Новости за 12.12.2015

DEFENDING champions Spain, bidding for their third successive European title, were drawn in the same group on Saturday as Czech Republic, Turkey and Croatia for next year’s Euro 2016 finals. Hosts France will open the championship on June 10 against Romania in Paris. The other teams in their group are Albania and Switzerland. World champions Germany were […]

By Ian Chadband MANCHESTER City clambered back to the top of the Premier League on Saturday after late drama at the Etihad Stadium and a deflected Yaya Toure shot earned them a stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 victory over Swansea City. Managerless Swansea, playing above themselves, had equalised deservedly in the last minute through Bafetimbi Gomis after […]

BAYERN Munich made sure they will go into the Bundesliga winter break in top spot after beating promoted Ingolstadt 2-0 on Saturday to bounce back from their first league loss. Second-half goals from Robert Lewandowski and Philipp Lahm lifted Bayern, who lost to Borussia Moenchengladbach last week, on to 43 points, eight ahead of Borussia […]

By Alister Doyle and Barbara Lewis French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius presented a landmark global climate accord on Saturday, a “historic” measure for transforming the world’s fossil fuel-driven economy within decades and turning the tide on global warming. At the tail end of the hottest year on record and after four years of fraught UN […]

HUMAN Rights Watch expressed “grave concerns” on Saturday for the safety of a factory worker in Thailand arrested and taken to an undisclosed location for allegedly criticising the country’s monarchy and junta. Thanakorn Siripaiboon, 27, was arrested on December 8 for sharing Facebook posts about government corruption and pressing “like” to an image deemed insulting […]

NORWICH City fought back to draw 1-1 with Everton after Romelu Lukaku scored on Saturday for the sixth successive Premier League match to give the visitors an early lead. Lukaku headed in Gerard Deulofeu’s cross at the far post after 15 minutes but struggling Norwich equalised two minutes into the second half, Wes Hoolahan scrambling […]

TWIN explosions in a government-controlled neighbourhood of Syria’s Homs city killed at least 16 people and wounded scores more on Saturday, a group monitoring the war said. The blasts come days after the government extended its control of western city with the implementation of a truce deal in Waer, the last insurgent-held area of Homs. […]

By Evie Andreou House speaker Yiannakis Omirou has sent a letter to all MPs warning them to stop smoking in parliament. In the letter, which followed a complaint received by the secretary general of the parliament, Vasiliki Anastasiadou, Omirou reminded his colleagues that smoking indoors was illegal. Referring to the smoking ban law, Omirou told […]

TWO police officers were sentenced on Saturday to five years in jail by an Egyptian court for torturing a lawyer to death in a police station in February, a rare penalty against members of the security forces. Lawyer Karim Hamdy, 27, was arrested in February on charges of taking part in anti-government protests organised by […]

A large quantity of designer suits and shirts was reported stolen early Saturday from a luxury clothing shop in Paphos. The value of the items has not yet been estimated police said, but they are insured. According to reports, a guard working for a private security company alerted the police of the break in which […]

By Maria Gregoriou They say there is nothing like friendship and family, and that not even icy situations can put an ever-lasting damper on such relationships. And there is only one way to really teach a child this and other lessons in an entertaining and uplifting way: by telling them a story. Such a story […]

(Updated with DISY leader’s comments) By Evie Andreou Cyprus Telecommunication Authority (CyTA) unions announced on Saturday they would protest outside the Presidential Palace on Monday when the cabinet meets to discuss the bill to privatise the utility. Union representatives spoke of their anger that the Privatisations Commissioner Constantinos Herodotou had made public on Friday afternoon […]

PACEMAN James Pattinson took five for 27 to fire Australia to a thumping innings and 212-run victory with more than two days to spare in the first test against West Indies in Hobart on Saturday. Australia enforced the follow-on after dismissing West Indies for 223 inside the first five overs of the third day at Bellerive […]

European countries have been circulating a watch list of missing Syrian and Iraqi passports they fear could be filled with false data and used by people to travel to Europe and beyond, diplomats said. Such documents represent an additional security risk for European states grappling with a large influx of refugees from countries including Syria […]

The European Commission announced on Friday the approval of €32m from the EU budget for its new financial assistance programme for the Turkish Cypriot community. In an announcement, the commission said that this is the continuation of the “successful aid programme promoting the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community” but also of the improvement […]

Two cars and two televisions were reported stolen from a house in Tala on Friday. According to police reports, a British man living in Paphos reported that between December 4 and 11, the house of a friend of his, who is currently abroad, was burgled. The perpetrators reportedly stole two cars, two televisions and a […]

Due to heavy rainfall and fog along the Nicosia-Limassol highway, from Kofinou up to Zygi, the police are urging motorists to drive very carefully. In the same area, water has accumulated on some parts of the road. There is also dense fog along the Agros-Palechori, Agros-Kyperounta, and Platres-Troodos roads. Drivers are urged to drive at […]

By Maria Gregoriou   The chocolates from the advent calendar should be going over the half way mark just around now and this means the celebrations for Christmas are now in full swing. And what would celebrations and the festive season be without a bit of music? The Flautissimo Limassol Flute Choir will give their […]

By Toby Davis IT is still easy to squint at the Premier League standings and assume you are reading them upside down but Leicester City’s title credentials would be difficult to mock if they beat reigning champions Chelsea on Monday. Going into the 16th round of fixtures, Claudio Ranieri’s vibrant side are two points clear […]

By Iacovos Constantinou The second half of the season kicks off in the Cyprus football championship this weekend with leaders AEK playing at home to lowly Paphos, while joint leaders Anorthosis face a tricky journey to the Tsirion to face AEL. The Tsirion stadium will also host the Limassol derby between Aris and Apollon on […]

By Sayed Hassib Afghan security forces suppressed a suicide attack on a guest house attached to the Spanish embassy in Kabul, killing three Taliban fighters after hours of intermittent gunfire and explosions that lasted into the early hours of Saturday. Two foreigners including a Spanish security officer and four Afghan police were also killed in […]

By Richard Valdmanis and Valerie Volcovici French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius presented a landmark global climate accord on Saturday, a “historic” measure for transforming the world’s fossil fuel-driven economy within decades and turn the tide on global warming. At the tail end of the hottest year on record and after four years of fraught UN […]

By Andria Kades PARENTS are calling on the education ministry to have teachers undergo a psychological evaluation by a medical board in light of recent news of teachers hitting students. In an interview with the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), head of the secondary education parents association Petros Koulermos said this would be “a step in […]

AT THIS time every year, the Auditor-general’s annual report for the previous year is handed to the president and shortly afterward made public. It is a Godsend for journalists as the report is a gold-mine of information about procedural irregularities, low-level corruption and minor abuses of power in the public sector. Most of the local […]

A BOUT of snowfall is expected to fall in Troodos over the weekend, bringing Christmas cheer to the island if only for a short amount of time. According to a met service forecast, if it falls, the snow is not likely to last long because the temperature is set to increase on Sunday making Monday’s […]