Category: Cyprus News Agency

Two firefighting aircraft deployed by Cyprus to assist France have landed in Sardinia after delays at stopover airports and are scheduled to depart for France at 0900 local time on Tuesday, Chief Fire Officer Nikos Logginos told CNA.

Logginos said the aircraft were delayed en route and landed in Sardinia, from where they are due to depart for France, on Tuesday morning.

‘The two aircraft, due to delays at stopover airports, have landed in Sardinia and will depart for France tomorrow at 0900,’ he said.

Cyprus dispatched the two Air Tractor firefighting aircraft in response to a request from France made through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism to assist efforts to contain major wildfires. The aircraft departed Cyprus at 0630 local time, on Monday.

Earlier, Logginos said the aircraft, Forest 3 and Forest 4, departed with two pilots, one observer and one engineer on board, bound for Perpignan.

The eight-member support team, which travelled separately on a commercial flight, has been in France since Monday afternoon, Logginos told CNA. Once the aircraft arrive, the crews will coordinate with the French Civil Protection authorities and may begin operations, depending on operational requirements and fire conditions.

The two aircraft are leased to the Republic of Cyprus by the European Union under the rescEU programme and are based in Cyprus. The European Union Civil Protection Mechanism enables member states to provide rapid mutual assistance to countries affected by emergencies.

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (C)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1800 06/07/2026 UNTIL 1800 07/07/2026

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 and unstable weather conditions are affecting the area. The weather over the coastal areas will be mainly fine with locally increased mainly low cloud coverage at times. Tonight and during dawn local mist and/or fog patches are likely, mainly over the east.

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

Sea surface temperature: 27°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA PERIOD WIND STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Night North to Northeast 3 Smooth to Slight

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

Afternoon Southwest to Northwest 4 to 5, locally 5 Slight

South Coast

Night Southwest to Northwest 3, locally Variable Smooth to Slight

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

Afternoon Southwest to West 5 Slight

East Coast

Night Southwest to Northwest 3 Smooth to Slight

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

Afternoon South to Southwest 4 to 5, locally 5 Slight

North Coast

Night Southeast to Southwest 3 Smooth to Slight

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

Afternoon Southwest to Northwest 4 to 5, locally 5 Slight

Time of issue: 1700

Date: 06/07/2026

CNA/EA/GV/2026

Cyprus recorded the highest monthly and annual increase in retail trade volume among the EU Member States for which data are available in May 2026, according to figures published by Eurostat on Monday.

Specifically, the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade in Cyprus increased by 3.7% in May 2026 compared with April, while on an annual basis, compared with May 2025, it rose by 8.4%.

According to Eurostat, the monthly increase followed a 0.9% decline in April 2026. In the preceding months, retail trade volume in Cyprus had increased by 0.6% in December 2025, decreased by 1.2% in January 2026, and increased by 0.7% in February and 0.6% in March.

On an annual basis, Cyprus recorded increases of 9.0% in December 2025, 8.9% in January 2026, 5.0% in February, 6.1% in March, 2.7% in April and 8.4% in May.

Across the European Union, the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade increased by 0.5% in May 2026 compared with April, while in the euro area it rose by 0.2%. In April 2026, retail trade volume had fallen by 0.6% in the EU and by 0.3% in the euro area.

Compared with May 2025, the calendar-adjusted retail sales index increased by 1.9% in the European Union and by 1.6% in the euro area.

Cyprus has responded to a request from France, submitted through the RescEU Mechanism, and is sending two firefighting aircraft – air tractors – to assist the French authorities in their efforts to combat wildfires raging in the country.

A press release issued by the Ministry of Interior on Sunday evening said that the two aircraft are leased to the Republic of Cyprus by the European Union through the RescEU Mechanism and are stationed in Cyprus.

RescEU is the European mechanism for reserve civil protection means, which is activated to support member states in dealing with major disasters.

The number of house sales in Cyprus increased by 3.8% in 2025 compared with 2024, according to data published by Eurostat on Monday.

The increase followed a 1.1% decline recorded in Cyprus in 2024 compared with 2023, according to the same data.

At the European Union level, Eurostat reported that house sales increased in most countries for which data are available in 2025.

Specifically, among the 18 EU countries for which data are available, the number of dwellings changing ownership declined in three countries.

The decreases were recorded in Croatia (-4.1%), Bulgaria (-2.5%) and Poland (-1.1%).

The largest increases in house sales in 2025 were recorded in Slovenia (29.9%), Lithuania (22.8%) and Austria (21.4%).

For 2024, compared with 2023, Eurostat reported that the number of house sales declined in six countries and increased in twelve.

The largest decreases in 2024 were recorded in Slovenia (-17.7%), Croatia (-13.9%) and France (-9.4%).

The largest increases in 2024 were recorded in Luxembourg (47.1%), Hungary (34.8%) and the Netherlands (17.0%).

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (A)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 0600 06/07/2026 UNTIL 0600 07/07/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1006hPa (hectopascal)

Seasonal low pressure and unstable weather conditions are affecting the area. The weather will be mainly fine, but locally increased low cloud coverage will be present at times. During dawn, local mist and/or fog patches is likely.

