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THE decision by government partner DIKO to join in Parliament’s rejection of the government bills to increase corporate tax and immovable property tax was not based on economic reality, and those who voted against the bills will “bear a huge responsibility” should Cyprus fail to consolidate its public finances within the deadline set by the European Commission, President Demetris Christofias said yesterday.
Barely disguising his anger, Christofias told reporters: “Let me tell you that I regard it as crossing the line to say that with the additional one per cent tax on profits the economy will lose out and be badly damaged. That bears no relation to reality. No relation at all – these are excuses.”
JENNIFER Lopez has cancelled her scheduled performance at the luxury casino-hotel complex in Kyrenia.
The American singer and actress announced her withdrawal from the proposed inauguration of the hotel which had triggered angry protests from Greeks and Greek Cypriots worldwide.
“Jennifer Lopez would never knowingly support any state, country, institution or regime that was associated with any form of human rights abuse,” a statement on Lopez’s website said. “After a full review of the relevant circumstances in Cyprus, it was the decision of her advisors to withdraw from the appearance. This was a team decision that reflects our sensitivity to the political realities of the region.”
THE DECISION of the majority of the legislature to vote against the government’s bill increasing corporate and real estate tax was a clear rejection of its one-sided approach to reducing the budget deficit. No amount of class struggle rhetoric by the government and AKEL, about making the rich pay for the recession could hide the one-sidedness of the measures that would have caused much more harm than good to the economy.
IF TURKEY and the Turkish Cypriots really want a solution by the end of the year, they should be the ones wanting to link the issues of property and territory in the talks, said President Demetris Christofias yesterday.
Speaking after a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, Christofias said the two leaders had made a “small step forward” but that “we cannot say progress has been achieved”.
During yesterday’s three hour meeting, Christofias reiterated his proposal for a discussion of the chapters on property and territory in tandem, stressing this would simplify and accelerate talks on property.
EUROCYPRIA HEAD Eleftherios Ioannou yesterday announced his resignation from the state-owned airline, giving as reason the “actions and oversights” of the government which are leading the company to closure.
The airline chief’s resignation follows on the heels of the resignation of Kikis Lazarides, former chairman of the other state-owned carrier, Cyprus Airways (CY). Ioannou argued that the government and CY have consistently undermined Eurocypria by creating uncertainty surrounding its future and fighting against its privatisation, leading to “huge disappointment and bitterness” among staff.
BRITISH prosecutors will not oppose the release on bail of fugitive Turkish Cypriot business tycoon, Asil Nadir, pending his trial for an alleged multi-million-pound fraud, the Times newspaper reported yesterday.
In an interview with the Times, Richard Alderman, director of the British Serious Fraud Office (SFO), said that he would listen to any serious proposal on bail conditions from the former Polly Peck chairman.
Nadir, 69, is currently beyond the reach of UK courts, after he fled to the occupied areas in May 1993 to avoid standing trial for fraud connected to the collapse of his business empire.
THE Dutch and Spanish communities in Cyprus are both in confident moods ahead of the climax of the World Cup tomorrow night.
Neither Holland nor Spain have ever won football’s most coveted prize, and expats from both sides are predicting that their team will become only the eighth country to lift the famous trophy.
Chairman of the Dutch Society of Cyprus (NVC) Yme van den Born praised the “unbelievable” achievement of reaching the final, and predicts a 2-1 win for Holland with star midfielder Wesley Sneijder finishing the tournament as top scorer.
THE TRIAL against five suspects believed to be involved in the murder of a former cabaret owner in Limassol last year begins on July 28, Limassol court ruled yesterday.
The five suspects, Soteris Athinis, Panayiotis Kondos, Andreas Alexandrou, Lazaros Lazarou, and the 44-year-old Iraqi-born Greek national Azad Berwari who was extradited to Cyprus from Greece last week face a number of charges in connection with the murder of 67-year-old Michalis Kakathymis from Limassol last July.
Lazarou faces four charges including possession and transportation of the murder weapon and explosive devices. The other four suspects will have to answer to ten charges including conspiracy to commit murder and the possession of weapons and explosive devices.
THE computerised systems used in Nicosia and Famagusta general hospitals since 2008 has cut by a quarter the loss of patient data, the Health Minister said yesterday.
Christos Patsalides said that the computerised system has eliminated the loss of one in four laboratory examinations which would once have been shelved due to badly written referrals for screening and other patient data. The system, together with the performance of tests on CD, has reduced the use of X-ray films to 75 per cent, which has also lead to a reduction in ministry expenses.
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.
