Category: Cyprus News Agency

Department of Meteorology

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

Date 11/08/2026

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)

40

26

28

Larnaka Airport

34

24

48

Limassol

34

22

51

Pafos Airport

31

24

74

Frenaros

36

24

58

Prodromos

29

20

52

Polis Pafos

34

23

47

Cypriot fencer Alexandros Tofalides made history on Monday by winning the country’s first-ever medal – and a gold one at that – in fencing at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships, currently taking place in Lagos, Nigeria.

A relevant press release said the 33-year-old foil fencer defeated England’s Oliver Strange 15-5 in the final to claim the Commonwealth title. England is the most successful nation in the history of the championships, having won 37 gold medals.

On his way to the title, Tofalides received a bye in the round of 32 before defeating Wales’ Alfie Smith 15-5 in the last 16. He then overcame India’s Bibish Kathiresan 15-7 in the quarter-finals and India’s Manoj Patel in the semi-finals to book his place in the final.

Following his victory, Tofalides described the achievement as the culmination of years of hard work, sacrifice and perseverance.

“It is difficult to put into words what this moment means to me. After so many years of training, sacrifices, difficult moments and disappointments, but also persistence, I am incredibly proud to call myself Commonwealth Champion. Standing on the top step of the podium, hearing the national anthem and seeing the Cyprus flag raised is something I will never forget. Representing Cyprus means much more to me than sport”, he said.

He added that the medal belongs not only to him but also to his family, teammates and everyone who supported him throughout his journey. He also thanked the Cyprus Sports Organisation, the Cyprus Olympic Committee, the Cyprus Fencing Federation, Allwyn, ISX Financial and the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Solidarity programme for their support.

The historic triumph comes after Tofalides became the first Cypriot fencer to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Having represented Cyprus since 2016, he had set himself the goal of winning international medals for the country. His next target is the Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games.

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (B)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1200 11/08/2026 UNTIL 1200 12/08/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1007hPa (hectopascal)

Seasonal low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be mainly fine, but tonight and during the morning locally increased low cloud coverage will be present, mainly over the western coasts. Later tonight and during dawn, local mist and/or locally increased low cloud coverage is likely, mainly over the southeastern coastal 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 Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, locally 5 Smooth to Slight, locally Slight

Night West to Northwest 3 to 4, locally at first 4 to 5 Smooth to Slight, locally at first Slight

Morning Southwest to West 3 to 4, later locally 4 Smooth to Slight

South Coast

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

Night Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, locally at first Southwest to West 4 to 5 Smooth to Slight, locally at first Slight

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

East Coast

Afternoon Southeast to Southwest 3 to 4, later Southwest 4 Smooth to Slight

Night Southwest to Northwest 3, initially 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

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

North Coast

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

Night Southeast to Southwest 3, locally at first Southwest to West 4 Smooth to Slight, locally at first Slight

Morning Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, initially near the coast Southeast to Southwest 3 Smooth to Slight

Thirty years after the brutal murders of Tassos Isaak and Solomos Solomou, members of their families and eyewitnesses spoke to CNA about the tragic events that unfolded in August 1996, giving shocking personal testimonies about those dramatic days that marked their lives for ever.

In the summer of 1996, the Cyprus Motorcyclists Federation organised a European anti-occupation march, that began in Berlin and had as ending point the Turkish occupied town of Kyrenia. However, after the joint decision of the political leadership and the motorcyclists’ leadership to cancel the part of the march within Cyprus, a group of motorcyclists disagreed and continued their march towards the Deryneia point and other roadblocks in the area, where serious incidents broke out within the buffer zone.

On August 11, in the Deryneia buffer zone, 24-year-old Tassos Isaak was beaten to death by Turkish Cypriots and members of the Grey Wolves, with the UN peacekeepers remaining passive in the face of what was unfolding before them.

Three days later, on the day of Tassos Isaak’s funeral, his 26-year-old cousin, Solomos Solomou, attempted to take down the Turkish flag from a flagpole at an occupation force outpost. He was fatally shot in front of television cameras, in images that were broadcast live around the world and caused an international outcry.

Tasos Isaak’s daughter, Anastasia Isaak, told CNA that “my father sacrificed himself for the freedom of our homeland. His sacrifice was not the result of a military conflict between armies, but of a peaceful anti-occupation demonstration by motorcyclists who were demanding the obvious, free movement in their own homeland.”

Asked what she would consider a real vindication for her father’s sacrifice, she said that it is not only the punishment of the murderers, but also the delivery of justice to all those who continue to experience the consequences of the Turkish invasion and occupation.

