Category: Cyprus News Agency

Weather Temperature for Cyprus

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

Date 08/10/2026

Station

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

Humidity at

1200 UTC

Highest

Lowest

Nicosia (Athalassa)

29

16

39

Larnaka Airport

30

19

62

Limassol

29

18

50

Pafos Airport

28

19

57

Frenaros

28

17

61

Prodromos

18

10

82

Polis Pafos

27

18

59

The Cabinet approved on Thursday the ‘Together with Mother and Baby’ scheme, that includes home visits by social workers to identify any difficulties and offer support, according to statements by Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Tina Pavlou.

The scheme is aimed at eligible families receiving the Guaranteed Minimum Income, as well as families with a gross household income of up to pound 22,000. It is expected to support around 1,000 new families, with an annual cost of pound 1.5 million.

Following a Council of Ministers meeting at the Presidential Palace, Pavlou described the scheme as one of the Deputy Ministry’s ‘flagship initiatives’ for 2026. ‘We are strengthening the support provided by the welfare state,’ she added.

The new, ‘Together with Mother and Baby’ scheme aims to support and empower new parents, with particular emphasis on the mother during the child’s first year of life, she said. At the same time, eligible families will receive a free package of baby equipment and essential care items worth pound 1,000 per child.

The Deputy Minister said the approach is already being implemented in other European countries. ‘We are moving from simply providing material assistance to a comprehensive approach focused on supporting and empowering the family,’ she said.

According to the Deputy Minister, the home visit by a social worker is at the heart of the scheme, with the aim of identifying difficulties, providing guidance and information, and where the mother requires additional support, facilitating access to other services.

New Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus the Kingdom of Cambodia Koula Sofianou has thanked the country for its long-standing support in the efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem and expressed Nicosia’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations.

According to an official press release, Sofianou presented recently her credentials to the Acting Head of State of the Kingdom of Cambodia and President of the Senate, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen.

The Ambassador conveyed the warm greetings of President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and expressed Cyprus’ commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations, on the basis of the United Nations Charter and international law, as well as within the framework of European Union (EU)-Cambodia and EU-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) relations.

She also thanked the government of the Kingdom of Cambodia for its long-standing support in the efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem.

They also discussed the prospects for cooperation in areas of common interest, such as investments, climate change, innovation, education, sustainable tourism, the protection of cultural heritage and the strengthening of contacts between the peoples of the two countries.

The Ambassador wished every success in the organization of the Francophonie Summit, which will be held for the second time in Asia.

The Republic of Cyprus and the Kingdom of Cambodia established diplomatic relations in 2000.

Cyprus’ Composite Leading Economic Index (CCLEI) strengthened further in September, pointing to an improvement in the country’s short-term economic outlook, according to the Economics Research Centre (CypERC) of the University of Cyprus.

The CCLEI recorded a year-on-year increase of 0.28% in September 2026, up from a marginal 0.01% increase in August, marking the second consecutive month of positive year-on-year growth after a decline of 0.29% in July.

The further strengthening of the index was mainly driven by the positive performance of several domestic components. Property sales contracts, credit card transactions by Cypriots and the retail sales turnover volume index contributed positively to the CCLEI’s annual growth rate.

The year-on-year change in the weighted Economic Sentiment Indicator was also positive, although limited.

At the same time, the increase in the CCLEI was constrained by a significant rise in Brent crude oil prices compared with September 2025, as well as year-on-year declines in tourist arrivals and in the temperature-adjusted volume of electricity production.

According to CypERC, the positive performance of components related to the real estate market, retail trade and economic sentiment indicates resilience in Cypriot economic activity despite continuing pressures from the external environment.

However, the Centre noted that the sharp rise in oil prices, together with broader geopolitical and economic uncertainty, continued to pose significant downside risks to Cyprus’s economic growth.

The CCLEI is designed to provide early warning signals of turning points in the business cycle, with its components tending to precede changes in overall economic activity.

The index includes the Brent crude oil price, the Economic Sentiment Indicator in Cyprus and the euro area, property sales contracts, tourist arrivals, the value of Cypriot credit card transactions, the retail trade sales turnover volume index and the temperature-adjusted volume of electricity production.

The Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry participated in The London Food and Drink Festival 2026, with the aim of promoting Cypriot food and beverages in the United Kingdom market. The participation, through the Trade Center of the Republic of Cyprus in London, included an the operation of a pavilion which served as an information point, on September 16 and 17, 2026, at the ExCeL London exhibition center.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry, the pavilion featured a wide variety of traditional and contemporary Cypriot products, including Halloumi and other dairy products, cured meats, baked goods, loukoumia, honey, wines, Zivania and other alcoholic beverages, juices, trahanas, nuts, spoon sweets, carob syrup and rose products.

According to the Ministry, visitors to the Cypriot pavilion tasted Cypriot food and beverages and experienced the richness and diversity of the island’s cuisine through dishes prepared by the pavilion’s chef.

Leaflets featuring details on the products, recipes and a Cyprus Gastronomy Map were also distributed during the exhibition.

The London Food and Drink Festival was held for the first time bringing together five separate exhibitions to create one of the United Kingdom’s largest food and beverage industry events. The festival featured around 600 exhibitors and attracted more than 15,000 industry professionals from the UK and abroad.

In 2024, the share of jobs in Cyprus accounted for by foreign-controlled enterprises stood at 10%, one of the lowest rates in the EU, according to data published by Eurostat on Thursday.

More specifically, in terms of employees and self-employed persons, foreign-controlled enterprises accounted for 10% of jobs in Cyprus, the same share as in Italy. A lower rate was recorded in Greece, at 8%.

At the other end of the scale, Luxembourg recorded the highest share of jobs in foreign-controlled enterprises, at 45%, while in Ireland, Slovakia and Romania the corresponding share stood at 28% in each country.

Across the EU, only 1% of market producer enterprises were foreign-controlled in 2024, according to Eurostat. Of these, 59% were controlled by institutional units based in other EU countries and 41% by institutional units outside the EU.

Virtual Learning through Virtual Reality Takes Centre Stage at the VLPN Project Final Conference

The European Erasmus+ project Virtual Children’s Hospital for Learning Pediatric Nursing (VLPN) concluded its activities with the international conference “Virtual Learning, Shaping the Future of Paediatric Nursing Education”, held on 23 September 2026 at CYENS in Nicosia.

The conference was organised by the Department of Nursing of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), in collaboration with the VLPN project partners, Turku University of Applied Sciences in Finland (the project coordinator) and Tartu Applied Health Sciences University in Estonia, as well as with the Paediatric Nursing Sector of the Cyprus Nurses and Midwives Association (CYNMA).

The conference featured distinguished speakers from Cyprus: Dr Marios Avramides, Professor at the University of Cyprus; Dr Theologia Tsitsi, Lecturer at the Cyprus University of Technology; and Nikolina Dodlek, Research Fellow and Teaching Assistant at the Cyprus University of Technology, as well as from Belgium, Katrin De Winter, Lecturer at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences. The speakers shared knowledge, experiences and good practices on Virtual Reality (VR) and Extended Reality (XR) learning, as well as on the use of technology in education, in the fields of paediatric nursing, healthcare and cognitive psychology.

The central theme of the conference was how innovative digital technologies can transform the education and preparation of future paediatric nurses. Particular emphasis was placed on the contribution of Virtual Reality to strengthening clinical knowledge and skills in paediatric nursing, as well as in other areas of healthcare, education and professional training.

Participants had the opportunity to discover innovative VR applications developed within the VLPN project and the European Erasmus+ project Extended Reality Learning Framework for Pediatric Nursing Students (PeDXR). Through an interactive workshop, participants were able not only to learn about VR-based education, but also to experience firsthand applications developed within the two projects.

The conference provided an important forum for discussing the opportunities and challenges of integrating Virtual Reality technologies into education, and how digital innovation can complement existing learning approaches.

As healthcare education continues to evolve, virtual and immersive learning technologies can offer students and educators additional ways to engage with complex clinical situations interactively and innovatively.

