Mylordos gearing up for second Eurovision semi-final

2011-05-12

Cyprus’ Eurovision entry Christos Mylordos will tonight compete for a place in Saturday’s Eurovision song contest final.

Mylordos will compete against 18 other entrants with his soulful ballad ‘San Angelos S’Agapisa’, which has so far proven a hit among online audiences.

Televoters and a professional jury in each country have a 50 per cent stake in the outcome. The top ten will proceed to the final.

A former professional singer and music school graduate, Mylordos was born on the 30th of April,1991 in Nicosia, where he studied at both Greek school and English schools. from which he graduated in 2010.

Omonia eye cup final after beating APOEL

2011-05-12

OMONIA coach Neophytos Larkou was pleased with his team’s 1-0 victory over arch-rivals APOEL in the final round of the national football championship playoffs at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia on Wednesday night.

“I would first like to congratulate APOEL on winning the title as they have one of the best coaches in Cyprus in Ivan Jovanovic. In regards to the game, of course we did not expect many fans as the game had no importance standings wise, but it is always a derby with both teams trying to win it,” said Larkou.

No backing down on Phaneromeni event

2011-05-12

THE POLICE and the Nicosia Municipality were yesterday rushing to correct the mistake that led to two opposing groups being given permits for separate events in the same place in Nicosia’s old town tomorrow evening.

The permits error could bring together Greek Resistance Movement KEA members on an anti-immigrant march with another group planning a multicultural street party at Phaneromeni Square.

Police Spokesman Michalis Katsounotos yesterday made it clear that the force would in no way allow the two events to run at the same time tomorrow. He said from the very first moment the police realised what had happened, they had been taking steps to ensure the confrontation does not come about.

Turkish president: guess who’s not coming to dinner?

2011-05-12

THE FOREIGN Ministry will be lodging a complaint to the multilateral organisation, the United Nations, over the Istanbul dinner affair where Cyprus’ foreign minister Marcos Kyprianou was specifically not invited as a guest to the banquet hosted by Turkish President Abdullah Gul.

The dinner was hosted in Istanbul for the pleasure of delegates of the 4th UN Meeting for the Least Developed Countries. Failure to invite the Cypriot minister was part of Turkey’s long-held policy not to recognise the Cyprus Republic, explained Kyprianou.

Speaking from Istanbul, the minister yesterday clarified that, “Cyprus was present at the meeting, as a UN member state, and the Cypriot flag was present in the room”.

Bird trapping costs €1b in lost tourist revenue

2011-05-12

ILLEGAL bird trapping could is harming both the environment and the economy, according conservationist group Terra Cypria’s latest report.

The report shows that not only are 1.7 million birds slaughtered annually, but the lost tourist revenues could run to €1 billion, outweighing the revenue from the sale of trapped birds in restaurants.

Were the trapping to stop, lucrative bird parks and fairs could be established on the island, presenting a positive image of the island, but crucially generating up to €1 billion annually.

Terra Cypria assistant director Costas Orountiotis said yesterday: “The income that some sections of society derive from illegal bird trapping is actually less than the income lost by local hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions.”

Pet insurance now available in Cyprus

2011-05-12

DOMESTIC PET, cattle and equine owners can finally take out insurance for their animals, now that Cosmos Insurance has joined forces with international agency Catlin Group Limited to prepare a specific insurance plan.

The two companies yesterday presented the new plan, which aims to offer better protection to pet owners and farmers, in regards to veterinary fees and general coverage for third party liability.

Up until now, pet insurance wasn’t really offered by anyone, except one or two companies, who offered it in combination with other insurance plans.

Change of attitude needed to reduce road deaths

2011-05-12

PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias pledged to reduce road deaths by half for the new Road Safety Action Plan 2012-2020, which was launched yesterday.

Setting up speed cameras and upgrading driving tests and the ambulance service were among some of the significant changes to be made.

Christofias was speaking at the event to mark the start of the Decade of Action for Road Safety as well as the signing of the European Road Safety Charter by 33 more members increasing the Cypriot members to 95.

The charter aims to stabilise the number of car accident victims and then drastically reduce them.

‘Modernise or be marginalised’ says business bosses

2011-05-12

 

EITHER THE Cypriot economy modernises or else it will be marginalised, warned Filios Zachariades, president of the Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEV) yesterday.

The business head further noted that the economy and society were paying for the “weak-willed reform” being implemented in the country.

Speaking at OEV’s annual general meeting, Zachariades called for serious reform to curb state expenditure, referring to the state payroll and pension fund.

“A lot has been said about who’s to blame or not to blame for the creation and continuation of the economic crisis. The only sure thing is that Cypriot businesses are not to blame,” said the OEV head.

Hadjicostis murder ‘a crime by amateurs’

2011-05-12

THE DEFENCE in the ongoing trial for the murder of Sigma owner Andis Hadjicostis yesterday tried to poke holes in the story of key prosecution witness Fanos Hadjigeorgiou.

Hadjigeorgiou allegedly drove the getaway motorcycle on the night of the murder and has been given immunity in return for his testimony against the other four suspects.

According to Marios Georgiou, the lawyer for one of the alleged masterminds, Tasos Krasopoulis said the shooting of the Sigma boss was the “perfect amateur crime conjured up at coffeeshops, on the go, and in the hallways of Hippocration. Clinic”.

Georgiou was referring to the apparently confused communication between Hadjigeorgiou, the alleged shooter Gregoris Xenofontos and alleged fixer Andreas Gregoriou.

Royal navy begins exercise off Cyprus coast

2011-05-12

BRITISH FORCES will carry out a series of naval exercises in Cyprus this week in order to demonstrate the Response Force Task Group’s readiness and capabilities.

Seven Royal Navy warships and auxiliaries, Royal Marines and helicopters will meet offshore near the British Sovereign Base Areas for exercise “Cypriot Lion.”

The exercise will include air defence practice and live firing at sea with amphibious exercises in coastal waters involving Royal Marines of 3 Commando Brigade, and it will be the first major exercise of the RFTG.

UK Task Force commander John Kingwell said: “The Response Force Task Group enables the Royal Navy to respond at short notice to unforeseen events in an unpredictable and fast moving world.”

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.