Before my comments start a small world war, I must point out I am a dog lover. My happy little Bishon- Fries “Mr Chas” is the undisputed king of the Morley household.
His every whim is my command, we are companions and friends.
THE PLANNED strike by British Airways (BA) employees could leave hundreds of people stranded in the UK and Cyprus this Christmas.
BA in Cyprus said yesterday it would refund or rebook tickets if the strike goes ahead.
The 12 day strike, organised by the UK’s trade union, UNITE, is planned to run from December 22 to January 2, grounding 24 flights to and from the island.
BA now has less than a week to find a solution and although discussions are underway, the airline is preparing itself for a worst-case scenario by re-working flight schedules, it said yesterday.
REFUGEE mothers demonstrated outside the presidential palace on Sunday to protest against state discrimination. They argue that they are victims of sexual discrimination as they are prevented, by law, from passing their refugee status to their children as male refugees are entitled to do. The son of a male refugee is given refugees status, whereas the son of female refugee is not, which is a blatant case of institutional discrimination.
CHRISTMAS may well work out cheaper this year than it was last year.
According to Commerce Minister, Antonis Paschalides, his Ministry is making every effort to ensure that the Cyprus market is stocked with quality produce at reasonable prices.
“There are and will be enough products on the shelves,” he said yesterday on a tour of Nicosia supermarkets.
Paschalides said according to his observations prices on vegetables and many other basic foodstuffs were lower than they were last year.
“We are performing checks and our aim is, if at all possible, for the ‘Christmas table’ to cost the same or less this year than it did last year,” he said.
THE EUROPEAN Court of Human Rights (ECHR) yesterday rejected 49 applications by Greek Cypriot families of the missing, saying they failed to seek recourse within a reasonable timeframe.
A lawyer for the families, DIKO deputy Andreas Angelides said the decision was a negative and contradictory development since the lack of information on the missing persons is an ongoing issue and therefore a continuing violation made by Turkey.
He noted that the families of the missing sought recourse to the Court in 2000, just ten years after the Varnavas case was submitted. In that landmark judgement and the one regarding Titina Loizidou, the Court had ruled that the violations committed against Cyprus by Turkey were ongoing.
A THREE-day debate on the 2010 state budget began yesterday at the plenum of the House of Representatives, with speeches by parliamentary leaders covering a wide range of aspects from the Cyprus problem, domestic policy to the economy.
The 2010 budget provides for revenue, excluding loans, of €5.729 billion, surpassing this year’s budget by 6.6 per cent. Expenditure, excluding the paying off of loans, is estimated at €7.922 billion, passing 2009 expenditure by 3.6 per cent.
Presenting the budget to the House last Thursday, Finance Minister Charilaos Stavrakis said the 2010 state budget was drawn up in a responsible and balanced manner. It was growth-orientated, with a social vision and contained no new taxes.
CYPRUS’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per inhabitant in purchasing power standards (PPS) reached 96 points in 2008, with 100 points being the EU27 average.
According to Eurostat, GDP per inhabitant in the Member States ranged from 41 per cent to 276 per cent of the EU27 average in 2008.
In 2008, GDP per inhabitant in Luxembourg, expressed in purchasing power standards (PPS), was more than two and a half times the EU27 average, while Ireland and the Netherlands recorded levels about one third above average.
France, Spain and Italy registered GDP per inhabitant between 0 and 10 per cent above the EU27 average, while Cyprus, Greece and Slovenia were between 0 and 10 per cent below the average.
A POLL held among Thomson Airways passengers ranked Paphos airport first among the major airports of Europe.
The poll involved all airports in the Thomson Airways network during the 2009 summer period. Thomson Airways accounts for more than 25 per cent of the passengers served at Paphos.
The newly-renovated airport attracted the highest percentage of positive votes and was chosen as the airport which leaves the most favourable impression on travellers and at the same time offers exceptional service to the travelling public, airport operators Hermes said.
“This is the first time that an airport of the Cyprus Republic has occupied such an honoured position and has been awarded “Best Resort Airport in Europe” by the travelling public,” Hermes said.
POLICE yesterday continued their investigation into the theft of the remains of former president Tassos Papadopoulos while President Demetris Christofias was saddened over the increasing speculation concerning the case.
“I am thinking that time is passing and the case has not been resolved and this saddens me because there is more and more speculation, which is not pleasant for the family or the Republic,” Christofias told reporters.
Between Thursday night and Friday morning, unknown individuals dug up the grave of Papadopoulos, stealing his remains in an act of desecration that has left authorities baffled as to their motive.
AS OF today H1N1 vaccinations are being made available to persons between the ages of 6 months and 25 years of age not in high risk groups.
The decision to extend the immunisation programme to sectors of the population outside of the high risk groups – such as those with pre-established health conditions and hospital workers – was first announced on Monday by health Minister Christos Patsalides.
A 52-year-old man with a history of serious illness who died on Saturday night became the third death in the south of the island from H1N1.
In the north of the island a 51-year-old female who had been in hospital since December 6 died of H1N1 on Monday. This brings the total death toll from H1N1 on the island so far to 5, three in the south and two in the north.
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.