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

Sea surface temperature: 27°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA PERIOD WIND STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Morning Southwest 3, at times locally 3 to 4 Slight

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

Night North to Northeast 3 Smooth to Slight

South Coast

Morning Southwest 3 to 4, gradually locally 4 Smooth to Slight, gradually locally Slight

Afternoon Southwest 4, at times locally Southwest 4 to 5 Slight

Night Southwest to Northwest 3, locally Variable Smooth to Slight

East Coast

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

Afternoon South to Southwest 4, at times locally 4 to 5 Slight

Night Southwest to Northwest 3 Smooth to Slight

North Coast

Morning Southwest 3, gradually 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

Afternoon Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, locally 4 Slight

Night Southeast to Southwest 3 Smooth to Slight

A groundbreaking and visually striking production of Gaetano Donizetti’s opera “L’elisir d’amore” (The Elixir of Love) will be presented this year as part of the Pafos Aphrodite Festival 2026 on September 4-5 at the Castle Square.

The Pafos Aphrodite Festival announced that the new directorial concept radically reimagines the classic work in a contemporary, symbolic world. The production features the Alexander Spendiaryan National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Armenia, the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra and distinguished soloists from Armenia and abroad. More than 150 performers – including leading opera singers, musicians and dancers – will create the operatic spectacle.

The musical director is internationally renowned conductor Karen Durgaryan, whose distinguished career at major opera houses and symphony orchestras worldwide and 15 years as chief conductor of the National Opera of Armenia promise a high-level musical interpretation highlighting every facet of Donizetti’s masterpiece. The performance, combining romance, humour and reflection, will be surtitled in Greek and English. Performances begin at 19:30.

Information and tickets are available via the Pafos Municipality website (www.pafos.org.cy), Ticketmaster.cy (tel. 7777040) and ACS couriers. From August 18 a ticket office will also operate at the Castle Square (hours 17:00-22:00 daily).

Cyprus has launched a new digital service allowing eligible third-country nationals to renew their residence permits online, the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection and the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy announced on Monday.

According to the announcement, the service is available to third-country nationals legally residing in the Republic of Cyprus who wish to renew their residence permits. It is also open to employers submitting renewal applications on behalf of their employees, as well as to authorised representatives, including organisations, law firms and other natural or legal persons acting on behalf of applicants.

At this stage, the service covers renewals of temporary residence permits for salaried employment, domestic employment and employees of Companies of Foreign Interests. It also covers residence permit renewals for family reunification and long-term resident status.

The announcement notes that the service currently applies only to the renewal of existing residence permits and does not cover first-time applications.

Through the platform, users can submit renewal applications and supporting documents electronically, manage authorisations granted to representatives, monitor the progress of their applications, pay the applicable fees online and select their preferred service point for the remaining stages of the process and the collection of their new residence permit.

As clarified in the announcement, applicants will only be required to appear in person where this is mandatory, particularly for the collection of signatures and biometric data.

Once fully operational, the new digital service is expected to handle 73% of all renewal applications for the covered residence permit categories, 60% of all applications for those categories, including both first-time applications and renewals, and 25% of all residence permit applications submitted across all categories, according to the announcement.

A Famagusta District Court on Monday issued eight-day detention orders for three 18-year-old suspects in connection with the brutal assault on a 47-year-old Turkish Cypriot man in Ayia Napa, while a fourth person was arrested later.

According to Cyprus News Agency sources, the three suspects, hold Swedish passports but are of Albanian, Chilean and Iraqi origin. They were arrested in the early hours of Monday morning, facing charges relating to acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm and causing grievous bodily harm.

According to the Police the three persons were placed under arrest and taken into custody for further questioning in relation to the violent incident in the Famagusta district.

In a separate but related development, police made a fourth arrest on Monday, detaining another 18-year-old man at Larnaca International Airport. He is the fourth suspect to be apprehended in connection with the case.

Authorities said they are continuing their investigation.

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 0600 05/07/2026 UNTIL 0600 06/07/2026

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1004hPa (hectopascal)

Seasonal low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be mainly fine, but locally increased low cloud coverage with local mist and/or fog patches is expected, overnight and during the morning.

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

Sea surface temperature: 26°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA

PERIOD

WIND

STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Morning

Southeast 3

Slight

Afternoon

Southwest to West 3 to 4

Slight

Night

Northwest to Northeast 3

Slight, gradually Smooth to Slight

South Coast

Morning

Southeast 3

Smooth to Slight

Afternoon

Southwest 4, at times locally 4 to 5

Smooth to Slight, at times locally Slight

Night

Southwest to Northwest 3

Smooth to Slight

East Coast

Morning

Southeast 3

Smooth to Slight

Afternoon

South to Southwest 3 to 4, locally 4

Smooth to Slight, locally Slight

Night

Southwest to Northwest 3

Smooth to Slight

North Coast

Morning

Variable 3

Smooth to Slight

Afternoon

Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4

Slight

Night

Southeast to Southwest 3

Smooth to Slight