Libyan foreign minister coming to Cyprus

2011-04-13

Libyan Foreign Minister  Abdelati Obeidi is to visit Cyprus to meet Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou, Cypriot government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said today.

Aerosmith rocker promises debauched memories

2011-04-13

Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler will publish his memoirs worldwide on May 3, promising to share “all the unexpurgated, brain-jangling tales of debauchery, sex & drugs, transcendence & chemical dependence you will ever want to hear.”

His book, “Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?,” comes out at a time when the 63-year-old singer’s job as a judge on TV show “American Idol” is winning him new, younger fans who may not be familiar with his sordid past.

It will be published by HarperCollins, the firm said on Tuesday.

Tyler previously wrote about his life in the 1997 memoir “Walk This Way,” on which he and his bandmates collaborated with Steven Davis. Tyler worked on his book with David Dalton.

United dish out more European misery to Chelsea

2011-04-13

 

Manchester United inflicted more Champions League misery on Chelsea with a 2-1 win that put them in the semi-finals and then twisted the knife when Alex Ferguson said he might not have fielded the right team.

Mexican striker Javier Hernandez opened the scoring just before halftime and Park Ji-sung added a second just moments after Didier Drogba had given Chelsea hope with an equaliser on the night but United ran out 3-1 winners on aggregate.

Ferguson’s side, who beat Chelsea on penalties in the 2008 final and had carved out a 1-0 lead from last week’s first leg, absorbed plenty of pressure during an open and balanced game in which the Londoners had Ramires sent off with 20 minutes left.

Braun’s Watches are Straight Outta the Dieter Rams Design Books

2011-04-13

RELAUNCHING the watches line they created with Dieter Rams back in the ’70s is possibly one of the greatest ideas Braun will ever have. Designed by Zeon, they’re actually very Apple; almost like tiny iMacs strapped to your wrist.

Available in black and silver, both have just a single recessed button for lighting up the display, plus a scroll-wheel for switching functions (and presumably adjusting the digital time,) the watches should be released in autumn of this year.

If you’ve hankered after the archives timepieces from the ’70s, there’s good news in that area, too—Braun is re-issuing several classic models after getting the thumb’s up from Dietrich Lubs (Rams’ design partner). Personally, I can’t wait to match my watch with my juicer and husband’s shaver.

Stavrakis touts vote of confidence from IMF

2011-04-13

THE government said yesterday an improved economic forecast from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was a vote of confidence for the Cypriot economy.

“The most important thing is that the forecast concerning the public finances is much improved,” Finance Minister Charilaos Stavrakis told reporters.

Although forecasting a slower growth rate since its previous estimates in October last year, the IMF also expects drops in the deficit and public debt.

The growth rate for 2011 is marginally down and forecasted at 1.7 per cent from 1.8 per cent in October.

The growth prediction for 2014 is 2.6 per cent, down from 2.9 in October.

Our View: Kiosk defiance being abetted by the lack of a court decision

2011-04-13

INSIDE the barriers put up around Solomou Square, on the edge of the dug-up building site, the only thing that has been left standing in what used to be Nicosia’s central bus terminal, is a kiosk.

This kiosk was set up on the pavement more than 20 years ago, and the original owner was allowed to operate because of his links with the association for the blind. When the current operator took it over, legal action to have it removed was taken by the Nicosia Municipality but it was unsuccessful. Now, the kiosk is delaying the construction work, scheduled to finish in October, which could mean more traffic misery and a higher cost for the taxpayer.

Taking equality seriously in the new democracies

2011-04-13

The woman in Tahrir Square was worried. “The men were keen for me to be here when we were demanding that Mubarak should go”, she told me when I visited Cairo last month; “but now he has gone, they want me to go home”.

Some of the bravest people in the countries battling for a democratic future are women. They are doctors and lawyers,  writers and human rights activists. They want a form of democracy in which they can play as great a role as men. However, there are worrying signs that this may be denied to them.

Leave aside the moral principle for the moment: I shall return to this later . Think of the waste of talent that would flow from a refusal to break with inequality and sexism .

Aegean to launch Paris and six seasonal Greek flights

2011-04-13

AEGEAN Airlines yesterday announced the launch of new routes between Larnaca, Paris and six Greek destinations this summer.

The new Paris route will run three times a week, on Monday, Thursday and Saturday from June 9 and establish Larnaca airport as a base for three of Aegean’s A320s. The aircraft will depart from Larnaca at 3:45pm and return from Charles de Gaulle Airport at 8.15pm.

The new Greek destinations are Heraklion, Rhodes, Mykonos, Chania, Kos and Santorini, bringing the total to eight.

Heraklion flights are already underway, while the other five are scheduled to start on June 20 and 21, running throughout the summer season and ending on September 5.

Race to put final touches to gaming bill

2011-04-13

DEPUTIES plan to hold another two rushed meetings before tomorrow’s plenum in a bid to wrap discussions on the much-debated gaming bill.

Tomorrow will be the final session of parliament before it wraps up for elections on May 22.

Today, the House Legal Affairs, Institutions and Finance Committees are expected to conclude discussions on the tax that will be imposed for online gambling.

Speaking after yesterday’s meeting, the head of the Legal Affairs Committee, DISY’s Ionas Nicolaou, said it had been decided that a report would be drafted and all parties would submit their final say on the bill during tomorrow’s plenum.

Search for evidence in murder case

2011-04-13

POLICE yesterday launched a search for evidence around Oroklini Lake, near where the body of a 34-year-old Pakistani man was found on Monday evening.

Members of Larnaca CID also took a number of statements from people close to the victim, 34-year-old Anis Ur Rehman, who was found at least 10 hours after being strangled and dumped in a coastal military bunker in Pyla.

“The investigations and interrogations by the Crime Investigation Department of Larnaca Police Headquarters continue intensively,” Police Spokesman Michalis Katsounotos said yesterday. “From this morning, a broad-scale operation is being carried out in the area where the victim’s car was found, in an effort to spot possible evidence that may relate to the case.”

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.