Category: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus government condemned the Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the legitimate Yemeni Government.

The Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X that the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure is unacceptable.

”Cyprus stands in full solidarity with the affected countries and their peoples, and stresses the importance of upholding freedom of navigation and international law, in accordance with UNCLOS”, the post says.

From April 2024 until today, 80 fishing vessels have been modernised, whilst, for the first time, small-scale coastal fishing professionals have been able to benefit from grant schemes covering 100 per cent of eligible expenditure, with no private contribution required, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, Christos Senekis said addressing the 1st Fish Festival – Fishermen’s and the Liopetri River Festival on Thursday evening. He added that the compensation scheme for damage caused to fish catches by dolphins and other protected marine mammals is continuing, supporting around 300 professional fishermen each year, whilst ‘since the scheme came into effect in 2025, compensation totalling pound 1 million has already been paid out, whilst total support is expected to reach pound 4 million by 2029.

He added that, at the same time, targeted measures are being implemented to support fishermen’s incomes and address the day-to-day challenges they face. ‘This includes compensation for the temporary suspension of fishing activities, as well as support for the collection and removal of pufferfish,’ the Minister said.

He also emphasised that the support measures are adapted to changing circumstances which are creating new pressures on the sector, explaining that, in view of the energy crisis arising from the situation in the Middle East, “we have gone ahead with implementing a financial compensation scheme for the cost of diesel used in agriculture.”

Regarding to the co-funded project to develop the Liopetri River Fishing Shelter, he stated that “this is one of the largest infrastructure projects for the Cypriot fishing industry, which will substantially upgrade the infrastructure and operations of the coastal zone, whilst also generating benefits for the economy of the wider region.”

He acknowledged that ‘the project’s progress has not been without difficulties.” The implementation of a project of this scale and complexity, he explained, “presented challenges along the way, which affected the initial timetable and, inevitably, the daily lives of the region’s professional fishermen.”

“We are aware of this reality and the difficulties they have faced,” he noted.

Senekis added that work is now “back on track”. As he said, work on the construction of roads and pavements has already been completed, while the port works are expected to be finished in the first half of 2027, followed by the completion of the building facilities.

At the same time, he noted that progress on the project must be accompanied by “substantial support for the people affected by its prolonged implementation period.” In this context, support for each eligible professional fisherman has been significantly increased for the years 2025 and 2026, he said.

The Agriculture Minister expressed his confidence that, upon completion of the project, “our fishermen will now have at their disposal a safe haven with all the modern and necessary infrastructure and facilities that will substantially improve the conditions under which they practise their profession.”

The employment rate among people aged 20 to 64 in Cyprus remained at 82.3% in the second quarter of 2026, unchanged compared with the first quarter of the year, according to data published by Eurostat on Friday.

At EU level, the employment rate edged up to 76.4% in the second quarter, from 76.3% in the first quarter of 2026. As a result, the rate in Cyprus was 5.9 percentage points higher than the EU average.

Between the first and second quarters of 2026, the employment rate increased in 14 EU countries, remained unchanged in four, including Cyprus, and decreased in nine.

The largest increases were recorded in Portugal and Malta, at 0.6 percentage points each, followed by Greece with an increase of 0.5 percentage points. In Latvia and Slovenia, the employment rate rose by 0.4 percentage points.

The largest decreases were recorded in Austria, at 0.4 percentage points, as well as in Lithuania and Sweden, at 0.3 percentage points each.

Cyprus managed the tourist crisis in a successful manner because of the excellent cooperation between the public and private sectors, Tourist Deputy Minister Costas Koumis said Friday. He also pointed out that the decrease recorded during the first seven of the year was limited to 8%, and it is estimated that the annual decline will stand around 5%.

Koumis participated in a meeting with representatives of the Limassol Tourism Development and Promotion Company, the Limassol hoteliers and local authorities, to discuss the challenges and prospects of the tourism sector of the city.

He spoke of the cooperation between public and private sectors, noting that we all have a responsibility to ensure that tourism industry operates effectively and efficiently, and that our country remains a competitive destination.

He referred to the crisis that all had to handle due to the war and tension in the region that resulted in thousands of cancellations, pointing out that that ‘we managed it very successfully’.

Koumis referred to data saying that the decrease for June was around 1% and slightly above 1% for July. He said that estimations show that figures will be higher than in 2024.

Speaking in particular about Limassol, he noted that its share of the tourism product has remained around 12% for years. He went on to say that each geographical area of the island ought to highlight its comparative advantages and strive for its share in the market.

He referred specifically to the village of Pissouri in the Limassol district and the new museum that will be set up there. He said that such sites will become comparative advantages for the tourism product of the city and district of Limassol.

Asked about the sea pollution in Limassol Koumis said that this is an issue under the competence of the Shipping Deputy Ministry and that they are in constant contact as regards the problem.

He noted that Cyprus’ waters are one of the country’s comparative advantages, adding that we have a duty to safeguard the high quality of the island’s seas.

