Greece beat Cyprus in friendly basketball game

2010-08-05

KONSTANTINOS Tsartsaris scored 16 points and Sofoklis Schortsanitis added 14 as the Greek national team defeated Cyprus 76-41 in an exhibition game at the Tassos Papadopoulos Eleftheria Athletic Centre in Nicosia on Wednesday night.

The difference in quality between the two sides was more than evident from as early as the tip-off as the Greeks took a 20-9 lead after the opening period.

However, that did not put off more than 4,000 spectators who enjoyed an entertaining game of basketball.

“There was a huge difference between the two teams. We want to thank the national team of Greece for honouring us by coming here and playing against us,” said Cypriot national team Head Coach Christos Stylianides after the game.

Omonia target Europa League group stage

2010-08-05

 

 

OMONIA coach Takis Lemonis yesterday reflected on a “difficult evening” in Salzburg after the Cypriot champions were sent crashing out of the Champions League at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday night.

The Austrians scored three times before half time en route to a comprehensive 4-1 victory over the Nicosia giants.

Out of pocket by €120,000 after land registry mistake

2010-08-05

 

LARNACA police are investigating a developer who allegedly sold a flat twice and has so far failed to return the money to one of the buyers who was left saddled with a €120,000 debt.

But it never would have happened if the Larnaca land registry had noticed that two sales documents had been submitted for the same property — which they did not.

Andreas (not his real name) agreed to purchase the Aradippou flat off-plan in 2007 for €131,000.

He mortgaged the flat and made regular payments to the developer as the construction progressed.

But when it was almost finished – and the developer had already pocketed €120,000, Andreas discovered that someone else also owned the flat.

lLET LARNACA

2010-08-05

STUDIO TO BE LET, FULLY FURNISHED, WITH PANORAMIC VIEWS OF ST. LAZARUS CATHEDRAL IN THE HEART OF LARNACA. For further details please ring: 99-353323

It’s all one big bluff

2010-08-05

WHEN Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the highest-ranking American officer, was asked recently on NBC’s Meet The Press show whether the United States has a military plan for an attack on Iran, he replied simply: “We do.”

General staffs are supposed to plan for even the most unlikely future contingencies. Right down to the 1930s, for example, the United States maintained and annually updated plans for the invasion of Canada – and the Canadian military made plans to pre-empt the invasion. But what the planning process will have revealed, in this case, is that there is no way for the United States to win a non-nuclear war with Iran.

Power cuts, hospital visits and uniforms

2010-08-05

 

THE HEATWAVE continued unabated yesterday, peaking at 39 degrees inland with no drop in humidity, causing power cuts in Nicosia and Larnaca, increased hospital admissions and even a uniform change for the National Guard

Power cuts took place between 5.40pm and 6.05 on Tuesday night after high temperatures and heavy electrical load, from widespread use of air conditioning machines caused the failure of underground cables in the Electricity Authority (EAC’s) garden and the Municipal theatre area. Energy consumption peaked at 1092 megawatts at 1.45 pm.

The wires were replaced before midnight with no further disruption to the public.

Our View: Cancellation of Qatari deal would be an embarrassment

2010-08-05

THE GOVERNMENT has not done badly in attracting foreign investment, in the midst of a world recession. A couple of weeks ago it announced the signing of an agreement for the creation of an oil product terminal facility in Vassiliko with one of the world’s biggest, independent energy trading companies.

A few months earlier an agreement was signed with a big state-owned Qatari company for the development of the area opposite the Hilton Hotel – the Cyprus government would provide the land and the Qataris funds of an equivalent value for the project. This was another impressive deal that would benefit the economy, but it appears to have hit problems.

Dead newborn found in Limassol flat wrapped in towels

2010-08-05

A WOMAN from the Philippines was yesterday being questioned by Limassol Police, after a dead newborn baby was found wrapped in handtowels in her apartment.

According to a Limassol police spokesman last night, the 33-year-old woman denies the baby was hers, meaning police will have to await the results of a medical examination to prove she recently gave birth.

If she does turn out to be the mother, she will face charges of infanticide as the newborn was almost at full term at 36 weeks.

“As the newborn was quite advanced and fully formed, it is most possible that the 33-year-old will be charged with infanticide,” said the police spokesman.

Huge differences on property issue

2010-08-05

THE DIFFERENCES between the two sides on the property issue are huge, President Demetris Christofias said yesterday after his latest meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu.

The two leaders yesterday continued talks on the thorny issue of property, once more highlighting the big gap that separates the two sides.

After returning to the presidential palace, Christofias said there was a huge gap between the two sides over property.

“We continued discussion on the property issue. Certainly it is unnecessary to tell you that there are serious differences and disagreements on the issue,” Christofias said. “But on an interpersonal level things are not bad.”

The two leaders also had an open discussion on various other issues, he added.

Tomato prices shoot up due to crop disease

2010-08-05

FARMERS at the Nicosia market yesterday complained about the disease that has decimated this year’s crop and pushed prices up to €2.50 a kilo.

“Eighty per cent of all the tomatoes have been destroyed and there’s nothing we can do about it,” said Eleni Nicolaou, a farmer from Pharmakas, who was sitting with a towel around her neck and a hat shading her from the scorching heat at the weekly open-air market next to the ‘OXI’ roundabout.

Nicolaou explained that last year, there were around 2,000 crates of tomatoes daily, but this year, farmers were having to make do with only 200-300 crates, “and 500 on a good day”.

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.