THERE IS no putting it off any longer — Christmas really is just a few days away, and any last-minute preparations and shopping need to be done ASAP or it will be too late. With this in mind, I decide to make a list this week of those last few presents I haven’t quite decided upon: something for my agent, my visiting cousin and my stepbrother.
CYPRUS Airways (CY) board member Achilleas Kyprianou has decided to take legal measures against former chairman Haris Loizides, accusing him of slander for blaming him in a scandal involving tender irregularities in the awarding of a multi-million euro advertising contract to a firm in Greece.
PRESIDENT Tassos Papadopoulos has asked UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan resume talks on the Cyprus issue a day after the UN Security Council urged the two sides to return to the negotiating table.
RARE TENSION crackled on Friday between veteran Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and his patron Turkey over how to tackle the division of Cyprus following last weekend’s inconclusive Turkish Cypriot election.
ALITHIA: “House plenum increases alcohol prices”. The price of alcohol has skyrocketed from £1.90 to £2.50 a litre, the paper reports. The decision was taken on Thursday at the House of Representatives, and prices of alcoholic drinks on the island are expected to rise according to their alcohol content.
A SECOND university is set to open in two years, based on a decision taken by the Plenum on Thursday. The founding and operation of the new Technological University of Cyprus (TEPAK) will consist of the Higher Technological Institute (ATI), the Higher Hotel Institute (AXIK), the Nursing School and the Dasikou College.
THE VENUE for the construction of the new Nicosia area (air traffic) control centre (ACC) will be decided before the end of the year, Communications Minister Kikis Kazamias said yesterday. The centre will be housing the new state-of-the-art air traffic management equipment known as LEFCO, which is due to arrive on the island in around two years.
THE WORLD’S most expensive fountain pen, known as ‘La Modernista Diamonds’, is now on display at a store, timepiece, in Nicosia. The fountain pen is made of rhodium-coated solid silver and set with precious stones and diamonds and is estimated at a value of ₤169,000.
AFTER months of speculation, former Attorney-general Alecos Markides yesterday announced the creation of a new political movement. The new party hopes to attract younger voters back to the ballot box and bring fresh ideas to the island’s political scene. “More and more citizens are disappointed by the level of our political life.
PAPHOS IS the most expensive district for shopping, while the cheapest supermarket is in Nicosia according to a research study conducted by the Pancyprian Consumers Association. The study was conducted between October 3 and November 26, 2003, with visits to 40 supermarkets islandwide. In Nicosia the cheapest supermarket is Athienitis and the most expensive is AlphaMega in Engomi.
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.
