A 21-year-old British tourist drowned yesterday after he and three friends were tossed from a hired pedalo in choppy seas off Ayia Napa’s popular Nissi Beach.

BANK of Cyprus exceeded expectations yesterday with a 12.1 per cent rise in first half after tax profits, confirming it had fared better than its peer Laiki in a stock market downturn.

POLICE said yesterday they had played a key role in foiling the transport of five tonnes of cocaine from Colombia to Spain, considered one of the biggest international successes in the war against drugs.

U.N. SPECIAL Envoy to Cyprus Alvaro de Soto met President Glafcos Clerides yesterday morning for the second time since flying in to the island on Wednesday.

PARTIES have already started to jostle for position ahead of the upcoming municipal elections in December, with an emerging opposition alliance between AKEL, DIKO and KISOS looking to squeeze governing DISY out of the running.

AKEL and DIKO have unofficially proposed to back KISOS heavyweight Takis Hadjidemetriou as candidate for Nicosia Mayor.

SECONDARY school inspectors yesterday announced they would not submit all evaluation reports to teachers concerning the last academic year in protest at an Education Ministry plan, which they think undermines them.

TURKISH occupation forces yesterday flexed their muscles in a military parade to mark Turkish army day.

CHARALAMBIDES supermarket has discovered that the large puddle that had accumulated over the last month on the road leading to its store in Engomi was caused by a leak in a water pipe, not overflow from its air-conditioning system as initially believed.

A NICOSIA woman was allegedly short-changed to the tune of £24,975 by a Larnaca scratch-card seller after she thought a £25,000 wining ticket was worth only £25.

POLICE yesterday arrested a 26-year-old man in connection with a £170,000 raid on the Protaras branch of the Arab Bank on August 7.