US murders at heart of Afghan ministry raise questions

2012-02-28

The two high-ranking US officers were sitting at the nerve centre of one of the most heavily-guarded buildings in Afghanistan when their killer walked into their shared office and shot them both in the head.

The audacity of the attack stunned both NATO and the Afghan government – the gunman had managed to get his weapon through crowded offices and past door after door secured with electronic locks into the heart of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior.

The killing of Air Force Lieutenant Colonel John D. Loftis, 44, from Kentucky, and another unnamed major, on Saturday also raised awkward questions about the alliance’s future strategy in the battle-scarred country.

Greece cuts minimum wage as austerity drive begins

2012-02-28

Greek ministers agreed deep cuts to the minimum wage on Tuesday, slashing living standards for low-paid workers as Athens began implementing measures demanded by international lenders in return for a 130 billion euro rescue package.

Cabinet approved the cuts, which will hit workers already struggling after more than four years of deep recession, as it signed off on a series of steps agreed in principle by parliament last week, a government official said.

The move, which will pass into law without the need for further parliamentary approval, imposes a 22-per cent cut on the standard minimum monthly wage of 751 euros. For those under 25, the cut will be even more brutal, a 32-per cent reduction.

Turkey welcomes French court's cancelling genocide law

2012-02-28

Turkey welcomed on Tuesday a ruling by France’s highest court overturning a law making it illegal to deny the killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire a century ago was genocide.

The court ruling could help defuse a potential diplomatic row between Turkey and France, but Turkish foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the cabinet will decide whether to restart economic, political and military meetings with Paris.

“The verdict is positive. I hope that everyone learns the necessary lessons from this,” Davutoglu told reporters.

Asked whether this would lead to a restart of contacts with France, he said: “This verdict is still new. We will consider the subject of sanctions with the prime minister, president and cabinet.”

GD Hotels Ltd has for sale…

2012-02-28

G&D Hotels Ltd has for sale large restaurant with basement, and 2-storey complex of 36 apartments opposite Tombs of Kings Archaeological site in Kato Paphos, all new built. Sea view, services, licenses, title deeds. One owner.
www.property-paphos.blogspot.com

French journalist Edith Bouvier evacuated from Homs

2012-02-28

French journalist Edith Bouvier has been evacuated from Syria and is now safely in Lebanon, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said today.

“I am glad this nightmare is ending. The negotiations were not terribly easy, they really weren’t,” Sarkozy told BFM TV during a campaign trip to the southern city of Montpellier.

Asked about attempts to move Bouvier to safety, he said: “I’ve been informed that it’s been carried out.”

Bouvier was injured on Wednesday when Syrian government forces bombed a makeshift media centre in the besieged city of Homs, alongside British photographer Paul Conroy, Times correspondent Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik.

Stuart Pearce unfazed by lack of experienced strikers

2012-02-28

The lack of any experienced strikers for Tomorrow’s friendly against Netherlands is no cause for concern, England’s caretaker manager Stuart Pearce said today.

Pearce picked five forwards for the Euro 2012 warm-up with Wayne Rooney, Darren Bent, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Fraizer Campbell in contention for the starting places.

However, Rooney – who has 73 caps and 28 goals for England – pulled out with a throat infection on Sunday while Bent was prevented from picking up his 13th cap when he was withdrawn after suffering a serious ankle injury playing for Aston Villa.

Cyprus warned over energy labelling

2012-02-28

CYPRUS is in trouble with the European Commission again after failing to implement a 2010 EU directive on energy labelling.

The commission said yesterday that despite a formal notice, Cyprus has not sought help or taken any measures to transpose the directive into their legal framework.

It is therefore sending a “reasoned opinion” along with a warning that failure to do implement the directive within two months could mean a referral to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

“Despite letters of formal notice sent on 18 July 2011, Cyprus, Romania and Italy have not yet informed the Commission of the full transposition of the Directive into their national legislation” the commission said in a statement.

Fukushima: Japan leaders feared ‘devil's chain reaction’

2012-02-28

Japan’s prime minister ordered workers to remain at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima nuclear plant last March as fears mounted of a “devil’s chain reaction” that would force tens of millions of people to flee Tokyo, a new investigative report shows.

Then-premier Naoto Kan and his staff began referring to a worst case scenario that could threaten Japan’s existence as a nation around three days after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, according to the report by a panel set up by a private think-tank.

That was when fears mounted that thousands of spent fuel rods stored at a damaged reactor would melt and spew radiation after a hydrogen explosion at an adjacent reactor building, according to the panel report.

British photographer escapes Homs

2012-02-28

 

British photographer Paul Conroy was yesterday smuggled out of the besieged city of Homs with help from the Syrian opposition and Free Syria Army fighters, the BBC has said.

The 47 years old photographer was wounded in the leg during an attack on a makeshift media centre last Wednesday, along with French Le Figaro journalist Edith Bouvier, whose whereabouts is unknown.

Conroy’s father, Les, told the Press Association: “We’ve just had word from Beirut. I’ve got it on the other phone in my other hand.”

Syrian opposition sources said he was smuggled out of Baba Amr yesterday and taken through the Syrian countryside before crossing the border into Lebanon during the night.

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.