SUNDAY MAIL

GRIM CHRISTMAS

EXPLOITED

INSIDE

There’s nothing festive about Nicosia’s Makarios Avenue

The wife of a ‘missing’ person who dared take on the state

TV and lifestyle supplements to see you through the week

Page 8

Pages 4-5

www.cyprus-mail.com

December 2, 2012

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TALES FROM THE COFFEESHOP: MILKING IT FOR ALL IT’S WORTH INSIDE Cyprus Turning the current crisis into an opportunity 14

World Islamists rally behind Egyptian president 9

Reportage Will Leveson inquiry tame Britain’s freewheeling press? centre

Property What you should be doing in the garden this month 23

Sport England stun mighty All Blacks with record win 40

PAGE 17

A positive force for bold changes Finance minister says deal was the ‘best we could get’ but would be worth it in the end

By Stefanos Evripidou

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HE DRAFT memorandum outlining the bailout terms agreed with international lenders is “the best we could get under the circumstances”, said Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly yesterday.

Speaking to the Sunday Mail, yesterday, Shiarly said the “bold” structural changes the country will be forced to implement under the bailout agreement will bring muchneeded reform, acting as a “positive” force for change which will bring “benefit” to Cyprus.

The government released on Friday the full text of the bailout terms, which provide for spending cuts of over €1.2 billion between 2012 and 2016 and widespread reform of the banking and public sectors.

The draft memorandum includes cuts in civil service salaries, allowances and pensions and increases in VAT, tobacco, alcohol and fuel taxes, taxes on lottery winnings, property, and higher health care costs over the next three

years. Part of the massive restructuring to take place includes changes to civil service work hours in a move to cut down on overtime.

Cyprus and international lenders known as the troika struck a preliminary agreement on the terms of a bailout programme last week which will be discussed in a Eurogroup meeting tomorrow, but can only be finalised once the interim results of the due-diligence into the banks’ loan portfolios are known.

Reports suggest the Eurogroup will convene a special meeting mid-December to discuss in greater depth Cyprus’ request for financial assistance after the due-diligence results are out.

Shiarly yesterday highlighted that Cyprus still has a long and difficult way to go until the memorandum is finalised as the contents have to be agreed by all countries of the Eurozone, including the sometimes cantankerous parliaments of Germany and Finland. In an effort to stave off changes that could be

FULL STORY PAGE 3

Charity runners dressed as Father Christmas participate in a ‘Santa Run’ event in Battersea Park in London yesterday. Hundreds dressed in Santa suits ran through the park in aid of winter sports charity Disability Snowsport in this 6km fun run (AFP)

Pensioner scammed out of €30,000 by imposter granddaughter AN ELDERLY woman from Limassol has been conned out of €30,000 by another woman claiming to be her granddaughter. Police warned the public to be extra vigilant, predicting more such scams.

According to Limassol CID chief Ioannis Soteriades, a 72-year-old woman living in Episkopi was contacted by a younger woman last Monday pretending to be her granddaughter who lives in Larnaca. The woman told the pensioner she had a serious health problem and needed €20,000 to go abroad urgently for surgery. Falling for the scam, the pensioner put

the money in an envelope and gave it to a taxi driver to take to Larnaca Airport from where the supposed granddaughter was due to depart.

The following day, the grandmother received another phone call from the woman saying there were complications and could she send another €10,000 by taxi, which the pensioner did.

On Friday, the 72-year-old’s real granddaughter called her to wish her a happy name day, at which point the grandmother realised she had been conned.

Soteriades said police located and questioned the

taxi driver who had transported the money but released him after questioning as he was not involved in the scam.

The authorities are now looking for the confidence trickster and the €30,000. The woman is described as being of thin build, 1.65m in height with brown hair down to her shoulders. The Limassol CID chief called on the public to be extra cautious and not to be duped easily by potential scams. “With the economic crisis, these phenomena of deception will likely grow,” he said.

2 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

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Hospice building almost complete

Weather

Nicosia Ni i

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17 Troodos 1

24 Larnaca

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TODAY: A mixture of sunshine and cloud. Temperatures will reach 23C inland, 24C along the coasts and 17C over higher ground OUTLOOK: Becoming more unsettled, with rain forecast from tomorrow. Temperatures will fall slightly

YESTERDAY

Nicosia Larnaca Limassol Paphos Paralimni Prodromos

max/min temp 23 - 11 23 - 14 24 - 15 24 - 13 21 - 14 17 - 8

Humidity 56% 61% 58% 58% 57% 40%

Vandals target Lillikas office

How the Archangel Michael Hospice will look when it’s ready to open early next year

SUNRISE: 06.24 am

SUNSET: 16.39 pm

Sunday Mail Established 1945. Number 21,395 NICOSIA 24 Vass. Voulgaroctonou, P.O. Box 21144, 1502 Nicosia Tel: 22-818585, Fax: 22-676385 email: mail@cyprus-mail.com LIMASSOL 5A Nicolaou, Pentadromos Centre, Thessaloniki St, Tel: 25-761117, Fax: 25-761141 email: cyprusmail@cytanet.com.cy LARNACA Tel: 24-652243, Fax: 24-659982 PAPHOS 62 Apostolou Pavlou Avenue, Office 2, 8046 Paphos, Tel: 26 911383 Fax : 26 221049 email: paphos@cyprus-mail.com

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Ship collides with fish farm A MALTESE-flagged vessel called Friendship collided with fish cages off the Vassilikos coastline in the early hours of yesterday morning, causing damage to its propeller while releasing fish into the Mediterranean Sea. The maritime accident occurred at 1.40am when the vessel hit the fish farm on its way to the Vassilikos port, causing the cages to break open. At the time of going to press the vessel remained at the site with parts of the cage and ropes stuck on its propeller.

The Department of Merchant Shipping is examining the incident.

Limassol

24

CYPRUS TODAY

So far, supporters have raised €2.1 million

By Bejay Browne A NEW hospice in Mesa Chorio in Paphos will be completed by the end of December and is on course to open its doors early next year.

Currently, the only functioning hospice in the coastal town is the Paphos Friends Hospice, which is situated in a dedicated wing of the Evangelismos hospital.

Archangel Michael Hospice previously known as the Saint Michael’s hospice - has been an ongoing for close to a decade. Once open, the hospice will offer free palliative care to people with any form of lifelimiting illness such as cancer, motor neuron disease, heart failure, end stage respiratory disease and kidney disease.

So far, supporters have raised €2.1 million. Initially, only the top floor of the facility consisting of nine double bedrooms will be in use.

Cameron McDonald, the hospice spokesman, told the Sunday Mail a team of 20 workers was currently on target to complete works on the interior before Christmas. The lift which will service the building

has already been ordered and will be fitted in February.

McDonald said the health ministry would then complete a final inspection and issue a certificate to operate.

It will cost close to €700,000 a year to run the hospice, which does not currently receive any state funding.

“We have come this far solely with donations and fund raising,” said McDonald, “and we are lucky to have such a great team of enthusiastic volunteers.”

The spokesman said the hospice would be managed by trustees with extensive expertise in business, marketing, healthcare and finance.

He added: “The hospice will be independently managed by a Charitable Trust and this week we received our licence to establish the hospice from the ministry of health.” According to McDonald, the ministry has been extremely helpful and the hospice hopes to get a 20 per cent government grant The Archangel Michael Hospice is situated in Mesa Chorio in Paphos and will house the only wing in Cyprus specifically for children.

“There is no other such facil-

ity for children and there will be a dedicated area specifically for them,” said McDonald.

McDonald said that although the entire project would be completed by February 2013, the hospice won’t open immediately. “We would like to have a six-month buffer of around €300,000 in the bank before we open to ensure everything will run smoothly and we are able to operate without any problems,” he said.

He noted that although a substantial amount of cash had been raised in the last 12 months “this has slowed down recently.”

The main challenges currently facing the trustees are to ensure that highly qualified staff are in place, including a professional fundraising department. “We will look at getting staff towards the end of the year,” he said.

In addition, a new website to promote the hospice has been launched as well as a campaign. A charity fundraising ball, the details of which are being discussed now, will be held in aid of the hospice in mid January.

For further information: - www.archangel-michaelhospice.com

VANDALS defaced a poster promoting the presidential candidate Giorgos Lillikas in Larnaca yesterday, covering it with eggs and expletives.

According to police, the vandalism was spotted at 8.30am yesterday on a poster outside the Larnaca campaign office of Lillikas on Grivas Dhigenis Avenue.

The presidential candidate yesterday called for social unity, mutual respect and dialogue in the election campaign.

“I appeal to all citizens, regardless of political affiliation to ignore this isolated incident and ignore any marginal groups seeking to create artificial sources of tension,” said the EDEKbacked candidate.

Attempted arson A MAN was remanded in custody for four days yesterday in connection with the attempted arson of a bar in Larnaca. According to police, on Thursday night, a perpetrator or perpetrators broke a window in the back of the bar and set a curtain on fire which failed to spread to the rest of the bar, causing €300 worth of damage. Suspicions were raised about one man in particular from Larnaca who was arrested by police and taken in for questioning.

Supreme Court weighs in on farmers Arrest warrant issued for British Cypriot THE SUPREME Court has given a thumbs up to the Commission for the Protection of Competition (CPC) on its decision to force cattle farmers to supply Pittas Dairies with milk.

According to yesterday’s Phileleftheros, the top court rejected the argument of the Pancyprian Cattle Farmers’ Organisation (POA) that the CPC decision was taken without reason.

On the contrary, the decision was fully justifiable, said the court, given POA’s dominant position in the milk market. The court further ruled that POA abused its dominant position by supplying milk to third parties instead of to Pittas, who in turn sold it on to Pittas.

In August, the CPC ordered POA to supply Pittas Dairies with 65 tonnes of cow milk per day. The order was issued after Pittas filed a complaint against the cattle farmers, who produce around 90 per cent of the milk on the island. The cattle farmers counter-argued that the quota imposed on them meant they had to reduce supplies to other dairy companies.

A PUBLIC prosecutor in Glasgow has issued an arrest warrant for a 45-year-old British Cypriot, Michael Voudouri, in connection with charges of money laundering, the Cyprus News Agency reported yesterday.

Voudouri was due to show up in the Scottish capital’s Supreme Court on Friday to hear what his sentence would be after pleading guilty to two cases of money laundering.

A month ago, the 45-year-old had confessed to hiding over £10 million (€12.3m) in accounts in Cyprus, Greece and Switzerland which had come from the collection of VAT on intra-European virtual transactions. The British Cypriot originally faced charges of money laundering involving £45m (€55.5m) though this figure was reduced after his confession.

He also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of hiding £1.2 million (€1.5m) from the taxman. He was released on bail with restrictions after agreeing to collaborate with the public prosecution, though failed to turn up to Friday’s hearing.

3 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

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Positive force for sweeping changes

CYPRUS TODAY Remand for wife in stabbing case A WOMAN was remanded in custody for eight days yesterday by the Limassol district court in connection with the murder of her 34-year-old husband.

