Hungary’s top diplomat has visited Belarus for talks on expanding ties despite the European Union’s sanctions against the country.

The European climate agency says Earth was record hot for the 10th consecutive month in March.

World Central Kitchen, the food charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, announced it is immediately pausing its work in the Gaza Strip after an apparent Israeli strike killed seven of its workers, mostly foreigners.

An effort to get aid to Gaza by sea is moving ahead.

Dozens of young Israeli men and women who survived the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre at a rave party in southern Israel have been taking part in support sessions to help deal with their trauma at a retreat in Cyprus.

A lawyer says five Israelis accused of gang raping a British woman in a Cyprus hotel room won’t plead to charges including rape, sexual assault and abduction until prosecutors hand over key material including DNA tests, fingerprints and eyewitness testimony.

Scott McTominay has moved ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane as the joint leading scorer in European Championship qualifying with Scotland on the brink of securing a place at next year’s tournament.

Officials say a multinational force is helping Cyprus fight a stubborn wildfire that has scorched miles of mountainous terrain in the summer heat.

Veterinarians in Cyprus are lauding a government decision to allow its stock of human COVID-19 medication to be used against a feline virus that has killed thousands of cats on the Mediterranean island.

A U.S. Navy commander says there is “no significant change” in the conduct of Russian aircraft and warships toward Western naval and air assets in the eastern Mediterranean as Moscow’s war in Ukraine grinds on.

Armed fighters have rampaged through a main city in Sudan’s war-ravaged region of Darfur, battling each other and looting shops and homes.

Greece’s center-right prime minister has called a May 21 general election Tuesday as his party’s long-standing lead in opinion polls has declined in the aftermath of the country’s worst train disaster.

A youthful foreign minister who campaigned as a unifier unconstrained by antiquated ideological and party lines will take on a veteran diplomat with broad voter appeal in a Feb. 12 runoff for the presidency of ethnically divided Cyprus.

Defense lawyers for a British man on trial for causing the death of his sick wife in Cyprus’ coastal resort town of Paphos say they’re hopeful the court will suspend any sentence it hands down to their client after he pleads guilty to manslaughter next week.

Hello and welcome back to another issue of the wild weather across the world!

Welcome back to another issue of wild weather around the world! This week we have a lot to cover, so let’s dive in!

The eastern Mediterranean and Middle East are warming almost twice as fast as the global average, with temperatures projected to rise up to 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century if no action is taken to reverse the trend, a new report says.

A 500-year-old Orthodox icon that was looted from a church in the breakaway north of ethnically divided Cyprus has been returned to the island.

Cyprus has brought back compulsory mask-wearing in all indoor areas for everyone age 12 and over amid a surge of COVID-19 infections.

Cyprus has signed a deal with Airbus Helicopters to purchase six light attack helicopters with an option for another six as it seeks to shed Soviet-era armaments and procure military equipment compatible with other European Union member states.

Orthodox Christians visiting Cyprus from Russia and Ukraine usually would be streaming past an icon of the Virgin Mary that tradition dictates was blessed by the Virgin herself.

Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot activists say uncertainty over the safety of war-wracked Ukraine’s nuclear power plants has reignited concerns over a Russian-owned nuclear power station being built in a quake-prone area on Turkey’s southern coast.

European Union border and coast guard agency Frontex says the number of migrants trying to enter Europe without authorization has risen to its highest level since 2016.

The head of the European Central Bank says the bank would raise interest rates “some time after” ending its pandemic stimulus efforts later this year.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde has tweeted that she tested positive for COVID-19 and has mild symptoms but will continue working at home.

Germany says it will replace some of its aging Tornado bomber jets with U.S.-made F-35 Lightning II aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

An 18th-century icon that a British officer spirited out of war-wracked Cyprus in 1974 has been returned to the island’s Orthodox Church by the officer’s son to reunite it with those “who really appreciate what it stands for.”.

Cyprus is lifting COVID-19 restrictions on access for the unvaccinated to bars, restaurants and other venues following a leveling off of new coronavirus cases in recent days that has eased the pressure on the health care system.

Cyprus’ interior minister says repatriating migrants who have had their asylum applications rejected is essential to easing overcrowding at a migrant reception camp and quelling incidents of violence.

Christians around the world have marked Epiphany with a series of celebrations.

Pope Francis says there are plans for a possible second meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Greece has promised to link Egypt to the European Union’s energy market with an undersea cable that would carry electricity across the Mediterranean.

A new Ottoman empire — that's what the foreign minister of the divided island of Cyprus is accusing Turkey's president of attempting to promote.

King Abdullah II of Jordan is meeting in Athens with the leaders of Greece and Cyprus as part of regular high-level contacts launched between the three Mediterranean countries in 2018.

Turkey’s president says his country will talk with the Taliban regarding Turkey’s bid to operate and secure the airport in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

It’s said that Demetrius the Besieger, a mighty warrior king and one of Alexander the Great’s successors built a harbor at Amathus, on Cyprus’ southern coast, 2,400 years ago to thwart a potential naval invasion.

Cyprus' interior minister says four people have died in what he called the “most destructive" fire in the island nation's history.

