Cyprus plans to reopen its airports to visitors from all countries on March 1, Deputy Tourism Minister Savvas Perdios told CyBC state television on Wednesday.

“This means that passengers will be able to visit Cyprus without quarantine restrictions, unless they test positive for COVID-19 on arrival,” Perdios said.

Cyprus announced earlier in January that they will lift their travel ban on 56 countries, including:

• EU member states
• European Economic Area States (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Lichtenstein)
• Third countries featured on the EU Council Recommendation document (EU 2020/912 of 30 June 2020, on the temporary restriction on non-essential travel into the EU and the possible lifting of such restriction)
• The United Kingdom, Russia, Israel, Ukraine, Belarus, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Perdios said that each of these countries will be designated colours according to their coronavirus pandemic situation.

Passengers arriving from green category countries will not have to take a Covid-19 test, while those flying in from orange category countries will be obliged to present a negative test certificate before boarding a plane. Passengers arriving from red category countries will have to be tested both before boarding and after arrival.

Perdios preffered not to cite an estimate for tourist arrivals this year, saying only that currently all countries are facing a second or third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It would be difficult for people to travel either now or even in February and March,” he said.

Cyprus’ air connections are currently restricted to only a few countries, mainly Greece, Britain, Russia, Lebanon, Egypt and Gulf states.

The Australian government has welcomed the Biden administration’s initial stance on China, with US Ambassador Arthur Sinodinos saying it was on track to be “consistent with where we’ve been”.

Mr Sinodinos, who was one of a select crowd of dignitaries invited to Joe Biden’s scaled-back inauguration ceremony at the Capitol, also praised the “pitch perfect” swearing-in.

Mr Biden has pledged to spend his first days unwinding some of Donald Trump’s key policies.

Concerns this may have included the US stepping back its pressure on China were allayed when Mr Biden’s nominee for Secretary of State, Tony Blinken, said on Tuesday he supported Mr Trump’s muscular posture.

“As we look at China, there is no doubt that it poses the most significant challenge of any nation state to the United States,” Mr Blinken said in his Senate confirmation hearing.

“We have to start by approaching China from a position of strength, not weakness.”

Mr Sinodinos welcomed this statement and said it accorded with Australia’s leading role in taking on China over the past year.

Mr Sinodinos said he expected the Biden administration to be “quite strategic” and to continue to support Australia.

*Sourced by The Daily Telegraph, Photos: Twitter/Arthur Synodinos AO

White House press secretary Jen Psaki has delivered the first news briefing of Joe Biden’s presidency, a once standard part of past administrations that was largely sidelined during the Trump era.

Psaki said Wednesday that she will bring truth and transparency to the White House briefing room, a clear reference to her predecessors under President Donald Trump.

The Trump administration took an openly combative tone with the news media.

Sean Spicer, who was Trump’s first press secretary, set the tenor four years ago by claiming that the audience at Trump’s inauguration was the largest in history, despite photographic evidence to the contrary.

In her inaugural briefing as White House press secretary, Jen Psaki said she has a “deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy,” and pledged to hold daily briefings.

Why it matters: Conferences with the press secretary in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room became almost non-existent under the Trump administration. By sending Psaki to the podium hours after President Biden took the oath of office, the White House signaled a return to pre-Trump norms.

The big picture: After establishing her commitment to daily appearances, the briefing reestablished a familiar pattern of questions, answers and some dodges, with reporters looking for information — as well as color — about Biden’s first hours in the Oval Office. 

• Psaki took her first question from Zeke Miller of the Associated Press, giving deference to the storied wire service, before turning to NBC’s Peter Alexander.
• Reporters asked a mix of routine questions about the president’s calls with foreign leaders and upcoming travel, while also pressing her on Biden’s immediate agenda and legislative strategy. Other reporters wanted details on the contents of the note outgoing President Trump left for Biden.
• Psaki called Trump’s letter to Biden “both generous and gracious.”
• Biden’s first foreign leader phone call will be on Friday with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The bottom line: Psaki answered some questions and parried others, while trying to establish a rapport with the room and reconnect with some reporters she has long known.

• “Let’s do this again tomorrow,” she said.

READ MORE: The Greek designer behind Amanda Gorman’s symbolic hoop earrings

At just 22, the nation’s first Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman delivered one of the most poignant and profound moments at Wednesday’s inauguration of President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. 

With poise and grace, she read her poem “The Hill We Climb” wearing a bright yellow Prada blazer and a symbolic gift from Oprah Winfrey: statement gold and diamond hoop earrings by Nikos Koulis.

On this historic day, Winfrey, who has been one of Gorman’s most vocal supporters, gave the young poet the bold earrings and a birdcage ring, which recalls Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” poem.

Making this a tradition, Oprah gave Angelou a gift before she delivered her reading at Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration.

Gorman’s words and story touched a nation and were felt as far away as Athens, Greece where designer Nikos Koulis watched the inauguration with friends and family in his hometown.

“Amanda Gorman’s speech was filled with energy,” Koulis said in an interview with Town and country. 

Oprah’s earrings will no doubt be a memorable gift, but in addition to its sentimental meaning, the bold gold hoops also reflected Gorman’s youthful spirit. There’s something liberating about big hoops, a style that been a symbol of power across cultures and throughout history, and worn by women in every generation.

For Koulis, one of the jewelry industry’s favorite designers for both his talent and kindheartedness, it’s an historic moment.

“I am in awe that as an independent designer from Greece, my work is somehow present in this highly symbolic and majestic occasion,” he said.

Who is Nikos Koulis?

Nikos Koulis is a Greek designer with worldwide recognition and success. Coming from an established family business in jewelry, he studied Gemology and Glyptography in the Gemological Institute of America and created his own brand, Nikos Koulis Jewels, in 2006, showcasing his elaborate technique along with his deep knowledge in the quality jewelry making.

His atelier is in Athens and has two boutiques in Athens and Mykonos.

Koulis received the GEM Award 2020 in Jewelry Design, one of the most prestigious awards in the international Jewelry Industry.

Among others, his loyal fans include H.R.H. Queen Rania of Jordan, Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lopez, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jane Fonda, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Alicia Vikander, Salma Hayek, Jennifer Lawrence, Saoirse Ronan, Chrissy Teigen, Emilia Clarke and Rihanna.

Daniel Bennett Smith, a former Ambassador to Greece from 2010 to 2013, has been appointed as Acting US Secretary of State.

Smith, 64, was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve in this position until nominee Antony Blinken is confirmed by the Senate.

The announcement comes a day after the confirmation hearing of Blinken, 58, a veteran foreign policy hand and close Biden confidant. There has been no indication that Blinken would face difficulty being confirmed.

Smith was appointed director of the Foreign Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, in 2018 and holds the State Department’s highest diplomatic rank of Career Ambassador.

Blinken says Turkey not acting like an ally

On Tuesday, Blinken accused NATO member Turkey of not acting like an ally and said Washington would review if further sanctions are required on Ankara over its acquisition of a Russian air defense system.

Last month, Washington imposed long-anticipated sanctions on Turkey’s defense industry over its acquisition of S-400 missile defense systems from Moscow, in a move Turkey called a “grave mistake.”

“The idea that a strategic – so-called strategic – partner of ours would actually be in line with one of our biggest strategic competitors in Russia is not acceptable,” Antony Blinken, Biden’s choice for chief U.S. diplomat, told lawmakers.

*With information from Reuters/Kathimerini