THE SEARCH for the second victim of Monday night’s flash floods in Paphos resumed at 7am yesterday, and ended 13 hours later with still no sign of the missing man.

Bad weather, rain and storms persisted throughout the day, all but extinguishing hopes that the man may still be found alive.

RAINFALL in October was the second highest for the month since 1901, with 109mm recorded.

A spokesman for the Meteorological Services said yesterday this was, “333 per cent more than the average rainfall for October, with all the rain coming from various low-pressure systems hitting the island and the surrounding area.”

PASSENGERS were yesterday caught in the middle of a game of chicken between ajet and the government, after a plane was grounded at Larnaca airport.

The flight to Gatwick was scheduled for 4pm, but on the orders of the airport chief a maintenance vehicle was deployed on the runway to block the jet.

EASY Group founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou is coming to the rescue of the ailing Cyprus hotel industry by offering franchises to local hoteliers for his easyHotel brand.

Since easyHotels first placed an advertisement in the local press on Sunday, it has received 17 enquiries, Marios Missirlis, the spokesman for the chain in Cyprus said yesterday.

PRESIDING rector Stavros Zenios was re-elected in the University of Cyprus elections yesterday after a tight race that had to be taken to a second count distribution before determining the victor.

After the second count, Zenios secured 157 votes, Elpida Keravnou took 148 and Christos Schizas received 69.

THE FINNISH EU presidency hopes to be able to announce today whether a crucial meeting will take place in Helsinki at the weekend between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, Turkey and Greece.

Finland’s Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said yesterday the presidency was still working on persuading the sides to go to Helsinki, but no agreement had yet been reached.

THE UNITED Nations Development Programme yesterday announced its concern over the “continuing public controversy” surrounding the activities carried out under the Cyprus Bi-communal Development Programme (BDP) between 1998 and 2004, especially during the Annan Plan period in 2004.

THE LEGAL Services will examine the constitutionality of amending the law to allow drug trafficking suspects to be kept in remand until their case is heard in court.

A MAN was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday in a village in the Limassol district on suspicion of vandalising a traffic camera.

Police say the incident was carried out with malicious intent, and the 24-year-old suspect has been remanded in custody.