmrc. When scope is provided, it takes precedence over all other .npmrc sources, including any committed .npmrc file in your repository. This makes dependabot.yml the authoritative source for registry configuration.
If your repository already includes a checked-in .npmrc and you have not configured scope, Dependabot will continue to use it. The scope property is only needed when you don’t have a committed .npmrc and are relying on Dependabot’s inference.
This feature is available for all github.com users and will ship in GHES 3.23.
Review the Dependabot configuration docs and update your dependabot.yml to add scope to any npm registries that need it.
The post Dependabot no longer infers .npmrc appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
Starting August 25, 2026, GitHub will introduce a data retention policy for closed Dependabot security alerts. This policy gives you a clear commitment for how long your alert data stays accessible and where you can find it. It applies to Dependabot security alerts on github.com, including GitHub Enterprise Cloud (GHEC). It does not apply to GitHub Enterprise Server (GHES). The policy will roll out gradually across security alert types, beginning with Dependabot.
GitHub keeps your Dependabot alerts available for the life of your account.
GitHub keeps archived alerts at full fidelity for the life of your account, so your historical remediation records stay available to support regulatory requirements. If you use GitHub Enterprise Cloud with data residency, this policy does not change where your alert data is stored. Archived alerts remain in the same region as the rest of your data.
On August 25, 2026, closed Dependabot alerts closed two or more years ago will move to archival storage and will no longer appear in the UI or API. Open alerts and alerts closed within the last two years are not affected. Dependabot is the first alert type to adopt this policy. Exact timing for each alert type is still being finalized, and we will announce the changes through the changelog with at least 60 days of advance notice before they take effect. Before August 25, query closed Dependabot alerts through the REST API, review whether any of your queries rely on alerts older than two years, and plan to use the downloadable archive instead.
Join the discussion within GitHub Community.
The post Upcoming cloud data retention policy for closed security alerts appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
Enterprise admins can now set a cost center user-level budget: one per-user AI credit budget on a cost center that applies to every individual in it. As membership changes, the budget follows. Anyone added to the cost center, directly or through an enterprise team, picks up its per-user budget, and anyone removed is no longer covered by it. You do not reconfigure budgets monthly or when people move teams. This removes the need to create thousands of individual budgets to control spend across teams with different AI needs.
Using this tool, you have more granular options when funding teams. For example, you could put your platform engineering team in one cost center at $250 per user and keep everyone else on a $40 universal budget, without setting budgets one user at a time.
A cost center’s user-level budget counts every AI credit a member consumes, from the included usage pool and from additional usage, if enabled. Because it counts included usage, it can stop a user before the pool is exhausted and before any metered charges begin. This is what sets it apart from a cost center budget, which caps a team’s total additional usage only after the pool is exhausted.
Precedence runs from most specific to least specific. An individual user-level budget overrides a cost center user-level budget, which overrides the universal budget. As of June 30th, creating a cost center user-level budget is only available through the REST API. Billing UI support for creating this budget type is coming soon.
To learn more, see Budgets for usage-based billing and Control GitHub costs at scale.
Join the discussion or submit feedback within GitHub Community.
The post Per-user AI credit budgets available for cost centers appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
I’ve been using Cursor/Claude to help scaffold a medium-sized backend in Go. While the velocity is great for simple handlers or repository functions, I feel like I'm constantly fighting the tool on project structure and idiomatic code.
The AI keeps trying to introduce unnecessary abstractions, mixes up package boundaries, or tries to write things in a way that feels like it's treating Go like Java or TypeScript. It makes the code compile and pass basic tests, but the global project layout quickly starts drifting from standard clean architecture practices unless I manually review and rewrite every single file structure.
For those using AI tools on larger Go codebases, how are you enforcing strict idiomatic guidelines on the model? Or do you find it's better to just write the structural boilerplate yourself and only use AI for isolated unit tests?
What’s the best smtp library for normal projects.
I used repowise over ollama to generate the wiki. The MLX runner is where most current work is landing. Recent commits are mostly mlx: prefixed. The Go-over-MLX layer is current, with commits this week.
By the numbers, from the generated health pass:
- The busiest file, server/routes.go, scores 1.4/10. It's a single 2,700-line file that 24 others depend on, and its two main functions have been edited 53 and 50 times. Over a quarter of it is duplicated code. Also received 5 bug fix commits in 6 months
- 7,101 open findings, 430 critical, across 263K lines of Go.
