Reduced VAT on first homes passed into law (Updated)
By nearly a unanimous vote, and under the watchful eye of Brussels, parliament on Thursday passed a law allowing for a reduced VAT rate of 5 per cent levied on first ...
Articles
All measures in place to prevent spread of goat and sheep pox
State officials assured parliamentarians on Tuesday that authorities have gone on high alert and are taking all necessary measures to prevent a possible spread of goat and sheep pox from ...
Party spending exceeds stated revenues
Political parties did not give a proper accounting for their revenues and expenses for the May 2021 parliamentary elections, with all sorts of omissions in their books, the auditor-general said in ...
Parliament voted to prohibit trade in unripe carobs
Parliament on Thursday voted through legislation prohibiting the gathering, transport and trade in unripe carobs.
The bill, tabled by Disy MP Kyriacos Hadjiyiannis, passed with 31 votes for, one against.
It ...
Man drowns while scuba diving in Paralimni
A 60-year-old man drowned on Thursday while scuba diving in Paralimni, the police said.
The deceased was identified as Axel Schoeller, aged 60, an Austrian national and permanent resident of Paralimni.
...
Former spy boss brought out of retirement to head up the Central Intelligence Service
Former spy boss Tasos Tzionis has been brought out of retirement to head up the Central Intelligence Service (KYP) once again, it emerged on Thursday.
Tzionis, 68, had previously served as ...
Israeli professor who escaped Cyprus resurfaces
Gal Luft, the Israeli professor who skipped bail in Cyprus while facing extradition to the United States where he is wanted for arms trafficking, has resurfaced, telling the New York ...
Plan for Aphrodite gas field to be delivered on Wednesday
NewMed Energy, a partner in the Aphrodite gas prospect, will officially announce delivery of their modified development and production plan on Wednesday, the energy minister said on Tuesday.
George Papanastasiou ...
Cypriot children becoming minority in state primary schools
In 22 state primary schools in Nicosia, Cypriot pupils are in the minority, MPs heard on Tuesday as some said the shrinking population on the island has become critical.
At three ...
Keve backs use of offshore gas to drive down electricity prices
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve) said on Tuesday it agrees with plans to use offshore gas reserves for power generation as soon as possible to drive down electricity ...
House ethics committee to review MP’s ‘abusive remarks’
A parliamentary committee will on Thursday convene to examine a complaint against independent MP Andreas Themistocleous, alleged to have made ‘abusive remarks’ against Greens MP Alexandra Attalidou, in a case ...
Tectonic shift in energy policy
The ‘safe’ narrative that our gas will go to Egypt for liquefaction is being turned on its head by events
As energy giants and experts gather in Nicosia on Monday, ...
A quarter of sports clubs may be tax evaders, MPs hear
As many as one in four sports clubs – such as martial arts clubs – are tax evaders and potentially susceptible to money-laundering activities, MPs heard on Thursday.
The reveal was made ...
59 migrants arrived in two days off the coast of Cape Greco
A total of 59 migrants on two boats arrived offshore Cyprus in two separate cases over the past two days, the police said on Thursday.
On Wednesday, a boat with 46 ‘irregular ...
Parliament passes bill criminalising conversion therapy
Parliament on Thursday passed a bill criminalising conversion therapy on LGBT persons, while also allowing for the continued provision of advice to homosexuals.
The legislative proposal, sponsored by Akel MP ...
MPs reject casino appointment over conflict of interest with Hermes airport
Parliamentarians on Tuesday again rejected one of the government’s proposed appointees to the Gaming & Casino Supervision Commission due to her links to a private company.
The dispute concerns ...
Government forced to rethink ‘basket of goods’
The government was on Tuesday forced to rethink its proposal for a ‘basket of goods’ after businesses and MPs gave it the thumbs-down by arguing it may in fact boomerang ...
EU envoy plans to be outlined during Germany trip
During his upcoming visit to Berlin, President Nikos Christodoulides will explain in detail to the German Chancellor his proposal about the appointment of an EU envoy on Cyprus, the government ...
2,810 foreign nationals bought real estate in the north last year
Last year the ‘cabinet’ in the north granted permits for the purchase of real estate to 2,810 foreign nationals, while during the first three months of 2023 alone about 1,000 such permits were ...
Bill for reduced VAT on first homes to go to plenum June 8
Parliamentarians on Monday sounded upbeat that legislation regulating which homes would be eligible for reduced VAT will go to the House plenum for a vote on June 8.
The ‘sweet spot’ – ...
Deputy attorney-general Angelides lashes out over latest allegations
Deputy attorney-general Savvas Angelides on Monday delivered a stinging verbal attack on the auditor-general, whom he accused of a deliberate and concerted campaign to blacken his name, vowing that he ...
Attorney-general and auditor-general lock horns over proposed legislation
The auditor-general and the attorney-general continued to tangle on Thursday over the status of the latter, and what Europe’s premier anti-corruption body has to say on the issue, on ...
Cabinet revokes Jho Low’s Cypriot citizenship
The cabinet on Thursday decided to revoke the Cypriot citizenship of Malaysian-born Jho Low, a fugitive wanted internationally for allegedly orchestrating the theft of $4.5bn from the Southeast Asian country’...
Labour ministry has drawn up an action plan for employee development
Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou said on Thursday that his ministry has drawn up an action plan that includes targeted actions and initiatives to support the drive for continuous professional development, ...