The 39-year-old Greek Cypriot woman was arrested on Friday night in Kapsalos after police found her Romanian husband Adrian Andritoiu lying dead in a pool of blood in their kitchen.

According to police, the 34-year-old was fatally stabbed on Friday evening after an argument broke out between him and his wife after she pleaded with him to stop drinking alcohol. The two were preparing to host guests to celebrate the husband’s name day when the argument over his drinking turned violent.

According to reports, the woman tried to grab the glass from her husband’s hand. He allegedly hit her, and in response, she grabbed the kitchen knife and stabbed him in the chest.

State pathologist Eleni Antoniou who examined the body said the victim sustained injuries to the left side of his chest where the heart is.

When police arrived at the scene, they found the husband lying dead in the kitchen, while the wife was found a few metres away from the house in a state of shock. Police confiscated as evidence a kitchen knife and other items which were taken for forensic testing. The couple had been married for three years. The 34-year-old had a daughter from his first marriage. She lives in Romania.

Unions and political parties unhappy and say it could all have been avoided (continued from front page) considered negative for the country, Cyprus will argue that its problems were imported from Greece, and seek solidarity from the Eurogroup members.

Reactions to the bailout memo were mixed yesterday, with parties and unions calling the terms “painful” and even avoidable.

For his part, Shiarly said: “You have to look at the overall picture, in the circumstances of Cyprus, (the memorandum) is the best we could achieve, and we have to plod on to the next stage.

“Of course people have the right to express a view. It’s not easy to propose wage reductions, increasing taxes, on the other hand, the structural changes being proposed both in the financial, fiscal sector and in general are necessary, and long overdue in some respects.”

Asked whether Cyprus would succeed in implementing some of the sweeping structural changes on time, he said: “It’s a very bold step. Cyprus has had a need for restructuring over a long period of time, everyone recognises that.

“If I correctly interpret the reaction of the parties in parliament and the house finance committee, the reaction I received was a favourable one, that on balance, it was a good package for the benefit of the country, though not for specific sectors.”

He added: “Overall, it is a bold attempt, and the end result is expected to be positive for Cyprus.”

The government will submit to parliament 20 bills related with the memorandum, with the aim of having them approved by December 13.

Shiarly argued that based on his consultations with parliament, MPs have undertaken to push the bills through within the next two weeks.

Asked whether there was a risk of the government not being able to push through what it promised it would in return for billions in bailout money, the finance minister said up till now, parliament has acted very responsibly and unanimously, giving as example the bills passed regarding the recapitalisation of Liaki Bank for €1.8 billion and two other bills increasing government guarantees to the banking sector.

Meanwhile, DIKO spokesman Fotis Fotiou yesterday accused the government of indecisiveness and of bringing the country to face the tragic dilemma of having to decide between a memorandum or bankruptcy.

“We are certain we could have avoided the memorandum,” said Fotiou, who described the terms as “tough, burdensome and painful”.

EDEK leader Yiannakis Omirou also blamed the government for the economic situation and for not taking decisions on time.

EAC ordered to pay up over pylons

Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly upbeat about terms The banking system had to be hanging by a thread before the government decided to take a decision, he argued in a speech before his party’s central committee, Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou yesterday accused Omirou of “once again giving a misleading picture” on the reasons Cyprus requested a bailout in the first place.

Everybody in Europe acknowledged that the situation in Cyprus is “collateral damage” as a result of the negative developments in the Greek economy, he said.

Main opposition party DISY said it would examine the memorandum in depth

and respond accordingly. A released statement noted not many options were left on the table following “the misfiring, delayed and unassertive handling of public finances in recent years”.

EVROKO leader Demetris Syllouris said: “No one can be happy with the contents of the memorandum”. However, he warned those presidential candidates claiming they can change the draft agreement not to mislead the public.

Ruling AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou yesterday called on the inland revenue department to do more to tackle tax evasion and reduce the burden of state finances on the public.

THE ELECTRICITY Authority of Cyprus (EAC) has been ordered to pay out €1.2m in compensation for placing highvoltage electricity pylons on privately-owned land.

The Appeals Court on Friday overturned a first court decision not to award compensation to the owners of the land in question, instead ordering the EAC to pay €825,000 in compensation plus interest since 2004, taking the total owed above the €1.2m mark.

According to yesterday’s Phileleftheros, the case centred on land owned by companies that initially refused to allow the EAC to install five electricity pylons on their property.

The EAC bypassed the owners, getting permission from the Limassol District Office on the condition that should the owners choose to commercially develop the land in the future, the EAC would either have to pay to move the pylons, or proving impossible, pay fair compensation.

When the owners asked for the pylons to be removed, the EAC refused to move them or pay compensation. The land owners sued, losing at first instance but winning the appeal.

The Appellate Court agreed with the argument that the pylons prevented development on the property and ruled that the owners should be compensated.

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4 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

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Grim Christmas beckons The Christmas decorations might be lit, but there’s nothing festive about Makarios Avenue, once a magnet for shoppers from all over the island

By Zoe Christodoulides

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HE COUNTDOWN to Christmas has officially begun: the lights are up in the city centre, and the festive decorations in the shop windows represent a desperate attempt to defy the recession.

On Nicosia’s Markarios Avenue, desperation barely begins to describe it.

Once a magnet for Christmas shoppers from all over the island, Makarios Avenue is now reminiscent of a scene in mid August when everyone deserts the city.

Back in April the Sunday Mail ran a story about the avenue’s demise and the woes of local shopkeepers. Six months on, even more stores have closed their doors while others are holding closing down sales.

The now almost totally abandoned City Plaza shopping mall - once a hub of activity - sports a lonesome Christmas tree set against an empty and rather depressing backdrop. A walk across the length of the street bears witness to worried shopkeepers standing at the entrance of their establishments looking out down the nearly deserted street.

Then there are all the tell-tale stickers adorning shop front after shop front: “For rent without goodwill payment,” displays bold red sticker. “Seventy five per cent off, store closing,” screams out another.

The general recession has triggered a massive slump in sales as consumer spending power diminishes, but are the shops down Makarios Avenue just the victims of the recession and a fall in business? After all, the nearby pedestrianised Ledra and Onasagorou Streets are bustling with shoppers - even if they are not spending as they once did - and, recession or not, new shops are still opening there.

“I wish it was just because of the crisis that everything is so empty down Makarios Avenue,” says Athina, the shop owner of the long established BeBe toy shop. “But

With shop after shop standing empty, estate agents, tenants and local authorities alike have urged owners to lower their rents (Photos: Christos Theodorides)

I think this tragedy goes way beyond the crisis. And I say ‘tragedy’ because it really is pitiful down here, it makes me so sad.

“I had some tourists walk into the shop and they asked me to point them to the centre of town,” Athina recalls. “And when I told them that this is the centre of town they just stood back in disbelief.”

The toy shop was established 50 years ago and Athina is quick to point out that she has never witnessed worse times. “I can honestly say that things were better in the years after the invasion than they are now.

Can you believe that?”

Having just decorated her shop window for Christmas, Athina reminisces about days when children would crowd around

with manic excitement as a rush of clients stopped in for a spot of Christmas shopping on their way towards one of the many cafes in the area.

“It used to be full of life down here and now there are countless things that discourage people from coming.”

Shopkeepers put the area’s demise down to various factors.

The opening up of the malls is an obvious cause and both the Mall of Cyprus and Mall of Engomi are to undergo expansion in the near future, with additional floors to be added to their structure.

Then there’s another even larger mall soon to be built in the Lakatamia-Anthoupolis area of Nicosia, with the space reportedly set to include department stores, supermarkets, various shops and a play area.

Competition from neighbourhood shopping streets in suburbs like Makedonitissa, Strovolos and Aglandjia has also taken its toll on Makarios Avenue.

And Bebe’s Athina points to other factors such as the high cost of parking and the closure of Eleftheria Square for renovation which she says cuts off the avenue from the shoppers in the old town.

“I can only hope that things will improve once the area is revived when Eleftheria Square opens up again.”

A representative from The Rainbow arts shop (on Makarios Avenue since 1967) is equally concerned.

“It has been bad for the past four years and obviously more people are shopping in malls but it’s not just that. It’s much worse this year, with business down by 30 per cent

and I know it will be far more dreadful next year,” she says with a sigh. “Every time I look outside it reminds me of what it used to be like on a Sunday; look at it, there’s hardly a soul out there anymore.”

But amidst the doom and gloom, the shopkeeper chooses to remain as positive as possible.

“I believe things will change again for the better. Back in the 1950s it was nothing but fields out here. Now it’s deserted again but I think it will boom once more, especially when people get bored of the malls. We need patience and obviously have to go through a total slump to get back up again.”

At this point a customer joins the conversation. “It’s all a bit depressing down here right now. Maybe the derelict shopping centres likes Galaxias and City Plaza can really be transformed and turned into nice modern entertainment centres like the ones you see abroad with cinemas, cafes and even galleries.

Live music events at the weekends would also be really nice.”

Not even the big players on the market are immune to the decline, and rumours are rife among shopkeepers that key chains on Makarios Avenue will also soon be closing their doors, with much talk centred on Marks and Spencer and one of the two Debenhams shops on the street. Both stores however have been quick to deny these rumours.

“We’ve been on Makarios Avenue for 60 years and we definitely won’t be closing,” says Marks and Spencer’s operations manager, Kyriacos Artemi. “But it’s true that the whole area is going through a really low slump and the flow of people has really slowed down.”

He doesn’t put the lack of shoppers down to the recession, arguing that the area just isn’t as attractive as it used to be.

‘Some tourists asked me to point them to the centre of town.

When I told them that this is the centre of town they just stood back in disbelief’

5 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

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for deserted high street

“People are now obsessed with malls but I do believe that the passion for a down town area will come back. Just look at the revival down Ledra and Onasagorou Street right now,” he says.

Artemis points towards a desperate need for the authorities to take action. “We are a European country and this is our capital’s main shopping street. It should be a sight for people to see. It should be one of the gems of the city.”

He insists upon the urgent need for green spaces and a change in the way that traffic moves around the area.

“I think shoppers and cafe goers need to feel safer and more comfortable to walk around the area. I’m a real believer in a pedestrianised zone in a similar fashion to Ledra Street. Let’s just say I don’t think Makarios Avenue will totally die. But the

authorities must put together a plan and budget to save it very soon.”

Real estate agent Antonis Loizou points towards a movement in the property market which has seen a notable shift towards Old Nicosia where rents are more reasonable.

“The recession has led to a movement towards the lower end of the market where there’s cheaper shops and less expensive cafes,” he explains. “Up until three months ago, landlords down Makarios Avenue were just not willing to lower their rents. But now they really are in the pits. At least 20 per cent of shops and cafes have left the street and more are planning on doing so very shortly. Tenants are now forced to lower their prices, they really have no choice.

Goodwill payment (the so called ‘aeras’ in Greek) is also a thing of the past.”