- 0.1% of commits are agent-authored , (agent provenance)
Used repowise https://github.com/repowise-dev/repowise
Wiki, dependency graph, per-file pages: https://www.repowise.dev/s/3f3a8d28d9be/docs (tool I'm building.)
I have implemented an OpenAPI documentation tool, which leverages struct validation tags to generate the swagger page, instead of relying on godoc.
My idea is to use reflect to read struct metadata like JSON tag, data type ... then generate an object schema for the struct. For example:
type ArticleDTO struct { ID int `json:"id"` Title string `json:"title" binding:"required,min=4,max=255"` Content string `json:"content" binding:"required,min=20"` } Will be generated to:
{ "id": { "type": "integer" }, "title": { "type": "string", "minLength": 4, "maxLength": 255 }, "content": { "type": "string", "minLength": 20 } } Combining with route definitions, I construct an object to contain API documentation data in runtime then hosts a Swagger UI for it.
Currently, I am supporting Go, Echo, Chi and Fiber. I hope it will be helpful for you guys. Thanks so much!
Over the better part of a year, I developed a suite of Go libraries, to use in my wails based multi-llm BYOK application. Over time these were moved as standalone, reusable libraries to help build robust LLM agents and multi-model systems, decouple from the application itself .
All four libraries are fully open source under the MIT license, written in Go, and designed to address the common plumbing required for agentic workflows.
High-level overview of what they provide and how they can benefit your projects:
A single, normalized Go interface for LLM inference that wraps the official SDKs for Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google. What: The library normalizes request and response models, handles cross-provider tool calling, streaming, and reasoning/thinking states. It also includes capability-driven validation to safely drop unsupported features based on the specific model being used.
A Go-native, cross-platform tool registry designed specifically to be exposed to LLM tool-calling systems. What: Gives your agents safe access to local environments. It includes ready-to-use tools for file system manipulation, stateful shell/script execution with path policies, and deterministic Git-style unified diff patching for line-oriented code editing workflows.
A runtime for managing AgentSkills with pluggable backend providers. What: Solves the context window bloat problem. It uses progressive disclosure to maintain a catalog of available skills, injecting the full skill instructions into the LLM prompt only when the session actively loads them.
A local, filesystem-backed map database with optimistic concurrency and pluggable codecs. What: A lightweight, pure Go solution for managing agent memory and conversation state. It supports optional per-key encryption via the OS keyring for sensitive data, and seamless integration with SQLite FTS5 for fast, incremental full-text search on local files.
I hope these libraries save you time when building your own Go-based AI systems. Feedback and contributions are welcome.
A blogs post on how to run a Go HTTP service on MS Windows only when it actually receives requests to save cpu/memory/battery: https://poweruser.blog/socket-activation-for-a-go-http-service-81d9841d91e6
| This blog post is a natural follow-up to https://dev.to/manomano-tech-team/wiremock-testcontainers-algolia-go--3hn7 [link] [comments] |
Getting LLMs to draw architecture diagrams is usually a nightmare. If you ask them to write raw SVG, they hallucinate coordinates and make a mess. If you ask them to write Mermaid, you get flat, boring 2D boxes.
I built iso-topology—a Go compiler and MCP server designed specifically to let AI agents render designer-grade, 2.5D isometric diagrams directly from your chat prompt.
You don't write YAML. You just prompt your AI agent (like Claude Code or Cursor): "Draw a dark-mode RAG pipeline. Put a glowing vector database in the center, and connect it to a gateway behind it."
The AI agent then runs a robust 3-step loop under the hood:
capabilities): The AI queries the CLI to see what shapes, styles (gradients, glows, textures), and 200+ brand icons are available.validate): The AI writes a relative DSL (no coordinate math, just place: {behind: gateway}). The Go compiler validates it and tells the AI if it made typos or layout overlaps, with automatic fix suggestions.claude mcp add isotopo -- isotopo-mcp👉 GitHub Repo: github.com/MarkovWangRR/iso-topology
# Install the compiler go install github.com/MarkovWangRR/iso-topology/cmd/isotopo@latest # Prompt your coding agent Install the skill https://github.com/MarkovWangRR/iso-topology/tree/main/skills and analyze the XXXX landing page's visual style, then draw a usecase dragram in 2.5s style based on iso-topology. I'm looking through past code and apparently I tend to use &mystruct{} instead of new(mystruct). Is there even a difference under the hood?