AS IS THE case every year, thunderous rainstorms mark the beginning of a hot and sizzling summer across the island, bringing along floods and power cuts. But why can’t the island’s major towns and cities cope with the sudden downpour of rain?

POLICE yesterday launched a manhunt for the arrest of a group of 29 Chinese tourists who fled Larnaca airport in a bid to file asylum applications.

The Cyprus Mail has learned that authorities allowed the group into the country a week ago, despite knowing what their intentions were.

LAWMAKERS are contemplating putting off the ‘debtors law’ which would take away court powers to order the imprisonment of people who don’t pay debts.
The law banning the jailing of debtors will come into force on June 15 this month, finally bringing Cyprus in line with European practice regarding the human rights of people in debt.

THE owner of fast food chain Sam’s Food will be attempting to break his own Guinness World Record for the world’s biggest doner kebab next Saturday in Limassol.

THE government has no intention of solving the long-standing problems of cancer patients, a team of DISY deputies concluded yesterday following a visit to the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre.

JOURNALISTS in the north said yesterday they would act to support colleagues in Turkey falling foul of new laws forbidding the media from expressing views on Cyprus contrary to Turkish state policy.

TURKISH Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat left for Turkey yesterday for a special Cyprus problem summit, but only after hours of delays caused first by security reasons initially and then aircraft problems.

The Turkish Cypriot delegation had been scheduled to fly to Ankara at around 1pm.

THE government yesterday confirmed reports that Turkish forces were transporting new weapons systems in the occupied north.

Daily Phileleftheros reported yesterday that a Turkish navy transport ship had unloaded tanks, armoured personnel carriers (APCs) with anti-tank systems and artillery pieces.
The weaponry was all American-made, the daily said.

GREECE said yesterday that its former foe Turkey’s bid to join the European Union and the settlement of the Cyprus issue should not be affected by the French and Dutch rejections of the proposed EU constitution.