Friday, August 14, 2026
f671434d-9552-43c7-9480-4980827e5783
| Summary | ⛅️ Mostly clear until afternoon, returning in the evening. |
|---|---|
| Temperature Range | 25°C to 32°C (76°F to 89°F) |
| Feels Like | Low: 83°F | High: 104°F |
| Humidity | 74% |
| Wind | 12 km/h (7 mph), Direction: 251° |
| Precipitation | Probability: 68%, Type: No precipitation expected |
| Sunrise / Sunset | 🌅 06:07 AM / 🌇 07:36 PM |
| Moon Phase | Waxing Crescent (6%) |
| Cloud Cover | 28% |
| Pressure | 1005.6 hPa |
| Dew Point | 74.44°F |
| Visibility | 6.05 miles |
Tasos Markou was a major when he disappeared during the second phase of the Turkish invasion in Mia Milia in 1974, but for his son, who was six years old at the time, “he was not the hero people know, he was my father”.
In an interview with Cyprus News Agency’s Emily Lambrou, Paris Markou recalled the loss of his father, the handful of memories he has of him and what it was like growing up in his absence.
“I remember him wearing his uniform at home. He was a calm, serious man and his presence made us feel safe.”
Years later, Paris followed his father into military life, and the picture he had formed of him took on a different meaning.
“I understood what the uniform meant to him and the weight of the responsibility he bore […] A commander is not just someone who gives orders. He is the one to step to the front and the first to take the responsibility,” he explained.
On the day of his disappearance, Tasos Markou contacted his wife and asked her to take their children to her parents in Limassol to keep them safe. He also told her that from that moment on, she should stand by their children and take care of them because “my soldiers are now my children“.
Paris said those words hurt him when he was young.
“I used to wonder how he could say that his soldiers were his children, when he had us.”
It was not until he joined the military himself that he understood what his father had meant.
Paris remembers the invasion as a time of fear and anguish.
“I remember the sirens, the radio, the information coming in pieces. We had gone to Limassol to stay safe but we didn’t know where our father was or if he was well.”
For his mother, a lifetime of searching began. Paris says he does not know how his mother managed.
She died in 2004 without ever receiving the answer she had been waiting for.
“Until we have a documented answer, my father remains missing,” he said.
Growing up was not easy for Paris, who acknowledged the weight of the name he carried.
“For the world, he was Tasos Markou, the hero of Mia Milia. For us, he was the father who never came home. You grow up, of course, with pride, but pride does not fill the empty place at the table, it does not replace the father at celebrations, at difficult times or life decisions.”
After joining the army and attending military school, Paris met people who had known his father.
“I felt that I had to prove day in, day out who I am and make sure I lived up to his name.”
He said the state had a duty to continue seeking answers for the families of those who remain missing.
“The state must continue to seek answers, not just for Tasos Markou, but for every missing person and every family waiting.”
Paris, now retired from the army, said the best way to honour those who fought for Cyprus was “not to deliver past divisions to the next generations, but the prospect for a better tomorrow”.
“History should not be an instrument of hate. It should help us understand our mistakes and not repeat them.”
Tasos Markou was born in Paralimni in 1936 and is one of the most prominent figures in Cyprus’ modern history, known for his involvement in the 1955-1959 Eoka struggle and his actions during the Turkish invasion in 1974.
He attended the Hellenic Military Academy and, upon returning to Cyprus, joined the newly established National Guard.
Markou opposed the July 15, 1974 coup and subsequently served at Mia Milia during the Turkish invasion.
During the second phase of the invasion, he refused to abandon his post and attempted to cover his men as they withdrew.
The last time he contacted the general staff was on the afternoon of August 15, 1974, saying he was staying to fight. Since then, there has been no trace of him.
He is considered a missing person and for the people a hero and symbol of self sacrifice. After his disappearance, he received an honorary promotion to lieutenant general.
Former Disy boss Averof Neophytou on Thursday had some advice for MEP and social media influencer Fidias Panayiotou, urging him to choose between being popular and being useful to his country.
During a podcast hosted by Panayiotou, there were moments of levity as the two teased one another.
At one point, Neophytou told the younger politician: “Sometimes you call me ‘grandfather’, you could be my son.”
