Our View: A wealth of expertise just going to waste

2011-08-14

SPEAKING on radio show recently, the Rector of the Cyprus University Costas Christofides fired a broadside against the political party system which dominates all aspects of public life and prevented people with real expertise from contributing to the formulation of government policy and decision-making.

There were many policy matters to which members of the academic community could have contributed fresh ideas or suggested alternatives, but they were never asked, he said. Politicians together with the top civil servants wanted to keep control and refused to allow outsiders into the policy formulation process.

Turning the capital upside down: Mavrou says more to come

2011-08-14

THOUSANDS of people have fled the capital this weekend. Thousands more remain behind in relatively traffic-free streets, which somewhat eases the grief of contending with the major municipality works that are taking place around the city.

The reprieve will not last long. By next month the frustration will return, along with the motorists, and with 20 urban projects on the go, Mayor Eleni Mavrou, in an interview with the Sunday Mail, says it will all be worth it.

DISY: inadequate austerity package not fooling anyone

2011-08-14

MAIN opposition DISY yesterday expressed its readiness to work with all political powers to put in place measures that will contain public spending.

It is the only way “to rescue our economy, which has been led to the brink of disaster by the government and (ruling) AKEL,” a DISY statement said.

The party said Friday’s announcement by ratings agency Standard and Poor’s is the final warning regarding the course and the prospects of the Cypriot economy.

S&P said it may cut the sovereign credit rating for Cyprus, citing its belief the government’s fiscal position is no longer sustainable.

Girl, 5, dies in balcony fall

2011-08-14

A FIVE-YEAR-OLD Romanian girl left alone by her parents who were working fell to her death from the third-floor balcony of their flat in Larnaca, police said.

The girl was found just after 10am by neighbours who notified the authorities.

Reports said she had been left on her own by her parents who had to go to work when at some point she climbed on a couch on the balcony and fell some nine metres.

She was rushed to hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

State pathologist Eleni Antoniou has ruled out foul play.

Police are trying to establish the circumstances that led to the child’s death and were not immediately looking to charge the parents with any offence.

Camp invaders attack soldiers

2011-08-14

FIVE men, including an army conscript, have been arrested in connection with assaulting and beating four other soldiers inside a Limassol garrison, it emerged yesterday.

The incident happened at around 7.15 pm on Friday.

Police said six unknown men, all civilians, approached the gate on foot and entered illegally after pushing the guard out of the way.

The men met with a 19-year-old soldier and together they assaulted and beat up four other conscripts.

One of the four was admitted with multiple fractures of the nasal bone.

The other three returned to their unit after receiving treatment for scratches and bruises.

Police arrested the 19-year-old conscript and four others – related to him — aged between 24 and 27,

Police rubbish tampering reports in blast probe

2011-08-14

POLICE yesterday rubbished a media report suggesting that a Presidential Palace document linked to the seizure of 98 containers of Iranian munitions, which exploded a month ago killing 13, had been altered.

Daily Politis said yesterday reported that investigators seem to doubt the authenticity of the minutes kept by the Presidential Palace during a February 6, 2009 meeting, which decided to seize the cargo destined for Syria.

In a written statement, police “categorically denied” the allegation, adding that the document was authentic.

Police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos said both the document and the computer used to write it had been examined and its authenticity “has been fully confirmed.”

The ‘Indignant’ reach Limassol on 300km march

2011-08-14

MEMBERS of the ‘Indignant’, a group of citizens outraged over the Mari blast, yesterday continues their 300km march in memory of the 13 victims killed in the July 11 naval base explosion.

The march, which began on Thursday in Paphos, will finish on August 17 outside the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, where a delegation of participants will seek to have a meeting with President Demetris Christofias.

In a symbolic move, thirteen people are leading the march.

Participants began walking yesterday morning from Limassol, heading for Evangelos Florakis base at Mari, where they paid tribute to the dead, after which they were due to march on Zygi, Chirokitia and Kofinou – all of which were affected by the blast.

Tourism arrivals to the north ‘break all records’

2011-08-14

TOURIST ARRIVALS broke all records for the breakaway state in the north this year, the north’s ‘tourism minister’ Unal Ustel was quoted saying.

According to Cyprus News Agency, Ustel said the north saw more visitors in 2011 than any other year since 1974.

Ustel noted the significant increase in tourist arrivals between January and July this year compared to the previous period in 2010 while hotel capacity reached 62 per cent last month.

Between January and July last year, the number of tourists had reached 112,949, with 76,714 staying overnight in the north, said Ustel. In total for 2010, 319,000 tourists stayed in the north, with 1,165,970 overnight stays recorded.

2011 beach cleanup campaign deemed a success

2011-08-14

THE YOUTH branch of the Cyprus Green Party  has just completed this year’s round of beach cleanups in coordination with the Mediterranean campaign coordinated by the Italy-based NGO Legambiente.

Under the slogan “Clean beaches, Free beaches” the campaign was a great success, the greens said.

Beach cleanings took place Larnaca, Paralimni and Paphos. “The public response to all beach-cleaning efforts was immense,” a statement said.

“Unfortunately, huge heaps of rubbish were found some of which were dangerous, such as broken bottles and used condoms. Also at Lara beach, bulky pieces of tar, tires and ropes were collected and disposed of,” it said.

At Lara, young volunteers had the chance to witness the birth of over 80 turtles.

 

Shots fired at Nicosia home

2011-08-14

POLICE were yesterday investigating an incident in which eight shots were fired against a house in the Nicosia district.

No one was injured in the 3.20 am incident, though two rounds hit the wall of the bedroom where the 45-year-old owner had been sleeping, police said.

Only one other shot hit the house, located on the Mathiatis to Analyontas road.

Four landed on an outside wall and one hit the gate.

 

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.