Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters celebrate their party’s lead in the Assam and West Bengal state election results at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, India, 04 May 2026. Party workers celebrate after the BJP appears to be leading in the Assam and West Bengal state elections.

Iran threatened on Monday to attack any American military forces that attempt to enter the Strait of Hormuz, hours after President Donald Trump announced the United States would escort stranded commercial vessels safely out of the Gulf. Hundreds of ships and as many as 20,000 seafarers have been unable to transit the waterway for more […]

Construction of a helipad serving the Solea-Marathasa region in the community of Linou has been cleared to proceed, with the contract awarded to Iacovou Brothers (IACOVOU BROTHERS (CONSTRUCTIONS) LTD) at €4.268m excluding VAT, or approximately €5.079m including VAT. The helipad is intended primarily for firefighting helicopters tackling forest fires and other large blazes, and secondarily […]

A 78-year-old man was rescued from a catamaran found about one metre from rocks near Konnos Bay, Ayia Napa, yesterday, after a three-hour tow back to the marina, according to a social media post by Pavlos Pavlou. Pavlou said the operation began around noon from Ayia Napa marina, in cooperation with the Ayia Napa Port […]

High construction costs, borrowing rates and tighter VAT rules on primary residences have pushed buyers in Cyprus toward smaller properties. Here is what changed, what the numbers show, and what it now costs to build. What changed in 2023 Until 2023, Cyprus applied a reduced 5% VAT rate to the first 200 square metres of […]

A Spanish Civil War film with a political message that still resonates today, a short story awards ceremony in Kaimakli and a Caryl Churchill production transforming a building in Old Nicosia into a theatrical experience make for a full cultural Sunday. CINEMA SCREENING Nicosia, Pantheon, 8.30pm. The Cinema Friends Club screens While at War by […]

Pieces of plaster and cement fell from an apartment block on Makarios Avenue in Limassol on Sunday afternoon, causing concern around a building already declared dangerous by the competent authorities. The incident happened at around 2 pm. Officials from the Limassol District Local Government Organisation went to the scene and fenced off the area to […]

A shifting geopolitical landscape is emerging in the Middle East, driven by the strategic movements of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. The crisis precipitated by the war in Iran is expected to be long-lasting, with repercussions extending toward Cyprus. Diplomatically, Cyprus has found itself at the center of EU discussions. As […]

The NYPD has released bodycam footage showing the moment officers shot 44-year-old Anthony Griffin after he stabbed three people with a machete on April 11. The video, recorded by an officer involved in the operation at New York’s Grand Central station, shows police repeatedly ordering the man to drop the large knife. Griffin refused to […]

The Cyprus Fire Service responded to 36 incidents over the last 24 hours, including 22 fires and 11 special service calls, according to spokesperson Andreas Kettis. Three of the calls recorded were found to be false alarms. Extensive damage to Pera Orinis home A fire broke out at 02:31 at an old two-storey house in […]

An 87-year-old driver has died from injuries sustained in a road collision on Griva Digeni Avenue in Kokkinotrimithia on April 29. Police identified the victim as Eleftherios Koumoulis, from Mammari. The accident occurred at approximately 11:00 am when Koumoulis lost control of his car under circumstances currently being investigated. His vehicle collided with a light […]

Cyprus will see mostly cloudy skies on Sunday, with local showers and isolated storms expected across the island. The Meteorological Service forecast indicates that storms may bring hail, while snow or sleet is likely on the highest peaks of the Troodos mountains. Thin dust will also persist in the atmosphere throughout the day. Winds will […]

A total of 176 nationals of European Union member states and third countries who had participated in the ‘Global Sumud Flotilla’ disembarked on Friday, May 1, at a port in the Lasithi regional unit of Crete, the Greel Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. According to the ministry, “31 of them were transferred […]

Livestock farmers warned of new protests unless President Nikos Christodoulides agrees to meet their newly formed association by Monday afternoon. The warning came after Stavros Malas, head of the Special Scientific Committee for the Reconstruction and Upgrading of the Livestock Sector and president of the Cyprus Institute, met on Saturday with a three-member delegation from […]

NATO is working with the United States to understand the details of the U.S. decision for a planned drawdown of U.S. troops from Germany, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said on Saturday. “We are working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany. This adjustment underscores the need for […]

Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman has pushed back against comments by government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis on the status of the two sides at the Cyprus talks, saying everyone knows they sit at the table as “two leaders”. Erhurman was responding in a social media post to Letymbiotis’ remarks on Thursday that President Nikos Christodoulides takes […]

Police arrested a 46-year-old motorcyclist after a crash with a moped in Aradippou, saying he was driving without a licence and tested positive for alcohol and in a preliminary drug test. The crash happened at around 5pm yesterday on Limassol Avenue, at the traffic-light junction with Makedonias Avenue and Nikiforou Foka Street, in Larnaca district. […]

Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was in an Iranian hospital after a “catastrophic deterioration of her health,” including a “cardiac crisis”, a foundation run by her family said. The secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awarded Mohammadi the 2023 prize, expressed concern on Thursday that the condition of the Iranian human rights activist […]

Works have started to change the Ledra and Onasagorou pedestrian streets in Nicosia, with the first phase covering the improvement of facades on 89 buildings along Ledra Street. A second phase will follow with facade works on another 51 buildings, while the third phase remains the most difficult part of the project, as it includes […]

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was not satisfied with the latest Iranian proposal for talks on the Iran war, while Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran was ready for diplomacy if the United States changes its approach. Trump’s comments indicated the deadlock over the two-month-old war is likely to persist, even as he […]

Following are some of the major events to have occurred on May 4: 1945 – The U.S. 7th Army captured Hitler’s Alpine retreat of Berchtesgaden. 1970 – National Guards shot four students dead and wounded 11 at Kent State University in the United States during demonstrations against the Vietnam war. 1980 – Yugoslav wartime partisan […]

Eating out in Cyprus varies dramatically depending on where you are, with tourist resorts costing nearly twice as much as the island’s cheapest dining destinations, according to updated figures from international cost-of-living platform Numbeo. A meal for one at a cheap restaurant ranges from €12 in Larnaca to €23 in Ayia Napa. For a family […]

The Ministry of Education will run its Summer Public Schools (SPS) programme at 64 schools across all five districts from June 22 to July 24, with priority given to children from vulnerable and low-income families. The programme will operate across 39 primary schools and 25 kindergartens for 25 working days. Daily hours run from 7:45am […]

A fatal building collapse in Limassol has thrown a spotlight on unregulated property management companies alleged to be collecting tens of thousands of euros annually from apartment owners with little accountability, as a government reform bill sits stalled in parliament nearly two years after it was submitted. Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou acknowledged the problem in […]

Brussels is staging a landmark simulation exercise this week to test how EU member states would respond if one of their number came under attack, with Cyprus directly implicated in one of three scenarios being examined. The exercise focuses on Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union — the bloc’s mutual assistance clause — […]

Okypy said public hospitals followed the required medical protocols in the case of an autistic child, after relatives filed a complaint over the handling of an incident at state hospitals. The State Health Services Organisation said both Nicosia General Hospital and Makarios Hospital are accredited hospitals and apply the required protocols for all conditions, including […]

Authorities in Nicosia have arrested a special police officer following a formal complaint involving threats made against his wife. According to reports, the individual allegedly threatened to kill his wife during the incident. The case is currently being investigated by the Nicosia Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Following the arrest, the Police officially announced that the […]

The 38-year-old man arrested for allegedly punching an assistant referee during a football match has been identified as Costas Nicolaou, a Limassol candidate for the Active Citizens – United Cyprus Hunters Movement. The Larnaca District Court has issued a three-day remand order for Nicolaou. According to police sources cited by philenews, Nicolaou was previously involved […]

Press freedom in Cyprus is facing its most challenging period to date, according to George Frangos, President of the Union of Cyprus Journalists (ESK). Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) to mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3, Frangos noted that Cyprus has fallen to 80th place out of 180 countries in the […]

A 38-year-old man featured on a party’s electoral list in Limassol has been arrested for allegedly punching an assistant referee during a football match yesterday. The suspect is currently in custody and is expected to be brought before the Larnaca District Court for a detention order. The incident The assault occurred during a match between […]

While public discourse is consumed by social media spectacles and gossip, 167,000 people in Cyprus are unsure if they will be able to afford food tomorrow. Latest European Statistical Service (Eurostat) figures reveal that 17.1% of the population—nearly one in five people—is living below the poverty line. These numbers represent 167,000 lives defined by daily […]

