UN push to speed up talks

2010-05-30

CYPRUS’ two leaders have five months to noticeably speed up momentum in the new round of talks, which began on Wednesday, UN Special Envoy Alexander Downer has said in an interview with the Sunday Mail.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made it clear in his May 11 ‘Good Offices’ report that he would be issuing a second submission to the Security Council in November. Normally the ‘Good Offices’ report comes out once a year. Ban’s departure from the norm has been interpreted in many quarters as a message that the November report might not pull any punches if either side is stalling.

Flotilla ready to set sail

2010-05-30

A FLOTILLA of pro-Palestinian activists was yesterday preparing to leave for Gaza, to break an Israeli blockade, despite warnings from Israel, which is scrambling its gunships to intercept them.

The flotilla, which has been delayed in international waters off Cyprus for technical reasons, was expected to head to Gaza midnight Saturday.

“They’re in place and they’re expecting to leave midnight tonight (Saturday) for Gaza,” Greta Berlin, one of the organisers told the Sunday Mail.

Tales from the Coffeeshop: Eroglu letting us all down

2010-05-30

RELIGIOUS nut-cases will take centre stage next weekend when Pope Benedict XVI arrives on the island of religious and cultural tolerance for a three-day visit.

The Pope was branded a heretic by the pious Bishop of Limassol Athanasios, who shows his humility by always gazing at the floor, incurring the righteous rage of his boss Archbishop Chrys II. Chrys spent the week issuing threats to fundamentalist, senior clerics, like Athanasios, who intended to boycott the events held for the Pope.

Police investigating murder after burnt man found in car

2010-05-30

BRITISH BASES (SBA) police were yesterday investigating the murder of a man found burnt in a car near the Ormidhia coast in Larnaca.

The charred body was found on Friday night sitting in the driver’s seat of a car but it was not initially clear how he died.

A post mortem yesterday determined that the cause of death was head injuries due to gunshot wounds, acting deputy divisional commander Dhekelia Andreas Pitsillides said.

“As a result of this development, the SBA police is now treating this as a serious murder investigation,” Pitsillides said.

Bank employees give state handout

2010-05-30

THE BANK employees union (ETYK) yesterday announced it would give €500,000 to the state in a bid to boost state coffers suffering from the recession.

The motion was put to ETYK’s 42nd conference that took place in Nicosia yesterday and was unanimously approved.

Speaking on behalf of President Demetris Christofias, Labour Minister Sotiroulla Charalambous said the government’s priority is to support the sectors hit by the crisis and preserving the stability of the island’s financial system.

The government also aims in resetting the economy on a course of growth and tackling the fiscal problems while supporting employment and social coherence.

Remand for old town stabbing

2010-05-30

NICOSIA District Court yesterday remanded a 31-year-old Georgian man for eight days in connection with a stabbing that took place in broad daylight on Friday afternoon.

The suspect was arrested following a brawl on Phaneromeni Street in old Nicosia, during which he allegedly stabbed two Pontian men, aged 22 and 25.

The former sustained neck injuries but his wounds were deemed superficial, while the latter was in serious condition after being stabbed in the abdomen.

The 25-year-old’s condition was yesterday still considered serious, though doctors said he was out of danger.

The two victims were helped by surrounding residents and shopkeepers, while others pursued the suspect and locked him in a warehouse until the police arrived and arrested him.

Service stations could appear on highway

2010-05-30

THE GOVERNMENT is looking into the prospect of creating service stations along the length of the main highway, the Communications Ministry has said.

In a letter of response to Environmental Commissioner Charalambos Theopemptou, the ministry said it was examining the possibility of building stations with toilets, resting areas, restaurants and petrol stations.

As a preliminary measure, the aim is to create toilets in current weighing stations until tender procedures can be launched for private developers to build proper service stations, like those in the rest of Europe.

State paying €8m to cover sick teachers

2010-05-30

THE STATE coughed up over €8 million to replace teachers who were off sick in 2008, the Educational Service Commission (ESC) announced.

The ESC annual report containing data on teachers’ absences and the subsequent costs was presented to President Demetris Christofias on Friday.

The Commission’s Chairman, Anastasios Kouzalis, said the figures were exceptionally high and the matter needed to be dealt with.

“It seems that teachers easily take leave for various reasons,” said Kouzalis. “In 2008, the state spent over €8 million to pay for replacements. This is a huge amount of money; frugality is needed in this sector and leave shouldn’t be handed out with the same ease that is noted today.”

For some, the past is never another country

2010-05-30

IF NOTHING else, the small, but very public dispute over the Pope’s visit to Cyprus has highlighted the deep divisions within the Church of Cyprus.

No sooner had the ink dried on a Holy Synod circular – bearing the signature of all the metropolitans – welcoming Benedict XVI to Cyprus, than a number of bishops aired their disapproval, citing concerns that the Pope’s visit was inappropriate and might ‘harm’ the Orthodox faith.

The police meanwhile have confirmed they are assessing information on possible disturbances breaking out during the Pontiff’s stay. Security around the Pope will be draconian, and authorities will be on the lookout for fanatics flying in from Greece.

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.