THIS NEWSPAPER had for years been calling for the abolition of the automatic indexing of wages, popularly known as the Cost of Living Allowance (CoLA), because it was an inflationary measure that exclusively benefitted high-wage earners. The operation of CoLA, repeatedly described by President Christofias as ‘a blessing’, has contributed to Cyprus’ steady loss of competitiveness and the widening budget deficit, something that bothered nobody until the last couple of weeks.

FORMER National Guard commander Constantinos Bisbikas said yesterday that he had never been instructed to find a safe area to locate munitions seized from a ship sailing to Syria in 2009, which exploded some two years later killing 13 and incapacitating the island’s main power station.

In fact Bisbikis said that on the day the Monchegorsk was detained in January 2009, he had suggested the cargo not be unloaded on Cypriot soil.

Testifying before an investigating committee, Bisbikas denied what was attributed to him by the minutes of a February 6, 2009 meeting in which he appears to be assuring President Demetris Christofias and others that he had found a suitable place to store the cargo that was officially confiscated on February 16.

ARMED men fleeing a bank they just robbed yesterday morning, shot and lightly injured a man who attempted to chase them, police said.

The incident happened at 8.30am as the two hooded men exited the Marfin Popular bank branch in Aglandjia they just robbed of around €40,000.

Two members of the public tried to stop the robbers who turned around and fired their sawn-off shotguns at them, injuring one in the leg and causing damage to cars parked outside the branch.

“Thank goodness it wasn’t anything serious, he suffered some injuries to the right shin but the patient was treated and the x-rays don’t show anything serious,” said Nicosia General Hospital  doctor  Phivos Costopoulos.

JOURNALISTS’ Union head Antonis Makrides yesterday declared it a “sorry state of affairs” after it emerged that Plus TV station had made redundant 44 of its employees, on the grounds that they were changing their schedule and no longer needed them.

A day before  the dismissals the station secured the rights to almost the entire programme schedule of Star Greece, allowing them to fill any gaps in TV air time with imported programmes.

“When you decide to make redundant one person it is your obligation to go to the union to discuss the issue, not to suddenly decide to fire 44 people,” said Makrides. “We have people whose wives are pregnant, some are family men with a lot of responsibilities,” he added.

PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot Leader Dervis Eroglu, yesterday presented documents on property and territory issues during their latest meeting.

Speaking to reporters following the meeting, the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer said both sides had presented documents and they decided that ”it would be productive for the representatives to take on the discussion henceforth in relation to these documents in order to ensure not just clarifications but with a view to come into convergences,” he added.

He went on to say that “there was a positive atmosphere today and an encouraging atmosphere” and that the representatives would on Monday ”to take this work forward.”

A PROPOSED bill to amend Cyprus’ property legislation and lift several restrictions could soon see a boost to foreign investment in real estate on the island.

The bill aims to modify existing legislation to repeal limitations on immovable property ownership for EU and European Economic area nationals.

According to the bill’s accompanying explanatory report, which daily Philelefteros said was signed by Attorney-general Petros Clerides,  restrictions on buying  second homes in Cyprus would be repealed for European citizens and companies owned by residents of other countries.

THE HEALTH of former Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash is improving, press reports from the north said yesterday.

Denktash, 87, is still on a ventilator but is partially conscious. He was admitted to hospital on Wednesday after returning from a clinic in Turkey on Tuesday night where he had undergone surgery to remove a haematoma in his brain.

Although his condition is said to have improved, he is still breathing with the aid of a ventilator.

Denktash had a stroke on May 24.

A 35-YEAR-OLD Italian man was remanded for five days by Larnaca District Court yesterday in connection with possession and distribution of child pornographic material online.

This was the 11th such case so far this year.

According to police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos, after searching the 35-year-old’s house in Aradippou that he shares with his Greek Cypriot wife, police seized his computer and a number of USBs which will be investigated.

“Even from preliminary tests a number of photographs have been obtained that depict child pornography,” said Katsounotos.

“If we calculate that for the whole of last year nine cases were dealt with, then we can see that there’s an increase in the phenomenon,” said Katsounotos.