“Where do the landlords think we are? In the centre of Paris or something? Take a look around you- we’re nothing more than a village street at the moment with hardly a soul in sight,” says one shopkeeper who prefers to remain unnamed. “The authorities better do something about the situation immediately or else Makarios Avenue will completely die and it will be impossible to revive it. They must figure out ways to let business breathe, they have to find incentives to draw crowds into the town, to give people a reason to come here. They really need to put their thinking caps on and do something fast.”

In response to the public outcry, the Nicosia municipality acknowledges that the situation is critical down the avenue and assures that an upgrade is in the pipeline.

With nothing officially confirmed as yet

however, they are reluctant to release further details.

“There are some plans for the transformation of the area,” says Makis Nicolaides, communications officer for the Nicosia Municipality. “We want the road to be upgraded but it won’t happen soon unfortunately.

We encourage shop owners to be patient in these tough times and we also strongly urge landlords to lower their rents in order for shops to survive through hard financial times.”

Authorities hold out hope that the whole area will be revived once the Eleftheria Square revamp is completed. “This should happen by next summer and will help the entire commercial area. There is definitely hope for the future.”

In the meantime, however, it promises to be a grim Christmas.

6 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Home Changes to plans for port were ‘totally legal’

Construction at the port which critics say is obstructing the sea view

By Alexandra Anastassiades AKE A stroll along the sea front towards the old port of Limassol and you can’t miss them: right where the old fishing port used to lie, bulky concrete buildings are now swamping the skyline.

The reconstruction of the old port was expected, but many residents are aghast at the form of the radical transformation that has taken place in this historic part of town.

The plan to reconstruct the run-down old port of Limassol began in 2001, with the launch of an islandwide architectural competition held by the Cyprus Ports Authority. The competition was held in two stages. Architects were called to send in their proposals during the first stage in 2001. Six semi-finalists were selected and in 2003 the winner of the competition was announced. Following a lengthy procedure of consultations and sustainability studies carried out by the Ports Authority, work finally began in October 2010.

According to the Ports Authority, the goal of the project was to create a stronger connection between the city and the sea and provide a cultural and leisure attraction for both locals and foreigners.

A growing number of residents are arguing, however, that the construction taking place is failing on all counts.

A protest of 150-200 people in the old port at the end of last month included political figures, members of the Independent Architectural Movement and the Active Citizens Movement.

According to Evie Tsolaki, one of the protesters, the demonstration was held because they are generally unhappy with the direction the reconstruction project is taking but more specifically with the large building constructed

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Buildings ‘smothering’ Limassol’s historic port to the entrance of the port, which will house both offices and shops.

“This is a development project that has smothered a small port with its infrastructure.

We’re not saying that the authorities have acted illegally, but the role of a semi-governmental organisation such as the Port Authority is to protect the town and its citizens, not to act like a private business,” Tsolaki argues.

Many complain that the sea view and entrance to the port have been obstructed, and

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that the modern style of the building clashes with the traditional character of its surroundings.

“The new buildings are inconsistent with the history of the area. The goal of the Port Authority clearly seems to be to profit-geared and completely disregards the traditional character of the area and the wishes of the citizens of Limassol,” DISY’s Andreas Kyprianou told the Sunday Mail this week.

“The sea view from the city centre has been obstructed.”

The MP said the main problem was that initial architectural plans were changed.

“The enormous building that has now been built at the entrance of the port was not in the original plans and the proposed underground parking has been replaced by an overground parking area instead,” he said.

The changes to the original plans were confirmed by Yiannos Lamaris, head of the parliamentary interior committee, during his visit to the site last week, but he stated that it is standard procedure for changes to be made to winning entries in architectural competitions. He said the changes were made following consultations between the architect, the Port Authority and the city planning department.

He also stressed that the building is in accordance with all legal procedures and that

such developments give life to the city and offer prospects for its future. “Opinions on whether the building is aesthetically pleasing are subjective,” he said.

Both the architect of the winning entry, Chrysanthos Chrysanthou, and the Ports Authority have strongly defended the project, despite the growing dissatisfaction.

“We publicly presented the amended architectural plans twice,” architect Chrysanthou told the Sunday Mail earlier this week. “Once in 2006 at the Limassol municipality and again in 2007 at the old port during an event entitled ‘A Farewell to the Old Port’.”

Chrysanthou questions the motives behind those protesting. “When the public presentations were made, there was general satisfaction with the plans. Why are people protesting now?”

He responded to accusations that the sea view has been blocked by saying that once the enclosures and various temporary building structures are removed, passages will be visible and the view enhanced.

“People are rushing to jump to conclusions.

The project must be viewed at its completion and the project must be seen as a whole.

It can’t be judged in its current incomplete stage,” he said. “Once it is finished, the project will create a good connection between the port and the town.”

7 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

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The team attempt to recreate the kiln used to make Bronze Age beer

Ancients relaxed after work with a fig and barley beer Rare Bronze Age ‘microbrewery’ unearthed ARCHAEOLOGISTS led by an expert from the University of Manchester are raising a glass to the discovery of a Bronze Age “microbrewery” in western Cyprus.

The team excavated a 2 metres x 2 metres mud-plaster domed structure which it says was used as a kiln to dry malt and make beer 3,500 years ago.

Beers of different flavours would have been brewed from malted barley and fermented with yeasts with an alcoholic content of around five per cent. The yeast would have either been wild or produced from fruit such as grape or fig, according to the researchers.

Dr Lindy Crewe has led the excavation at the Early-Middle Bronze Age settlement of Kissonerga-Skalia, near Paphos, since 2007.

“Archaeologists believe beer drinking was an important part of society from the Neolithic onwards and may have even been the main reason that people began to cultivate grain in the first place,” she said: “But it’s extremely rare to find the remains of production preserved from thousands of years ago so we’re very excited. The excavation of the malting kiln with associated sets of pottery types and tools left in place gives us a fantastic opportunity to look at Bronze Age toolkits and figure out techniques and recipes.”

The oven discovered by the archaeologists was positioned at one end of a 50 metre square courtyard with a plastered floor.

They found grinding tools and mortars which may have been used to break down the grain after it was malted, a small hearth and cooking pots made of clay to cook the

The uncovered brewery at Kissonerga beer gently.

“Beer was commonly drunk because it is more nutritious than bread and less likely to contain harmful pathogens than drinking water which can make you ill,” Dr Crewe added.

“But alcoholic beverages were also used to oil the wheels of business and pleasure in much the same way as today. Work brought communities together for tasks such as bringing in the harvest or erecting special buildings.

“Instead of payment, participants are rewarded with a special feast, often involving quantities of alcohol which also transformed the work from a chore into a social event.

The people of the Bronze Age, it seems, were well aware of the relaxing properties of alcohol.”

Colonial files may have been destroyed SCORES of top secret files relating to the administration of the United Kingdom’s colonies may have been destroyed, British MPs were told this week.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is unable to confirm whether 170 boxes of classified documents which were returned to the UK at the end of the colonial era have been destroyed.

The admission, by Foreign Office Minister David Lidington, came as files relating to controversial British activities in Kenya and Cyprus were opened to the public.

Attempts by British colonial authorities to cover-up the killings of 11 prisoners during the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya were disclosed in the documents.

Detainees at Hola detention camp were clubbed to death by prison warders after they refused to work but no one was ever prosecuted.

The files showed British officials attempted to blame their deaths on “drinking too much water” rather than violence and refused to

identify individuals involved.

The latest documents released also showed colonial officials in Cyprus considered producing adventure comic books and running an essay competition in a propaganda bid to stop young people rebelling against British rule.

Lidington said the documents were the fourth tranche of colonial files to be disclosed, marking the half-way point of the process of transferring the papers to The National Archive.

But he added: “It remains the case that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is still unable to confirm the existence or destruction of 170 boxes of Top Secret colonial administration files known to have been returned to the UK. “There is some evidence that the Singapore Top Secret colonial administration files were destroyed as part of a review of FCO post files in the 1990s.

“The FCO continues to search for these files or for further evidence of their destruction.”

8 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

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The exploitation of human pain and suffering in the name of the ‘Cyprus problem’

‘I could have had a different life’

By Makarios Drousiotis LAST Wednesday, and after a 12-year judicial battle, Judge Michalis Papamichael delivered his verdict on the Androulla Palma v Cyprus Republic case. His decision was a clear condemnation of the exploitation of human pain and suffering in the name of the ‘Cyprus problem’.

The case was filed against the Republic by Androulla Palma and her two daughters, who accused the Republic of knowingly withholding information on the fate of their husband/father. It transpired he was murdered by the Turkish army in Ayios Pavlos in August 1974 and buried at the Lakatamia cemetery but the Republic knowingly classified him as ‘missing’. The Republic now has to pay €300.000 plus interest from 2001 as punitive damages for its provocative and irresponsible behaviour from the day the corpse of Charalambos Palmas was collected unitl the trial date.

In the lengthy decision the human tragedy of the consequences of the war unfolded

through the story of a family that ‘dared’ to seek responsibility and justice from the state. Turkey, as stated in the decision, had an undisputed responsibility for the murder, but from the moment the corpse was collected by the authorities and until the completion of the court case, the state behaved irresponsibly and brutally.

Charalambos Palmas enlisted as a reservist on July 20, 1974 and on August 6 he was serving at the Palloukia post in Ayios Pavlos. Palmas and five others did not follow their fellow soldiers in retreating and a while later found themselves surrounded by Turkish soldiers.

Having no other alternative they raised a white flag and surrendered but they were callously murdered by the soldiers and left in a ditch. After consultation with the Turkish army the Cyprus army was ‘allowed’ to collect the bodies and they were subsequently taken to the military cemetery in Lakatamia where they were unceremoniously buried without being identified. Not even their pockets were emptied

even though they carried ID cards.

In extreme circumstances normal procedures do not always work but the court was ruthless in its decision regarding the gross negligence the state showed when it withheld information from relatives on the fate of Charalambos Palmas. The state not only concealed information but exploited the pain and suffering of these people by dragging them along to demonstrations against the occupying army. It was the time when the state (naively) believed that it was in its best interest to inflate the number of the ‘missing’ irrespective of the human cost.

“My life would have been different if I had known then that my husband was dead.

It’s one thing being the wife of one killed in combat and another of one who is classified as ‘missing’. I was 27 at the time. I could have remarried a person who could have cared for my children. I would have honoured his memory but my life would have changed. As things turned out my life was a continuous tragedy and unfortunately I passed this on to

Androulla Palma at a protest for the missing with one of her daughters my children” said Palma in an interview that was included in the court’s decision. In the judge’s words: “She faced denials and cruelty from officials and others. She had to face life without her husband and raise three little girls that she dragged along to demonstrations and events both in Cyprus and abroad organised for a better investigation on the fate of the missing. She was never told that her husband may be dead. Twenty years later she heard rumours that the Cyprus government had received further information regarding the missing and that they were re-examining the missing issue. She learnt unofficially from a policeman, Christakis Efstathiou, who was involved in these cases, that her husband was now considered dead by the state.”

