Category: Cyprus News Agency

Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Marilena Raouna, will present today the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union to the Chairpersons of the European Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of the EU Member States (COSAC).

According to a press release by the Cyprus Presidency of the EU, the meeting of the COSAC members is organised by the Cyprus House of Representatives in Nicosia.

During her participation in the meeting, the Deputy Minister for European Affairs will present the main priorities of the Cyprus Presidency and will then take part in an exchange of views with the Chairs of the Parliamentary Committees on European Affairs of the national Parliaments of the Member States of the European Union, as well as of the countries that are candidates for accession.

The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state since 2004, is holding this semester (January – June 2026) the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU. The first Cyprus EU Presidency was in 2012.

First Lady Philippa Karsera Christodoulides announced on Sunday her decision to step down from the management committee of the Independent Social Support Agency.

In a written statement on her social media account on Facebook, she says that in the last 24 hours, her children and herself have been watching “a merciless attack on social media with the spread of fake news, defamatory comments, allegations of wrongdoing from personal accounts, both well known and anonymous”.

Her announcement comes after a video surfaced last week with allegations for illegal financing of the President’s presidential campaign in 2023 and for controversial investments on the island.

The First Lady notes that the Management Committee of the Independent Social Support Agency will convene in an extraordinary session, on Monday, during which she will inform them about her decision to step down.

‘Not because I do not want to continue helping children- that was my only motivation from the outset- but because I will not allow anyone to continue to defame my ethics and integrity, my husband’s and my family’s, using as a pretext the operation of the Independent Social Support Agency from which no member of the Management Committee has the slightest personal gain,’ she writes.

She explains that the Independent Social Support Agency is a special state fund with an account at the Central Bank, and has been operating since 2015 by law. The grants are made by deposit through a bank, there is no cash, there is no way to access the account, or abuse it, she notes.

“There is absolute transparency and accountability. In no audit by the Auditor General of the Republic or private auditors appointed on his behalf, was the slightest irregularity or illegality detected. There is no way for money to leak, there are no financial transactions, all the money that is in the special account is used as scholarships for children who are studying,” she stresses.

UNIC study warns climate change fuels tick-borne threats to Mediterranean livestock

A recent scientific review by Panagiotis Karanis, Professor of Anatomy at the UNIC Medical School, in collaboration with researchers from Greece and Turkey, highlights how climate change is creating compounded challenges for livestock systems in the Mediterranean.

The study shows that climatic pressures are simultaneously increasing livestock’s physiological stress while accelerating the spread of ticks and tick-borne diseases.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Entomologia Generalis, the review synthesises current knowledge on the interconnected effects of climate change on tick ecology and livestock sustainability within the Mediterranean basin, a region particularly vulnerable to environmental and epidemiological shifts.

Commenting on the study, Professor Panagiotis Karanis said: ‘Our paper shows that rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events are reducing water availability and forage quality while increasing heat stress in livestock. These pressures undermine productivity, reproduction, and animal welfare. At the same time, warmer conditions are extending the seasonal activity of ticks, speeding up their life cycles, and enabling them to expand into new regions, thereby amplifying disease transmission and economic losses for farmers.’

To address these growing risks, the researchers call for a move away from reactive, chemical-heavy disease control toward integrated, climate-adaptive strategies. Recommended solutions include early warning surveillance, improved pasture management, targeted vector control, and adoption of climate-resilient livestock husbandry practices.

Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Marilena Raouna, will present today the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union to the Chairpersons of the European Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of the EU Member States (COSAC).

According to a press release by the Cyprus Presidency of the EU, the meeting of the COSAC members is organised by the Cyprus House of Representatives in Nicosia.

During her participation in the meeting, the Deputy Minister for European Affairs will present the main priorities of the Cyprus Presidency and will then take part in an exchange of views with the Chairs of the Parliamentary Committees on European Affairs of the national Parliaments of the Member States of the European Union, as well as of the countries that are candidates for accession.

The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state since 2004, is holding this semester (January – June 2026) the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU. The first Cyprus EU Presidency was in 2012.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Republic of Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos held a telephone conversation on Sunday discussing US operations in the Caribbean, the protests in Iran, and common priorities in the context of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU.

According to Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State, Tommy Pigott, “the two leaders discussed the United States’ counternarcotics operations in the Caribbean and the protests in Iran”.

“Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Kombos also discussed shared priorities during the Republic of Cyprus’s January – June 2026 Council of the European Union Presidency”.

Meanwhile, the Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on X that they focused on the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU and transatlantic relations, the Cyprus – US strategic partnership and regional cooperation, regional developments in Syria and Iran, efforts for lasting peace in Ukraine and developments in Venezuela.

“Reaffirmed strong commitment to working together to strengthen transatlantic dialogue and cooperation, in support of peace, stability, and security” the post reads.

A recent scientific review highlights how climate change is creating compounded challenges for livestock systems in the Mediterranean.

The study, by Panagiotis Karanis, Professor of Anatomy at the University of Nicosia’s (UNIC) Medical School, in collaboration with researchers from Greece and Turkey, shows that climatic pressures are simultaneously increasing livestock’s physiological stress while accelerating the spread of ticks and tick-borne diseases.

A press release by UNIC says that published in the peer-reviewed journal Entomologia Generalis, the review synthesises current knowledge on the interconnected effects of climate change on tick ecology and livestock sustainability within the Mediterranean basin, a region particularly vulnerable to environmental and epidemiological shifts.

