Mexico ‘foiled’ plan to smuggle in Gaddafi son

2011-12-07

MEXICO uncovered and stopped an international plot to smuggle late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saadi into the country using fake names and false papers, authorities said yesterday.

Four people were arrested on November 10 and 11, they said, over an elaborate plan to settle Saadi Gaddafi, who is now in Niger, and his family on Mexico’s Pacific coast using forged documents, safe houses and private flights.

Mexican officials got a tip about the network – which included Mexican, Danish and Canadian members – in September, Interior Minister Alejandro Poire said.

Airlines brace for heavy Europe crisis impact

2011-12-07

AIRLINES worldwide face over $8 billion in losses next year if Europe’s politicians fail to get to grips with the region’s debt crisis, the industry’s leading trade group warned yesterday.

A collapse of efforts to shore up the euro and prevent a new shock to the global banking system would hit air transport across the globe and cripple the Asian profit machine which has led the industry’s recovery since 2009, Geneva-based IATA said.

“The biggest risk facing airline profitability over the next year is the economic turmoil that would result from a failure of governments to resolve the eurozone sovereign debt crisis,” said Tony Tyler, Director General of the International Air Transport Association.

Economic woes to soften Britain's summit stance

2011-12-07

PRIME Minister David Cameron has ratcheted up the rhetoric about protecting Britain’s interests but the need to shield a faltering economy from storms across the Channel will soften his negotiating stance at this week’s EU summit.

Cameron has to juggle the demands of a Eurosceptic wing of his centre-right Conservative party, who are baying for powers to be clawed back from Brussels, with the risk of obstructing a deal to rescue its biggest trading partner.

Speaking in parliament yesterday, Cameron said he would drive a hard bargain as other EU countries ramped up their demands for institutional change.

APOEL: Everyone will want to play us now

2011-12-07

APOEL may have avoided European football’s heavyweights by topping their group, but clubs will now be clamouring to draw the Nicosia side in the last 16, coach Ivan Jovanovic has said.

Having already qualified for the last 16, the Cypriot champions suffered their first defeat of the group stage with a 2-0 loss at home to Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday to finish on 9 points, level with Zenit St Petersburg after their 0-0 against Porto. APOEL still retained top spot thanks to a better head to head record against the Russians.

By finishing top, APOEL go into the group winners pot next Friday and will be drawn with a runner-up from one of the other groups, evading a potential draw against the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

Assad says only ‘crazy’ leaders kill own people

2011-12-07

SYRIAN President Bashar al-Assad has denied ordering his troops to kill peaceful demonstrators, telling the US television channel ABC that only a “crazy” leader kills his own people.

Assad is under mounting international pressure, including a threat of sanctions from the Arab League, over a crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests in which the United Nations says more than 4,000 people have been killed.

“We don’t kill our people … No government in the world kills its people, unless it’s led by a crazy person,” ABC’s website yesterday quoted Assad as saying in a recorded interview.

“Most of the people that have been killed are supporters of the government, not the vice versa,” Assad said.

Unions announce three-hour strike over austerity measures

2011-12-07

GOVERNMENT workers’ unions have decided today to hold a three-hour strike next Thursday to protest against a decision for austerity measures without prior dialogue. 

The strike, which ill start at 10 am, will not affect vital services such as hospitals, airports and ports, the unions said.

Striking civil servants will also march to Parliament, which will be discussing the 2012 budget at that time.

Unions are irked over being left out of a process that led to a decision to freeze broader state wages for two years and other austerity measures.

The freeze includes pay scale rises and cost of living allowance payments.

Cyprus is racing to put measures in place to avoid a bailout and EU sanctions for fiscal violations.

 

 

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2011-12-07

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MPs mull bill to increase natural gas decision-makers

2011-12-07

A BILL to increase the number of decision-makers dealing with the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbon reserves was discussed by the House Commerce Committee yesterday.

Committee head, Lefteris Christoforou, said the bill, proposed by DISY, EVROKO and MP Zacharias Koulias, would widen the circle of people involved in the decision-making process on gas and oil issues, would boost the existing advisory committee dealing with energy matters and would ensure objectivity.

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2011-12-07

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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.