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☆ Why Hezbollah is threatening this tiny European country
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

An island in the Eastern Mediterranean located on a geopolitical fault line between the Middle East and southern Europe, Cyprus is geographically much closer to the conflicts in the Middle East than it is to European power centers. The island has previously been caught in the crossfire of regional conflicts, a reminder of its proximity to the volatile Middle East. It would mean that an EU country is, for the first time, directly involved in an expanded Gaza war. “It is normal for both Israel and Hezbollah to have military plans in place for handling a potential escalation. “The US also does not want to find itself in another Middle East quagmire, especially with presidential elections looming.”

Persons: Hassan Nasrallah, ”, Nikos Christodoulides, Israel, Constantinos Kombos, Eli Cohen, Stavros Ioannides, PIO, Christodoulides, “, Yiannis Kourtoglou, ” Mohammad Ali Shabani, Amwaj.media, ” Lina Khatib, ” Khatib, Biden Organizations: CNN, Lebanese, Union, Israel, The, NATO, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Cypriot, Reuters, Spanish, European Union, North Africa, Chatham House Locations: Cyprus, Israel, “ Cyprus, Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, East, Europe, European, Delaware, Republic of Cyprus, Turkish, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, The Republic of Cyprus, Nicosia, Tel Aviv, Larnaca, ”, EU, UAE, Russian, Syria, London, Haifa, “

☆ Israel-Hamas war: Why Hezbollah is threatening Cyprus
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

While experts say war between Israel and Hezbollah remains unlikely, the very mention of Cyprus adds a new dimension to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Stavros Ioannides/PIO/ReutersWhat has Cyprus’ role been in the Gaza war? Cyprus has been keen to dispel any suggestions that it is implicated in the Gaza war, noting its humanitarian efforts that helped bring some aid into Gaza. It would mean that an EU country is, for the first time, directly involved in an expanded Gaza war. “The US also does not want to find itself in another Middle East quagmire, especially with presidential elections looming.”

Persons: Hassan Nasrallah, ”, Nikos Christodoulides, ” Peter Stano, Abdallah Bou Habib, Constantinos Kombos, Lebanon’s, Israel, “, Eli Cohen, Stavros Ioannides, PIO, Christodoulides, Yiannis Kourtoglou, ” Mohammad Ali Shabani, Amwaj.media, ” Lina Khatib, ” Khatib, Biden Organizations: CNN, Lebanese, European Union, EU, United Nations, Lebanon’s, Cypriot, Israel, The, NATO, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Reuters, Spanish, North Africa, Chatham House Locations: Cyprus, Israel, “ Cyprus, Iran, Lebanon, EU, Greece, Gaza, East, Europe, European, Delaware, Republic of Cyprus, Turkish, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Turkey, The Republic of Cyprus, Nicosia, Tel Aviv, Larnaca, ”, UAE, Russian, Syria, London, Haifa, “

☆ Why predicted gains for right-wing populists could make Europe vulnerable to attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Right-wing populists are set to make unprecedented gains in the elections to the European Parliament taking place next month. Polling data suggests that far-right Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) could have enough seats to, together, block the passage of European Union legislation, creating a massive headache for the union as a whole. “For some countries, that is a six-month process, in others it can take two years,” a senior European Parliament source told CNN. Britain's Nigel Farage used his seat in the European Parliament to promote Brexit. It only becomes an issue if they are working with foreign powers to advance their agenda,” an EU security source told CNN.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Yiannis Kourtoglou, Reuters “, ”, James Shires, you’ll, don’t, Britain's Nigel Farage, SEBASTIEN BOZON, it’s, — Organizations: CNN, Parliament, European, Reuters, “, Brexit, Getty, British, EU, Brussels Locations: Brussels, China, Russia, Strasbourg, AFP, Britain, Ukraine, EU, Europe

