Leaders Chelsea beaten 2-1 at Man City

2009-12-06

 

MANCHESTER City ended their run of seven league draws in spectacular fashion by beating Premier League leaders Chelsea 2-1 in an action-packed game in front of a record Eastlands crowd on Saturday.

City striker Emmanuel Adebayor cancelled out his early own goal with an equaliser before the break and, after Carlos Tevez had put the home side ahead with a 56th-minute free kick, Shay Given saved a Frank Lampard penalty.

Chelsea’s third defeat of the season leaves them on 36 points, two ahead of Manchester United, who won 4-0 at West Ham United with a defence depleted through injury.

Khan destroys Salita in first round to retain WBA title

2009-12-06

BRITON Amir Khan retained his WBA world light-welterweight title in extraordinary fashion when he knocked out Ukraine-born American Dmitriy Salita in the first round of his first title defence in Newcastle on Saturday.

Khan, a teenage Olympic silver medallist in 2004 who turns 23 on Tuesday, flew out of his corner and landed a right-hand punch that floored number one contender Salita after 10 seconds.

Salita got up shakily and walked straight into another flurry of punches that earned him a standing count, managing to convince the referee he was fit to continue.

Khan wasted no time in finishing it off, however, connecting quickly again with more shots and forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight after one minute, 16 seconds.

Brown slips further behind in opinion polls

2009-12-06

A REVIVAL in Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s re-election chances evaporated on Sunday as two polls forecast victory for the Conservative party in a parliamentary election due by mid-2010.

Polls at the end of last month had suggested Brown’s Labour government was narrowing the gap with David Cameron’s Conservatives, with the surveys saying an election would result in a hung parliament and no party in overall control.

But the latest opinion polls gave Cameron double digit leads that would see him end more than a decade of Labour rule and enjoy a parliamentary majority of between 20 and 50 seats.

A real Big Mac or just a McFake

2009-12-06

 

THE RECENT opening of a McDonald’s lookalike in the north has prompted a debate over whether it’s the real thing or just another outlet in ‘Fake City’ where sometimes knock-offs stand side-by-side with originals and with ‘originals in disguise’.

When the crossings opened in 2003, one of the main destinations for Turkish Cypriots was McDonald’s. Now they appear to have one of their own, called ‘Big Mac’, it sports the famous yellow arches and a menu that is almost identical.

A Sunday Mail investigation into the political and legal minefield that surrounds copyright infringement in the north highlighted the ‘originals in disguise’ issue but failed to establish with certainty that the

Trafficking victims dumped by the state

2009-12-06

THE STATE has abandoned the 140-odd Romanian trafficking victims that were rescued from their employer last month, leaving some to find shelter on the streets, charged migrant support group KISA yesterday.

From the140, the majority have been left to their own devices while only 20, designated as state witnesses, are considered in need of protection. In practice, this means that the 20 state witnesses, with a €117 handout, have been left to find housing and food until their applications for state benefits are processed.

A KISA announcement highlighted a provision in the law which fails to protect victims of trafficking, allowing the Romanian victims of labour exploitation and trafficking to become victims once again.

‘DIKO is not anyone’s fiefdom’

2009-12-06

DIKO officials are meeting tomorrow to discuss the standoff with party members who refuse to toe the party line, DIKO chairman Marios Garoyian said yesterday.

Garoyian, who is also the president of parliament, said by tomorrow afternoon when the Executive Bureau meets he expected conditions “which will make clear everyone’s respect to the decisions, strategy and party tactics.”

He stressed that the decisions and agreements should be clear.

Tensions within the government partner came to a head in recent weeks over the manner in which certain officials openly criticised the party’s participation in the government and the line being taken in the Cyprus problem negotiations.

Cyprus a victim of foreign manoeuvres

2009-12-06

 

PRESIDENT DEMETRIS Christofias yesterday laid the blame for the division of Cyprus on the expansionist designs of international circles that are leading humanity deep into crisis.

“We are the victims of international manoeuvres and expansionist aspirations,” he said, adding responsibility for the division of Cyprus lay not only with Turkey, but also with “those who support Turkey over the years”.

These circles are “leading humanity deep into a financial crisis, trade weapons of mass destruction and send children and young people to become victims of unjust wars under various pretences,” said Christofias.

Heavy rains flood roads

2009-12-06

TORRENTIAL rain yesterday flooded roads in Larnaca trapping drivers in their cars.

Rains fell across Cyprus making many roads slippery while in some areas visibility was limited, police said.

Heavy rain in Larnaca and the Famagusta district, especially in the noon hours, flooded roads leaving drivers stranded.

The Larnaca fire service responded to 15 calls for assistance while in Famagusta the service had to provide help to eight drivers.

At Paralimni police shut down the Protaras to Cape Greco Avenue because of torrents rushing down from the Profitis Elias and Ayios Panteleimonas hills.

In some spots the water was 30 centimetres deep, reports said.

The weather service expects the rain to continue in the next two days.

20,000 helmets from CyTA

2009-12-06

THE CYPRUS Telecommunications Authority (CyTA) will donate 20,000 children’s bicycle helmets to the police today in a ceremony at the Traffic Education Park opposite police headquarters.

CyTA chairman Stathis Kittis will hand over the helmets as part of the organisation’s efforts to contribute to road safety and cultivate a culture of road awareness among children. The helmets will be given to pupils that visit the Park as part of their school’s training programmes.

Why faking it is not always what it seems

2009-12-06

WE all know the north is a faker’s paradise. You want a really cheap Gucci handbag, Madam? No problem. A Rolex or an Aviator for ten euros, Sir? There you go! And almost any brand of fake jeans for a quarter of the price you would pay for originals. Perfect fit!

Then, when you are tired of shopping, you can stop for lunch at one of northern Cyprus’ most renowned eateries, like Kermiya Fried Chicken (KFC) and Pizza Hat. And on your way home, pick up a copy of Hollywood’s latest movie 2012 on DVD. Yes, it’s only been in the cinemas for a week, but we’ve had for more than a month. Welcome to north Cyprus!

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.