Monday, July 6, 2026
882f916c-a364-47af-985f-0e0c2d3e396a
| Summary | ⛅️ Mostly clear until afternoon, returning in the evening. |
|---|---|
| Temperature Range | 23°C to 30°C (73°F to 85°F) |
| Feels Like | Low: 81°F | High: 97°F |
| Humidity | 82% |
| Wind | 12 km/h (7 mph), Direction: 230° |
| Precipitation | Probability: 8%, Type: No precipitation expected |
| Sunrise / Sunset | 🌅 05:40 AM / 🌇 08:04 PM |
| Moon Phase | Waning Gibbous (70%) |
| Cloud Cover | 31% |
| Pressure | 1007.7 hPa |
| Dew Point | 73.31°F |
| Visibility | 5.81 miles |
Exactly 30 years ago on Monday, on July 6, 1996, Turkish Cypriot journalist Kutlu Adali was machine gunned to death outside his home in Nicosia, the first in what was arguably Cyprus’ most violent summer since 1974.
Greek Cypriot demonstrators Tassos Isaac and Solomos Solomou, and Turkish soldier Allahverdi Kilic all also met politically charged deaths during that same summer.
Unlike in the cases of Isaac, Solomou and Kilic, however, the death of Adali was not fuelled by the heat of the moment, but instead a calculated assassination, with most accounts describing his killing as a planned act carried out in retaliation for a series of articles he had written two and a half months prior.
The articles related to an armed robbery carried out at Famagusta’s St Barnabas monastery, during which, according to reports at the time, millions of dollars’ worth of ancient artefacts were stolen, and the tomb of St Barnabus was dug into.
Initially, Adali reported in Yeniduzen that around 15 armed assailants had entered the monastery on the evening of March 14, 1996, capturing its security guards.
He also disclosed the identities of the vehicles used to transport the assailants to and from the monastery before suggesting that two of them belonged to the Turkish Cypriot civil defence.
Additionally, he reported that what was taken from the monastery was likely not a set of artefacts which had belonged to it, but looted property from elsewhere in the north that had been hidden there during and after 1974, while also asking how it could be possible for a group of men “who resembled a small army” to carry out such an operation without being detected at the time.
The police were only alerted to the incident at 9am the following day – 14 hours after the robbery had begun and 10 hours after it finished.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Cypriot ruling coalition of the day, led by Hakki Atun, as well as the police and the armed forces, made no public statement on the matter for five days.
When Atun did eventually make a statement, he described the robbery as a “military operation, prompting Adali to put the pieces together in an article printed in March 23, 1996’s edition of Yeniduzen.
“They say that during the operation of July 20, 1974, jewels, gold, silver and diamonds collected from Greek Cypriot houses, churches, banks and jewellery shops were taken by a major and buried in a cave where St Barnabus’ grave was,” he wrote.
He added that the major had “intended to come and get them when the war was over”, but was instead promoted to the rank of general, before retiring.
“Twenty-one yeas later, he told the people he trusted in Cyprus about the situation and ordered an armed raid. They took the jewels and fled to Turkey by plane the same night,” he wrote.
He said Atun “should have jumped on a plane the next day to protest this operation” in Turkey, given that it was “undertaken by disregarding this state, its governments, and its laws”.
“If the TRNC is a state and proud of it, and you, Hakki Atun, are the head of its government, you have the right to complain about and protest what is happening in your own country, those who violate the laws, think themselves above the authorities and the law itself, and those who think they can do everything irresponsibly in this country,” he said.
Two and a half months later, he was machine gunned to death.
Police investigations into his death proved inconclusive, with no charges ever being brought against any individual for the shooting.
In response, his widow, Ilkay Adali, took Turkey to the European Court of Human Rights on the grounds that the investigation was “inadequate” and “unconvincing”. The court settled in her favour, and awarded her €95,000 in compensation and court expenses.
Nonetheless, theories have arisen as to who may have been behind the operation, with some pointing to Turkish nationalist organisation the Grey Wolves, and others to the Turkish Revenge Brigade, another nationalist organisation which had been linked to other attacks in Turkey.
