Category: Cyprus News Agency

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (B)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1200 07/10/2025 UNTIL 1200 08/10/2025

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

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

Weak low pressure is affecting the area. In the evening, the weather will be partly cloudy and at times mainly cloudy with risk of isolated showers. Tonight and tomorrow morning, the weather will be mainly cloudy with local showers and isolated thunderstorms, initially over the north and the west and gradually over the south and the east.

Visibility: Good, but moderate to poor in showers

Sea surface temperature: 26°C

Warnings: NIL

Minister of Education, Sports, and Youth, Athena Michaelidou, will pay Qatar an official visit during which she will hold meetings with her counterparts and will sign an MoU in the fields of Youth and Sports.

Michaelidou travels to Doha on Tuesday.

Specifically, according to a Ministry press release, during the visit, Michaelidou will have bilateral meetings with the Minister of Education and Higher Education of Qatar, Lolwah bint Rashid bin Mohammed Al Khater, as well as with the Minister of Sports and Youth of Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al-Thani, with whom she will sign a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding in the fields of Youth and Sports.

It is added that the Minister is also expected to hold meetings with educational and research institutions, universities, and development finance institutions in Qatar to explore opportunities for further cooperation in the fields of education, research, youth, and sports.

Michaelidou will return to Cyprus on October 10, the press release concludes.

2026 LUX Audience Award shortlisted films unveiled at the European Parliament

The films Christy, Sorda, It Was Just An Accident, Love Me Tender, and Sentimental Value will compete for the 2026 LUX Audience Award, it was announced this Tuesday in Strasbourg.

The five nominated films for the LUX Audience Award were chosen by a panel of film professionals from across EU member states.

‘Cinema is part of who we are as Europeans. These films embody the European Parliament’s commitment to defending democracy, freedom, and diversity, while addressing the challenges faced by our societies, from inclusion and human rights to young people’s mental health.

The LUX Audience Award is about bringing European cinema closer to people, wherever they live, and giving them a chance to see Europe from a different perspective,’ said the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.

‘This year’s LUX films once again reflect the diversity of our society – with its different structures, tensions, and struggles. The selected films move us with powerful, deeply human stories and strong emotions. Together, they testify to the need for a robust cultural budget as a key instrument to build stronger, more inclusive and fairer democracies,’ added the vice-president responsible for the LUX Audience Award, Sabine Verheyen.

‘The LUX Audience Award is a unique tool of cultural and democratic expression. Viewers all over Europe get to elect the best out of a choice of remarkable European films.

In the Committee on Culture and Education, we are working to improve access to culture and the conditions for cultural creators. It is the EU’s responsibility to defend the independence of the European cultural sector, and celebrate the diversity of our film industry,’ stated the chair of the Committee on Culture and Education Nela Riehl.

Discover the films

Christy. Directed by Brendan Canty, Christy centres on a 17-year-old Irish boy of the same name who is ousted from his foster home and forced to live with his estranged older half-brother. Despite the potentially negative influence of his extended family, Christy begins making friends and reconnecting with his roots. As his brother tries to secure a better future for him, both are faced with tough decisions that challenge their fragile bond.

Sorda. Spanish director Eva Libertad tells the story of Ángela, a deaf woman expecting a child with her hearing partner. Ángela’s fears about motherhood and her ability to communicate and interact with her daughter mount as she confronts the reality of raising a baby in a world not built for her.

It Was Just An Accident. Directed by 2012 Sakharov Prize laureate Jafar Panahi, the film explores political repression in Iran through the story of a night driver who kills a dog. Stranded, he goes to a garage, where his rescuer believes him to be the prison officer who tortured him. This film was made without official filming authorisation from the Iranian authorities.

Love Me Tender. French director Anna Cazenave Cambet adapted Constance Debré’s book about a 40 year-old woman who loses custody of her son after telling her ex-husband that she has romantic relationships with women. This fact is used against her in court, leading the judge to grant the father full custody. The film centres on the woman’s fight to remain a mother and a free woman.

Sentimental Value. The complexities of family dynamics are explored in this English, Norwegian and Swedish-language film from director Joachim Trier. Two sisters are reunited with their father, a once-renowned director trying to make a comeback film. After one of his daughters turns down a role in the film, he gives it to an eager young Hollywood actor. Suddenly, the already complicated family relationship gains an additional element, with the arrival of the American star.

Next Steps

Free screenings of the five films will take place in all EU countries up until April 2026. In keeping with the European Parliament’s total commitment to accessibility, and for the first time, the shortlisted films will have subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Citizens across Europe, as well as the Members of the European Parliament, can vote for their favourite film on the LUX Audience Award rating platform. Their respective votes will each count 50% towards the films’ final scores.

A ceremony to announce the 2026 LUX Audience Award laureate will take place at the hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels in mid-April 2026.

