Cyprus-U.S. ties: President Nikos Christodoulides met new U.S. ambassador John Breslow, with security, energy, trade and the Visa Waiver Program on the agenda, and a planned visit to the U.S.-funded “Andreas Papandreou” Air Base expansion in Paphos. Corporate/M&A: OCI says it has published its position statement and convened an Extraordinary General Meeting for 30 October to discuss NNS’s offer for all OCI shares, plus a proposed strategic combination with Orascom Construction and an OCIN sale. Governance/anti-corruption: Cyprus’ Independent Authority Against Corruption expands the “black van” probe to cover the Assistant Attorney General, disputing the Attorney General’s earlier framing and raising questions over the scope of prior investigations. Energy: MPs toured the stalled Vasiliko LNG import project and demanded a clear completion timetable as Defa/ETyfa granted another month for binding offers on remaining works. Labour/consumer impact: A 24-hour strike by hourly-paid workers is set to leave Cyprus beaches without lifeguards, while the finance ministry warns the pay demands could cost €50m over three years. Shipping/community: The Cyprus Shipping Chamber’s charity beach volleyball event raised over €300,000 for One Dream, One Wish. Jobs: Eurostat data show Cyprus’ job vacancy rate fell the most among EU states (-0.7 pp) in Q2 2026. Capital markets: The CSE will remove the special “S” marking from Meditrina Cyprus shares after the company’s 2025 annual report. Crime: Cyprus police report a major ketamine seizure in Limassol—390kg, about 790,000 doses—with four detained.