In 2021, gang leader Sedat Peker released a series of videos on social media in which he recounted various incidents of violence and controversy in Turkey’s recent past, and said that Adali’s death had been coordinated by Mehmet Agar, Turkey’s justice minister at the time of the robbery and interior minister at the time of the shooting.
He said lieutenant colonel Korkut Erken, a close associate of Agar, had told him that “there is a man in Cyprus [who] wants to sell Cyprus to the Greek Cypriots”. He said that he had planned to dispatch his own brother, Atilla Peker, to deal with the matter, but that “another team” had killed Adali first.
Peker’s claims prompted political calls, led by then opposition party CTP leader and now Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, for a fresh investigation into the matter to be launched.
However, five years on from Peker’s revelations and 30 years on from the assassination, the case remains cold.
After almost a decade of dormancy, the Cyprus problem may be beginning to stir.
Tuesday will mark the ninth anniversary of the collapse of negotiations in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, with that particular collapse ushering in an era of nothing much happening by way of talks between the island’s two sides, and confidence-building measures amounting to little more than window dressing.
For most of those nine years, the idea of negotiations in earnest appeared little more than a pipe dream, especially after the Turkish Cypriots elected Ersin Tatar – who refused to sit down for serious talks with the Greek Cypriots unless they were ready to discuss a two-state solution – as their leader.
Tatar has since been and gone, and the shellacking dealt unto him by Tufan Erhurman at last October’s election appears to have given the Cyprus problem and its other players a shot in the arm.
Erhurman arrived largely prepared, save for difficulties in his opening weeks in office in arranging a first meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delaying the process somewhat.
He put forth a four-point collection of ideas which he said must be met for negotiations to resume, namely that the Greek Cypriot side accept political equality, that negotiations be time-limited, that all past agreements be preserved, and that the United Nations guarantee that embargoes placed on the Turkish Cypriots be lifted should the Greek Cypriot side leave the negotiating table again.
From that point onwards, the process has been one of steadily building towards creating the conditions under which talks can resume, starting with a joint declaration issued by Erhurman, President Nikos Christodoulides, and UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin in December, in which they agreed that “the real aim is the solution of the Cyprus problem with political equality”.
Since then, both leaders have held meetings with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and both Guterres and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis have met Erdogan, while other meetings involving either side or both sides of the island and a guarantor power or the UN have been going on in various combinations.
All the while, talk has been rife of a “new initiative” being undertaken by Guterres with the aim of bringing about a resumption of talks geared towards a solution, with the phrase first being employed by government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis and Erhurman in April, and being repeated regularly ever since.
That does not mean that the process has continued without let or hindrance, especially given that despite efforts continuing to bring about a resumption of talks, parallel efforts to produce tangible confidence-building measures have borne few fruit. No new crossing points to connect the island’s two sides have been opened since 2018, for example.
Additionally, there is a distinct lack of the doe-eyed optimism which characterised the talks of a decade ago, until they went wrong. It would be difficult to imagine Christodoulides and Erhurman laughing to each other while performing a bilingual Christmas message, as their predecessors Nicos Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci had done in 2015.
In its stead there appears to be a more sturdy realism, with Christodoulides only having gone as far this week to say that “we are at a very critical juncture”, while Erhurman in particular has consistently and repeatedly stressed that “this time it must be different” to previous efforts, regularly referring to the failures at Crans-Montana and the 2004 Annan plan referendum.
The mood notwithstanding, however, there is definitely movement, and following the rounds of meetings in various combinations, a point appears to have been reached at which all sides are largely on the same page regarding the way forward.
Holguin is currently on a tour of the players, having visited Cyprus for two meetings each with Christodoulides and Erhurman last month, before travelling to Athens and Ankara for meetings with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and then to New York for a meeting with Guterres.
Next on her itinerary is a meeting with European Council president Antonio Costa in Brussels, after which she is expected to return to Cyprus for another round of meetings with Christodoulides and Erhurman, with a view to organising an enlarged meeting, involving the island’s two sides, its three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom and the UN.
On this front, the two leaders appear to be largely on the same page, with Erhurman having called for “results” to be achieved at that meeting, and Christodoulides having said that its outcome must entail “the resumption of talks”.