He added: “You went into politics making mistakes, you’ve done things that provoked.”
Later during the conversation, Neophytou urged Panayiotou to choose between popularity and “doing the right thing for your country”.
Neophytou, who chaired the Disy party from 2013 to 2023, is aged 65. Panayiotou is 26 years old.
Their discussion also covered the Cyprus issue, with Neophytou criticising both President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman.
“We have no substantive negotiations. Each side blames the other,” he said.
He also complained that whenever something appears to be moving, certain quarters “start warning about the dangers of a settlement”.
The conversation turned to the internal poll conducted by Disy, which reportedly showed that current party leader Annita Demetriou is their best bet for the 2028 presidential elections.
The poll found that, among other Disy personalities, she stood the best chance of making it to the runoff, regardless of the other parties’ presidential nominees.
Here, Neophytou said he had not been consulted or even informed about the in-house poll.
The labour ministry on Thursday announced a deal was clinched between workers and employers at the Larnaca desalination plant, averting the possibility of strike action.
The dispute was over renewal of the collective agreement and pay.
The labour ministry – which acted as mediator – said the collective agreement has been renewed for three years – spanning January 1, 2026 through to December 31, 2028.
Following talks and a mediation proposal, the two sides agreed that weekly work hours will be gradually reduced from 40 to 38. In addition, salary increases are guaranteed for each year of the renewed collective agreement, hiring salaries will go up, and the employer will contribute more to the provident fund.
Earlier, trade unions representing workers had intimated strike action.
The agreement concerns the company MN Larnaca Desalination Ltd.
A joint venture of Mekorot – the national water company of Israel – and Netcom, the company landed the contract for the Larnaca desalination plant in 2015.
Under the contract, which runs until 2040, the company is paid a rate of €0.6 per cubic metre.
The Larnaca plant generates approximately 60,000 cubic metres of desalinated water daily.
The Pharmaceutical Services on Thursday warned patients not to stop taking their medication following a recall issued by pharmaceutical company Remedica earlier this week, cautioning that doing so could have serious consequences.
“Patients should under no circumstances discontinue their treatment on their own. They are urged to follow the instructions of their treating physician and, where necessary, proceed with a replacement treatment in accordance with the relevant medical instructions,” the service said.
It stressed that medicines containing the same active substance or appropriate alternative treatments had been identified for the vast majority of the recalled products, assuring patients that all necessary measures were being taken to ensure continuity of treatment.
“The issue concerns product stability parameters and does not concern a finding of toxicity or that the specific products are harmful to patients,” the service said.
It added that the recall was a precautionary measure carried out under the safety regulations governing the production and distribution of pharmaceutical products.
According to the Pharmaceutical Services, Remedica voluntarily recalled specific pharmaceutical products after stability studies identified results outside the specified limits.
“By its nature, such a recall cannot be predicted or scheduled in advance. In this case, immediately after the issue was raised, the required procedures were activated by the company and the competent authorities,” the service said.
Remedica issued a recall for several batches of nine pharmaceutical products on Monday, while stressing that there were no safety concerns for patients taking the affected medicines.
The affected medications include Carvidex, a prescription beta-blocker medication used to treat high blood pressure, heart-related chest pain (angina), and heart failure; and Clonotril, primarily used to treat seizure disorders (epilepsy) and panic or anxiety.
The recall saw doctors having to modify patients’ prescriptions, while at the same time patients described difficulties getting in touch with their physician or local pharmacies as they remain shut ahead of the upcoming holiday.
Restaurants, cafes and bars are buzzing with business this August, although customers – Cypriots and foreigners alike – are cautious with their spending, industry sources said on Thursday.
According to Neofytos Thrasyvoulou, head of the association of entertainment venues (Osika), occupancy currently ranges at about 80 per cent across all districts – mostly thanks to locals.
Cypriots are still going out for a meal or for drinks, even though they’re on a tighter budget.
Speaking to Stockwatch, Thrasyvoulou took the opportunity to urge establishments to strive to keep the quality of services high and also charge affordable prices – despite increased costs due to more expensive raw materials.
