Relief vies with shame on streets of Athens

2012-02-21

Greeks resigned themselves on Tuesday to a 130-billion-euro EU/IMF bailout that won their country a last-minute reprieve from bankruptcy at the price of a decade of austerity and humiliating foreign scrutiny of national finances.

Agreements among eurozone ministers during all-night talks in Brussels secured a second rescue package since 2010 in return for a new round of spending cuts that have already cost thousands of jobs and eroded public services.

Relief mingled with a sense of shame on the streets of Athens as Greeks who in two months could be choosing a new government digested what the deal means for a country now being treated as the sick patient of the 17-nation currency union.

Turkish officials found negligent in Dink murder

2012-02-21

Negligence by Turkish state officials led to the 2007 killing of prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, and a flawed murder investigation undermined public trust in the security services, a report commissioned by the president has concluded.

Security officials failed to protect Dink despite warnings of a plot to kill him and the subsequent legal process exposed widespread structural problems and the need for reforms, the report said.

Last month, an Istanbul court sentenced a man to life in prison for Dink’s murder but acquitted 17 other defendants, sparking large protests and criticism from rights groups.

BoC takes €1.01 billion hit on Greek debt

2012-02-21

 

BANK of Cyprus (BoC), the island’s biggest lender, yesterday posted a €1.01 billion net loss for 2011 after taking provisions for a Greek sovereign debt swap.

BoC said the total impact of its participation in a voluntary swap of Greek government bonds with a 60 per cent impairment, amounted to €1.3 billion for 2011.

If I had a hammer….I’d put it in my school bag?

2012-02-21

 

A 15-YEAR-OLD student from Paralimni hit one of his peers with a hammer in the morning sending him to hospital during a fight on school grounds.

The male students, both aged 15, were arguing on school grounds at a local high school in the Paralimni district of Famagusta during a break.

The argument escalated to a fist fight and one of them took a hammer out of his school bag, hitting the other boy on the head.

The attacked student went to Paralimni General Hospital with a head injury but was not seriously hurt. He will be kept in hospital for a few days for observation.

Bull kills farm worker

2012-02-21

A 23-YEAR-OLD worker was killed this morning after he was attacked by a bull at a cattle farm in Troulli village in Larnaca.

The Vietnamese man, who was employed at the farm, was kneeling facing a water fountain at a fenced off area for bulls and cows at around 9am.

The 23-year-old had his back to the bull when it attacked him, goring him multiple times before other workers managed to tie the animal down.

It is not known why the bull attacked.

District labour inspector Giorgos Ioannou said the 23-year-old died instantly; he was unconscious when he was taken to Larnaca General Hospital where doctors confirmed his death. A post mortem is scheduled for today.

Vandals set carnival floats on fire

2012-02-21

LIMASSOL Municipality has asked police to increase patrols where carnival decorations are on public display after two floats were set on fire last night.

A local kiosk owner noticed that the floats – sitting on a square in Limassol – were burning at around 9pm and alerted the fire services who put the fire out before it spread. The floats were completely destroyed.

The incident marks the fourth and most serious act of vandalism against carnival floats this year, Limassol culture official Kleonas Alexandrou said.

Alexandrou said that in the three previous cases, the damage could be repaired because people had hacked at floats, not set them on fire.

Cans for kids treasure hunt

2012-02-21

THE CANS for Kids Charity is organising a treasure hunt on Sunday March 4 in Nicosia with cash prizes on offer.

The treasure hunt will kick off at the ESOBGA club house in Nicosia and is expected to last around two hours, while lunch will be available at the finish.

This year, the hunt is sponsored by car maker Chevrolet.

Registration for the hunt will be between 9am and 10am, with the first car leaving once registration is complete.

The entrance fee per person is €5, while children under 12 can participate for free.

Participants are expected to bring a camera or a mobile phone that can take pictures.

For bookings and more information on the hunt call 99-666011

Galanos ousts Christou as chief of municipalities union

2012-02-21

FAMAGUSTA Mayor Alexis Galanos has been elected chairman of the union of Cyprus municipalities, ousting Limassol’s Anderas Christou.

Galanos received 61 votes, 32 more than Christou, who had served as chairman during the previous term.

“I am fully aware of the responsibilities of the chairman of the union of municipalities,” Galanos said after his election, pledging to work on behalf of all municipalities. “We are going through very difficult times and have very big problems to tackle, especially in local administration.”

Galanos said there must be decentralisation, adding that democracy starts with municipalities.

New Mercedes a special moment for Schumacher

2012-02-21

 

Michael Schumacher looked forward to being a contender again as his Mercedes team belatedly pulled the wraps off their shiny new Formula One car before testing at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya on Tuesday.

If the F1 W03 was far from attractive, with the by-now familiar stepped nose seen on all the other 2012 cars with the sole exception of McLaren, the sport’s most successful driver declared it a beautiful moment.

“I have done quite a few roll-outs and launches of new cars, but even after all these years, I must say it still feels special,” said the seven times champion before beginning the second official pre-season test.

Gynaecologist pleads guilty to rape

2012-02-21

A GYNAECOLOGIST from Larnaca yesterday pleaded guilty to 44 charges of sexual abuse of his patients, including raping two girls aged 15 and 17.

He will be sentenced on March 22 and faces life in prison.

The 56-year-old doctor admitted raping six women including the underage girl and the 17-year-old.

Eleven of the charges to which he also pleaded guilty involved taking photos of naked women and placing his genitals on their bodies.

He also admitted to using a pharmaceutical product that should be administered by an anaesthesiologist, indecent assault, and humiliating and inhuman treatment of others.

The charges relate to 35 women who were the doctor’s patients between July 2010 and October last year.

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.