EUROPE ENTERS THE AGE OF HUMILIATION

Filenews 28 January 2026

By Adrian Wooldridge

Europe has gone through many eras in its turbulent history: the age of discovery, the age of enlightenment, the age of expansion, the age of destruction and the age of unification. Now he is entering a new era: that of humility.

Europe's dispute with Donald Trump over whether the U.S. can forcibly buy Greenland from Denmark may be surreal, but it fits into a broader pattern. The US (or China) is acting. Europe responds. The US (or China) is moving decisively. The EU is debating and hesitating. This week, Europe's elite reached a frenzy over Trump's threats to use force or tariffs to gain control of Greenland, until Trump finally made a 180-degree U-turn and claimed to have struck a deal with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, a deal that, in effect, has been on the table for quite some time. The storm has now passed, until Trump turns his attention to something else – or decides that the Greenland deal is a sham – and Europe must once again respond to external challenges.

FROM THE MARSHALL PLAN TO IRAQ - THE 10 BEST AND WORST US FOREIGN POLICY DECISIONS

Filenews 28 January 2026

By Andreas Kluth

The lists are "an invitation to discussion," says James Lindsay of the Council on Foreign Relations. Thus, he compiled two lists, one with the 10 best decisions in American foreign policy in the last 250 years and another, with the 10 worst. Those present – Donald Trump's second presidency – were deliberately excluded. And yet, how could any discussion of these lists ignore what Trump is doing to the world and America's role in it?

GOLDEN FORESTS FOR . . . CRUMBS IN HOTELS IN AYIA NAPA

Filenews 28 January 2026 - by Angelos Nikolaou

A picture of economic bleeding and administrative dysfunction is revealed by yesterday's Special Report of the Audit Office for the Department of Forests. At the center are five hotel units in Ayia Napa, which were erected on state forest land with contracts that refer to other times, leaving the state a spectator at a party of lost revenue, while tourism in the area is galloping.

In a message, the Auditor General, Andreas Papakonstantinou, states that long-term lease contracts for state forest land in Ayia Napa were examined, where serious delays in the revision of rents and legal issues arising from outdated contractual provisions were found. He emphasizes that the non-timely adjustment of rents entails a loss of revenue for the state.

THERE ARE ORANGE TREES ELSEWHERE - THE EU-INDIA MESSAGE TO TRUMP

 Filenews 28 January 2026

The EU and India described the multi-level agreement they signed yesterday as historic. "We have created a free trade zone of 2 billion people, with both sides gaining economically. We sent a message to the world that rules-based cooperation continues to deliver important results. And, best of all, this is just the beginning, we will build on this success and develop our relationship to become even stronger," was the comment of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The agreement is also seen as a response by the EU and India (the 4th largest economy in the world) to the tariff war declared by the US president, with the recipients of the increased tariffs including the EU and India.

SMART METER INSTALLATION - LATEST AREAS TARGETTED

 Filenews 28 January 2026 - by Charalambos Zakos

The series that almost turned into a thriller, around the installation of smart meters, seems to have been outdated, since, according to the data, the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) has not only managed to meet the schedules, but is also ahead of the scheduled dates.

This, at least, is recorded in the data collected by "F". As the figures show, the target for the installation of 400,000 smart meters by the EAC will not only be achieved, but the Authority may complete their installation before the deadlines.

DISCUSSION REGARDING CAMERAS IN POLICE UNIFORMS AND PATROL CARS - WHEN THEY WOULD BE USED AND FOR WHICH CASES

Filenews 28 January 2026

The revised bill that allows the use of portable cameras in police uniforms and patrol cars is expected to be brought to the Plenary before the dissolution of Parliament.

Despite the reservations expressed today in the Legal Committee of the Parliament by the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection, about the way the body search is recorded so that sensitive parts of the investigated person are not visible, the bill that has undergone several changes, will be examined, as stated by its president Nikos Tornaritis in the next session in order to reach the Plenary. "We will all be inferior to the circumstances if we do not give all the tools to the police force to fight organized crime," stressed Mr. Tornaritis.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE PUBLIC ON DUST

Filenews 28 January 2026

High concentrations of dust are also observed today, Wednesday, in the atmosphere according to the measurements of the ground Stations of the Air Quality Monitoring Network of the Department of Labour Inspection.

According to an announcement by the Department, because the dust contains small-sized inhalable particles, which may have a negative effect on human health, the public and especially vulnerable population groups (children, the elderly and the sick) are urged to avoid moving in open spaces until the phenomenon has passed.