Friday, July 17, 2026
65149833-ff88-4c56-a379-88552bd26163
| Summary | ⛅️ Clear until afternoon, returning overnight. |
|---|---|
| Temperature Range | 24°C to 31°C (74°F to 88°F) |
| Feels Like | Low: 79°F | High: 102°F |
| Humidity | 69% |
| Wind | 11 km/h (7 mph), Direction: 232° |
| Precipitation | Probability: 36%, Type: No precipitation expected |
| Sunrise / Sunset | 🌅 05:47 AM / 🌇 08:00 PM |
| Moon Phase | Waxing Crescent (12%) |
| Cloud Cover | 10% |
| Pressure | 1005.09 hPa |
| Dew Point | 71.2°F |
| Visibility | 6.33 miles |
Cyprus is experiencing increasingly intense desert dust episodes as climate change accelerates changes in atmospheric conditions across the Levant.
According to an international study involving researchers from the Cyprus Institute published on Thursday in the journal Nature, Cyprus was one of the European regions most affected by desert dust transport, with the Levant recording some of the largest increases in the intensity of dust episodes over the past decade.
Researchers found that rising drought and desertification in North Africa, together with changing atmospheric systems, are driving stronger transport of dust from the Sahara and other desert regions towards Europe.
The findings show that climate change is affecting not only temperatures and extreme weather but also air quality.
Southern Europe experiences around 46 desert dust events each year, with dust responsible for about one third of the annual average PM10 particulate pollution considered acceptable under World Health Organisation guidelines.
According to the researchers, elevated dust concentrations can have serious health consequences, with recent desert dust episodes across southern Europe associated with an estimated 0.67 per cent increase in daily mortality and a 2.5 per cent rise in respiratory hospital admissions among children.
The research also found that average desert dust concentrations in southern Europe are more than double those recorded in central and northern Europe.
Evidence from Alpine glacier records further shows that transported dust has gradually increased across the continent over the past century.
Researchers from the Cyprus Institute’s Centre of Excellence for Climate and Atmospheric Research said desert dust is “a natural phenomenon” in the region.
However, they said the study demonstrates that both the intensity of dust episodes and their impacts are increasing over time as climate change alters the conditions that drive them.
They warned that desert dust is likely to become an even greater challenge for air quality and public health in Cyprus and across the region in the coming years.
Researchers stressed that “better preparation and adaptation” to more intense dust events, alongside continued efforts to tackle climate change, will be essential to protect public health and improve air quality.
The government said Thursday it’s mulling giving financial assistance to people for extra expenses incurred during the problematic transition to the new free-to-air television broadcasting standard.
In parliament, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Nicodemos Damianou, said the government may consider possible subsidies going forward.
“I leave the possibility open,” he said.
On July 1 Cyprus switched to a new broadcasting standard – called DVB-T2. But the transition left thousands of people without a television signal. This affected private, free-to-air channels, while public broadcasters like CyBC were unaffected. The affected channels include Sigma, which has the exclusive rights in Cyprus to broadcast the World Cup.
Earlier this month, the government reactivated the old broadcasting platform, operating alongside the new one. The old standard was brought back temporarily for a period of three months.
Regarding a possible extension for the old platform beyond the three months, Damianou said it was possible.
According to the deputy minister, some technical adjustments will be made to the new DVB-T2 platform, making signal reception easier.
Many people with older television sets had rushed to buy set-top boxes/decoders compatible with DVB-T2. In many reported cases, this did not fix the problem either.
Authorities attributed the issue to faulty wiring and/or old antenna equipment.
For compatible television sets, owners need only re-tune their channels for DVB-T2 coverage.
There were also reports of gouging, with decoders normally going for around €20 being sold for up to €50.
A representative of the Consumers Association said they received hundreds of complaints within the space of a week.
Petros Theocharides, a representative of Hellas Sat – in charge of the transition – said that on July 1 they took delivery of an old system that was “practically dead”.
A 35-year-old man facing kidnapping charges will remain in custody until July 27, at which date he will enter a plea of guilty or not guilty, the Larnaca criminal court ordered on Thursday.
The suspect, described only as being of African heritage, is being accused of having abducted two women and keeping them in an apartment against their will. The incident took place on March 25 this year.
At around 3.30pm on the day, police responded to a call about a possible kidnapping in progress.
The suspect appeared on the balcony of the apartment, making threats while wielding a knife.
Police cordoned off the area and began negotiations with the suspect, who was subsequently arrested.
The man faces multiple charges, including kidnapping, kidnapping with intent to cause actual bodily harm, threatening to commit physical violence, and assault with intent to cause actual bodily harm.
The key prosecution witness in the trial of Giorgos ‘Zavrantonas’ Christodoulou – facing charges of importing 15 kilograms of cocaine with intent to sell – told the court on Thursday that he had initially lied when telling authorities the drugs were his.
“My first deposition was not the truth, the second one was the truth,” said witness Yiannis Andreou, alias ‘Maronas’.