☆ ChatGPT’s boss claims nuclear fusion is the answer to AI’s soaring energy needs. Experts say not so fast
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Yet according to Sam Altman, head of ChatGPT creator OpenAI, there is a clear solution to this tricky dilemma: nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion — the process that powers the sun and other stars — is likely still decades away from being mastered and commercialized on Earth. A section of JT-60SA, a huge experimental nuclear fusion reactor at Naka Fusion Institute in Naka city of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, on January 22, 2024. The sector was responsible for around 2% of global electricity demand in 2022, according to the IEA. But, he cautioned, this doesn’t necessarily mean AI’s electricity demand will fall.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, Altman, “, Lex Fridman, ” Altman, —, Alex de Vries, ”, Aneeqa Khan, ” Khan, Philip Fong, Vries, ” de Vries, Michael Khoo, “ We’re, Khoo, Yiannis Kourtoglou, Sen, Ed Markey, ” Markey, ” Khoo Organizations: CNN, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, University of Manchester, “, JT, Naka Fusion, Getty, International Energy Agency, Boston Consulting, Reuters, Microsoft, OpenAI, Boston Consulting Group, Google, Princeton, ” Locations: “, Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, AFP, Pascal, Nicosia, Cyprus

☆ From trauma to rainbows; Israel festival survivors heal in Cyprus
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILIOU, Cyprus Dec 1 (Reuters) - Deep within the lush mountainous forests of Cyprus, survivors of the Oct. 7 music festival bloodbath in Israel practice yoga, paint and meditate as they try to come to grips with the trauma. Israeli businessman Yoni Kahana, who operates the retreat on the east Mediterranean island, is hosting survivors free of charge. Aided by an Israeli NGO, IsraAID, the Secret Forest retreat in the mountains above Paphos in western Cyprus has a steady rotation of festival survivors seeking solace. He said more than 1,800 Israelis had signed up to a programme which includes yoga, therapy sessions, hiking and meditation overseen by up to 20 volunteer therapists. Many trauma survivors turn to art in an attempt to externalise their feelings, painting with red, white and black, the colours of trauma, before adding rays of sun, a rainbow, or a flower, said therapist Lilach Galkin.

Persons: Matan Madar, Dor, Neta Cohen, Yoni Kahana, Rahamim, Lilach Galkin, Hope, I've, Michele Kambas, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Hamas, Thomson Locations: MILIOU, Cyprus, Israel, Gaza, Israeli, Paphos

☆ ECB should not set policy based on profit concerns: de Guindos
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

European Central Bank (ECB) Vice-President Luis de Guindos arrives at the Presidential Palace for a meeting with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia, Cyprus, October 4, 2023. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank should not set policy based on consideration about its own profitability or the profits earned by banks, ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos said in a newspaper interview, weighing in on a disagreement between policymakers. Some ECB governors are keen to increase unremunerated minimum reserve requirements for lenders in part to lower the losses the central bank is set to make on having to pay record high rates on excess liquidity. "I understand that remuneration of reserves is important for some banks, but monetary policy shouldn’t be driven by the financial position of banks or the profits of the central banks," de Guindos told Belgian newspapers De Standaard and La Libre Belgique in an interview. Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luis de Guindos, Nikos Christodoulides, Yiannis, de Guindos, Balazs Koranyi, Andrew Heavens Organizations: European Central Bank, Cyprus, REUTERS, Rights, ECB, La Libre Belgique, Thomson Locations: Nicosia, Cyprus, Belgian, La

☆ Euro zone should not ease bank buffers, ECB says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

European Central Bank (ECB) Vice-President Luis de Guindos arrives at the Presidential Palace for a meeting with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia, Cyprus, October 4, 2023. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Euro zone economic growth will remain weak in the near term as services and the labour market weaken but nations in the bloc should not free discretionary bank buffers to ease the pain, European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos said. A potential concern is that the euro zone economy has been broadly stagnating all year and any recovery next year will be shallow, keeping growth below 1%. "It is likely that the euro area economy will remain subdued in the near term." On the prospects for interest rates, de Guindos said the ECB would have more information in December "to reassess the inflation outlook and required policy action".

