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Overnight pharmacies for Saturday, 16 March

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Overnight pharmacies for Saturday, 16 March

– Tappas Tonia is located at Methochiou 51, Block B-D, Agios Andreas, Nicosia, near the American Embassy. Contact: 22570999.
– Aristodimou Konstantina is located at Stavrou Avenue 71E, Strovolos, Nicosia, opposite the kiosk “Octagon”. Contact: 22492929, 22494102.
– Pontos Andreas is located at Leoforos Eleftherias 27, Lakatamia, Nicosia, near the Anthoupolis Settlement Elementary School. Contact: 22382550, 99318764, 97688587.
– Chloe Michaelidou (Peter) is located at Digeni Akrita 12, Nicosia. Contact: 22433480, 22337979.
– Vasiliki Malama is located at Arch. Makarios III Avenue & Doiranis 1, Nicosia, below the former clinic “Angeli”. Contact: 22374939.
– Konstantinos Iasonidis is located at Spyrou Kyprianou 23B, Mesa Geitonia, Limassol, near Luna Park “Galaktika”. Contact: 25358000, 99746622.
– Irma Kalaitzidi is located at Georgiou A’ 61, Block G, Germasogeia, Limassol, between Dasoudi & Pizza Hut. Contact: 25312012, 25342612.
– Charalambos Papadopoulos is located at Theodorou Potamianou 52, Kato Polemidia, Limassol, near Jumbo Polemidia. Contact: 25735505.
– Dina Papadopoulou is located at N. Pattichi 121, Limassol, near the roundabout of Polemidia. Contact: 25387216, 99826409.
– Pavlos Apostolidis is located at Kosma Lysioti 20, Larnaca, towards the beach. Contact: 24627213, 24423271.
– Flora Antoniou is located at Grigori Afxentiou 9-10, Livadia, Larnaca. Contact: 24322868, 97810079.
– Stefanos Diomedous is located at Anth. Georgiou Savva 2, Geroskipou, Paphos, near Pafiako Stadium. Contact: 26961999, 99683122.
– Alexandra Pirpa is located at Eleftheriou Venizelou 80, Paphos, opposite “Zorpas” bakery. Contact: 26948222.
– Christina Alapai is located at Griva Digeni 8, Paralimni, next to KEDIPEPS – Paralimni Square. Contact: 23742002, 23744155.

Moving? How to change your car registration address like a pro

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Moving? How to change your car registration address like a pro

Kotak General Insurance provides a comprehensive guide on how to change a vehicle registration address, emphasizing the importance of starting early, checking state requirements, gathering necessary documents, updating the driver’s license first, researching online options, completing necessary forms, paying any required fees, notifying Kotak General Insurance, updating the vehicle title if necessary, and confirming the completion of the address update.

Aid ship reaches Gaza as Israel rejects Hamas truce offer [VIDEO]

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Aid ship reaches Gaza as Israel rejects Hamas truce offer [VIDEO]

– The first ship carrying food aid, the Open Arms vessel with 200 tonnes of food, reached the coast of the Gaza Strip.
– The charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) aims to deliver the aid on a temporary jetty.
– The aid is intended to ease the hunger crisis in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands face malnourishment.
– The war began with an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages in Israel.
– An Israeli assault has killed more than 31,000 people and displaced nearly the entire 2.3 million population of Gaza.
– Hamas’s latest ceasefire counter-proposal, which includes the release of hostages and talks to end the war, was rejected by Israel.
– Israel demands only temporary pauses in fighting and refuses to discuss ending the war until Hamas is eradicated.
– Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, criticized Israel’s rejection of the ceasefire proposal.
– Efforts for a ceasefire continue, with mediators from the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar involved.
– The United Nations reports all 2.3 million people in Gaza are suffering from a food crisis.
– Israel denies blame for the hunger crisis and calls for better food distribution by aid agencies.
– At least 21 people were killed and 150 wounded by Israeli forces during a food distribution event.
– U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Israelis to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, criticizing his approach to the conflict.

Our View: Political will to protect environment is nonexistant

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Our View: Political will to protect environment is nonexistant

Cyprus governments have historically not prioritized environmental protection, often disregarding their own regulations and laws to favor local communities, developers, and interest groups, despite pressure from the European Union. This has led to Cyprus being referred to the European Court for not adequately protecting Natura 2000 sites. All governments have failed to protect the environment, with a notable example being unauthorized road works in the Akamas area. Despite two investigations into these road works, the reasons behind the deviation from agreed specifications remain undisclosed, prompting a third investigation. The European Commission has criticized Cyprus for approving projects that could harm Natura 2000 areas without proper impact studies, despite a warning letter sent in 2019. Cyprus has designated 37 sites as Special Areas of Conservation, yet no conservation measures have been established for 28 of these. In response to the Commission’s report, the agriculture ministry claimed to have initiated inter-departmental working groups to complete the legal framework for managing Natura 2000 areas, aiming for full compliance with EU directives. However, the lack of political will is seen as a significant barrier to genuine environmental protection.