Regarding prices, meze goes for around €25 to €30 a person, buffets for €27 to €35, and grilled food for €20 to €30.
Cypriots go for meze and grilled meats, while Europeans prefer hamburgers, salads and sandwiches.
Thrasyvoulou also appealed to the government to loosen up regulations on the hiring of non-EU persons wishing to work in the catering business.
Fanos Leventis, head of the Pasika association, likewise said that Cypriots account for the vast majority of customers.
“Things changed drastically in August in relation to previous months, as Cypriots choose to spend their holidays at seaside venues,” he said.
Many also spend their leisure time in the mountains – with Kakopetria, Platres and Kalopanayiotis the top destinations.
However, stays in the mountains are shorter – usually one-day excursions.
Regarding Cypriots’ culinary preferences, they go for local cuisine – meze and kebab.
Images showing rubbish and dirty water floating off the Limassol pier have prompted concern online, with a social media user claiming children were swimming and diving in the area.
The video was posted in the Limassol Facebook group and was reportedly filmed near the entrance to the old Port.
The user said children were “swimming, diving from the pier” while rubbish could be seen floating in the water nearby.
The post also questioned the condition of the water, sarcastically calling for “brown flags” to replace the blue flags awarded to beaches meeting cleanliness and environmental standards.
The footage prompted reactions from other users, who expressed concern over the condition of the area.
Cyprus received Blue Flag recognition for 46 beaches this year, however the Limassol molos was not included on the list.
A 22-year-old woman was injured when the quad bike she was driving went through a guardrail and fell into the sea at Cape Greco on Thursday.
The accident happened at around 11am near the sea caves area of Ayia Napa, according to police.
Preliminary investigations found that the woman was driving the four-wheeled motorcycle in a parking area with a 26-year-old passenger.
The driver allegedly lost control while attempting to park.
The two occupants fell into a nearby ditch, while the quad bike carried on, crossed the guardrails and ended up in the sea.
The 22-year-old was taken to Famagusta general hospital, where she was found to have suffered a fractured vertebra. She remains in hospital.
Videos of the incident circulated on social media, showing the quad bike entering the water as people nearby watched.
Police attended the scene and carried out examinations as part of the investigation.
The sea caves have previously been the scene of accidents involving people falling from rocks and sustaining injuries.
Authorities have installed fencing and other safety measures in parts of the area in response to the risks.
Customs agents confiscated 245kg of bovine hides and offal on Wednesday evening, as well as the transport vehicle, during a routine check at Ayios Dhometios crossing point.
The customs department said the vehicle with Republic of Cyprus registration plates was being driven by a foreigner, who was arrested on the spot and released on Thursday with an out-of-court settlement of €2,000 and a further €500 for the return of the vehicle.
The transport of animals and or animal products from the occupied north to the south is strictly forbidden by the Green Line Regulation.
The confiscated animal products will be destroyed.
A hotel cleaner was arrested in Paphos after a tourist reported that gold jewellery worth around €1,000 had been stolen from her room, police said on Thursday.
The tourist discovered that two pieces of gold jewellery were missing after returning to her hotel room.
An investigation by the hotel and police found that a cleaner had used a master key to enter the room.
The room was not among those assigned to her for cleaning.
The woman was questioned by police and reportedly admitted to the theft.
She was arrested and remains in police custody as investigations continue.
Environmental organisations expressed “strong disappointment and concern” over the termination of Antonia Theodosiou as environment commissioner, lamenting her departure as a loss of environmental expertise for Cyprus.
In a joint statement issued on Thursday, environmental and cultural groups thanked Theodosiou for her “contribution to nature, environment protection, and animal welfare.
The organisations said her departure represented a “loss of valuable knowledge and experience” and argued that Cyprus needed “more, not less, scientific knowledge and expertise in public office”.
Theodosiou was appointed by President Nikos Christodoulides in January 2024 after working on the Akamas sustainable development plan.
Her appointment was controversial from the outset, with the Ecologists stressing that it did not represent an agreement between the party and the government.
The position itself was further subject to criticism, for the party questioned the institutional status of the commissioner, arguing that the office had existed since 2006 without sufficient legal basis, structure or powers to implement environmental policy effectively.