Chair of the Limassol Tourism Development and Promotion Company Andreas Tsouloftas said that the aim of the meeting was to set up a plan for the upcoming period and how best to promote the tourism product of Limassol city and district.

He explained that over the years smaller hotels have been converted into other types of premises, such as residential units, resulting in a loss of bed capacity.

He stressed the fact that Limassol attracts tourists with higher income levels.

Head of Limassol hoteliers Christos Tsanos said that the goal is for Limassol to maintain its current standard. He said that the Hoteliers Association has a multi-faceted campaign and is in contact with other bodies and organizations with the aim of strengthening their marketing committee on various levels.

The Cyprus Center for Trustworthy AI (CyCAT) at the Open University of Cyprus has successfully concluded its PINNACLE project (Public Engagement in AI Evaluation for Education and System Benchmarking), carried out with the generous support of the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation (BRIDGE2HORIZON/0823E/0203). Over 18 months, the funding (150.000 Euro) enabled our team to conduct initial scientific research and to coordinate a proposal to extend the work through Horizon Europe.

With the continued emergence of Generative AI and Foundation Models, new AI-enabled products and services enter the market every day. Google’s AI-generated answers to our search queries, or the recommendation systems that quietly decide what appears next in our Netflix and Spotify feeds, are just some of the ways in which we now interact with AI in “everyday” contexts, often without even realising it. Yet as these systems become ever more embedded in daily life, most of us have little means of judging whether they treat us fairly, safeguard our privacy, or behave as they should. PINNACLE set out to address precisely this gap by placing the people who use AI at the centre of evaluating it.

Throughout the project, our team developed innovative mechanisms by which members of the public can participate actively in discovering and evaluating AI-enabled products and services, in the spirit of the EU’s vision for Trustworthy AI. According to this vision, which underpins the EU AI Act, to be trustworthy, AI systems must respect a particular set of principles, such as being technically robust, fair, non-discriminatory, and respectful of users’ privacy. The PINNACLE methodology enables members of the public to have their say in evaluating the extent to which the AI-enabled systems they encounter are truly “trustworthy,” in a systematic way that can be documented.

In this spirit, we offered the online course “AI in Everyday Life” twice, using it to test two complementary approaches to public AI evaluation. In the first run, participants adopted a bottom-up approach, reporting each week on an AI application they had genuinely used and assessing its adherence to key ethical principles. In the second, they took a top-down approach, each selecting a single chatbot (ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot) to use throughout the course and following guided weekly tasks to evaluate it. Across the two runs, more than 500 members of the Cypriot and Greek communities took part, and the project successfully collected user-sourced evaluations of AI across both groups.

Beyond the course, PINNACLE laid down a conceptual framework for user-centred AI evaluation, produced nine peer-reviewed scientific publications, and coordinated a Horizon Europe proposal that scored well above threshold and will be revised for a future resubmission. Together, these outcomes have strengthened the team’s participation in Horizon Europe and expanded its network of collaborators across Europe.

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (B)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1200 11/09/2026 UNTIL 1200 12/09/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1013hPa (hectopascal)

Seasonal low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be mainly fine, but tonight and in the morning locally increased low cloud coverage may be present at times, with risk of local mist mainly over eastern areas.

Visibility: Good, but moderate to poor in mist

Sea surface temperature: 29°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA

PERIOD

WIND

STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Afternoon

West to Northwest 3 to 4, locally 4 to 5

Smooth to Slight, locally Slight

Night

Northwest to North 3 to 4, locally near the coast North to Northeast 3

Slight, locally near the coast Smooth to Slight

Morning

Northwest to Northeast 3, gradually Southwest to West 3 to 4

Smooth to Slight

South Coast

Afternoon

Southwest to West 4, locally 4 to 5

Smooth to Slight, locally Slight

Night

Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, gradually Variable 3

Smooth to Slight

Morning

Variable 3, gradually Southeast to Southwest 3 to 4

Smooth to Slight

East Coast

Afternoon

South to Southwest 4

Smooth to Slight

Night

Southwest to Northwest 3

Smooth to Slight

Morning

Variable 3, later East to Southeast

Smooth to Slight

North Coast

Afternoon

Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, locally 4

Smooth to Slight

Night

Southwest to West 3, near the coast Southeast to Southwest

Smooth to Slight

Morning

Southeast to Southwest 3, later Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4

Smooth to Slight

Department of Meteorology

Today’s weather and temperatures for Cyprus according to the Department of Meteorology

Date 11/09/2026

Station

TEMPERATURE (C) (FROM 20:00 PC of the previous one until the time of the show)

Highest

Lowest

Humidity at

1200 UTC

Nicosia (Athalassa)

37

18

26

Larnaka Airport

33

21

46

Limassol

32

23

54

Pafos Airport

30

22

68

Frenaros

33

21

60

Prodromos

27

17

36

Polis Pafos

31

21

59

The decision to increase key interest rates by 0.25%, following yesterday’s meeting of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB), is deemed “necessary,” according to a written statement by the Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC), Christodoulos Patsalides on Friday.

