YESTERDAY’S Helios trial proceedings degenerated into a disturbing display of mass fury when enraged relatives of the Helios plane crash victims mobbed the airline company’s executive chairman, forcing police and others to tear him free and rush him off into a locked office for several hours until a secure escape plan could be established.

A GOVERNMENT programme will ensure Cyprus absorbs 100 per cent of EU structural and cohesion funds, the director of the Planning Bureau has pledged.

A FORMER Greek Cypriot enclave resident and teacher, who claims she was assaulted by officials and subsequently suffered discrimination and threats from her local community there, has won the first part of her case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

CYPRUS RANKS near the bottom of 115 countries worldwide, and the last of the EU 25 in its efforts to close the gender gap, a new survey revealed yesterday.

Jamaica, Costa Rica, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Thailand, Mongolia, Albania, Mexico and Malawi all rank ahead of Cyprus, which is placed 85 out of the 115 countries surveyed.

CARREFOUR said yesterday it was planning to produce its own-brand halloumi, but denied claims it was finalising a deal with Christis dairies.

Despite the company’s denial, a Christis insider made it understood that the deal was as good as done.

“We hope that by the end of the year we’ll have signed the deal… [Carrefour] came to us.

VARIOUS ORGANISATIONS yesterday joined forces in an effort to tackle what they claim is the growing problem of nationalism on the island.

The groups, from both sides of the divide, include the National Focal Point Against Racism, Sociological Association, Kirlangic Cultural Association, Association of Political Scientists, New Cyprus Association and Symphiliosi.

A WOMAN who knew British tourist Julian Harrington, who has admitted killing a local teenager in Protaras last July, screamed at him to stop just seconds before he rammed his car into the youth’s moped, the Larnaca criminal court heard yesterday.

THREE employees of the Ayios Tichonas Community Council, arrested on suspicion of placing a bomb outside a trophy factory on Tuesday, were yesterday released by Limassol District Court due to lack of evidence.

A MANHUNT has been launched in Paphos after a hit and run incident left a 24-year-old Bangladeshi man dead.

At 7.30pm on Tuesday evening, a car driven by an unknown person, on Eratous Street in the Yeroskipou area, hit the unnamed Bangladeshi, who was riding a bicycle. He was immediately rushed to Paphos General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

MEAT IN the Cyprus market will from now on be labelled with its country of origin, after the Agriculture Ministry yesterday announced the new harmonised regulations.