Pray for rain

The Orthodox Church of Cyprus has ordered priests to pray for rain to end one of the island's worst droughts.

Archbishop Chrysostomos II, the church head, urged priests to pray together on 2 December for rainfall to end a drought that had "blighted" the land.

The archbishop said Cypriots were "justifiably anxious" over the threat to water supplies and agriculture.

Lower-than-average rainfall over the last year has drained the reservoirs on which Cyprus relies heavily for water.

Cyprus' largest dam is expected to run dry if there is no heavy rainfall within the next month, Reuters news agency reports.