GIORGOS Konstantinou scored 22 points to help Nissan Omonoia overcome Ydra Asphalistiki ENAD 83-60 in the national basketball cup elimination game on Tuesday night at the Tassos Papadopoulos Eleftheria Athletic Center in Nicosia.
A THIRD-YEAR Greek-Cypriot art student has won a competition to design the logo to be used for all official events and activities – both locally and abroad – to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Cyprus in 2010.
The design by Savvas Thoma, a third-year student in Graphic Arts and Advertising Design at Frederick University, was chosen by the executive committee in charge of the fiftieth anniversary celebrations from among 127 entries submitted by graphic and plastic artists on an anonymous basis.
NOT CONTENT with being the first ever Cypriot to visit the Antarctic, Stephanie Solomonides, has also introduced the islands’ passion for putting lemon on all her food to the icy continent.
Of course, since the epic 900 Kilometre march from Patriot Hills to the South pole began, on December 13, there has been little in the way of fresh fruit and vegetables, and so the team has had to become resourceful.
The eight-woman team’s latest expedition blog entry begins “I think they’ve had a tough one today and Steph (Cyprus) has been dealing with it by mixing noodles, with soup, with a citrus energy drink. Strange.”
GOVERNMENT and municipal departments yesterday rounded the new Madison Mall in Strovolos, which opened its doors to the public last week despite not having a permit to operate.
AD Shopping Galleries Ltd (ADSG) which owns the Mall had not been granted a permit by the Town Planning Department when they opened last Wednesday.
Since it opened, roads in the surrounding area in Strovolos have been increasingly congested with Christmas traffic.
Savvas Iliofotou, Strovolos Mayor, said yesterday: “The opening was not legal, because they did not have a permit. It is not a proper action to start a business and then go through the official channels.”
THE UNITED States, Greece and Israel are willing to assist in resolving the theft of the body of later former president Tassos Papadopoulos, police said yesterday.
As the investigation into the gruesome act that stunned Cyprus continues, police said the US, Greece and Israel had expressed their willingness to contribute.
“We expect them to define what kind of help can be provided and we will decide our next steps,” police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos said.
Reports suggested yesterday the authorities had asked the US whether they had satellite photos of the area of the cemetery at the time when it is believed the body was dug up some 12 days ago.
THE BRITISH statement regarding Turkey’s accession course could have been avoided although it does not justify all the noise over the issue, President Demetris Christofias said yesterday.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Britain said it supported the Commission’s Enlargement Strategy conclusion that bilateral issues should not hold up the accession process.
“As that conclusion sets out, Bilateral disputes need to be resolved by the parties concerned, who have the responsibility to find solutions in a spirit of good neighbourliness, bearing in mind the overall EU interests,” the statement said.
CYPRUS AIRWAYS has signed a letter of intent with Eastok Avia Fze of Kyrgystan to sell an ageing A320 aircraft for $6.1 million, the Cypriot airline said yesterday. The deal was conditional on a final sales agreement with the buyer and approval by the board of the airline, Cyprus Airways said. Eastok Avia is a charter airline based in Bishkek.
A 42-YEAR-old man was arrested yesterday in connection with a car-bomb explosion in Limassol. The midnight blast caused extensive damage to a car used by a 46-year-old man. Police said the blast was caused by a high intensity improvised device. Suspicion was raised against the 42-year-old who was subsequently arrested. He was remanded in custody for two days pending the investigation.
IN CYPRUS when the politicians are unwilling to take the necessary measures to put things right, either in the economy or other areas of life.
They need to find a scapegoat this time it is large companies and individuals not paying tax.
The latter has become the target of the Finance Ministry in their effort to reduce the budget deficit. In pursuit of increased revenues companies have been asked to expedite their VAT payments and the unions, in an unholy agreement with the employer’s associations, are singing the same mantra asking for taxing the lawyers and doctors among other professional classes.
WHILE THE vast majority of people of Cypriots will be out last-minute shopping today as many were yesterday, hundreds of people were lined up to register as unemployed and facing a poorer Christmas than last year.
Most Labour Offices around the island are busy from the moment they open their doors at 7.30am.
When the Cyprus Mail visited Nicosia District Labour Office mid-morning yesterday, it was still pretty full, with around 200 people waiting their turn to either register or sign on. The same number and more were lined up every day this week.
Savvas, a Cypriot in his late forties said he is not looking forward to Christmas. “We’ll tighten our belts and get through the holidays on the cheap,” he said.
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.
