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Cyprus Reconsiders EU Green Taxes to Prevent Consumer Impact

The Cypriot government is navigating complex tax scenarios amid new EU green regulations that pose potential increases in consumer costs. Responding to these concerns, President Nikos Christodoulides highlighted the strategic necessity to stall or minimize new carbon taxes to prevent significant financial pressure on residents through heightened water and fuel tariffs.

These proposed measures fall under the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), aimed at accelerating Europe’s green transition. During a recent interview with Omega TV, President Christodoulides assured that Cyprus is working closely with EU officials to mitigate these impacts, even if it means sacrificing some financial assistance from the initiative.

Efforts to balance environmental commitments with fiscal responsibilities reflect a broader dedication to sustainable development.

A New Twitter-Inspired Social Network Is Taking Shape

A new social network called Twitter.now is entering the market, with a founding team that includes former Twitter trademark counsel Stephen Coates. The service is being developed by startup Operation Bluebird.

As Ars Technica reported, X sued the company last year and asked a Delaware judge to block the launch. Operation Bluebird argued in a petition that X had abandoned trademarks including “Twitter” and “Tweet.”

Coates has said the project is not an attempt to recreate the original Twitter. In a LinkedIn post, he described the platform as a new public space focused on trust, transparency and user choice.

AI System To Rate Posts

Twitter.now is currently being tested, with early access priced at $20. Its main feature is VERA, an AI system designed to evaluate posts, verify claims and provide sources and context.

Posts receive a trust score, with users eventually able to set a minimum score to filter their feeds. The company says this approach will give people more control over what they see instead of leaving those decisions entirely to an algorithm.

Moderation Remains A Challenge

Scaling moderation will be one of the platform’s biggest tests. Social networks have repeatedly struggled with content moderation as their communities grow, and newer platforms such as Bluesky have faced similar criticism.

Operation Bluebird says VERA will form the basis of its moderation and verification system. A second version is already planned, with expanded tools that would let users set a specific trust threshold for the posts appearing in their feeds.

For now, Twitter.now remains in an early testing phase, combining the familiarity of the Twitter name with an AI-driven approach to evaluating online information.

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