Manchester duo look to fight back

2011-12-09

IGNOMINIOUS Champions League exits for both Manchester giants have made weekend Premier League victories essential for United and City as re-invigorated Chelsea hope to join the party at the top of England’s top division.

Premier League champions United hope a resounding victory on Saturday afternoon over lowly Wolverhampton at Old Trafford will provide the perfect tonic for their mid-week hangover.

The bitter disappointment of getting knocked out at the Champions League group stage by Basel has been compounded by an injury to defensive rock and club captain Nemanja Vidic, which has ruled him out for the rest of the season

You can click here to view the Cyprus Mail pdf edition

2011-12-09

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2011-12-09

Suzuki Jimny 1.3 02 model 4×4 Soft Top 2005 Silver. Only 29,000mls/47,000kms. Alloy wheels, front airbags, Sony cd/radio, folding rear seats. Recently taxed & mot’d. VGC €5,850 sensible offers invited Please telephone: 99853449

Review: The 52nd Thessaloniki International Film Festival

2011-12-09

It didn’t take long for me to realise that Greece is a country in flux. Before I’d even plonked down my bags in my hotel room, while I was still fiddling with the card-key, I overheard a man talking on his phone in the corridor. He spoke of deals and meetings, like any businessman – but then, just before he hung up (and just before I walked into my room), I heard him add, with a sort of resigned casualness: “Oh, and by the way – who’s Prime Minister?”.

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2011-12-09

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‘Pass budget or see deeper crisis’

2011-12-09

FINANCE Minister Kikis Kazamias yesterday urged lawmakers to approve the government’s budget for 2012 as is, warning that otherwise they would have to take part of the blame for the Cypriot economy plunging into a downward spiral.

In his 2012 budget speech before parliament, Kazamias pledged to reduce the public deficit to 2.4 per cent of GDP next year.

Under EU rules, a member-state must keep its fiscal deficit to 3 per cent of GDP; Cyprus’ shortfall currently stands at double that.

The new budget comes up for the vote at the plenum next Thursday – which also happens to be the deadline the Commission has given Cyprus for meeting its fiscal obligations or risk a €36 million fine.

Large families stage angry protest outside House

2011-12-09

SCORES of people from large families held an angry protest outside the House yesterday over proposals to cut benefits they say are unfair towards larger families.

A child held a banner saying ‘Children are a blessing and not a curse’, while others held banners demanding equal opportunities for children or accusing the government of trying to reduce them to beggars.

The proposals are “unfairly eradicating even the poorest (person)”, head of the Large Families Association, Paraskevas Samaras, said, adding that the plans did not just target only those who had money to spare.

The government wants to introduce income criteria to benefits in a bid to save €200 million from social welfare cuts.

Bank workers ready to take a hit but ‘managers should take a bigger one’

2011-12-09

BANK workers are prepared to assume a “reasonable cost” during the economic crisis but want managements to cut their income and bonuses, it emerged yesterday.

A circular from their union ETYK, published by the Cyprus News Agency, said that in light of the upcoming negotiations to renew the collective agreements, workers were prepared to foot a “reasonable cost” but management should assume a bigger one.

ETYK wants a pledge that while there is an economic crisis, managers would not receive any bonuses while total annual revenues should not exceed a “reasonable amount”.

Two biggest banks need to come up with €3.53b

2011-12-09

THE EUROPEAN Banking Authority (EBA) said yesterday the island’s two biggest banks would have to raise €3.53 billion as part of a broader European package agreed in October to address the current situation in the EU by restoring stability and confidence to the markets.

The October 26 agreement requires banks to strengthen their capital positions by building up a temporary capital buffer against sovereign debt exposures to reflect current market prices.

Banks must also hold a core Tier 1 capital ratio of 9.0 per cent by the end of June next year.

Seven youths appear in court over University attack

2011-12-09

SEVEN youths were led to court yesterday on a remand hearing in connection to an attack on University of Nicosia students on Tuesday during a voting procedure for student representatives.

Superintendent Anastasios Karadjias told the court that around 15 black-clad people stormed a University of Nicosia hall after 5:15pm, wielding bats and wearing helmets. 

They terrorised people with the bats and threw furniture around before making off with four ballot boxes.

One of the assailants had some sort of a spray can with him and when one student tried to stop him, he sprayed him in the face, burning his eyes and then hitting him on the neck with a bat while he was down, Karadjias said.

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.