For the 2025 edition of the award, more than 900 screenings of the shortlisted films were organised, with discussions involving more than 90,000 audience members. 2025’s laureate was the film Flow by Gints Zilbalodis.

Background

The LUX Audience Award has been awarded by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy, in partnership with the European Commission and the Europa Cinemas network, since 2020. It fosters dialogue and engagement between politics and the public. The award is complemented by the Young Talent Programme, which seeks to engage young cinema professionals in the promotion of European values and the LUX Audience Award project.

Further information

Press conference to announce the 2026 nominees with VP Sabine Verheyen and chair of the Committee on Culture Nela Riehl

Streaming of the launch event in the presence of European Parliament President Roberta Metsola

LUX Audience Award website

Timeline and rating process

LUX Audience Award communication kit

European Parliament Multimedia Centre: free pictures, videos and audio material: 2026 LUX Audience Award

Committee on Culture and Education

This edition nominees touch upon subjects such youth and mental health, inclusiveness and democracy @EP

Deputy Minister of Shipping Marina Hadjimanolis and Minister of Transport of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Thani, signed on Tuesday a Memorandum of Understanding in the fields of of cooperation, exchange of know-how, education, infrastructure, as well as the green transition of shipping.

Before the signing of the MoU, a meeting took place between the two delegations on the sidelines of the International Conference “Maritime Cyprus 2025”, which continues its deliberations in the coastal town of Limassol.

In her statements, the Deputy Minister said that the MoU refers to important areas, such as cooperation in International Organizations, recalling that Cyprus is running for re-election next November in the Council of the International Maritime Organization.

In addition, she said that the MoU covers issues of competitiveness of shipping, indicating that “Cyprus is the European country located most easterly in the heart of the Arabian Gulf and we attach great importance to this cooperation.”

The MoU, she noted, mainly includes the exchange of know-how on education issues, registry issues, issues related to the decarbonization of shipping, the environment, as well as port infrastructure and logistics.

The most important thing, Hadjimanolis stressed, ‘is that we do not want it to be just a signed MoU, but rather to have substance and deliverables’ adding that during the meeting it was agreed to make an effort before the official visit planned by the President of the Republic to Qatar, “to have deliverables and shipping to be among the things that will be discussed.’

Cyprus’ House President, Annita Demetriou, on Tuesday discussed with outgoing Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Cyprus, Vladimir Nemec, the strengthening of bilateral relations.

According to a statement by Parliament, Demetriou thanked Nemec for the good cooperation between the House of Representatives and the Embassy of the Czech Republic during his term and for his contribution to the further deepening of bilateral relations between Cyprus and the Czech Republic and, by extension, the two parliaments.

It said that the House President ‘expressed her appreciation for the principled stance and the long-standing support of the Czech Republic in the efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem, on the basis of the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions’.

The Ambassador ‘expressed his appreciation for his excellent cooperation with the House of Representatives, underlining his will and intention to continue to contribute to the further strengthening of relations and exchanges between the Czech and Cypriot parliaments at all levels’, it adds. Nemec reaffirmed his country’s firm principled position regarding the Cyprus problem and the efforts to resolve it, in accordance with the relevant UN Resolutions, wishing for the reunification of the island it said.

He also briefed the House President on the current political developments in his country, following the recent parliamentary elections. They also exchanged views on issues of European interest in view of Cyprus’ Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 January 2026, the statement concludes.

Press service

European Parliament

Press release

06-10-2025

2025 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism: ten finalists shortlisted

The jury of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism has shortlisted ten investigations for the fifth edition of the award.

European missile group MBDA selling parts for bombs that have killed children in Gaza

Disclose, The Guardian, Follow the Money

The Forever Lobbying Project

Le Monde and various media outlets

Les forçats du cybercrime (Cyberslaves)

Paris Match

Wide-angle frame of death (part 1 and part 2)

Novosti

Dirty Payments

Mediapart, European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) and 20 media outlets

The Viktoriia Project

Forbidden Stories and various media outlets

‘Make a Molotov Cocktail’: How Europeans are recruited through Telegram to commit sabotage, arson and murder

Delfi, OCCRP, Paper Trail Media, Der Standard, Tamedia, ZDF, Re:Baltica

Ecocide in Iraq: How big oil companies are turning marshlands into deserts

IrpiMedia, JournalismFund Europe, IJ4EU

The Shadow Fleet Secrets

Follow the Money and various media outlets

Die unsichtbare Front

Missy Magazine

More information about each finalist here.

Between 21 May and 31 July 2025, hundreds of journalists from the 27 EU countries submitted their stories for consideration. Ten out the of the 316 submissions were selected as finalists.

