HEALTH Minister Dina Akkelidou yesterday defended the government’s decision to shut down the Nicosia general hospital oncology centre.

ANKARA expects Athens to support its efforts within the EU to put an end to the economic isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was quoted as saying yesterday.

The comments come a day before discussions on aid and trade to the Turkish Cypriots by the permanent representatives of European Union (COREPER) in Brussels today.

CYPRUS Airways (CY) unions yesterday issued a warning to the airline’s management yesterday that if they wanted talks on a plan to save the company to continue, they would have to meet basic requests that did not involve “victimising” staff.

HIGH-risk health groups have already started receiving their annual influenza vaccine, a senior Health Ministry official confirmed yesterday.

THE HEALTH Ministry yesterday confirmed it was investigating sexual harassment claims against one of Nicosia general hospital’s male nurses.

The claim was brought by one of the male nurse’s subordinates, who reported the incidents to the Ombudswoman. In turn, the Ombudswoman prepared a report and handed it over to the Ministry, a senior Ministry official said.

THE GOVERNMENT has cancelled military exercises scheduled for October after an agreement brokered by Greece and Turkey to suspend their own military manoeuvres, they said yesterday.

This is the third year in a row the exercises have been cancelled.

TURKISH Cypriot deputy ‘prime minister’ Serdar Denktash denied yesterday that his hospitalisation at the weekend was linked to an argument with his son over the imprisonment of his father-in-law.

That an argument took place between Denktash and his son Rauf at the Gelik restaurant in north Nicosia was widely reported in the press on both sides of the Green Line.

THE issue of UNFICYP allegedly helping “dozens” of Turkish Cypriots to cross the ceasefire line at an unauthorised point in the north-east of the island was considered closed, the government said yesterday.

CYPRUS champions APOEL have signed former England international Chris Bart-Williams on a free transfer.

ALITHIA: “Mockery” Reporting on the spat between the government and the grape growers, the daily claimed that Agriculture Minister Timis Efthymiou remained exposed since he had failed to stick to his public commitment to publish all correspondence that would prove he took all necessary action with the European Union to support the grape growers.