Merkel gives full support to president

2011-01-12

GERMAN CHANCELLOR Angela Merkel gave her full support to President Demetris Christofias’ efforts to solve the Cyprus problem yesterday during a “historic” one-day visit to the island while saying that the Turkish side was not doing enough in this regard.

“We greatly appreciate your courage, creativity shown and initiative taken to solve the problem. We see that you are taking many steps and we also see that the Turkish side is not responding adequately to your steps,” said Merkel during a joint press conference at the Presidential Palace.

The steps taken by Christofias “show that you are ready to make a compromise”, she said.

Our View: Slapdash state aid is of no help

2011-01-12

THE LABOUR and finance ministers were unable, after a two-hour meeting yesterday, to decide the offset measures the government would take in order to help low-income families cope with the five per cent VAT imposed on food prices. They would be meeting again next week in the hope of finalising the measures, because the government wanted the introduction of the measures as soon as possible.

It’s all smiles as chancellor enjoys Cyprus hospitality

2011-01-12

AS MEDIA representatives basked in the sun outside the Presidential Palace in Nicosia yesterday, the peace was broken a little after midday when a convoy of around a dozen black Mercedes arrived.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, reinforcing her country’s worldwide reputation for efficiency at the cost of highlighting Cyprus’ own shortcomings, was 15 minutes early.

This was the first time a German leader was visiting Cyprus, and President Demetris Christofias couldn’t have been happier.

He stood on the red-coated steps of the palace, giving Merkel a heartfelt kiss on both cheeks. “A very, very warm welcome,” he beamed.

British woman facing charges of attempted murder and kidnap

2011-01-12

A BRITISH woman is due in court today facing kidnap charges after she took her son to the UK. She has also been accused of hiring hitmen to murder her estranged Cypriot husband.

Sarah Antoniou, 38, has been held in Nicosia prison since November. She will appear in Paphos court this morning, although her mother, Patricia Norton and UKIP MEP Stuart Agnew, currently on the island, said the case will probably be postponed.

“I have spent a few hours with Sarah at the prison and she is a broken woman. I am on my way to deliver a letter to the President of the Republic of Cyprus to highlight the case. The allegations of attempted murder are very serious and she is being held on the most flimsy of evidence,” Agnew said yesterday.

Ministers assure VAT rise won’t hit hardest up

2011-01-12

FINANCE MINISTER Charilaos Stavrakis yesterday sought to assure the public that the consequences of the introduction of 5.0 per cent VAT on foodstuff and pharmaceuticals would hardly be felt.

Speaking after he met Labour Minister Sotiroula Charalambous to discuss measures to counterbalance the effects of the new tax, introduced on Monday, Stavrakis said the final increase would only reach 3.0 to 3.5 per cent, effectively.

“From older studies, experience says that 30 per cent of the increase is absorbed by the merchants,” said Stavrakis. Add this to the recent 1.25 per cent increase in the Cost of Living Allowance (CoLA), the minister said the real effect of the new tax would be minimal.

Endangered grass snake could survive yet

2011-01-12

THE FUTURE survival of Cyprus’ endangered native grass snake, natrix natrix cypriaca, came a step closer to being ensured yesterday after agriculture minister Demetris Eliades pledged his support for the snake’s conservation.

In an impromptu private audience, Eliades told Cyprus’ leading reptile expert and conservationist, Hans-Jorg Wiedl: “I care about the natrix natrix cypriaca. This is an utmost priority, not because we are in front of European court, but because we have to save our nature and this unique creature. We have to respect our environment.”

MPs urged not to use parliament for publicity

2011-01-12

THE government yesterday urged MPs to stop being populist, using parliament as a publicity vehicle for the upcoming elections as ministers and top officials refused to appear before a committee scheduled to discuss asylum seeker benefits.

Interior Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis, his counterpart at the Ministry of Labour, Sotiroulla Charalambous, and the permanent secretaries of both ministries refused to appear before the House Watchdog Committee yesterday, saying that the issue on the agenda had been repeatedly discussed in parliament previously before the Watchdog, Institutions and Finance Committees.

Christofias: we will push on with gas exploration

2011-01-12

PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias said yesterday the government would press ahead with plans for gas exploration regardless of opposition from Turkey.

The state is planning a major push into oil and gas exploration this year, but Turkey has repeatedly said the move could upset reunification talks for the island.

“It is the sovereign right of Cyprus to explore for natural gas. Turkey has no right, and nor does any other country, to tell us we do not have that right,” Christofias said, speaking at a news conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Nicosia yesterday.

The island’s estimated hydrocarbon reserves have come into sharper focus after neighbouring Israel discovered two large offshore gas fields in an area which abuts Cypriot sea territory.

Over 6,500 reported for smoking indoors

2011-01-12

OVER 6,500 people have been reported by police for smoking indoors in public places during the first year of a blanket smoking ban, police said yesterday.

Police said they had carried out almost 50,000 checks at various establishments across the island, issuing 6,449 on the spot fines.

An additional 83 cases were sent to court.

From the 6,540 people reported, 2,336 were proprietors, 4,174 were customers, and 29 worked at the establishments.

The majority of those reported by police were Cypriot – 5,515 – while 1,025 were foreign nationals. Most, 5,104 were men.

Among those caught smoking illegally, six were minors police said.

Police said most violators were reported in bars, betting shops, night clubs and coffee shops.

Leaders to meet today

2011-01-12

PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu are scheduled to meet today within the framework of the ongoing UN led negotiations to find a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem.

The two leaders last met on December 15, since when Eroglu has undergone heart surgery.

Presidential Commissioner George Iacovou and advisor to the Turkish Cypriot leader Kudret Ozersai have met regularly on a weekly basis.

President Christofias met with Turkish Cypriot leader and UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon on November 18 in New York. During that meeting they agreed to meet again in the presence of UN SG at the end of January in Geneva.

The Geneva meeting has been scheduled to take place on January 26.

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.