England refocus after reaching the summit

2011-08-17

England have already set new goals after reaching the coveted number one spot in the world rankings at the expense of India who face an unenviable task in the fourth test starting on Thursday.

India, soundly thrashed in the first three tests, have only pride to play for in a match which a capacity crowd at the Oval will use to acclaim their heroes.

“I always think it is very dangerous to hold on to what you have got,” reflected coach Andy Flower after his team destroyed India in the third test at Edgbaston.

“We used that goal, to be number one, as a motivational tool that drove us in training and in matches. Now that we have achieved that, what (captain Andrew) Strauss and I don’t want to do is just hang on.

Our View: Turkey’s arguments against oil and gas drilling are both childish and unconvincing

2011-08-17

WITH THE September 21 drilling date getting closer by the day, Turkey has stepped up the rhetoric on Cyprus’s oil and gas exploration.

After threats last week from Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu that Ankara would “take appropriate measures” if Greek Cypriots went ahead, Turkey has now asked Washington to aid in postponing the drilling, which is being carried out by an American company.

Turkey says the drilling is “unlawful and in violation of international law” and will negatively affect Cyprus settlement talks because it would “sap Greek Cypriot desire for a solution”, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official told mainland newspaper Hurriyet on Sunday.

‘The Indignant’ on the way from Larnaca

2011-08-17

MEMBERS of the ‘Indignant’, a group of citizens outraged over the Mari blast, yesterday continued 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, yesterday morning predominantly covered the Famagusta district including Paralimni, Dherynia, Frenaros and Avgorou.

At noon the peaceful group took a break in Xylotymbou village in the Larnaca district. They spent the night in Aradippou.

During the course of the day the protestors met with House President Yiannakis Omirou and handed over a memorandum.

Protesters stopped from reaching Christofias’ country home

2011-08-17

TENSIONS heightened on Monday evening when a large group of protestors outraged over the July 11 naval base explosion gathered near President Demetris Christofias’ holiday home in Kellaki.

At 6pm around 150 members of an initiative calling themselves the “Awakened – Indignant Citizens” set off from a Limassol hotel for Kellaki in a convoy of 55 cars.

The group’s plan was to send Christofias a message of protest outside his country residence.

Archbishop blames a ‘lack of decision makers’ for Mari blast

2011-08-17

ARCHBISHOP Chrysostomos II lashed out against the government on Monday and blamed its indecisiveness for last month’s naval base explosion in Mari.

Speaking at the Panayia Chrysorogiatissa Monastery in Paphos on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Chrysostomos said the situation was unacceptable and said it must not go unnoticed.

“If they were decision makers, we would not have had this tragic event,” he said.

“They continually put off moving those materials until we got to the point where we had this tragic July 11 incident and with it grief, wailing and lamenting in our daily lives.”

Busy weekend for fire services

2011-08-17

THE FIRE Service was kept busy over the August 15 weekend having responded to just under 200 emergencies.

Fire Service spokeswoman Liza Kemidji said between August 13 and 15 the Fire Service put out 94 fires. Among others the afflicted areas included the village of Mammari adjacent to the buffer zone and the old Nicosia airport in the buffer zone. A fire also broke out in Kokkinotrimithia which destroyed six hectares of land and likely started from a rubbish pile, she said.

Small fires also had to be put out in homes and other premises caused mainly by electrical short circuits and cooking accidents such as forgotten pots on the stove, said Kemidji. Thankfully none of these fires caused extensive damage to the properties, she added.

Pole vaulters up in arms over “horrific and dangerous” equipment at GSO stadium

2011-08-17

CYPRUS’ Olympic pole vaulting hopes are hanging in the balance as athletes lobby local sporting associations to replace the dangerous and inadequate landing mats and poles at Limassol’s GSO stadium.

In an open letter to the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) vice president Segey Bubka – himself a pole vaulting world record holder –the island’s ten strong pole vaulting team said: “For around 10 years now we have made numerous complaints about the equipment of the (Tsirio) stadium, about the lack of interest in new athletes … and even in Cyprus champions.”

The letter details further health and safety risks associated with the outdated equipment.

Morphou refugees hand over resolution

2011-08-17

MORPHOU Municipality and organised bodies of the Turkish occupied town of Morphou yesterday handed over a resolution to the embassies two of the five UN Security Council permanent members, the EU Representation, President Demetris Christofias and the House President Yiannakis Omirou.

The resolution was delivered on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of the occupation of the city by the advancing Turkish troops, on August 16, 1974.

Thanking the Mayor of Morphou for the petition, US Embassy official Jessica Adams said: “We support you and the Republic of Cyprus in your efforts for unification in a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation.”

Tourist drowns

2011-08-17

A CZECH tourist was pulled unconscious from the sea yesterday afternoon in the Ayios Nicolas area of Paralimni. A police spokesman said they were informed at around 1.20pm by the Famagusta hospital that the woman had been dragged to shore by other swimmers who have administered first aid but it was too late. A post mortem will be carried out today.

Rape claim made in Larnaca

2011-08-17

LARNACA CID was yesterday investigating the alleged rape of a 27-year-old Filipino woman at the weekend.

The woman told police that a friend of hers had called to invite her to a party and said that he would arrange to have her picked up. At around 1.30pm a man came to her house and instead of taking her to the party, took her to a strange house where he raped her and then took her back to Larnaca, police said

The owner of the house where the alleged rape took place is a 32-year-old Romanian man. The man, who has claimed he had consensual sexual intercourse with the Filipino woman, was arrested, police said.

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.