Konstantinos Letymbiotis

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins Monday in Gaza with no truce in sight, as fighting rages between Israeli forces and Hamas militants and a dire humanitarian crisis grips the besieged Palestinian territory.

A Spanish charity ship with food aid prepared to sail from Cyprus to the coastal Gaza Strip, where the U.N. has repeatedly warned of famine.

The Cypriot government and Chevron Corporation are moving forward with the update of the existing development and production plan for the Aphrodite gas field in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Cyprus on Tuesday said it was in talks with parties in the Middle East and the European Union over its suggestion to establish a humanitarian aid corridor from the island to Gaza.

Nicosia is pursuing the option as fighting rages for a fourth week between Israel and Hamas, deepening a humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

Nicosia reiterated on Thursday that it will not stand for any moves that cast doubt on the status of the UN-controlled buffer zone through which the Turkish Cypriots illegally tried to build a road last week and physically assaulted international peacekeepers who tried to obstruct them.

Τhe Cypriot cabinet on Wednesday approved the "Rent vs Installment Scheme," government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis announced following the conclusion of the council. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Competition also granted approval on July 6.

The Cypriot government remains silent over an alleged thwarted attack orchestrated by Tehran on Israeli targets on the island, with the Iranian embassy dismissing the news story and calling it a "Zionist conspiracy" aimed at driving a wedge between Nicosia and Tehran.

A clearer picture is expected to emerge this week regarding the Cypriot government's course of action on the reduced value-added tax (VAT) rate on fuel and electricity, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told Kathimerini Cyprus.

Cyprus' government said Thursday it's looking into how a number of Cypriot nationals were included in a new round of US and UK sanctions targeting the financial networks of Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Roman Abramovich who are close allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Nicosia says a new effort by Greece and Turkey to improve their relations is positive, but Greek Cypriot officials have been less excited about Athens and Ankara supporting each other's bids in the United Nations.