An uncertain New Year
A friend whose daughter studied in the UK, told me ‘She’s staying there, what future has she here?’ She’s not alone in making that choice. The Cyprus government ...
Maduro’s immunity claim tests US power to prosecute foreign leaders
Nicolás Maduro’s first appearance in a U.S. courtroom offered a glimpse of the legal battle ahead over rarely tested questions — chief among them whether he can claim ...
As COP results fall short, national action plans needed
The United Nations climate change conference, known as COP30, recently held in Brazil, was a landmark one. It was the tenth since the Paris Conference, in which a binding agreement ...
What if Khamenei falls? Protests spiral as Iran’s currency collapses
The demonstrations began again in Iran last week, only two years after the ‘Woman! Life! Freedom!’ movement convulsed the country for months. However, the current protests are potentially much broader ...
Antisemitism a stress test for what Cyprus must get right in federal future
As Cyprus cautiously revisits the idea of a bicommunal, bizonal federation – which I often describe as BBF 2.0 – it might be tempting to rely on the familiar pillars of security and ...
Prophets of Doom: the 2026 edition
It’s that time of the year again and also probably good news that Cyprus does not seem to feature in the Doomsday predictions for 2026.
That doesn’t mean that ...
What is there in Nazism for teenagers to like?
Although the recent teenage glorification of Adolf Hitler and Nazi ideology at a school in Larnaca in Cyprus is nothing new among teenagers, or confined to Cyprus, the attraction of ...
Our View: Not a lot government can do to increase income of lowest paid
The economy was in rude good health in 2025 and all forecasts suggest that we will enjoy more of the same this year, all other things being equal. The general consensus ...
Our View: Mammari incident shows how dangerous the blame game has become
The UN had not, as of Friday at least, weighed on the December 30 buffer-zone incident near Mammari where a Greek Cypriot father and son were cultivating their land.
This has ...
Our View: We have set ourselves unrealistically ambitious objectives for the presidency
Today the Cyprus Republic takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with which the 18-month Poland-Denmark-Cyprus Trio presidency will be concluded. This is the second time ...
Our View: Only serious change in mentality will stop drivers using phones
Cyprus seems to have escaped any major tragedy on the roads this holiday season thankfully but we’re not out of the woods yet. If today, tonight and tomorrow pass ...
Our View: When church and politicians compete to police morals
The separation of Church and state is a fundamental pillar of liberal democracy and efforts have been made for many decades now to get organised Churches out of politics. This ...
An energy reset is happening around the world
The global climate summit COP30 that took place in Brazil in November fell short of expectations. It is not that the world is not concerned about climate change or that ...
A throne made of sand
“Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”Nothing beside remains.The lone and level sands stretch far away.— Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ozymandias
Percy Shelley’s Ozymandias is not a ...
World trade war is alive and kicking
On December 16, two contrasting articles appeared in the Financial Times that spoke volumes about the very different approaches to world trade currently at play. One was written by Peter Navarro, ...
Happy Same Year!
It is December 28, which means many of us are deep into the Season of Delusion, a magical period when grown adults behave like weird Elfies drunk on mulled wine. The ...
2026 offers glimmer of hope for Cyprus, elsewhere not so much
A review of the year and predicting the shape of things to come in 2026 and beyond must begin with events at home. The Cyprus Mail is of course a Cypriot ...
Our View: Are we burying our heads in the sand over Nazi behaviour?
The furore over photos of teenagers signalling Nazi salutes and their swastika handiwork around school property at Larnaca’s Vergina high school ten days ago died down over Christmas week ...
Missed opportunities on budgets and tax reform
In recent days the government of President Nikos Christodoulides and MPs approved the government budgets and a tax reform. In doing so they have missed real opportunities to support policies ...
The enduring power of journalism in a world of more media and less freedom
A vast amount of information has not necessarily meant more reliable information, writes James Rodgers, a former BBC correspondent who held postings in Gaza, Moscow and Brussels
On December 10, the ...
Scene is set for another process of interminable talks
The Christmas and New Year period is traditionally a time associated with peace, reconciliation and goodwill, but as Europe looks towards 2026, the prospects are shaped less by seasonal sentiment than ...
What world was Jesus born into?
A historian describes the turbulent times of the real nativity
By Joan Taylor
Every year, millions of people sing the beautiful carol Silent Night, with its line “all is calm, ...
Cyprus eyes a role on the world stage
But it has to dump a lot of baggage first
By Kerry Abbott
When Cyprus hosted the conference of European Small States in September, it was not so obvious that ...
Our View: Love it or hate it, Christmas endures in good times and bad
Every year hundreds of thousands of words are published in the run up to December 25 on Christmas vs everything.
It’s too secularist and materialistic, Bing Crosby’s White Christmas ...