Section: Cyprus
Applications for TRNC white cards begin
Applications for permanent residence permits are now being accepted. Speaking to BRT, Interior Ministry Undersecretary, Hasan Alicik said that currently, 10,000 people have the right to apply for the permit. Recent alterations to residency laws mean that persons who work in the TRNC and have been in possession of a work or business permit for six...
German chancellor Angela Merkel named ‘Person of the Year’ by Time
By Megan Cassella Time magazine named German Chancellor Angela Merkel its 2015 ‘Person of the Year’ on Wednesday, noting her resilience and leadership when faced with the Syrian refugee crisis and turmoil in the European Union over its currency this year. In a statement explaining the magazine’s choice, managing editor Nancy Gibbs...
NATO invites Montenegro to join alliance, defying Russia
By Robin Emmott and Sabine Siebold NATO foreign ministers invited tiny Montenegro on Wednesday to join their military alliance in its first expansion since 2009, defying Russian warnings that enlargement of the US-led bloc further into the Balkans would be a provocation. In a scripted session at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels,...
Obama, Putin discuss Syria, Ukraine at summit – White House
US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Syria crisis and the situation in Ukraine during a meeting Monday on the sidelines of the climate summit in Paris, a White House official said. Obama stressed the importance of targeting Islamic State militants in Syria and not focusing military attacks against rebel...
Turkey expected to drive hard bargain in Brussels
By Alastair Macdonald Leaders of the European Union aim to sign an agreement with Turkey in Brussels on Sunday that offers Ankara cash and closer ties with the EU in return for Turkish help in stemming the flow of migrants to Europe. Aware of a sense of desperation in Europe for a solution to a crisis that is tearing the bloc apart following the...
France’s Hollande wins cooperation not coalition against IS
By Elizabeth Pineau and Paul Taylor The leaders of Russia and France avoided each other’s gaze as they made short, stiff statements in the Kremlin on Thursday before talks on countering Islamic State in Syria. Francois Hollande wants to unite major powers in a single ‘grand coalition’ to fight the militants behind the Paris attacks...
Russia-Ukraine row over Crimea escalates as Moscow cuts coal to Kiev
By Natalia Zinets Russia has begun to restrict coal supplies to Ukraine, Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn told parliament on Friday, days after the Kremlin threatened to punish Kiev for a power blackout of Russian-annexed Crimea. Demchyshyn said pro-Russian separatists who control coal mines in eastern Ukraine had also halted coal supplies....
Ten EU nations say Nord Stream gas extension not in EU interests
Russia’s plans to extend its gas link to Germany run counter to EU interests and risk further destabilising Ukraine, 10 European governments said in a letter to the European Commission that called for a summit-level debate on the issue. A group of European companies signed an agreement with Gazprom in September to expand its Nord Stream...
Russia seeks economic revenge against Turkey over jet downing
By Humeyra Pamuk and Vladimir Soldatkin Russia threatened economic retaliation against Turkey on Thursday and said it was still awaiting a reasonable explanation for the shooting down of its warplane, but Turkey dismissed the threats as “emotional” and “unfitting”. In an escalating war of words, President Tayyip Erdogan responded to Russian...
Russia prepares reprisals against Ukraine over Crimea blackout
By Andrew Osborn and Pavel Polityuk Russia said on Tuesday it would cut off gas supplies to Ukraine and threatened to halt coal deliveries, ratcheting up a dispute over a power blackout in Crimea at a time when a ceasefire between Kiev and separatist rebels is fraying. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak accused the Ukrainian authorities of...
