News in Brief

Government gives itself 2 per cent pay raise

A TWO PER CENT pay raise for state employees and state pensioners was approved yesterday by the Council of Ministers. The increase, expected to total £20 million, takes effect as of January 1, 2006. The pay increase also applies to those working on a temporary basis or on contract. The surprise announcement has raised questions as to how the government can give itself a pay raise when it is allegedly pursuing a financial austerity programme, which it has repeatedly cited when refusing demands for financial support from strikers in recent months.

Students can seek exemption from religion class

STUDENTS will now have the possibility to be exempted from religion classes, according to an amendment of the relevant education law by the Council of Ministers yesterday. For an exemption to be granted, the student’s guardian will have to submit a request, which must then be approved by the Director of Public Education.

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.