Japan scrambles to pull nuclear plant back from brink of disaster

2011-03-17

‘This is a slow-moving nightmare’

* Japan’s emperor, in rare address, says deeply worried

* Police to use water cannon to cool spent nuclear fuel pool

* Smoke seen rising from quake-crippled nuclear facility

* Experts say Japan running out of options to halt crisis

* Over 10,000 feared killed by quake, tsunami; 140,000 told to stay indoors

By Shinichi Saoshiro and Chisa Fujioka

JAPAN’S nuclear crisis appeared to be spinning out of control yesterday after workers withdrew briefly from a stricken power plant because of surging radiation levels and a helicopter failed to drop water on the most troubled reactor.

CHINA SUSPENDS NUCLEAR PLANS

2011-03-17

Scores of flights to Japan have been halted or rerouted and  air travellers are avoiding Tokyo for fear of radiation. On  Wednesday, both France and Australia urged their nationals in Japan to leave the country as authorities grappled with the world’s most serious nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986.

Russia said it planned to evacuate families of diplomat on Friday.

In a demonstration of the qualms about nuclear power that the crisis has triggered around the globe, China announced that it was suspending approvals for planned plants and would launch a comprehensive safety check of facilities.

Foreign bankers flee Tokyo as nuclear crisis deepens

2011-03-17

* Banks in Japan say ‘business as usual’

* “Sars”-like fear spreading in Tokyo – sources

* Group charter flight to Hong Kong cost $160 K

By Nachum Kaplan and Denny Thomas

FOREIGN bankers are fleeing Tokyo as Japan’s nuclear crisis worsens, scrambling for commercial and charter flights out of the country and into other major cities in the region.

BNP Paribas, Standard Chartered and Morgan Stanley were among the banks whose staff have left since Friday’s earthquake and tsunami, and now a nuclear plant disaster, according to industry sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

No sex please, I’m old – Berlusconi

2011-03-17

ITALIAN Premier Silvio Berlusconi claims he is too old to have had all the sexual encounters he is accused of by prosecutors.

The 74-year-old faces trial in Milan over charges that he paid for sex with an under-age Moroccan girl and used his influence to try cover it up.

In court documents, the prosecutors have identified 33 women, including the Moroccan, involved in parties at Berlusconi’s villa.

The premier told La Repubblica newspaper that “even though I am a little brat … 33 girls in two months seems like too much even for a 30 year old.”

He vows to participate in all hearings of his trial, which opens on April 6.

“It’s too much for anybody,” Berlusconi said.

‘You’ll be a whore if you come to Cyprus’

2011-03-17

 

ONE OF the Chinese women arrested in connection with a suspected prostitution ring was forced to have sex with the high-ranking police officer who has been implicated as a pimp in the case, the Nicosia court heard yesterday.

The officer and two pensioners, 68 and 72, arrested on Tuesday in a police raid in old Nicosia, appeared in court yesterday for a remand hearing.

The prostitution ring is thought to date back to 2008. So far, five women have been recognised victims of sexual exploitation by the police as part of their investigations, the court heard.

Our View: True import of Israel trip will be revealed only in future

2011-03-17

PRESIDENT Christofias’ visit to Israel was declared a success, even though it failed to produce anything tangible. Perhaps it is too soon to reach any conclusion and only time will show whether the ground was prepared during the visit, for a closer co-operation between the two countries.

The President described Israel as one of Cyprus’ “most important strategic partners”, but did not explain what shape this strategic partnership had taken. Was this just a way of pandering to Cyprus’ political parties which had been calling for the forging of a strategic partnership with Israel, now that its relations with Turkey had soured?

Woman was likely dead before being dumped in waste

2011-03-17

A MAN was arrested yesterday in connection with the brutal murder of a Sri Lankan woman at a pig farm in the Limassol district.

According to police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos, police arrested a 36-year-old Sri Lankan man at around 6pm yesterday in connection with the investigation into the death of a 37-year-old compatriot. He is due in court today for a remand hearing.

The 37-year-old was declared missing on March 3 from the pig farm where she had been working for a year and a half in Monagroulli. Twelve days later, on Tuesday, her co-workers called police when they spotted a hand sticking out of a lake of wastewater at the farm.

Some public figures ‘can’t be found’ to pay their fines

2011-03-17

MPS were alarmed to see some well-known public figures included on a list of people who have failed to cough up money owed for social insurance and other uncollected fines.

The House Watchdog Committee was looking into the losses suffered by the state through uncollected fines and court summons that haven’t been handed out, when deputies were presented with a list of the debtors’ names by the Justice Ministry’s spokesman.

A quick glance at the list raised eyebrows, especially when it emerged that some of the personalities paid regular visits to House committee meetings, as well as court and have even guested on television shows.  Deputies found it hard to understand how it was considered difficult to find these people, who were regularly in the spotlight.

DISY ahead of ruling AKEL in election polls

2011-03-17

OPPOSITION DISY is two percentage points ahead of ruling party AKEL in the public’s preferences for the forthcoming parliamentary elections, according Cyprus’ barometer for March.

According to the poll, which was presented by ANT1 television last night, 25.1 per cent of Cypriots said they intended to vote for DISY in May’s elections, compared to 23.2 per cent who said they would opt for AKEL.

Coalition party DIKO came third with 11.2 per cent of the public’s vote, followed by EDEK with 6.8 per cent and EVROKO with 3.8 per cent. Two per cent of the barometer’s participants said they intended to vote for the Green Party.

‘Gaming bill will give monopoly to OPAP’

2011-03-17

THE NEW gambling bill’s apparent favouritism towards Greek gaming company OPAP is leading to a complete monopoly in the sector, MPs warned yesterday.

The bill was re-tabled at the House Institutions and Legal Affairs Committees yesterday, after receiving the seal of approval from the European Commission.

The Attorney-general (AG) was summoned to yesterday’s meeting however to settle a dispute between the government and online casino operators.

The latter say the bill – drafted by the finance ministry – omitted to include OPAP in its ban on supplying online betting games, even though OPAP offers games of luck such as Joker, Proto and KINO.

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.