Sister of Solomos Solomou, Stella Solomou, told CNA that 30 years after his death, the family carries “immense bitterness and disappointment” because it has not yet been possible to arrest the murderers and bring them to justice.

“The fact that the murderers are walking around free, protected by the occupying force, proves the hypocrisy of those who talk about human rights,” she added. Stella Solomou said that “the real vindication for my brother’s sacrifice would be to bring the murderers to justice and the withdrawal of Turkish troops from our homeland, Cyprus”.

Deputy Government Spokesman Yiannis Antoniou, who was at the time of the events working as a reporter for the ‘Phileleftheros’ newspaper, told CNA that there was tension already in the first days of August, especially after the overt threats of the Denktash regime (Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus) that the Turkish army and the so-called ‘security forces’ would react if the motorcyclists attempted to cross into the occupied territories’.

‘It was one of the most difficult things I wrote, because it was difficult to capture on paper what I experienced. It was the first time I saw a person being killed, and with such brutality. It took many years for me to be able to go to the Deryneia roadblock, while to this day it is extremely painful for me to see photographs from that horrible day, several of which are mine,’ Antoniou said.

Andreas Pettemerides, who was an eyewitness to the tragic events that unfolded at the Deryneia roadblock on August 14, 1996, also spoke to CNA.

“After the funeral of Tassos Isaak, people spontaneously poured out into the streets again and we went to the area where Tassos Isaak was murdered to lay a wreath, where a large number of police forces were lined up”.

“Suddenly, a lot of gunshots were heard” he said, adding that “I fell to the ground, people were trying to leave. For a few seconds, there was chaos from the gunfire. Solomos fell down after the gunshots,” he noted.

In his statements to CNA, President of the Kyrenia Bar Association, Nikolas Constantinides said that ‘the murder of two unarmed citizens, in front of the eyes of the international community, constitutes a blatant violation of the most fundamental human right, the right to life”.

He noted that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemned Turkey in its decision in June 2008, for violations of the European Convention on Human Rights and specifically the right to life.

The Court, he pointed out, attributed the murders to agents of the Turkish government, which makes Turkey responsible at the international level.

Constantinides said that the Republic of Cyprus has proceeded to issue national arrest warrants since 1996 and subsequently, through Interpol, to the circulation of Red Notices.

He noted that former Minister of Justice and Public Order, Marios Hartsiotis, had informed the House of Representatives on this issue in November 2025 and that from this information it appears that currently eight arrest warrants are in force for the murder of Tassos Isaac, three of which are accompanied by Interpol Red Notices and five by international Wanted Person Diffusions.

Regarding the murder of Solomos Solomou, he said that five arrest warrants are in force, with Red Notices having been issued for only two of the wanted persons.

‘The competent authorities must use and exhaust all available legal and other tools of judicial assistance and cooperation to locate and arrest the wanted persons, including the issuance of European Arrest Warrants,’ he said.

The European Arrest Warrants he went on to say, ‘are legally binding for all member states of the European Union, unlike Interpol notices, the implementation of which depends on the cooperation of each country.’

He noted that if European Arrest Warrants are issued, the data of the wanted persons can also be registered in the Schengen Information System and the authorities of the member states will be obliged to arrest these persons and extradite them to the Republic of Cyprus in the event that they attempt to enter or are located in the territory of an EU member state.

This, he concluded, ‘is one of the strongest tools of judicial cooperation of the European Union, based on the principle of mutual recognition of judicial decisions’.

Meanwhile, member of the Initiative of the Memory of Isaac-Solomos Dr Kyriakos Yiangkou told CNA that the Initiative was founded in 2008 by an independent group of young people. The Initiative’s main goal, he added, is ‘to preserve the memory of the heroes Tassos Isaac and Solomos Solomou” and to highlight the message of “dignity, justice and freedom.’

The Initiative, he said, organises various events every year, including the large tour of motorcyclists that takes place before each annual memorial service for the two heroes.

Cyprus, an EU member state since 2004, is divided by Turkish troops since the military invasion in the summer of 1974. Turkey occupies 37% of Cyprus’ territory.

Temperatures on Tuesday are expected to reach approximately 40 degrees Celsius inland, according to a new yellow warning by the Meteorology Department for extreme maximum temperatures.

The warning, which will be in effect from 1400 to 1600, noted that temperatures are expected to reach around 40 degrees Celsius inland.

The Cyprus Football Association (CFA) is among 55 national associations supporting Clear Line, a new comprehensive guide to refereeing decisions launched across European football on Tuesday.