The case is being re-tried after the appeals court overturned the conviction of Christodoulou, who in December 2022 was sentenced to 22 years in prison. The appeals court had ordered the case to be retried from scratch.
Andreou himself had initially been sentenced to 16 years in prison for the same case. Having served four, he was subsequently granted a presidential pardon, and has turned witness for the state.
Having already been sentenced once for the same case, and having a presidential pardon, he cannot now implicate himself due to double jeopardy.
Before Nicosia criminal court on Thursday, Andreou said that when he was first arrested in January 2019, he had lied about the narcotics being his.
Police had surveilled both him and another man – Aristos Kyprianou – at Andreou’s residence in Lakatamia.
Answering questions from the prosecution, Andreou recognised items of evidence seized from his residence and its surroundings on the day.
He admitted to having tossed a 1kg packet of cocaine from the veranda on realising that the police were moving in. From cameras installed at his house, he spotted officers arrest Kyprianou who was sitting in a parked car outside.
The witness also said that Christodoulou had assigned him to pick up the cocaine. He had been acquainted with Christodoulou since 2016. Following the latter’s release from prison, the two stayed in touch.
A few days before Andreou was arrested, Christodoulou had traveled to the Netherlands to arrange for the smuggling of the cocaine to Cyprus. Christodoulou then contacted Andreou, giving him instructions on how to take receipt of the drugs.
Andreou further admitted to picking up the narcotics from a designated spot. He said Kyprianou was with him at the time, but that Kyprianou knew nothing, he was merely escorting him.
Cross-examined by the defendant’s attorney, Andreou insisted that his first deposition to police, immediately after his arrest, was untrue. He had then taken responsibility for the narcotics because he was “afraid” and because he wished to protect a friend of his.
But, he went on to claim, his second deposition – following the presidential pardon and the suspension of his sentence – was true.
In this second deposition, Andreou implicated Christodoulou as the brains behind the narcotics smuggling.
Asked whether he had previously – before this case – ever been involved in importing narcotics, Andreou said yes.
But when asked when, the witness replied: “Ask your client [Christodoulou], he knows better.”
In another part of his testimony, Andreou said he was Christodoulou’s “man”.
The lawyer challenged Andreou, telling him he changed his story in exchange for witness protection.
Andreou denied this categorically. He said his new testimony is the truth, and that he wouldn’t appear in court if he did not want to.
The witness further claimed that, to this day, his life is at risk.
“Even today, I can look you in the eye and say that I’m in danger,” he told Christodoulou’s attorney.
The trial continues on Friday.
Cyprus recorded the fourth highest level of municipal waste generated per person in the European Union in 2024, according to figures released by the Statistical Service on Thursday.
Each resident generated an average of 664kg of municipal waste, well above the EU average of 517kg. Only Denmark, Belgium and Luxembourg recorded higher levels of waste per capita.
Municipal waste in Cyprus increased by 5.6 per cent last year, rising from 633,000 tonnes in 2023 to 669,000 tonnes in 2024.
Of the 566,000 tonnes of waste that received final treatment, 78.5 per cent was disposed of at waste management centres and landfills, 14.2 per cent was recycled, 4.4 per cent was composted and 2.9 per cent was used for energy recovery.
The attorney-general is expected to decide on Friday whether criminal proceedings will be brought against the 37-year-old British father remanded following the death of his three-year-old son, who fell from a fourth-floor hotel window in Paphos.
The father was remanded on Sunday for eight days on suspicion of causing death by a rash or negligent act, as well as failing in his duty as the head of a family and as a person responsible for the care of another.
Speaking to the Cyprus Mail his lawyer, Petros Stavrou, criticised the decision to keep his client in custody, saying that there was no justification for his continued detention while the investigation was ongoing. “Everything I had to say, I said in my letter which was sent on Tuesday 14th to the police. I asked for the man to be released,” Stavrou told the Cyprus Mail.
He added that if authorities believed there was a risk the father could leave Cyprus, less restrictive measures were available. “Take his passports if you believe there is such a risk,” he said. A point which is included in the letter he tells the Cyprus Mail, which he had sent to the police, including reporting to Paphos central police station at specified dates and times, and providing authorities with his exact residential address in Cyprus in writing.
He said his client had appeared before the court alone and without legal representation.
“He was given the option of having a lawyer as a matter of procedure, but he simply was not in a condition to decide something like that,” Stavrou said, adding that the father was suffering from severe psychological trauma.
Stavrou questioned the length of the remand order whilst understanding that an investigation has to take place.
In a letter submitted to police Stavrou argued that his client’s continued detention was further aggravating his already fragile psychological state following the death of his son.
The lawyer said the father’s immediate concern was to be released so that he and his wife could tell their five-year-old daughter about the death of her younger brother.
“His only wish is to be released so that, together with his wife, they can inform their five-year-old daughter of the death of their three-year-old child,” the letter states, noting that the couple have so far only told the girl that her brother is in hospital.
