IAEA, Iran to meet again after 'good' talks

2012-02-01

Senior U.N. nuclear inspectors plan another trip to Iran later this month after holding what both sides described as good talks on the Islamic state’s disputed atomic programme.

The Jan 29-31 talks in Tehran were a rare direct dialogue in the long-running international stand-off, which has worsened in recent weeks as the West pursues a punitive embargo on Iranian oil and Tehran threatens retaliation.

“The Agency is committed to intensifying dialogue. It remains essential to make progress on substantive issues,” Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in a statement.

No to illegal bird trapping in Cyprus’

2012-02-01

BIRDLIFE Cyprus yesterday handed a petition containing over 16,000 signatures, from over 150 countries, to Interior Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis, calling for more action against illegal bird trapping.

“The number of signatures gathered by our petition shows how concerned the general public is about bird trapping in Cyprus,” said BirdLife’s Executive Director, Claire Papazoglou, adding that limestick use had increased significantly.

The aim of the petition was not only ‘to push the authorities to take real action’ but to raise public awareness about the illegal activity, which has been on the rise over the last few years.

According to BirdLife’s Martin Hellicar, trapping levels were at their highest last autumn since 2002.

APOEL relatively quiet despite main rivals all strengthening

2012-02-01

 

DEFENDING champions APOEL will hope their solitary signing of the January transfer window will give them a boost as they bid to defend the title, while their main rivals Omonia, Anorthosis and AEL all significantly strengthened their squads.

APOEL manager Ivan Jovanovic’s only signing of the window is the Portuguese midfielder Helder Sousa, who was definitely well scouted as he spent the last two seasons with Olympiakos Nicosia during which he played 44 games and scored four goals.

APOEL also tried to sign 21-year-old Portuguese midfielder Joao Pedro Pereira Silva, who is currently playing for Vitoria de Setubal, on loan from Everton.

Terry faces trial in July over race claims

2012-02-01

CHELSEA and England football captain John Terry will go on trial in July after he pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to racially abusing opponent Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match in October.

The trial, which could last up to five days, will take place after the Euro 2012 tournament when Terry is expected to line up at the heart of England’s defence alongside Ferdinand’s brother, Rio.

Terry did not attend Wednesday’s hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court in central London.

“Now that the court has fixed a date for trial, Mr Terry looks forward to the opportunity to clear his name,” the player’s legal firm Grosvenor Law LLP said in a statement.

UNHCR Cyprus and APOEL join hands in support of refugees

2012-02-01

United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cyprus and APOEL Football Club have teamed up to help refugees and those forcibly displaced or due to violence and persecution.

The UNHCR said today in a statement: ”This humanitarian initiative by APOEL is very much welcomed as it comes at a time when the Middle East and the Mediterranean region from Tunis to Syria and beyond are witnessing increasing political instability, and where untold atrocities are being committed everyday against innocent civilians.”

”It is very important at this difficult time to send a message of solidarity with those victims of violence and to provide support to the efforts of the international community to protect and assist those innocent people.”

Noble may build natural gas terminal in Cyprus

2012-02-01

 

NOBLE Energy is considering building a natural gas terminal for the domestic market and for exports from Cyprus, Noble’s vice president Terry Gerhart said today.

After this morning’s meeting with the President Demetris Christofias, Gerhart said: “We updated him on our progress with the well… As everyone is aware we drilled a successful well and made an announcement at the end of the year.”

He added: “Somewhere between 5 and 8 trillion cubic feet of gas were found and we look forward to progressing it and bringing it to reality for the Cypriot market. it is going to take quite a bit of time to analyze all of the data that we have. We are in the process of doing that now.”

Assange appeals extradition to UK's top court

2012-02-01

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appealed to Britain’s Supreme Court on Wednesday not to extradite him to Sweden over accusations of sex crimes, a move that could push his anti-secrecy website further towards oblivion.

Australian-born Assange, 40, became a worldwide celebrity and infuriated the U.S. government in 2010 when WikiLeaks released secret video footage and thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Since then, the scoops have dried up and WikiLeaks has faded from the news headlines, starved of cash by major credit card companies that are refusing to process online donations to it, and bogged down by Assange’s protracted legal troubles.

6Wunderkinder Launches Wunderkit Project Management tool

2012-02-01

Wunderkit, a web service with a beta Mac app and iOS client designed to allow users to accomplish all of their life‘s projects with the help of friends, family and colleagues. Wunderkit is a state-of-the-art platform that contains a blend of a social network and online working space for the individual. Users will be able to create workspaces, collaborate and monitor status updates and important tasks from all working spaces through their t. Wunderkit has been in closed beta over the past three weeks and access to Wunderkit is now available to everyone.

With Florida victory, Romney is the man to beat

2012-02-01

Mitt Romney’s victory in Florida’s Republican US presidential primary has made him the man to beat in the race for the party’s nomination to challenge President Barack Obama, and February may prove fruitful for him as the race shifts on Wednesday to Nevada.

After pounding his nearest rival Newt Gingrich with negative advertisements, Romney rolled to an impressive triumph on Tuesday night in Florida, winning 46 percent of the vote to Gingrich’s 32 percent in a key battleground state.

The next contest in the state-by-state battle for the Republican nomination to face Obama, a Democrat, in the Nov. 6 U.S. election is in Nevada, which holds caucuses on Saturday. That is followed next Tuesday by caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota and a primary in Missouri.

Minister averts widespread strikes

2012-02-01

WIDESPREAD STRIKES in the private sector were averted in a deal brokered by Labour Minister Sotiroulla Charalambous last night between unions and the employers’ federation, bringing “relief” to the beleaguered economy.

The deal provides for a two-year wage freeze in businesses assessed by both unions and employers as being affected by the crisis, while the Cost of Living Allowance (CoLA) will continue to be paid as normal.

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.