Cyprus Beat

In today’s episode, President Nikos Christodoulides on Thursday laid the foundation stone for Phase 2 of Cyprus’ airport expansion project, which is set to increase capacity to over 17 million passengers annually by 2027.  Elsewhere, the old state fairgrounds in Nicosia will be transformed into a 250,000-square-metre nature park, scrapping earlier plans for a tech hub and commercial development, MPs heard on Thursday. Also, lawmakers on Thursday voiced frustration over continued delays in expanding the neonatal intensive care unit at Makarios Hospital, with construction stalled due to a legal dispute between the contractor and the state health services organisation (Okypy). All this and more in today’s Daily News Briefing brought to you by the Cyprus Mail.

The Cyprus Beat briefing brought to you by the Cyprus Mail.

In today’s episode, House president Annita Demetriou spent over €18,700 on hotel accommodation during a July 2023 trip to London, with €15,172 covering rooms for her entourage of eight—including officials, CyBC staff, and a security guard—and €3,621 for her own stay, according to a report by the audit office.  Elsewhere, Nicosia municipality is under fire over its decision to partly reopen Makarios avenue to private vehicles, a move critics say undermines sustainable urban mobility goals. Also, the government has no plans to scrap the 12 per cent pension ‘penalty’ for those retiring early at 63, Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou told MPs on Tuesday, sparking a heated exchange in parliament. All this and more in today’s Daily News Briefing brought to you by the Cyprus Mail.

The Cyprus Beat briefing brought to you by the Cyprus Mail.

The Cyprus Beat briefing brought to you by the Cyprus Mail.