The letter also states that the father appeared before the court while suffering “an indescribable psychological collapse” and without legal representation, adding that because of his mental state he did not object to the eight-day remand order.
The case stems from the death of the three-year-old boy at a hotel in Paphos last weekend.
According to police, the child fell from a fourth-floor window while his father was holding him near the lift area outside their hotel room as the family was preparing to go to dinner.
According to reports the father was playing with the child in his arms when the boy slipped through an open section of a sliding window, which he had allegedly not realised was open. The child fell to the ground below and later died from his injuries.
Police have said toxicology tests carried out on the father were negative.
During Monday’s remand hearing, proceedings were briefly interrupted because of the father’s emotional state before resuming. The court granted police an eight-day remand to complete their investigation.
The completed case file is now expected to be submitted to the attorney-general, who will decide on Friday whether criminal charges will be filed against the father or whether the case will proceed no further.
Trade unions sounded wary on Thursday of a drive underway to regulate sick leave in the broader public sector, warning that the government should not proceed unilaterally.
Union reps were commenting on news that Justice Minister Costas Fitiris is leading an effort to amend the legislation in a bid to curb sick leave abuse among public-sector workers.
In June, a meeting discussing the proposed changes was held between the ministers of justice, finance and health.
And earlier this week, Fitiris met with the leadership of the Medical Association.
Speaking to media, the head of the SEK union representing employees of semi-governmental organisations (SGOs) said they are “open to dialogue” with the government on the issue.
But, Andreas Elia stressed, any changes must be done in a measured way, so as not to adversely impact the rights of people who genuinely need to take sick days due to chronic health problems.
“It would be wrong to victimise certain people.”
Elia said that protocols already exist in SGOs – such as a medical officer on staff who reviews all sick leave requests.
The trade unionist added: “It would be a mistake for the state to go about this unilaterally”.
He called for an “exhaustive dialogue” with the syndicates before the government tables any legislation.
Similar remarks were made by Nikos Gregoriou, the head of the PEO union representing SGO employees.
Gregoriou pointed out that any changes would affect people working in SGOs but also in municipalities and the district local government organisations (EOA).
Expressing concern at how the changes might be brought about, he recalled that previously the government had tabled legislation regulating sick leave in the public sector, but subsequently withdrew it. For that bill, he noted, PEO had been left out of the discussions.
“What we need right now is to regulate the matter through a social dialogue, so that a balance can be achieved,” Gregoriou said.
Under current civil service regulations, employees can utilise up to 42 days of sick leave before a referral to a medical boardbecomes mandatory. If approved by the board, this can extend to six months of leave on full pay, followed by an additional six months on half pay.
Cyprus does not currently face a shortage of aviation fuel, Energy Minister Michalis Damianos said on Thursday, but added that authorities are keeping an eye on the situation.
It was the second time this week that the government has denied a problem with jet fuel. The transport minister gave similar assurances on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference reviewing the energy ministry’s work during Cyprus’ presidency of the Council of the European Union, Damianos said the government was closely monitoring developments but did not expect disruptions to fuel supplies.
“As far as adequate fuel stocks go, we don’t think there is a problem,” he said.
“There might be a problem down the line when it comes to aviation fuel…but at the moment the situation appears manageable, there is no cause for concern.”
Around 20 per cent of global oil transits through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway that’s been virtually cut off since the outbreak of hostilities in late February.
Cyprus imports fuel from two main sources: the refinery in Haifa, and the refinery at Aspropyrgos, Greece.
News agency Reuters recently reported that Europe has less than a month’s supply of jet fuel stocks. Inventories stood at 38 million barrels at the start of June, compared with 99 million in the United States. That leaves Europe with less than 30 days of demand cover, Reuters calculations showed – the tightest of the major jet fuel markets.
The European Commission has also acknowledged the situation could get worse.
EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said in June the bloc faced tighter jet fuel stocks towards the end of the summer holiday season and that Brussels would coordinate releases of national reserves if needed.
On fuel prices, Damianos said they had fallen following discussions on a ceasefire, although future movements would depend on geopolitical developments beyond Cyprus’ control.
“What we can control is fuel taxation,” he said, noting that the government’s reduced excise duty on fuels has been extended until mid-September.
On electricity, the minister said the Transmission System Operator (TSO) did not expect electricity supply problems during the summer, despite demand traditionally reaching its annual peak. He added that the TSO is expected to receive 120 megawatts of battery storage capacity in January 2027, with the batteries to be installed before the summer.
“There is a timetable so that we will be in a good position regarding adequacy over the long term,” he said, adding that future energy security would also depend on new Electricity Authority of Cyprus generating units and the arrival of natural gas.
Reviewing Cyprus’ six-month EU presidency, Damianos said it had provided an opportunity for the country to help shape European policy on trade, competitiveness, energy, consumer protection and the single market.
Among the presidency’s trade achievements, Damianos highlighted the completion of negotiations on the legislative package implementing the EU-US Joint Declaration, which he said would provide more stable and predictable trade relations between the world’s two largest economies.
