THE EDUCATION Minister’s admission that the University of Cyprus (UCY) had every right to accept students with international accreditation, regardless of parliament’s approval, yesterday provoked an intense reaction by teachers’ union OELMEK.

THE REMOTE village of Kidasi in Paphos will finally be connected to the Internet as part of celebrations concerned with promoting world telecommunications day.

Minister of communications, Nicos Nicolaides, yesterday visited the village, which is home to just two families. Between them, they have five children, who range from primary school to secondary school age.

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL did not yesterday receive a copy of the report into the escape of convicted double rapist and murderer Antonis Prokopiou Kitas last year.

Despite Petros Clerides assurances last month that the criminal investigators’ report would be on his desk by May 15, the five were given an extension till Monday.

THE GOVERNMENT yesterday played down rumours President Demetris Christofias was in London for anything other than a simple medical examination.

Despite press reports that Christofias was due to have microsurgery to open a blood vessel, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said the president was in the UK for medical tests and would be back on Sunday.

CYPRUS WILL not be participating in the Eurovision final tonight for the fourth year in a row after contestant Christina Metaxa’s ‘Firefly’ failed to shine.

Firefly, penned by Metaxa’s older brother Nicolas, failed to win over the TV audience, leaving Cyprus out of the final for the fourth consecutive year.

THE SUCCESS of a recently-introduced programme of promoting multiculturalism in education, the Educational Priority Zones (EPZs), was presented in a school ceremony at one of the participating schools, located in the Turkish Quarter of Limassol yesterday.

ALZHEIMER’S disease is a huge social and economic burden that has taken on concerning proportions and poses a challenge to Health Ministries around the world, Health Minister Christos Patsalides said yesterday.

THE EU-FUNDED project “Study, Assessment and Design for the Structural and Architectural Restoration of the Bedestan, formerly St. Nicholas Church is one of the 28 selected winners of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards.

A POLICEMAN was yesterday suspended on the Police Chief’s orders after being caught trying to leave a European country with weapons in his suitcase.

According to police the officer was arrested on Tuesday by the country’s customs’ control whilst on his way back to Cyprus.

Officers there found five air pistols and five hundred bullets in his suitcase.