Holguin herself went further, calling on Cypriots to “seize this historic opportunity to negotiate a lasting solution” and saying that Guterres is “evaluating which could be the next phases that will convince both parties to take concrete steps towards a final solution”.
Those comments came on Wednesday morning, just hours after Fidan and three members of the EU’s college of commissioners – the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, and Internal Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner – issued a joint statement offering their backing for Guterres’ “new initiative”.
Noteworthy, too, is the fact that Holguin’s meeting with Costa was delayed to take place after this week’s Nato leaders’ summit, which is in Ankara.
The summit will be hosted by Erdogan and attended by Costa, Mitsotakis, and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, as well as European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, and comes as talks regarding security guarantees in a post-solution Cyprus appear to be coalescing around the idea of a Nato-based guarantee structure.
Security guarantees may come in the form of the new Cypriot republic’s accession to Nato, alongside the presence of Nato troops from Turkey, Greece, France, the UK and the United States on the island.
While Cyprus is not expected to top the agenda in Ankara this week, it is far from out of the question that the island, its problem and its future security guarantees may feature on the sidelines.
Granted, the Cyprus problem is more than a simple question of security guarantees, and any talks geared towards solving it will also take in the matters of governance and property, among other issues, but by all accounts, conversations at the very least are being had on these questions by those at the sharp end of Cypriot and global politics.
Cyprus, its problem and a potential solution, therefore, appears to be making its way back onto the world’s agenda. With the enlarged meeting likely in August, the signs are pointing to a Cyprus problem summer.
Four foreign nationals were fined a total of €14,400 after customs officers at Paphos International Airport discovered large quantities of duty-unpaid tobacco products in their luggage before they boarded a flight to London, the customs department said on Sunday.
In total, officers seized 201 cartons of cigarettes, 168 individual packets of cigarettes and 11.75 kilogrammes of rolling tobacco.
The passengers, two British men aged 25 and 24 and two Danish women aged 23 and 22, were stopped on Saturday July 4, after customs officers acted on a tip.
Searches of their luggage uncovered hundreds of cartons of cigarettes and large quantities of rolling tobacco that did not bear the legally required health warnings in Greek and Turkish, nor the mandatory security markings and traceability codes, indicating the products had not been duty paid.
The four passengers were arrested for offences committed in the act, while the tobacco products and their luggage were confiscated.
They were later released after customs accepted out-of-court settlements of €2,500, €3,900, €4,000 and €4,000 respectively.
The customs department said the state collected a total of €14,400 in fines, while the confiscated tobacco products will be destroyed in accordance with the relevant procedures.
The memory of the five military officers killed in the 2002 helicopter crash near Kouklia remains a lasting point of reference for both the Republic of Cyprus and the National Guard, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said on Sunday.
Speaking at the annual memorial service for the victims, Palmas said their deaths served as a reminder of the responsibility and commitment that accompany military service.
“The five men sealed the bond of honour they had made with their country by offering the highest sacrifice, their own lives, in the line of duty,” he said.
Palmas recalled that the helicopter had taken off from Lakatamia on July 10, 2002, carrying the leadership of the National Guard to the Andreas Papandreou air base to observe a night exercise involving the then newly-acquired Bell 206 helicopters.
The aircraft crashed near the Paphos district village of Kouklia after suffering a malfunction that caused a fire, killing all five people on board.
Addressing the families of the victims, the minister said their loss continued to remind Cyprus of the weight of military responsibility.
“Their final moments reaffirmed that military service is not simply a profession but a lasting commitment to the country and its history,” he said.
Palmas added that the five eagles depicted on the memorial symbolise the officers’ enduring presence as guardians of the Republic, saying they serve as a reminder that the country’s freedom, security and dignity depend on a continued willingness to serve and, if necessary, to sacrifice.
He said their example remained particularly relevant at a time when values and the meaning of public service are increasingly being questioned, stressing that discipline and dedication to duty should continue to guide future generations.
With the new month here, it is time to look ahead to a new series of events. This July, Rialto Theatre and its surrounding Limassol streets fill with diverse melodies as the 21st Cyprus Rialto World Music Festival returns, spanning almost the entire month.