The CFA said it will use Clear Line as a reference point for refereeing decisions in Cyprus and promote it among fans, players, coaches and the media. The platform aims to bring greater clarity, consistency and transparency to decision-making and support the consistent application of the Laws of the Game and the use of VAR.

Clear Line features more than 150 refereeing scenarios, explaining how the Laws of the Game should be interpreted and when VAR should and should not intervene. It also reinforces a key principle of the VAR protocol: video review should be limited to clear and obvious errors.

Through videos and visual explanations, the platform provides insight into the reasoning behind decisions in some of football’s most complex and debated situations. It will be updated as new cases emerge or further clarification is required.

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (A)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 0600 11/08/2026 UNTIL 0600 12/08/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1007hPa (hectopascal)

Seasonal low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be mainly fine but early morning increased low cloud may be present.

Visibility: Good

Sea surface temperature: 29°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA PERIOD WIND STATE OF SEA

West Coast

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

Afternoon West to Northwest 4, at times locally 4 to 5 Slight

Night Northwest to Northeast 3 Smooth to Slight

South Coast

Morning Northeast to Southeast 3, gradually Southeast to Southwest 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

Afternoon Southwest 4, at times locally 4 to 5 Slight

Night Northwest 3 Smooth to Slight

East Coast

Morning Northeast to Southeast 3, later Southeast to Southwest 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

Afternoon Southwest 3 to 4, at times offshore 4 Slight

Night West to Northwest 3 Smooth to Slight

North Coast

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

Afternoon Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, at times locally West to Northwest 4 Slight

Night Southwest 3 Smooth to Slight

CNA/PC/MK/2026

A yellow warning for high temperatures inland on Wednesday afternoon was issued by the Department of Meteorology on Tuesday.

The Department said that the maximum temperature is expected to reach around 40 degrees Celsius over some inland areas.

The warning will be in effect from 13:00 to 15:30 on Wednesday.

Today, the European Commission disbursed more than pound 7.13 billion to Czechia and Spain under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The Facility is the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU – the Commission’s post-pandemic programme to support Member States’ recovery, economic growth, and competitiveness.

Czechia will be granted pound 897 million (net of pre-financing) to support the construction of new facilities for cardiovascular and transplant medicine, the quality of preventive colorectal cancer screening, the introduction of telemedicine and eHealth services, the revision of electricity network tariff rules and the provision of services to businesses expanding abroad.

On 30 April 2026, Czechia submitted its sixth payment request, which was greenlighted by the Commission on 13 July 2026. This request includes 52 milestones and targets, corresponding to important steps in the delivery of reforms and investments that will drive positive change for citizens and businesses in Czechia.

With this sixth payment under the RRF, Czechia will have received 88% of its total allocation of pound 8.67 billion, with 88% of all milestones and targets under its national recovery and resilience plan now fulfilled.

Spain will receive pound 6.23 billion (net of pre-financing) which includes pound 5.97 billion related to the sixth payment request and pound 265 million in relation to lifted suspensions from the fifth payment request. This represents an important step in delivering reforms and investments strengthening the regulatory framework for housing construction, boosting the health system, supporting sustainable mobility, improving the digitalisation of the Trans-European Transport Network railway network, and delivering on Strategic Projects for Economic Recovery and Transformation.

Today’s disbursement of pound 5.97 billion (net of pre-financing) follows Spain’s sixth payment request, submitted on 3 March 2026, which was partially greenlighted by the Commission on 2 July 2026.

The pound 265 million correspond to two milestones which were suspended under the fifth payment request. This sum is now unlocked as Spain has satisfactorily completed a previously outstanding milestone on the digitalisation of regional and local entities, and the Commission positively assessed further evidence on a taxation milestone.

The assessment of three remaining targets under the sixth payment request is still ongoing, pending Spain’s request to clarify implementation requirements.

With this sixth payment, Spain will have received pound 78 billion, or 76.5% of its total pound 102 billion allocation, with 60% of all milestones and targets under its national recovery and resilience plan now fulfilled.

The Commission has disbursed the funds to both countries following the positive opinion of the Economic and Financial Committee of the Council. As with all Member States, payments under the RRF are performance-based, contingent upon the successful implementation of their national plans.

With a view to the closure of the Facility at the end of 2026, Members States must implement all outstanding milestones and targets by August 2026 and submit last payment requests by the end of September.

An interactive map showcasing examples of reforms and investments supported by the RRF is available online. Further details on the RRF payment claim process are also available online.

