AS OF today car mechanics must be licenced through a list of qualifications and checks allowing them to operate.

The scheme is being administrated by the Electro mechanical Services at the Commerce Ministry, and provides for penalties of up to one year imprisonment or fines up to €5,000 for violators.

Qualifications for mechanics have not been updated for 14 years.

Under the new system there are 12 categories under which a licence can be granted but mechanics are free to take on more than one of the listed qualifications.

These include car mechanic, motorbike mechanic, car electrician, tyre technician, paint technician and air conditioning technician among others. Some 4,000 licences have already been issued and over 1,000 garages reviewed.

THE SIRIUS Dog Sanctuary in Limassol is facing the threat of closure due to a problem with the planning permission for the building they are currently using.

Sirius is the main dog shelter serving the Limassol area, and is privately run by a small handful of volunteers.

“They work very, very hard there as lots of people leave dogs there.  Limassol is in serious trouble because they are doing nothing and have a large number of homeless dogs,” said Annie Munday of the PAWS dog shelter in Paphos.

There are two smaller dog shelters in Limassol, one in Ypsonas and one in Polemidia (which is state-run), neither of which have the capacity, funding or personnel to really handle the number of dogs brought to Sirius every month from the surrounding area.

MOTORISTS in Paphos had some relief over the Easter break as one of the many main roads undergoing construction was partly opened to traffic.

“I believe there needs to be a change in the law to allow work on large projects to be carried out by crews working twenty four hours to ensure completion as quickly as possible,” said Paphos councillor Nicos Similides

A stretch of the main road, which will be the second part of the circular road around the town, and which is the main road to Paphos General Hospital and main post office, was finally opened after months of work and a plethora of complaints from motorists, residents and local businesses.

“It’s having an adverse affect on their businesses,” said Similides

A CYPRUS Airways (CY) flight from Cairo arrived at Larnaca airport over eight hours late at 11.20am yesterday, with passengers complaining of being left without food, blankets or information overnight.

Flight CY437 from Cairo – carrying around 100 passengers – was getting ready for its 2.00am take-off airport yesterday, when a warning light came on in the cockpit. The passengers waiting to board were told there was a technical problem, and then spent an uncomfortable night waiting to learn when they might complete their journey.

PLANS to build a linear park, a park which is longer than it is wider, in Limassol have finally come to fruition with construction works due to begin next month.

The Tenders Review Board finally appointed the Vathkias River project to P.A. Cyteco and Kendris Joint Venture for €1.4 million, which was the lowest offer.

Six consortiums had shown an interest in undertaking the project with the evaluation procedure finally completed on March 12 and the tender appointed on March 26.

The project, which went through two tender procedures, is due to start in about a month and should be completed in 18 months.

The entire project will cover the municipalities of Ayios Athanasios, Mesa Gitonia and Limassol.

THE PERCENTAGE of Cypriots buying goods online from other European Union member states doubled last year, according to the spring Consumer Markets Scoreboard published by the European Commission.

However the percentage of Cypriots buying goods from EU states and local businesses combined is the lowest in the EU, the study also found.

“EU consumers are still not reaping the full benefits of the internal market due to barriers to cross-border commerce,” said the Commission in its study. “There is a growing gap between cross-border and domestic e-commerce,” it continued. “The national conditions for consumers – measured by consumer trust in consumer authorities and NGOs, and the effectiveness of handling disputes – have declined in many countries.”

THE TWO Cameroonian girls who fell victim to a smuggling ring and were brought illegally to Cyprus last November entered the final stretch of being permanently reunited with their parents yesterday, when conclusive proof of their parentage was delivered to the French Embassy in Nicosia.

The results of DNA tests carried out by the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics – which very generously decided to waive the €880 cost – have confirmed that Marie Chesnel is indeed the mother of Babette and Murielle.

THE ENERGY Services of the Commerce Ministry said yesterday it had not axed the scheme that gives subsidies to householders for energy saving technologies.

Solon Kasinis, the head of the Energy Services said contrary to reports, they did not plan to terminate the scheme. Reports suggested that 6,000 applicants previously approved for subsidies for 2009 would be left high and dry to the tune of  €7 million in total.

‘I can assure that we are going to proceed with all the applications until the end of 2009,” said Kasinis. “All will be appraised and given the money.”

POLICE may implement a ban on Easter bonfires following last week’s rise in juvenile delinquency associated with the holiday tradition, announced Justice Minister Loucas Louca yesterday.

“The police are considering proposing a ban on this custom, which may be the reason for committing these crimes and for this increase in juvenile delinquency,” said Louca.

Speaking at an AKEL-sponsored charity event on road safety in Larnaca, Louca said that the bonfires have “ceased to be a tradition,” instead having “now become a curse due to the deaths, and, many times, severe injuries and amputations” that occurred last week at the bonfires.

A 43-YEAR-OLD businessman died in a fire at his Engomi home at 5am on Sunday. According to pathologist Eleni Antoniou’s report, George Constantinides died after he inhaled smoke, fell unconscious and was trapped in the fire, which raged for three hours. Constantinides’ mother escaped without harm. In a statement yesterday, Fire Service Spokesman Marios Kyprianou said that the fire was caused by the excessive use of electrical devices which overloaded the power sockets. In a statement on Monday, District Fire Officer Leonidas Leonidou said that there was also a lot of combustible material, such as stationary, on the floor which aided the rapid spread of the fire.