A free spring concert from the University of Cyprus Music Academy, a solo cello recital accompanying a Bill Viola exhibition, and new theatre openings in Nicosia and Limassol headline this weekend’s cultural calendar. MUSIC Ypsonas, Ypsonas Municipal Theatre, 11.30am. The University of Cyprus Music Academy presents a concert titled Sounds of Spring, organised as part […]

Iranian authorities must release Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to her dedicated medical team so she can urgently receive treatment as her life remains at risk, the head of the Nobel Peace Prize committee told Reuters on Saturday. The health of Mohammadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her campaign for human rights […]

Two new cases of foot-and-mouth disease have been found in goat and sheep farms in Athienou, raising the number of infected units to 110, the Veterinary Services told CNA on Saturday. CNA information said the Veterinary Services have not yet made a decision on red cattle and fat-tailed sheep belonging to rare breeds. A decision […]

Bankrupt discount carrier Spirit Airlines FLYYQ.PK ceased operations on Saturday, the industry’s first casualty linked to the Iran war, after failing to secure creditor support for a U.S. government bailout plan. The collapse of the first carrier due to a doubling in jet fuel prices during the two-month-old Iran war will cost thousands of jobs. […]

A striking full moon lit up the Cyprus sky on May Day, giving viewers the first of two full moons expected this month. Images and videos of the moon, which was visible across Cyprus last night, were shared on social media. Philnews obtained a video showing the full moon as seen from the Paphos-Limassol motorway […]

A 38-year-old motorcyclist remains in critical condition after he was seriously injured in a crash in Paphos and transferred to a hospital in Limassol, police said. The crash happened at 10.40pm on Friday on Chrysoneras Avenue in Kissonerga. Police said the 38-year-old was riding his motorcycle when, under circumstances still being investigated, he collided with […]

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday broadening U.S. sanctions against the Cuban government, two White House officials told Reuters, as he seeks to put more pressure on Havana after ousting Venezuela’s leader. The fresh sanctions target people, entities and affiliates that support the Cuban government’s security apparatus or are complicit in […]

Police arrested five people during overnight patrols across Cyprus aimed at preventing serious crime, protecting public order and increasing public safety. The arrests concerned various offences, including attempted destruction of property with explosives, attempted arson, public insult, drunkenness, causing disturbance in a public place and driving under the influence of alcohol. During the operations, police […]

Cyprus is expected to start upgrading the Andreas Papandreou air base in Paphos and the Evangelos Florakis naval base in Mari in spring 2027, in two projects aimed at giving the Republic greater strategic depth and geopolitical weight in the region. Previous reports said the air base upgrade would be carried out in cooperation with […]

The United States has thrown its support behind Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s visit to Eswatini, calling Taiwan a “trusted and capable partner” whose international relationships benefit countries around the world, as China condemned the trip in unusually sharp terms. Lai arrived in the southern African kingdom on Saturday, travelling on an Eswatini government aircraft after […]

Aradippou Municipality has received ministerial approval to move forward with the long-delayed reconstruction of Kyriakou Matsi avenue, one of the busiest roads serving both Larnaca and Aradippou, with the first phase targeted for inclusion in the 2027 state budget. Mayor Christodoulos Partou told Phileleftheros the municipality recently received the green light from the Interior Minister […]

A 38-year-old Limassol candidate for the Active Citizens – United Cyprus Hunters Movement, has been remanded in custody and dropped from his party’s ballot after allegedly punching an assistant referee during a football match. The Larnaca District Court issued a three-day remand order for him. A case file for stadium violence offences is expected to […]

Heavy snowfall has been recorded at the Troodos ski centre since the early hours of Monday, 4 May, with accumulation approaching 10 centimetres, according to weather tracking service kitasweather. Conditions observed at 02:23 showed intense snowfall, which kitasweather said was expected to continue intermittently for at least another six to eight hours. The service described […]

A low-pressure system and a relatively cool air mass are bringing unsettled weather to Cyprus on Monday, with localised rain, isolated thunderstorms and strong winds expected to ease by the afternoon. Skies will be cloudy with rain and isolated thunderstorms, mainly across the western half of the island. Conditions are forecast to improve gradually through […]

