New Argentine import rules spook business and allies

2012-01-26

Argentina could end up making ovens without heat-proof glass and candy bars without cocoa if new import hurdles cause shortages, as many companies fear.

Starting February 1, President Cristina Fernandez’s centre-left government will launch a new system to pre-approve, or reject, nearly every purchase from abroad. It says it wants to modernize and streamline the importation process by getting online petitions in advance.

But critics, including key trade partners in neighbouring Brazil and Uruguay, believe Argentina is aiming to shore up its trade surplus and keep dollars in the country as waning global demand, lower grains prices and drought threaten to hurt growth.

Revealed: famous names who snubbed Queen's Honours

2012-01-26

Receiving an honour from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth marks the pinnacle of many careers. But for more than 250 people named in a once-secret official document, the idea was so unappealing that they turned down the monarch’s offer.

Artist Lucian Freud, sculptor Henry Moore and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” author Roald Dahl all rejected honours, according to papers released by the British government on Thursday.

“Psycho” film director Alfred Hitchcock also refused an award in 1962, only to accept a knighthood shortly before his death in 1980.

Other public figures named on the official list include painters Francis Bacon and L.S. Lowry and the Brave New World novelist Aldous Huxley.

Three late Ajmal wickets halt England

2012-01-26

PAKISTAN off-spinner Saeed Ajmal took three late wickets to thrust his team back into contention at the close of the second day of the second test against England on Thursday.

Ajmal, Pakistan’s match-winner in the first match of the three-test series, reduced England to 207 for five after his side had collapsed to 257 all out in their first innings.

After taking the final three Pakistan wickets for only one run, England took control with a second-wicket partnership of 139 between Alastair Cook (94) and Jonathan Trott (74).

England captain Andrew Strauss, who has reached 50 only once in his last 13 innings, had fallen to off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez for 11, pushing a thick inside edge on to his pad that looped up for Asad Shafiq to take an easy catch at short-leg.

let paphos

2012-01-26

1.       TOMBS OF THE KINGS – Lovely spacious 2 bedroom ground floor fully furnished apartment in the ever popular Cy- King area, large fitted kitchen, bright lounge and dining area, low maintenance front gardens, large side patio, rear storage area, driveway with covered parking, sat TV, 2 communal pools, close to bus routes and all amenities.

LET NICOSIA

2012-01-26

 

  • 3 bedr luxury fully renovated semi detached house, with central heating, full a/c, 2 wc, nicely modern furnished, covered parking, small yard around the house, in a quiet area near Metro supermarket – Aglantzia €1000 (H3AGZ0003-R), (photos in the website).

 

A new take on Dionysis

2012-01-26

While last week the social agenda was packed with film screenings, this week attentions turn to the world of music.

From tomorrow prominent Greek composer, lyricist and singer Dionysis Savvopoulos presents a series of concerts in Nicosia entitled Concert of Candles. The concerts promise to be a unique musical experience bringing together one of Greece’s greatest musicians of the 20th century and the musical group VARyAVLOS III, which consists of the young professional musicians, Evangelos Christodoulou, Neoclis Neofytidis and Vassilis Priovolos.

An apocalyptic concert series

2012-01-26

The Cyprus Symphony Orchestra presents its next series of concerts over the next three days in Nicosia, Larnaca and Limassol.

The programme entitled Apocalypse will be performed under the baton of Greek conductor Michalis Economou.  More specifically crowds will hear the works: Fratres by Arvo Pärt and Apocalypse (Symphony No. 4) by Cypriot composer Savvas Savva, which was awarded in the CySO Foundation Composition Competition 2010 for the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Cyprus. In the second half of the concerts you will hear Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36.

Sharapova to face Azarenka in Australian Open final

2012-01-26

FOURTH seed Maria Sharapova overcame a second set rally byPetra Kvitova to advance to her third Australian Open final with a 6-2 3-6 6-4 victory on Thursday.

Kvitova had appeared tentative in the first set, allowing the Russian to dictate play before she found her range with her serve in the second, conceding just five points to send the match into a decider.

Sharapova had issues with her serve in the third set, making five double faults, but remained in the match as Kvitova made 20 unforced errors. The Russian then sealed victory when the Czech’s serve fell apart in the 10th game to take the match in two hours, 12 minutes.

Ban: momentum is no longer enough

2012-01-26

 

TALKS between the leaders of the divided Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities have yielded little progress, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said yesterday, and just maintaining the momentum was no longer enough, he said.

He was speaking after two days of talks at Greentree in New York with President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, which he conceded had achieved “limited progress” on outstanding issues despite “robust and intensive discussions.”

Our View: Christofias remains oblivious to Ban’s repeated messages

2012-01-26

 PRESIDENT Christofias was partially correct in predicting that nothing would come of the talks in Greentree. There was no breakthrough in the deadlocked procedure while the progress achieved, according to the UN Secretary-General, was ‘limited’ despite the ‘intensive and robust’ discussions. 

What did come out of ‘Greentree 2’ was a change of peace procedure, as the three ‘nos’ Christofias was authorised to utter by the National Council were ignored by Ban Ki-moon. He set definite time-frames for the completion of the talks and the holding of a multi-lateral conference and implicitly offered UN mediation – if not arbitration – to assist the sides to bridge their differences. 

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.