Baghdatis survives exhilarating Aussie opener

2011-01-18

MARCOS Baghdatis yesterday survived a tough first round match at the Australian Open, edging past Slovenian qualifier Grega Zemlja in five sets in Melbourne.

The Cypriot came through 3-6, 7-5, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 on Show Court 3 after three hours and 23 minutes.

Crowd favourite Baghdatis dropped his first service game in the opener but quickly recovered to level the set at two apiece.

However, Zemlja wasn’t holding back and he won the following three games to take a 5-2 advantage before clinching the set with a forehand smash at the net.

After an intense ten service games in the second set, the players were tied at 5-5, but Baghdatis then sealed the eleventh game with an ace, pumping himself up with a loud: “Come on!”

Our View: Proper study, proper debate: let’s end this gas confusion

2011-01-18

POLITICIANS, media commentators and technocrats have been letting their imagination run wild when discussing the country’s natural gas options. Every day they seem to come up with a new take on the debate – a missed opportunity, a more beneficial alternative, a violation of tenders procedure, a government oversight, a lack of strategic thinking etc.

Heavy rains but fewer problems than usual

2011-01-18

HEAVY rains fell over much of the island overnight on Sunday causing problems mainly for drivers especially in Larnaca yesterday.

Certain roads were deemed by police to be dangerous due to flooding such as the entrance to the Nicosia highway at the Latsia weighing station.

Also due to snowfall on Troodos on Sunday night police advised that only vehicles with wheel chains, and four-wheel drives should use mountain roads.

Larnaca suffered several road closures mainly along Mitropoleos Kitiou, Demetraki Dianellou and Ellados street in Aradippou.

By yesterday morning with the assistance of the Fire Department two avenues roads were cleared of floodwaters, and opened to the public during the morning rush hour.

Arrested for saintly body snatch

2011-01-18

A PRIEST and two other Cypriots allegedly stole the remains of a woman in Greece and tried to bring them to Cyprus because they believed she was a saint, police said yesterday.

The trio were arrested on Sunday evening at Eleftherios Venizelos airport while preparing to board a flight to Cyprus.

Reports from Greece said police officers found the remains in a suitcase.

Police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos said the 42-year-old priest, who said he was a permanent resident of Kykko Monastery, another man, 54, and a 60-year-old woman “claim they took the remains of the woman, whom they consider a saint, to bury them in Cyprus.”

End in sight to title-deeds shambles?

2011-01-18

DEPUTIES mulling legal changes to solve the title deeds shambles yesterday agreed on a key provision that would give buyers the right to title deeds regardless of pre-existing mortgages on the property.

The House Legal Affairs Committee indicated after a meeting yesterday that important progress had been made on the issue.  “We aim to strike a balance between the rights of the buyer and the seller, but also guarantee the rights of mortgagees,” committee chairman Ionas Nicolaou told newsmen following a session involving land developers, property owners associations, bankers, and officials from the departments of Land Registry and Town Planning.

Third ratings agency places Cyprus on negative

2011-01-18

FITCH ratings yesterday placed Cyprus’s AA- rating on a credit watch negative, saying it needed to assess risks to the economy from its exposure to Greece and from its state pension scheme.

Fitch said its review would be completed by April. In the event of a downgrade, it said it did not expect Cyprus’s long term foreign and local currency issuer default ratings to be lowered by more than one notch.

Its review, Fitch said, would focus on medium term fiscal risks facing Cyprus, including those of state pension schemes. It would also look at the risks in the economic, financial and banking relationships between Cyprus and Greece, following the latter’s sovereign rating downgrade on Jan 14, the agency said. Its AA- rating for Cyprus had been affirmed in June 2010.

Relations with Armenia those of ‘mutual understanding’

2011-01-18

ARMENIA supports Turkey’s EU course but believes it cannot join the bloc unless it reconciles itself with its past and develops constructive relations with its neighbours, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said yesterday.

Sargsyan, on an official visit to Cyprus, said he fully supports Cyprus’ positions as regards the Cyprus problem.

Speaking through an interpreter after talks with President Demetris Christofias, Sargsyan said Cyprus and Armenia do not “solve problems with threats” or on the basis of political interests.

He underlined that despite efforts to normalise relations with Turkey, the borders between the two countries remain closed and there are no diplomatic relations between them.

Cypriot is World Junior Chef of the Year

2011-01-18

YOUNG chef Savvas Savva has won the title of World Junior Chef of the Year at the 8th International Istanbul Gastronomy Festival, among competitors from 35 countries.

Although he has won many culinary competitions abroad and in Cyprus, such as the Silver Award for the Gastronomic Culinary College Competition of Cyprus 2010, this is the highest distinction of Savva’s career so far.

‘Cyprus talks going backwards’

2011-01-18

TURKISH CYPRIOT leader Dervis Eroglu’s stated goal of replacing the single sovereignty of a reunited Cyprus with two sovereignties means that the talks are taking an “unacceptable step backwards”, said opposition DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades yesterday.

If Eroglu’s reported proposals turn out to be true and he really is aiming for two sovereignties “which in essence means were talking about a confederation, this is certainly a negative and unacceptable step backwards in terms of progress on the Cyprus problem”.

About face on Israeli company’s LNG interest

2011-01-18

COMMERCE Minister Antonis Paschalides confirmed yesterday that Delek Group has “expressed an interest” for a joint natural gas project with Cyprus, following persistent media reports that the Israeli company has proposed to Cyprus the creation of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility on the island.

“There has been an expression of interest from Delek for a type of cooperation,” Paschalides told newsmen, but hastened to add that the government has not taken a final decision with regard to its natural gas policy.

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.