Azarenka bullies Sharapova to claim maiden Grand Slam
VICTORIA Azarenka sank to her knees in disbelieving triumph after winning her first
EMPLOYERS and Industrialists Federation (OEV) yesterday said it would unilaterally impose a two-year wage freeze and other cutbacks in the private sector, amid warnings from unions that the move would lead to strikes. OEV urged its members to act unilaterally on the wage freeze after Thursday’s crunch meeting with workers unions PEO and SEK failed to deliver a deal for a package of austerity measures on new collective agreements. LAST WEEKEND the Cyprus Football Federation (KOP) called off a scheduled first division football match between Ermis and Paralimni because of concerns over unusual betting activity. According to reports, the average amount of betting on all the seven first division fixtures is in the region of €150,000, whereas on this match bets worth €80,000 had been placed with just one betting agency. The total amount was much bigger, but other agencies did not provide figures; hundreds of thousands were reportedly waged with betting shops abroad. FITCH downgraded the sovereign credit ratings of Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Slovenia and Spain yesterday, indicating there was a 1-in-2 chance of further cuts in the next two years. In a statement, the ratings agency said the affected countries were vulnerable in the near-term to monetary and financial shocks. “Consequently, these sovereigns do not, in Fitch’s view, accrue the full benefits of the euro’s reserve currency status,” it said. Fitch cut Italy’s rating to A-minus from A-plus; Spain to A from AA-minus; Belgium to AA from AA-plus; Slovenia to A from AA-minus and Cyprus to BBB-minus from BBB, leaving the small island nation just one notch above junk status. Ireland’s rating of BBB-plus was affirmed. PARTIES yesterday slammed Britain, which is seen as conspiring against Greek Cypriots, while at the same time they demanded the removal of the UN special adviser, accusing him of not being objective. The latest burst of indignation came as reports out of New York said that Britain had raised the issue of the UN force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), saying its presence should be reassessed. Beyond the financial parameters, the British also cited the absence of progress in the negotiations for a settlement of the Cyprus problem. It took place as UN special adviser Alexander Downer briefed the Security Council on the outcome talks in New York between President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, which failed to yield any results. THE POLICE have prepared an action plan to deal with the public’s excursions to the snowy mountains over the weekend, as more cold weather is on its way. It started snowing in the Troodos area yesterday morning and even though the weather is expected to be drier over the weekend, the temperatures are still expected to be quite low. Police Spokesman Lefki Solomondos yesterday called on the public to be extra careful on the roads, not only in the mountains, but also around the island as frost and ice is expected on the roads. LARGER families are already struggling with the financial effects of newly-passed government measures, which cut heir benefits, according to the Pancyprian Organisation of Five-member Families (POPO). “We’re already feeling the effects because this is around the time that we would get paid the benefit,” said POPO spokesman Elias Karaiskos, who said that he has three children, two of whom were students. The measures passed in December targeted student and child benefits by introducing income criteria: all families earning over €89,000 a year would stop getting benefits and lower-income families were targeted on a sliding-scale. Those earning €39,000 or less were not affected by the cuts. PRIMARY school teachers’ union POED decided yesterday to suspend further strike action next week after a pledge by House Education Committee head Nicos Tornaritis to release funds to hire supply teachers. In protest over the lack of substitute staff, primary school teachers islandwide yesterday kept pupils from attending the last lesson period of the day. They were backed by the Pancyprian Organisation of Primary School Parents, who believe that the situation should have been dealt with two months ago. “There are pupils who for two weeks now may not have had a full lesson,” said POED head, Fylios Fylaktou, adding that in some schools three out of ten teachers may be absent due to maternity leave or sickness. PAPHOS district builders yesterday announced a 24-hour warning strike for Tuesday, February 14, as a response to what they perceive to be “unjust treatment” by their employers over their collective agreements. The announcement follows last Tuesday’s decision by the Nicosia district builders to also go on strike in early February. Members of workers unions SEK and PEO convened yesterday to discuss the several issues that malign the construction industry, which include mass layoffs, the employment of non-unionised foreign workers and violation of collective agreements. Similar meetings are expected to take place in other districts soon. Contractors and concrete makers refuse to pay workers a cost of living allowance for 2012. FOREIGN Minister Erato Kozakou Marcoullis yesterday briefed the House on the status of negotiations with Israel, Egypt and Lebanon on exclusive economic zones (EEZ). Marcoullis said Cyprus and Israel were in the advanced stages of negotiating an agreement for the common development and exploitation of hydrocarbon reserves found where the two countries’ EEZ overlap. Negotiations with Israel started last July in Israel, continued in December in Cyprus and another meeting is expected to take place at the start of February.
Struggling firms urged to act alone on austerity
Our View: A half-hearted way of dealing with match fixing
Fitch downgrades Cyprus to one notch above junk
Parties talk of ‘conspiracies and blackmail’
Rain may cease but cold persists
Large families buckling under new cuts
POED appeased by deputy’s promise
Paphos builders to strike next month
FM briefs House on EEZ status with neighbours