He also pointed to the conclusion of negotiations on the revised Foreign Investment Screening Regulation, aimed at strengthening Europe’s economic security by protecting strategic sectors and improving cooperation between member states.
The presidency also secured agreement on a new framework to protect Europe’s steel industry from global market distortions and completed the revision of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences, modernising one of the EU’s key trade policy tools.
Damianos also said Cyprus contributed to advancing the EU’s global trade agenda, including agreements with Mexico and the Mercosur bloc, the completion of negotiations with India and Australia, and continued talks with several other international partners.
He added that Cyprus helped prepare a common European position ahead of the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation.
On competitiveness, Damianos said Cyprus made significant progress on the proposed Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act, producing the first comprehensive compromise text on the legislation. The proposal aims to strengthen European industry, accelerate the green transition and reduce strategic dependencies in sectors including steel, cement, aluminium, automotive manufacturing and clean technologies.
He also highlighted progress on the EU’s critical raw materials strategy, saying Cyprus helped establish a common position among member states to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy and security of supply.
Another milestone, he said, was the agreement on the electronic declaration system for posted workers, expected to reduce bureaucracy and make it easier for businesses and employees to operate across the single market.
The presidency also secured Council conclusions on the Consumer Agenda 2030, focusing on protecting vulnerable consumers, particularly children, in the digital environment, while discussions advanced on the proposed “EU Inc.” framework for innovative companies and start-ups.
In the energy sector, Damianos described securing the Council’s negotiating mandate for the new European Energy Networks package as one of the presidency’s most important achievements. The package is intended to accelerate strategic energy infrastructure projects, simplify permitting procedures and strengthen the EU’s energy security and competitiveness.
He added that Cyprus also coordinated discussions on the impact of the Middle East crisis on European energy markets while helping launch wider debates on Europe’s post-2030 energy strategy, including affordable energy, decarbonisation, investment and strategic autonomy.
Damianos also highlighted progress in intellectual property, saying Cyprus succeeded in restarting negotiations on supplementary protection certificates for pharmaceuticals and plant protection products after years of deadlock. In addition, unanimous agreement was reached to begin negotiations with the European Parliament on updating rules governing geographical indications and protected designations of origin.
Concluding, he said the presidency demonstrated Cyprus’ ability to contribute meaningfully to European policymaking.
“The objective of the ministry was to be practical and effective, turning European priorities into concrete results with a clear impact,” he said.
Cyprus and Greece are preparing a joint programme for the development and co production of an unmanned combat aerial vehicle under the European Union’s SAFE defence funding framework.
According to Kathimerini, the initiative aims to support the development of defence technology capabilities through cooperation between the two countries and participation in the EU programme, which provides financing for defence industry projects among member states.
The development comes after Greek defence technology company ALTUS-LSA announced successful live fire tests of its unmanned combat aircraft Kerveros, named after Cerberus the hound of Hades in ancient Greek mythology, in cooperation with European defence company MBDA.
During the trials, carried out in Chania, Crete, the system successfully launched MBDA’s Akeron MP anti-tank missile.
The Kerveros model is based on the company’s ATLAS 8 drone which likewise equipped with missile capabilities.
A man was arrested in Limassol on Thursday afternoon after allegedly attacking a female bus driver shortly after boarding the vehicle, police said.
The incident took place on a public bus under circumstances which remain under investigation.
Police said officers responded to the scene and arrested the suspect, who has been taken in for questioning.
No further details have been released regarding the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault or whether the bus driver sustained any injuries.
Police are continuing their investigation into the incident.
Police are searching for a 38-year-old man after illegal firearms and ammunition were discovered during a raid on a residence in Larnaca on Thursday.
Following a court authorised search, officers found two automatic firearms, including a G3 military rifle, a pistol and a large quantity of cartridges hidden inside the home of an elderly woman.
Speaking to Omega, police spokesman Kyriakos Theodorou said the woman was not believed to have any involvement with the weapons, with investigators focusing on her grandson as the person allegedly connected to the findings.
Theodorou said the suspect had used the residence to conceal the weapons, while police were carrying out further investigations into the case.
“He is a person who I can say is well known to the police for various cases,” he said.
Authorities are conducting DNA and ballistic examinations to determine whether the firearms are connected to previous criminal activity or whether they were intended for future use.
Tests are also being carried out on the G3 rifle to establish whether it was legally registered to the suspect as a reserve weapon or whether it was obtained through theft.
Police investigations remain ongoing, while officers continue efforts to locate and arrest the 38-year-old suspect.
High jumper Elena Kulichenko and para-athlete Maria Markou will lead the Cypriot delegation at the opening ceremony of the 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on July 23.
The Cyprus Olympic Committee announced that Kulichenko will carry the national flag, while Markou will carry the Cyprus baton during the ceremony at the Hydro Arena.
The committee said the pair were selected in recognition of their achievements at national and international level, with particular emphasis on their performances during the last Olympic cycle.
Kulichenko represented Cyprus at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she finished seventh in the high jump.
