Shift in thinking needed to reap full gas wealth

2011-10-30

CYPRUS must find ways of doing business with Turkey if it is to capitalise fully on the potentially huge gas bonanza in its offshore waters, energy experts say.

The most cost-effective way to export any finds to European markets and beyond is by pipeline to Turkey where it could mesh with major pipeline projects.

The other main option is to build a liquefaction plant in Cyprus to export the gas by tanker. That could cost $8 billion and take years to complete. A pipeline to Greece, meanwhile, would be prohibitively expensive.

Dealing commercially with Turkey in the absence of a Cyprus solution would require a seismic shift in political thinking. But given the financial, political and security rewards, there are some signs that is already happening.

New York talks: avoiding Ban blame is the paltry prize

2011-10-30

THE CYPRUS peace talks have always followed the same script. They drag on uneventfully for a few years and eventually reach a climax, the supposed make-or-break point, after which they break and are followed by a few years of no activity until they resume again. This script has been repeated over the last 37 years, much longer if we add the lower-key, inter-communal talks held before the Turkish invasion. 

Tales from the Coffeeshop: Up in arms over an uppity woman

2011-10-30

 

ALL WEEK regulars at our establishment have been arguing whether Commerce Minister Praxoulla Antoniadou should be charged with high treason for publicly showing a shameful lack of respect for a brave national hero, for having contacts with the bloodthirsty Turks and worst of all for being an unrepentant supporter of the A-plan and the wrong type of a federal settlement.

The abusive arguments raged because some of the regulars felt that you could not be 100 per cent certain the court would find her guilty, even though she was guilty as sin. There was always the danger a smart lawyer would find some technicality to get her acquitted not to mention the fact that at a trial she would be able to plead ‘not guilty’ and defend herself.

No high expectations for New York talks

2011-10-30

PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias said yesterday that he did not have high expectations from the two-day intensive negotiations in New York between himself, the Turkish Cypriot leader and the United Nations’ Secretary-General (UNSG) Ban Ki-moon which start today. 

“I had hoped we would be close to an agreement. However we are not and I hope that the UNSG is correctly informed by his advisors and of course has the correct appraisal of the situation,” Christofias said. 

Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu said that although the Turkish Cypriot side was working towards a timely solution, the Greek Cypriot side was trying to postpone any possible solution for 2013, Cyprus News Agency reported. 

Banks plans won’t save economy

2011-10-30

WHILE Cyprus may find ways to rescue its banks affected by the reduction in value of the Greek government bonds they held, it will find it very difficult to rescue itself from going bust, unless it finally cuts spending to eliminate its deficit, experts say. 

“In order to avoid resorting to the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), you must first balance your budget and this is something I don’t see happening in Cyprus,” academic economist Marios Mavrides said.

Block 10 suicide attempts to protest detention

2011-10-30

A 28-YEAR-OLD Syrian asylum seeker detained at the Central Prison’s Block 10 attempted to commit suicide yesterday morning, police have confirmed. 

According to the police press office, the man attempted to take his own life using a strip of his bed sheet to hang himself.

“This man has been detained for more than a year now and he wants to go back to Syria but they will not deport him; they won’t deport him but they won’t release him either,” said lawyer Michalis Paraskevas, who has clients in Block 10.

Block 10 is a wing in the Central Prisons where failed asylum seekers and illegal immigrants are held with a view to deporting them. Currently, there are about 65 people in custody there.

Denktash’s health is improving

2011-10-30

FORMER Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, 87, was due to be released from hospital yesterday, the Cyprus News Agency reported yesterday.

Doctors said he was able to eat solid food and communicate clearly.

Denktash had a stroke on May 24 and was transferred to GATA military hospital in Turkey for recovery on July 8.  

Denktash then underwent surgery on August 25 to remove a haematoma in his brain in GATA. 

He had been receiving treatment in the north since August 30 and had to be operated again on September 5. 

He was kept in intensive care throughout the summer. 

Jazz festival with a mission

2011-10-30

THE SECOND annual Limassol jazz festival is taking place next month with organisers determined to change the way local audiences view the musical genre.

“We have to break the mind set of what people in Cyprus perceive jazz to be,” said Matthew Steliou of Fluffy Fish productions who organise the week long event, and adding that the festival is well on its way to becoming an established annual event.

“We are building on the success of last year’s festival; the whole point of the events is to bring together various artists and create a vibrant happening.”

Over the seven days in November, thirteen events will be staged at five different venues with more than 30 artists taking part.

Charity fun run aims to raise thousands

2011-10-30

A CHARITY fun run will take place in Paphos next month, aiming to raise thousands for local worthy causes.

The third annual Spa Tonic fun run sets off from the harbour in Kato Paphos and people of all ages and all levels of fitness are being encouraged to enter.

“People can run, walk or stroll along the course; even bring a push chair or walk their dog for charity. We are hoping that every entrant brings at least €50 each in sponsorship, which will enable us to meet our target of €12,000 this year,” said Andy Carrington-Porter, one of the event organisers.

A €15 entry fee from each person will ensure that all of the event costs are covered. This includes those incurred from printed t-shirts, sponsorship forms and food.

Two in custody on alleged credit card fraud

2011-10-30

TWO MEN have been remanded for eight days in connection with using the credit card details of a Canadian citizen in order to pay for their stay at a hotel in Limassol.

A 55-year-old Israeli and 45-year-old Palestinian, arrested after the JCC card centre notified them that some suspicious transactions had been noted at a particular hotel.

According to head of CID Limassol, Yiannis Georgiou, the suspects said that they had made a reservation at the hotel through a third person who appeared to have used the card details stolen from a Canadian citizen. 

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.