New chief of Cyprus army sworn in

The Cyprus army has a new chief, Lieutenant General Stylianos Nasis, who was sworn in on Saturday, less than two weeks after his predecessor resigned over a deadly arms blast that killed 13 people and disabled the island’s biggest power station.
President Demetris Christofias, whose government has been blamed for incompetence in mishandling the confiscated arms shipment for the past three years, has already given the Defence portfolio to his Agriculture Minister and is expected to proceed with a cabinet reshuffle, after the National Guard chief and the Defence Minister resigned, hours after the blast on July 11.
“We must deal with the crisis our country is facing united, composed and with determination and at the same time send the clear message that the National Guard is in a position to fulfil its duties to the utmost,” the president said.
''The Turkish military occupation of the northern part of our country continues for 37 years now and unfortunately the unacceptable, arrogant and utterly provocative stance of the Turkish PM Erdogan during his visit to occupied Cyprus on the anniversary of the Turkish invasion does not allow for optimism nor complacency,'' the President added.
He noted that ''we were recently shocked by the destructive explosion at the naval base Evaggelos Florakis with tragic, consequences'', adding that ''thirteen members of the National Guard and the Fire Service lost their lives on duty and we are faced with a great blow to our economy''.