Parliament’s decision to freeze significant parts of the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CyTA) budget for 2010 “shackles” the organisation and makes it a hostage within an extremely competitive market, CyTA said yesterday.

However, House Finance Committee chairman and DIKO vice-chairman Nicolas Papadopoulos was equally adamant saying as far as his party was concerned, the House should be able to closely scrutinise the proposed spending of a semi-governmental organisationon (SGO) on behalf of the Cypriot taxpayer.

Papadopoulos said CyTA’s chairman should apologise for the “allegations and insinuations” made against members of the House.

THE LEADERS of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities will on Monday attend the ceremony marking the beginning of the construction of Limnitis road in the buffer zone, officials said yesterday.

President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat will deliver short speeches marking the start of construction that will lead to the opening of a new crossing point linking the remote Pyrgos area to Nicosia, through the occupied areas.

The contracts for the project, which is co-funded by the EU, Cyprus and the US, were signed on Wednesday.

EXACTLY ONE year on and the Women’s Bazaar in Nicosia is running as strong as ever.

Traditionally known as the Gynaikobazaro, which literally translates into Women’s Bazaar, Ambrosia Sakkadas set about reinventing the 1920s market in an effort to help promote local designers without shops of their own.

Sakkadas said: “Up until now it’s been on about four times a year and has been kind of seasonal. From now on it will be every first Saturday, of every month.”

Only May will differ due to the May 1 three-day weekend with the bazaar being held on May 8, she said.

According to Sakkadas, 44, the gynaikobazaro started in 1923 and was exclusively for Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot women.

PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias yesterday described reports that the EU Enlargement Commissioner’s  wanted to re-table the issue of direct trade between the EU and the north as a “serious foul”.

Speaking after participating in the European Summit in Brussels, Christofias said this was a matter that hadn’t been referred to for over three years – neither in the European Commission or the Parliament. “If not dead, this matter is at least in a coma,” said the President.

“This move saddens us and forces us to start efforts to put an end to it straight away,” he added.

Christofias said he had discussed the matter with the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, who didn’t seem to have been informed on Fule’s intentions.

MOTORCYCLISTS across Cyprus have united for the 10th annual “Tour of Love” in an effort to raise money, and awareness, for children suffering with cancer.

The three day campaign, which ends tomorrow, is being organised by the “Make-a-Wish Foundation” of the Pancyprian Association for Children with Cancer and Related Diseases.

According to Maro Hadjichristophi, a member of the Association, close to €130,000 was collected in last years’ drive, adding that “Around 80 motorcycles will be taking part and we hope to raise the collected figure even higher this year; there are many cases of afflicted children and we want to be able to offer as much support as possible”.

TWO YOUNG men speaking fluent Greek robbed a branch of the Bank of Cyprus in Limassol at gunpoint yesterday making off with around €30,000.

The two entered the bank, on Apostolos Varnavas street in the Ayiou Ioanni area of downtown Limassol, brandishing pistols in the air.  They shouted: “Robbery…nobody move.  Money,” and then threw two bags onto the counter.

“The two cashiers, frightened, obeyed whatever the two robbers told them, and put in the bags a portion of the amount of money which they had in their cash registers,” said Yiannakis Georgiou of the Limassol CID. They did not hand it all over to the thieves.

THE GREEN party yesterday issued a call to local government departments, but also to private citizens, to report illegal tree felling to the police.

“Vandals are this year also uprooting perennial trees and cutting down forest trees, or olive and carob trees on agricultural land, to burn them in the Easter lambrajia,” the statement said.

The Greens called on the forestry department to carry out a public awareness campaign designed to educate the public on the massive damage which is caused to the “natural heritage” of the island by the cutting down of perennial trees, groves and other protected trees for the annual national custom of the Easter bonfire.

THE GOVERNMENT, along with those in 579 other cities around the world, will celebrate Earth Hour between 8pm and 9pm tonight by switching off the lights at the Presidential Palace.

Earth Hour is a global event organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature asking households and businesses to shut off their non-essential lights and electrical appliances for one hour to conserve energy and raise awareness about climate change.

“On March 27, 2010 we will extinguish the lights, uniting our voice with thousands of people across the land, sharing the same concern for the salvation of our planet,” read a statement on the Green Party’s web site.

NICOSIA District Court will decide on Tuesday morning whether to accept the Attorney-general’s request for a referral of the three suspects arrested in connection with stealing the remains of former President Tassos Papadopoulos to the Criminal Court for a direct trial.

According to Police Spokesman Michalis Katsounotos, the Court decided to accept the suspects’ lawyers’ request for a postponement of the AG’s request, in order to give them time to prepare their clients’ defence.

The suspects were arrested after being named by convicted rapist and murderer Antonis Prokopiou Kitas, who was believed to be the mastermind behind the theft.