Army draft begins

MORE than 5,000 new army recruits are expected to check into boot camps in Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos throughout this week.

Recruits began orientation on Monday with new inductees expected to arrive up until July 12.

On July 15 physical testing will begin with those scoring the best results joining the Special Forces, a defence ministry spokesperson said.

They are due to receive their first 24-hour leave on Saturday, July 20 and 21 before being sworn in on August 2, when they will receive their first 48-hour leave.

 

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.