Persons: Luis de Guindos, Nikos Christodoulides, Yiannis, de Guindos, Guindos, Balazs Koranyi, Francesco Canepa, Emelia Sithole Organizations: European Central Bank, Cyprus, REUTERS, Rights, ECB, Thomson Locations: Nicosia, Cyprus, Germany, France, Netherlands

☆ First batch of U.S. citizens leaving Israel arrive in Cyprus by boat
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] U.S. citizens arrive at Limassol port after their evacuation from Haifa in Israel, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Limassol, Cyprus October 17, 2023. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou Acquire Licensing RightsLIMASSOL, Cyprus Oct 17 (Reuters) - Dozens of U.S. citizens from Israel arrived in Cyprus early Tuesday on the first evacuation boat organised by the United States amid the escalating crisis in the Middle East. Some 159 people were on board the luxury liner Rhapsody of the Seas which left Haifa and sailed into Limassol port in Cyprus early Tuesday. Cypriot government official Victor Papadopoulos told Cyprus state TV more evacuation vessels were expected to arrive over the next 12 hours. Cyprus has been used as a transit hub for foreign governments to evacuate their civilians since just after the latest outbreak of violence on Oct. 7.

Persons: Yiannis, Victor Papadopoulos, Miral Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Cypriot, Thomson Locations: Limassol, Haifa, Israel, Palestinian, Cyprus, Rights LIMASSOL, United States

[1/4] A girl holds a ballon at the Jewish synagogue in Larnaca, which is coordinating aid to hundreds of Israelis on the island fleeing violence, Cyprus October 12, 2023. Larnaca, hosting Cyprus's biggest airport, has seen a swell of expatriate Israelis, including reservists, using it as a transit point to get on the next available flight to Tel Aviv. It has also seen an influx from Israel of people who lost their homes, Chief Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin said. Raskin, who has been in Cyprus for more than 20 years, said there were about 2,500 Israelis in the Larnaca area at present, including traumatised children. An informal network of Israelis were working in every Cypriot city to offer first response aid and accommodation, he said.

Persons: Yiannis, Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin, Raskin, Michele Kambas, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Larnaca, Cyprus, Israel LARNACA, Israel, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Auschwitz, East, Cypriot

Most foreign airlines have suspended or curtailed services, leaving passengers uncertain how to leave or reach the country and consular services struggling to keep up with demand for assistance, with priority given to those with missing relatives. Israel's parliamentary finance committee said late on Tuesday it would debate authorising state guarantees for providing war risk insurance for Israeli airlines. British Airways said it would suspend flights to Tel Aviv after diverting a flight from London back to Britain shortly before it was due to reach Tel Aviv, citing security concerns. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Washington remains in talks with U.S. airlines about flights to Israel. Passengers have complained of mounting costs especially for leaving Israel, but airlines deny driving up prices.

Persons: Yiannis, El Al, Sun Dor, Israel, ” Neil Roberts, Jan Lipavsky, Lipavsky, couldn't, Annalena Baerbock, Carsten Spohr, Pete Buttigieg, flydubai, Steven Scheer, Carolyn Cohn, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Michael Kahn, Victoria Klesty, Joanna Plucinska, Tim Hepher, Huseyin Hayatsever, David Shepardson, Alexander Cornwell, Mark Potter, Lincoln Organizations: Larnaca International Airport, REUTERS, El, Hamas, Association, British Airways, Lufthansa, German, . Transportation, U.S, Nordic, Dubai's Emirates, Etihad Airways, Thomson Locations: Israel, Larnaca, Cyprus, Israeli, Athens, Rome, Madrid, Bucharest, New York, Paris, Istanbul, El, Tel Aviv, London, Britain, Czech, Oman, Prague, Lipavsky, Denmark, Carsten Spohr ., Washington, Norwegian, Oslo, Abu Dhabi, United States, COVID

☆ The US is making 'irreversible' progress with a former Russian partner in a tense corner of Europe, but not everyone in NATO will be happy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

For Cyprus, it's a move away from its longtime partner in Russia, but Turkey isn't happy about it. Cyprus has made "important strides" in its military and security cooperation with the US, Michalis Giorgallas, Cyprus' minister of defense, told Insider in response to written questions. Giorgallas told Insider. "This trajectory will continue," Giorgallas told Insider, adding that after the National Guard partnership, "our defense cooperation with the US has become irreversible and we look forward to what's to come." Giorgallas told Insider that the area is historically an unstable one and that the instability has become more visible in more domains, such as at sea and in the air over the region.

