WATER shortages, cuts and imports are something Cypriot society will not have to experience again as the island becomes independent from rain to cover its needs, the agriculture minister said yesterday.
“Our water reserves today are 158 million cubic metres. With sensible management… these reserves would be enough to cover our total needs until the end of 2011… when two out of three desalination units will be operational,” Demetris Eliades said.
A desalination unit at Kouklia, Paphos, is ready and is currently being tested.
It can produce 30,000 cubic metres of water per day and cover the wider Paphos area.
A unit at Episkopi, Limassol, is expected to be on line by the end of 2011 and the third unit at Vasiliko, Larnaca, should be operational in February 2012.

A REFERENDUM on constitutional reform in Turkey handed a clear victory to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan — but has underscored the deep ideological and geographical divisions in the European Union candidate.
According to results, the reforms passed by a margin of 58 per cent to 42, on a turnout of 77 per cent.
Erdogan, who leads a government of conservative Muslims that secularist opponents accuse of seeking to undermine Turkey’s secular founding principles, declared the result a triumph for democracy and a break with a past of military coups.
But analysts say the outcome will widen a gulf between the religious-minded and the secularists over Turkey’s identity. 

A DIABETIC Congolese asylum seeker who died in a Nicosia hotel on Monday suffered a heart attack, according to state coroner Sophocles Sophocleus’ post mortem report yesterday.
Asked if Antoine Bassumga’s death was related to his diabetes, Sophocleus said his arteries had narrowed and he could not confirm whether Bassumga’s irregular diet, brought on by a benefits’ cuts in recent weeks, triggered the attack.
Dr Doros Loizou, specialist in internal medicine and diabetes, said such a death was likely the result of long term physical deterioration and not short term dietary changes.

PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias is seeking consensus in the National Council on property, as the issue was yesterday referred for discussion before the property sub-committee.
Christofias yesterday briefed council members on the property negotiations, following the submission of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot proposals on what is the thorniest aspect of the Cyprus problem.
“The effort is to have consensus; that is why there will be a very specific discussion in the (National Council’s) property sub-committee,” government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said. “Each party will submit its own proposals, thoughts, assessments, comments on the proposals in a bid to find a common element.”

THE GOVERNMENT yesterday won a reprieve in the Council of Europe (CoE) as it managed to postpone a decision on whether to wipe the slate clean on Turkey’s human rights violations in Cyprus.
Attorney-general Petros Clerides warned, however, that the prospects were not great given the “weakened” position of Greek Cypriots on property claims as a result of the recent ruling in Strasbourg on Demopoulos. He noted that the prevailing “negative climate” made things “difficult” on the property issue.
The CoE’s Committee of Ministers was due to discuss a Secretariat proposal to strike Turkey’s obligations, arising from the Fourth Interstate Application by Cyprus against Turkey, from its agenda at its latest meeting held yesterday and ending today.

THE POWERFUL civil servants union PASYDY yesterday boycotted a meeting between the finance minister and unions, calling instead on Charilaos Stavrakis to stop playing games and acknowledge his mistake and seek redemption.
Stavrakis invited all unions for a working lunch yesterday, where he outlined the government’s budget for 2011 and gave an overview of the state of the economy. While SEK, PEO and DEOK union heads came out of the meeting saying the omens were positive for 2011, one union boss stayed behind his desk, crying foul over the minister’s violation of the sanctity of the union “gospel”.
Head of PASYDY Glafcos Hadjipetrou refused to attend yesterday’s meeting, accusing Stavrakis of showing “contempt” for the powerful union.

PLANS TO merge Eurocypria and Cyprus Airways yesterday seemed to be shifting towards moves that would lead to the smaller airline being absorbed by the national carrier.
The Cyprus Airways (CY) board of directors announced on Friday that “the company could take over the operations of Eurocypria under terms to be agreed between the two parties and with the Republic’s government as the sole owner of Eurocypria”, thus hinting that the possibility of absorption was more feasible. 

TALK OF “golden boys” and “golden girls” on the CyBC payroll dominated the discussions at the House Watchdog Committee, which yesterday examined a report by the Auditor-general concerning the state broadcaster’s 2009 finances. 
According to Marina Drakou, who presented the report on behalf of the Auditing Committee, CyBC’s financial obligations exceed the total of its assets by €65.3 million. Drakou also added that there was a €4.6 million working capital deficit in 2009, compared to €1.7 million in 2008. This difference was mostly due to CyBC’s increased responsibilities towards its unemployment fund.