Commenting on the study, Professor Panagiotis Karanis notes that the paper shows that rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events are reducing water availability and forage quality while increasing heat stress in livestock.

“These pressures undermine productivity, reproduction, and animal welfare. At the same time, warmer conditions are extending the seasonal activity of ticks, speeding up their life cycles, and enabling them to expand into new regions, thereby amplifying disease transmission and economic losses for farmers,” he adds.

To address these growing risks, the press release says, researchers call for a move away from reactive, chemical-heavy disease control toward integrated, climate-adaptive strategies.

Recommended solutions include early warning surveillance, improved pasture management, targeted vector control, and adoption of climate-resilient livestock husbandry practices.

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 0600 12/01/2026 UNTIL 0600 13/01/2026

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1010hPa (hectopascal)

Barometric low is affecting the area. The weather will be mainly cloudy with local showers and isolated thunderstorms. In thunderstorm hail is likely.

Visibility: Good, but moderate to poor in showers

Sea surface temperature: 19°C

Warnings: WARNING NR: 5 VALID FROM: 120000 TO: 121200 STRONG AND LOCALLY NEAR GALE SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS FORCE 6 BEAUFORT AND LOCALLY 7 BEAUFORT ARE EXPECTED TO AFFECT AT TIMES THE AREA. THE STATE OF SEA WILL BE ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH.

AREA

PERIOD

WIND

STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Morning

Southwest 5 to 6, gradually 6 to 7

Rough to Very Rough

Afternoon

Southwest to Northwest 5 to 6, locally 6 to 7

Rough to Very Rough

Night

West to Northwest 6 to 7, soon Northwest 5 to 6

Rough to Very Rough

South Coast

Morning

Southwest 5 to 6, gradually 6 to 7

Rough, gradually Rough to Very Rough

Afternoon

Southwest to West 6 to 7, gradually West 5 to 6

Rough to Very Rough

Night

Southwest to Northwest 6 to 7, in the morning West to Northwest 4 to 5

Rough to Very Rough

East Coast

Morning

Southwest 5 to 6, locally 4 to 5

Moderate to Rough, locally Moderate

Afternoon

Southwest to West 5 to 6, at times locally 6

Moderate, at times locally Moderate to Rough

Night

Southwest to West 5 to 6, later West to Northwest 4 to 5

Moderate

North Coast

Morning

Southwest to West 5 to 6, locally 6

Rough to Very Rough

Afternoon

Southwest to West 5 to 6, at times locally 6 to 7

Rough to Very Rough

Night

West 5 to 6, gradually West to Northwest 4 to 5

Rough to Very Rough

Time of issue: 0530

Date: 12/01/2026

School of Law, European University Cyprus: International Participation in Corporate Law Conference at the University of Vienna

The School of Law of European University Cyprus continues to strengthen its international academic profile and contribution to contemporary legal scholarship through active participation in high-level global conferences.

On December 2025, Dr Antigoni Alexandropoulou, Associate Dean of the School of Law and Associate Professor of Corporate Law, participated in an international conference held at the University of Vienna, entitled:

‘Boards Inc. – Legal Persons as Directors and Officers’

Dr Alexandropoulou presented a scholarly paper titled ‘Legal Persons as Directors and Officers in Cyprus’, offering an in-depth examination of the Cypriot legal framework and contributing to the international academic dialogue on the role of legal persons in corporate management and governance.

The conference was organised by the Center for Comparative Corporate Finance Law, in collaboration with Chris Thomale, and brought together distinguished academics and legal practitioners from Europe, the United States, and Australia.

This participation highlights the School of Law of European University Cyprus as an active contributor to international legal research and discourse, reaffirming its commitment to academic excellence, research impact, and global engagement in the field of Corporate and Comparative Law.

Rain and isolated thunderstorms, combined with snowfall in the mountains are expected on Monday, according to a yellow warning issued by the Cyprus Meteorology Department.

The warning, which has been in effect since Sunday evening and will last until 2100 local time, says that a combination of rain and isolated thunderstorms mainly over coastal areas are expected to affect the island at times.

In the areas of thunderstorms, hail is expected while snowfall is also expected over the high mountain regions which locally at times is likely to be heavy, it adds.

Precipitation rate is expected to range between 35 and 55 millimeters per hour, while total precipitation is likely to locally exceed the amount of 55 millimeters per 24 hours, mainly over the coastal and the mountainous areas, the warning concludes.

Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Clea Papaellina will travel to Brussels on January 12 and 13, for a series of contacts and meetings in the context of Cyprus’ Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the first half of 2026.

According to a press release by the Deputy Ministry, on Monday, the Deputy Minister will meet with the Director-General of the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, David Brozina, with whom she will exchange views on the priorities, organisation and progress of the Cypriot Presidency.

She will then hold bilateral contacts with Members of the European Parliament serving on the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL).

On Tuesday, January 13, the Deputy Minister will have a bilateral meeting with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Social Rights, Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, Roxana Minzatu. The discussion will focus on social policy issues, with particular emphasis on the priorities of the Cypriot Presidency in the areas of preventing and combating poverty, child poverty and safeguarding the best interests of the child, social inclusion of persons with disabilities, long-term care and active ageing.

During her meetings, Papaellina will also brief her interlocutors on a series of High-Level Conferences scheduled to take place in Cyprus and Brussels during the semester of the Cypriot Presidency.

As noted, the presence of the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare in Brussels constitutes an important step in strengthening political dialogue and cooperation with the institutions of the European Union, as the Republic of Cyprus assumes, for the second time, the Presidency of the Council of the EU.