Persons: it's, Michalis Giorgallas, aren't, ROY ISSA, Panteleyev, Yiannis Kourtoglou, Giorgallas, John Yountz, —, IAKOVOS HATZISTAVROU, Christopher Cavoli, BIROL BEBEK, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, NATO, UN, Getty, Cypriot, Russian Navy, Airbus, US Army, Staff, Military Education, Training, Cypriot National Guard, New Jersey National Guard, National Guard, US European Command, Turkish, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: Republic of Cyprus, Cyprus, Russia, Turkey, Wall, Silicon, Europe, East, North Africa, Moscow, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ankara, Washington, Crimea, Ukraine, Limassol, AFP, US, Nicosia, Larnaca, John Yountz Cypriot, Cypriot, Greece, Tartus, Northern Cyprus

☆ Will AI be an economic blessing or curse? History offers clues
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Backers of AI predict a productivity leap that will generate wealth and improve living standards. The productivity gains it was once lauded for have slowed across many economies. In a globalised economy, there are other reasons to doubt whether the potential gains of AI will be felt evenly. That is just one of several factors that will help determine how AI shapes our economic lives - from antitrust policies that ensure healthy competition among AI suppliers through to re-training of workforces. "The question is: will AI exacerbate existing inequalities or could it actually help us get back to something much fairer?"

Persons: Richard Erkhov, Yiannis, Simon Johnson, Johnson, Daron Acemoglu, jenny, Natixis, Stefano Scarpetta, MIT's Johnson, Mary Towers, Eva Mathews, Mark John, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, MIT Sloan School of Management, McKinsey, Hollywood, Reuters, Labour, Social Affairs, Economic Cooperation, Development, UN, POWER, Britain's Trades Union, OECD, Thomson Locations: Pascal, Nicosia, Cyprus, U.S, American, Paris, Bengaluru

☆ Greece and Cyprus welcome EU bid to re-engage with Turkey, but urge caution
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis walk during a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus July 31, 2023. The division of Cyprus between its Greek and Turkish Cypriot populations, a source of friction between Greece and Turkey, has also been an impediment. Cyprus was divided after a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a Greek Cypriot coup engineered by the military junta then ruling Greece. It is represented in the EU by an internationally-recognised Greek Cypriot government. In recent years the Turkish Cypriot side has advocated a two-state settlement, rejected by Greek Cypriots.

Persons: Nikos Christodoulides, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Yiannis Kourtoglou, Mitsotakis, Christodoulides, Ersin Tatar, Michele Kambas, Conor Humphries Organizations: Cyprus, REUTERS, Monday, European Union, EU, Christodoulides, Cypriot, United Nations, Turkish Cypriot, Greek, Thomson Locations: Nicosia, Cyprus, Yiannis, Yiannis Kourtoglou NICOSIA, Greece, Turkey, Ankara, Turkish, EU, Cyprus's, Cypriot, Turkish Cypriot

☆ Casino operator Melco eyes new markets with Cyprus resort launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Lawrence Ho, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Melco Resorts and Entertainment, speaks during a press conference at the City of Dreams Mediterranean, Europe's first integrated resort, outside Limassol, Cyprus July 11, 2023. REUTERS/Yiannis KourtoglouLIMASSOL, Cyprus July 11 (Reuters) - Asian casino operator Melco Resorts & Entertainment has launched an entertainment and gaming complex in Cyprus, marking its first foray into Europe as it seeks to tap new markets. The "City of Dreams Mediterranean" had total investment of more than 600 million euros ($659.46 million) making it one of the largest development projects of its kind undertaken in Cyprus. "City of Dreams Mediterranean ..allows Cyprus to unlock new markets in the region and beyond," said Lawrence Ho, chairman and CEO of Melco. Ho said Melco was now focused on fully developing the Cyprus project before considering whether to fan out to the rest of Europe.