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he must accept that President Donald Trump does not share his opinions in order to work with the United States within NATO, but stressed there was no link between their rift and a planned troop drawdown. Merz dismissed suggestions that his criticism of U.S. war planning in Iran had sparked […]

Serious questions regarding the management of patients on the autism spectrum within the public healthcare system have been raised by a family following a road accident on Saturday, May 2. The accident occurred on the road from Geri towards the Leroy Merlin roundabout. According to a public post by a relative, the vehicle was carrying […]

Two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla appeared before an Israeli court on Sunday after being intercepted in international waters and brought to Israel for interrogation. The Global Sumud Flotilla, a collection of approximately 60 vessels, set sail from Barcelona two weeks ago to deliver medicines, toys, and humanitarian supplies to Gaza. Organisers said the […]

A fire broke out at approximately 1:00 am on Sunday involving four ambulances parked at the Royal Artemis Medical Center in Geroskipou. According to preliminary information from the police, the fire was extinguished by members of the Fire Service. The vehicles were parked adjacent to one another at the time of the incident. The blaze […]

The sight of overflowing dams in Argaka, Pomos, and Kalopanayiotis is proving deceptive as the Water Development Department (WDD) warns that Cyprus remains in a state of “yellow alert” regarding water security. Despite significant inflows during the first four months of 2026, the WDD is preparing a proposal for the Council of Ministers that maintains […]

Recent movements by occupying forces in the buffer zone are part of a systematic plan to expand occupied territory, according to reports. These actions, described as methodical and deliberate, aim to finalise borders in line with the strategic goal of a two-state solution. Defence Minister Vassilis Palmas identified the violations in Pyla as the most […]

Motor racing and the wider world of sport mourned Alex Zanardi on Saturday after the former Formula One driver and CART champion, who became an inspirational Paralympic gold medallist after losing his legs in a racing crash, died at 59. Zanardi, from Bologna, made his F1 debut in 1991 and won the U.S.-based CART series […]

A low-pressure system and a relatively cold air mass are expected from tomorrow, bringing rain, isolated storms, possible hail and snow or sleet on the highest Troodos peaks. Thin dust will remain in the atmosphere until tomorrow. Tonight, the weather will be mainly cloudy, with local rain and possible isolated storms, initially in the west […]

The two right lanes on the Limassol-Paphos motorway near the Mesa Geitonia exit in Limassol were closed at around 2.30pm for cable installation works, police said. Police officers are in the area to assist and regulate traffic, which is being channelled through the left lane in both directions of the motorway. Police urged drivers passing […]

Iran executed two men on Saturday accused of spying for Israel, including one accused of gathering intelligence near the Natanz nuclear site in central Isfahan province, Iranian media reported. They quoted the judiciary as saying Yaghoub Karimpour and Nasser Bakarzadeh were hanged after being found guilty of intelligence cooperation with Israel and its spy agency, […]

Europeans must take greater responsibility for their own security, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday in response to the announcement of plans to withdraw 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany. “Germany is on the right track” in this regard, Pistorius said, pointing to the expansion of its Bundeswehr armed forces, greater and faster procurement […]

A fire that broke out in an apartment in Paralimni municipality at midday yesterday caused extensive damage but did not endanger anyone, the Fire Service said. Fire Service spokesman Andreas Kettis said the fire started from an electrical appliance and crews responded at 12.47pm. The fire caused extensive damage to equipment in the area where […]

A fire broke out at a cafe in Paphos shortly after 3 am, causing damage that has not yet been assessed, police said. Neighbours put out the fire before the Fire Service arrived. The blaze damaged both the inside and outside of the business, which belongs to a 29-year-old.

Police arrested a 27-year-old man in Famagusta district after a 46-year-old was injured in the leg in a knife attack at a car park in Paralimni. Famagusta CID is investigating the case. According to the information under investigation, at around 5.30pm yesterday, a car driver hit a parked vehicle in the car park. The suspect […]

A Larnaca apartment block housing about 500 people may need to be evacuated after an initial assessment found it could be dangerous, creating a major social problem over where residents would be moved. The next step depends on a report by a private engineer, who is expected to examine the building’s structural safety in greater […]