A BIG fuss has been kicked up over the government’s drive to combat tax evasion, which would also involve the partial lifting of banking confidentiality. Opposition politicians as well as bankers have questioned the wisdom of the move which, they argue, could have the opposite of the desired effect of raising extra funds for state coffers.
A BAR in Protaras has entered the Guinness Book of Records after completing 30 hours of non-stop karaoke. As the clock struck 4.23pm on Monday, Ayia Napa DJ Crazy Dave announced a new world record for the longest ever karaoke, beating the previous title holders from Limassol, who managed 28 hours of karaoke.
LOCAL pasta prices are set to rise by 12 per cent as manufacturers cover the increased cost of wheat flour. Cereal manufactures are reacting to a 17 per cent rise in the international cost of wheat, as approximately 90 per cent of wheat consumed in Cyprus is imported.
AN ELDERLY man was killed and three people were seriously injured in a car accident at Frenaros in the Larnaca district yesterday afternoon. According to the Larnaca Press Agency, a car driven by a 19-year-old man, Yiannakis Angelis, collided with a car driven by 79-year-old Nikis Zeniou after attempting a u-turn at Makarios Avenue in Frenaros.
TURKISH Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash said yesterday that Turkey had every right to interfere in campaigning for Sunday’s general elections in the occupied north.
FINANCE MINISTER, Marcos Kyprianou, warned yesterday many areas within the civil service needed modernising within the framework of EU accession.
U.S. STATE Department special co-ordinator for Cyprus Thomas Weston arrives on the island next week for talks with both sides on the resumption of negotiations. The visit will come immediately after Sunday’s Turkish Cypriot elections, regarded as a make or break development for the Cyprus issue.
THE Telecommunications Authority (CyTA) yesterday suspended the operation of its new Multimedia messaging Service (mms) following problems due to heavy usage. The service, only introduced a week ago, was on a trial basis, providing mobile phone owners with the capability to send photos, text, sounds, colours and images to other mobiles for free.
EMPLOYEES in private companies are being reminded that they are entitled to a whole new range of rights relating to leave under EU law. Under new labour laws ushered in on January 1, 2003 as part of EU harmonisation, employees from the public and private sector have secured a whole range of rights relating to holiday, parental and emergency leave.
THE Finance Minister yesterday denied rumours claiming there would be a change in the car taxing system after May 1, 2004, when the island officially joins the European Union. Speaking before the House Commerce and industry Committee, Marcos Kyprianou stressed that the first phase of car tax reform would last for at least two years before the state studied the matter anew.
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.
