REFURBISHED OLD HOSPITAL THE SITE OF A NEW LARNACA TOWN HALL

The old Larnaca hospital will be renovated and turned into the city's new town hall

REFURBISHED OLD HOSPITAL THE SITE OF A NEW LARNACA TOWN HALL - Cy Mail 18/4 by Tom Cleaver


The new town hall which will be built in Larnaca “will perfectly reflect the European capital of culture” – the title which the town is set to hold in 2030 – deputy mayor Iasonas Iasonides said on Saturday.

He told the Cyprus News Agency that the municipality intends to sell a plot of land it owns on the town’s central Hermes street to fund the construction of a new town hall on the site of the old Larnaca hospital.

Once a successful bidder for the site is found, he said, “all the practical and necessary documents” will be sent to the central government, which will then be expected to give its final approval for the sale.

‘WE'VE TICKED ALL THE BOXES' FOR SCHENGEN ENTRY

‘WE'VE TICKED ALL THE BOXES' FOR SCHENGEN ENTRY - Cy Mail 19/4 by Elias Hazou


Government says Cyprus has met all the technical requirements, but Green Line remains a hurdle

The government insists Cyprus is well on track to join the Schengen Area. Notably, though, it no longer says this will happen this year but rather that this is their goal, time-wise.

The buoyant outlook it’s projecting may be genuine – or a case of doubling down on prior rhetoric, with President Nikos Christodoulides having repeatedly played up his election-campaign promise from 2023.

On February 5, Christodoulides said the island was “finalising” technical preparations for full integration into the Schengen zone in 2026.

WAR - MIDDLE EAST - ALUMINIUM IN A GLOBAL CRISIS

 

WAR - MIDDLE EAST - ALUMINIUM IN A GLOBAL CRISIS - Filenews 19/4

The war in Iran is causing an unprecedented crisis in the global aluminium market, with potentially devastating knock-on effects in sectors such as construction, packaging, transport and green energy.

Even if the war ended tomorrow, Emirates Global Aluminium could take up to a year to recover from the damage caused by a missile attack on the Al Taweelah foundry in March.

Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), the largest manufacturing plant, has also been affected, although the extent of the damage is currently unknown. Alba had already reduced production before this attack, as had Qatar Aluminium, due to a lack of energy.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO DEMOLISH DANGEROUS BUILDINGS

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO DEMOLISH DANGEROUS BUILDINGS - Filenews 19/4 by Charalambos Zakos

 Between €30 and €40,000 would cost the demolition of a two-storey apartment building, similar to the one that collapsed in Limassol, according to the data collected by "F".

Which shows that the amounts are not only not prohibitive, but if the issue is properly managed then the problem can be solved once and for all.

In particular, according to the information of "F", if the local authorities want to proceed with the solution of the problem, they can do so without particular difficulties, especially since most of the dangerous buildings in Cyprus have already been recorded.

"JET FUEL" FLOWS SEAMLESSLY TO CYPRUS - WHERE DO WE BUY FUEL FROM?

 

"JET FUEL" FLOWS SEAMLESSLY TO CYPRUS - WHERE DO WE BUY FUEL FROM? - Filenews 19/4 by Charalambos Zakos

The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, has warned that Europe has stockpiles of aviation fuel for six weeks. On the other hand, Cyprus seems to be safe, at least for the next few months, with imports at the same time continuing normally.

"Jet fuel" has monopolized interest lately, since the war in the Middle East and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted oil supplies.

WHAT BANKS FEAR FROM THE WAR

 

WHAT BANKS FEAR FROM THE WAR - Filenews 19/4 by Theano Thiopoulou

Although the banks' results for 2025 impressed many investors, the banking system is moving into 2026 under the weight of the data of the war in the Middle East and especially under the fear of inflationary pressures that are expected in the coming period.

Seven weeks after the start of hostilities, the picture is twofold: On the one hand, a strong capital base and increased profitability, on the other hand, new risks that may affect bank balance sheets.

THE NOOSE IS TIGHTENING FOR TAXPAYERS - THE BUSINESSES OF THOSE WHO OWE WILL BE SEALED

THE NOOSE IS TIGHTENING FOR TAXPAYERS - THE BUSINESSES OF THOSE WHO OWE WILL BE SEALED - Filenews 19/4 by Eleftheria Paizanou

The procedures and standards that will be followed by the officials of the Tax Department in relation to the sealing of businesses and the freezing of shares, in case of non-compliance of taxpayers with their tax obligations, are currently being determined. The regulations are included in the tax reform, which has been in force since the 1st of the year.

In fact, there were strong reactions to these issues from the stakeholders when the legislative package was being discussed, which led the Ministry of Finance to include safeguards. According to information from "F", there have recently been meetings with the authorities, in order to determine the procedure to be followed.