WE MAY have thought that the dogmatism, irrationality and intolerance that had blighted Cyprus politics belonged to the past, but events in the last few days would seem to suggest otherwise. The knee-jerk reactions provoked by the release of a study looking at the cost and consequences for the economy of implementing the Annan plan defied belief.
PHILELEFTHEROS: “Higher prices for soda and water” Minister of Commerce George Lillikas said the government was considering measures against profiteering that would make it illegal to sell soft drinks and water produced and packaged in Cyprus at more than a specified price, adding the problem was particularly acute in tourist areas during the summer months.
ALVIN AILEY is more than just a dance group, it’s a part of American history while both documenting and celebrating it at the same time. Everybody in and around this company knows this and it shows. They brim with pride as they walk through the hotel foyer, everyone smiles at each other and smiles harder when they talk about what they do.
CONSIDERING how rare onshore performances by internationally renowned dance companies are on this island, writing a bad review comes as quite a difficult task. The company’s opening night was nothing short of a disaster and a disappointment. On coming out here, the crew had not factored for the nocturnal humidity and the material on the dance floor became too slippery to perform on.
THE CRITICALLY acclaimed Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre Group cut short its opening performance on Sunday night due to the humid weather conditions in Nicosia. The much anticipated dance group gave a colourful performance, but struggled to dance amidst the overwhelming humidity and were unable to complete the show when the stage floor became wet and hazardous to the dancers.
`WEDNESDAY’S military parade to commemorate Cyprus’ independence is not designed to cause tension, nor is it a show of strength, Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said yesterday. “The objective of the military parade is to commemorate our independence day and the 43 years of the Republic of Cyprus.
A MAN FROM Vrysoulles was fined 3 million Turkish lira (just over £1) by a court in the north yesterday, but warned that any repeat offence would earn him a fine of five billion lira. Chrysostomos Philippou, 47, was arrested on Friday with another man from the same village after a number of shotgun cartridges were found in their vehicle when they crossed to the north.
FURTHER information on embezzlement in Church finances emerged yesterday, as a committee of inquiry presented the Holy Synod with an update on its findings. After the meeting, Paphos Bishop Chrysostomos told journalists “things were moving along nicely”, adding that the Archbishopric had already collected around £3 million out of £23 million owed to it.
CROWD violence marred a football game in Limassol on Sunday, with 16 policemen and one fan sustaining injuries amid a barrage of stones outside the Tsirio stadium. Although the trouble had been largely anticipated — fans of the Apoel and Apollon clubs have a long-running history of mutual dislike — police were unable to prevent the disturbances after the final whistle.
THE GREEK Cypriot side has convincing arguments to push for the changes it wants to the Annan plan, President Tassos Papadopoulos said yesterday. Speaking at Larnaca Airport on his return from New York, where he attended the UN General Assembly, Papadopoulos said that international mediators were also increasingly recognising the need for changes.
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.
