CY: thanks for the €20m

2011-03-10

CYPRUS Airways (CY) said yesterday it broke even in 2010, lifted by a state bailout given to the cash-strapped national carrier because of a ban in flying over Turkey.

CY, which is majority controlled by the state, reported a €215,000 net profit for 2010 after a €3.28 million loss in 2009. The results were indicative, the airline said.

Parliament last week approved €20 million in aid to the airline. It met a long-standing demand of the company, which says it is saddled with higher costs compared to its main competitors because of a Turkish flight ban.

CY reported €18.7 million as “other income”, representing compensation from the state for a ban from flying over Turkey from 2004 to 2009, and the sale of an aircraft.

GM bill could go through before elections.

2011-03-10

CYPRUS could soon be European leaders in the labelling of GM foods in supermarkets after the cabinet approved a bill to place GM foods on separate shelves.

This bill is on the agenda for discussion in parliament today, and Green party chairman George Perdikis, who has been pushing for tighter GM regulation, is optimistic that it will be approved before the elections in May.

The timing of the bill is significant for the outcome of the bill, because voters’ attitudes towards GM foods could count for more than politicians’ vested corporate interests.

Perdikis said: “(today) the proposal is on the agenda to force the authorities to take a position on the issue.”

House will give priority to gaming bill

2011-03-10

THE HOUSE Legal Affairs Committee will give priority to the government’s bill to regulate online gambling, and it should be passed into law before the May elections, the Committee’s chairman said yesterday.

According to DISY’s Ionas Nicolaou, the draft bill is expected to be submitted to the plenum today and then forwarded to his committee for discussion.

He said that provided the bill is the same as the one that was examined by his committee – the Legal Affairs and Institutions Committees held joint sessions to discuss the draft before sending it to the European Commission (EC) – it should pass.

Down’s discovery could help detect other disorders

2011-03-10

A REVOLUTIONARY non-invasive technique for testing whether a foetus has Down Syndrome could be used to detect four other congenital disorders, the doctor leading the research said yesterday.

Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics Medical Director, Dr Philippos Patsalis, who led the pioneering research said: “Currently the focus is on Down Syndrome, which is one of the most common genetic birth defects, but of course the next step is to develop tests for others like cystic fibrosis.”

His method was 100 per cent successful in detecting Down Syndrome in 80 initial test cases, however more comprehensive tests will be carried out to validate the method, before the team moves onto other genetic defect like Patau and Edwards syndromes.

Cypriots still waste much but recycle little

2011-03-10

CYPRIOTS create the biggest amount of municipal waste after the Danish who however are much better at treating their waste than Cypriots, according to the latest European Union statistics from the European Union for 2009.

The Danish were the most wasteful, producing 800 kilos of waste per person. Cypriots followed suit, creating 778 kilos of waste, with Ireland and Luxembourg not too far behind. Cyprus’ second lead also marks a decline from 2008, when it came third in household wastes.

Denmark however greatly surpasses Cyprus when it comes to treating its waste.

The Danish incinerate almost half of their municipal waste and recycle about a third.

Cyprus on the other hand was not making compost or incinerating waste at all in 2009.

‘No free care for elderly cancer victim’

2011-03-10

A LEBANESE pensioner whose four children were all born in Cyprus is being denied access to the island’s generally free cancer treatment despite having spent 23 years living in the country.

The 74-year-old woman came to Cyprus with her husband who worked for years in a bank on the island. The couple had four daughters who all attained Cypriot citizenship.

Her husband died eight years ago after which the 74-year-old finally decided to apply for Cypriot citizenship too in September 2009. The application is currently pending before the interior ministry.

According to migrant support group (KISA), the pensioner has lived legally in Cyprus for 23 years and has cut all ties, both personal and socioeconomic, to her country of origin, Lebanon.

US embassy warns about visa scams

2011-03-10

THE US embassy in Nicosia yesterday warned Cypriot citizens and residents to use caution when working with private entities to apply for visas to the United States, as reports of fraudulent e-mails, websites, and print advertisements offering visa services are on the rise.

IN a statement, then embassy said that one widespread Diversity Visa (DV) scam e-mail instructs recipients to send money via Western Union to a fictitious person at the US Embassy in London.

“ If you have received this e-mail, you have been targeted by con artists,” then embassy said.

“Under no circumstances should money be sent to any address for participation in the DV Lottery.”

Man transforms into car

2011-03-10

A Transformers style robot-car costume has put Limassol carnival on the map after a video clip of it in action became an internet sensation this week.

The outfit was designed and built by Marios Nicolaou, 30, a computer programmer from Limassol, and is inspired by his favourite character ‘Bumblebee’from the film Transformers.

Asked about the costume Nicolaou told the Cyprus Mail yesterday: “It was a huge success. Everybody was taking pictures and applauding – I felt like a superstar.”

A YouTube video clip from the carnival, which shows Nicolaou shape-shifting from walking robot to a sleek yellow sports car in a matter of second has already become an internet sensation.

‘State stifling photovoltaic growth’

2011-03-10

ANY NEW applications for subsidies to install photovoltaic systems may take years to process, as current government policy seems to stifle the growth of this type of renewable energy source to promote wind farms, it emerged yesterday.

The association of renewable energy enterprises (CAREE) charged that Cyprus’ policy was not harmonised with the policy the EU wants its member-states to implement as it blatantly violated the principle of fair promotion of renewable energy sources (RES).

Last year, there were around 1,300 applications for systems producing less than 21 kilowatts (KW) – total 22 megawatts (MW) – and 199 applications for systems producing between 21KW and 150KW – total 18MW.

Christofias: same old, same old at the talks

2011-03-10

A ‘GREAT distance’ separates the two sides on the issue of citizenship in the talks, said President Demetris Christofias yesterday after meeting Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu.

Speaking on his return to the presidential palace, Christofias gave the rather bleak assessment that “nothing positive” came out of the latest meeting between the two leaders.

Christofias said the two leaders discussed the issue of citizenship in a reunified federal Cyprus during yesterday’s meeting which lasted nearly two hours. He noted that nothing new came out of the meeting, “nor anything positive”.

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.