In the statement published by the CBC, Patsalides refers to the effects of the conflict in the Middle East, explaining that updated estimates led to the decision to raise the key interest rates.

“As the initial scenario analysis at the outset of the crisis in the Middle East indicated, a prolonged conflict would intensify inflationary pressures, shifting upwards the baseline inflation outlook,” he notes, adding that “six months into the conflict, this assessment is now confirmed by the latest data.”

He also points out that the inflation outlook continues to be shaped to a large extent by the energy shock. “Moreover, upward revisions to our economic growth projections reinforce a higher baseline trajectory for inflation,” he adds.

“The updated baseline scenario for September points to a prolonged period of elevated inflation,” Patsalides continues, underlining that “this occurs occurs despite the tightening of financial conditions, which stems from the increase in key interest rates in June and the rise in long-term bond yields.”

He further explains that “after assessing the latest data and the alternative scenarios (baseline, mild, adverse and severe), we concluded that a 25-basis-point increase in the key interest rates was warranted.”

He also notes that “nomaterial signs of second-round inflationary pressures, as demonstrated by the latest indicators regarding wage trends” and that “inflation expectations, as reflected in international financial markets and survey-based indicators, remain under control.”

“As a result, the ECB remains well positioned to manage the current uncertainty and is determined to ensure that inflation stabilises at our 2% target in the medium term,” the Central Bank of Cyprus Governor continues.

Regarding the Cypriot economy, Patsalides notes that it continues to demonstrate resilience, supported mainly by the momentum of the services sector, strong private consumption, robust labour market and sound public finances.

“Against this backdrop, inflationary pressures have intensified in recent months, with inflation rising to 5.2% in August 2026, from 4.4% in July,” he states, adding that “this increase is mainly due to the prices of services and energy, with services remaining the largest component of inflation.”

“These developments reflect strong demand conditions, both domestically and through the tourism sector, as well as the pass-through of higher energy costs to electricity and transportation prices,” Patsalides says, adding that “after 2026, inflation is expected to gradually moderate as external price pressures fade. However, the risks to the inflation outlook remain tilted to the upside.”

A bomb alert involving a Wizz Air flight from Larnaca to Rome ended on Friday after security checks were completed, with passengers expected to begin boarding the aircraft again for departure, CNA has learned.

The aircraft, carrying around 190 passengers, had earlier been grounded and evacuated after a fax message warned that a bomb had been placed in a piece of luggage on board and would explode within 20 minutes.

The flight had been due to depart Larnaca Airport at 11:10. Passengers were taken back into the terminal, while the aircraft and luggage underwent extensive security checks under established procedures.

Transport, Communications and Works Minister Evie Tsolaki told CNA that the threatening fax had been received ‘not only by the Department of Civil Aviation, but also by other government services and the Police’, adding that the same message had been sent to all recipients.

‘There are protocols and procedures which have been followed from the first moment,’ she said, noting that the crisis plan had been activated and the Crisis Management Committee was handling the situation at the airport.

Police officers, bomb disposal experts and specially trained dogs were deployed as part of the operation. Police said the threat had made it necessary to ground the aircraft while the information was assessed and investigated, with all prescribed protocols activated.

The security procedures were completed and the alert had been lifted after noon, while passengers were expected to board the aircraft again so that the flight could depart for Rome.

Wizz Air confirmed that the Rome-bound flight was operated by the airline and said it was following all established safety and security protocols and cooperating fully with the local authorities.

‘The safety and security of our passengers, crew and aircraft remain Wizz Air’s priority,’ the airline said.

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (A)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 0600 11/09/2026 UNTIL 0600 12/09/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1012hPa (hectopascal)

Seasonal low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be mainly fine, but tonight and in the morning locally increased low cloud coverage will be present at times, with risk of local mist and/or fog patches mainly over the southern and eastern coastal areas.

Visibility: Good, but moderate to poor in mist and very poor in fog

Sea surface temperature: 29°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA PERIOD WIND STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Morning Northwest to Northeast 3, gradually Southwest to West 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

Afternoon West to Northwest 3 to 4, locally 4 to 5 Smooth to Slight, locally Slight

Night Northwest to North 3 to 4, locally near the coast North to Northeast 3 Slight, locally near the coast Smooth to Slight

South Coast

Morning Variable 3, gradually Southeast to South 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

Afternoon Southwest to West 4, locally 4 to 5 Smooth to Slight, locally Slight

Night Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, gradually Variable 3 Smooth to Slight

East Coast

Morning Variable 3, later East to Southeast Smooth to Slight

Afternoon South to Southwest 4 Smooth to Slight

Night Southwest to Northwest 3 Smooth to Slight

North Coast

Morning Southwest 3, later Southwest to Northwest Smooth to Slight

Afternoon Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, locally 4 Smooth to Slight

Night Southwest to West 3, near the coast Southeast to Southwest Smooth to Slight