“At a time when access to culture feels more important than ever,” says the theatre, “the festival offers an opportunity to reconnect with our audience through concerts with low-cost or free admission. A programme open to everyone, filled with sounds and melodies from different corners of the world, unique collaborations and evenings meant to be shared.”
The festival opens on Wednesday, July 8 with Martha Fritzila, Τhe Kubara Project and the. Κalogeraki Bros. After more than 20 years of concerts and tours across Greece and abroad, The Kubara Project takes the stage of the Cyprus Rialto World Music Festival with a brand-new album and the much-loved Kalogerakis Brothers.
With its characteristic spontaneous and spirited energy, the ensemble is led by Martha Fritzila and a group of virtuoso musicians. The concert features songs by some of the most celebrated Greek and international composers of the past two centuries, alongside works drawn from the personal discographies of Martha Frintzila and the Kalogerakis Brothers.
On Sunday, July 12, Κοbrah Habibi will take the floor. The multidisciplinary music collective operates at the intersection of contemporary Middle Eastern electronic music, live performance and ritual celebration. Combining DJ sets, vocals, electric strings, clarinet, lute and darbuka, the group creates an immersive dance experience shaped by influences from the Middle East, the Balkans and contemporary electronic music culture. Performing on stage will be Harry Koushos – DJ Set, Ody Icon – Vocals, ECATI – Electric Strings, Aggelos Angelou – Clarinet & Lute, Cymbhan – Darbuka.
July 16’s event brings Nabuma, a Cypriot-based neo-soul band blending jazz, alternative R&B and contemporary grooves. Known for their dynamic live performances and original compositions, the band combines soulful vocals, rich harmonies and expressive musicianship to create immersive musical experiences.
Their debut EP Tapedeck was released in 2024, with new material continuing to expand and evolve their sonic identity. Nicole Ardanitou on vocals, Andreas Matheou on bass, Alexis Kasinos on electric guitar and Kris Grecian on drums make up the band.
Then, Κοza Mostra, one of the most internationally acclaimed and influential Greek bands of the past decade performs at the 21st Cyprus Rialto World Music Festival on July 17. Following the release of their explosive new single, Bulletproof, the band has officially announced a tour across Greece and Europe. As ever, their performances promise raw emotion, electrifying intensity and a setlist that seamlessly bridges their celebrated past with their fresh, gritty new sound.
The final concert of the festival and the last event of Rialto Theatre’s July programme is on July 21. The Cyprus Kollective Big Band presents, in a Cyprus premiere, the iconic work Far East Suite by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, one of the most fascinating and distinctive creations in the body of their work. A reflective, atmospheric, virtuosic and expressive sonic journey through the East, seen and heard through the eyes and ears of the two musicians.
Far East Suite was intended to convey the excitement and sense of wonder experienced by Ellington’s orchestra in 1963, as they travelled through places that were genuinely foreign, exotic and profoundly different from anything most of them had encountered before.
Bringing it to life on stage and closing the month with an exciting performance are Marios Charalambous, Nicholas Georgiou, Will Scott, Thomas Lumley, Charis Ioannou, George El Haber, Elias Ioannou, Rafael Orfanides, Andreas Theocharous, Klitos Pavlou, Savvas Athanasiou, Andreas Panteli, Kyriakos Kesta and Omiros Miltiadous
July at Rialto Theatre
Music concerts and theatre. throughout July. Rialto Theatre and at the SEK Parking Area, Limassol. Tel: 7777-7745. www.rialto.com.cy
A 47-year-old man is in a serious but stable condition after allegedly being assaulted by a group of unidentified people in Ayia Napa in the early hours of Sunday, police said.
The man was found injured on a street in Ayia Napa at around 6am after police received information about the incident.
He was initially taken to Famagusta general hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with a brain haemorrhage and a fractured skull base.
Due to the severity of his injuries, he was intubated and transferred to Nicosia general hospital, where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
Police said they have obtained testimony indicating that the 47-year-old was attacked by a group of unknown individuals.
As Nato prepares for the July 7 Summit in Ankara, with defence industry, investment and support for Ukraine heading the agenda, discussions over burden-sharing between the United States and Europe are likely to accelerate a broader shift in the continent’s security architecture, which could leave Cyprus facing difficult strategic choices over Turkey’s future role in European defence.
