Новости за 29.04.2020

A 35-year-old man in Nicosia has been arrested in relation with the case of threatening phone calls made against a member of the health ministry’s epidemiological team. Leontios Kostrikis is a virologist who announces each day’s new Covid-19 infections. Earlier in the evening, authorities issued an arrest warrant and later...

The Trump administration is quietly planning a major undertaking to speed the development of a coronavirus vaccine, with a goal to have 100 million doses ready by year’s end, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Called “Operation Warp Speed,” the project will join private pharmaceutical...

UEFA’s chief medical official says it is “definitely possible” to plan a restart of European soccer leagues despite the Dutch and French ending their seasons and Italy’s sports minister raising the prospect of a similar fate for Serie A. The comments from UEFA’s Tim Meyer contrast with FIFA’s medical committee...

The U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter at its sharpest pace since the Great Recession as stringent measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus almost shut down the country, ending the longest expansion in the nation’s history. The drop in gross domestic product (GDP) reported by the...

The health ministry has released a detailed list of those it considers to be vulnerable person and who must practice extreme caution when going back to work, if at all. It stresses that people belonging to the first group (A) can go to work as long as they are not...

President Nicos Anastasiades on Wednesday announced the blueprint for easing the lockdown including upping daily outings to three, civil servants returning to work while the construction sector and smaller shops can reopen and final-year students can return to class He said if scientific data allows, all restrictions on movement would...

The UK should take a slow approach to coming out of lockdown and reopen sectors one-by-one to ensure coronavirus does not begin rapidly transmitting again, experts have said. For instance, schools could reopen and if infection rates stayed low, then another sector – such as restaurants – could be unlocked,...

The administrative court on Wednesday cancelled the 2017 appointment of the current director of the government’s Press and Information Office (PIO), arguing that the public service commission had improperly exercised its discretion to choose her over another candidate who was more qualified. Sophie Michaelides’ appointment was appealed by the current...

The Premier League has advised clubs to consider recalling their players and staff from abroad ahead of a possible return to training in May. With the season ground to a halt since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, many foreign players have returned to their homeland. But with ‘Project Restart’...

The United Kingdom now has Europe’s second-highest official death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to new figures on Wednesday that cover fatalities in all settings, including in nursing homes. Some 26,097 people died across the United Kingdom after testing positive for COVID-19 as of April 28 at 1600...

Three police officers were attacked by a group of youngsters as the authorities were attempting to break up a game of football on Wednesday in Limassol. One of the officers also had her phone stolen, while she was hit in the face, police said. “There were about 10-15 young people...

Italy’s Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora said on Wednesday the country’s top-flight Serie A football championship looks unlikely to resume this season because of the COVID-19 epidemic. On March 9 Italy suspended the league campaign as part of a nationwide lockdown to curb a new coronavirus epidemic that has seen over...

Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides warned Wednesday that Cyprus was entering the most difficult and dangerous phase of the coronavirus crisis that could prove catastrophic for health and economy if not handled properly. Speaking during an online economic summit just hours before President Nicos Anastasiades was expected to announce the lifting...

Six new cases were announced by the health ministry on Wednesday evening. This brings the total number of confirmed Covid-19 infections to 843. In a strange turn of events, virologist Leontios Kostrikis, a member of the health ministry’s epidemiological team, was absent from the health ministry daily briefing. “Professor Kostrikis...

The Greek Cypriot head of the bicommunal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, Takis Hadjidemetriou, said on Wednesday planning of projects is ongoing despite a temporary halt in construction. According to Hadjidemetriou, the committee is continuing work. “Amidst restrictions due to the coronavirus, the technical committee, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots,...

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on Wednesday said that cooperation and understanding were necessary for the reopening of the crossings when the time comes. Akinci discussed the issue during an interview with a Kanal T television channel in the north. Arguing that it was a mistake that the decisions for...

The general government deficit rose by €104.4m year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2019 the statistical service said Wednesday. On the basis of preliminary data, total revenue was around €2.5bn while total expenditure reached €2.8bn, resulting in a deficit of €277.4m, compared with €173m the precious year. The main categories...

Gary Neville has stressed football would not return for months were it not for the huge economic impact of coronavirus. The UK is on lockdown until at least May 7 but the Premier League is working on its ‘Project Restart’ to get the 2019-20 season finished, while the English Football...

Greece hopes to welcome back tourists from July, but hoteliers expect a bleak season, fearing the coronavirus pandemic will keep visitors away and beaches empty. Tourism is a major income earner for Greece. It drew 34 million visitors last year, bringing in €18bn in revenue, about 10-12 per cent of...

The head of Cyprus’ union of journalists George Frangos said Wednesday the coronavirus pandemic had affected journalists’ mental health as they strive “to provide information in difficult and unprecedented conditions.” While psychologists have advised people to take a break from the daily stream of breaking news and developments regarding the...

Pathologists on Wednesday found no evidence to indicate foul play during a post-mortem on a decomposed body of a man found in the sea off the Akamas coast the previous day. Genetic material was collected for identification purposes as the body was too decomposed. Tissue samples were also collected for...

Some 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy, representing nearly half of the global labour force, are in immediate danger of losing their livelihoods due to the coronavirus pandemic, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Wednesday. The U.N. agency’s latest report sharply raised its forecast for the devastating impact...

Resuming the tennis season stalled by the coronavirus pandemic is not the most important thing as players first want to live their normal lives again, former world number one Andy Murray said. Professional tennis has been suspended since March because of the outbreak and the ATP and WTA Tours have...

The cabinet on Wednesday approved a new round of testing for another 20,000 employees of businesses slated to resume operations soon as the first phase of the gradual relaxation of restrictions is rolled out, the health ministry announced. The ministry said that the 20,000 tests will be given to employees...

The state power company (EAC) said Wednesday it was extending a 10 per cent reduction in prices for two more months as part of efforts to support society amid the coronavirus crisis. In a statement, the EAC said its board decided to extend the 10 per cent discount for a...