A 71-YEAR-OLD Nicosia man is being held in police custody in connection with the alleged rape of his 31-year-old Chinese maid, police said. According to a police bulletin, the Chinese woman was rushed to hospital at noon yesterday where she had her stomach pumped after swallowing a large number of pills. Her doctors noticed she had bruising on her hands.
CHAIRMAN OF the House Labour Committee Sotiroulla Charalambous yesterday urged the Labour Ministry to do more to inform pregnant women of their rights within the workplace. “It’s clear that pregnant women need more information about their rights,” she said.
ALL COMPLAINTS aside, deep down Cypriots believe life is treating them well. In recent Eurobarometer public opinion survey conducted on behalf of the European Commission, Cypriots declared themselves happier with their lives compared to most other citizens of the European Union. When asked about their future, Cypriots rank third in optimism.
A CYPRIOT ambassador serving in a European capital is being investigated after a housekeeper working in his home accused him of misappropriating funds. The woman claims the ambassador asked her to sign a receipt for more money than her actual salary. She alleges the practice took place for six months, during which time she was threatened with deportation if she told anyone.
GREEK AND Turkish Cypriot models will join forces on the catwalk next week in a bi-communal fashion show – the first to be held on the island since 1974. The Summer Fashion Show will be held in occupied Nicosia on Monday and will feature models from Greek Cypriot Model Agency, Regina, and the Turkish Cypriot Gunkut Model Agency, the largest in the north.
A 36-YEAR-OLD man from Ormidia in Larnaca was yesterday arrested in connection with the possession and trafficking of two kilos of cannabis, police said. According to a police bulletin, members of the Larnaca Drug Squad placed an area under surveillance after a tip-off that drugs were being exchanged there.
THE POLICE yesterday announced the launch of an island-wide one-month campaign to crack down on drunk driving. According to a police bulletin, drivers should expect regular Alco-tests by officers during August, since there is a higher risk of traffic accidents during the summer holidays and increased traffic during night hours.
THE ISLAND’S first prisoner complaint boxes were unveiled at the Central Prisons yesterday, during a visit by Members of the Cyprus National Institution for the Protection of Human Rights.
OVER £2 million worth of invalid cheques have been issued since the Central Information Database of Issuers of Bounced Cheques (CIDIBC) went into operation in February, it was revealed yesterday. The CIDIBC’s managing committee said yesterday 4,473 bounced cheques worth £2,575,825 have been issued leading to the blacklisting of 1,743 people and 385 companies.
DISTORTING the message is nothing new. Politicians and their communications directors – now universally known as spin doctors – have been bending the truth for years. Occasionally, someone gets caught out, there’s a media flap for a week or two, maybe a senior official takes the rap, perhaps someone is forced to resign … but the show goes on. So does the manipulation.
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.
