Sepp Blatter and the X-Factor!

2010-12-15

I travelled back to London on Sunday evening. I had only been away for a few weeks and in my absence there was only one story. Not the snow or the student protests. The only residual snow I have seen in the last few days was on the side of the M25. And the students have lost the argument. That just leaves the X-Factor. So, I have been feeling a bit like Cinderella, the only one without an invite to the X-Factor final ball, (I was on a plane at the time).

Our View: Stars not exactly aligned for a Cyprus solution

2010-12-15

THE MAJORITY of Cypriots on either side of the Green Line desires a settlement. According to an opinion poll, conducted by ‘Cyprus 2015: Research and Dialogue for a Sustainable Future’, 68 per cent of Greek Cypriots and 65 per cent of Turkish Cypriots want an agreement, but have very low hopes (10 and 12 per cent respectively) of this being achieved.

The big majority on both sides is prepared to accept federation as a compromise even though it is the ideal for neither – 92 per cent of Greek Cypriots favour a unitary state and 90 per cent of Turkish Cypriots a two-state arrangement. Most interesting is that 60 per cent of Greek Cypriots consider the continuation of the current situation “entirely unacceptable” compared to only 27 Turkish Cypriots.

Ready for surprise visit from tax man?

2010-12-15

UNDER NEW laws passed by parliament yesterday, businesses could expect surprise visits from the taxman outside of office hours.

The raft of new measures is contained in five of the government’s six bills to combat tax evasion and avoidance, which were passed by the plenum.

The new laws also provide for stricter fines for delays in submitting tax returns and make it easier for the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) to lift bank confidentiality.

The bills, which were part of the government’s commitment to civil servant unions in exchange for possible salary concessions, have been part of intensive discussions at the House Finance Committee since last April. The government hopes the move on tax evaders will assist economic recovery.

Green light for VAT hike on food and medicine

2010-12-15

THE HOUSE yesterday approved by majority vote a bill introducing 5.0 per cent VAT on foodstuff and pharmaceuticals, which will come to force early in 2011.

The bill was passed by majority vote, with 26 MPs from ruling AKEL and coalition partner DIKO voting in favour, and 19 votes against from opposition DISY, EDEK, EVROKO and the Green Party.

An amendment proposed by DIKO to have the new law apply as of January 10, 2011 – instead of January 1, as proposed in the bill – was unanimously approved, in a bid to help businesses and the authorities adjust to the new tax.

5,000 people charged in one year of smoking ban

2010-12-15

ALMOST A year since the much-debated smoking ban came into effect, police charged over 5,000 people for smoking in closed public spaces, including hospitals and public buildings. “Across Cyprus, 44,669 checks have been carried out from which 5,334 on-the-spot fines were issued. Seventy-three criminal files were sent to court while the total number of people charged since the beginning of the year comes to 5,415,” said police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos.

Griffon vultures and ravens almost extinct

2010-12-15

THE POPULATIONS of Griffon vultures and ravens in Cyprus are almost extinct, with so few remaining that a single poisoning incident could obliterate both populations, it emerged yesterday.

The birds’ bleak situation is the result of a shortage of food, disturbance to nesting sites and poisoning, after eating contaminated aimed at killing stray dogs, cats and vermin.

BirdLife Cyprus spokesman and conservationist Martin Hellicar estimates there could be as few as a dozen vultures left on the island, and just two to three pairs of ravens – which also eat carrion.

English school gets its cash

2010-12-15

PARLIAMENT has decided to release approximately €340,000 of funding to the English School, after withholding it for a year over the Board of Directors’ alleged financial mismanagement.

English School board chairman Kyriacos Vassiliou yesterday welcomed the news, which would provide around €500 per student, noting that parliament never directly told him why they had withheld the funds.

Vassiliou said: “The funding has been arranged and the cheque is ready to be received… I was not told by the government why they withheld the funds. The board was not invited to parliament, though the parents were.”

He added: “We were not given any conditions to fulfil. All I had from parliament was a terse letter saying that our request for funding had been turned down.”

Little faith that Cyprus solution possible

2010-12-15

GREEK Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots have little faith that there will be a Cyprus solution any time soon, a new survey released yesterday showed.

Some 68 per cent of Greek Cypriots and 65 per cent of Turkish Cypriots expressed a strong desire for a solution while 14 per cent of Greek Cypriots and 21 per cent of Turkish Cypriots expressed a low desire for a solution, and 17 per cent and 13 per cent respectively were ambivelant, said the September survey carried out on behalf of Interpeace, an international peace building organisation. The report is titled ‘Cyprus 2015: Research and Dialogue for a Sustainable Future’.

However 65 per cent of Turkish Cypriots don’t believe a solution is likely, while Greek Cypriots were divided almost 50:50

UNFICYP mandate renewed

2010-12-15

THE UN Security Council last night urged the two leaders to intensify the momentum of their negotiations and to engage in a constructive and open manner.

The call was part of a Council resolution approving the renewal of UNFICYP’s mandate for another six months until June 2011. Fourteen members of the Council voted for the resolution and one (Turkey) voted against.

The resolution makes several references to the contents of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s recent report on progress, or the lack thereof, in the ongoing talks, and calls on the two leaders to develop a practical plan for overcoming the major remaining points of disagreement in preparatkion of their meeting with Ban in Geneva at the end of next month.

Investors show interest in Eurocypria

2010-12-15

SEVERAL serious investors are interested in Eurocypria (ECA) airlines, currently in voluntary liquidation, it emerged yesterday.

“There are numerous and serious investors with whom I am talking,” said liquidator Chris Iakovides.

He said the investors have asked for a business plan but they in turn must be able to convince that they have what it takes before any official announcements are made.

Iakovides declined to provide any more details and did not confirm or deny reports in the local media saying he was engaged in advanced contacts with three investors – the Church, Israeli carrier El Al and Andreas Vgenopoulos, Marfin Investment Group shareholder and chairman of Greece’s former state airline Olympic Air.

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.