Front Page Headlines
Everything leads to… Home Alone for Christmas
The impact of Covid-19 is getting heavier on Cyprus. Now one in eight is found positive! Our epidemiological outlook is constantly burdened. Two more deaths yesterday and 270 new cases. In one week, we had 13 deaths and 2,220 cases. Relaxations for the holidays are out of the question now. The most optimistic scenario we can expect is to maintain the current measures. Stricter measures are not ruled out. Meeting of the president with the advisory committee tomorrow. Announcements on Friday.
- EU-Turkey: Division among member states over sanctions
- Occupied areas: The ‘peace marchers’ were out on the streets again
- Erdogan: He is cornered internally and abroad
It is society that will be punished
(Finance Minister) Petrides to Phileleftheros: The (state) budget cannot be used as a lever for own gains. “Some, are putting a gun to people’s heads.”
- EU high level summit: The ball is in the leaders’ court who see a light punishment (for Turkey)
They leaked an internal report to Cypra
New relentless questions arise about the government’s stance on the Cypra case. The new scandalous case concerns the leak from the Ministry of Interior of an internal report to the company for its under-consideration application for securing planning permission by way of derogation. The evidence leaves exposed the former Interior Minister and now Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides but also his successor Nikos Nouris.
- ‘Peace for our future’ (march in north)
Party paranoia!
Opposition parties are preparing amendments on the state budget which they will reject.
- New provocation: They set up a bazaar inside the church of Archangelos Michael in Lefkoniko
- Theofanis Constantinou: A memento of Agridaki in Kyrenia
- Front against Islamists: Macron stands up to Erdogan
Main News
No harsh sanctions on Turkey are expected from EUCO summit
Haravgi, Politis, Phileleftheros
EU Matters, Regional/International Relations, External Security
OVERVIEW
It remains to be seen whether the EU leaders will agree on sanctions on Turkey at the European Council (EUCO) this week since several member states, despite noting there has been no improvement in Ankara’s conduct, appear reluctant to impose a harsh punishment, the dailies report.
According to Phileleftheros, the ball is now in the leaders’ court who might impose a light punishment since reluctance has been expressed regarding the exemplary punishment of Turkey. The issue is expected to be pushed back to next March’s EUCO meeting.
A clearer picture will be seen today during discussion at the EU Foreign Affairs Council, the daily reported, as Germany, Italy, Spain and Malta want to see the debate on sanctions postponed until March.
It adds that for Athens and Nicosia there are two scenarios: either automatic imposition of sanctions or a decision on sanctions which will not be activated immediately. But both Athens and Nicosia consider that it is inconceivable that this EUCO should also pass without any consequences for Turkey.
Politis, citing sources, also reports that one must not expect the immediate imposition of strict and effective sanctions against Turkey on Thursday.
The paper adds that this is a very demanding week as regards decisions at EU level, mainly for Cyprus and Greece. The two countries consider that there is no longer ground for a positive agenda since Turkish actions have been anything but constructive.
France, Austria, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Slovakia, Belgium and Estonia seem to support the positions of Greece and Cyprus, but these countries do not only focus on matters between Greece, Cyprus and Turkey since high on their agendas are the issues of Libya, Lebanon and Syria, the paper reported.
It added that last Saturday Ankara issued another illegal NAVTEX for exercises on Monday in an area south of Crete while on Friday it issued another one for the area between Rhodes and Kastelorizo also for exercises on December 9-10.
Politis and Haravgi report that the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs replied to an article by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in Ta Nea newspaper by saying that no sanction is capable of making Turkey back down on the issue of Kastelorizo, adding that Athens was ‘Europe’s spoiled child.’
Lefkoniko refugees condemn bazaar inside village’s church
Alithia
CBMs, Property, Human Rights
OVERVIEW
Alithia , under the headline, ‘New Provocation’, reports that a bazaar that took place inside the church of Archangelos Michael in occupied Lefkoniko, has caused the ire of Mayor Zena Lysandrou.
Citing TC daily Kibris, Alithia reported that the event, organised for the first time, aimed to promote TC producers and attracted a lot of people.
The photos and videos of the event, with tables with products inside the church of Archangelos Michael but also in the churchyard, prompted the Lefkoniko municipality to condemn this provocative move of the occupation regime, the paper reported.
The municipality said that it denounced “with horror, disgust and anger this new immoral and offensive behaviour of the people who own our land and use our properties to organise a bazaar inside the church of our Archangelos Michael.”
It added that this desecrated the sanctity of the church.
The municipality also asked how TCs would feel if someone did the same to their religious places, arguing that when someone wrote some slogans outside a mosque in Limassol “their ‘prime minister’ hurled heavy threats.”
It called on the government to protest against the provocative violation of the purpose for which the church was restored.
It added that the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage restored the church to save it from destruction, “but also so that we can perform our religious duties.”
The municipality said there are so many other places where bazaars can take place, the daily reports.
Murder suspects handed over from north
Politis
CBMS, Internal Security
OVERVIEW
The paper reports that two suspects in the murder of a 20-year-old man in Chlorakas in Paphos last April, who fled to the north, were handed over on Saturday to the Republic’s authorities.
The handover was arranged through the Technical Committee on Crime. The two men, aged 25 and 22, had illegally crossed to the north in April and from there they travelled to Turkey where they were arrested and handed over to authorities in the north. Once in the north, they were sentenced to prison and after they served their sentence, they were handed over to the GC side on Saturday.