The committee also noted that this year’s Games will feature athletes and para-athletes competing as part of a single national delegation, reflecting Cyprus’ commitment to inclusion and equal participation in sport.
It added that both Kulichenko and Markou embody the values of Olympism and serve as inspiring role models for young athletes across Cyprus.
Two men accused of carrying out attempted armed robberies at a bank in Kiti and a jewellery shop in Larnaca have been committed to stand trial before the Larnaca criminal court.
The defendants, aged 41 and 33, appeared before the Larnaca district court on Thursday, which referred the case to the criminal court for trial on October 7 at 8.30am.
The court is expected to decide on Friday whether the pair will remain in custody until the trial begins.
The 41-year-old is a European citizen, while the 33-year-old is a third-country national.
They face multiple charges, including attempted armed robbery of a bank, attempted armed robbery of a jewellery shop, possession of explosives, carrying firearms, causing grievous bodily harm, theft of vehicle registration plates and conspiracy to commit a felony.
Both defence lawyers objected to their clients remaining in custody pending trial.
Lawyer Adriana Klaedes, representing one of the defendants, argued that the prosecution’s evidence was insufficient and that the likelihood of a conviction was “remote”.
She said that despite the large amount of evidence collected during the investigation, none of it linked her client to the offences through DNA or fingerprint evidence.
Klaedes also argued that eyewitness descriptions did not match her client.
“The eyewitnesses described the people involved in the attempted bank robbery as young men,” she told the court. “Some described them as around 20 years old and others between 20 and 35, of average build, and speaking Greek – characteristics that do not correspond with my client.”
The lawyer representing the second defendant also opposed his client’s continued detention, arguing that his previous convictions were not sufficient grounds to justify remanding him in custody until trial. He also adopted the submissions made by Klaidi regarding the strength of the prosecution’s evidence.
The charges relate to two separate incidents investigated by police.
According to police, on the afternoon of June 19, two masked suspects arrived outside a bank branch in Kiti in a saloon car carrying sports bags. They approached the entrance but were unable to gain access because the bank’s controlled entry system prevented the doors from opening. After waiting for a few seconds, they returned to the vehicle and drove away.
The second incident occurred on July 6 at around 9am, when police received a report of an attempted armed robbery at a jewellery shop in Larnaca.
Police said a man dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt, wearing the vest of a food delivery company and a full-face black motorcycle helmet, entered the shop and pointed a handgun at the 73-year-old owner.
The shop owner resisted, prompting the suspect to strike him on the head with the firearm, causing a laceration. Despite his injuries, the victim managed to force the suspect out of the shop before any property was stolen.
The suspect fled in a waiting vehicle believed to have been driven by a second person, who police have previously said was likely a foreign national.
The shop owner was taken to hospital, where his head wound was stitched before he was discharged.
A rise in mosquito complaints in Larnaca during the recent heatwave has prompted questions over the progress of Cyprus’ programme to reduce the population of an invasive mosquito species through the release of sterile males.
Speaking to Sigma on Thursday, health services deputy head, Herodotos Herodotou, said the increase in mosquito activity was mainly due to recent rainfall, which created additional breeding conditions, followed by rising temperatures.
“When temperatures reach 40 degrees, a decrease will be observed,” he said, explaining that the current outbreak did not indicate a failure of the sterilisation programme.
The pilot programme, which began in the Kiti area of Larnaca, uses the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), a biological method in which male mosquitoes are sterilised before being released into the environment.
The sterile males mate with wild female mosquitoes, producing eggs that do not hatch and gradually reducing the population of the species.
Herodotou said the programme had already demonstrated positive results during its pilot phase, with Cyprus developing the necessary expertise through cooperation with laboratories abroad.
During the initial implementation, two health service officers travelled to Austria to receive training in mosquito breeding and sterilisation techniques.
The sterile male mosquitoes are produced from local wild populations, transported to specialised facilities where males are separated from females and then sterilised using ionising radiation before release.
Authorities previously said around 100,000 sterile mosquitoes were being received each week as part of the programme.
The method only releases male mosquitoes, which do not bite humans and cannot spread diseases.
The approach aims to reduce mosquito numbers while limiting the use of chemical insecticides.
Herodotou said EU experts and representatives from local authorities continue to assist Cyprus in preparing staff for wider implementation of the programme.
He also warned that the mosquitoes currently circulating can carry viruses including dengue fever, although Cyprus has not recorded locally transmitted cases.
“We had some incidents that came from abroad, and they were dealt with immediately,” he said.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito is considered an invasive species capable of transmitting several diseases.
SIT has previously been used internationally against other insect species and has increasingly been adopted as a mosquito control measure.
Health authorities said the current increase in mosquito numbers was connected to environmental conditions rather than the presence of sterile males released as part of the control programme.
The consumption of lionfish could help limit the spread of one of the Mediterranean’s most problematic invasive species, marine biologist Evagoras Isaias said on Thursday.
Lionfish, a species native to the Indian Ocean, entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal and has rapidly established itself in Cypriot waters.
