The President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides,met for the first time with Tufan Erhürman, since Erhürman was elected the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community. The meeting took place at the residence of the UN Special Representative in the buffer zone in the capital, Nicosia, the Cyprus News Agency reported. The two leaders agreed to work toward organizing a new expanded-format meeting on the Cyprus issue, which will be convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, according to the official statement.

“It is positive that we are entering a process that leads toward the main goal, namely the resumption of talks on the Cyprus issue from where they left off in Crans-Montana in 2017, Christodoulides told the media after the meeting. 

Greek tax authorities have launched inspections of over 18,000 Greek companies registered in Bulgaria. At the start of the financial crisis, many Greek businesses relocated their operations to Bulgaria due to more favorable tax conditions. Some Greek companies have been found to be fictitious, with no operations, employees, or offices in Bulgaria, existing only to transfer funds under lower tax rates. Audits of individuals and companies are being conducted jointly in cooperation with Bulgarian authorities.

It has been found that many of the Greek companies only have a Bulgarian bank account, reports BNR’s correspondent in Greece Katya Peeva. In cases where fictitious companies are identified, the businesses and individuals will be taxed in Greece as well. Greek companies registered in Romania and Cyprus are also under investigation. 

Skopje residents were banned from taking out their garbage at night

The Skopje City Council has banned the disposal of household waste in containers between 22:00 and 06:00. Citizens face a EUR 50 fine, while companies risk fines from EUR 1,300 to EUR 1,800, announced Sitel TV. City Council President Dame Dimitrovski defended the decision, saying similar practices exist in major global cities. The media showed how the newly elected Skopje mayor, Orce Gjorgjievski, and Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski went on a nighttime inspection in the city center to check how the cleaning is done. The problem of garbage collection was deliberately turned into a major issue during the local election campaign, the Macedonian edition of DW.com recalls.

Pope Leo XIV to visit Turkiye on the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea

Pope Leo XIV will make an official visit to Turkiye from November 27 to 30. It’s his first apostolic trip abroad since being elected in May 2025. The trip commemorates the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, in what is now İznik. During the visit, Pope Leo XIV will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, visit the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul, and tour the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (The Blue Mosque). He will also meet Christian community leaders in Turkiye. In İznik, Pope Leo XIV will be joined by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.