ATTORNEY-general Alecos Markides yesterday proposed an independent probe into Turkish Cypriot press reports that a group of gypsies who crossed from the north into the government-held areas earlier this week was abused by Cyprus police before being dumped back near the buffer zone.
The UN is also looking into the disturbing reports.
DEFENCE Minister Socratis Hasikos announced yesterday that the neighbouring National Guard and British radars on Troodos no longer interfered with one another’s operation.
But the British Bases said yesterday they were still examining the situation.
THE TURKISH economic crisis is having a crippling effect on businesses in the occupied areas of Cyprus.
With the Turkish Lira in freefall, one Turkish Cypriot professional yesterday told the Cyprus Mail that foreign exchange offices in the north had been forced temporarily to close, which means any tourists arriving there would struggle to buy local currency.
THE HOUSE yesterday decided by majority vote not to change the date of the May general elections.
The issue was settled during a meeting held in the morning between party leaders and representatives.
The parties decided that the elections would be held as scheduled on May 27, despite strong disagreement from ruling DISY.
HELIOS Airways has been given temporary permission to carry out flights between Larnaca and Sofia in order to bring back Cypriots stranded in Bulgaria for over a week after the country’s national airline went into liquidation.
AN IRANIAN family with two young children was deported on Wednesday without even being allowed to return to their home to collect personal effects, according to yesterday’s Politis.
CYPRUS has banned all imports of British meat and by-products following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in England.
The Agriculture Ministry confirmed yesterday that the suspension affected livestock, meat and a range of animal products, including cheeses, but not canned goods.
THE HEALTH Ministry yesterday hit back at claims that it was responsible for the delays in commissioning tests on emissions at the Nemitsas foundry outside Limassol.
The Ministry said it had nothing to hide, and that it could accept criticism from anyone who cared to make it because it had nothing to fear from it.
A MASS rally to demand the release of Greek Cypriot contractor Panikos Tsiakourmas — abducted by the occupation regime on December 13 — is to be held in Nicosia’s Eleftheria Square this afternoon.
THE ORGANISATION responsible for recruiting new teachers has confirmed that hundreds of extra staff have been appointed in preparation for the introduction of children with special needs into mainstream schools this September.
Last year, a total of 170 were taken on, but only 29 have been appointed so far this year.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