With few natural predators in the region, the species has raised concerns over its impact on marine ecosystems by preying on native fish and other marine organisms.
Speaking on Sigma TV, Isaias said the fish could become part of the response to its expansion, arguing that increased demand could encourage its removal by fishermen.
“This is a particularly delicious fish, which can easily be incorporated into the dietary habits of consumers in the Mediterranean,” he said.
He explained that despite its reputation as a poisonous species, lionfish is safe to eat when handled correctly.
The venom is contained in the spines of its fins rather than the flesh, meaning the fish can be cleaned and prepared for consumption once the dangerous parts are removed.
Due to the specialised technique required to catch lionfish with spearguns and the skill needed to clean them safely, the fish at present has a market rate at around €40 per kilo.
The species has been the focus of scientific monitoring and removal efforts in Cyprus, including initiatives by research organisations and programmes aimed at developing a market for lionfish as a food source.
Research director of environmental organisation Enalia Physis Carlos Jimenez, who participated in the EU-funded RELIONMED project, previously said the species had become firmly established in Cyprus waters.
“The lionfish population has spread and has established itself,” he said, adding that larger specimens were becoming increasingly common, particularly at greater depths.
Researchers involved in the project have explored commercial fishing and consumption as a possible method of reducing numbers, although uptake by consumers and restaurants has remained inconsistent.
Isaias said allowing recreational divers to catch lionfish using scuba equipment would not provide a solution, arguing that most specimens are found beyond depths suitable for ordinary recreational diving.
He said lionfish could often be captured more easily in shallow waters, where the species relies on camouflage and remains relatively motionless.
The species has two genetic groups in the Mediterranean, according to Isaias, with research suggesting one arrived naturally through the Suez Canal while another may have originated from aquarium releases.
He warned that releasing non-native species into the environment could create serious ecological problems and urged the public not to introduce aquarium fish into the sea.
While organised removals and fishing initiatives can reduce local populations, Isaias said consumption remained one of the available tools for managing the continued presence of lionfish in Cypriot waters.
An off-duty police officer is facing criminal and disciplinary investigations after allegedly driving under the influence and causing a three-vehicle collision on Thursday morning at the Nicosia General hospital roundabout, where two cars caught fire.
Police said the crash occurred at around 8am when a car driven by the 44-year-old officer collided with a vehicle ahead of him, driven by a 43-year-old woman.
The impact pushed the woman’s vehicle into a third car driven by a 38-year-old man.
The collision caused the vehicles driven by the officer and the woman to burst into flames, while the third vehicle sustained damage to its rear.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze, while ambulances transported all three drivers to the nearby Nicosia general hospital, where they received first aid treatment.
Breathalyser tests were carried out on all three drivers, whereupon police said the 44-year-old recorded a final alcohol reading of 59 micrograms, well above the legal limit of 22 micrograms.
A subsequent inspection also found that the vehicle he was driving did not have a valid MOT certificate.
Police have launched both a criminal investigation and internal disciplinary proceedings against the officer.
The circumstances leading to the collision remain under investigation.
A 46-year-old father and his two adult children, aged 23 and 21, appeared before Famagusta court on Thursday facing 122 charges relating to the alleged abuse of minor family members, police said.
The three defendants requested legal aid. The court reserved its decision and adjourned the case until September 8.
They will remain in custody until then.
The charges relate to alleged offences committed between 2013 and May 2026, including physical and psychological abuse, child abuse, kidnapping, sexual harassment, making threats and causing actual bodily harm.
The defendants are expected to enter their pleas at the next hearing.
School safety remains a “non-negotiable priority” for the government, Education Minister Athena Michaelidou said on Thursday, responding to the Audit Office’s findings on fire safety and health shortcomings in public schools.
Speaking after the cabinet meeting, Michaelidou said the issues identified in the auditor-general’s latest report, including gaps in fire safety certification, were already known to the ministry and had been the focus of work over the past three years.
“The safety and health of children, teachers and staff is a constant priority,” she said.
Michaelidou described the findings as the result of administrative shortcomings that had accumulated over previous decades, adding that the government had invested “tens of millions of euros” to address them.
Of the 25 schools examined during the audit, only 11 had valid electrical installation inspection reports and none held a valid fire safety certificate.
The report also found the ministry did not maintain a centralised register of fire safety certificates, making it “impossible to identify schools at increased risk in a timely manner”.
She said the ministry was strengthening inspections and monitoring mechanisms while introducing clearer timetables to improve compliance across the education system.
“We are recognising the problems and working systematically to resolve them,” she said.
According to the minister, the government had inherited “a system with problems, shortcomings, mainly incomplete procedures”, but was pursuing a comprehensive approach focused on prevention, intervention and oversight rather than isolated improvements at individual schools.
Michaelidou said one of the country’s largest school infrastructure upgrade programmes had been carried out during the past three years, including new school buildings, extensions, renovations and maintenance works that incorporated fire safety measures and electrical upgrades.
