The worst forest fire to hit Cyprus in decades is close to being brought under control, authorities said.
It broke out Saturday afternoon and, fanned by strong winds, swept through the southern foothills of the Troodos mountain range.
“Everything was a nightmare and pure hell here. The village was surrounded by fire,” said Akis Giorgiou, 45, from the hamlet of Arakapas.
By late Sunday afternoon, the government in Nicosia reported a “reduction of outbreaks” thanks to “effective water drops by Greek and Israeli aircraft”.
The blaze killed four Egyptian labourers, destroyed 50 homes, damaged farms and power lines, and forced the evacuation of 10 villages.
The Egyptian government said the four dead were farm workers. Nicosia vowed in a tweet to “stand by the victims’ families ... offering every support”.
“It is a tragedy,” President Nicos Anastasiades said on Twitter. He described the blaze as “the largest fire since 1974”, the year when the island was divided after Turkey occupied its northern third.
More than 50 square kilometres of forest and farmland had been destroyed.
Thick gnarled trunks of ancient olive trees, emblematic of the holiday island, were reduced to smouldering stumps.
Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said the Egyptians were found outside the village of Odos in Larnaca.
Their burnt-out vehicle was found at the bottom of a ravine and the four bodies about 600 metres away.
A policeman at the scene told AFP they appeared to have fled the vehicle on foot but have run in the direction of the wind-fanned flames.
In areas where the fire had been tamed, grey ash replaced yellowed scrub as far as the eye could see in non-forested areas.
A 67-year-old farmer was arrested and remanded in custody on suspicion of causing the blaze.
Police said a witness had seen him leaving the village of Arakapas in his car at the time the fire started there.
The farmer could face charges of recklessly causing the four deaths.
Mr Anastasiades visited a crisis management centre in the village of Vavatsinia, a few kilometres east of the blaze, on Sunday morning, the CNA news agency reported.
The Greek Cypriot leader said the blaze appeared to have largely been contained but could resurge.
Firefighters were seen along the road leading to Vavatsinia and several helicopters hovered above the fire as thick grey smoke obscured the sky.
An AFP correspondent in Ora village reported seeing several burnt-out homes.
Janez Lenarcic, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, said on Saturday that the EU’s “aerial firefighting capacity” had been mobilised, with Italy and Greece sending planes to help.
Israel deployed a C-130 Hercules and two “Air Tractor” firefighting planes.
Britain, which has military bases on Cyprus, sent two search and rescue helicopters.
A government spokeswoman said later that the situation was close to being brought under control.
“The fire and forestry services inspected the affected communities and now consider them safe,” spokeswoman Niovi Parisinou said.
“The effort continues as complacency is not allowed until the final extinguishing of all fires.”
Electricity supplies were being gradually restored, she said.
“Instructions have already been given for people to return where homes are deemed safe.”
Teams would be sent immediately to evaluate and register damaged homes and property for compensation, she said.
Cyprus has experienced extended heatwaves and periods of drought in recent years.
In the past few days, the temperature has topped 40°C inland and there has been very little rain since mid-April.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday
AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)
Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)
Benevento v Parma (5pm)
Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)
Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)
Lazio v Spezia (5pm)
Napoli v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)
Torino v Juventus (8pm)
Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
