SIMERINI: “Grape growers threaten to take action again”. Grape growers’ mounting dissatisfaction over a recent government proposal to ensure that wineries accept 50,000 tonnes of grapes is on the point of exploding. The growers met at Stroumbi in the Paphos district and accused the government and other farming organisations of serving the interests of the wineries and not their own. The solution, claimed the growers, excluded a section of the growers as they would not receive financial aid, nor would the costs of their farming be covered.
PHILELEFTHEROS: “Gastroenteritis strikes with the first bell”. With the recent weather changes and the return to school, seasonal infections have started to make their appearance. Those mainly afflicted are small children in nursery school or in the first years of primary school contracting gastroenteritis. Doctors advised parents if their children started showing symptoms, they should be kept at home, thus limiting its transmission to other children. Plenty of fluids should be given to sufferers, but antibiotics are not necessary, say doctors.
ALITHIA: “Last farewell”. Macheras Monastery was too small to accommodate the large crowd which gathered on Tuesday to pay its last respects to Abbot Aresenios, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Saturday. The climate was one of deep grief as mourners gathered to say farewell to the much loved Abbot. Bishops Chrysostomos of Paphos, Chrysostomos of Kiti, Pavlos of Kyrenia, Athanassios of Limassol, Neophytos of Morphou and Nikiforos of Kykkos were all present, as were clerics from Greece and the Alexandria Patriarchate.
MACHI: “I stole to pay for my fix”. Two 17-year-olds from Larnaca were caught after they stole cheques for orphaned children when they broke into the Kiti Bishopric’s offices in August. According to the 17-year-old girl of the pair, the 123 cheques written out for £60-£80 each had been stolen to pay for her heroin fix. Both teenagers allegedly admitted to committing the offence and on Tuesday a Nicosia court remanded them in custody for eight days.
POLITIS: “Minced words”. The paper pointed out that on the one hand the government claimed the aim of the secret meetings between the President and Serdar Denktash was the president’s concern to fill in the blanks in the Annan plan, but on the other presidential press office head Marios Karoyian said the meetings had been requested by the Turkish Cypriot side. Meanwhile in a separate issue, Cyprus Airways has announced it is grounding two of its planes, reducing its staff by 135, 88 of which are permanent.
HARAVGHI: “Opposition frenzy”. DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades’ scathing reaction to the government’s admission that President Tassos Papadopoulos held secret meetings with Turkish Cypriot politicians was pure political opportunism, the paper claimed. Meanwhile President Tassos Papadopoulos and Foreign Minister George Iacovou are expected to have meetings of the “highest level” during their stay in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
