THE GOVERNMENT was tight-lipped yesterday amid a frenzy of media reports that British drug lords were planning to assassinate Justice Minister Nicos Koshis.

INTERIOR Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou said yesterday he might resign, saying he ought to spend more time with his family.

NICOS Mastorakis, the Athens-based chairman of the Miss Universe Host Committee, was sacked yesterday amidst accusations of scandal made by the Social Democratic Party.

THE Church has set up a special committee to look into the possible satanic implications of new ‘smart’ ID cards to be introduced by the government in June.

A SPECIAL committee has been set at the Foreign Ministry to look into the status of the British bases in Cyprus’ EU accession.

Reports surfaced yesterday that the sovereign status of the bases would be incompatible with EU membership.

According to Phileleftheros, Brussels had raised the issue with Nicosia.

THE ELECTRICITY Authority (EAC) yesterday rushed to the defence of its pylons, insisting they had nothing to do with a child-cancer "hot-spot" in the Polemidia suburb of Limassol.

CONTROVERSY surrounding the trading system at the Cyprus Stock Exchange and its impact on new issues broke out yesterday after newcomer Kyknos opened below its one pound nominal price, the victim of the same technical hiccup that affected Aiantas on its debut last week.

POLICE investigating a massive shares scam have released their chief suspect, Larnaca club owner Antonis Fanieros, for lack of evidence against him.

But the fraud squad insist 55-year-old Fanieros – set free on Sunday – could still be charged once their investigations into a swindle to steal £143,000 from a Dherynia investor are completed.

POLICE were yesterday searching for a football hooligan who seriously injured a team physiotherapist with a flare at a top clash on Saturday.

The incident happened as the teams took to the field before the Apollonas-Anorthosis game in Limassol.

THIRTY-ONE people have been killed in road accidents since the beginning of the year, police said yesterday.

The number of deaths is up almost 35 per cent from 23 during the same period last year.