Hello listeners, welcome back to Wide Angle, CNR’s new weekly update of what’s happening in current affairs and culture in Cyprus. Our report covers the week ending on Sunday, January 30th, 2022.
Our top story this week covers the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The EU upped the stakes with 1.2 billion Euros in aid to Kiev. That’s on top of 17 billion Euros already invested in the country’s infrastructure. It seems that the Western allies are running out of patience with Russian Premier Vladimir Putin after NATO sent 8,500 troops to Eastern Europe and the UK and US pulled their embassy staff out of the Ukrainian capital.
Cyprus could be affected by the situation, as it is a close ally of all sides, including Russia’s, and the government may be faced with some difficult decisions if war breaks out.
On the economic front, Europe’s business activity slowed to an 11-month low in January as the Omicron virus impacted the services sector, according to a leading report by IHS Markit. Renewed COVID-19 restrictions dragged on the services sector. But overall, the Eurozone’s economy is still growing slightly, especially in the manufacturing sector where growth picked up to a five-month high as supply-side shortages eased.
Next up is health news. We asked How Dangerous is Omicron and the World Health Organisation answered. In the face of reports that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is lighter than previous mutations, WHO warns that it is still a dangerous disease. Dr van Kerkhove said that the more the disease circulates, the more chance there is that it will mutate further with potentially more dangerous variants. Meanwhile in Cyprus, there were eight deaths on January 26th and the number of new infections is still over 2500 per day. In the third year of the pandemic, we still face the same tough choices, so stay safe, listeners.
Moving onto the arts and culture, a new online platform offers support for emerging and established artists in Cyprus.
CyprusArtists.space is on a mission to support, promote and raise awareness for artists on the island. It is a membership site that provides a platform connecting Cyprus artists and art lovers in a creative community. You can check it out on www.cyprusartists.space.
On Saturday, February 5th, there’s live jazz music coming up at Sarah’s Jazz Club in Nicosia. The Sarah Fenwick Quartet plays a tribute to the sounds of New York jazz. The band’s repertoire includes songs like Manhattan and Autumn Leaves, so expect a night of jazz therapy that will relax and inspire you.
To reserve your places, call 95147711.
Wide Angle is brought to you by CyprusNewsReport.com. Tune in next Sunday for the week’s top stories in current affairs and culture and have a great week!
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