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☆ Cyprus ruling party sits on fence in presidential runoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NICOSIA, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Cyprus's ruling right-wing party on Wednesday said its supporters should vote at will in a runoff presidential election on Feb. 12 between a former member of its party, ahead in polls, and a leftist-backed independent following close behind. The decision by the ruling DISY party effectively leaves the outcome of Sunday's runoff wide open; its own candidate came third in the first round of elections on Feb. 5. Polls showed Christodoulides had support of one third of DISY supporters, but his bid had been viewed by party leadership as going rogue. After Sunday, Christodoulides had attempted to mend any rift in an attempt to get DISY party backing. But Neophytou said no member of the party would participate in any new government irrespective of result, referring to 'Judas and apostates' in a party speech.

☆ Map: 7.8-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Pablo Robles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A deadly earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8, according to a U.S. agency, struck Turkey on Monday morning. Hundreds of buildings collapsed, and millions of people in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Israel felt the earth shake. Hundreds of deaths were reported in Turkey and Syria, and the toll was expected to rise. Area affected by the earthquake Shake intensity Severe Moderate Black Sea Ankara TURKEY Epicenter Gaziantep CYPRUS Beirut SYRIA LEBANON Damascus Tel Aviv IRAQ JORDAN ISRAEL 200 miles Istanbul Black Sea Ankara TURKEY Epicenter Gaziantep CYPRUS IRAN Beirut SYRIA Mediterranean Sea LEBANON Damascus Tel Aviv JORDAN IRAQ Area of detail ISRAEL 200 miles Istanbul Black Sea Ankara TURKEY Light Moderate Strong Epicenter Gaziantep Severe shaking IRAN CYPRUS Beirut SYRIA Mediterranean Sea LEBANON Damascus Tel Aviv JORDAN IRAQ Area of detail ISRAEL 200 miles Source: U.S. Geological Survey Note: Based on assessment as of 1:00 a.m. EST on Feb. 6.

[1/2] A man stands near a damaged vehicle, following an earthquake, in rebel-held Azaz, Syria February 6, 2023. REUTERS/Mahmoud HassanoSummary Quake strikes central Turkey, northwest SyriaHundreds of buildings across the region brought downRescuers begin hunt for untold numbers trapped in rubbleDIYARBAKIR/ANKARA, Turkey, Feb 6 (Reuters) - A major earthquake of magnitude 7.9 struck central Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday, killing about 200 people as buildings collapsed across the snowy region, and triggering a search for survivors trapped in rubble. "I have never felt anything like it in the 40 years I've lived," said Erdem, a resident of the Turkish city of Gaziantep, near the quake's epicentre, who declined to give his surname. The United States was "profoundly concerned" about the quake in Turkey and Syria and was monitoring events closely, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Twitter. More than 17,000 people were killed in 1999 when a 7.6-magnitude quake struck Izmit, a city southeast of Istanbul.

☆ Cyprus heads to polls to pick new president with runoff expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Michele Kambas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NICOSIA, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Cyprus votes on Sunday for a new president in an election unlikely to produce a clear winner, setting the stage for a runoff on Feb. 12. Polling stations will open at 0500 GMT and close at 1600 GMT, with the result expected within two hours of stations closing. Opinion polls suggest none of the frontrunners will muster an outright majority, leading to a runoff. "On foreign policy I think Christodoulides is going to be closer to how Anastasiades has been in his final years," she added, calling that policy "more assertive". Cyprus has complied with all EU sanctions against Russia, a close ally, following the war in Ukraine.

☆ Cyprus poll draws record 14 candidates, unlikely to produce clear winner
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Michele Kambas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Among a record 14 candidates, the race for the top job comes down to three hopefuls who were close aides of incumbent right-wing President Nicos Anastasiades, but are now bitter rivals. Diplomat Andreas Mavroyiannis, the third candidate backed by opposition left-wing AKEL, was the government's chief negotiator in reunification talks with Turkish Cypriots. Opinion polls say Christodoulides, 49, will sail through to the second round, leaving Neophytou and Mavroyiannis battling it out for second place on Feb. 12. Christodoulides is supported by roughly a third of DISY voters and has backing from centrist parties which are hardliners in reunification talks. Under his watch, Cyprus gave passports to thousands of rich foreigners in a system critics said was fundamentally flawed.

