THE TWO leaders are putting the mountainous property issue in the hands of their respective aides for now as they prepare to move on to the issue of settlers and migration.
According to UN Special Representative Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, the leaders had “good and friendly” discussions on property yesterday. They decided their two aides, George Iacovou and Ozdil Nami, will meet tomorrow to continue the discussions on the various categories of property that exist. 

THE FIRST day of full operation at Larnaca Airport passed by with just a few minor delays.

“There were some small delays of a few minutes, but none that should create any problems,” said Adamos Aspris, the spokesman for airport operator Hermes. “We will have to see how it goes over the weekend before we can reach any conclusions, however.”

The airport is now fully operational, with all the remaining international airlines yesterday moving to the new site.

Aspris said: “At midnight November 16, the old Larnaca Airport stopped operating and as of November 17, the old Larnaca Airport passed the baton of air communications to the new Larnaca International Airport.”

THE DEPUTY leader of coalition partner DIKO yesterday described the dressing down of party insubordinates at an extraordinary party meeting on Monday as “hard and unfair”.

Georghios Colocassides was one of the eight members of the Executive Bureau which voted against party leader Marios Garoyian’s strategy proposal for managing the party’s outlook, shattered by internal bickering and conflicting opinions over the government coalition.

TO CELEBRATE its first flight to the new Larnaca airport Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates is offering travellers from Cyprus who log on to the airline’s website www.etihadairways.com/cy or book via any local travel agent today, a return ticket from Larnaca to Abu Dhabi for just €10, plus airport taxes and service fees.
The offer will be available today but only for 24 hours and is valid for travel between December 14, 2009, and January 31, 2010.

CYPRUS IS making progress towards guaranteeing the rights of children and providing a secure legal and social basis to protect children but there are still a number of deficiencies in the system.

According to the Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Children, Leda Koursoumba, who was speaking at the start of Child Week, which runs until 20th November, Cyprus  needs more ‘child friendly’ courts.

“There exist deficiencies in the protection of children who are presented as victims, litigants or witnesses in court proceedings regarding the exercise of violence in the family,” she said.

THE TARGET for the start of a “new era” for an upgraded and modernised public transport system is  June 1, 2010, Communications Minister Nicos Nicolaides has said.

The minister said he expected the concession agreements to be signed before the end of the year.

“We are trying to get the basic provisions of the agreements signed by December 3, so we can keep to the timeframe we set originally,” he said.

“It will then take a few months of preparation by both the bus companies and our side – some infrastructure work and other arrangements – so that by the first of June 2010 the agreements will come into effect, and the first evidence of the new era for public transport will start to appear” in the form of new and extended timetables.”

TURKISH Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat will be ousted by Dervish Eroglu in ‘presidential’ elections next April, according to an opinion poll published at the weekend. Eroglu’s National Unity Party (UBP) won a decisive victory in ‘parliamentary’ elections last April. Eroglu now looks set to take 36 per cent of the vote, with Talat trailing behind with just over 31 per cent. Analysts say an Eroglu victory could hamper efforts to find a solution to the ongoing division of the island. Talat has himself warned that if he is removed from office in April, the chances of Eroglu and President Demetris Christofias reaching a negotiated reunification would be greatly reduced.

THE NICOSIA Municipality Multi-functional Foundation is offering a range of courses at a very low rate for adult migrants living in Cyprus. The municipality’s Intercultural Centre is now accepting applications for registration in the following programmes: Greek Language classes (for beginners and advanced), Computer/IT classes (for beginners and advanced), English lessons (beginners) and Chess Instruction. Classes last 90 minutes except for Chess Instruction which lasts an hour.
The programme is addressed to adult, legal immigrants and only costs €20 per year. Members will also have free access to ping-pong tables, the internet, and educational lectures. The programmes begin this month.
For further information and participation details please contact Nicos Sozos at 22877856.

A GAS turbine that can burn both diesel and natural gas has gone on line at the Vasiliko power plant.

The €220 million combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) is said to be around 25 per cent more efficient that traditional steam turbines.

In a combined cycle power plant, a gas turbine generator generates electricity and the waste heat is used to make steam to generate additional electricity via a steam turbine. This last step enhances the efficiency of electricity generation. Most new gas power plants in North America and Europe are of this type.