Theodosiou came under fire following a House committee hearing over the Limassol wildfires, when she admitted she had not personally met Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou over environmental restoration.
Akel MP Aristos Damianou described her conduct at the time as “institutional absence and inaction”.
In March 2025, Theodosiou opposed a request concerning the training of hunting dogs in protected Natura 2000 areas.
Her office called for the game and fauna service to revoke a decree concerning 13 protected areas.
The dispute put her office against the Game and Fauna Service and hunting interests over whether dog training should be permitted in protected areas.
In May, she called for the immediate cancellation of environmental approval for roadworks between the Baths of Aphrodite and Fontana Amorosa in Akamas, warning of possible damage to protected ecosystems and breaches of environmental requirements.
She also publicly challenged aspects of the management of Akamas, arguing in June that the current administrative structure made it difficult to manage the peninsula as a single natural and cultural area.
Theodosiou argued for an end to the euthanasia of healthy stray dogs when homes could not be found within 30 days and highlighted problems with uncontrolled breeding and inadequate shelters and veterinary services.
Her comments prompted criticism online, leading her office to accuse some social media posts of containing “incorrect and misleading statements”.
Her office was also drawn into questions surrounding a multi-storey house near the Kryos river in Platres.
After environmentalists questioned how permission had been granted for construction in the sensitive area, Theodosiou said an investigation was examining the circumstances surrounding the permit and later proposed measures to make the building more compatible with its surroundings.
The government has since replaced Theodosiou with former Edek MP Elias Myrianthous.
Limassol district court on Thursday ordered two men, aged 30 and 37, to be remanded for seven days over the alleged stabbing and assault of a 44-year-old man.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night at a home in Limassol, where the victim was with the two suspects, who are brothers.
He was taken to Limassol general hospital with lacerations to his head and neck, as well as an injury to his nose.
He remains in hospital.
Police later arrested the two suspects after locating a vehicle belonging to the 30-year-old.
A knife was found inside the vehicle, while another knife was found in the possession of the 37-year-old when he was arrested.
The court ordered the two men to be remanded for seven days while police continue their investigation.
The UK Ministry of Defence is buying additional air raid warning sirens for RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, with the new system designed to provide warning coverage for both the military base and neighbouring Akrotiri village.
The additional warning system comes at a time of heightened regional instability, following the drone attack in March. with RAF Akrotiri occupying a strategically important position in the eastern Mediterranean.
According to a UK government contract award notice published on Thursday, and as cited in the UK Defence Journal, the £800,000 contract covers a new rapidly deployable air raid warning system to supplement sirens already installed at the base.
The five-year contract is due to run from October 26, 2026, with the earliest date for its signature listed as August 25.
The new equipment will be required to produce distinct warning tones for an air raid or imminent threat, as well as an all-clear signal. It will also have the capacity to broadcast both live and pre-recorded voice announcements.
Crucially, the system must be portable and capable of operating independently of fixed infrastructure, allowing it to be rapidly deployed where required.
The contract includes the supply and commissioning of the system, as well as documentation, training, warranty and through-life support.
Two bids were submitted under an open procurement procedure, both from small and medium-sized enterprises.
The contract was awarded to a Boston-based US company.
Court summer holidays in Cyprus are a “very good” system that serves several purposes, Nicosia bar association chairman Stefanos Skordis said on Thursday.
Skordis said similar arrangements were in place in courts in other countries.
In Cyprus, the Supreme Court and district courts observe a summer recess from July 10 to September 9, although cases or other judicial proceedings may still be heard if instructed by the judge responsible.
“These are not exactly holidays,” Skordis said, explaining that while trials were generally not held during the summer period, judges continued to deal with urgent matters.
He said the recess also gave judges and lawyers time to deal with paperwork and other pending matters, as well as prepare for the new judicial year.
For these reasons, Skordis said he saw no need to change the current system.
The summer holiday – with the exception of the last seven days – is not taken into account in the calculation of procedural deadlines, unless the court orders otherwise.
Other European countries have similar arrangements, ranging from special summer court sittings to the postponement of most proceedings.
In Greece, summer court divisions operate from July 1 to September 15 to cover the needs of courts and prosecutors, with only certain categories of cases heard during this period.