☆ Factbox: How long will it take Ukraine to join EU?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

While the EU backs Ukraine and supports democratic and economic reforms there, Kyiv's hopes to quickly join the 27-nation EU are set to be dashed. Ukraine applied to join shortly after the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion and last June received a formal candidate status from the EU, which cast it as a bold geo-political move. Ukraine will have to transpose its national law to extensive EU legal standards from climate to labour to health, among others. Beyond that, the EU highlights reforms necessary to ensure that courts are free from political meddling and the rights of minorities respected in Ukraine. With some 44 million people, Ukraine would be the fifth-biggest EU country after Germany, France, Italy and Spain, giving it large influence on the bloc's decisions.

☆ U.S. targets global sanctions evasion network supporting Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on 22 individuals and entities in multiple countries that it accused of being tied to a global sanctions evasion network supporting Russia's military-industrial complex. The action targeted a sanctions evasion network that the Treasury said is led by Russia and Cyprus-based arms dealer Igor Zimenkov, who, along with his son, Jonatan, were hit with sanctions on Wednesday. The network has engaged in projects connected to Russian defense capabilities, including supplying high-technology devices after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Treasury said. Washington also accused certain members of the network of supporting state-owned Russian defense entities under sanctions. GBD Limited, another company in the network targeted in the sanctions, has attempted to supply weapons systems to an African government, Treasury said.

Downing Street referred requests for comment to the business ministry, which oversees Companies House, Britain’s public registry of companies. And, in most cases, if foreign companies purchased the property before 1999 or hold UK property in a trust they don’t need to publicly disclose the beneficial owners. The Cyprus-based company, A. Corp Trustee Limited, wasn’t listed on Britain’s new property register as of Tuesday morning. A listing on the UK’s new property register for Hanley Limited identifies the beneficial owner as a Swiss company called Pomerol Capital Sa. Ravellot also wasn’t on the new property register.

☆ Tsitsipas eyes boyhood dream of Grand Slam title, top ranking
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Stefanos Tsitsipas moved into the Australian Open final on Friday, taking a step towards becoming the first Greek world number one, which the third seed said would be the culmination of a boyhood dream. "I remember watching (Grand Slam finals) on TV saying to myself, I want to be there one day myself. I want to recreate that feeling for me," Tsitsipas, who plays favourite Novak Djokovic or Tommy Paul next, told reporters. There are certain steps you have to take to give yourself the chance to be competing for something like this. He said he was also delighted to put his country on the map along with women's world number six Maria Sakkari.

☆ As fighting rages in Ukraine, the US is sending drones to keep an eye on another tense corner of Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones deployed to Greece during the final weeks of 2022. Operating from Larissa air base, the drones will keep an eye NATO's borders in southeastern Europe. The deployment comes as NATO grapples with the war in Ukraine and with tensions between Turkey and Greece. Predator in the skiesUS Air Force airmen do pre-flight checks on an MQ-9 at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam in May. A US Air Force F-15C at Larissa Air Base in May 2021.

☆ Former top FBI counterintelligence agent Charles McGonigal charged with violating Russia sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

That other person later became an FBI source in a criminal probe of foreign political lobbying, which McGonigal was supervising, authorities said. The former top FBI agent in New York for counterintelligence was arrested with an ex-Russian diplomat and charged with violating U.S. sanctions on Russia after he left the FBI by trying to help the oligarch Oleg Deripaska get off the sanctions list, federal prosecutors said Monday. McGonigal and Shestakov, 69, who also was arrested Saturday evening, are due to appear in court in Manhattan later Monday. McGonigal previously had investigated Deripaska, who made his fortune in Russia's aluminum industry, while at the FBI. McGonigal agreed to help, and told an FBI supervisor who worked for him that he wanted to recruit the Deripaska employee, the indictment says.

☆ Explainer: What's at stake in Turkey's upcoming elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

WHAT'S AT STAKE IN THIS ELECTION FOR TURKEY... Opposition parties have pledged to restore central bank independence, bring back parliamentary government and introduce a new constitution enshrining the rule of law. Meanwhile Turkey's top court is hearing a case to shut down the third-largest parliamentary party, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), and has frozen some of its accounts. Once campaigning starts, opposition parties may find it harder to get their message heard. Though the election deadline is mid-June, Erdogan's party has said they may be brought forward.