The winner will be announced in an award ceremony taking place on Tuesday 21 October 2025, in the evening, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg (Daphne Caruana Galizia Press Room). Finalists will be present in the ceremony as well as the seminar on Press Freedom which will be organised earlier on the same day.

An invitation to accredited journalists to attend both events will follow.

Press seminar before ceremony

The media services of the European Parliament are also organising a press seminar just before the ceremony.

The seminar will analyse the role of journalists in today’s world and the threats they face. The situation of journalists in the Middle East will be at the centre of the discussion, with Palestinian and Israeli journalists sharing their firsthand experiences of this tragedy.

The seminar will be opened (online) by Italian author and journalist Roberto Saviano, and will be closed by Russian journalist and Chairwoman of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, Maria Konstantinovna Pevchikh, alongside Matthew Caruana Galizia, son of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The 10 projects selected as finalists for the Prize will also be highlighted.

To help us determine how many journalists will require access to the press seminar and to arrange interviews with speakers and finalists, please register for the event and/or interviews by 16 October at 10:00 am via this link.

About the Prize

Launched in 2020, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism is open to professional journalists and teams of professional journalists of any nationality, who can submit in-depth pieces that have been published or broadcast by media based in one of the 27 EU countries. An independent jury composed of representatives of the press and civil society from the 27 member states, as well as representatives of the main European journalists’ associations, will choose the winning entry. The prize and the pound 20 000 prize money demonstrate the European Parliament’s strong support for investigative journalism and the importance of a free press.

Past winners

2021 – ‘The Pegasus Project’, coordinated by the Forbidden Stories

2022 – Documentary on ‘The Central African Republic under Russian Influence’ by Clément Di Roma and Carol Valade (ARTE/France24/Le Monde)

2023 – Joint investigation on the Pylos migrant boat shipwreck (Solomon, in collaboration with Forensis, StrgF/ARD, and The Guardian)

2024 – Investigation on missing unaccompanied child migrants (Lost in Europe)

Who was Daphne Caruana Galizia?

Daphne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese journalist, blogger and anti-corruption activist who reported extensively on corruption, money laundering, organised crime, sale of citizenship and the Maltese government’s links to the Panama Papers. Following harassment and threats, she was murdered in a car bomb explosion on 16 October 2017. The outcry over the authorities’ handling of her murder investigation ultimately prompted the resignation of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Critical of failings in the investigation, in December 2019, MEPs called on the European Commission to take action.

Daphne Caruana Galizia Journalism Prize secretariat

info@daphnejournalismprize.eu

John SCHRANZ

Press Officer (MT)

(+32) 2 28 44264 (BXL)

(+33) 3 881 74076 (STR)

(+32) 498 98 14 02

john.schranz@europarl.europa.eu

Thea PIERIDOU

Press Officer

European Parliament

Office in Cyprus

30 Vyronos Avenue – 1096 Nicosia

97 665992

22 870500 / 22 396485

thea.pieridou@ep.europa.eu

Cyprus and the Secretariat General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf signed on Sunday a Memorandum of Understanding for the Establishment of Consultations on Matters of Common Interest.

The MoU was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Constantinos Kombos, who is visiting the UAE, and General Secretary of the GCC Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi.

“It was a pleasure signing today with GCCSG Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi an MoU for the Establishment of Consultations on Matters of Common Interest between the Cyprus Government and the Secretariat General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf” he wrote on ‘X’.

Co-operation will be on a number of areas, Kombos added, including among others political issues and regional and international issues of mutual concern, trade, investment, industry, and other economic areas of mutual concern, education, culture and tourism, environment, agriculture.

“Reiterated our commitment to deepening Cyprus -GCC ties” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Kombos also met with Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, Foreign Minister of Kuwait, who is currently chairing the GCC.

The discussion focused on the further enhancement of the Cyprus – Kuwait relations, the deepening of ties between EU-GCC, the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, regional developments in the Middle East and the humanitarian aid to Gaza and Cyprus’ Amalthea maritime humanitarian corridor to Gaza.

On the sidelines of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – EU Ministerial Meeting, he held a “timely exchange with Luigi Di Maio, EU Special Representative for the Gulf. The discussion, Kombos said on ‘X’ focused on the deepening of ties and strategic partnerships between EU and GCC and the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU and regional developments.

Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment for Cyprus Dr. Maria Panayiotou participates in the deliberations of the Conference of European Ministers of Mediterranean countries (MED9) which take place 5-7 October in Portoroz, Slovenia.

According to a press release by the Ministry of Agriculture, the conference, that will be chaired by Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of Slovenia, Mateja Calušic, will focus on Sustainable Risk Management in Agriculture, thus continuing the discussion initiated under the Cyprus Presidency of the MED9, with the aim of formulating a common strategy for resilient, sustainable and fair agriculture in the countries of the European South.