The deposition of Palma’s daughter Kalliopi was also shocking. She described her traumatic childhood experiences waiting for her father to return home. According to the court decision: “When her mother told her what Efstathiou had revealed she was furious. They invited Efstathiou to their home to discuss the matter and the policeman told them that he had wanted to tell them before but was forbidden. He also revealed that there were official documents supporting his claim.

From that moment on, the family left no stone unturned in their search for the truth.’

I, as the author of the book ‘1619 Enoches’ (1619 Guilts), also testified in the case. In my book there is testimony from Loucas Lingis, who served with Palmas and saw the murder from a distance.

During my cross examination the Republic tried to question the validity and accuracy of the research because “there was no such evidence in the files” I replied saying it would not surprise me if Lingis had indeed given his recollections but his version was either lost or discarded. This was proven later in the trial when Lingis was summoned as a witness

for the plaintiff.

In his deposition Lingis said that in August 1975, when he was still serving in the National Guard, he had attended a memorial service for those soldiers that had been killed in Ayios Pavlos. When the names of the six soldiers were not heard he remonstrated angrily. The following day he was summoned to the

‘Judge said state’s handling of ‘missing’ files was at the very least amateurish and at worst it was deliberately withholding information from the relatives’ 2nd Office of the 211 Infantry Battalion and gave a deposition telling them that he knew that at the Palloukia post, six soldiers had been killed and among them was Charalambos Palmas.

Lingis said that around 1990, when he saw Mrs Palma in a documentary, appearing as the wife of the missing Charalambos Palmas, he contacted the Committee for Missing Persons. He then gave another deposition to a CID officer where he explicitly told him that it was not the first time he was giving a deposition on this case.

During this author’s cross

examination, the state’s attorney tried to dispute that Lingis ever gave evidence or a deposition. In Mr Lingis’s cross examination the state presented both his deposition and a copy of his notepad. “The state has shown yet again the attempt to conceal evidence or the contradiction of their claims. It cannot dispute the existence of the deposition when cross examining witness ME4 (Makarios Drousiotis), and presenting it when cross examining witness ME7 (Lingis),” the court said.

Judge Papamicheal considered the state’s attitude provocative, not only on the factual side but also the procedural.

The judge commented further on the state’s handling of the case saying it proved, at the very least the amateurish keeping of records on the missing and at the worst the withholding of information from the relatives.

The evidence given by Marios Kariolou from the Institute of Neurology and Genetics did not go down very well either.

Concering Palmas he said: “They picked him from here and buried him there”, as if he was referring to an object and not a man who fell fighting for his country.

The decision continues and said the delay by the state in fulfilling its obligation had left the plaintiff with a traumatic burden borne in total ignorance for at least 22 years.

“Even now the state has not given any explanation for its actions. Palmas was never a missing person,” the court said.

It awarded in favour of the plainitiff with the state having to compensate the Palmas family in excess of €300.000 plus interest from 2001.

Around €60.000 of the compensation was due to punitive damages.

The judge concluded: “I consider this case as ‘ideal’ for punitive damages so as to illustrate how humiliating, continuous and repetitive the state’s total disregard for the plaintiffs human rights was for a number of years.”

9 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

World

Islamists rally behind Mursi Egypt polarised as president expected to set date for referendum on constitution

By Alistair Lyon and Tamim Elyan TENS of thousands of Islamists demonstrated in Cairo yesterday in support of President Mohamed Mursi, who is racing through a constitution to try to defuse opposition fury over his newly expanded powers.

“The people want the implementation of God’s law,” chanted at least 50,000 flagwaving demonstrators, many of them bussed in from the countryside to pack streets near Cairo University.

Mursi was expected later in the day to set a date for a referendum on the constitution hastily approved by an Islamist-dominated drafting assembly on Friday after a 19-hour session.

“We will certainly present the constitution to the president tonight,” Mohamed alBeltagy, a Muslim Brotherhood leader and a member of the constituent assembly, told Reuters.

The presidency said the handover would take place at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT) at a convention centre in Cairo.

Mursi plunged Egypt into a new crisis last week when he gave himself extensive powers and put his decisions beyond judicial challenge, saying this was a temporary measure to speed Egypt’s democratic transition until the new constitution is in

At least 50,000 flag-waving demonstrators, many of them bussed in from the countryside to pack streets near Cairo University, showed their support for President Mohamed Mursi yesterday place.

His assertion of authority in a decree issued on November 22, a day after he won world praise for brokering a Gaza truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, dismayed his opponents and widened divisions among Egypt’s 83 million people.

Two people have been killed and hundreds wounded in protests by disparate oppo-

sition forces drawn together and re-energised by a decree they see as a dictatorial power grab.

Tens of thousands of Egyptians had protested against Mursi on Friday. “The people want to bring down the regime,” they chanted in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, echoing the trademark slogan of the revolts against Hosni Mubarak and Arab leaders elsewhere.

Rival demonstrators threw stones after dark in the northern city of Alexandria and a town in the Nile Delta.

Similar clashes erupted again briefly in Alexandria yesterday, state TV said.

Mohamed Noshi, 23, a pharmacist from Mansoura, north of Cairo, said he had joined

the rally in Cairo to support Mursi and his decree. “Those in Tahrir don’t represent everyone. Most people support Mursi and aren’t against the decree,” he said.

Mohamed Ibrahim, a hardline Salafi Islamist scholar and a member of the constituent assembly, said secular-

minded Egyptians had been in a losing battle from the start.

“They will be sure of complete popular defeat today in a mass Egyptian protest,” he told Reuters.

Mursi has alienated many of the judges who must supervise the referendum. His decree nullified the ability of the courts, many of them staffed

by Mubarak-era appointees, to strike down his measures, although Mursi says he respects judicial independence.

A source at the presidency said Mursi might rely on the minority of judges who support him to supervise the vote.

Mursi, once a senior Muslim Brotherhood figure, has put his liberal, leftist, Christian and other opponents in a bind. If they boycott the referendum, the constitution would pass anyway.

If they secured a ‘no’ vote to defeat the draft, the president could retain the powers he has unilaterally assumed.

And Egypt’s quest to replace the basic law that underpinned Mubarak’s 30 years of army-backed oneman rule would also return to square one, creating more uncertainty in a nation in dire economic straits and seeking a $4.8 billion loan from the IMF.

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World

December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

The secretive state is to carry out its second rocket launch of 2012 as its youthful leader Kim Jong-un flexes his muscles a year after his father’s death

North Korea plans new rocket launch Leader Kim Jong-un asserts power

By David Chance NORTH Korea is to carry out its second rocket launch of 2012 as its youthful leader Kim Jong-un flexes his muscles a year after his father’s death, in a move that will likely heighten diplomatic tensions and draw criticism from Washington.

North Korea’s state news agency announced the decision to launch another space satellite yesterday, just a day after Kim met a senior delegation from China’s Communist Party in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.

China, under new leadership, is North Korea’s only major political backer and has continually urged peace on the Korean peninsula, where the North and South remain technically at war after an armistice, rather than a peace treaty, ended the 1950-53 conflict.

No comment on the planned launch was imme-

diately available from Beijing’s foreign ministry.

Seoul’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the move was a “grave provocation”. Japan’s Kyodo news agency said Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda had ordered ministries to be on alert for the launch.

“North Korea wants to tell China that it is an independent state by staging the rocket launch and it wants to see if the United States will drop its hostile policies,” said Chang Yong-seok, a senior researcher at the Institute for Peace Affairs at Seoul National University.

North Korea is banned from conducting missile or nuclear-related activities under United Nations resolutions imposed after Pyongyang carried out nuclear tests, although it says its rockets are used to put satellites into orbit for peaceful purposes.

Washington and Seoul believe the isolated, impoverished state is testing long-

range missile technology with the aim of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

Pyongyang’s threats are aimed, in part, at winning concessions and aid from Washington, analysts say.

The failed April rocket launch took place to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung and the latest test will take place close to the December 17 date of the death of former leader Kim Jong-il.

It will also come as South Korea gears up for a December 19 presidential election in a vote that pits a supporter of closer engagement with Pyongyang against the daughter of South Korean dictator Park Chung-hee.

The April test was condemned by the United Nations, although taking action against the North is hard as China refuses to endorse further sanctions against Pyongyang.

US couple revel in huge lottery jackpot A COUPLE from the US state of Missouri have claimed their share of a $587.5m (£366.6m) Powerball lottery jackpot.

Mark and Cindy Hill, of Dearborn, will split the record prize with a winner from Arizona, who has not come forward.

Hill, a 52-year-old mechanic at a meat-processing plant, and his wife, a former office manager, said they might now adopt a second child - after adopting a Chinese girl five years ago.

The Arizona winner has 180 days to claim the remaining prize money. The jackpot swelled after 16 consecutive rollover draws. The numbers drawn were 5, 23, 16, 22, 29 and 6.

Mrs Hill, an office manager who was made redundant in June 2010, said in a statement: “It’s really going to be nice to spend time - not have to work - and be able to take trips with our family.”

The couple also said they would use their winnings to

Lives changed forever: the Missouri couple with their cheque help their relatives, including grandchildren, nieces and nephews, pay for college.

Hill has suggested he might buy a red Chevrolet Camaro.

The Hills bought their lottery ticket at a Trex Mart petrol station on the outskirts of Dearborn. The other winning ticket was sold at a Four Sons Food shop in Fountain Hills, Arizona.

The Powerball jackpot,

which was the second-largest in US history, triggered a frenzy of ticket sales. At one point, 130,000 tickets were reportedly being bought each minute.

Forty-two US states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands participate in the Powerball lottery.

Officials doubled the price of Powerball lottery tickets in January to $2.

11 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

World

Mysterious death in England of Russian mafia whistleblower Had been helping Swiss investigate Russian money-laundering

By Maria Golovnina A RUSSIAN businessman helping Swiss prosecutors uncover a powerful fraud syndicate has died in mysterious circumstances outside his mansion in Britain, in a chilling twist to a Russian mafia scandal that has strained Moscow’s ties with the West.

Alexander Perepilichny, 44, sought refuge in Britain three years ago and had been helping a Swiss investigation into a Russian money-laundering scheme by providing evidence against corrupt officials, his colleagues and media reports said.

He has also provided evidence against those linked to

Alexander Perepilichny the 2009 death of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, a case that caused an international outcry and prompted the United States to push for a bill cracking down on Russian corruption.

Perepilichny, a Russian citizen, collapsed and died abruptly outside his home on an upmarket estate in the English county of Surrey on November 10, police said on Wednesday, the first time the case has come to light.

Perepilichny is the fourth person linked to the Magnitsky case to have died in

strange circumstances.

“It is being treated as unexplained,” a police spokeswoman said. “A post-mortem examination was carried out which was inconclusive. So further tests are now being carried out.”

British media reports said Perepilichny appeared to be in good health when he collapsed in the evening outside St George’s Hill, one of Britain’s most exclusive estates, where he was renting a house for 12,500 pounds a month.

Dubbed as Britain’s Beverley Hills and surrounded by neatly trimmed golf courses, the sprawling leafy estate is home to many prominent magnates and celebrities, its list of one-time tenants boasting stars such as Elton John.

