In today’s episode, the United Nations Secretary-General has picked the person who will act as envoy to Cyprus with the task of kickstarting stalled reunification talks, it emerged on Thursday. In other news, President Nikos Christodoulides has discussed with his Israeli and Egyptian counterparts an “idea” for sending humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea. And police have confiscated 500kg of synthetic narcotic substances hidden inside cardboard drums, in what could be the largest ever drugs haul in Cyprus.

All these stories and more in your Daily News Briefing, brought to you by the Cyprus Mail. For more news updates, visit www.cyprus-mail.com