The experience and resources developed within the VLPN project contribute to this ongoing dialogue and provide a foundation for further innovation in paediatric nursing education. The conference also highlighted the importance of international cooperation in developing new approaches to healthcare education.

The VLPN final conference marked an important milestone in the project and was rated very highly by participants, with an overall score of 4.72 out of 5. Participants particularly praised the innovative content, the engaging and interactive format, and the excellent organisation of the conference.

The conference Organising Committee extends its warm thanks to all the speakers for their valuable contributions, and to the technical team (Andrea Papacharalambous, Christos Aristotelous and Savvina Markidou) for their invaluable support in the successful delivery of the event.

Finally, the Organising Committee warmly thanks CUTing Edge and Areti Anniva for the photographic coverage of the event.

VLPN project: Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

Project details:

Project number: 2023-1-FI01-KA220-HED-000166447

Project duration: 01.10.2023 – 30.09.2026

Lead partner: Turku University of Applied Sciences (Finland)

Partner organisations:

Cyprus University of Technology, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences (Cyprus)

Tartu Applied Health Sciences University (Estonia)

Project research team at the Cyprus University of Technology:

Christiana Nicolaou – Scientific Coordinator – CUT

Joanna Menikou, Koralia Michail, Ioanna Pieri, Ourania Kolokotroni, Nicos Middleton,

Project manager: Marianna Moore

Funding source: Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships

Total project funding: pound 480,000

Without a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue, there can be no sustainable de-escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean, European Commission Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms Raffaele Fitto said on Thursday, during the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, in a debate entitled ‘Escalatory incidents in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean following persistent Turkish provocations’.

Fitto, who is also the Commission’s Special Representative for the Cyprus issue, stressed in his closing remarks that Greece and Cyprus have the EU’s ‘full solidarity’. He reiterated that sustainable de-escalation in Greco-Turkish relations and in the Eastern Mediterranean as a whole is a key element for regional stability and security, as well as for progress in EU-Trkiye relations in a gradual, proportionate and reversible manner.

Referring specifically to the Cyprus issue, he said that ‘without a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, it would be impossible to achieve sustainable de-escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean’. He added that the EU remains committed to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue within the United Nations framework, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the principles on which the Union is founded.

The debate attracted considerable interest from MEPs, who intervened with references to developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean, relations with Turkey, as well as issues concerning Cyprus and Greece.

More specifically, Democratic Rally (DISY) and European People’s Party MEP Loucas Fourlas referred to hundreds of violations of Greek airspace and questioned whether Greece and Cyprus are treated in the same way as other member states on security issues. He also referred to the casus belli and to the obstruction of energy projects, describing such actions as threats to the security of Greece and Cyprus.

DISY and EPP MEP Michalis Hadjipantela said that Turkey’s actions concern not only Greece and Cyprus, but the sovereignty of the EU itself. He referred to Cyprus as a country that remains partly occupied and stressed that Trkiye is moving away from its European perspective.

AKEL and The Left MEP, Giorgos Georgiou, referred to the ‘Blue Homeland’ doctrine, Turkish plans for marine parks, the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection project and statements by the Turkish President in favour of a two-state solution in Cyprus. He stressed that Greece and Cyprus are EU Member States and, questioning the Union’s response to these developments, asked: ‘Europe, quo vadis?’

DIKO and Socialists and Democrats (S and D) MEP, Costas Mavrides, referred to the continuing occupation of EU territory in Cyprus and to violations of the sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus. He criticised the policy of the so-called positive agenda towards Turkey and questioned why the EU imposes sanctions on Russia but not on Turkey.

ELAM and European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) MEP, Geadis Geadi, also criticised the EU’s stance towards Trkiye, referring to claims over Greek islands, energy projects and the presence of Turkish troops in Cyprus. He called for measures and sanctions, adding that without action by the EU there can be no deterrence.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term nears its end, announced he would convene another meeting in broader format, after adequate preparation, but gave no timeline. He secured to that end the consensus of both sides and of the guarantor powers. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission’s Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.

Cyprus new High Commissioner to Kenya, Nikolaos T. Manolis, presented his credentials to the President of Kenya, Dr. William Samoei Ruto, during an official ceremony at State House in Nairobi.