Far beyond Russia’s borders, Magnitsky’s death has become a symbol of corruption in Russia and the abuse of those who challenge the authorities there.

This month the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to “name and shame” Russian rights violators as part of a broader trade bill, brushing off warnings from Moscow that the move would damage relations.

William Browder, a former employer of Magnitsky and a prominent London-based investor, said Perepilichny had come forward in 2010 with evidence involving the Magnitsky case that subsequently helped Swiss prosecutors open their investigation.

“Alexander Perepilichny approached us in 2010 as a whistleblower with evidence about the complicity of a number of Russian government officials in the theft of $230 million which Sergei Magnitsky had uncovered,” said Browder, founder of Hermitage Capital Management.

“He provided us with copies of many of the original bank

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documents. In January 2011, Hermitage filed an application to the Swiss authorities seeking an investigation. In March the Swiss prosecutor’s office opened an investigation and froze the assets in a number of accounts.”

Browder was one of the biggest Western investors in Russia but was barred from Russia in late 2005 and most of his staff left the country as Hermitage found itself coming under increasing official pressure.

Magnitsky was jailed in 2008 on suspicion of tax evasion and fraud, charges that col-

leagues say were fabricated by police investigators he had accused of stealing $230 million from the state.

Leaked secret diplomatic cables from the US embassy in Moscow once described Russia as a “virtual mafia state”, and London has long been the chosen destination for Russians seeking refuge from trouble at home.

But concerns have been growing in recent years that Britain might be turning into a playground for Russian mobsters as gangland violence seems to be spilling over Russian borders.

The Surrey house where Alexander Perepilichny lived

Naturally ahead Grigoriou company breaks ground once again, by bringing to Cyprus a revolutionary method, which ensures safety and freshness of packaged products, in a completely natural way.

This innovative method does not require heating of the products or the addition of any chemicals. It is based solely on the process of High Pressure (HPP) using regular cold water under high pressure, which eliminates all pathogen bacteria, such as Listeria, Salmonella and E.coli. This way the nutrients and the flavor of the products are maintained unaltered, while ensuring at the same time a high level of protection against hazardous microorganisms.

This results in guaranteed freshness up until the last day.

Naturally Fresh bring a new era in deli meats and earn an upscale position in the daily diet, with healthy and tasty products, confirming once more the company’s leadership.

For more information please visit our website www.grigoriou.com.cy

12 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Opinion Unpopular as it may be, bailout is our only option HOPES that things would calm down after the memorandum of understanding was agreed with the troika have proved wishful thinking. While the political parties appeared to have toned down their rhetoric, by a notch or two, Friday’s publication of the memorandum seems to have re-kindled the defiant populism that we had been served for months now.

On a plus point, Friday’s meeting of the big unions – PEO, SEK and PASYDY – suggested they did not plan to cause too much trouble, their only decision being to stage a work stoppage of couple of hours during which workers would march to the legislature. It is a mild reaction, indicating they have come to terms with the need for a bailout.

The same could not be said of the teaching unions, which have been making all types of threats in their militant-sounding announcements, but on their own they are unlikely to have much impact.

Then again, it was the two big unions, PEO and SEK, which organised Thursday’s protest by several hundred casual labourers

employed by the government that turned into a mini-riot. It showed how things could get out of control, even though this was not the intention of the unions.

Angry labourers first invaded the finance ministry, seeking a meeting with the minister before storming the House of Representatives and demanding that the decision not to renew their contracts was rescinded. Neither the police nor the union organisers could stop them when they decided to enter the House en masse.

Speaking on a radio show the next morning, a union official could not resist blaming the troika for the decision not to renew the contracts of a thousand casual workers; this would save €9 million a year. Blaming the troika is the easy option for union leaders who purposely ignore the fact that troika officials set savings target and it is up to the government technocrats to decide how these would be realised.

If the government proposed saving the amount by docking an additional two per cent from the wages of the top-earning public

Cyprus Mail

employees, the troika would not have objected.

We mention this because the widespread practice of putting the blame on the troika must stop. It creates unjustified public anger and resentment that could lead to more violent behaviour than was witnessed at the legislature on Thursday. It is high time the government accepted responsibility for the bailout agreement and explained to the people that the troika was not our enemy – admittedly difficult after the president and his associates publicly branded the IMF, ECB and the Commission ‘neo-colonialists’, ‘enemies of the working people’ etc – but was essentially helping the government secure loans it desperately needed.

The troika technocrats were here to help us take the necessary measures that would convince our lenders that we would be in a position to repay the loan our econ-

omy needed to avoid collapse and bankruptcy. Without the spending cuts, higher taxation and reform of structural weaknesses envisaged by the bailout we would not be able to borrow money from anywhere and our banks would be unable to draw liquidity. And the troika team would argue our case as regards the loan at European working groups. In short, we should be treating it as an ally.

This might be too much to expect from President Christofias who is dogmatically opposed to pay cuts and has made a big contribution to the public demonisation of the troika. But he would be doing the country a big service and helping our effort to secure European approval for the bailout if he took a positive approach in his address to the people, scheduled for this week. If he cannot bring himself to be constructive, and plans on repeating his negative sentiments, it would be much better not to make his address.

Apart from rousing public anger and encouraging anti-bailout protests, negative comments are

unlikely to go down well with our lenders who start discussing the Cyprus bailout at tomorrow’s Euro Group meeting. The Group will meet again 10 days later, when the interim Pimco report on the bank re-capitalisation needs would be ready, but whether it would give its approval then nobody knows. A decision might be put off, additional changes could be made to the memorandum or, ideally, it would be approved. If all goes well, the approval of national parliaments would also be required.

Organising public protests against the bailout, heaping abuse on the troika, attacking the ‘neoliberal’ measures could put at risk the approval of the bailout. We cannot even afford delays in the approval, which is why we need to do everything in our power not to alienate our lenders. It is time for everyone that influences public opinion, from the president down, to show a heightened sense of responsibility, urging restraint and making it clear that the bailout, unpopular as it may be, is our only option.

Letters to the Editor Who says men can’t multi-task We have all encountered (and are probably guilty of) occasional bad driving but how about bad stopping?

Yesterday I pulled up behind a car at a T junction.

His road positioning suggested he was turning left, the way I wanted to go, and he was looking left and right but every time the road was clear he still didn’t move off.

After a long pause, frustration got the better of me.

I slowly drove round him and as I drew alongside I could see that he was eating a sandwich and reading a magazine.

Who says men can’t multitask!

Robert Brew.

Paralimni

A little good will would go a long way Reference your story about Armou village’s doomed properties (November 28), I despair of the comment by the Paphos District Office Planning Permit Department’s Mr. Evagoras Andreou, who commented on this housing development disaster.

With homes there falling down into the road because of faulty construction by a local developer, official notices have been served on the affected residents to point out that the homes are not fit for human habitation and that the occupants must leave.

No time scale has been placed on the instruction. Both the notices and the soon to be delivered letters are all written in Greek, despite every one of the home owners having English as their native language.

Self-important Mr. Andreou was quoted as saying: “Yes, the letters are in Greek, which is the language of this country”.

Has this rather pompous, precious and unhelpful official not noticed that Cyprus has become somewhat multi-cultur-

al these days? And what would it have taken to have had a translation prepared in English alongside the Greek version?

The home owners are suffering enough unhappiness without some unfeeling and insensitive jobsworth needlessly adding to their distress.

Which brings me to the entire Greek language xenophobia thing where we find most notices in hospitals (and Government offices) are in the local language, which perhaps is fair enough.

But it should be remembered that large numbers of non-Greek speakers/readers attend these already confusing places and could do with a smidgeon of help in this regard.

Moreover, take home your medicine from a hospital or a private pharmacy and within the container all the details about the medicine are in Greek, which could be genuinely dangerous.

This is especially so in the hands of elderly patients or those who may be a little less able than they once were in terms

of immediately understanding medical instructions given all too briefly by the doctor, nurse, or pharmacist. I do wonder if this situation is even legally countenanced within the EU community?

Nobody is in a position to criticise the local population when they come back at us expatriates and suggest, sometimes quite forcibly, that if we come to live here, then we should learn the language.

All too few of us have taken the time and trouble to do just that.

But, hey, we contribute to the community in such a wide variety of ways, adding tax payments, indirect wealth and providing direct employment for large numbers of people.

So possibly a little goodwill from those born and brought up here wouldn’t come amiss? What has happened to the kindness and hospitality once a hallmark of Cypriots?

Sadly, impatience and dismissiveness are replacing these characteristics.

Clive Turner, Paphos

Don’t dismiss things you don’t understand For his “Diary” article, “Cross my palm”, Sunday Mail, Nov. 25, Richard Dickenson is to be commended for his exposé of the charlatans, both religious and lay, who prey upon the gullible. “Fortune Tellers” as a class, with hoaxers, have been the bane of scientific parapsychology from its beginnings with the Society for Psychical Research in the late 19th century.

This said, his negative attitude towards such serious research subjects as precognition, out-of-body experiences (OBEs), reincarnation and the genuinely intuitive ability of some individuals accurately to predict future events reveals his all but total ignorance of the literature.

With the very greatest respect for Dr. Dickenson’s expertise in his chosen field (I understand from earlier arti-

cles that he has five medical degrees), I dare to suggest that his specialisation in one area does not automatically qualify him to pronounce authoritatively on subjects about which he knows virtually nothing. He is not alone. This is a regrettable tendency among many “experts” in specialised fields. It is especially characteristic of medical doctors, many of whom seem to assume that the physical body is all that matters. Hence there is no need to look any further.

This propensity is reinforced by the aura of infallibility conferred on them by a properly respectful laity – one which, of course, they understandably do nothing to dispel.

Dr. Dickenson takes pride in his “scientific” approach.

One can only ask, “Is it truly scientific to condemn without studying or without making

at least some effort to prove or to disprove?”

The good doctor is obviously unaware of the work done by many, many academically-accredited scientists into matters such as psychic research, mediumship, out-of-body experiences (OBEs), precognition, near death experiences (NDEs) and so forth. Indeed, the increasing frequency of NDEs is largely due to the success of his fellow MDs in extending the lives of the very sick and the dying.

I should like to suggest to Dr. Dickenson that he educate himself by joining the British Society for Psychical Research and the Society for Scientific Exploration (USA).

Both publish peer-reviewed journals that are supplied with membership and that will provide him, over time, with a thorough grounding in

the above-mentioned and related subjects.

As for his dismissive attitude to reincarnation, I recommend the work of Professor Erlendur Haraldsson of the University of Iceland and, especially, that of the late Dr. Ian Stevenson, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia, famous for 2,600 carefully investigated cases of reincarnation conducted within the most strict scientific protocols. His published books are Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation (l960); Children who Remember Past Lives (1977); Where Reincarnation and Biology Intersect (1997); and Reincarnation and Biology: A Contribution to the Etiology of Birthmarks and Birth Defects (1997) – a medical monograph with extensive documentation, references, tables, footnotes and photo-

graphic evidence . In closing, I would comment on his unsupported proclamation that “no one can see into the future.”

