Cyprus Mail www.cyprus-mail.com
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
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CYPRUS
REPORTAGE
SHOWBIZ
‘Save our jobs’ Orphanides’ workers plead
Fracking could bring in more cash for Britain’s queen centre
Amy Winehouse inquest to be reheard in January 14
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Flooding causes anger and grief Communities in Paphos and Limassol say no measures are ever taken By Poly Pantelides and Peter Stevenson
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FTER a night of rain almost islandwide, which continued into much of yesterday causing countless problems to homes, shops and drivers, the met office says there will be little let up until Friday, and that will be brief. Shopkeepers, already hit by recession, are angry at being fed the same old lines year after year when it rains, as they spent another morning yesterday clearing mud from their damaged premises. Fire services received 16 distress calls yesterday morning, six in Limassol, five in Larnaca, three in Nicosia and two in Paphos involving flooded basements, and drivers stuck in their cars in flooded streets. And there’s more to come in next few days. Just over two weeks into the month, the amount of rain which has fallen so far has already surpassed the average total in any given December. “From the last 112 Decembers, this one ranks as 46th,” said meteorological officer Marios Theofilou. He said Cyprus could expect more of the same until Friday when the weather will be fine but the weekend would bring more rain, he said. Police have asked the public to be cautious, maintain a safe distance while driving and keep their lights on at all times. A number of roads in mountainous areas now
pose a safety risk from potential landslides and fog, police said. This includes roads from Alassa to Platres, Trimiklinis – Amiantos – Karvouna, and Yerasas – Kalo Chorio – Zoopiyis – Agros and roads to and from Kakopetria village. One driver in Paphos was almost swept away by a torrent, as a river between Nata and Choletra swelled. He managed to get out of the car and reach the riverbank before the flood carried his car towards the Asprokremmos reservoir. Authorities have closed the road. Roads and local shops in Paphos’ Latchi flooded from heavy rain, which began Monday night when a river flowing from the areas of Droushia and Androlykou overflowed, rising above a small bridge at the entrance of Latchi. Houses also flooded in neighbouring Polis Chrysochous, police said. Local shopkeepers said that they are flooded wherever it rains and blamed the authorities for consistently failing to take precautionary measures to remove part of the bridge’s structure that stops the river from flowing. The structure was added as part of a path for cyclists and pedestrians, Polis Chrysochous mayor Angelos Odysseos said, blaming the state for failing to heed his requests to have it removed. The municipality hired a digger to clear debris off the riverbed, Odysseos said. “We told [the municipality] last year but they said they
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Maasai women wait in a queue to register to vote in the general elections scheduled for March 2013 in the village of Olgumi in Kajiado County West yesterday, the last day for Kenyans to register to vote. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has taken biometric computer equipment to populations in remote tribal areas to ensure voting fraud is decreased (AFP)
Scientists find ‘habitable’ planet that is cosmic neighbour By John von Radowitz A PLANET with conditions that could support life orbits a twin neighbour of the sun visible to the naked eye, scientists have revealed. The world is one of five thought to be circling Tau Ceti, a star just 12 light years away which is almost identical to the sun. Astronomers estimate the Tau Ceti planets to be two to six times bigger than Earth. One of them, with five times the Earth’s mass, lies in the star’s “habitable zone”. Also known as the “Goldilocks zone”, this is the orbital region that is neither too hot nor too cold to allow liquid surface water and, potentially, life.
Because of the difficulties involved in detecting extra-solar planets, most found so far have had high masses. The Tau Ceti planetary family is thought to be the lowest mass solar system yet detected. Dr James Jenkins, a member of the international team from the University of Hertfordshire, said: “Tau Ceti is one of our nearest cosmic neighbours and so bright that we may be able to study the atmospheres of these planets in the not-too-distant future. “Planetary systems found around nearby stars close to our sun indicate that these systems are common in our Milky Way galaxy.” More than 800 planets have been discovered orbiting stars beyond the sun since the 1990s.
Those found around the nearest sunlike stars are the most interesting to astronomers. Professor Steve Vogt, another team member from the University of California at Santa Cruz, said: “This discovery is in keeping with our emerging view that virtually every star has planets, and that the galaxy must have many such potentially habitable Earth-sized planets. They are everywhere, even right next door.” Professor Chris Tinney, an Australian member from the University of New South Wales, said: “As we stare at the night sky, it is worth contemplating that there may well be more planets out there than there are stars, some fraction of which may well be habitable.”