PARLIAMENT yesterday gave the thumbs-up to the launch of an island-wide bus service, but decided to postpone the scheme’s implementation until September.

In the intervening months, the government will have to settle the rate of compensation given to bus companies not wishing to join the new system, known as OSEL.

The snag so far had been the refusal of most of the shareholders of the Nicosia Urban Buses Corporation to acquire a stake in OSEL because of concerns over the profitability of the project. The company fears the new system will make enough money to generate dividends.

TWO PEOPLE, a young soldier, not wearing a seatbelt, and an old-age-pensioner travelling in a taxi, were killed on the roads yesterday.

The 20-year-old national guardsman, who had less than a month to complete his national service, was killed in a car crash in the early hours of yesterday morning.

At around 5am, Christos Neophytou from Yeroskipou was driving from the Konio roundabout towards Yeroskipou when he lost control in circumstances still under investigation, hitting a road sign and cutting the pole. The 20-year-old was hurled from the car which then crushed him. Members of the fire service were able to cut him loose so an ambulance could take him to Paphos General Hospital where he died soon after.

THE Education Minister will have the authority to set a ceiling on fee increases at private universities, if a bill submitted to the Plenum next week is passed into law.

Furthermore, the bill states that universities will have the right to apply for increases above the specified amount, if a specially-appointed committee decides it will improve the quality of the education offered by the university.

At present, private universities charge around 9,000 euros a year for an undergraduate degree with increases each year of five per cent.

BY majority vote, parliament yesterday passed a law raising the retirement age for high-school teachers, sparking angry scenes at the House.

Demonstrators gathered outside the parliament to protest the legislation, which extends by three years the retirement age.

Chanting slogans, some of the demonstrators – belonging to a left-wing student group – then tried to storm the building but were stopped by police who had lined up at the entrance. There were minor scuffles, but no injuries were reported.

Inside the House meanwhile, the chants could easily be heard by deputies, prompting yet another sideshow on the floor when Greens MP George Perdikis jokingly likened the demonstrators to the rowdy fans of football Omonia club – also with leftist leanings.

THE State Orchestra is the latest in a string of state services being investigated for corruption, it emerged yesterday.

A member of the Orchestra’ Board of Directors has been accused of dubious business dealings in violation of the orchestra’s legal framework approved by the Cabinet in 2005, a closed session of the House Education Committee was told yesterday.

“It seems there are serious problems within the State Orchestra, complaints about corruption, conflict of interests among board members, who it seems are operating in violation of the Cabinet decision,” said Committee Chairman, DISY’s Nicos Tornaritis, speaking after the meeting but without going into further details.

COSTAS Kyriacou, better known as ‘Outopos,’ has claimed to be disillusioned with Europe after he was allegedly mugged outside a Brussels railway station last weekend.

The quirky figure was in the Belgian capital distributing his political manifesto, a leaflet outlining his vision of a “New Earth.”

‘Outopos’ ran in two presidential elections as well as in the last European Parliament elections, claiming in each case that the vote was rigged.

Last Sunday, Kyriacou was sleeping in a park nearby the Brussels station when he was assaulted. He claims his assailants battered him, stole his money and passport and left him half-naked and unconscious.

THE House Defence Committee insisted yesterday there was not enough time to discuss a bill aimed at combating draft dodging before the summer recess.

This means the new wave of National Guard (NG) conscripts this month will not be covered by the proposed new law. The bill is a complete revision of the NG law passed in 1964 and includes provisions that aim to put an end to draft dodging by introducing properly regulated alternative – or ‘special’ – service lasting 32 months.

The Committee yesterday examined the possibility of separating the chapter dealing specifically with draft dodging in a bid to pass it before parliament’s summer recess, but following the advice of the Legal Services, it was decided that this was not possible.

A MAN stormed into the headquarters of the Welfare Services in the capital yesterday, causing havoc and spilling blood throughout the offices after cutting himself with glass in protest over low benefits offered by the state.

The 53-year-old Cypriot went up to the fourth floor of the building on Prodromos Avenue at around 9.45am, where he began shouting at the ten staff members present. He proceeded to throw items off desks and cause havoc, shouting that asylum seekers were getting more benefits than he was. The man is currently entitled to disabled benefits.

A member of staff gave him a glass of water in an effort to calm his nerves. He broke the glass, using the shards to cut the inside of his arms.