Armenian House president visits cyprus

2010-10-14

The President of the Armenian National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan arrived in Cyprus today for an official visit, aiming at deepening ties between the Parliaments of the two countries.

On arrival at Larnaca International Airport, Abrahamyan spoke of the outstanding relations between the two countries in various fields and said that he ”feels like home.”

”With this visit we will do our utmost to improve and expand our cooperation,” he said, speaking through an interpreter, pointing out that the President of Armenia will pay an official visit to Cyprus this coming January.

Port workers took home €47,000 in overtime alone in 2008

2010-10-14

SCANDALS, discrepancies and irregularities that saw – among others – members of the Cyprus Ports Authority (CPA) receive almost €47,000 each in overtime in 2008 in addition to their salaries, have prompted the Attorney-general to look into the possibility of taking legal action.

An array of serious allegations against the CPA general manager, Board of Directors and general staff were voiced at Tuesday’s House Watchdog Committee while MPs examined the Auditor-general’s report for 2008. These included nepotistic procedures for employing new staff, unjustified journeys abroad for board members and their wives, and the submission of misleading information to achieve an increase in wage scale for the Authority’s General Manager.

Our View: Taking money from the taxpayer under false pretences

2010-10-14

DISY’S deputy leader Averof Neophytou may have been half-joking yesterday, when he accused the left-wing government of siding with the banks against the Eurocypria workers, but he was making a perfectly legitimate point. He was referring to the way the government had misled the legislature in order to secure its approval for a €35 million bail-out for the charter airline.

Debate grows over Turkey’s identity

2010-10-14

TURKEY has to re-interpret its principles of secularism to adapt to a changing society, an AK Party member in charge of drafting a new constitution said, joining a growing debate over the Muslim country’s identity.

A power shift led by a new middle class of observant Muslims which forms the backbone of the AKP government is challenging Turkey’s ability to reconcile Islam and secularism.

In the latest twist of a long-running dispute, Turkey’s Higher Education Board last week ordered Istanbul University, one of Turkey’s biggest, to stop teachers from expelling female students who wear the Muslim headscarf from classes.

The headscarf, banned at university and public institutions, is one of the most touchy issues in the culture wars.

Prison wardens to come under extra scrutiny

2010-10-14

AN INVESTIGATION has been launched to discover who was responsible for taking mobile phones, screwdrivers and a webcam into Nicosia Central Prison, after the items were uncovered in the prison wardens’ locker room.

The latest discovery was just one in a string of incidents where inmates were caught with mobile phones and other banned items, reportedly with the cooperation of the prison’s wardens.

The Central Prison’s Deputy Governor, George Tryfonides, yesterday announced that workers at the prison would from now on be searched manually – as well as going through metal detectors – while he added that whoever disagreed with the new measures would have to find another job.

CY expects better results as shadow hangs over merger

2010-10-14

AILING Cyprus Airways (CY) expects better performance in the second half of 2010 following the €25 million loss posted in June, though overall results for the year will not improve significantly, a company extraordinary general meeting heard yesterday.

“The adverse international economic conditions and the intensifying competition between airlines in their effort to win a share of the passenger pie lead to the frequent appearance of panic moves which manifest through lower than cost charges,” acting CY chairman Christos Patsalides said.

CY posted a €25.1 million loss before tax in the first half of the year, compared to €3.8 million in the respective 2009 period.

DIKO: our position is crystal clear on the property issue

2010-10-14

COALITION partners DIKO yesterday said the Greek Cypriot proposals on the property issue cannot be the basis for a solution of the matter, but they neither rejected nor approved the relevant document tabled by President Demetris Christofias in the negotiations.

“We do not care about labels,” DIKO leader Marios Garoyian said yesterday. “One can receive this any way they want. If some people think that we rejected it (document) or accepted it as a whole, it is their right.”

On Tuesday, the party’s executive office unanimously agreed that the “document on the property issue submitted by the President cannot constitute a basis for a solution of the matter.”

Downer: UN is only a sounding board

2010-10-14

THE UNITED Nations made it clear yesterday they do not want to act as arbitrators in the Cyprus problem talks as they try to quell concerns over the degree of their involvement.

“Just so that people don’t get carried away with conspiracy theories, the UN doesn’t want to be involved in arbitration and mediation here,” UN Secretary-General Special Adviser Alexander Downer said after a meeting between President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu who resumed talks to resolve the Cyprus problem yesterday.

Limnitis opens today

2010-10-14

 

THE LONG-AWAITED Limnitis-Pyrgos crossing in the north west of the island will open at 10am today after 46 years of separation.

A ceremony is scheduled for 10am on the new 6km-long road, which crosses the buffer zone to link the two communities, thereby halving the travelling time between Limnitis and Nicosia.

It is the seventh crossing on the island, and has been a priority in discussions since March 21, 2008 when it was first proposed by leaders President Demetris Christofias and Mehmet Ali Talat.

In a joint statement issued on that date, the two then leaders also agreed to open the Ledra Street crossing, which was inaugurated some weeks later on April 3, 2008.

Delays likely in Paphos airport road

2010-10-14

IT APPEARS as if up to 3,000 trees in Paphos may be granted a stay of execution following intense pressure from the Green Party over their planned removal to make way for a new road.

Andreas Evlavis, the district secretary of the Paphos Greens told the Cyprus Mail: “Following some pressure from us, it looks like the matter of building a new road will be examined more closely by the state environmental services.”

The road in question would connect Paphos airport with the main tourist road in Kato Paphos, joining the town at the area known locally as ‘Kaligulas roundabout.’

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.