New group of Syrian refugees was saved by the Coast Guard
The Syrian refugees were mentioned in the news during this week- another boat with immigrants arrived to the island.
According to the Coast Guard – there were 27 individuals on board: 16 men, 6 women and 5 children. After short investigation, the majority was sent to the refugee centre, apart from the 4 men.
Police suspects that they can be involved in human trafficking and were already deported from the Republic earlier. As the refugees have testified- the ticket on the boat was 2,000 Euros per person.
Three way summit in Israel. New level of political relationship
The relationship of Cyprus with Greece and Israel came up to a new level. The three-way summit was held in Jerusalem, where a range of agreements were signed concerning various sectors, including cooperation in scientific research.
Man aspects were discussed too – from energy and healthcare to situation in the Middle East. Moreover, the leaders of the three countries shares their views about the results of the presidential elections in the USA.
Cyprus, Greece and Israel are already cooperating quite closely. The meeting of the the leaders is a frequent occurrence, and various bilateral agreements became a routine.
Moreover, Cyprus recently assisted Israel to combat forest fires, for which Benjamin Netanyahu expressed gratitude to Nicos Anastasiades.
Sales of properties in Cyprus are growing
The property market of Cyprus grew by almost 50%- to be more precise, by 46% in comparison with November of the last year.
It was also reported that last month, there were 650 deals with residential and commercial properties, as well as land plots were registered. The majority of the deals was made by the locals and about 1/3 was done by the foreigners. Limassol takes the lead with 82% growth, followed by Paphos, Nicosia and Larnaca.
It it worth noting that the year 2016 was quite good for the Property market. There are already 34% more deals, than during the same 11 months of 2015.
How many smokers are on the island?
The majority of the population is not smoking (71%)- as stated in the results published by the Eurostat during this week.
The survey covered males over 15 years old. The majority of smokers on the island are men. More than 25% called themselves as victims of the passive smoking.
In comparison with the rest of Europe, the percentage of smokers in Cyprus is still quite high. Overall, across the EU, the 76% of the population do not smoke.
Road covered with ice: police urges to be careful on the roads.
The Cyprus police warns drivers that current only all-wheel drive cars with ABS system are allowed on the roads in the mountains.
Due to heavy snowing in Troodos mountains, the top of the mountain is not easily accessible for everyone now. Roads are currently covered with snow and ice. Due to the fact, that winter tires are not used in Cyprus, the way up in the mountains and coming back down can be quite extreme for the drivers and passengers.
Police warns the drivers that it is necessary to be very careful on the roads and drive slowly, whilst keeping the safe distance. In case if snowing will continue, it will be possible to play snowballs and do some skiing during Christmas and New Year celebrations.