The summit is expected to formalise ongoing discussions between Washington and its European allies over a gradual reduction of the American military footprint in Europe, with European countries expected to assume greater responsibility for their own security.
“The United States has made it clear that it wants to reduce its military presence in Europe,” Senior Policy Advisor and Head of the Observatory of Geopolitics and Diplomacy at the Hellenic Foundation for Foreign and European Policy Ino Afentouli told the Cyprus Mail, adding that this extends beyond troop numbers to include air, naval and other strategic assets.
While public statements by US President Donald Trump often attract headlines, the process itself has been under discussion for some time and in a structured and coordinated manner between allies. “What we are seeing is effectively a new division of labour within Nato,” Afentouli said.
She stressed that the transition would not happen overnight, but through long-term planning and negotiations largely conducted at military and strategic levels.
When asked how this might affect Cyprus or Greece whether directly or indirectly, she said the implications may be indirect rather than immediate.
“The issue is not that Cyprus or Greece themselves will be directly affected,” she said. “The issue is how the balance within Nato’s southern flank changes.”
Afentouli said that if Europe is to compensate for a reduced US role, countries which are members of Nato but not of the European Union will inevitably become more important. Chief among these, she noted, is Turkey.
“Turkey has the second-largest military in Nato,” she said, adding that countries such as the United Kingdom, Norway and Canada would also play a greater role.
This shift, she suggested, presents a strategic challenge for both Cyprus and Greece.
“The question that should concern Cyprus and Greece is whether this enhanced role could reinforce Turkey’s perception of its own regional influence”.
Afentouli stopped short of suggesting that Turkey’s growing strategic importance would translate into direct military pressure against either Greece or Cyprus but regarding Cyprus specifically, she said that Ankara’s leverage over the island remains primarily political rather than military.
“Now, if there is a possibility, for example, that Turkey could react if a country such as France strengthens its defence cooperation with Cyprus, again, it cannot really react, because France is also a member state and has the right to make its own choices”, adding that “the field in which Turkey seeks to influence Cyprus is the political process surrounding the Cyprus problem, not the defence sphere”.
The debate over Cyprus’ future relationship with Nato has resurfaced in recent months, particularly following discussions surrounding the European Union’s mutual defence clause, Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union, and wider questions of European security guarantees.
Afentouli said the discussion on this was healthy and should continue; “it is beneficial for Cyprus to keep this discussion alive and for political forces to engage with it seriously”.
However, when asked about recent discussions in the public sphere concerning Cyprus’ accession to Nato as a resolution to the island’s division, she cautioned against viewing Nato membership as a straightforward solution to the Cyprus problem and described such scenarios as highly complex.
“A direct accession to Nato is unrealistic under current circumstances,” she said. Instead, she suggested that a more plausible pathway, similar to Malta’s historical relationship with the alliance, would involve some form of partnership status. Yet even this would require unanimous agreement among Nato member states – including Turkey.
“Turkey would not automatically consent,” she said. “It would only do so if it saw advantages within a broader settlement framework.”
As a result, any movement towards closer Nato ties for Cyprus would likely need to be linked to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, including arrangements on security guarantees and the future presence of foreign troops.
She explained that “if we assume that the two sides reach a settlement, within the existing framework for a solution, namely that of the United Nations, and if we reached a solution and the question arose of how the Turkish Cypriots would be protected, for example – that is, the issue of security – and likewise the issue of the security of the Greek Cypriots, there would have to be a withdrawal of Turkish troops and the installation of a force which could indeed be a force made up of Nato member states.
“In that case, possibly including both Turkey and Greece”.
While theoretically possible, Afentouli described such a scenario as “highly ambitious” under current political conditions.
“The only actor capable of exerting sufficient pressure to move in that direction would be the United States,” she said, while acknowledging that this remains hypothetical.
More immediate, she added, is the question of Turkey’s growing involvement in European defence initiatives outside Nato.
