DIKO closer to staying in power

2010-02-21

MEMBERS OF DIKO’s Executive Bureau last night voted by a majority to remain in the government coalition, a decision that will be put for ratification before the party’s central committee on Tuesday.

A heated debate – described as productive by party spokesman Fotis Fotiou – began at 10.30am and continued for nine hours. It ended with a vote on whether DIKO should stay in government with AKEL. Eighteen members voted for and eight against while four abstained.

“DIKO does not diverge from its positions on the Cyprus problem, disagreements with the president remain. We have decided to remain in the partnership to contribute to the country. If things are not going well we will re-evaluate our position,” Fotiou said.

Chaos continues on Paphos roads

2010-02-21

PROJECTS to install storm drains, upgrade sewerage works and other projects in Paphos are turning the road network into a nightmare, exposing 300km of road to chaotic works while inviting 20 compensation claims a week from disgruntled motorists.

The digging up of roads has already led to one death last year while fears continue among local residents over public safety.

Tales from the Coffeeshop: Struggle for the soul of DIKO

2010-02-21

I WOULD like to apologise that we have nothing about yesterday’s meeting of the DIKO executive bureau but I was working to an early deadline. I had to finish by 9am because I was going to drive up to Stavrovouni monastery to pray that DIKO would decide to stay in the government tent, for the good of the country.

Prayers do not always work, especially when the Archbishop is praying for the other side in what has become a struggle for the soul of the historic party founded by the great Spy Kyp. In one camp we have the hard-line opportunists, represented by party leader and personality of the year Marios Garoyian who has been valiantly upholding the party’s proud traditions and values, bequeathed by his mentor Spy.

Our View: Keep everybody happy policy has backfired

2010-02-21

AMERICAN comedian Bill Cosby once said, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody”. This view perfectly describes President Christofias’ first two years in office, which he completes next weekend. Two years in which he has tried to please supporters and opponents of a settlement, workers and employers, nationalists and appeasers, our western allies and his communist friends.

Public will not pay whole bill for new Nicosia drains

2010-02-21

 

NICOSIA MUNICIPALITY residents will not have to pay extortionate amounts for the construction of new town drains, Nicosia Mayor Eleni Mavrou said yesterday.

“People are not going to pay €20,000 to have new drains constructed on their street,” she said.

Mavrou was speaking at a news conference following a municipal council meeting with Interior Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis to address the issue on Friday night.

Her statements were made to allay residents’ fears following the recent publication of the project’s preliminary cost and charges from some quarters about the amount residents would have to pay. According to the initial budget some townsfolk would have to fork out €20,000 to have a new drainage system set up in their area.

Volunteer doctors return from Haiti and vow to do more

2010-02-21

VOLUNTEER Doctors-Cyprus who recently underwent a ten-day stint treating the injured in Haiti did the best they could, one of the six-member team said yesterday.

Olga Sophocoleous said the team “contributed to the best of its abilities”, adding that the “aim was to continue providing assistance”.

The team went to Haiti on February 4, taking medical supplies with them.

“What we saw was the complete destruction of the place. The earthquake had flattened everything. The homeless are more than 1.5 million, the dead over 200,000 and orphaned children in the thousands, and increasing all the time,” said Sophocleous.

Crane strike

2010-02-21

THIRTY CRANE drivers yesterday started a two-day strike after their demands for a supervisor weren’t met by the Ports Authority.

The drivers, who refused to work overtime, stopped working from 6am yesterday.

Trade Union PEO representative Glafcos Constantinou said the crane drivers wanted a supervisor to oversee their work for safety, co-ordination and programming reasons, the way all other areas of the Ports Authority was run. They also wanted to give priority to lower grade drivers to work weekend shifts which would help reduce costs.

A Ports Authority representative said the issue and the drivers’ demands would be examined at a meeting on Tuesday.

Napa fight

2010-02-21

 

A GROUP of young men got into a fight over a girl during the early hours of Saturday in Ayia Napa, police said.

The incident occurred in the parking lot of an Ayia Napa club at around 1am and quickly escalated into a full blown row with sticks and other objects being thrown.

Two youths were injured in the attack as they were trying to get into their car. One ended up in hospital and after receiving first aid was released.

Ayia Napa police are looking for other men involved in the incident on charges of assault and causing grievous bodily harm.

 

Convict dies

2010-02-21

 

A 29-YEAR-OLD convict was found dead in his prison cell at Nicosia’s Central Prisons, reports said yesterday.

The man, who is from Georgia, was found early yesterday morning. Reports said nothing suspicious was found in his cell and his cause of death would be determined by state pathologist Sophoclis Sophocleous today.

 

Inflation up

2010-02-21

 

THE RATE of inflation for January 2010 rose to 2.5 per cent compared to 1.6 per cent in December 2009 and 0.9 per cent in January 2009, the Statistical Service has announced.

The Industrial Turnover Index for November 2009 reached 117.5 units (base 2005=100), recording a decrease of 11.2 per cent compared to November 2008. For the period January to November 2009, the index recorded a decrease of 11.3 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year.

For manufacturing, the index for November 2009 reached 114.4 units, recording a decrease of 13.7 per cent compared to November 2008.

 

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.