Man held over deadly laptop attack on sister

2012-01-22

 

A 25-YEAR-old from the Nicosia suburb of Latsia gave himself up to the police following a deadly attack on his sister by hitting her over the head more than 50 times with a laptop in the early hours of yesterday. 

The 25-year-old, who called the police at 7:30am, said that he got into an argument with his sister over a laptop a few hours earlier, at around 4:30am. 

A police news report said the woman had apparently been kicked and punched and suffered repeated blows to the head and body with the laptop.

“I killed my sister,” the 25-year-old allegedly told Latsia police who got to the scene to find the dead 28-year-old on a sofa, Cyprus News Agency (CNA) said.

State broadcaster CyBC said she was found in a pool of blood.

Tales from the coffeeshop: Dumb strategic investor is the pilots’ only hope

2012-01-22

IF BULLSHIT could be used as fuel at our power stations, the Electircity Authority would never again have to buy oil. Originally inspired by the Cyprob, it is now produced on an industrial scale every day by the great and the good of Kyproulla. 

For anyone unfamiliar with the word, Wikipedia says among other things: “It can be used as an interjection or as many other parts of speech and can carry a wide variety of meanings. Used as an interjection it protests the use of misleading, disingenuous, or false language. In philosophy, Harry Frankfurt, among others, analysed the concept of bullshit as related to but distinct from lying.

Can sea water help with our energy needs?

2012-01-22

 

THE Agricultural Research Institute, a non-profit branch of the Agriculture Ministry, wants to grow tiny algae and see if they are a good biofuels alternative to diesel.

Biofuels are a renewable energy source and can be an answer to the global problems of increasing energy needs amid dwindling non-renewable resources and climate change.

Organic material, such as soya, can be converted into burnable biofuels.

But there’s a catch: arable land is in short supply and growing crops to use as fuels is in direct competition with growing crops to eat.

And just growing enough of the stuff can be tricky, said the Agricultural Research Institute’s Polycarpos Polycarpou.

Nicosia kiosk robbers deterred by air freshener spray

2012-01-22

TWO unidentified men who attempted to rob a kiosk on Friday night in Nicosia, escaped with only a mobile phone when the owner fought back by spraying them in the face with air freshener.

According to police, the 51-year-old owner of the kiosk was by himself when the men, wearing hoods and surgical gloves entered his premises and demanded the money from the till.

They then started knocking him about with the result that he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

While he was on the ground he managed to get hold of a bottle of air freshener and used it to ward off the thieves, who only managed to grab a mobile worth €600.

EAC technical staff postpone strike measures

2012-01-22

SEP-AHK, one of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus’ (EAC) trade unions, announced yesterday that they would postpone work-to-rule measures started last Thursday over a disagreement with the Authority.

The measures included not carrying out any repairs on the grid outside of working hours.

The decision was made following a low-profile meeting held on Friday between the union and the board’s chairman and vice-chairman, said SEP-AHK head Sotos Savva.

SEP-AHK union members, that represent 85 per cent of the EAC’s technical staff have agreed to enter into negotiations with the Authority to prepare a programme for rational restructuring of the whole organisation.

Four people nabbed in drug raid

2012-01-22

DRUGS squad YKAN arrested four people on Friday night in Kato Paphos in connection with illegal possession of drugs, intent to supply, and possession of fake euros.

The suspects aged, 41, 50, 24 and 29, were arrested following a raid on a maisonette, where the 41-year-old man was living.

The 41-year-old was found trying to escape via the roof, where police found eight grammes of cocaine and 15 grammes of heroin.

They also seized two weighing scales, six nylon bags containing cannabis with a gross weight of 167 grammes, and various items of jewellery.

Paphos burglary

2012-01-22

POLICE are investigating a burglary complaint made by a 44-year-old Russian woman living in Paphos, who said her home was broken into between 5 and 7.30pm on Friday.

The thieves escaped with goods totalling €53,300.

According to Paphos police spokesman Nicos Tsapis, the burglary took place while the woman was out.

They stole a gold watch with diamonds on it worth around €25,000 and three branded handbags worth €8000, among other valuable items.

Paphos police have already received 15 burglary complaints since the start of the year.

Arson suspected

2012-01-22

Police suspect arson as the cause of a fire that completely destroyed a pre-fabricated dwelling located on the premises of an apartment block in Yermasoyia, during the early hours of yesterday.

It also caused damage to a nearby pub.

The total failure of Denktash

2012-01-22

RAUF Denktash has left an indelible mark on the history of the Republic. Together with Archbishop Makarios, he shaped the political realities of our country such as they are today.

The son of a judge, Denktash graduated from the English School before going on to study law in England. Eloquent, sharp, hard-working and goal-oriented, it was he who transformed the Muslim population of Cyprus into a Turkish population.

Stalled at a red-taped red-light

2012-01-22

 

A TRAFFIC camera system to monitor red light and speed violations on the roads should have been helping to save lives since 2006, but has instead got bogged down in a tortuous battle over tenders.

A pilot scheme, launched in October 2006, lasted just one year before it was halted after being plagued by technical glitches and legal controversies. The disconnected traffic cameras remain in place, however, looking more like roadside decorations rather than “police’s special weapon to save lives”.

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.