In Spain, August is generally considered a non-working month for judicial proceedings, with exceptions for urgent cases.
The same applies in Italy, which only deals with labour disputes in August.
In Belgium, courts close from July 1 till August 31, where the European e-Justice portal identifies consequences, such as postponing some deadlines till September 15.
Ireland is of particular relevance to Cyprus as both have common law legal systems. According to the e-Justice portal, court sittings are limited during judicial holidays, with special sittings available for urgent matters.
During August and September, sittings of Ireland’s High Court and Circuit Court are limited, subject to specific exceptions.
The Court of Justice of the European Union follows a similar system during its judicial holidays, with proceedings generally suspended unless circumstances require immediate attention. Its summer judicial holiday runs from July 16 to August 31.
Low-flying aircraft seen over the Kiti and Pervolia areas on Thursday were Greek F-16 fighter jets and a French C-130 military transport aircraft operating as part of routine activities, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said.
Residents reported seeing military aircraft flying over the area, prompting concerns.
Palmas said the fighter jets were operating from the Andreas Papandreou air base in Paphos under existing bilateral protocols.
He said the aircraft were carrying out low-level flights along the Paphos-Troodos-Larnaca route as part of their scheduled operational activities.
Palmas added that the transport aircraft was a French C-130, which departed from Larnaca airport.
Asked about violations of Cyprus’ airspace, the defence minister said incursions by Turkish F-16 fighter jets occur frequently.
He added that whenever such violations are recorded, the Republic of Cyprus lodges the appropriate diplomatic protests through the competent state authorities.
Migration Deputy Minister Nicholas Ioannides has accused unnamed circles of attempting to shift responsibility away from the government of former president Demetris Christofias for the 2011 Mari explosion.
Writing on social media on Thursday, Ioannides, whose father, Admiral Andreas Ioannides, was among those killed, alleged there was a “systematic effort” to deflect responsibility from the Christofias government and to “canonise” former defence minister Costas Papacostas.
“As relatives of the fallen, we are closely monitoring these immoral actions and will return with announcements,” he said.
Ioannides referred to the findings of the independent inquiry led by Polys Polyviou, which examined the circumstances surrounding the explosion at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base on July 11, 2011.
The blast killed 13 people, including six firefighters and senior military officers, causing extensive damage to the nearby Vasilikos power station.
The explosion followed the storage of 98 containers of seized military material at the naval base for more than two years.
The containers had been confiscated from the Monchegorsk, a vessel carrying military material from Iran to Syria.
The Polyviou report, published in 2011, attributed “very serious” institutional and personal responsibility to then defence minister Papacostas and foreign minister Markos Kyprianou.
It placed the “greatest responsibility” on Christofias as president and head of the government.
“It was the decisions and policy of president Christofias that led to the cargo remaining in Cyprus for a long time, under unacceptable storage conditions,” the report stated.
Christofias rejected the findings and denied any personal responsibility.
Papacostas was later convicted by the Larnaca assize court of manslaughter and causing death through his own negligence.
Three senior fire brigade officials were also convicted, while Kyprianou and former National Guard deputy chief Savvas Argyrou were acquitted.
Separately, a military court convicted former National Guard chief Petros Tsalikidis in 2016 of 13 counts of negligent homicide by omission and sentenced him to seven years in prison.
Cyprus will make its debut in padel at the Mediterranean Games ‘Taranto 26’, marking the first time the sport has been included in the country’s delegation for the event.
The Cyprus Olympic Committee said padel, which comes under the Cyprus Tennis Federation, is one of the newest sports in Cyprus but has already gained widespread international recognition.
Cyprus Padel Federation president Dimitris Leontis welcomed the decision, saying the team hoped to put in a strong performance after previously competing in a European championship.
The six-member padel team consists of Sergis Kyratzis, Christopher Koutrouzas, Petros Chrysochos, Giovanna Knezevic, Maria Siopacha and Lena Savva. Cyprus will field one men’s team, one women’s team and one mixed team.
The men’s and women’s matches will begin on Saturday, August 22, with the mixed team’s first round taking place later that afternoon.