The Ministers of the nine Mediterranean countries are expected to adopt a Joint Declaration of the MED9, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening the resilience of agriculture given the growing challenges, and in view of the legislative proposals for the new CAP 2028-2034.

In the context of the deliberations, the Cypriot Minister will emphasize the need for preventive and coordinated political action, with an emphasis on financial adequacy, rapid compensation of producers and the sustainability of agricultural holdings, the press release says.

Panayiotou will then travel to Ireland on October 7, for an official two day visit, following an invitation of the Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and Maritime Affairs, Martin Heydon.

They will discuss about the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU as well as issues of coordination and smooth transition to the next, Presidency which is Ireland. In addition, they will discuss about policies for the new CAP after 2027, focusing on research, innovation and technology in the agri-food sector.

She will also visit Ireland’s national research and advisory organisation for agriculture, as well as model agricultural and livestock units.

“We’re looking to have a just and equitable transition in shipping. We can only do that if we come together at IMO. And we focus not only on the green environmental agenda than normally hit the headlines. We focus on safety, which is one of the core areas”, International Maritime Organization Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez said Monday, addressing the ‘Maritime Cyprus 2025′ Conference taking place in the coastal town of Limassol.

Shipping will continue to grow by around 2% for the next 5 years, according to the United Nations Trade and Development Maritime Review, he said and referred to additional challenges to which the response is working for global implementations of regulations.

Addressing the participants Dominguez called on them to work together in moving forward “with a global regulation that is going to allow us to maintain the global sector when it comes to shipping”.

“I have made it very clear that I’m not in favour of regional measures. I have spoken constantly to the European Union, and I will repeat my message. Once adopted then we expect that the European Union and any other country that have regional or national measures would then only align to the global regulations that IMO”, he stressed.

IMO SG referred to the meetings he had in Cyprus in the framework of the Conference, noting that “we improve by listening, by sharing and by adapting”.

Dominguez also hailed President Christodoulides’ continued commitment in supporting the maritime sector. The IMO SG spoke of decisions and improvements that continue to shape the shipping sector in Cyprus, which are demonstrated very tangibly by the resource and their linked to the work of IMO.

“When it comes to incentives, you also introduced green incentives in line with the recommendations of IMO, and you offer up to 30% reductions when it comes to registration. Your compliance with IMO instrument is also represented in the increase of 20% of the registry in the last 2 years. You are a centre for ship management. You are improving important infrastructure and you are an active member in the negotiations at the IMO and I look forward to maintain that strong cooperation”, he noted.

In her address Shipping Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis noted that the success story of Cyprus shipping is rooted in the close collaboration between the public and private sectors, working together to enhance competitiveness and quality.

She said that partnerships with the Cyprus Union of Shipowners and the Cyprus Shipping Chamber, together with a powerful industry, exemplify this productive collaboration, demonstrating that collective effort and mutual respect, are the cornerstones of enduring success.

“Cyprus shipping is not only about fleets or vessels. Cyprus shipping is, about the people. The most valuable and strongest component of Cyprus shipping. Our talented, dedicated, and professional workforce, which define the strength of our industry. Our protagonists and ambassadors”, the Deputy Minister went on to say.

Addressing the participants Hadjimanolis called on them to continue to innovate, collaborate and invest in the future of shipping, ensuring that shipping will remain competitive and resilient.

The “Maritime Cyprus” Conference is organised every two years by the Shipping Deputy Ministry in cooperation with the Cyprus Shipping Chamber and the Cyprus Union of Shipowners. It was first established in 1989 and since then, has grown into one of the world’s most significant and most attended shipping conferences. Its status now gives it a prominent position in the calendar of many shipping executives, including owners and managers as well as those in charge of organisations with shipping related activities. The “Maritime Cyprus” Conference attracts to Cyprus approximately 800 shipping executives from around the globe.

Distinguished guests and world class experts analyze and discuss specialised issues of concern to the shipping industry.

Relations between the Cypriot Government and the Greek Government are stronger than ever before, President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, stressed on Monday.

The President was replying to questions of reporters on his arrival to the International Conference “Maritime Cyprus 2025” that is taking place in Limassol.

Asked if there is a crisis in the relations between Cyprus and Greece over the Greek Independent Power Transmission Operator, IPTO, the President of the Republic said that “relations between Athens and Nicosia, relations between the Cypriot Government and the Greek Government, my relationship with the Greek Prime Minister are stronger than ever before.”

The President also sent the message to “those who invest in a rupture in the relations of the Greek Government with the Cypriot Government, of my relations with the Greek Prime Minister” pointing out that they “will be disappointed”.

Asked if he had spoken with the Greek Prime Minister, following the meeting that took place yesterday in Athens on the issue, President Christodoulides referred journalists to his replies above saying that they give answers to all questions.