In final leg of vote, Egypt's Islamists eye majority

2012-01-04

The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood looks set for a dominant role in Egypt’s first free parliament in decades and is promising rivals a role in writing a new constitution as military generals face growing pressure to hand power to civilians.

Egyptians voted for a second day on Wednesday in the final stage of the lower-house election, the first free legislative vote since army officers overthrew the monarchy in 1952.

The staggered election is part of the military’s plan to hand power to civilians before July, ending its turbulent interregnum that began with the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in February last year in a popular uprising.

Greece's Papandreou to step down as socialist leader

2012-01-04

Greece’s former prime minister George Papandreou told his PASOK socialist party on Wednesday that he will step down as party leader and not seek re-election, a socialist deputy told Reuters.

“He told us that he will resign as PASOK leader and that he will not run for prime minister again,” said the deputy who attended a party meeting on the leadership succession.

Papandreou, 59, stepped down as prime minister in November last year to make way for a new coalition government that would help Greece resolve its biggest financial crisis in decades.

A bungled attempt to call a referendum on his government’s deeply unpopular austerity policies spooked Greece’s European partners and precipitated his downfall two years after winning elections.

Argentina's Fernandez cancer surgery a success – media

2012-01-04

Argentina’s popular president, Cristina Fernandez, was successfully operated on for thyroid cancer on Wednesday, local media said without providing any further details.

The reports, however, were not yet confirmed by the government. The presidential spokesman was expected to address reporters outside the Austral Hospital where Fernandez underwent surgery in Pilar, some 28 miles (45 km) north of the capital Buenos Aires.

Last week, the government announced her diagnosis of papillary carcinoma, detected during a routine medical checkup just before Christmas but said there was no sign the disease had spread.

Two jailed for notorious London race murder

2012-01-04

Two white men were jailed on Wednesday for murdering a black teenager in London 1993, a landmark case which exposed the “institutional racism” of the capital’s police in an official inquiry into the initial botched investigation.

Judge Colman Treacy ruled Gary Dobson should serve a minimum 15 years and two months and David Norris 14 years and three months for the murder of Stephen Lawrence at a bus stop, calling it an “evil crime” motivated by “racial hatred.”

Lawrence was stabbed to death in the unprovoked attack, lasting only around 10 seconds, by a gang of white youths. The trial had heard that at least three more people had been in the gang, all of whom are still at large.

MISC

2012-01-04

wanted – restaurant / catering kitchen equipment required at reasonable prices, please call 96877248 – paphos  area  

 

LET LIMASSOL

2012-01-04

 

House for rent 3 bedroom at Asomatos Village Fassouri area Limassol. S/pool, d/glaze, full A/C, water well, own garden & garage. F/Furnished €800 euro.  Without Furniture €700 euro. Contact Chris 

services

2012-01-04

COMPUTER SALES AND REPAIRS Fully qualified engineer, 35 years experience. Business and home users catered for.

Romney squeaks out victory in Iowa

2012-01-04

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney squeaked out a victory in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation nominating contest on Tuesday as little-known rival Rick Santorum rode lingering conservative unease to a surprise second-place finish.

Romney edged out Santorum by only eight votes, winning by 30,015 to 30,007, the state Republican Party announced.

As the Republicans headed for their next contest in Romney stronghold New Hampshire, the result solidified his frontrunner status in the battle to pick a challenger to President Barack Obama in November’s election.

Update: Nicosia bus strike lifted, service to resume tomorrow

2012-01-04

 

 

Buses will be up and running again tomorrow in Nicosia, following an agreement between bus company OSEL and worker unions.

Bus drivers working for OSEL have been on strike since Monday because they have not been paid for December 2011.

The agreement includes the immediate payment of December’s wages to staff and resumption of services at 5 am tomorrow.

OSEL will also pay up wages for the two days that its staff were on strike.

 

 

 

 

Talks resume between leaders after holiday break

2012-01-04

UN-backed talks for a solution to the Cyprus problem resumed this morning after a two week holiday break. 

In their last meeting on December 19, President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu discussed EU matters and, according to UNSG Special Representative Lisa Buttenheim, they: ‘clarified their positions in a sincere manner”. 

The two leaders are set to meet UNSG at GreenTree mansion in Long Island, New York the end of January. The last meeting at the same venue took place end of October. 

The first meeting between the two leaders and the UNSG took place in November 2010, followed by two more meetings held in Geneva on January 26 and July 7, 2011. 

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.