THE WOMAN in the car in front, about to turn right at the traffic lights is chatting on her mobile phone; the man behind, about to overtake, is also on the phone, his other hand, holding a cigarette, is airing, out of the window. Illegal, yes, but par for the course in a country where respect for the law has traditionally been a bit of a joke.
HEAT-waves are more harmful for children than adults, the Cyprus Pediatric Association warned yesterday. The warning comes as forecasters predict higher temperatures for the weekend. In a statement issued yesterday, the Association said children were more vulnerable to extreme heat, and advised parents to take some simple precautions to protect them from the hot sun.
PAPHOS is putting Cyprus on the European cultural map, says Paphos Mayor Phidias Sarikas. The Paphos Aphrodite Festival (PAF) is this September presenting Giacomo Puccini’s opera Tosca, performed by Arena di Verona, as part of their annual festivities, announced PAF president, Sarikas.
A LOCALLY produced extra virgin olive oil has beaten dozens of others to secure second place in an internationally acclaimed contest. Archontiko olive oil, produced by Novel Agro, won a prestigious Mario Solinas Quality Award, organised by the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), said company manager, Petros Maliotis.
POLICE booked 149 motorists on the first day of an island wide crack down on the use of mobile phones while driving, an announcement said yesterday. Sixty-six drivers were reported in Nicosia, 45 in Limassol, 24 in Larnaca, three in Famagusta and 11 in Paphos. The bookings are expected to fetch the state £7,450 at £50 per offender. The campaign will run throughout July.
BENJAMIN Wakhili has not had any water or food for two days.
THE OMBUDSWOMAN has asked the Defence Ministry to change the content of discharge papers after a homosexual was denied a driving licence based on a military assessment that he had psychological problems. Although homosexuals are – like all other men – obliged to do military service in Cyprus, they have been allowed to seek an exemption, though not on the grounds of their homosexuality.
AUTHORITIES were yesterday trying to determine the source of a fuel leak, which caused small-scale pollution on a Limassol beach. The state lab said the fuel, which was spotted on Sunday on the beach near the former Theodhosiou warehouse, was a mixture of leaded petrol and motor oil.
THE ELECTRICITY Authority (EAC) will abandon the controversial estimated billing system currently in use, EAC spokesman Costas Gavrielides said yesterday. The decision was made yesterday by the EAC’s Board of Directors, following Tuesday’s House Trade Committee meeting, where deputies criticised the authority for using a system which led to clients receiving huge estimated bills.
EMPLOYEES at the Apollonia hotel in Limassol started pre-emptive strike action last night, with more developments from other hotel employees expected today.
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.