She added that more than 90 per cent of Cyprus’ school seismic upgrade programme had been completed and that the ministry was working closely with the fire brigade and the electromechanical department of the Transport Ministry to strengthen inspections.
The minister said the aim was for every school to obtain the required certifications rather than relying solely on inspections.
Michaelidou also insisted air conditioning installation was progressing, with all preschools, lyceums and most gymnasiums expected to be covered before the new school year, while around half of primary schools had already completed the necessary upgrades.
The forestry department has strengthened its ranks with the appointment of four new forestry officers, who took up their duties on Thursday at forestry stations across Cyprus.
The new recruits were welcomed by forestry department head Savvas Iezekiel, who briefed them on the department’s mission, responsibilities and the range of work it carries out.
During the meeting, Iezekiel highlighted the important role the new officers will play in protecting and sustainably managing the island’s state forests.
He also stressed the department’s responsibilities in preventing and responding to forest fires, as well as safeguarding Cyprus’ natural environment for society and future generations.
The forestry department wished the four new officers every success in their new roles and careers in protecting the country’s forests and natural environment.
Cyprus recorded one of the European Union’s longest expected working lives in 2025, with people aged 15 and over projected to spend an average of 39.5 years in employment, according to figures released on Thursday by Eurostat.
The latest data place Cyprus above the EU average of 37.5 years, making it one of the bloc’s strongest performers and placing it just below the group of member states where expected working lives exceed 40 years.
Across the European Union, the expected duration of working life increased from 37.2 years in 2024 to 37.5 years in 2025.
The indicator has risen steadily over the past decade, increasing by 2.3 years since 2016, when the EU average stood at 35.2 years.
Eurostat explained that, despite the overall increase, significant differences remain between member states.
The Netherlands recorded the longest expected working life at 44.0 years, followed by Sweden with 43.4 years, Denmark with 42.6 years, Estonia with 41.5 years, Ireland with 40.7 years, Germany with 40.2 years and Finland with 40.1 years.
With an expected working life of 39.5 years, Cyprus ranked only slightly behind those seven countries and substantially ahead of several other southern European economies.
By comparison, the expected duration of working life stood at 35.3 years in Greece and 30.4 years in neighbouring Turkey.
At the opposite end of the EU rankings, Romania recorded the shortest expected working life at 32.7 years, followed by Italy at 33.0 years and Bulgaria at 34.6 years.
Eurostat’s figures also showed a persistent gap between men and women across the European Union.
Men in the EU are expected to spend an average of 39.5 years in employment, compared with 35.4 years for women.
In Cyprus, men are expected to work for 42.1 years, well above the EU average for men.
Women in Cyprus are expected to remain in employment for 36.7 years, also exceeding the EU average for women.
In neighbouring Greece, the expected working life was 38.5 years for men and 31.8 years for women.
Among men across the EU, the longest expected working lives were recorded in the Netherlands at 45.9 years, followed by Sweden and Denmark, both with 44.5 years, and Ireland with 43.4 years.
The shortest expected working lives for men were found in Bulgaria at 35.9 years, Romania at 36.0 years and Croatia at 36.3 years.
For women, Sweden recorded the longest expected working life at 42.3 years, followed by the Netherlands with 41.9 years and Estonia with 41.8 years.
The shortest expected working lives for women were recorded in Italy at 28.4 years, Romania at 29.1 years and Greece at 31.8 years.
The filter bar in GitHub Projects views now supports advanced search, so you can build the exact view you need with logical AND and OR instead of maintaining a separate view for every question. Just type an expression using OR, AND in the filter bar of any project view.
reviews: search filter. This is backed by the Reviewers field that tracks who’s been requested to review and the latest review submitted by each person.Share your feedback in the GitHub Community.
The post Advanced search for Projects is generally available appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
Repository admins can now archive pull requests to remove them from public view without permanently deleting them.
When a pull request is archived, it is closed and locked. Pull requests can be archived in bulk or on an individual basis. Archived pull requests are only visible to repository admins, and non-admin visitors to the URL receive a 404 response. If you unarchive a pull request, it becomes visible again and remains closed and locked.
This gives you a moderation-focused option for handling spammy or abusive pull requests, supporting legal or policy requirements where deletion is not preferred, and preserving historical context for administrators.
You can also find archived pull requests using the is:archived filter to support triage workflows.
We’d love to hear your feedback. Drop any questions or comments within our Community discussion.
The post Repository admins can archive pull requests appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
GitHub Enterprise Cloud admins can now use the following REST API endpoints to programmatically manage Visual Studio Subscription (VSS) assignments:
GET /enterprises/{enterprise}/visual-studio-subscriptions: Returns all VSS assignments for an enterprise, including whether each assignment has been matched to a GitHub user.PUT /enterprises/{enterprise}/visual-studio-subscriptions: Maps a VSS UPN to a GitHub handle, enabling bulk programmatic matching.DELETE /enterprises/{enterprise}/visual-studio-subscriptions/{visual_studio_subscription_id}: Removes a manual match between a Visual Studio subscription and a GitHub user, allowing admins to correct mistaken assignments or programmatically rematch subscriptions.These endpoints are especially useful for organizations where VSS UPN formats do not align with SCIM identities, a scenario that prevents automatic matching and previously required tedious manual resolution in the UI. Admins can now supply a UPN-to-GitHub-handle crosswalk and script bulk-matching operations.
