AS MOUNTAINS of uncollected rubbish continue to grow in north Nicosia yesterday, so did demands for the resignation of north Nicosia ‘mayor’ Cemal Bulutoglulari by workers who say they have not been paid for over two months.Although a number of emergency rubbish collections have been carried out by companies hired by the embattled ‘municipality’ and private individuals, most of north Nicosia remains strewn with rubbish accumulating outside homes and shops as ‘municipal’ workers began a sixth week of refusing to carry out rubbish collections. ... 3 comments

A BETTING shop in Nicosia was completely burnt to the ground yesterday at around 2.30am. Damage was placed at around €25,000 and the police suspect arson.Meantime a car was also completely burnt yesterday a little after midnight in Nicosia with the police investigating the possibility of arson. The car’s owner is the co-owner of three betting shops but told the police he had no disagreements with anyone. The owner said that the scale of the damage was €30,000.It was not immediately known yesterday if either the car or the shop were insured... Read on

THE ST George's University of London Medical School at University of Nicosia is looking for English-speaking volunteers of both genders aged 18 to 60 to help with a clinical examination. The Observed Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a clinical examination running over a two-day period on July 2 and 3 from 8am to 1pm. Volunteers will be reimbursed for their time and will be required to be present on both or either examination periods.Volunteers will be physically examined by medical students under the supervision of experienced consultants. All examinations are non-invasive while limited volunteer exposure may be required. The examinations will take place after taking informed consent from the selected individuals... 2 comments

FOUR doctors implicated in the deaths of three newborn babies from Legionnaire’s disease at a Nicosia private clinic in 2008 yesterday pleaded guilty to not upkeeping maintenance regulations, leading to the water distributing system becoming infected with the deadly bacteria.The Hippocration Clinic’s director and three of the nursery and maternity ward’s doctors are facing charges in relation to the circumstances leading to the hospitalisation of 11 infants and the death of three, all born at the clinic in December 2008.According to state prosecutor Rikkos Mappourides, all four doctors pleaded guilty yesterday and now await trial at Nicosia District Court on June 27... 7 comments

AN armed robber made away with loot worth over €8,000 after robbing a pre-paid telephone card shop in Nicosia on Sunday.According to police, at around 6.30pm, a man with his face covered, entered the shop holding a gun and after striking the 47-year-old female owner on the head, he grabbed a black bag containing €6,600 cash and phone cards worth €2,800. He fled in an unknown direction.The owner was treated in Accidents and Emergencies and released on the same day.Witnesses said the culprit was of medium build, around 1.80m tall and was wearing beige clothes along with a cap. ... 4 comments

 A 45-year-old man was gunned down yesterday outside his Nicosia betting shop, which had been checked a couple of hours earlier by the police.Neophytos Christoforou died later while undergoing emergency surgery for gun shot wounds to the head and body.Two other people who were close to the victim sustained light injuries during the 2am incident at the betting shop near the Ayios Antonios municipal market, police said.Christoforou was shot by two individuals riding a large motorcycle, using an automatic weapon.The bullet holes on the glass enclosure outside the shop – where the victim was -- suggested that the gunmen fired a few shots from a range of three metres and while leaving the scene they fired a couple of more rounds at their target... 10 comments

 Luciano Bebe’s goal 15 minutes from time helped AEL beat Anorthosis 1-0, capturing the national championship title after a 43-year-long drought at the Tsirion Stadium in Limassol on Saturday.Anorthosis started the game brightly, with experienced striker Yiannis Okkas missing two quality chances early on. The home side responded by hitting the bar and the post in the same minute, when first Gilberto’s powerful strike from the distance hit the bar in 18th minute and then Chris Dickson hit Matus Kozacik’s post after a placed shot from inside the area. The visitors reclaimed the initiative towards the end of the first half and both Okkas and Vincent Laban were denied by the excellent Matias Degra in AEL’s goal... 1 comment

Located in central Nicosia, Kubrick Art Cafι Bar is a fairly new bar tucked discreetly between a sports shop and a small Burger King joint, offering a plentiful supply of delicious cocktails and funky music.The bar is far from discreet though, with its runway carpet reminiscent of a red carpet event, leading up to the front entrance.Clearly named after one of America’s all-time famous filmmakers, Stanley Kubrick, the bar pays homage to him with overwhelmingly large pictures from some of his movies taking up most of the wall space. Pride of place, for example, are stills from the Kubrick classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, released in 1968. The relaxing ambience conjures up images of film days gone by through vintage film reels that line some of the bar’s walls... Read on

 A 25-YEAR-OLD man was arrested yesterday in Nicosia after he punched a police officer in the eye following an on-the-spot-fine for talking on the phone while driving.Two traffic wardens were doing checks at 28th October Avenue in Makedonitissa when at around 12.45pm they stopped the man who was not using a hands-free device to talk on his mobile phone, police spokesman Andreas Angelides said.“On being given a fine, the 25-year-old reacted by tearing it up and walking into the street where he obstructed traffic,” Angelides said.One of the traffic wardens went after him and was punched in the eye, Angelides said. The 25-year-old was arrested and was taken in for questioning, he said... 9 comments

RUBBISH IS piling up in the occupied part of Nicosia as council workers continue their strike, according to Turkish Cypriot newspapers. The papers report that large piles of rubbish are gathering in and around rubbish bins north of Nicosia after 13 days of strikes, obstructing the movement of pedestrians and vehicles while attracting germs. Head of the Republican Turkish Party Ozkan Yorgancioglu warned that the rubbish piles were posing a health risk to residents, and highlighted fears of the existence of transmittable diseases... 7 comments