Britain’s armed forces minister says British paratroopers have trained together with Jordanian soldiers in an airdrop over the Middle Eastern country to underscore the U.K.’s support for Jordan and commitment to regional stability.

Cyprus got a shot in the arm amid the pandemic after Europe’s environmental watchdog ranked the country first among all European Union countries for having the cleanest swimming waters.

After last year’s Eurovision Song Contest was canceled amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, it is roaring back to life with coronavirus bubbles added to its heady mix of music and camp.

A French senior naval officer says the Islamic State group is using stealth to regenerate its forces by developing its military capabilities underground and France is deploying its warships and aircraft in the region to help troops on the ground root out the threat.

Cyprus has unveiled a phased rollback of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions over the next month including a shortened curfew and a reopening of all schools next week.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is receiving criticism from lawmakers in his own party over his shifting economic reopening plan, with a group of Democrats from the state’s second most populous county threatening the possibility of a special legislative session.

Doug Ducey said the site switch will maintain the state’s vaccination program’s presence in southeastern Maricopa County while protecting staff, volunteers and people getting vaccinated. Greece is currently grappling with a surge in coronavirus infections which has seen many hospitals run by the state health system reach capacity. 23, a total of 42,028 COVID-19 cases have been diagnosed on the island nation of around 900,000 people, of which 248 died due to COVID-19. Kate Brown said those groups will now be eligible to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine on April 5. ___PHOENIX — Arizona on Friday reported 571 new coronavirus cases and 24 deaths as the number of virus-related hospitalizations remained fairly stable.

European Council President Charles Michel, top of screen, speaks with EU leaders, via videoconference link, during a EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 25, 2021. European Union leaders are looking for ways of ramping up COVID-19 vaccination across the region during their virtual meeting Thursday amid shortage of doses, spikes of new coronavirus cases, a feud with the United Kingdom and internal quarrels. (Yves Herman, Pool via AP)BRUSSELS – European Union leaders on Thursday offered new incentives to Turkey to improve cooperation on migration and trade despite democratic backsliding in the country and lingering concerns about its energy ambitions in the Mediterranean Sea. Under it, the EU offered Ankara 6 billion euros ($7.1 billion) to help Syrian refugees and other incentives to prevent people from leaving Turkey to go to Europe. Last week, the EU criticized Turkish authorities for stripping a prominent pro-Kurdish legislator of his parliamentary seat and seeking to shut down his political party.

Like other birds, flamingos swallow small pebbles to aid digestion, but can’t distinguish between pebbles and the lead pellets. Cyprus Veterinary Services official Panayiotis Constantinou, who has conducted autopsies on flamingos, said lead from the pellets poisoned the birds. A sport shooting range near the lake's northern tip closed nearly 18 years ago and authorities organized a clean-up of lead pellets in the lakebed there. A European Union-funded study is underway to identify where significant amounts of lead pellets remain so they can be removed. Pantelis Hadjiyeros, head of the Game and Fauna Service, said it’s less important to ban hunting in the area than to convince hunters to stop using shells with lead pellets.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses his ruling party legislators, in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, Feb. 10.2021. Erdogan on Wednesday ruled out discussing a federal system to reunify Cyprus, insisting that a two-state accord is the only solution for the ethnically-split island. “There no longer is a way out for Cyprus other than the two-state solution,” Erdogan said in reference to a peace deal that would be negotiated between two equal sovereign states. The island has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup aiming to unify the island with Greece. Greek Cypriots strongly reject any deal that would legitimize the east Mediterranean island nation’s ethnic partition.

A man wears a face mask on his bicycle in central capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. Cyprus' health minister Constantinos Ioannou said that the first to re-open as of Feb. 1st will be hair and beauty salons followed a week later by retail stores, shopping malls and elementary schools. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)NICOSIA – A steady decrease in new coronavirus infections three weeks into Cyprus' nationwide lockdown is allowing for the start of the gradual, targeted lifting of closures and restrictions, the country's health minister said Wednesday. Ioannou said Cyprus is second among all European Union member states in the number of rapid and PCR testing relative to its population. Cyprus on Tuesday announced 109 new COVID-19 cases from nearly 11,000 tests, a far cry from 907 cases it reported a month ago.

But it was also a public chance for them to urge Europe's 450 million people to get the shots amid continued vaccine and virus skepticism. The Los Olmos home suffered two confirmed COVID-19 deaths and another 11 deaths among residents with symptoms who were never tested. After he got his shot, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared Sunday “a great day for science and the European Union." Germany’s BioNTech has said it’s confident that its vaccine works against the new U.K. variant, but added that further studies are needed. The European Medicines Agency on Jan. 6 will consider approving another vaccine made by Moderna, which is already being used in the United States.

The newly elected Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar talks to his supporters after winning the Turkish Cypriots election in the Turkish occupied area in the north part of the divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. Ersin Tatar, a hardliner who favors even closer ties with Turkey and a tougher stance with rival Greek Cypriots in peace talks has defeated the leftist incumbent in the Turkish Cypriot leadership runoff. Only Turkey recognizes a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in the north that is economically and militarily dependent on Ankara. The island’s internationally recognized government has its seat in the Greek Cypriot south and is part of the 27-nation European Union. Turkish Cypriot broadcaster BRT says with 100% of the votes counted, Tatar secured 51.74% of the vote compared to 48.26% for Akinci.