In a written statement, the High Commissioner conveyed the warm greetings of President Christodoulides and the people of Cyprus. He referred to the historic ties of friendship linking the two countries since the era of the anti-colonial struggle, as well as the shared commitment of Cyprus and Kenya to diplomacy based on international law and multilateralism.

Manolis also highlighted the significant role Kenya plays in the region as a pillar of security, stability, and peace, and expressed Cyprus’ gratitude for Kenya’s consistent and steadfast stance on the Cyprus problem.

President Ruto referred to the bonds that linked the first Presidents of the two countries, Archbishop Makarios III and Jomo Kenyatta. He also referred to the noteworthy work of the Orthodox Church in Kenya under the leadership of Archbishop Makarios, regarding the operation of the orphanage and the secondary school.

The limited 7% decline in Cyprus’ tourism revenue in the first seven months of 2026 is a positive development, Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumi and President of the Association of Cyprus Travel and Tourism Agents (ACTTA), Charis Papacharalambous, said on Thursday, while highlighting the growing importance of the Israeli market, which, together with the UK, is expected to account for around half of tourist arrivals this year.

Speaking at ACTTA’s Annual General Meeting in Nicosia, Papacharalambous said tourist arrivals from European countries had fallen by almost 10% in the first half of 2026, with the decline from the UK exceeding 10%.

France and Italy, both key target markets for Cyprus, recorded sharper falls of 36.5% and 33.5%, respectively.

However, he said the decline had been offset by a surge in arrivals from Israel, particularly over the past three to four months.

Based on current trends, Papacharalambous expects arrivals from Israel to reach between 650,000 and 700,000 this year.

Together with the UK, Israel is expected to account for approximately 50% of total arrivals, a level not seen since 2019, he said, warning that this would create new dependencies on individual markets.

Referring to 2025, Papacharalambous said nearly 4.5 million tourists had visited Cyprus, while just under two million Cyprus residents had travelled abroad, according to figures from the Statistical Service.

Greece was the most popular destination for outbound travel, accounting for 33% of trips, followed by the UK.

He predicted that the number of trips abroad by Cyprus residents would exceed two million in 2026.

Turning to inbound tourism, he said Cyprus had recorded a record 4.5 million arrivals in 2025, with 42% of visitors coming from EU countries and almost 81% from Europe as a whole.

Tourism revenue reached pound 3.7 billion, equivalent to approximately 14% of GDP, he said, adding that the contribution of the wider hospitality sector was close to 20%.

Total tourist arrivals rose by 12% in 2025, with the UK remaining Cyprus’ largest source market, recording growth of around 5% and accounting for nearly 32% of the total.

Israel was the second-largest market, with arrivals rising by 38% and accounting for 13% of inbound tourism.

Papacharalambous also said that developing year-round tourism was one of his main objectives.

Koumi points to tourism recovery and government measures

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Addressing the meeting, Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumi said the previous two years had been among the most successful in the history of Cyprus tourism, with record performances.

However, he stressed that developments in 2026 had served as a reminder that success in the tourism sector could never be taken for granted.

Koumi said government measures aimed at restoring Cyprus’ international reputation as a tourist destination, stepping up promotional campaigns and maintaining airline seat capacity and tour operators’ programmes had, in his view, helped the sector achieve a full recovery within a reasonable period.

He described the latest figures from the Statistical Service as particularly encouraging, noting that tourism revenue in the first seven months of 2026 was down by just 7% compared with the same period last year.

Revenue was also 9.2% higher than in 2024 and 13.8% above the 2023 level, he added.

Koumi said a key priority for the Deputy Ministry of Tourism was to further improve Cyprus’ tourism offering and strengthen the country’s competitiveness as a destination.

He called for a modern tourism model that would place greater emphasis on the visitor experience, showcase the authentic character of Cyprus and promote sustainable tourism development.

Such a model, he said, should also bring greater benefits to local communities and residents.

Also addressing the meeting, Secretary General of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), Philokypros Roussounides, described tourism as a longstanding driving force of the Cypriot economy.