New law takes effect on January 1… but smokers can still find relief out of doors
CYPRUS yesterday joined a long list of EU countries that have banned smoking in public places, after parliament passed a bill following a lively debate that dragged long into the night.
Clinical trials will help determine who many doses are needed
meeting of the Council of Ministers will consider a proposal to establish a multi-million euro fund for advance purchases of the H1N1 vaccine, Health Minister Christos Patsallides confirmed to the Cyprus Mail yesterday.
New police chief pledges to restore public confidence in the force
POLICE CHIEF Michalis Papageorgiou yesterday pledged to purge the force of its rotten apples and restore public confidence after a series of revelations and scandals revealing widespread corruption rocked the force.
PERMANENT Secretary of the Defence Ministry Petros Kareklas yesterday dismissed the implorations of some parents to get their sons out of the army as “exaggerations”, reassuring them that conditions in the army had improved “beyond recognition”.
He said two years of service contributed greatly to the “atmosphere of safety in society”, as well as to the individuals themselves.
THE TWO leaders yesterday began talks on security issues and guarantees in their 36th meeting as part of efforts to end the island’s division.
THERE ARE no immediate plans to create a special Presidential Guard unit, but the ultimate decision rests with President Demetris Christofias, Defence Minister Costas Papacostas has said in a written answer to the House of Representatives.
POLITICAL personalities, artists and architects were all in attendance at the Ministry of Education and Culture’s formal unveiling of its plans for a new cultural centre in the heart of Nicosia.
PAFILIA yesterday announced that it will grant a site owned by the company to the Municipality of Limassol to be used as a parking lot, in a bid to ease Limassol’s traffic congestion problem.
The move is part of Pafilia’s corporate responsibility programme and will involve the company covering the expenses of converting the site into a parking lot.
New church will ‘only take up 500m2’
THE BISHOP of Paphos Giorgios yesterday presented his plans for building a cathedral in the town’s public gardens.
The scheme has stirred controversy and split the town into two distinctive camps.
THE FORESTRY Department has urged motorists to keep a keen eye out for hedgehogs crossing the streets, as the small mammals offer natural pest control and can make great garden companions.
The department says hedgehog numbers in Cyprus have been steadily decreasing due to a perception that these animals are ‘worthless’.
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.
