WE HAD originally planned to feature a list of predictions for 2007 today, keeping in tradition with previous years, but unfortunately, we were unable to find any clairvoyant or coffee-cup reader for the amount of money we were offering.
THIS WAS the year of elections in Cyprus, marked successively by parliamentary elections, archbishopric elections, and municipal elections.
Only the Church elections will not be soon forgotten. And they will be remembered, at least if the historical account is honest, with a sigh and a sardonic laugh.
THE CYPRUS issue was in a de facto hibernation in 2006 and the few small developments that did happen haven not yet borne any fruit, although tentative hopes are emerging for a resumption of talks in 2007.
THIS YEAR was supposed to bring closure to the families and friends of the 121 people who perished aboard a Cypriot airliner on August 14, 2005.
To some degree this has been achieved, although not all loose ends have been tied up.
AS 2006 draws to a close, the Sunday Mail takes a look back at the major criminal stories, ranging from sleaze to black magic to cold blooded murder.
Holiday pupil murdered
TURKISH Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday sent a New Year message to President Tassos Papadopoulos, urging a Cyprus solution in 2007.
In a statement sent to the Anatolia news agency, Talat called on Papadopoulos join him in the New Year’s resolution: “Let’s say hello to United Cyprus in 2007.”
Sir,
You quote a Nicosia Municipality official as saying the Christmas crib had this year had to be moved from Eleftheria Square to the moat “due to a lack of space on the square” (‘Taking the Christ out of Christmas’, December 24).
Sir,
I have been a regular visitor to your lovely island for the past 14 years. I now own a small apartment in Cyprus. Over the last few years I have grown increasingly concerned at various trends which are happening in Paphos and through conversations with other visitors, I know that they are concerned also. I list them as follows:
Sir,
I have read about the continuing downturn in visitor numbers.
Unfortunately, I see no end to this trend. We visit three or four times a year and have been looking to book flights for 2007. I was very disturbed at the ticket prices the airlines are looking to charge – extortionate in many cases. This must put a further block on the numbers of travellers.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
