Tales from the Coffeeshop: Save us from the men in grey

2011-05-08

I DO NOT know if it is the same in other towns, but the only thing you currently see on Nicosia’ main roads are billboards featuring serious-looking men in charcoal grey or dark blue suit, white shirt and a banker’s tie staring expectantly into the void.

These boring bores, sending the subliminal message to bring a little more dullness and greyness into our political life – as if there is not enough now – are parliamentary candidates asking for our vote in a fortnight’s time.

Before anyone accuses our establishment of sexism, we should mention that there are some blonde candidates and a solitary DIKO brunette on billboards, but they are less irritating because there are very few, heavily outnumbered by the sexy men on show.

Our View: Making it up as they go along

2011-05-08

THE GOVERNMENT appears, at last, to be moving on the natural gas front. David Stover, the President and Chief Operating Officer of Noble Energy, the US company which has the concession to drill for hydrocarbons in Block 12, was in Cyprus on Thursday to discuss certain concerns with Commerce Minister Antonis Paschalides. Although there were certain matters relating to Cyprus law and EU regulations that had to be clarified, drilling is expected to start, as planned, before the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the head of the Energy Service of the Commerce Ministry Solon Kasinis was in Houston trying to whip up interest in the second round of explorations in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone.

Authorities left red-faced by land blunder

2011-05-08

A LIMASSOL man who has been battling bureaucracy for over a month since road contractors appeared out of nowhere on his property, has discovered the state forgot to tell him that the land had been acquisitioned.

Marios Varnakas, who co-owns around 800 square metres of land between Ypsonas and Limassol, said the problems began a month ago when he saw workers from the Chapo construction company appear on his property to construct a new access road without the permission of the co-owners.

“They started working a month ago, but they have not given me any compensation,” he said.

After trying to get to the bottom of what was going on, and taking legal steps that proved fruitless, Varnakas went to the site on Wednesday to stage a one-man protest.

Unions on the warpath: the working classes have sacrificed enough

2011-05-08

WORKERS’ unions SEK and PEO were yesterday up in arms over Finance Minister Charilaos Stavrakis’ declaration that it would be “ridiculous” to speak of extra pay rises in the public service for 2012.

The general secretary of workers’ union OHO-SEK, Nicos Tambas, said the minister’s statement was untimely and provocative. He added that the trade unions had committed to not seeking any pay rises for 2010 and 2011, as part of their contribution to efforts for economic recovery. “It seems this wasn’t appreciated, which is why they are now asking for further sacrifices,” said Tambas.

He stressed the need for everyone without exception to help deal with the economic crisis, adding that if circumstances allowed, public workers would seek pay rises in 2012.

Fiscal figures justify no optimism

2011-05-08

ECONOMISTS are not optimistic about the performance of the economy following the release of the first-quarter results.

One economist, Symeon Matsis, who has served as undersecretary in various ministries, said the ‘worst-case scenario’ talked about earlier in the week by Finance Minister Charilaos Stavrakis, showing a fiscal deficit of 6 per cent of GDP, should now be regarded as realistic.

“Optimism is not justified,” Matsis told the Sunday Mail. “Official figures show that public spending is increasing at a higher pace compared to last year while revenue falls, despite the introduction of VAT on foodstuff. The lower tax revenue indicates that economic performance is below what we initially expected”.

Election coverage losing out to football and soaps

2011-05-08

LOW TV ratings for pre-election political debates are adding to the woes of candidate who are already fretting about the high percentage of abstentions that seem to be evident from the polls.

The public’s apparent indifference to this month’s parliamentary elections is now being confirmed by television viewing figures. Up until May 5, the highest ratings were marked when DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades was on state broadcaster  CyBC last Monday. The show was watched by 5.1 per cent of the population, though this may have had something to do with the fact that members of the public were phoning in with questions for the opposition leader.

Father of three killed in road accident

2011-05-08

A MAN from Aradippou was arrested yesterday on suspicion causing death by reckless driving after crashing his car and killing his best friend, a father of three in the process.

The man is also being investigated for poaching. Ioannis Paraskeva, 48, was killed instantly when the car he was passenger in veered off the road in the Aradippou-Avdellero area and spun into a ditch at just after 3am yesterday.

The 38-year-old driver managed to escape with minor injuries. He was treated at Larnaca hospital and later arrested and questioned after a loaded hunting rifle was found near the scene.

Pensioner found dead

2011-05-08

A PENSIONER from Paphos who had been reported missing on Friday afternoon was found dead in an open area in Mouttouri, police said yesterday, adding that initial investigations have excluded foul play.

The 72-year-old’s son had called the police on Friday to report that his father had been missing since 9.30 am that morning.

Police launched a manhunt early morning, using a helicopter and sniffer dogs, and eventually found the pensioner about one kilometre from his parked car.

Police said the 72-year-old had no external injuries.

New kids on the block: parties focus on immigration and political accountability

2011-05-08

ELAM: putting the Greeks of Cyprus first

THE NATIONAL Popular Front, ELAM, is one of new four parties running for the parliamentary elections of May 22 and seeks to give a voice to the “Greeks of Cyprus”.

The main battle grounds for ELAM are the Cyprus problem, immigration and education.

Vital to their efforts is the support of a “combat-ready youth, just as the times demand.”

ELAM calls for the state to implement policies “to protect the interests of the Greeks of Cyprus”, said ELAM head and Nicosia Member of Parliament candidate Christos Christou.

“The Cyprus problem is one of Turkish invasion and occupation,” Christou said.

Growing Greek hue to state education

2011-05-08

THE AGE-old teachers’ waiting list for posts is currently creaking under the weight of some 35,000 names, with almost a quarter of them believed to be Greek nationals.

The recent influx of Greeks seeking teaching jobs in Cyprus is also complicating the Education Ministry’s attempts to modernise the system and reduce the number of candidates waiting for a job in public education by making appointments more selective.

As the unique system for teacher appointments now stands, graduates in any field can add their name to a list and be appointed as their name moves up the list. In some cases, candidates can be just a year or two from retirement before they are called up for employment.

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.