As the European Union seeks to strengthen its defence capabilities in response to the war in Ukraine and concerns over future American commitments, pressure is increasing to establish mechanisms allowing closer cooperation with powerful non-EU Nato allies, including Turkey.
“Many EU member states consider Turkey an indispensable component of European defence because of its military capabilities,” Afentouli said.
This creates what she described as a difficult strategic dilemma for both Cyprus and Greece. Until now, both countries have resisted efforts to expand Turkey’s role in European defence structures, arguing that Ankara’s continuing policies towards Cyprus and Greece do not justify such concessions.
However, maintaining this position may become increasingly difficult, she added.
“If we end up with many countries cooperating with Turkey, as is happening with Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and Poland, there will be pressure for special arrangements”. In that context, Cyprus and Greece may need to consider whether their consent could be exchanged for political concessions elsewhere.
“They will need to think carefully about a flexible strategic response,” Afentouli said.
But then, what does this mean for the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean? There is a major strategic gap in both Nato and EU policy towards the Eastern Mediterranean, she said.
“There is no coherent policy for the Mediterranean,” she added, highlighting that divisions among European countries over Israel and Arab states have prevented the development of a unified approach.
As a result, she said, the United States remains the only decisive external actor in the region.
“The European Union is essentially absent from the Mediterranean as a strategic actor,” she said.
With Brussels increasingly focused on Ukraine and the eastern flank, Afentouli said that Mediterranean member states, including Cyprus and Greece, may ultimately need to take the initiative themselves.
“For countries like Cyprus and Greece, the southern flank remains a vital security issue,” she said. “They cannot afford to ignore it.”
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis on Sunday said the state has “no right to negligence or delay” as he paid tribute to the 13 people killed in the Mari explosion, saying their deaths continue to serve as a reminder of the state’s responsibilities.
Speaking at the annual memorial service for naval commander Andreas Ioannides and staff sergeant Cleanthis Cleanthous, Letymbiotis said the tragedy had left an enduring mark on Cyprus and carried lessons that should never be forgotten.
“The state has no right to negligence. It has no right to delay. It has no right to remember its responsibilities only after lives have been lost,” he said.
He added that the true way to honour those who died was by protecting the living, learning from past mistakes and turning painful lessons into lasting institutional change.
Referring to the explosion, which killed 13 people and injured 62 others on July 11, 2011, Letymbiotis said some scars never fade with time and that Cyprus had a duty to preserve the memory of those who died.
“A country like ours cannot afford forgetfulness,” he said.
He linked that message to the wider challenges facing Cyprus, noting that the country continues to live with the consequences of the 1974 Turkish invasion and the ongoing division of the island while operating in an increasingly unstable region.
“In such a homeland, security cannot be an abstract concept,” he said. “It is a national imperative, a daily mission and a prerequisite for our survival and future.”
Letymbiotis added that strengthening the country’s defence capabilities and public institutions was not simply an administrative choice but an obligation towards those who serve the Republic and its people.
He said Cyprus would continue to honour the memory of all 13 victims of the Mari explosion, describing them as “heroes” whose sacrifice should inspire future generations.
Following the memorial service, a trisagion (hymn) was held at the graves of Ioannides and Cleanthous at the Sfalangiotissa cemetery, followed by the laying of wreaths by representatives of the government, the church, political parties and the victims’ families.
The Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion was caused by the self-detonation of a large stockpile of ammunition and military explosives that had been improperly stored at the base.
A 23-year-old man was arrested in Ayia Napa early on Sunday after police allegedly found 20 canisters of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, in his vehicle.
According to police, members of the rapid response unit (MMAD) stopped the car for a routine check at around 2am on a road in Ayia Napa.
A search of the vehicle uncovered 20 canisters of nitrous oxide, eight balloons and an inhalation device, all of which were seized as evidence.
The 23-year-old was arrested on suspicion of illegally possessing a controlled substance with intent to supply.
Factories, dairies, wineries and even quarries could become part of Cyprus’ tourism offering under plans being explored by the Nicosia Tourism Board to develop industrial tourism on the island.
The initiative aims to create visitor experiences centred on working production facilities, allowing tourists to learn how local products are made while gaining insight into Cyprus’ industrial heritage.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Nicosia Tourism Board officer Sotiris Christoforou said industrial tourism is already well established in several European countries, where active industrial sites and historical production facilities have become attractions in their own right.