Persons: Lawrence Ho, Ho, Melco, Michele Kambas, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Melco Resorts, Entertainment, REUTERS, Kourtoglou, Reuters, FIFA, Thomson Locations: Limassol, Cyprus, Kourtoglou LIMASSOL, Europe, Macau, Manila, Philippines, Israel, North Africa

☆ All you need is love, say LGBTQ+ activists on divided Cyprus
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Members of Cyprus's LGBTQ+ communities from both sides attend the annual bi-communal LGBTQ+ Pride at Ledra Palace inside the UN buffer zone in Nicosia, Cyprus, June 17, 2023. REUTERS/Yiannis KourtoglouNICOSIA, June 18 (Reuters) - Separated by politics but united in pride, members of LGBTQ+ communities came together in celebration late on Saturday in the no-man's-land that splits Cyprus in two. Cyprus was split by ethnic violence which culminated in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek inspired coup. Saturday's Pride event is just the second to bring together members of LGBTQ+ communities from both sides of the divide. Activists said that despite the physical boundary, the island's LGBTQ+ communities were becoming more integrated and reflective of a multi-cultural Cyprus which includes ethnicities other than just Turkish and Greek Cypriots.

Persons: Yiannis Kourtoglou, Erman Dolmaci, Dolmaci, Alexandros Efstathiou, Efstathiou, Michele Kambas, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, United, Turkish Cypriot, LGBT Pilipinas, Queer, Thomson Locations: Ledra, Nicosia, Cyprus, Yiannis, Yiannis Kourtoglou NICOSIA, Cyprus's, United Nations, Turkish, Saturday's, Queer Cyprus

[1/5] A plane carrying British nationals, who were evacuated from Sudan, arrives at the Larnaca International Airport, in Larnaca, Cyprus, April 27, 2023. REUTERS/Yiannis KourtoglouLARNACA, Cyprus, April 27 (Reuters) - Britain had evacuated around 900 of its citizens from Sudan through Cyprus as of early afternoon Thursday and urged those remaining in the conflict-riven country to grasp an opportunity to leave during the final hours of a cease fire. The airlift of British nationals began on Tuesday. By early afternoon, around 900 people had arrived at the Cypriot airport of Larnaca on British Royal Air Force flights, sources at the airport said. She said she had to leave her husband Ghassan, a non British passport holder, and other members of her family behind.

☆ Hello AInstein! Robot with ChatGPT shakes up Cyprus classrooms
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Yiannis Kourtoglou | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] High school students Konstantinos Timinis and Vladimir Baranov work on "Alnstein", a robot powered by ChatGPT, in Pascal school in Nicosia, Cyprus, March 30, 2023. REUTERS/Yiannis KourtoglouApril 4 (Reuters) - High school students and their tutors in Cyprus have developed a prototype robot powered with ChatGPT artificial intelligence technology to harness and improve teaching experiences in the classroom. Named AInstein, the squat robot created by three Pascal Schools in Cyprus stands roughly the size of a small adult and looks like a sculpted version of the Michelin Man. It is powered with ChatGPT, a chatbot developed by U.S. firm OpenAI and backed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O). Their experience with AInstein showed that AI is not anything to fear, project members said.

☆ Cyprus to revoke 10 more passports issued under discredited citizenship scheme
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou/File PhotoNICOSIA, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Cyprus on Wednesday said it would strip citizenship from 10 individuals, among thousands who benefited from a cash-for-passports scheme which collapsed under accusations of corruption in 2020. Cyprus gave passports to more than 7,000 people under a citizenship scheme which in its final form gave citizenship to individuals investing a minimum 2 million euros. Six individuals have already had their passports revoked, Parisinou added. Two official investigations have said the scheme ran without adequate oversight, with one report suggesting some investment transactions could have been fictitious. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting By Michele Kambas; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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