AFTER MONTHS without a head, and just nine months before the country takes over the EU Council, a new boss is finally turning up for work tomorrow at the Cyprus EU Presidency Secretariat.Former head Andreas Moleskis resigned on June 22 following an outcry over questionable hiring practices, leaving the Secretariat leaderless for over three months. One EU commentator, Phedon Nicolaides argued that to do a decent job, Moleskis’ replacement needed to have political credibility, expert advisers and institutional powers.On Thursday, parliament approved the creation of a temporary position - Undersecretary to the President for European Affairs - to be filled by Andreas Mavroyiannis, Cyprus’ ambassador to the EU in Brussels... 8 comments

 SWITZERLAND is famous for many things: triangular chocolate, holey cheese and discreet banks.But what you might not know, however, is that it also houses both the hottest and coldest places in the galaxy, a camera that takes 40 million pictures a second and the fastest racetrack on the planet...Welcome to charming and strange world of the CERN research centre, home of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – and the subject of a lecture by its director general, professor Rolf-Dieter Heurer at the University of Cyprus on Thursday. The title of the lecture was “the LHC: Shedding light on the early universe". ... Read on

 IN A COUNTRY where nothing really runs like clockwork, delays in public works are practically taken for granted. When the official go ahead was given for the erection of a contemporary and grandiose national theatre in Nicosia back in 2006, the estimation that it would be ready within a time frame of three years seemed somewhat unrealistic to say the very least. And given the fact that construction work didn’t actually begin on the site of the old GSP stadium until mid September 2008, it’s hardly surprising that the building is not yet ready to shine in all its glory. “We had some serious difficulties- mostly financial problems with the budget- that have delayed the project,” says Varnavas Kyriazis, director of state theatre THOC. ... Read on

WITH THE possible exception of a few die-hards within the communist party, most would agree that President Christofias has fallen short of expectations in the wake of the Mari disaster.Post-Mari, the president’s public appearances have been few and far between. Some highlights: on July 15, Christofias showed up at the official memorial ceremony honouring the victims of the 1974 coup, held at the Church of Konstantinos and Eleni; on August 11 he attended a ceremony for arrival of the ship ‘Armenia’ at Limassol harbour; and on September 5 he appeared before the Mari committee of inquiry... 9 comments

Book claims Dag Hammarskjöld’s mysterious death was witnessed in Cyprus 3,000 miles awayMYSTERY has deepened surrounding the death of the former UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld after new evidence indicates that an American officer based in Nicosia heard the diplomat’s plane being shot at just seconds before it crashed.The powerful claims feature in a new book called Who Killed Dag Hammarskjöld by academic Susan Williams, which presents a four-year probe outlining the possibility that foul play was behind the fatal flight. When his plane came down in a forest near Ndola, in present-day Zambia 50 years ago this week, killing him and 15 others on board the world was left in shock... 1 comment

AS A single mother of young twins, Stella Agrotou is well versed in the daily stress of juggling work with caring for her children.“The financial situation when you have to deal with things alone is very stressful, it’s a huge difficulty and it’s always worrying,” says the 41-year-old mother.An upward trend in divorces and the increasing number of parents - most notably fathers - who refuse to assume their responsibilities towards their children after divorce has now left more financially troubled single parents than ever before. Back in 2000 there were 1182 divorces and by 2009 this had risen to 1,738 divorces. Although Stella never married her children’s father with whom she had a ten year relationship, her experience is typical. ... 1 comment

LIKE FAR too many of us, my relationship with science is a rocky one. It is a world I fear to enter. All of which made me the perfect candidate to visit Friday’s ‘Science Revealed!’ event, organised by the Research Promotion Foundation (RPF).Housed at the cosy Ammochostos Gate within Nicosia’s old city, the event aimed to demystify science and to entertain its mostly young audience. The extensive use of monitors and visual information provided a very interactive ambiance, and there were no white lab coats in sight. ... Read on

PEOPLE of all ages can now discover some of the island’s hidden wildlife treasures through a new documentary released by BirdLife Cyprus. The hour-long film Important areas for Birds and other wildlife in Cyprus not only captures the island’s unique native creatures but also educates viewers on key local wildlife habitats. “It’s aimed at the public at large and, rather than focusing on species it focuses on areas,” said BirdLife’s Martin Hellicar, adding the film will feature a range of wildlife such as birds, lizards and snakes.“People will be surprised by the amazing wildlife and fantastic landscapes... 2 comments

VIRGINIA ERSKINE says the disturbing reality for the orphans of Cairo is that their existence since the downfall of Hosni Mubarak earlier this year has not changed one iota. For the millions of children that sleep rough and spend their waking hours on the streets, the revolution may as well have happened on another planet.Frightened young girls continue to deliver babies on their own in filthy conditions with no medical aid - most of the unfortunate babies are then tossed aside to die on rubbish dumps, in doorways or down drains. The lucky ones end up in an orphanage, such as those Virginia works at, but most children arrive with dire health problems which are often severe, ranging from cholera to tuberculosis and anaemia. ... 2 comments

IT’S the first day in your new job as a trainee doctor, and in walks a middle aged man with hearing problems.You sit him down in and begin to take his history. He is a carpenter by trade and - until recently - a cricket umpire on the weekends, but he has had to hang up his umpire’s coat because he could no longer hear the sound of bat-on-ball. Now it is up to you to help him return to the wicket.... how do you proceed?This was the scenario faced by 30 students on their very first day at the University of Nicosia’s gleaming new medical school, which opened on Monday. It is a pioneering achievement for the university, offering the island’s first medical degree: a four year, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)... 1 comment