I heard on the radio yesterday that there were only 111 shopping days to Christmas. Sadly there are only two shopping days left for me as I am heading back to Cyprus tomorrow and all the bargains are in London. Still I have had a good go at cramming 111 days into 7 in the last week.
YET ANOTHER case of title-deed misery and unscrupulous property dealers will conclude today, as a retired expatriate couple’s home goes up for auction in Larnaca.
Ken and Mary Hudson, both 72, will now face eviction from and repossession of a flat they bought in 2002, after the former owner failed to meet ongoing mortgage payments and the bank, which kept the title deeds, recently ordered repossession.
The Hudsons first came to Cyprus for a holiday in 2000 and “fell in love with the people, culture and community” here. When the opportunity to work for a charity in Cyprus came up in 2002, they returned and bought a flat in Larnaca, where they hoped to spend their retirement.
WE ARE HAPPY to report that the slow season for news is officially over and we no longer have to devote our entire output to Cyprob related items such as the overseas Cypriots, George Iacovou and the triptych for lack of better material.
This does not mean we will turn our back on our number one national problem for 50 years, which is much more deserving of a 50-year anniversary celebration than the Cyprus Republic that is getting one in October. Why not also have a Cyprob anniversary?
We could invite all the UN Chiefs and Special Representatives and honour them for their contribution towards keeping it alive all these years and give awards (posthumously, if necessary) to the presidents who bravely resisted foreign conspiracies to have it closed prematurely.
CYPRUS AIRWAYS losses’ for the first six months of this year reached €25.5 million, sparking new public debate about the future of the airline in these difficult times. The government line, also supported by the political parties, was that the merger with Eurocypria should proceed because this was the only way for survival. However, supporters of this course of action were in no position to say whether the merger would make the resulting company viable.
LEAKS TO the press on the Greek Cypriot side’s positions in the property negotiations served to undermine the president’s efforts to get the best result out of the talks, said acting government spokesman Christos Christofides yesterday.
The government was not happy with the leaks to the press, reported in a number of yesterday’s papers, meaning that they were leaked the same day that President Demetris Christofias called on the political parties to maintain confidentiality so that the talks could reach a positive outcome. The Greek Cypriot document tabling its package of proposals on property was sent to all parties on Friday, said Christofides.
POLICE CHIEF Michalis Papageorgiou yesterday hit back at the criticism levelled against him by the Cyprus Police Association (SAK), accusing the aspiring unionists of trying to “deliberately undermine” his efforts.
The spat between the police chief and SAK has gradually spiralled in recent months, with SAK openly defying Papageorgiou on Thursday by announcing plans to integrate into the powerful civil servants’ union PASYDY.
A team from the CNN programme “Earth’s Frontiers” arrives in Cyprus today to start work on a climate change documentary.
The programme will investigate the environmental impact of the latest drought on the landscape, document evidence of climate change in the region and take account of the parliamentary measures which have been taken to manage the situation.
For residents, the signs are already ominous: scorching summers, more frequent sandstorms, dying vines and parched fields along with critical water shortages.
A DOCUMENTARY on the experience of Cypriot volunteers in World War II was released last week during an event to mark the 71st anniversary of the start of the war.
Cypriot veterans, their families and politicians, including President Demetris Christofias, all gathered at the Pallas Nicosia on Wednesday to see the first screening of the film, and honour the volunteers’ contribution to the allied war effort.
After welcome speeches by Veterans’ Association president, Loizos Demetriou and historian, Rolandos Katsiaounis, the association screened the 96 minute documentary which includes footage from the war and interviews with veterans, such as former President Glafcos Clerides.
OPPOSITION DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades said yesterday he discussed improving relations between Israel and Cyprus with visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman.
The two men met in Limassol, where Liberman spent two nights at a hotel. Arriving Thursday night, the Israeli FM met with his Cypriot counterpart Marcos Kyprianou on Friday and Anastassiades yesterday morning before flying to Tel Aviv last night.
According to the DISY leader, the two discussed common problems shared by Cyprus, Israel and the Arab world.
“It is clear our wish is to improve relations even further with Israel without this harming our relations with the Arab states, and this is what I passed on to our friend the foreign minister,” said Anastassiades.
THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board has welcomed signs that the Cypriot economy is beginning to bottom out in 2010, leading to a modest recovery in 2011.
It also assessed that returning the economy to its potential growth depends critically on a credible fiscal consolidation, continued market confidence in the financial sector, and structural reforms to improve competitiveness and the business climate.
According to the IMF assessment, concluded on August 27, the near-term outlook is still fragile as global financial risks remain elevated and growth prospects in trading partners muted, while a positive inflation differential with the euro area has reopened.
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.