The post REST API endpoints for Visual Studio Subscription management appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
You can now build and test your Apple applications against Xcode 27 on GitHub-hosted macOS runners. This is now available in public preview.
With early access to the latest Xcode toolchain and Apple SDKs, you can validate your apps against the newest tools, catch compatibility issues sooner, and keep your CI/CD pipelines current.
With this release, we are moving to a new support model for our macOS images. Each image is based on a major Xcode version rather than the underlying operating system, and we will support one major Xcode version per image. This makes it easier to target the exact toolchain your project needs and to know what each runner provides.
To use Xcode 27 in your GitHub Actions workflows, update the runs-on: value to one of the supported labels.
The following labels are supported for the new image:
xcode-27xcode-27-xlargeThis image is only available on our arm64 macOS runners and is not supported on Intel runners. The runner image includes different tools and tool versions than earlier images. To view the full list of installed software or report an issue, visit the runner-images repository.
The post Xcode 27 runner image now in public preview appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
My purpose is to make apispec more faster and efficient. I've used profiler to reduce every bottleneck. But everytime, I find myself hit with the tree building from the DAG (call graph) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_decomposition, I've decided to build the tree to help finding the path per route. This path is constructed by the DAG originally but includes interface, generics resolution, assignment, parameter, and chain tracking to build the correct parent-child relationships. Then, it'll be easier to extract dynamic patterns that is defined by the config.
In general, this way of tree decomposition should prevent of cycles and set limits. Lazy tree has less limits than eager one. Furthermore, I've found that it's faster by around >= 20% in most cases (I don't have a enough cases as an evidence that it's always true. So, I kept both of them till I make sure the worst case to be equal performance with eager tree.
Any thoughts? can anyone help me know how to make sure it works better? any other idea to consider?
I initially aimed to learn rust, but chose go first to master to fundamentals in the things i like without more complexity. Ive ended up loving go and im planning to use it more and further, so what field u suggest to focus on while using it ?
This here page on initializing slices has a section 3 on "Creating a nil slice", e.g.
var nilslice []int
The claim is made that
A nil slice is different from an empty slice (created with []int{}).
I don't see the difference. Is there one? Both have initial length and capacity of zero, and both can be appended to.
| submitted by /u/greenrobot_de [link] [comments] |
| submitted by /u/Nika_84 [link] [comments] |
Narad is a queue-first message broker in a single Go binary: WAL-first produce (fsync before the 202), segmented append-only partition logs with zstd, Raft (hashicorp/raft + bbolt) for cluster metadata, QUIC for node-to-node RPC, HTTP for clients. No CGO, no external dependencies at runtime.
The Go-specific bits that might interest this sub:
AppendJSON instead of encoding/json — and MarshalJSON delegates to it, so the local and RPC-forwarded paths emit byte-identical responses. Getting those two paths to agree found a real bug: json.Marshal on a json.RawMessage compacts and HTML-escapes, so the same message used to come back with different bytes depending on which node answered.The best bug of the project: a freshly elected Raft leader is guaranteed a complete log, not an applied FSM — mine woke up from an old snapshot, trusted its stale memory, and destructively "cleaned up" cursors that were real. The fix is one Barrier() call.
I worked with Go for ~4 months, then switched to Python for big data projects. After 1.5 years, I'm back on a Go project and I've forgotten most of it.
Looking for resources I can finish in about a week—preferably videos and articles. Since I'm coming from Python, I'd especially like:
net/http is enough)Any recommendations?
| I have long been wanting to take advantage of MinLZ being a very fast and fully seekable compression format. The latest version adds searching alongside the compression format, either embedded or as sidecars. At less than a fraction of a bit per byte it is possible to create bloom-like filters that allows rejecting blocks of data from matching possible byte patterns. It is possible to optimize the search tables to recognize specific patterns and save a lot of space that way. The format is - just like the rest of MinLZ - fully spec'ed out. In case you don't know MinLZ, it is a speed focused, production proven compressor offering generic compression at very high speeds with both concurrent compression and decompression. See examples and more at https://github.com/minio/minlz/releases/tag/v1.2.0 [link] [comments] |
I recently realized it's been almost eight years since I last wrote Go professionally.
My career has mostly taken me into JavaScript/TypeScript projects. Every company I joined was already using that stack, so I naturally spent my time there and never really had a chance to work with Go again.
I'd like to get back into it, but I also know the language and ecosystem have evolved quite a bit since then.
Rather than jumping straight into coding, I'd like to understand what has changed and what experienced Go developers consider standard practice today.
If you were in my position, where would you start? Are there any features, tools, or changes that you think are essential to learn before building a new project?