The Cyprus Tennis Federation will have 11 athletes at the Games, its largest-ever presence at the Mediterranean Games.
The tennis team includes Menelaos Efstathiou, Eleftherios Neos, Andreas Timini, Ralouka Serban and Andrea Georgiou Papakyriakou.
Kyratzis, a former tennis champion, said the team was grateful for the opportunity and hoped for a favourable draw.
He also expressed hope that padel, which is growing rapidly worldwide, would eventually become an Olympic sport.
Akamas municipality is preparing to install an artificial reef off Coral Bay in an effort to reduce coastal erosion, with work on the €280,000 pilot project expected to begin following a tender process announced on Thursday.
The project will involve placing some 220 concrete structures on the seabed 130 metres from the shore.
The reef will cover an area around 100 metres long and will sit about four metres below the surface.
The scheme is part of the Eco-Beachtech project, a joint initiative involving the University of the Aegean, the Eratosthenes centre of excellence at Tepak and the municipality.
The structures are intended to reduce the impact of waves on the coastline and help slow the loss of sand from Coral Bay.
They will also provide new areas for marine life to grow and shelter.
Most of the structures will be built by the contractor carrying out the project.
A further 20 smaller units will be made by the Eratosthenes centre using 3D printing.
Researchers will monitor the different designs to see how well they attract marine life.
The reef will also be used for scientific research and could provide an area for snorkelling and free diving.
The project follows surveys carried out in the area last year to examine the seabed, coastline and wave conditions and determine where the reef should be placed.
The plans come after Coral Bay suffered significant erosion following storms this winter.
Akamas mayor Marinos Lambrou said last week that the beach had indeed become smaller, forcing the municipality to reduce the number of sunbeds by half.
Media website ink.com has called on police union Isotita to explain who exactly has been “paying” the site to post information as the trade union had claimed, otherwise the case will take its legal course.
Isotita had said an “anonymous article” had appeared on Ink under the title “Isotita trade union and Caesar’s wife” and claimed that the article was published “for a fee, obviously”.
“This had been preceded by a heated telephone call from the union’s president to a journalist from the media outlet, with references to a libel lawsuit,” Ink said.
It added that Isotita then took legal action against publisher Digital Tree for five related articles.
Ink dismissed the allegations of bribery and gave the union 48 hours to present evidence.
The management of the media outlet said it stood ready to defend its journalistic research and had already informed its legal advisors of the case.
Ink said the series of articles were signed by Filiki Eteria, Newsroom and journalist Loizos Antoniou.
It added that the media outlet is part of Digital Tree e-Publishers Ltd, with 196 employees and 50 associates, spanning 14 years of presence in the media sector, thus if an article is not signed, then the publisher, both as an individual and a company, bears the legal responsibility.
Ink fully adopted the articles concerning a member of Isotita and the trade union itself in terms of the facts and the views they contain.
On August 3, between the second and third article, Isotita chairman Prodromos Christofi contacted Loizos Antoniou and threatened a libel lawsuit and demanded yes or no answers.
“Loizos responded calmly, supporting the validity of the source of information, which of course he did not disclose,” Ink said.
Following the telephone call, Isotita posted on Facebook that the Ink article was “a disgrace to journalism” and had been “written for a fee, obviously”.
Ink said the “disgrace” aspect was a matter of opinion, but the accusations about being paid were “another thing altogether”.
“This is not criticism of our journalism. It is not a characterisation of an article. It is a specific allegation that touches upon the professional integrity of a medium and the people working there. To put it simply: bribery. A corrupt medium or a corrupt journalist,” Ink pointed out.
Ink said this was “unfair, unless of course you can prove it”.
“This is exactly why we will not be ignoring this. He now has 48 hours to tell us who. Who paid. Who was paid. How much he paid. And for which article,” Ink added.
If he cannot deliver, then “he must take responsibility for what he published”.
Ink said Isotita also published a long text with its own positions, followed by its legal actions on the five articles.
The outlet said there was a clear difference between the media and trade unions, in that the media can research a story, publish information and express criticism without necessarily anyone responding with pressure, threats and attempts to silence it.
However, the public accusation that Ink is writing for a fee “will not remain unanswered”.