“It is important that we begin building authentic experiences linked to the history of the country,” he said, adding that such visits can also have educational value by exposing young people to different professions and industries.
Although Cyprus does not have heavy industry, Christoforou said the country has several sectors with strong tourism potential and appeal, particularly food production.
Among the ideas being considered are guided visits to halloumi production facilities, food manufacturers, wineries and dairy plants, as well as businesses involved in ice cream production.
He noted that Cyprus has three major ice cream manufacturers – Papafilippou, Heracles and Regis – whose history dates back to the 1950s.
Other sites with potential include mines, quarries and the Troodos Unesco Global Geopark, whose geological significance earned it global geopark status in 2015.
Before industrial facilities can be opened to visitors, however, issues such as health and safety, visitor management and the certification of specialised guides will need to be addressed.
The aim, Christoforou said, is to develop organised visitor routes that allow people to experience industrial sites without disrupting normal production or compromising safety.
The initiative remains at the planning stage and forms part of the four-year European IndusTour project, funded through the inter-regional cooperation programme Interreg Europe and co-funded by the European Union.
As part of the project, Nicosia recently hosted the Industrial Tourism Conference: Enhancing Visitor Experiences and Promoting Local Businesses, bringing together tourism professionals, researchers and public bodies from Cyprus, France, the Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia and Denmark.
Christoforou said the current phase of the project focuses on studying successful policies and examples from other countries to identify approaches that could be adapted for Cyprus.
He added that opening production facilities to visitors could also help local businesses raise their profile and strengthen links with consumers both at home and abroad.
The government is rolling out a €168 million package of measures to address Cyprus’ water shortage, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said, while highlighting broader plans to invest €454 million in the agricultural sector through the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Panayiotou said water scarcity remained one of the biggest challenges facing agriculture, alongside climate change and rising production costs.
She said the €168m package “focuses on three priorities – expanding desalination capacity to free up reservoir water for irrigation, maximising the use of reclaimed water and modernising irrigation networks to reduce losses,”
According to the minister, Cyprus already reuses around 90 per cent of its treated wastewater, significantly above the European Union average, with reclaimed water meeting around 37 per cent of the country’s irrigation needs.
The government’s long-term objective, she added, is for “all drinking water supplies to come from desalination plants, allowing dam water to be reserved exclusively for agricultural use.”
Panayiotou also highlighted the implementation of Cyprus’ €454m CAP strategic plan, which she said is aimed at improving the competitiveness, sustainability and resilience of the sector.
She said recent funding calls for agricultural investment projects and grants for new farmers, worth a combined €67.5m, had generated strong interest.
More than 1,225 applications seeking approximately €187.6m in subsidies have already been submitted, the minister said, while a further 134 applications, worth an additional €16.7m, are still being prepared ahead of the July 17 deadline.
Describing the response as particularly encouraging, Panayiotou noted that investment grants can reach up to €800,000 per agricultural holding.
She also referred to the EU-funded ‘Leader’ rural development programme, noting that the Troodos local action group – The Troodos Area Communities Development Company – has been allocated €3.1m for local development projects.
Panayiotou said preparations had already begun for the next CAP strategic plan, which is due to come into force in 2028, adding that the government intends to tailor the programme to the future needs of Cyprus’ rural communities and agricultural sector.
A man suffered breathing difficulties after a fire broke out in his two-storey home in Kiti around 10.40am on Saturday morning, causing extensive damage to the property’s living room.
According to the fire service, the fire is believed to have started at a household icon stand before spreading to the living room, where it damaged furniture, electrical installations, household equipment and clothing.
Heat and smoke also caused damage to paintwork inside and outside the house.
The homeowner, assisted by neighbours, managed to extinguish the blaze before firefighters arrived by using a garden hose.
Firefighters carried out final extinguishing operations to prevent and eliminate any potential flareups.
An ambulance was called to the scene after the homeowner experienced breathing difficulties caused by smoke inhalation.
Eight people were arrested during police operations carried out on Saturday night, with police officers issuing 329 traffic citations – including 96 for speeding.