Since he brought up quantum physics, let us hear from Albert Einstein: “For us convinced physicists, the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion … time is not at all what it seems. It does not flow in only one direction and the future exists simultaneously with the past.”

Accordingly, it is hardly surprising that “remote-viewers” and others, should perceive so-called “future” events. The problem is to determine not whether such things are possible, which is already established, but how to control access to them.

John Knowles, Peyia

Where have all the British products gone?

I have been a loyal customer of Carrefour here in Cyprus for several years now and my wife and I do our shopping at the Polemedia Carrefour store. We prefer shopping at this Carrefour supermarket because it’s a clean and tidy shop and normally has an excellent range of the UK products we regularly purchase.

I have however noticed over the last few weeks that a lot of the UK products we purchase have not been available. I really do not understand what is happening, and when I ask the staff no one seems to know. A number of our friends are also experiencing this mysterious lack of availability of several UK products in Carrefour.

Perhaps someone within the Carrefour management here in Cyprus can give us some answers.

G Dyer, Polemedia

Pickpockets in Limassol Beware, especially ladies, but also gentlemen, pick pockets are operating in Limassol.

My purse was taken from my handbag while I was shopping in Marks & Spencer. It was my own fault and I feel so stupid. I left my handbag unzipped. I thought nothing of the girl standing directly behind me, and as I stepped back right into her, I even apologised. She did the classic move and it didn’t even cross my mind that was what had happened until I went to pay. Be on the lookout and be extra vigilant if someone starts ‘crowding’ you.

Name and address withheld

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13 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

Opinion

A matter of colossal injustice A media frenzy in the US over three murder cases has ignored a real travesty of justice Comment Raymond Bonner

T

HREE murder cases on the news in the Unites States recently would seem to have little in common.

Michael Morton is a Texas pharmacist convicted in 1986 of murdering his wife. Jeffrey MacDonald is the Princetonand Yale-educated Green Beret medical doctor in prison for the 1972 murder of his wife and two small children. The ‘West Memphis Three’ are the teenagers convicted of the 1993 killing of three boys in Arkansas.

One aspect all these cases share, however, is the inordinate attention paid to them. Next month, for example, West of Memphis, a documentary produced by Oscar-winner Peter Jackson, opens - at least the third film about the case. As for MacDonald, adding to the stack of books and hours of television already devoted to him, the celebrated documentary filmmaker Errol Morris recently weighed in with a 500-page book, A Wilderness of Error, arguing that MacDonald was “railroaded” by “unethical” prosecutors. Morton’s case, meanwhile, has been featured on 60 Minutes and NPR’s Weekend Edition as well as in a New York Times editorial and a recent Times op-ed column by Joe Nocera.

Something is amiss when you compare the media’s fixation on these cases with that of Edward Lee Elmore, a South Carolina man who served 25 years for a crime he did not commit. There have been no editorials, no 60 Minutes reports and, most disturbingly, no investigations. Yet the evidence of prosecutorial misconduct makes what happened to Elmore look far more egregious.

Elmore was sent to death row at age 23 and spent more than half his life there, convicted for the murder of a 75-year-old widow in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Morton was released last year, after 25 years in prison, when his lawyers found exonerating evidence that the police and prosecution had withheld at the time of his trial. He was falsely convicted, his lawyers said, as the result of a “sin of omission”.

Similarly, in the West Memphis Three case, the police and prosecutors ignored evidence that the three men were innocent.

(They were released last year in a legal agreement that allowed them to maintain their innocence while pleading guilty.)

Edward Lee Elmore being led into the Greenwood County courtroom for a hearing in 2000 Under the landmark Supreme Court decision, Brady v. Maryland, the prosecution is required to turn over all potentially exonerating evidence to the defence.

But withholding evidence is benign compared to what happened with Elmore, who was convicted through acts of commission. The prosecution didn’t just withhold exculpatory material - there is proof that police and investigators manufactured and planted critical evidence.

They claimed, for example, to have found Elmore’s pubic hair on the victim’s bed. Yet the investigators didn’t take any pictures of the bed, nor did they take the sheets as evidence, because “there were no obvious

‘There is proof that

police and investigators manufactured and planted critical evidence’

blood or other stains present”, as an investigator later testified at a hearing.

The wall and carpet in the victim’s bedroom were soaked in blood, as was the robe she was wearing. Yet only three pinprick-size blood spots were found on Elmore’s jeans, which the police took from his bedroom. Like the “hairs on the bed”, there is strong evidence that this blood was planted.

One investigator removed the jeans from the evidence locker and had them for two weeks, without any legitimate reason. He wasn’t assigned to the case at the time but had grown up across the street from the victim and was convinced Elmore was guilty.

Writing on the Elmore case, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals used the words “outright dishonest” and “deceit” to describe the work of the police and investigators.

Those are uncharacteristically harsh rebukes. When federal judges use language like that, the Justice Department might be expected to launch an investigation or the United States attorney in South Carolina to convene a grand jury.

Maybe they haven’t, in part, because there has been no public outcry. Where are the editorial writers and columnists or even the celebrities who spoke up for the West Memphis Three and Morton?

This raises an uncomfortable question.

Another thing Morton, MacDonald and the West Memphis Three have in common: They are all white. And Morton and Macdonald are both educated professionals.

Elmore, however, is a semi-literate, mentally disabled black handyman.

A “Freedom Fund” has been set up to provide financial support for the West Memphis 3 as they adjust to life beyond prison. Elmore, who was released in February - still maintaining his innocence but agreeing to plead guilty as part of a legal agreement to get out of prison after 30 years for a crime he didn’t commit - now lives in poverty in rural South Carolina.

If America has true equality under the law, then the Justice Department should not be waiting until civic leaders or celebrities take up a cause before investigating.

The United States attorney in South Carolina should convene a grand jury to look into the Elmore case - to begin to deliver some real justice.

Raymond Bonner, a former New York Times reporter, is the author of Anatomy of Injustice: A Murder Case Gone Wrong, about the Edward Lee Elmore case

We’d love to suffer like the civil servants Comment Loucas Charalambous LAST WEEK I wrote about the boundless nerve and audacity of our politicians. But the nerve and audacity of the country’s trade union leaders is even greater.

The audacity of Hadjipetrou (PASYDY), Kyritsis (PEO), Moiseos (SEK), Diomedous (DEOK), Taliadoros (OELMEK) and the rest of the bunch, who have turned trade unionism into a realm of irrationality and paranoia, scaled new heights last week after they were briefed about the austerity measures.

“The measures are a killer, we will not applaud the slaughter of our wages,” the raging, lifetime leader of PASYDY declared, threatening to appeal to the Supreme Court. He described the measures as ‘one-sided’, implying that private sector workers

had not taken their share of the burden of the measures.

Hadjipetrou said: “Our demand was for the measures to be fair, as is envisaged by the constitution. But all measures target the public employee.

This development is a blow to the standard of living of public employees.”

I agree that the measures are one-sided and unfair. Not even now do the measures restore social justice which has been slaughtered for 50 years in this ridiculous state that created and maintained two classes of citizen.

One class consists of the superprivileged workers of the public sector who enjoy big salaries, enviable working hours, high pensions to which they do not contribute, high retirement bonuses to which they contribute nothing, free healthcare and a host of other benefits. The second class citizens, on the other hand, work all day, on low wages, contributing 6.8 per cent of

their monthly salary, all their working life, in order to receive a pension that is half of that of the public employees, contributing another part of their monthly salary to provident funds, all their working life, just to collect some money on their retirement and also pay for healthcare.

For 50 years, the constitution has been violated in the most obscene way for the sake of the fat cats of the public sector, at the expense of the nonprivileged. And now that the time has come to give up a small fraction of the privileges that bankrupted the state, the public employees have remembered the provisions of the constitution.

Because the tears of Hadjipetrou should fool nobody. I will give a few examples of how the wages of public employees were slaughtered. The net loss from the imposition of the measures, after taking into account the smaller tax deduction would be as follows: salary of €1,500

per month, loss €32; €2,000 €60; €3,000 - €127; €4,000 - €199; €5,000 - €287; €6,000 - €348. This is the slaughter of the salaries of Hadjipetrou and the rest of the recipients of public money.

Here also is a comparison of pay and benefits enjoyed by the two classes of citizens. I assume that they are both earning €4,000 per month. The public employee can look forward to a monthly pension of €2,049, a retirement bonus of €127,000. His monthly contributions would be zero. The private sector employee would get a monthly pension of €1,300, a provident fund payment of €120,000, and would make monthly contributions of €600.

In other words, the private sector employee pays €600 every month (to the Social Insurance Fund and provident fund) to collect a monthly pension, which is a little more than half what the public employee would be paid, and a similar retirement payment. But the

public employee receives all this without contributing anything.

And Hadjipetrou is beating his breast because the public employee on €4,000 per month is being asked to give up €200 of his wage, which is still only a third of what a private sector employee pays. This is the slaughter that “deals a blow to the standard of living” of the state parasites. This is how all the measures target the public employee.

Such a slaughter, which exists only in the fertile imagination of Hadjipetrou, would have been welcome by all workers in the private sector.

This is not just audacity, but obscenely provocative behaviour that we can no longer accept. We can no longer tolerate the Hadjipetrous of this country complaining when the innocent private sector workers will be footing the bill to save the state from the bankruptcy greedy union bosses led it to.

14 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Opinion Tourism, agriculture, construction, manufacturing and start-ups can all have a future

We can turn a crisis into an opportunity Comment Theodore Panayotou

T

HE CHINESE word for “crisis” says it all: a crisis is danger but is also an opportunity.

Up to now we have been experiencing and lamenting the danger, blaming of course everything and everybody except ourselves, a favourite cultural trait of us Cypriots.

It is about time to move on and pursue and experience the other half of the crisis, the opportunity. Now is a good time to start. As a Chinese saying admonishes us “the best time to have planted a tree was 20 years ago; the next best time is today.” Especially now, that the signing of the bailout will reduce uncertainty and increase liquidity, it is a good time to act. How? First, we should stop wasting our time and missing the opportunities hidden in the crisis by bemoaning our bad luck or blaming others for our misfortune. Of course, we don’t like the outcome - the loss of income and privileges we have accustomed to - but there is no point in blaming the event (the crisis) unless we can change it. Even if we cannot change the event, we can always change our response to the event.

Changing our response changes the outcome.

This holds true for our government’s response to the global economic crisis, as well as, our response to both the crisis and to the government’s response. The feeling of helplessness is self-imposed because we assume that the crisis, like any adversity, is all bad and cannot possibly contain anything good. Resignation is a self-fulfilling prophesy. Actually, in every crisis or adversity there are two very valuable assets: a lesson to be learned and an opportunity to be exploited.

Winners are those who spot them both early, act fast and make full use of them.

Now that a bailout has been agreed and all but signed we have a new scenario or event which we cannot change but we can respond to it. The government can take measures to offset the recessionary effects of the bailout terms and conditions. These could be measures that re-link wages to productivity, introduce inter-changeability of public servants, establish e-government, invest in research and development and promote innovation and entrepreneurship, among others.

