Kyprianou: I’m not prepared to be the ‘fall guy’

2011-07-19

 

FOREIGN Minister Marcos Kyprianou has said he intends to resign over last week’s explosion at a naval base that killed 13 people.

He made the statement at parliament following the first of a series of hearings held by the House Defence Committee investigating the blast at the Evangelos Florakis base.

Kyprianou told reporters that he would ask President Demetris Christofias to accept his resignation “not because there is a sense of guilt, but for reasons of political sensitivity.”

Also attending the committee were ex-Defence Minister Costas Papacostas and ex-National Guard chief General Petros Tsalikides. Both stepped down last Monday within hours of the incident.

Archbishop: I’d rather get by with a lantern

2011-07-19

LEADING the charge against the government yesterday was Archbishop Chrysostomos, who expressed dismay on learning that the Turkish Cypriot regime would be supplying the south with power.

“I’d rather get by with a lantern and flashlight,” the Prelate remarked. “If they had asked me, I would have told them not to bring electricity from the occupied areas or to have electricity given to the Archbishopric.”

He added: “Let’s switch off the air conditioning units, sweat a little, experience some hardship and set aside our comforts. As far as I’m concerned, I have not been using the a/c in my office since that day [when the deal was announced].

Amid protests, defence committee meets behind closed doors

2011-07-19

 

SHOUTING, ‘criminals,’ ‘incompetent amateurs,’ and calling Christofias and his ministers to quit, demonstrators at parliament yesterday stalked members of the House Defence Committee, officials and other politicians before and during their closed-doors meeting.

The demonstrators put up a banner listing scandals plaguing the current and previous governments, asking: When will someone finally pay?

Concensus on rescue package

2011-07-19

 

THE POLITICAL parties and government see eye-to-eye on the package of measures being drawn up to prop the ailing economy which will be ready on Friday, said government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou yesterday.

President Demetris Christofias chaired a second meeting with party leaders yesterday to discuss immediate measures for the economy following on from the first meeting on July 8.

The second meeting had originally been scheduled for last Monday, the day of the Mari naval base blast which killed 13 people, injured many and all but destroyed the country’s largest power plant, responsible for 52 per cent of electricity production.

Largest demonstration yet draws in thousands

2011-07-19

RECORD NUMBERS of people gathered outside the Presidential Palace yesterday for the eighth night running, repeating calls for the resignation of President Demetris Christofias over the Mari naval base disaster.

Last night was by far the biggest demonstration yet with well over 12,000 people gathering in and around the three avenues leading off from the palace roundabout.

Thousands of candles were distributed to arriving protesters between 8pm and 9pm which were lit when the names of the 13 dead from the Mari explosion were read out. This was followed by a minute’s silence and the singing of the national anthem.

Many turned up at the protest directly while others marched from an earlier protest gathering at Eleftheria Square.

‘Fire service also has much to answer for’

2011-07-19

 

THE FATHER of one of six firemen killed in last week’s Mari naval base blast yesterday accused the Fire Service of failing to follow protocol, leading to the deaths of 13 people.

Michalis Theofilou, father of Panayiotis Theofilou, killed at the blast on July 11, called on Attorney-general Petros Clerides and Justice Minister Loucas Louca to investigate whether any disciplinary and criminal offences were committed as a result of the “criminal decisions, actions and omissions of the fire service officers involved in this tragic incident”.

Worry high over clashing protesters

2011-07-19

POLITICAL party leaders yesterday appealed to the public to refrain from causing trouble at tonight’s anniversary event condemning the 1974 military coup and subsequent Turkish invasion.

The annual event, which was postponed from last week and is open to the public, will be held at the presidential palace despite the almost nightly gathering of anti-government protestors after last Monday’s catastrophic munitions’ explosion at the Evangelos Florakis naval base.

Although leaders were unanimous regarding the public’s right to freedom of expression, in order to avoid any fracas between the two sides, a number of suggestions were put forward including protestors gathering elsewhere for the night, and relocating or even cancelling the presidential palace event.

National Council meeting focuses on base tragedy

2011-07-19

THE NATIONAL Council yesterday focused its discussions on last Monday’s tragic explosion at the Evangelos Florakis naval base and what steps were being taken to deal with its devastating consequences.

Following the conclusion of the meeting, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou expressed the National Council’s condolences to the families of the victims.

At the start of the meeting the National Council had held a minute’s silence in memory of the 13 victims killed in the blast, he said.

During the meeting President Demetris Christofias briefed the Council members about what efforts were being made to deal with the problems caused by the blast, with priority given to the electricity issue, said Stefanou.

Demand yesterday higher than expected yesterday

2011-07-19

THE ELECTRICITY Authority of Cyprus again issued an urgent appeal yesterday for people to restrict energy usage to the absolutely necessary.

Demand was “significantly higher than expected,” the announcement read.

In addition to turning off air conditioning units, the EAC asked people to use washing machines, driers and irons only after 10pm.

“We call on all consumers, private or not, to understand the gravity of the situation and we appeal to them again to save as much energy as possible,” the EAC said.

People avoiding lifts

2011-07-19

THE NUMBER of people getting trapped in lifts increased in the days after the naval base explosion but the situation is improving, Association of Elevator Companies’ president, Demetris Theodosiou announced yesterday.

The explosion killed 13 last Monday and took out Cyprus’ main power plant, resulting in daily power cuts.

“There was an increased rate of people getting trapped in lifts, due to the daily power cuts, but it seems that the situation is getting better,” said Theodosiou, urging people not to create more problems than there already are.

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.