Cyprus government

The Cyprus government and US energy company Chevron have successfully concluded negotiations on the development of the Aphrodite gas field, marking a significant breakthrough, according to a report by The Associated Press. 

The Aphrodite gas field, the first to be discovered beneath the seafloor off Cyprus, is estimated to hold 4.2 trillion cubic feet of gas.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides Sunday to discuss the situation in Gaza and, specifically, Cyprus' proposal to create a sea corridor for humanitarian assistance.

Cyprus authorities say they're take extra efforts to ensure flight safety isn't compromised from Turkish warplanes and military drones flying inside Cypriot-monitored airspace without filing either flight plans or communicating with air traffic control.

Cyprus' economy is expected to rebound by 4.5% of gross domestic product this year following a pandemic-induced contraction of around 5.5% in 2020, the country's finance minister said Thursday.

Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides told an investment conference that the growth estimate comes attached with a "great level of uncertainty" because of how the pandemic may evolve.

The Cyprus government will be reissuing a call for the expression of interest by bidders who have acquired the necessary equipment needed for rapid Covid-19 tests, so that incoming tourists won't need to spend a night in quarantine until labs check their sample for the virus.

The Cyprus government announced an 'improved plan B' with a major input from the European Investment Bank to rescue the economy hurt by the coronavirus pandemic with loans worth €1.7 bln, as well as subsidies of interest rates for business and housing loans, after it failed to pass a smaller loans-guarantee scheme through parliament which would have required greater transparency.

The rival sides in ethnically divided Cyprus agreed on Thursday to partially reopen crossing points for Turkish Cypriots in the breakaway north to cross into the internationally recognized south amid a wide-ranging rollback of a two-month lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19.

A Cyprus government official says national passports granted to wealthy investors could be revoked if a new probe determines they didn't meet eligibility criteria.

Cypriot passports have added appeal because holders become citizens of the European Union.

An official says the Cyprus government is "greatly troubled and dismayed" by an Orthodox Christian bishop's comments on homosexuality, which he said were needlessly stirring up social tensions on the Mediterranean island nation.

Cyprus' Antiquities Department says the first undisturbed wreck of an ancient Roman-era ship has been discovered at the bottom of the sea off the east Mediterranean island nation's east coast.

In a statement Thursday, the department said the ship was loaded with transport amphorae, or large jars, most probably from Syria and ancient Cilicia on modern-day Turkey's southeastern coast.