THE ASSOCIATION of Cyprus Travel Agents (ACTA) has said that despite a 20 per cent decrease in reservations since the banking crisis in March, there had been a turnaround in recent days. Head of the association, Victor Mantovani told reporters ahead of the Travel (Taxidi)  2013 exhibition which opens today, that tourist arrivals were due to increase by ten per cent this summer... 11 comments

CYPRUS HAS finally requested the return of its very own piece of moon, originally gifted to the island around 40 years ago and lost during the chaos of the 1974 coup and invasion, according to the Associated Press.  The tiny moon rock, weighing 1.14 grammes and taken from the moon’s Taurus Littrow valley during the 1972 Apollo 17 mission, was supposed to be a gift from then US President Richard Nixon to the people of Cyprus as a symbol of “the unity of human endeavour” and “hope of the American people for a world at peace... 10 comments

THE QUESTION of when the bill for civil partnerships would be passed was raised yesterday at a press conference at the EU house in Nicosia in light of international day against homophobia and transphobia, which is marked today.Costas Gavrielides, President of Accept – LGBT Cyprus said it was important that steps had been taken to change the Cypriot mentality when it came to homophobia but in reality, little had changed, he said.One of the biggest problems of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people is their visibility in society “which until recently was nonexistent. This invisibility allowed this vulnerable population to be sidelined,” Gavrielides said... 2 comments

THE 38TH Cyprus international fair, which usually takes place in May, has been postponed until October this year due to the inability of some exhibitors to clear their products through ports as a result of capital controls imposed in March. “It is very difficult for most participants to pay for the items they want to be exhibited to be taken out of the ports, we thought it best to postpone the exhibition for later in the year when things will hopefully be more flexible. In this way exhibitors can have the opportunity to prepare and make any necessary orders,” a representative of the state fairs authority said yesterday... 1 comment

ALLEGEDLY illegal botox injections from a hairdresser have left a 39-year-old Romanian woman needing expensive dermatological treatment. The woman, who lives in Limassol, reported to police that some friends of hers had recommended she visit a 37-year-old hairdresser who could give her cosmetic treatment.She said she visited the hairdresser at his home in Limassol and received the botox treatment which cost her €250 but a few hours later said she realised that she had fallen victim to an amateur cosmetician as her face had swelled up. A police spokesman told the Mail that the woman subsequently visited a dermatologist who gave her medical treatment... 3 comments

THERE has been a sharp drop in the demand for property in all towns except Paphos it emerged yesterday.According to data released by the land registry, 285 sale deeds were filed in April compared to 461 filed in April 2012. This shows an annual decline of 38 per cent. Nicosia had the largest decrease at 65 per cent, with sales falling from 628 last year to 222 this year. Famagusta had the second largest decrease of 61 per cent, with sales reduced from 201 last year to 78 this year.Limassol had a 54 per cent decrease and Larnaca had a 42 per cent decrease.Paphos had an increase of six per cent in sales and reached 480 sales compared to 452 last year. This is due to Russian and Chinese investors, the registry said... 8 comments

TWO BRITISH women, aged 36 and 20 were fined €2,000 between them yesterday by the Larnaca court for trying to smuggle 623 packs of cigarettes and 300 packets of tobacco, bought from the occupied area, out of the country.The two women were caught at around 10pm at Larnaca airport on Wednesday.After being fined, the cigarettes and tobacco were confiscated and the women were released.According to police the tobacco was found hidden at the bottom of their suitcases during a search by customs and Larnaca airport police.They were first held at the customs and then taken to the Larnaca police station. When questioned they said they had been in the occupied area and bought the tobacco for their personal use... 10 comments

FIVE departures and seven arrivals at Larnaca and Paphos airports were delayed yesterday to and from Greek airports due to a four-hour strike by Greek air traffic controllers from 12 noon until 4pm.According to Cyprus airport spokesman Adamos Aspris, the affected flights were to and from Athens, Thessaloniki and Patra... 1 comment

THE KURDISH children taking part in the protests outside the Interior ministry are at risk and are in violation of their rights, according a statement released yesterday by the office of the Child Commissioner, on behalf of DISY deputy and general advisor for children on the parliamentary assembly of the council for Europe, Stella Kyriakidou. The statement said the choice of the Kurdish families to expose their children in this way significantly put them at risk and violated their rights. Kyriakidou has spoken with welfare and will also talk to the interior ministry and the health ministry about her concerns over the Kurdish children who have been living in a tent city with their parents for over two weeks. The Kurds from Syria are seeking the right to work... 2 comments

‘LET'S Go Cruises’ by Amathus has released its brochure Luxury Cruises 2013, which includes itineraries with the world’s leading cruise companies such as NCL Cruises, Costa Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Pullmantur and TUI .Destinations include the Mediterranean, the Baltic, the Adriatic, the Norwegian Fjords, the Caribbean, the Far East and Alaska at affordable prices, the company said.It said ‘Let's Go Cruises’ gives people the opportunity to experience luxury cruises from Limassol with the Costa Mediterranean in the region or to Rhodes, Santorini and Crete, Alanya, and Haifa. Prices start from only €399 for an eight-day cruise on full-board basis including taxes for a limited number of days!... Read on