☆ EU's Nov 2022 excess deaths drop sharply from 2020/21 peaks - data
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The EU's excess mortality rate measures the increase in total number of deaths, from any cause, compared with the same month in previous years. The November 2022 rate of 6.7% was a fall from 10.6% in October, and was almost in line with monthly averages for 2016-2019, Eurostat said. In 2022, a peak was reached in July at 16.8%, likely due to extreme heatwaves which hit parts of Europe and led to thousands of heat-related deaths, Eurostat said. The excess mortality rate in November 2022 varied across the EU, with Slovakia (-1.6%), Bulgaria (-2.6%), Romania (-6.2%) and Italy (0.5%) recording little or no excess deaths. Cyprus, Finland and Germany recorded excess mortality rates of 23.8%, 20.5% and 15.6% respectively in November, Eurostat said.

☆ In the largest-ever experiment of its kind, 33 companies adopted a four-day workweek. The results were conclusive: It's time for everyone to take Fridays off.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Molly Lipson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The results of the new report were unequivocal: The four-day workweek was better for everyone. And nearly all of the 495 employees involved in the trial wanted to maintain the four-day working week. The 4 Day Week trial found that participants spent an hour less time commuting than before the trial. A four-day week also provides vast improvements in well-being, life satisfaction, and sleep for women. As companies continue to grapple with attracting and retaining staff, the four-day week could be a relatively simple solution.

China, the world's top oil importer, has continued buying Russian oil despite Western sanctions, after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping launched what they called a no-limit partnership before the war in Ukraine. The sources said a fifth supertanker, or very large crude carrier (VLCC), was shipping crude to India, which like China has continued buying Russian oil sold at a discount as many Western buyers turn to other suppliers. All five shipments were scheduled between Dec. 22 and Jan. 23, according to the sources and Eikon ship tracking data. The G7 price cap introduced in December allows countries outside the European Union to import seaborne Russian oil but it prohibits shipping, insurance and re-insurance companies from handling Russian crude cargoes unless sold for below the $60 cap. Industry sources say Indian refiners are securing a discount of $15-$20 per barrel on Russian oil on a delivered basis compared to Brent.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried’s Supersized Bet: $1 Billion for a Bitcoin Miner on the Kazakh Steppe
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Eliot Brown | Yuliya Chernova | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Just before crypto markets plunged last year, Sam Bankman-Fried ’s hedge fund made a $1 billion bet on Genesis Digital Assets, a Cyprus-registered bitcoin miner rigged to consume a small city’s worth of electricity in Kazakhstan. The cash injection from Mr. Bankman-Fried’s Alameda Research LLC was supersized even for the red-hot crypto startup world, and it dwarfed the FTX founder’s other investments in private companies.

☆ Italy's Meloni renews criticism of euro zone bailout fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday renewed her criticism of the euro zone bailout fund, a 500-billion-euro ($541.55 billion) facility held back by Rome's reluctance to ratify its recently-adopted reform. The ESM was created in 2012, replacing a temporary fund established in 2010, at the height of the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis. The ESM can offer a lifeline to euro zone governments cut off from markets, or lend to recapitalise banks and provide precautionary credit. The fund was reformed with a 2021 treaty that needs to be ratified by all members of the euro zone before it can enter into force, and Italy is the only country that is dragging its feet over the issue. New ESM tasks under the reformed treaty include providing a backstop to the Single Resolution Fund, which is responsible for dealing with failing banks in the context of the Banking Union.

☆ Factbox: Countries mandate COVID tests for China travellers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

SWEDENSweden will require travellers from China to show they have tested negative for COVID before they can enter the country, the government said. FRANCEFrance will require travellers from China to provide a negative COVID test result less than 48 hours before departure. INDIAThe country has mandated a COVID-19 negative test report for travellers arriving from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand. CANADAAir travellers to Canada from China must test negative for COVID-19 no more than two days before departure, Ottawa said. SPAINSpain will require a negative COVID-19 test or a full course of vaccination against the disease upon arrival for travellers from China.

☆ Final farewell: From Sidney Poitier to Pope Emeritus Benedict a look back at the influential figures who died in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +55 min

Other world leaders who died in 2022 include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in August. The final days of 2022 saw the loss of some exceptionally notable figures, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2022 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Dan Reeves, 77. A Cuban-born artist whose radiant color palette and geometric paintings were overlooked for decades before the art world took notice. A prolific character actor best known for playing villains and tough guys in “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and other films.

