Nicosia

UN police in Cyprus were taking no chances at the Ledra checkpoint on Monday, blocking Turkish Cypriot demonstrators in the north who wanted to bring flowers to Greek Cypriot riot police behind fortified barricades in the south.

Greek Cypriot police sprayed tear gas on March 7 as several hundred people protested against the closure of crossings on the divided island's ceasefire line over coronavirus fears.

Four Greek Cypriot police officers were injured allegedly in divided Nicosia during scuffles with demonstrators in which police made use of personal tear gas spray to disperse the crowd.

The interior minister of the Republic of Cyprus says the island cannot host more economic migrants as another boatload of refugees arrived on Tuesday, clarifying that authorities would not send back those whose lives may be in danger.

Former European Commissioner Christos Stylianides has been appointed visiting professor-in-practice at the department of health policy of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) after receiving the green light from the College of Commissioners, it was announced Wednesday.

Local residents in rural Nicosia are reacting to government plans aimed at establishing a quarantine facility in their area to treat potential confirmed coronavirus cases in Cyprus.

After months of uncertainty and speculation, we are entering the phase of the process that will produce the person who will run against US President Donald Trump in November's election, as the mist clears in the Democratic camp. Dozens of candidates have now been narrowed down to four main likely contenders.

A Chinese woman, a permanent resident of Cyprus, is being treated at Nicosia General Hospital on suspicion of being a coronavirus carrier.

Nicosia on Thursday rejected a call by Ankara for a halt to drilling activities off the island's south as a precondition for it to stop its own activities off the divided island. 

Theocharis Lalacos, who served until recently as Ambassador of Greece to the USA, will soon be taking over the reins of the Greek Embassy in Nicosia. He succeeds Ilias Fotopoulos, who concluded his term in Cyprus last October.

Cyprus is blocking new European Union sanctions against several officials from Russia-annexed Crimea in a bid to secure EU backing for tougher action against Turkey in a separate row over drilling for hydrocarbons, three diplomatic sources said.

Nicosia denied linking the two issues and said it needed time to review the proposed measures against the Crimean officials.