Modern, private, 3 bedroom…

2011-06-22

Modern, private, 3 bedroom villa in Latsi for holiday rent. Big, beautiful garden, pool, 200m to beach, 180 Euro per night July, 250 Euro per night August. 99389001 www.cyprusrents.co.uk

Moleskis resigns

2011-06-22

THE head of the Cyprus EU presidency secretariat Andreas Moleskis resigned today, following the outcry over the questionable hiring process.

In a brief statement, Moleskis said he had tendered his resignation to President Demetris Christofias this morning.

“The president accepted my resignation,” the statement said.

Presidency chief denies wrongdoing

2011-06-22

THE head of the Cyprus EU presidency secretariat yesterday denied any wrongdoing in a staff hiring process and took full responsibility for the outcry that it has created.

He also suggested that a damning report by the auditor-general had adopted the approach of the newspaper that blew the whistle on the questionable appointment.

Andreas Moleskis defended the procedure before the House Watchdog Committee, as Politis, the paper that broke the story, reported – quoting two candidates – that the process had been rigged.

Moleskis however, assumed full responsibility “for the issue that was created” as a result of a procedure, which although legal, can raise questions.

Our View: Why are cabbies’ bullying tactics rewarded with any attention?

2011-06-22

COMMUNICATIONS and Works Minister Erato Kozakou-Markoulli is considering setting up a cab-share scheme that could be used by children and the elderly. The scheme would be presented to a delegation of taxi-drivers that the minister was scheduled to meet with today.

According to reports, the taxi-drivers were interested in hearing more about the ministry’s scheme, which is aimed at reducing the number of cars on the road.

Nobody doubts the minister’s good intentions, but we think that very little thought has been put into this scheme, which would not only require NASA-type logistics to work, but also a developed sense of community spirit on the part of the drivers; and community spirit is not something our cab-drivers are renowned for.

Car auctions to be held live online

2011-06-22

 

CYPRUS’ first online car auction is due to take place tomorrow, offering locals the chance to buy and sell cars from the comfort of their homes via an online video feed.

As of yesterday 74 vehicles, ranging in price from €500 to €22,500 had been registered for the auction, which start tomorrow at 3pm at the state fair and will be broadcast live over the internet on www.liveautoauction.com.cy/.

The auction will be repeated every Thursday at the same time.

The online auction is an initiative of the Kitsios Motors Group and has been billed as a way for buyers and sellers to “save time and money” as they place bids from computers in the auction hall or at home.

Prison governor refuses to withdraw ‘inhuman’ haircut order

2011-06-22

DEPUTY prison governor Giorgos Tryfonides was yesterday indignant at the ombudswoman’s call to withdraw an order forcing inmates to cut their hair and shave.

The ombudswoman, Elisa Savvidou, formally submitted a recommendation to the Justice Minister and prison governor maintaining that the order violates inmates’ human rights and is a degrading way to treat them.

Tryfonides was obviously irritated when he was asked whether he was going to withdraw the order during an interview yesterday on CyBC radio.

“I am applying the law… and will not allow anyone to accuse me that I am torturing and humiliating people,” he said maintaining that the law gave him the authority to “take added measures to maintain personal hygiene.”

Protestors injured during school takeover demo

2011-06-22

SEVERAL protesters, including a 17-year-old girl who was hit on the head by a police baton, were injured yesterday during a demonstration over the sale of a school in Famagusta to a Turkish educational conglomerate.

The 17-year-old was said to be recovering in hospital yesterday afternoon. Four protesters were also arrested and taken into custody.

Shouting “This country is not for sale!” and “No to privatisation!” hundreds of teachers, parents and students converged on the Eastern Mediterranean University’s (EMU) rector’s office yesterday morning to protest the planned selloff of the schools, which are attached to the ‘state’-run university.

Hermes airports mark five years

2011-06-22

A TOTAL of 35 million passengers on board 320,000 flights have passed through Larnaca and Paphos Airports over the last five years, Hermes Airports announced yesterday as it marked its first five years of operation.

“We feel happy but it’s not a day of celebration as we have a long road ahead of us,” said CEO of Hermes Airports Alfred van der Meer, who described Hermes as an “experiment that has worked for Cyprus”.

Construction industry still struggling through recession

2011-06-22

THE CONSTRUCTION industry is showing no signs of economic recovery with activity levels remaining where they were a year ago, the Federation of Building Contractors Associations of Cyprus (OSEOK) warned yesterday.

Lack of demand, heavy competition within the industry, the financial crisis and difficulties obtaining loans to keep fluid capital are, in that order, the major problems ailing construction, OSEOK bosses said.

About 49 per cent of contractors said their business in the first three months of this year echoed the state of the industry in the same period last year.

A third of all Cypriot construction workers said they were out of work, a figure again comparable to that of a year ago.

Union leaders show soft side

2011-06-22

UNION LEADERS yesterday showed a softer side in talks with the government on the economic crisis, indicating a willingness on behalf of public sector employees to help address the poor state of public finances.

President Demetris Christofias met with leaders of the three main unions SEK, PEO and PASYDY at the presidential palace yesterday.

Speaking after the 90-minute meeting, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said the president tabled the government’s proposal for the contribution of employees from the wider public sector to the effort to tackle the impact of the economic crisis.

“The unions have indicated a readiness to contribute and have undertaken to inform their members about the proposal,” said Stefanou.

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.