Red Cross tells Syria: let Homs aid through

2012-03-02

The Red Cross told Syria yesterday it was unacceptable that its aid convoy had been prevented from entering a battle-scarred district of Homs where the opposition said President Bashar al-Assad’s army had committed a massacre.

Baba Amro became a symbol of resistance to Assad after government troops surrounded it with tanks and artillery and shelled it intensively for weeks, killing and wounding civilians cowering in its ruined buildings.

Rebels withdrew on Thursday in a key moment in the year-old uprising against Assad’s rule. An official at Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said the army had “cleansed Baba Amro from the foreign-backed armed groups of terrorists”.

Pact for budget discipline signed by 25 EU states

2012-03-02

All but two European Union countries signed a treaty on tighter budget discipline for the euro zone on Friday, marking a coup for Germany which pushed for the accord to try to prevent a repeat of the loose spending that led to a debt crisis.

Only Britain and the Czech Republic did not sign the ‘fiscal compact’, under which countries in the euro zone are bound to write a ‘golden rule’ on balanced budgets into their national constitutions or equivalent laws, with automatic correction mechanisms if the rule is breached.

“This stronger self-constraint … as regards debts and deficits is important in itself,” said Herman Van Rompuy, who, as President of the European Council, played a key role in negotiating an agreement acceptable to all signatories.

Murray beats Djokovic to reach Dubai final

2012-03-02

Andy Murray beat world number one Novak Djokovic 6-2 7-5 in the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Friday.

Djokovic started strongly, holding his opening two service games to love in the duo’s first meeting since the Serb triumphed in an epic five-set semi-final at the Australian Open in January.

But from 2-2, a pumped-up Murray then won seven games in a row to claim the first set and go 3-0 up in the second on a balmy evening in Dubai.

Murray served for the match at 5-3, but the world number four seemed nervous, double-faulting as Djokovic earned two break points.

Air traffic controllers extend Paphos airport strike

2012-03-02

 

Air traffic controllers (ATCs) said today they will extend their strike at Paphos airport, disrupting a further 15 flights, because of an ongoing pay dispute with the government.

According to their announcement, today’s strike, which was scheduled to last from noon until 4 pm, will continue until 7pm tonight. 

It is then set to resume at 7pm tomorrow night and last until 8am on Sunday.

Hermes Airports spokesman Adamos Aspris said eight departures from and seven arrivals at Paphos would be affected.

The ATCs, who are civil servants want to be excluded from a raft of austerity measures that include pension contributions and a two-year pay freeze, passed in December. 

Profile: leading businessman Symeon Kassianides

2012-03-02

“Mr. Kassianides is taking a phone call,” explains the receptionist, so I sit down in the waiting room of Hyperion Systems Engineering’s dedicated headquarters in Nicosia. When the CEO of an $18 million business needs to talk business, it seems only fair to let him – especially when his company is spread out over most of the world, from America to India.

Under the blue beret

2012-03-02

Women serving in the United Nations in Cyprus are vastly outnumbered by men. NAOMI LEACH meets Section Commander Corporal Sophie Smith, currently stationed at the Ledra Palace

Film review: THIS MEANS WAR**

2012-03-02

If you like Reese Witherspoon – and you should, because she’s irresistible – watch How Do You Know, or Election, or almost any of her two dozen films from the past 20 years. If you like Tom Hardy – and you should, because he’s the most exciting new star in ages – watch Warrior (or Bronson, if you have the stomach for it), harnessing his singular combination of animal violence and baby-faced softness. If you like Chris Pine – and you can if you want to, it’s a free country – watch Star Trek, where Captain Kirk is at least a good fit for his smarmy cockiness. If you like director McG – and you should, because he’s oh-so-stylish – watch Charlie’s Angels, or its even more delirious sequel.

Film review: Journey 2*

2012-03-02

It happens sometimes, a moment of clarity when you suddenly realise the film you’re watching – which you’ve approached with all due diligence, notebook at the ready, because you’re a professional film reviewer reviewing a film made by professional filmmakers – doesn’t expect such seriousness of purpose, and in fact doesn’t deserve it. It happened last month with The Darkest Hour, round about the time when our heroes, fighting an alien invasion in Moscow – probably the most land-locked capital in the world – announced their plan to escape on a nuclear submarine which had somehow docked in the Moscow River, thousands of miles from the nearest ocean.

Restaurant review: Lobby Bar & Grill, Limassol

2012-03-02

The Old Town in Limassol has become the new epicentre of Limassol’s nightlife. Bars and restaurants have started popping up out of places you least expect it, all offering a taste of a ‘chic alternative’. Lobby is one of the new choices that excels; a high-end restaurant with an original atmosphere and decor.

The highly elegant interior is warm and comfortable. Bare concrete walls seem to be the necessity for an establishment to be considered hip. Lobby adds its own take on such Spartan taste by adding wooden panels. Wooden tables and neutral-coloured chairs make the visitor feel at home. The soft lighting creates a soothing and calming ambience without deterring the customer from sitting down and having a meal – rather than just having a drink.

Bar review: Zygos Live, Nicosia

2012-03-02

You would hardly know that the place exists if it wasn’t for the sound of traditional Greek music drifting through the narrow cobbled lanes of Laiki Yitonia in old Nicosia. Follow the captivating sound, push open the heavy wooden door, and you’ve suddenly entered a space that sets itself apart from the usual venues that the capital has come to be associated with of late.

Neither is it trying to appear ultra modern and trendy, nor does it seem to be calling out to a hip young crowd that most new places seem to want to attract. Going by the name of Zygos Live, this is a restaurant, bar and music venue that boasts timeless charm.

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.