“The 48 hours are counting. You said someone is paying us to write. Now prove it,” Ink concludes in open response to Isotita.
A second griffon vulture chick born in Cyprus this year has been fitted with a GPS tracker, allowing conservation teams to monitor its movements after it leaves its nest.
The chick hatched in mid-May in the Limnatis valley special protection area and was tagged last Monday by the game and fauna service in cooperation with BirdLife Cyprus.
A professional climber assisted the team in safely reaching the nest, which is perched on a cliff, and returning the chick after the transmitter was fitted.
The GPS device will provide information on the young vulture’s movements, while its behaviour will be closely monitored during the first months after leaving the nest.
The period is considered particularly critical as young vultures gradually become independent and integrate into the wider population.
Both parents of the chick were among griffon vultures transferred from Spain as part of efforts to strengthen the species’ population on the island.
The initiative received support from the Spanish embassy in Cyprus.
Three pairs of griffon vultures successfully bred in Cyprus this year, the first time since 2021 that three pairs have done so.
The breeding success in Limnatis valley is particularly significant as the area had not recorded a breeding pair for some 16 years.
Vultures continued to use the site as a roosting area, but the last recorded breeding there was in 2010.
Two of the biggest customs seizures recorded at the British bases’ crossing point of Pergamos this summer resulted in almost €8,000 in fines, as officers stepped up inspections during the busy holiday period, issuing in total close to €11,000 in fines since July 1.
The largest seizure took place on July 4, when officers stopped two passengers travelling in separate taxis that arrived one after the other at the Pergamos crossing.
A top officer for customs and immigration Katerina Christofi said officers suspected the pair were travelling together but had deliberately chosen separate vehicles in an attempt to avoid detection.
One passenger was found carrying 13.1kg of hand-rolling tobacco, while the second was carrying a further 5.65kg. Combined fines totalling €6,300 were issued.
A second significant seizure followed on August 4, when customs officers discovered 2,400 cigarettes, 500 grams of hand-rolling tobacco and 600 electronic cigarettes hidden inside the folding roof compartment of a convertible vehicle.
The driver was fined €1,680.
The cases form part of a wider enforcement effort by the bases’ customs and immigration, which has seized 17,500 cigarettes, 21 kilogrammes of hand-rolling tobacco and 5,500 e-cigarettes since July 1.
During the same period, around 115,000 vehicles passed through the crossing points at the British bases, where 50 operational customs officers carry out round-the-clock inspections. In total, officers issued close to €11,000 in fines.
Christofi said customs and immigration officers maintain a 24-hour presence at both Pergamos and Strovilia crossing points to prevent the illegal movement of goods.
“Customs and Immigration officers maintain a 24-hour presence at both crossing points, working tirelessly to intercept illegal goods and subsequently issue strong fines,” she said.
“Given the high volume of traffic crossing during the peak summer period, it is imperative that our officers remain vigilant to enforce compliance with the rules and regulations and that any violations are dealt with robustly.”
GitHub now uses package registries like npmjs.org and PyPI to determine license information for software components in the dependency graph. This improves the accuracy and completeness of the licenses shown in dependency insights, software bills of materials (SBOMs), the open source license compliance feature in GitHub Advanced Security, and the dependency review action.
Previously, the primary source of license information on GitHub was the ClearlyDefined service. While we still use and contribute to ClearlyDefined, we’ve found that its focus on depth-first file scanning led to complex results that users found confusing. We’ll still fall back to ClearlyDefined data, but will now prioritize license information from the package registries. Early results show that we’ve cut the number of missing licenses in half, from 45% of the 170 million packages in the dependency graph down to 24%. Additionally, the system now tracks version ranges instead of requiring a specific database entry for every version, so the actual coverage will be higher.
To explain further, the dependency graph service now uses metadata from the canonical registry for a given package ecosystem, as described in the following table.
| Package Manager | Registry |
|---|---|
| npm | npmjs.org |
| NuGet | nuget.org |
| Python | pypi.org |
| Rubygems | rubygems.org |
| Rust | crates.io |
| Go | pkg.go.dev |
| Maven | deps.dev |
| Dart | pub.dev |
| PHP | packagist.org |
The dependency graph service keeps license history based on version ranges. For example, Grafana, which relicensed from Apache to AGPL, has two entries: one covering 1.0.0 through 7.5.17 for Apache-2.0, and one from 8.0.0 or newer for AGPLv3. This both reduces the complexity of the database and provides license information for new versions without requiring each one to be added explicitly.
