Greek Press

ALITHIA: “Bush crashes with mountain bike”. The paper led on US President George Bush’s fall off his mountain bike at the weekend. The president was 16 miles into a 17-mile ride on his ranch when he hit some loose soil. In addition to a military aide and Secret Service agent, Bush was with his doctor, who treated him on the spot and pronounced him “fine”. Bush also grazed his face in 2002 when he fainted after chocking on a pretzel.

HARAVGHI: “Keravnos: no increase on VAT”. Finance Minister Makis Keravnos has assured that there will be no increase on VAT to cover the public deficit — “for the moment”. The Finance Ministry is expected to present its plan of action to harmonise the economy with the Maastricht criteria today, and Keravnos has assured that taxation is not a priority for the time-being.

SIMERINI: “Tragedy in France”. A technical inquiry is to be launched into the collapse of part of a terminal at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, which resulted in the death of at least six people, the paper reports. A section of roofing crashed onto a departure lounge, sending the entire section of the building plunging onto service vehicles below. Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin promised a full investigation.

TO THARROS: “90-year-old man beaten up for £10”. A 90-year-old man was brutally beaten on Sunday by muggers, who broke into his room in Nicosia and demanded that he give them his money. When the man told them he had no money they started hitting him and searched the entire house, but only came up with a £10 note that the man had in his wallet. They then cut the phone line, locked his door and disappeared.

POLITIS: “All eyes on Famagusta port”. The US and UK are pushing toward the operation of the Famagusta port so that direct trade with the Turkish Cypriots can be achieved, the paper reports. The government is following the latest events closely and insist that they will prove through political dialogue that such a move will be illegal.

PHILELEFTHEROS: “Annan report will be scathing for Greek Cypriots”. A report by UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan to the UN Security Council is expected to be a thorn on Greek Cypriots’ side, the paper reports. The report, put together by Special Envoy Alvaro de Soto will detail the events that took place in Lucerne before the April 24 referenda, and is expected to call for an end to the Turkish Cypriots’ isolation.

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.