FILE - In this Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020 file photo, Turkey's research vessel, Oruc Reis anchored off the coast of Antalya on the Mediterranean, Turkey. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici, File)BERLIN – Germany's foreign minister on Tuesday criticized Turkey for “unilateral steps" in the eastern Mediterranean that are undercutting efforts to de-escalate tensions with Greece and Cyprus over sea boundaries and drilling rights. Ankara's redeployment of the Oruc Reis survey vessel for new energy exploration around Kastellorizo has reignited tensions over sea boundaries between Greek islands, Cyprus and Turkey’s southern coast. “We have every interest in engaging with Turkey in a constructive dialogue.”The Oruc Reis left the port of Antalya on Monday for a mission expected to end Oct. 22. Another Turkish survey ship is currently operating in waters where Cyprus claims exclusive economic rights.

The Turkish search vessel, Oruc Reis, left the port of Antalya on Monday for a mission ending Oct. 22. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the vessel was continuing with its “planned and scheduled activities,” adding that the Turkish navy would provide “support and protection” if necessary. The common denominator is Turkey,” Dendias said — referring to regional hot spots in which Ankara has a military presence or active diplomatic involvement. A ministry statement accused Greece of declaring military exercises in the Aegean Sea to coincide with Turkey’s Oct. 29 national day celebrations. ___Suzan Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.

FILE - In this July 10, 2019, file photo, Laila Ali arrives at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles. Ali will host the Womens Sports Foundation awards show featuring Candace Parker, Tom Brady and Carli Lloyd. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK – Laila Ali will host the Women’s Sports Foundation awards show featuring Candace Parker, Tom Brady and Carli Lloyd. In 1974, King created the Women’s Sports Foundation, which provides sports programming and grants for young athletes. The Czech team says 16 others have to be re-tested after the results of their tests were inconclusive.

A general view of the round table meeting at an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. European Union leaders are meeting to address a series of foreign affairs issues ranging from Belarus to Turkey and tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. “We have to decided today to implement the sanctions," European Council President Charles Michel told reporters after chairing the summit in Brussels. It is also unusual in that all 27 EU member countries, including Cyprus, reject the result of the Aug. 9 election that returned Lukashenko to power for a sixth term. “When a European Union member state is attacked, threatened, when its territorial waters are not respected, it’s the duty of Europeans to show their solidarity,” Macron said.

(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)TRIPOLI – Mohammed Sufian did not dream of much: a job, food on the table, the chance to buy his 2½-year-old son the little things a toddler wants. European Union member Cyprus and Lebanon have an agreement to prevent migrants from reaching the island nation. When he woke up, Sufian found that his relatives had given the boy three bottles of sea water. “My son died later because of lack of food and water,” Sufian said. Six are still missing, among them Mohammed Mohammed, 27, who left Lebanon to help his parents and seven sisters.

Ankara is currently facing off against Greece and Cyprus over oil and gas exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Greece and Turkey have deployed naval and air forces to assert their competing claims in the region. The Turkish leadership is unleashing, on a near daily basis, threats of war and makes provocative statements against Greece, Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said. We are in contact with friendly countries in order to reinforce the equipment of our armed forces, Petsas said. Last Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Greece to enter talks over disputed eastern Mediterranean territorial claims or face the consequences.

Turkey will take what is its right in the Mediterranean, in the Aegean and in the Black Sea, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. In Athens, meanwhile, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece is planning to exercise its legal right to extend its territorial waters along its western coastline from six to 12 nautical miles. After talks with Maas, the foreign ministers of both Greece and Turkey signaled readiness for dialogue but blamed each other for the standoff. The Turkish vessel Oruc Reis has for weeks been carrying out seismic research escorted by Turkish warships. Turkey is also prospecting for hydrocarbons in waters where Cyprus claims exclusive economic rights.

In this photo provided by the Greek National Defence, a French Tonnerre helicopter carrier, rear left is escorted by Greek and French military vessels during a maritime exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. Greece claims part of the area is over its own continental shelf and has demanded that the Turkish ships withdraw. The path for a solution in the eastern Mediterranean is dialogue and negotiation, Erdogan said during an address to his ruling party's officials. In a televised statement Wednesday, Mitsotakis warned of the risk of an accident in the area where the Greek and Turkish warships are gathered. On Thursday, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias traveled to Israel for talks on the matter.

But Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said that depends on whether U.K. coronavirus infection rates stay at the current low ebb. The U.K. is Cyprus prime tourism market. U.K. citizens made up a third of Cyprus 4 million tourist arrivals last year. Deputy Tourism Minister Savvas Perdios said setting a date for opening up Cyprus to U.K. holidaymakers was important for tour operators, airlines and other tourism-oriented businesses to start planning ahead. A 14-day quarantine period remains in effect for all travelers from Russia another key tourism market for Cyprus.