Новости за 04.12.2015

By Maria Gregoriou It doesn’t matter if you look good in red or not – or even if you manage to take a selfie of yourself in red and upload it on social media, everyone can be a Santa this coming Friday when the CyTA Santa Run will be held. Join the multitude of Santa […]

By Lucia Mutikani US employment increased strongly in November in a show of the economy’s resilience, which most likely paves the way for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this month for the first time in nearly a decade. Nonfarm payrolls rose 211,000 last month, the Labor Department said on Friday. September and October […]

By Michael Holden A Maoist cult leader was found guilty on Friday of raping and beating his brainwashed female followers, while keeping his own daughter a fearful prisoner for more than 30 years in homes across south London. Aravindan Balakrishnan, 75, known as Comrade Bala, used sexual degradation and physical and mental violence to keep […]

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, the most popular politician in the Netherlands, has told Turks “you are not welcome here” in a video that takes aim at Turkey’s hopes of joining the European Union. Wilders, who is fiercely anti-Islam, has surged in public opinion polls with his call for the closing of national borders in […]

By George Psyllides THE members of a bi-communal committee on education are expected to be announced this month and it will start working immediately afterwards, Education minister Costas Kadis said on Friday. The decision to set up a technical committee on education was made last month by President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa […]

By Jean Christou THE National Council, some of the members of which have been accusing President Nicos Anastasiades of keeping them in the dark on the Cyprus issue, are due to meet on Saturday to be briefed on the series of visits by top diplomats in recent weeks. Opposition AKEL, which supports the negotiations process […]

By Annette Chrysostomou THE number of households with a touch screen computer (tablet) in Cyprus has more than doubled to 39.2 per cent compared to 18.7 per cent in 2013 and up from 32.8 per cent in 2014, according to the annual survey ‘Using ICT in Households 2015’ carried out by the statistical service. The […]

PRESIDENT Nicos Anastasiades on Friday expressed his condolences over the death of his government spokesman’s brother who lives in the United States. “I am shocked upon hearing the news of Savvas Christodoulides’ unexpected death, brother of government spokesman and close associate Nicos Christodoulides,” Anastasiades said in a statement. He expressed his “sorrow and deepest condolences,” […]

By Mark Hosenball and Mehreen Zahra-Malik A woman who joined her husband in killing 14 people in California apparently pledged allegiance to a leader of the militant group Islamic State, two US government sources said on Friday, as intelligence officials in her native Pakistan pressed the investigation overseas. Tashfeen Malik, 27, and her husband, Syed […]

By George Psyllides ANY attempt by parliament to amend government regulations on shopping hours would be unconstitutional, Attorney-general Costas Clerides, said on Friday. Speaking before the House Labour committee, Clerides said if parliament tried to change the zones or shopping hours, it would constitute a violation of the separation of powers. Clerides was referring to […]

By Angelos Anastasiou OVER 300 staff at the Cooperative Central Bank who belong to the trade union ETYK staged a 24-hour strike on Friday, after the union claimed the CCB management reneged on the tentative terms of an extension of collective agreements until 2018. In a statement on Thursday, ETYK called on all its members […]

By Rania El Gamal, Alex Lawler and Reem Shamseddine OPEC maintained its policy of pumping near-record volumes of oil at a meeting on Friday, according to sources at the group, taking no steps to reduce one of the worst crude gluts in history which has driven down prices. The group, which produces a third of […]

During his visit to the island on Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu asked the Turkish Cypriot side to grant Turkish Cypriot ‘citizenship’ to another 26,500 settlers from Turkey, media in the north reported on Friday. Afrika newspaper said Davutoglu argued that these persons were being “unjustly treated”. It reported that Akinci rejected the demand saying […]

By Andria Kades A young man caught on camera trying to break into a car in Limassol was not chased up by police due to shortage of officers, Limassol resident Robert Michael was told on Friday. His son’s partner happened to see the suspect trying to open the car door through the CCTV monitor as […]

By Jill Serjeant As any philosopher will tell you, there is a lot more to ‘Star Wars’ than a bunch of spaceships, lightsabers and princesses. Rich in mythology, symbolism and theology, the movie franchise set in a galaxy far, far away has for decades proved a treasure trove for earthbound philosophers, raising issues such as the nature […]

By Julien Pretot British cyclist Chris Froome said on Friday that tests he took after winning the Tour de France proved that he does not use performance-enhancing drugs, although at least one rival coach said they would not silence the doubters. The tests were carried out at the GlaxoSmithKline Human Performance Lab in London in […]

A man employed at the merchant shipping department, and three women were remanded in custody by the Limassol court for six days on Friday in connection with misappropriation of EU funds. The man’s wife, who had been initially arrested in relation with the case was eventually released. The 42-year-old is responsible for handling tenders for […]

By Arshad Mohammed US Secretary of State John Kerry praised Greece on Friday for embracing strategic energy projects that will lessen Europe’s dependence on Russian gas and voiced support for its economic reforms as it grapples with debt and refugee crises. Kerry addressed the economic, security and migration challenges facing Greece during a half-day visit […]

By Brian Homewood A package of reforms proposed by FIFA to clean up the scandal-plagued governing body of football was angrily criticised on Friday by Europe’s powerful clubs, who said it would increase frustration among the sport’s stakeholders. The European Club Association (ECA), which represents more than 200 clubs including the major ones such as […]

By Maria Gregoriou Just a week into December and it is all about Christmas and on Sunday the Flautissimo Limassol Flute Choir will stage a concert entitled the Magic of Christmas. The choir, who will be under the artistic direction of Theodoros Krasides, will be joined by the Cantabile Choir of Epilogi. Together the two […]

French President Francois Hollande is due in Cyprus on Friday afternoon for a meeting with President Nicos Anastasiades, the state news agency reported. Quoting a representative from the French embassy in Nicosia, CNA said the visit was confirmed but that the time and place it would happen would not be announced for security reasons. “I […]

By Dan Williams and Karolina Tagaris Israel has quietly tested ways of defeating an advanced air-defence system that Russia has deployed in the Middle East and that could limit Israel’s ability to strike in Syria or Iran, military and diplomatic sources said. The sources said a Russian S-300 anti-aircraft system, sold to Cyprus 18 years […]

Between January and mid-March, around 100 football teams, mainly from Russia, are expected to train in Ayia Napa, the Cyprus News Agency reported on Friday. “Because of the conflict that exists between Russia and Turkey,” Ayia Napa Mayor Yiannis Karousos said, “many Russian football teams have expressed interest to visit Cyprus and especially Ayia Napa […]

By Phil Noble Britain’s opposition Labour Party won a parliamentary seat in northern England on Thursday with an increased share of the vote, a relief to the party’s new leader, Jeremy Corbyn, in his first electoral test. Left-winger Corbyn has split Labour since his election as leader less than three months ago, prompting infighting that […]

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Panarat Thepgumpanat Ten Syrians linked to Islamic State entered Thailand in October to attack Russian interests, Thai police said in a leaked document citing information from the Russian Federal Security Service. In the document, Special Branch police urged an intensification of security around “target areas that Russian authorities are concerned […]