(For more information: Louise Bogey – Tel.: +32 229-69776; Isabel Arriaga e Cunha – Tel: +32 229-521176)

New rules on packaging enter into application to further protect consumers

Tomorrow, new rules under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will start applying across the European Union. There will now be strict limits for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, known as ‘forever chemicals’) in food-contact packaging, further protecting consumers and the environment. Definitions, for example for manufacturers and producers responsible for extended producer responsibility of packaging, will now be harmonised across the EU. Certain markings and information will now also be required for packaging, ensuring that packaging manufacturers or importers can be identified and contacted as needed.

Additional rules under PPWR will come into place gradually. The majority of the obligations will become applicable as of 2030, including rules on recyclability, reuse targets or very small single-use plastic packaging formats used in hotels and restaurants.

The European Commission will continue to work closely with stakeholders and Member States to support efficient and practical implementation on the ground. To facilitate the uniform application of the new packaging rules across the EU and simplify compliance, the Commission has published guidelines on the implementation of the PPWR as well as updated Frequently Asked Questions.

On average, every single European throws away half a kilo of packaging every single day – from takeaway coffee cups to beverage capsules, film wrapping and foil, or from parcels for online purchases. The Regulation will help further tackle the environmental challenges caused by packaging and make Europe less dependent on imported fossil fuels from which plastic packaging is almost entirely made. It will help strengthen the Single Market for packaging, and facilitate cross-border businesses through common rules.

Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall, said: ‘The new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is an investment in Europe’s future: it will help reduce waste, increase recycling, make food-contact packaging safer for the consumers by limiting harmful substances such as PFAS, and reduce our dependence on virgin raw materials. These are essential steps towards a truly circular economy. At the same time, the Regulation will replace fragmented national rules difficult to navigate for economic operators in the internal market. But new rules also come with adjustment costs, and we have worked intensively with market operators to implement the new rules in a pragmatic and unbureaucratic way.’

You can find more information on the entry into application of new packaging rules online.

(For more information: Eva Hrncírová – Tel.: +32 2 298 84 33; Maëlys Dreux – Tel.: +32 2 295 46 73)

Commission publishes preliminary study on economic impact of lowering residue levels of the most hazardous pesticides in imported agriculture products

Today, the European Commission published a study providing a preliminary evaluation on the market impacts of lowering all residue levels of the most hazardous pesticides in imported food and feed.

The preliminary study focuses on the active substances, commodities and countries that could be affected. It evaluates market effects under three different hypothetical scenarios reflecting varying degrees of producer adaptation. While the direction of effects is consistent across all scenarios, outcomes differ in magnitude – from limited market impacts if third-countries’ producers adapt to EU requirements, to reduced imports and impacts on EU production and consumer prices, if they do not.

Further analysis may be needed, including on aspects such as environmental and social dimensions.

This study is a first step in the analysis of the principle announced in the Commission’s Vision for Agriculture and Food, that the most hazardous pesticides banned in the EU for health and environmental reasons should not return to the EU through imported products. It provides an analytical basis for potential appropriate and proportional action to progress towards greater reciprocity of standards but does not prejudge the next steps that could be taken by the Commission. It will also feed into an impact assessment.

The Cyprus Composite Leading Economic Index (CCLEI), produced and estimated by the Economics Research Centre (CypERC) of the University of Cyprus, recorded a milder year-on-year decline of 0.43% in July 2026, according to the latest revised data.

The decline compares with a 0.69% year-on-year decrease in June and a 1.34% decline in May, indicating a gradual easing of the negative trend amid heightened external and geopolitical pressures.

The milder decline in July reflected opposing developments among the index’s individual components. The weighted Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) deteriorated compared with July 2025, mainly reflecting weaker economic sentiment across all sectors of the Cypriot economy. At the same time, Brent crude oil prices increased year-on-year, while tourist arrivals remained below last year’s levels.

These negative developments were partly offset by positive contributions from property sales contracts, retail trade and electricity production. The CypERC said property sales contracts, Cypriot credit card transactions, the retail trade sales volume index and the temperature-adjusted electricity production volume index continued to provide support to the index.

Overall, the milder year-on-year decline in the CCLEI suggests that downward pressures on economic activity are easing, although short-term challenges facing the Cypriot economy remain.

The CCLEI is designed to provide early warning signals of turning points in the business cycle and Cyprus’ economic activity. It comprises a range of domestic and international leading indicators, including Brent crude oil prices, economic sentiment in Cyprus and the euro area, property sales contracts, tourist arrivals, Cypriot credit card transactions, retail trade and temperature-adjusted electricity production.

The July estimate incorporated available weekly data on Brent crude oil prices and electricity production, monthly data on economic sentiment in Cyprus and the euro area and property sales contracts, as well as preliminary data on tourist arrivals and retail trade.