Monastery implicated in environmental scandal

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Monastery implicated in environmental scandal

The Osiou Avakoum monastery was implicated in an environmental scandal for being built on land protected under the Natura 2000 environmental policy. Legal action has been taken against the monastery, the church committee, and Archimandrite Nektarios Georgiou for unauthorized constructions on the site. Investigations revealed illegal constructions and a lack of final approvals for various buildings. The monastery, constructed in 2020, is also under police investigation for claims of financial extortion.

Multiple violations linked to construction of Saint Habakkuk monastery

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Multiple violations linked to construction of Saint Habakkuk monastery

The Department of Town Planning identified illegal construction activities by two churches for a monastery in Fterikoudi, including exceeding building coefficients and building on unacquired private land, some within the Natura 2000 area. Two applications were submitted: one for licensing the monastery buildings and another for the road construction leading to it. The Nicosia provincial town planning department received the building application on 12/9/2022 and found the buildings already erected during an on-site visit. The application is under examination, and the Department of Environment has given positive opinions, but no decision will be made until the road is registered. The road registration request is pending, with plans to widen it for safety, involving land expropriation. The road passes through various zones, including Residential (H3), Rural (G3), and Protection (Z1). The land parcels involved belong to the churches of Saint Habakkuk, Saint Porphyrius, and Saint Nicholas, overseen by Archimandrite Nektarios Georgiou. For road registration and widening, an Environmental Impact Assessment study is required by the Community Council for approval by the Competent Environmental Authority, ensuring no negative impacts on Natura 2000 areas. However, if the road registration involves no widening, no studies are required. The Game and Fauna Service opposes road registration through Nature Protection areas to avoid encouraging residential development there.

Saint Habakkuk involved in environmental scandal

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Saint Habakkuk involved in environmental scandal

– The hermitage of Saint Habakkuk was illegally erected and converted into the Holy Monastery of Saint Habakkuk by the Holy Synod on March 21, 2022.
– Efforts have been made for two years to legalize the monastery’s facilities through registration and road construction.
– Government departments have refused the retroactive legalization due to the monastery being built in a Natura 2000 Network area without environmental studies.
– Legal actions were initiated against the Monastery, the church committee, and Archimandrite Nektarios Georgiou for unauthorized constructions.
– The first inspection occurred in September 2022, and by March 2023, illegal buildings and lack of final approvals for various constructions were identified.
– On March 17, 2023, the Monastery was notified of the decision to take legal action, leading to a court case with 18 charges filed in July 2023, with a trial scheduled for March 26, 2024.
– Pressure was exerted to register a road leading to the monastery to grant legal access and obtain a license.
– The road falls within agricultural zone G3, protection zone Z1, the Special Protection Zone of the Natura 2000 Network named Madari – Papoutsa, and the Community Importance Area named Fountoukodasi Pitsilias, and is a known migratory bird corridor.
– The Department of Environment emphasized the negative impacts of road widening on the Natura 2000 Network areas.
– A meeting on March 21, 2023, discussed the road’s registration and construction, requiring an Environmental Impact Assessment study for approval.
– The Game and Fauna Service opposed the registration of roads through Nature Protection areas to prevent encouraging residential development in these areas.
– The Department of Environment had no objection to issuing a license for the legalization of the illegally erected cells and auxiliary spaces at the hermitage as of a month after the March 21, 2023 request for opinions.

Police determine Paphos restauranteur car fire was arson

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Police determine Paphos restauranteur car fire was arson

Police and firefighters in Paphos have determined that a fire which broke out in a vehicle owned by a 46-year-old man and subsequently spread to a second vehicle was caused by arson. The incident occurred on Tuesday night. The fire began in a car parked on the main road, where the 46-year-old man runs a restaurant. The car, due to the fire, rolled off and collided with another vehicle owned by a 32-year-old man, causing the second vehicle to also catch fire. The fire service extinguished the fire. Deputy police chief Michalis Nikolaou stated that the determination of arson was based on secured testimony. The investigation by Paphos CID is ongoing, with the scene remaining cordoned off.

Tesla, rivals get low marks for automated-driving technology

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Tesla, rivals get low marks for automated-driving technology

Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self Driving technology, along with nine other assisted-driving systems from major automakers, received “poor” ratings from the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in a new study. The IIHS found no evidence that these systems have real-world safety benefits based on crash data. Automatic emergency braking systems, in contrast, have been shown to reduce rear-end collisions by 50% and incidents involving a vehicle hitting a pedestrian by 30%. Federal regulators are investigating nearly 1,000 accidents involving Tesla’s Autopilot.