Nicosia, Oct 29 : Real Estate Developer Limitless, part of the Dubai World Conglomerate, has invited construction firms to submit bids for the second phase of earthworks on the 11 billion dollars Arabian Canal project. 

The contract involves the excavation of about 300 million cubic meters of earth along an 8.5 kilometre stretch of the canal’s route.

The 75 km-long Arabian Canal waterway, which will be up to 150 metres wide and six meters deep, will start near the Dubai Marina area, flowing inland around the planned Jebel Ali International Airport and will enter the sea once again at the outer end of the Palm Jebel Ali. 

Athens/Nicosia  - The drought-stricken island of Cyprus welcomed its first rain storm in recent months Wednesday which ended up causing flooding to many parts of the eastern Mediterranean island.

Heavy storms forced the closure of two main roads in the capital Nicosia and emergency crews were called in to evacuate more than 300 homes due to heavy flooding.

Cyprus, which is heavily reliant on rainfall for water supplies, is suffering one of the worst droughts and water shortages in the past 100 years.

Nicosia, Oct 21 : Qatar Petroleum has awarded Punj Lloyd the engineering, procurement, installation, and commissioning of the Strategic Gas Transmission Project, worth 800 million dollars.

The project includes the laying of 211 km of a 36-inch diameter pipeline with associated stations and infrastructure.

Nicosia, Oct

Athens/Nicosia  - Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders agreed to hold weekly peace talks on Friday in an effort to find a formula and keep the momentum going to reunite the divided Mediterranean island.

It was the fourth meeting between Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehemt Ali Talat since they launched a new round of peace talks on September 3.

Both sides are hoping to end a conflict that has dragged on for decades and which trheatens Turkey's aspirations of joining the European Union. The two leaders are scheduled to meet again on October 13.

Athens/Nicosia  - Former US President Jimmy Carter, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former Algerian Foreign Minister Lakhdar Brahimi on Thursday urged leaders of the divided island of Cyprus to end its decades-old division.

Carter, Tutu and Brahimi arrived on Cyprus late Wednesday as part of a meeting of the organization The Elders, a group of 12 Nobel laureates and human activists who try to help resolve global crisis.