We as individuals and businesses can and should study the opportunities created by the bailout measures and developments abroad and any related government measures and act to capture them by devel-

oping new products and services, opening new markets, and entering new partnerships, among others.

The crisis is an opportunity for consolidation, cost rationalisation, reduction of fat and bureaucracy, and elimination of inefficiencies and waste. Those businesses which haven’t done it already stand to gain from doing it at last. A time of crisis is also an ideal time to energise our employees and show a special concern for our customers. It is a good time to rethink our business strategy, to explore new markets and new partnerships. It is also a good time to expand into other markets abroad which are not fac-

‘The best time to have planted a tree was 20 years ago; the next best time is today’ ing a crisis at present such as the emerging economies.

Yet most businesses choose to respond by contracting their activities and laying off people, because they depend on a few standard products, the small local market, and conventional methods of marketing and selling.

The new market realities require new imaginative approaches to maintain competitiveness, market share and profitability. As an example, consider how Lexus in the US responded when the crisis started and their customers disappeared.

They did not drive to Washington or Tokyo to beg for support and a bailout to survive, like other car companies. They drove to the wealthy suburbs, the golf clubs and the country clubs where their customers (the buyers of luxury cars) are to be found and offered them their brand new cars for a test drive over the weekend. Most of them, who were previously reluctant to buy a new car because of the crisis, chose to keep the new cars once they test drove them and enjoyed the feel of driving a new car with its advanced new gadgets.

Essentially Lexus managed to convert the families of wealthy people into their sale force and doubled their sales. Unlike most other companies they realised that, while in good times the mountain does go to Mohammed, in bad times Mohammed needs to go to the mountain, otherwise he risks remaining without customers.

While we are talking about Lexus we should not miss the opportunity to emphasise how important customer service is in times of a crisis. Unfortunately, with a few exceptions, bad customer service in

Cyprus is legendary. In good times, you can survive bad customer service; in bad times it is suicide. Exceptional customer service, in a market where poor service is the rule, can be a lifeboat for a struggling business in bad times; it attracts reluctant customers who otherwise sit on the fence.

Government, businesses and people complain that there are no business opportunities that can be profitable when consumer demand is depressed and more reductions are expected with the bailout’s spending cuts and new taxes. This is because we confine our business activities to trade and other services mostly for the local market, which is not only tiny and depressed, it is also open to cheaper imports. And, where we focus on external markets and exports, as in tourism and other services we tend to be too expensive for the quality we offer.

Take tourism. About 20-30 years ago we were a low-cost and highquality destination. With the rise in labour and other costs, poor customer service, poor maintenance, and the destruction of the natural environment we have become a high-cost, low-quality destination.

Our desperate effort to lower costs by hiring cheap foreign labour without standards and appropriate training and certification has further downgraded our product and forced us to surrender higher value tourism to more authentic and pristine destinations. Instead we should have moved upmarket to high-quality experiential and special interest tourism building on our heritage, history, culture, temperate climate and natural environment. While some efforts in the right direction were made, we are far from exploiting the great opportunities in convention tourism, athletic tourism, medical and recuperative tourism. With our year-round pleasant climate, the 300 sunny days a year, the clean blue seas and natural landscape we can become Europe’s centre for conventions, recuperation, athletics and soccer team training, as well as the playground of the rich and famous.

Take agriculture. We have been stacked between lamenting the loss of our fertile grain and citrus lands to the Turks and supporting traditional low-value crops like potatoes that need cheap labour and huge amounts of water as well as huge subsidies. In a fit of mindless creativity we “went bananas” and thoughtlessly began growing bananas for which our climate is marginal and our water insufficient and hence we have no competitive advantage. Yet there are excellent opportunities to produce and export high-value organic vegetables, fruits and herbs to major European capitals in the same way that Northern Thailand does for the major Asian capitals. We have the right soils, the right climate,

The Chinese get it right when it comes to how they view a crisis and plenty of sunshine; we need to apply science and technology and high-levels of management. Even traditional products like halloumi cheese, zivania, and commandaria can be globally competitive and a source of hundreds of millions of euros in profits, provided that strict quality control, technology and management is applied. For example, were we to succeed at last in patenting halloumi cheese, we

‘We as individuals and businesses can and should study the opportunities could take a page from the French wine industry which exports much more wine than it produces by importing raw wine and submitting it to strict quality control, blending and re-exporting.

Take our construction industry which, after the burst of the real estate bubble, looks moribund. The tight money and the high cost of electricity have created huge opportunities for retrofitting energyinefficient houses, buildings and infrastructure. Energy consumption can be reduced by up to 30 per cent at a retrofitting cost not exceeding 20 per cent of the present value of the savings. Financing is an issue but it can be easily financed by the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) by charging a fee on the monthly electricity bill, which will be significantly lower as a result of lower consumption. But being a monopolist EAC is not particularly interested. But the opportunity is still there to engage the underemployed construction industry through an imaginative financing scheme.

Take manufacturing. We gave it up on the grounds that, given our small size, high wages and low level of technological sophistication we cannot possibly be competitive in manufacturing anything. Yet, Medochemie in Limassol is producing and exporting generic pharmaceuticals worth hundreds of millions of euros to Germany, France and other prospering Northern European countries. Likewise, Enfoton in Kokkinnotrimithia is producing and exporting photovoltaic panels, also to Germany where there is little sun but plenty of money and environmental consciousness. Both these companies have received

European prizes for export success. Can others do it too? Absolutely! By employing high levels of technology and management and exploring market opportunities abroad.

Here lies the biggest tragedy. Cyprus is considered a solar superpower in terms of potential and a midget in terms of its realisation.

According to MIT’s Daniel Nocera “sunlight has the greatest potential of any power source to solve the world’s energy problems. In one hour, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to provide the entire planet’s energy needs for one year. Within 10 years, electricity-by-wire from a central source could be a thing of the past.”

With an annual solar radiation of up to 2000 KWh/m2, one of the highest rates in the EU, Cyprus has a great potential not only to capture it for its own use but to develop the solar energy technologies for export to the rest of the world. Yet while we are ignoring the contemporary sunlight streaming in every window, we are obsessed with our discovery of natural gas which is nothing but solar energy stored in plants and animals millions of years ago. Cyprus can take advantage of the reassessment of energy mix in Europe against nuclear and in favor of solar and join the race for the solar revolution, building on its EU membership, its high annual solar radiation, and the MIT-Cyprus Institute partnership.

Last but not least, we can partner with the start-up nation of the world, neighbouring Israel in two dimensions. The first is the “laundering” of Israeli technology for export to Arab countries where it is badly needed but is not considered kosher to import directly.

The second is to get Israel to help us in developing innovative entrepreneurial start-ups by our unemployed youth.

In conclusion, there are plenty of opportunities to take our future in our hands, despite the bitter medicine of the bailout terms and produce a new Cyprus economic miracle. Ultimately, where there’s a will there’s a way. Do we have the will?

I hope we do.

Dr Theodore Panayotou, Director of the Cyprus International Institute of Management (CIIM) and Professor of Economics and the Environment at Harvard University, served as consultant to the UN and to governments in the U.S., China, Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Cyprus. He has published and was recognized for his contribution to the Intergovernmental Committee on Climate Change which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007

15 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

Opinion

It may be time to stock up on pasta If the government reneges on signing a bailout deal, our banks will be threatened with failure Comment Hermes Solomon

A

S UNEMPLOYMENT rises, many formerly double income families are obliged to survive on much less, and paying bills has become a serious headache.

Last spring, we jokingly competed with each other over who was paying the most for heating our homes. By the end of summer it was no longer a joke, having run our air conditioning units for four months flat out.

Six hundred euro electricity bills are the family average for a two months’ supply, and this four times a year - the slack months being April/May and October/November, when we breathe a sigh of relief at around one hundred and fifty euros a bill.

When I arrived here nine years ago, my elderly parents spent the summer months in Prodromos and the winter in a small flat in Nicosia. They never ever employed air conditioning or storage radiator central heating. The lounge was south facing with wide, single glazed sliding doors, and when cloudy in winter or dark, they ignited a mobile gas heater (one of three elements) and sat no more than two metres from it glued to the box.

They’d switch on their electric blanket an hour ahead of retiring, and off when they crawled between the sheets.

Mum cooked with gas and tap water was heated by a solar panel, and when not, she lit a small ascot.

Back then, electricity cost less than half the price of today, and although receiving around 3,500 pounds sterling a year in pensions, they managed to save a thousand of that every year. When I asked them what they were saving for they said they were hoping to make a hundred a piece. They suffered the inequities of old age in silence, refusing to visit a doctor, hospital or private clinic.

“They’re all liars and thieves,” Dad would say.

He ‘went behind’ at the ripe old age of 93, a year after Mum. We have become accustomed to living in ambient temperatures - strolling around in large open plan lounges bare foot, wearing T shirts and shorts then switching on the heat rather than slipping into a pair of slacks, sweat shirt and slippers when night temperatures drop below 12 degrees. But now we need to think twice.

Money is tight. So tight in fact that the government is holding back on paying contractors to the point where many savers now wonder whether the government can still guarantee their 100,000 euro bank deposits. Some say yes and others, ‘you’ll have to wait quite a while before seeing a penny’.

If the government reneges on signing any agreement with the troika, our banks will be threatened with failure - a run on banks began a few weeks ago and is expected to avalanche once the Pimco Report on the truly horrific state of bank finances is finally known.

When the Central Bank reached an agreement with the troika on refinancing our banks, our president stubborn-

uotes of the week “And the sister of the Duchess who has brought out a new book, it’s not sold well at all but her back cover’s worth a look”.

Opera singer Richard Suart picks out Pippa Middleton as one of “society’s offenders” who are light-heartedly lampooned in the English National Opera’s new production of The Mikado

during a visit to Chequers in the hearing of David Cameron “I cannot tell you how embarrassing he is in social situations. To him there is no difference between the awkward gaffes he deliberately makes as a comic, and the terrible faux pas he innocently commits as my husband”.

Actress Isla Fisher on being married to Sacha Baron Cohen “My husband said he started growing a beard since going out with me.

He didn’t have much facial hair before, so I hope I bring out the testosterone in them”.

Actress Nicole Kidman

Pole dancing began in the US depression of the 1920s ly sought to invalidate it. The Co-op Bank has been requested by the troika to close 30 per cent of its branches and reduce staff by as much. The same request should apply to all banks, SGOs and the civil service, but our unions insist we carry dead weight eternally. So narrow has our industrial and commercial base become that the unemployed will remain so until major investment is directed into new and sustainable enterprises.

No EU debtor state has yet outwitted their creditors. Why do we think we can? Such vanity is profanity! Cosseted by cronyism and insularity ahead of entering the EU, we are now obliged to face the reality of free market conditions.

ALL OUT STRIKES Must we then prepare for all out strikes - no electricity, water, public transport or services? If so, purchase quilted/padded twin sets (redolent of The Long March - China, 1934/35 led by Mao against the nationalists of Chiang Kai-shek) and dressing gowns, wool lined slippers and several bottles of gas - candles galore and paraffin lamps.