Updated license information is available now across all of GitHub.
Join the discussion within GitHub Community.
The post License data quality improvements appeared first on The GitHub Blog.
You can now block or unblock users directly from comments on pull requests and issues in repositories owned by personal GitHub accounts.
To block or unblock a user:
This shortcut makes it faster for maintainers to manage spam and unwanted activity without leaving the pull request or issue.
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Gemini 3.7 Flash, Google’s latest Flash model, is now rolling out in GitHub Copilot. From our early testing, the model has made improvements in web and app development and agentic coding workflows over it’s previous version. The model also delivers improvements in code quality, final-output presentation, codebase research, and verification during complex coding tasks.
This model is billed at provider list pricing under usage-based billing. See GitHub Copilot’s pricing for models and requests for details.
Gemini 3.7 Flash 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 must enable the Gemini 3.7 Flash Preview policy in Copilot settings before anyone in their organization can select it.
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.
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If you are like me, you admire the simplicity and speed of go and go templates.
The only down side has been the lack of type-safety when working inside the templates.
I have been working on this vscode extension to change that. Give it a try!!
I know python has a lib named ebooklib.but i don't know that similar lib in Golang.
Do you have any recommendations?
Go's static binaries make it a pretty natural fit for minimal or distroless style images, so I've been comparing options beyond the usual scratch or distroless base. There are a few Go focused minimal image providers now that get rebuilt continuously to keep CVEs near zero, which seems appealing since Go apps rarely need much beyond the binary itself.
Anyone compared final image size, build times, or runtime behavior across scratch, distroless, and these newer minimal options for Go services? Also, if anyone's hit issues with CGO dependencies or DNS resolution on the more stripped down bases.
I can see many good projects in Python doing this. But are there any good ones in Golang? I can see there are ADK Go and DsPy Go. What else can we use?
I'm publishing Sandwich Hime for early classroom, prototype, and evaluation use--not requesting a code review or claiming final-v1 stability. I've personally used earlier iterations in production since I began building it in November 2025, but I'm deliberately setting a more conservative support expectation for the public Beta.
I began building it in November 2025 and have used earlier iterations in my own production work since then. This Beta is the result of opening that work to the public: formalizing the language and security boundaries, producing reproducible releases, documenting the compiler/runtime split, and publishing the tutorial, documentation, and editor tooling.
Sandwich Hime is an HTML-first, ahead-of-time template engine for Go. I wanted the immediacy of PHP/Razor-style mixed markup while retaining typed Go boundaries, contextual output handling, ordinary builds, and reviewable generated source.
html <?sando go package views func Greeting(name string) ?> <section> <h1>Hello, <?= name ?></h1> <?~ Navigation() ?> </section>
Hime-san validates the template's supported HTML contexts and generates ordinary typed Go source, which is compiled by the normal Go toolchain. Unlike runtime template engines, production does not parse templates or resolve template names. Unlike code-first HTML builders, HTML remains the primary source language. The application continues to own HTTP, routing, caching, and deployment.
Current evidence:
v1.0.0-beta.2; independently versioned Apache-2.0 runtime v1.0.0-beta.1Server-Timing, while Gamertan renders uncached request data and timestampsOpenAI Codex materially assisted implementation, tests, documentation, and security assessment. I remain responsible for the project's design, review, and releases.
Project: https://sandwichhime.com/
Tutorial: https://sandwichhime.com/docs/tutorial/
Security: https://sandwichhime.com/docs/security/
Source: https://gitea.speelman.ca/gamertan/sandwich-hime
| Isledb is an embedded Go key-value database library on S3 using LSM trees.
Source Code: https://github.com/ankur-anand/isledb Blog: Outlines all the design in detail and various nuances and decisions: https://medium.com/@ankur_anand/building-a-key-value-database-on-s3-in-go-fb08d040f0af [link] [comments] |