APOEL end ‘exceptional’ year on top in Cyprus

2009-12-22

DEFENDING champions APOEL beat APOP Kinyras Peyias 3-1 at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia over the weekend to stay top, as the league heads into the winter break.

Marcin Zewlakow put APOEL ahead after only three minutes and Chrysis Michael made it 2-0 seven minutes before time from the penalty spot.

Serbian international Nenad Mirosavljevic converted another penalty in injury time to increase the lead before Jose Semedo netted a consolation, with yet another spot-kick.

“The final score does not reflect proceedings on the pitch but our victory was fair, APOEL coach Ivan Jovanovic said after the match.

Baghdatis beaten by Nalbandian in Buenos Aires

2009-12-22

AFTER bad weather in Buenos Aires had delayed the Copa Peugeot Argentina de Tenis on Saturday, Marcos Baghdatis had to play both his semi-final and final on Sunday.

First up was Juan Monaco of Argentina, whom the Cypriot defeated in straight sets 7-6, 7-5, but the final against crowd favourite David Nalbandian proved to be a different story, the Argentine winning 6-4, 6-4 in two tough sets.

According to Baghdatis.com, “despite ultimately losing in the final, this was still a great tournament for Marcos, providing him with a tough work out against top players.” It was also announced over the weekend that Baghdatis will join a strong line-up including Lleyton Hewitt, Gael Monfi ls and Tomas Berdych at Sydney’s Medibank International in a fortnight’s time.

Messi wins FIFA World Player of Year award

2009-12-22

Lionel Messi became the first Argentine to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award on Monday.

The 22-year-old forward, who also landed the European Footballer of the Year prize earlier this month, picked up the accolade after collecting four major titles with Barcelona – the Champions League, the Club World Cup, La Liga and the King’s Cup.

“This finishes a magnificent year for Barcelona, my team mates and for me,” said Messi after receiving the trophy from UEFA president and former France international Michel Platini.

The Argentine, who joined Barcelona as a 13-year-old in 2000, claimed 1,073 points in a poll of 147 national team coaches and captains.

Blame the Tourism Minister

2009-12-22

 

When I was first asked whether I would like to write a blog for the new website, I said no, thinking I wouldn’t have the time, it would be just another thing I’d have to do at the office, and so on.

So who should you thank for changing my mind? Take a bow, Commerce and Tourism Minister Antonis Paschalides.

A short while ago I was listening to the CyBC lunchtime news, and heard Paschalides say that consumers should boycott cucumbers this Christmas if they think they are overpriced. This advice was followed by five minutes of shouted exchanges between various representatives of vegetable producers, one of whom stated solemnly that there is no cucumber cartel operating in Cyprus.

Paphos commercial centre is dying

2009-12-22

THE STREETS and shops in central Paphos are empty, just three days before Christmas, a usually busy time in the town, putting the survival of the commercial centre in danger, officials said yesterday.

Trade in the town centre could die out unless shop owners take drastic measures now, warned Paphos councillor Nicos Similides. Paphos Mayor Savvas Vergas echoed this concern saying the old market area and roads leading to it were, “like a desert”.

Haridemous Papadopoulos, the head of shopkeepers union POVEK said shop owners had been expressing their desperation over the lack of custom in the run up to Christmas.

Our View: The hard-liners roar yet refuse others the right to squeak

2009-12-22

IT APPEARS that the president’s negotiations advisor Toumazos Tselepis cannot open his mouth without provoking a storm of protest by the leaders of all the hard-line parties. Presumably, this is an easy way for the parties to attack the president’s policy on the Cyprus problem without directing their fire at him personally. His main advisor is a much more convenient target, especially for EDEK and DIKO which are part of the government alliance.

State payroll cleaning out state coffers

2009-12-22

THE STATE payroll is sucking the treasury dry, accounting for one-third of the government’s budget. It has also increased fivefold over the past 20 years, it emerged yesterday as allegations were made that some civil servants were ‘sitting at home’ on a salary of €5,000 a month.

Papadopoulos’ family estate searched

2009-12-22

THE WIDOW of Tassos Papadopoulos broke down after a meeting with senior police as investigators searched the family’s estate on the outskirts of Nicosia as part of the ongoing investigation into the theft of former president’s remains.

Police Chief Michalis Papageorgiou met Papadopoulos’ family whom he briefed on the course of the investigation.

Papadopoulos’ widow Fotini, started to read a prepared statement after the meeting but was overcome with emotion. “We are experiencing a crime that has shocked us,” she said.

Her son Nicolas, seeing that she could not continue, read the statement himself.

He said the family was in continuous contact with the authorities trying to contribute to the investigation and urged for an end to the speculation.

Police visit Serbian businessman’s home in Papadopoulos investigation

2009-12-22

A CYPRUS-BASED Serbian businessman who implicated the late former president Tassos Papadopoulos in a lawsuit linked to sanctions-busting for the Slobobodan Milosevic regime has been investigated by police in connection with the theft of his body.

“I was fighting Papadopoulos when he was alive so now they are trying to intimidate me,” Predrag Djordjevic told the Cyprus Mail.

He said police arrived at his home on Sunday 11am asking for his permission to search the premises.

Djordjevic gave his consent and after a “brief search” officers took his statement and left. It lasted around two hours, the businessman said. “This is ridiculous,” Djordjevic said.

Hopes for a 2010 solution

2009-12-22

IN THEIR last meeting of the year, the two leaders yesterday put on a rare display of common desire, expressing their “strong hope” that 2010 will be the year of a Cyprus solution.

Following the last session of direct talks for 2009, President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat released a joint statement, read out by UN coordinator Yasser Sabra.

“The two leaders extend to all Greek and Turkish Cypriots their best wishes for the New Year and express their strong hope that 2010 will be the year of solution of the Cyprus problem,” said the two leaders.

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.