The arrests were made in connection with offences including drug possession, drink-driving and illegally residing on the island.
During the operation, officers stopped a total of 511 vehicles and carried out checks on 652 drivers and passengers.
Police also inspected 58 premises, resulting in eight reports.
A total of 291 breathalyser tests were conducted, with 30 drivers returning positive results. Ten preliminary roadside drug tests were also carried out, six of which were positive. Twenty-two cars were impounded as part of the operation.
Police are investigating a suspected arson attack after a car belonging to a 59-year-old man was destroyed by fire in a village in the Nicosia district early on Sunday.
According to the police, the fire broke out at around 4.30am while the vehicle was parked outside the owner’s home.
Firefighters were called to the scene and managed to bring the blaze under control before fully extinguishing it.
Preliminary examinations indicate the fire was deliberately set, with police treating the case as suspected arson.
Hey everyone!
I’m excited to share the official v1.0.0 release of Glance, an open-source native macOS dashboard engineered specifically for developers to monitor their infrastructure, containers, and development metrics in a single view.
Architecture & Tech Stack
Unlike heavy Electron-based desktop apps, Glance is built with a lightweight, system-native approach:
Key Capabilities
Seamless Installation (macOS)
The distribution is fully automated via a custom Homebrew Tap. I’ve embedded a custom postflight script inside the Cask file so it automatically handles the macOS Gatekeeper quarantine flag (com.apple.quarantine) on ad-hoc signed packages—meaning zero terminal ameleliği or xattr -cr prompts for the end user:
brew tap veyselaksin/tap
brew trust veyselaksin/tap
brew install --cask glance
When I have an endpoint with more than 10 business logic steps, my brain can't keep track of it all at once. So I end up drawing it out on paper: what functions exist, what each accepts, what it returns, how they're related. Is it just me? How do you deal with this? Is there a tool that really helps with this, or is paper/Notion still the best option?
There have been a good work on lorenzodonini/ocpp-go project, that some of my projects rely on.
However, the project is dormant for a while, and I needed to fold in some of the awaiting PRs. Also, some hardening. I decided to fork, and contribute.
So I started by testing and merging the PRs, then continued with some custom development.
By any chance if you're using this library, you might want to check my fork here: https://github.com/enesismail/ocpp-go
Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.
Most Go PDF libraries focus on drawing primitives or generating reports from templates. Over the last five years I've been working on a different approach: a layout engine that handles paragraphs, pagination, tables, images, footnotes, etc., with a strong focus on accessible PDFs.
That started with boxesandglue, but gradually grew into a small ecosystem:
Everything is open source, and I recently put together an interactive map showing how the projects relate to each other:
https://constellation.speedata.de
I'd be interested in hearing what other Go developers think.
My background is another (OpenSource) software which I use for my work (the speedata Pubisher, started with it almost 15 years ago). It is built on top of LuaTeX (the modern typesetting software with excellent typography) and focusses on product catalogs and data sheets. The handling of the deployment (I use custom Go based shared libraries which are linked during runtime to the LuaTeX binary and accessed from within Lua) is rather complicated, so my goal was to re-create TeX's typography in a modern setting.
I'm trying to understand the idiomatic Go approach for expressing non-nullability.
As I understand it:
nil.*T) can be nil, so it's commonly used when the absence of a value is meaningful.For example:
type User struct { Name string } // User can never be nil. func ProcessValue(user User) { // ... } // User may be nil. func ProcessPointer(user *User) { // ... } The problem is that using a value has two different semantics:
For small structs this isn't a concern, but for very large structs the copy can be expensive. In those cases I'd prefer to pass a pointer, but then I've lost the compile-time guarantee that the value isn't nil.
For example:
type LargeStruct struct { Data [1024 * 1024]byte } func Process(s LargeStruct) { // Copies the entire struct. } Is there an idiomatic way in Go to express "this must never be nil" while still passing a pointer?
Or is the accepted Go approach simply to use *T and rely on documentation and runtime checks when non-nil is required?
Hey everyone, I've spent the past couple of months rewriting my communication API for bambulabs printers! Would love to hear some feedback and in desperate need of testers.