☆ A 29-year-old part-time remote worker living abroad and making $4,000 a month explains how she finds work and affords her lifestyle
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She is among a growing number of digital nomads, or remote workers who travel for weeks, months, or — in Checchi's case — "for the foreseeable future." Driving this trend is the growing flexibility of remote work, a longing to see the world, and the desire to cut costs. As of June, over 25 countries had introduced digital-nomad visa programs aimed at luring remote workers and their wallets. The challenges of a nomadic lifeWhen she's not traveling, Checchi has a home base in Tel Aviv, which she chose in part for its accessibility to both Europe and Asia. While Tel Aviv can be quite an expensive place to live, Checchi pays $871 per month to rent an apartment with a couple.

☆ European countries switch off Christmas lights this winter to cut energy usage as Russia keeps tight hold on gas supply
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

European countries have turned off or reduced Christmas lights this year to cut down on energy use. Russia's crackdown on gas supplies to Europe has led to energy-saving measures on the continent. United KingdomThe infamous Christmas lights in London are running for fewer hours this year, according to the organizer the New West End Company. Smaller towns across the UK have also decided to switch off their Christmas lights in order to save money, per reports. GermanyAccording to the German non-profit environmental organization, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Christmas lights in houses, apartments, and cities should be unplugged this year.

☆ Vote for me! Cyprus clerics scramble to get public vote
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus is one of the few Orthodox Churches worldwide to recognise the independence of the fellow-Orthodox Church of Ukraine, in a move which triggered a rift within the Cypriot church in 2020. Chrysostomos had recognised the independence of the Ukrainian church away from Moscow's influence, butting heads with clerics considered pro-Russian. Today it has business interests as diverse as real estate to Cyprus's award-winning KEO beer. "In Cyprus the flock has the privilege of choosing who will be its shepherd," said theologian Theodoros Kyriakou. Reporting by Michele Kambas, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analysis: EU unity over Russia sanctions falters as Europe's economy wilts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( John O'Donnell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Some, such as Belgium and Greece, as well as Hungary which still relies heavily on Russian energy imports, pushed back against further sweeping measures, EU diplomats told Reuters. Russia says sanctions have boomeranged against the West, driving up inflation as energy prices have rocketed higher. Meanwhile, existing EU measures are not always watertight. Others are more discrete, while some have half an eye on a future relationship with Russia after the war ends. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said this month that the EU would "tighten the sanctions against Russia for as long as Putin continues his war".

☆ From Portugal to Bali, these 28 countries and territories offer 'digital nomad visas' for remote workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

28 countries offer residence visas for remote workers, also known as "digital nomad visas." Spain and Italy are still in the process of establishing a legal framework for the programs. The so-called "digital nomad visas" allow remote workers to live and work in countries like Malta, Portugal, and Costa Rica — as long as your income comes from outside the country. Here are 28 countries that currently offer visas specifically for remote workers and the minimum income required in order to apply:Europe digital nomad visasLisbon, Portugal. Flavio Vallenari/Getty ImagesGrenada: Minimum salary required of EC$100,000.00 a year (around $37,000) St. Lucia: Currently no salary requirements Curaçao: Currently no salary requirements Montserrat: Minimum salary required of $70,000 a year Dominica: Minimum salary required of $50,000 a year Cayman Islands: Minimum salary required of $100,000 a year Anguilla: Currently no salary requirements Antigua and Barbuda: Minimum salary required of $50,000 a year Barbados: Minimum salary required of $50,000 a yearNorth, Central, and South America digital nomad visasLaguna del Hule in Costa Rica.

☆ Euro zone economic growth revised up with household, business support
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Euro zone gross domestic product (GDP) grew by slightly more than initially estimated, data from the European statistics agency Eurostat showed on Wednesday, with household spending and business investment propping up the economy. Eurostat said GDP growth in the third quarter was 0.3% in the 19-country euro area in the July-September period from the previous quarter and 2.3% year-on-year, above its flash estimates of 0.2% and 2.1% published in mid-November. Household spending added 0.4 percentage points to euro zone growth and gross fixed capital formation 0.8 points. The contribution from government expenditure was negligible, while trade was a net negative of 1.1 percentage points. Employment levels also expanded in the euro zone by 0.3% quarter-on-quarter, the same pace as in the second quarter of 2022.

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