TURKISH Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday Turkey had no more concessions to make to the European Union as it prepares to begin membership talks on October 3.
“Now Turkey has nothing more to give (the EU). We have done everything related to the Copenhagen political criteria,” he told a gathering in the Italian city of Naples televised live on Turkish television.
TURKEY SAID on Friday it was confident of starting membership talks with the European Union on schedule next month despite a wrangle over its refusal to recognise Cyprus.
A GROUP of Peyia residents are gathering tomorrow at 10.30am at the polling stations of Peyia school to protest “the exclusion of non-Cypriot EU nationals and denial of their EU guaranteed democratic voting rights in the September 4 elections.” The by-elections are taking place to elect a new mayor because the former mayor resigned in late July due to reasons of ill-health.
THE GREEK team investigating the August 14 crash of Helios Airways flight ZU522 had a busy day yesterday interviewing dozens of airline officials and technical staff.
Meanwhile, reports from Greece pointed the finger at two air traffic controllers there for allegedly not doing their job right on the fatal day.
SURGING oil prices may force Cyprus to cut its 2006 growth outlook to around 4.0 per cent from an initial 4.4 per cent forecast, a senior finance ministry source said yesterday.
The revision would not have any impact on the budget deficit, which Cyprus was committed to lowering to around 1.7 per cent of GDP, the source said.
A FIRE broke out on Thursday in Aradippou’s industrial area, completely destroying a clothes factory. Reports said the fire, which broke out at 3pm, was very large and that it took the fire brigade two hours to get it under control.
Reports say the total damages caused by the fire were close to £1 million.
THE DOORS for the 44th annual wine festival in Limassol were opened last night. Initially it was decided that the festival be cancelled due to the fatal Helios Airways tragedy but eventually it was reduced by three days.
THE CYPRUS Tourism Organisation (CTO) is conducting a medium-term study to determine how tourists view Cyprus and what impressions they come away with.
The survey, which will be completed in November, involves some 5,000 tourists being interviewed briefly at the airport on departure over the entire year.
AROUND 500 people crossed to the north through the new Zodhia crossing yesterday morning to attend the second church service at Ayios Mamas in Morphou, marking the saint’s day.
It was only the second such pilgrimage since 1974.
POLITIS: “High-voltage party by EAC”. The Electricity Authority is overcharging Cypriot electricity consumers with millions of pounds, according to research carried out by the consumer protection committee. The research was carried out over the past four years and a hearing is said to take place in the next two weeks.
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.
