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IN THE PAST, before we joined the EU, there were many types of state-sponsored protectionism that nobody challenged. The law could be changed or, even worse, ignored in order to benefit a specific organisation or company. With EU membership such practices have been phased out, even though the authorities, backed by the political parties, occasionally revert to the old habits.
In 2007, when Cyprus was already a member of the EU, the legislature passed a law giving exclusive rights to supply the island with natural gas to a single company owned by the state and the Electricity Authority. The law was challenged in the Supreme Court for being in violation of competition, but no ruling has been issued yet.
TURKISH Cypriot businessman Asil Nadir flew back to Britain yesterday, 17 years after he fled while awaiting trial on theft charges stemming from the collapse of his Polly Peck business empire.
Nadir, who has been living in the north, which has no extradition treaty with Britain, arrived at Luton airport near London on a flight from Turkey with his 28-year-old wife Nujr. He was surrounded by photographers when he stepped off the plane, before leaving the airport in a grey Jaguar with blacked-out windows, and with a police escort.
Nadir, who says he is innocent, told reporters on the plane from Turkey that he hoped the climate in Britain was now right for him to get a fair trial.
A NICOSIA district court yesterday rejected a defence request to release three suspects pending the start of the trial for the murder of media owner Andis Hadjicostis.
A fourth suspect did not object to remaining in custody until the start of the trial.
The three – television presenter Elena Skordelli, 42, her 37-year-old brother Tasos Krasopoulis and Andreas Gregoriou, 33, are being held for the murder of Hadjicostis in January this year.
On Wednesday, the state filed a motion to suspend the prosecution of the first three suspects in order to add Gregoris Xenofontos, 29, on the charge sheet.
All four have been committed to trial before the Nicosia criminal court on October 25.
FIRST-GRADERS at public schools will be taught English as of the 2011-2012 academic year, following an agreement between the Education Ministry and the primary schoolteachers’ association.
The novelty is part of a restructuring of curricula at state primary schools, which among other things provides for a slight reduction in Greek classes while geography will also be taught from first grade.
Currently English is taught from the 4th grade at state primary schools. Under the new system, of which the broad strokes have been agreed, the language will be taught from the very first grade. Grades 1-3 will be taught one hour a week, and grades 4-6 two hours a week.
A GENETIC mutation in the immune system– dating back to a single common ancestor more than three centuries ago — leads to chronic kidney disease, which seems to exclusively affect people of Cypriot origin, a study has found.
Further analysis, which does not form part of this study suggests that a minimum of about one in every 6,000 Cypriots has the mutation.
“All the families affected so far are of Cypriot origin and the researchers believe this mutation represents a significant proportion of the kidney disease burden in Cyprus and in Cypriot families worldwide,” according to the article, published in the leading medical journal The Lancet.
OFFICIALS yesterday seemed to be at odds over the origin of faeces floating off the beach of Curium, near Limassol, since last summer.
Results from tests carried out by the Institute of Neurology and Genetics were not conclusive, prompting scientists to send samples to the United States for further analysis.
But Christofis Antoniou, the mukhtar of the neighbouring village of Episkopi appeared convinced that the faeces were not of human origin but came from sea-creatures
“The water is clear. There are not so many faeces and I personally go swimming there everyday,” Antoniou said.
He added that the test results found that the waters in the area are safe to swim in.
THE European Commission is looking into reports that Turkish Cypriots are planning to allocate land in the Karpas peninsula for the construction of university facilities, it was announced yesterday.
“The European Commission is particularly sensitive to matters that concern the protection of the environment,” a press release said. “The wider area of Karpas presents unique environmental wealth with rare flora and fauna. Potential building construction is likely to affect the Special Protection Areas of the peninsula which could be included in the Natura 2000 programme following the comprehensive settlement and reunification of the island.”
AN APPEAL against the winning bid in the tender to evaluate the land earmarked for the construction of a luxury complex in Nicosia could delay the project, a joint venture between Cyprus and Qatar, the finance minister said yesterday. “It is something that could delay the whole procedure,” Charilaos Stavrakis said. “I hope we do not end up in this procedure because there would be unnecessary delay on a project worth hundreds of millions of euros, which would be to the benefit of the Cypriot economy.” Landtourist Valuations Ltd is considering appealing against the Finance Ministry’s decision to choose the services of Antonis Loizou & Associates in the crucial stage of negotiations with the Qataris to find a compromise on how much the land earmarked for development is really worth.
METAL detectors at Larnaca airport will be measured for electromagnetic radiation emissions to ensure they pose no health hazard.
The measurements have been ordered by Transport Minister Erato Kozakou-Marsoullis and will take place in her presence on Monday.
They will be conducted by the Labour Inspection Department, but University of Cyprus experts have also been asked to carry out their own independent readings.
The measurements are taking place after airport workers protested that daily exposure to the metal detectors puts their health at risk. The workers have threatened to go on strike unless the government finds an alternative method to conduct security checks for staff.
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.
