Cyprus in brief October 14.

Flu fears mar school Christmas

THERE IS confusion over whether there should be Christmas school celebrations due to the H1N1 virus.

Although no final decisions have been made, teachers' union POED has called on the Health Ministry to clarify its position on the matter.

On Monday, Health Minister Christos Patsalides said cancelling school festivities would be "a bit of an overreaction".

The minister quite reasonably pointed out, "The children are already together all day in their classrooms. Nothing will change over the festivities. We shouldn't rush into taking actions when we don't know how the situation will develop."

But POED president Demetris Mikellides explained that the teachers are not suggesting a cancellation; they merely want the ministry to clarify its position on the matter, as "the ministry's directive on the matter is open to interpretation".

The ministry's circular letter on the virus refers to "discouraging or/and cancelling school trips, events and other activities of a mass character".

This, said Mikellides, was why the union had asked to ministry to offer explanations.

Police officer sacked for going AWOL

POLICE have sacked a member of the force after repeated offences relating to failure to perform duty and absence without leave, it was announced yesterday.

The officer, who served in Paphos, was dismissed by a committee appointed to look into his behaviour. According to the police, the officer in question had gone absent for three weeks without presenting any justification.

This came after nine other incidents of a similar nature, police said.He had been charged with failure to perform his duties and absence without leave.

Monach offering huge discounts on UK flights

MONARCH Airlines will this weekend hold its biggest ever sale with huge discounts available on all flights, all dates for travel until October 30, 2010.

Book online at www.monarch.co.uk between Friday October 16 and Tuesday October 20, 2009 and get a fantastic bargain on flights to the United Kingdom, the airline said.

Monarch operates scheduled flights from Larnaca to Birmingham, Gatwick, Luton and Manchester airports.

Seats can be pre-booked at e1/410 per one-way flight to avoid the last minute free-for-all experienced on other airlines.

Extra leg room seats are available from e1/431, offering six inches extra space.

Passengers travelling on scheduled flights can also avoid queues at the airport through online check-in available between seven days and 4.5 hours before departure.

Seats must be booked between 00.01 hours on Friday October 16 and 23.59 hours on Tuesday October 20, 2009.

Facelift for Mousallas

THE AREA of Mousallas in central Paphos is undergoing an extensive facelift. According to Paphos Mayor Savvas Vergas, the revamp to the area, which is close to the Bishopric of Paphos, will breathe life back into it, and see residents and tourists enjoying spectacular views of Paphos.

Plans for the site include ample parking facilities and the refurbishing of an old now-defunct restaurant. The total cost of the project is e1/4300,000 and it is expected to be completed by next summer. Vergas said it was the aim of the Paphos Municipality for Mousallas to once again be an area to be visited and remembered by both locals and overseas visitors.

Preparation work at the site commences today and the contracts to improve the restaurant have already been signed. The mayor added that he hoped next summer, residents would have a place to walk safely and enjoy the wonderful views out across the whole of Paphos. Vergas said that an agreement had already been reached with the person who will be renting the restaurant and operation of the establishment will commence as soon as work is completed.

Grapes of wrath

GRAPE growers in Panayia are desperate to force wine producers to take their grapes before the first rains destroy them all. According to local deputy Antonis Antoniou one million kilos of black grapes could be wiped out.

Antoniou said that wine producers of the area are refusing to take in the harvest, despite previous assurances before that they would. Antoniou contacted both parties involved and said when he met the wine producers they told him of their intention to close factories and not to take in all of the black grapes grown this year.

The MP then got in touch with the Minister of Agriculture, Michalis Polynikis, who arranged a meeting with wine producers. It was his aim to convince them to take in the amount of grapes left on the vines. But according to Antoniou, who was speaking on a local Paphos based radio station, the meeting did not have a positive outcome and the problem remains.

In fact he went so far as to accuse wine producers of 'blackmailing' growers by saying they would only take black grapes if they were part of a delivery of white grapes. The white grape harvest of the island has been severely affected due to a bad case of Peronosperos-a downy mildew, which destroys the crop.

Bishops caught living it up in Athens nightclub

THE HOLY Synod yesterday confirmed it had looked into media reports claiming a number of bishops had been caught having a good time in a Greek Bouzouki club.

"The members of the Holy Synod were also informed about publications in the Press, claiming Cypriot clerics were having fun in restaurants in Athens," said a statement.

Archbishop Chrysostomos II had received no such information from the Archbishop of Athens, or anyone else for that matter, it added.

The Church of Cyprus came under scrutiny after gossip newspaper Espresso made the 'hot revelation' that two bishops from the Kykkos Bishopric had been spotted in an Athens nightclub, having fun and canoodling with 'ethereal beauties'.

The paper said the Church had tried its best to keep the shenanigans a secret.

According to the publication last Sunday, the bishops had visited Diogenis nightclub last winter, accompanied by a former monk who reportedly gave up the priesthood after falling in love with a woman.

The clerics apparently spend hundreds of euros on flowers, traditionally thrown at singers at bouzouki. The bishops were recognised by a customer at the club, who photographed them and reportedly sent the photos to the Athens Archbishopric.

However, according to the report, the Greek Archbishop realised they were Cypriot bishops and forwarded the pictures to Cyprus.

Bishop Nikiforos of the Kykkos Monastery categorically rejected the claims, saying he had put the matter forward during the Synod meeting and was told by the Archbishop that he had received no information on the matter.

Nikiforos said the reports aimed at harming his monastery's prestige and his personal reputation, adding that the he would be taking legal action against the publishers.

Police to take action over working conditions

POLICE officers decided yesterday to take measures in a bid to secure working concessions that the government has so far failed to grant.

As a first step, officers will hold a protest outside the presidential palace on Saturday, October 31, the Police Association said.

The association also said it will take other measures that will be announced later.

Their demands include the harmonisation of working hours with those of the civil service, and special constables' pension. The association charged the government of delaying the implementation of an agreement struck in February of this year.

President Demetris Christofias himself told them in May that he would announce the implementation in three months. "We are on the fifth month and despite repeated meetings C* we have no reply," the association said. The association said the decision to take measures was saddening.

"But we believe that it is time for the state and the executive to prove that they mean their declarations for the reinforcement of the police and the promotion of dignity and respect that police officers should have."

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2009

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company