Invest in a battery operated wireless then draught proof and double lock the house. Learn to walk to the corner shop and stack your larder with nonperishables - pasta, pulses, flour and rice in particular. I’ve just purchased a mobile gas heater made in Italy (supporting EU manufacturers) at a cost of 120 euros including valve and tube, in an effort to cut down on electric c/h. A bottle of gas varies from 12.80 to 14.80 euros depending on where you buy it.

Don’t forget to (hyper) ventilate the lounge or you’ll suffocate from carbon monoxide poisoning before you can withdraw all of your cash from our knife edge banks.

And just where do you stack your cash? Spread it among smaller banks like the Cyprus Development Bank, Societe Generale, Alphabank and the

Russian Bank. At least then, you only risk losing it a bit at a time, Or, of course, for those of you living on the other side, you might consider sticking some in the Asbank off Seray Square, which is guaranteed survival by Turkey!

The troika want our blood say all but Anastassiades, who claims that Christofias & Co will leave Cyprus in a much bigger economic mess than did the aftermath of the EOKA B-inflicted 1974 invasion.

Many will go hungry no matter the altruistic verbiage of archbishops.

Keep your cats and dogs in the house and off the streets. The Italians barbecued theirs during the latter stages of the Second World War, and they might have to do so again! I hear 60 sheep were allegedly stolen recently from a farm south of the line by rustlers north of the line…is this a foretaste of the chaos and disorder to come - sauve qui peut?

Austerity measures, deserved as they are, are being fed to us a morsel at a time under the pretext we can avoid giving away the proceeds of gas and oil that have yet to be extracted or liquefied, transported or sold. Lillikas, yet to be somebody, wants to sell several blocks to foreign investors - list them on the NYSE - blocks that are not even his to sell. Just wait until the second round of austerity measures arrives shortly after agreeing the first and he’ll suggest we sell the lot! And frankly, would you trust any bank, government or administration with the first 17 billion troika loan after the appalling way in which they, between them this past 10 years, managed to bankrupt the country?

Our media has spent this past five months drooling over delectable Delia rather than thanking the troika for attempting to save us from ourselves. For us, this crisis is one of voyeurism, and our politicians and union leaders little better than pole dancers, who believe the world is their stage. If so, where do we, the audience sit?

“Unfortunately, my character is a little bit dowdy so I won’t look my luscious loveliest, which is a shame. Still, I am going to insist on lots of takes, take after take”.

Actress Joanna Lumley, 66, who has to kiss Leonardo DiCaprio in a new film “Och, no madam. It is all in perfect working order”.

TV’s Andrew Marr’s response when asked if anything was worn under his kilt “Oh gosh! We all wish you’d been our mother and made the gravy”.

PM David Cameron on meeting actress Lynda Bellingham, famous for her TV Oxo commercials

“Is he a pop star or celebrity footballer?”

An adviser to the Emir of Kuwait, wondering why the House of Commons shop sold ‘Speaker Bercow’s Malt Whisky’ “Withdrawal would be a monumental error of statesmanship”.

Ex prime minister Tony Blair on the “virus” of Euroscepticism and those who want to leave the EU “To hear a man who uses snake oil rather than milk on his cornflakes and was responsible for an illegal war talk about statesmanship is remarkable”.

UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage hits back at Blair

“Daddy, when you are Prime Minister, will we have this place to ourselves?”

What William, the eightyear-old son of Education Secretary Michael Gove said to his father

“Isn’t it about time we had an inquiry into the number of inquiries we are having?”

Allan Gibson, of Fleet, Hants, in a letter to the Daily Mail

16 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

News Review Employers happy EMPLOYERS were in an upbeat mood on Monday after last week’s announcement that the government had reached a preliminary agreement with international lenders over the terms of the island’s bailout.

The employers and industrialists federations (OEV) said the agreement was a positive development, which laid the foundations for dealing with the many problems of the economy.

Israelis unhappy THE GOVERNMENT has begun negotiations in earnest with the companies and consortiums awarded offshore gas exploration licences. But there have been rumblings that some of the companies not picked are considering challenging the competition process. Dr Eli Barnea, CEO of Sigma Explorations Holdings Limited - which has a 75 per cent stake and is the designated operator in the joint venture - said he is lobbying the Israeli officials to exert pressure on Nicosia “at the highest level”.

Bank punishment THOSE responsible for the sorry state of the banks should be prosecuted if nec-

Stampede: government contract workers break into the House of Representatives on Thursday (Christos Theodorides)

Gloom sets in in wider economy essary, the head of the bank employees union said on Monday. “People need to be punished,” Loizos Hadjicostis, head of the ETYK union, told reporters. “We should not hesitate to apportion blame... and to follow the established procedures, including criminal ones, if necessary,” he added.

Accounts advice ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL Rea Georgiou has advocated a state-wide policy to prevent the kind of system abuse that has allowed the accumulation of €135 million in unpaid fines and other outstanding payments.

Well in advance of last week’s parliamentary discussion on the spiralling levels of outstanding fines and other payments - many belonging to politicians, lawyers, and prominent individuals who have refused to pay sometimes for decades - Georgiou had sent a circular suggesting concrete ways different government departments can collect outstanding payments.

Paphos theatre FRAGMENTS of marble sculptures from a monument consecrated to the nymphs of ancient Greek and Roman mythology have been uncovered during ongoing excavations at Paphos’ ancient theatre, the archaeological team in charge of the dig announced on Monday. The 15th season of excavations into one of Cyprus’ largest ancient theatres unearthed a number of significant finds, including fragments of carved marble adornments from the stage and from a monument to the nymphs or nymphaeum.

Peace park THE CYPRUS Environmental Stakeholder Forum (CESF) is calling upon senior negotiators in the Cyprus peace talks to transform the island’s demilitarised buffer zone into a Peace Park to mark Wildlife Conservation Day on December 4. Academics working with the CESF have revealed after years of research that the buffer zone is a de facto wildlife haven, sheltering mammals such as the Cyprus moufflon and countless species of flora and fauna.

Pointing fingers LAWMAKERS on Tuesday demanded to know the names of people – including bank executives, board members

Orphanides supermarkets removed a massive Christmas tree that was on a parking spot reserved for the disabled after a photograph of the tree did the rounds on Facebook

and politicians – who may have received preferential treatment in securing loans, as part of a probe into the operations of the financial sector. MPs also want to know who had their loans written off and whether any bank board members were also linked to companies. Attorneygeneral Petros Clerides suggested that it would be “practically impossible” for the information to be put together.

the disabled, a few days after a photograph of the tree did the rounds on Facebook. The tree stood outside a branch in Larnaca’s Skarinou, spanning two stories and taking up almost all of the parking spot for the disabled as well as some of the adjacent space, also reserved for disabled drivers. A photograph was widely shared on Facebook after a passer-by uploaded it a few days ago.

‘Total collapse’

No parole

THE JUSTICE system faces collapse if measures are not taken very soon to reduce the time it takes to process civil, criminal, administrative cases and appeals, the head of the Supreme Court said on Tuesday. Supreme Court President Petros Artemis called for the appointment of 20 new judges and the establishment of an administrative court of first instance to take some load off the highest court. The full bench of the Supreme Court approved the report.

DOZENS of parole applications have been shelved because qualified individuals are not interested in serving on the parole board, the House human rights committee has heard. Earlier in the week, the justice ministry informed legislators that the cabinet had not yet found anyone to replace the previous board’s members whose term expired on June 24.

The members of the previous board did not express an interest in carrying on.

Tree blunder

Folding SMEs

ORPHANIDES supermarkets on Tuesday removed a massive Christmas tree that was on a parking spot reserved for

SOME 12,000 small and medium businesses (SMEs) have closed in the past four years, lawmakers heard yesterday,

QUOTES OF THE WEEK “Those speaking against the bailout will be engaging in poor populism and I am sure people will punish them come the (presidential) elections” Ex President George Vassiliou “We should be proud of our governance. The factors are external: it’s the global crisis of this exploitative and inhuman system - capitalism, but also its people in our financial system” President Demetris Christofias

“SEK considers the handling ndling of negotiations for the memoranmorandum amateurish” eos SEK boss Nicos Moyseos “We’re not too big to fail,l, and we need to start grasping that” Dr Theodore Panayotou director of the Cyprus International Institute of Management (CIIM)

“The relationship between the two nations should be reciprocal.

If Cyprus is not interested in our energy security, why should we be interested in theirs?”

Dr Eli Barnea, CEO of Israel’s Sigma Explorations Holdings

“Nobody should have to o go through what we all have to suffer. I keep hopoping I will wake up and it will have all been a bad dream” am” Simon Phillips, a resident dent of Armou whose house e was declared unsafe this his week after subsidence e

“The communication tactic based on Lenin’s saying that a lie told often enough becomes the truth is well known” Former central bank governor Athanasios Orphanides hits out at AKEL smear campaign

“At this stage, there is no o possibility of drawing funds nds from the exploitation of hydrocarbon reserves” Finance Minister Vassos os Shiarly (right)

“The pic picture presented record is one of inby the re discipline and defiance discipl of authority on a a scale which is not sc readily comprere hensible to those h accustomed to a the t decorum of educational o establishments e in the United Kingdom” Colonial Secretary Alan Lennox-Boyd in EOKA related documents red leased in the UK le this week “If they’re trying to th eradicate the middle eradi class then they’ve mant aged it, that’s all I have to say” A demonstrater at a demon protest on T Thursday against government cuts of contract workers

and these days five go out of business each day. The problems of SMEs was discussed by the House Commerce Committee, which heard that 67,000 such businesses were suffering from lack of cash flow and high interest rates, as well as the other effects of the economic crisis.

Committee chairman, DISY MP, Lefteris Christoforou said these businesses must remain alive “so that they restart the Cypriot economy.” Their death would be the death of the economy, he said.

Wage cuts THE GOVERNMENT said on Wednesday it was introducing staggered public payroll cuts of up to 12.5 per cent from December 1, a month ahead of signing a loan agreement with international lenders. Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou confirmed reports that the government would introduce staggered payroll and pension cuts ranging from 6.5 per cent to 12.5 per cent. The cuts would also apply to 13th salaries and 13th pensions.

He rejected reports that the government was scrambling to save money until a bailout from the troika was secured.

Austerity unrest CYPRUS saw its first real taste of austerity-related unrest on Thursday when hundreds of casual government workers due to be laid off, stormed first through the finance ministry and then parliament. A total of 992 seasonal government employees will be out of work starting from today as part of government cuts, about half of whom took to the streets yesterday. The move aims to save €9 million a year. The first fracas occurred at the finance ministry where protesters had gathered outside waving banners, calling for the ‘greedy thieving bankers’ to be handed over to the people.

EOKA comics?

COLONIAL officials in Cyprus considered producing adventure comic books and running an essay competition in a propaganda bid to stop young Greek Cypriots rebelling against British rule, previously secret British government files have revealed. In 1956, Colonial Secretary Alan Lennox-Boyd damned a record of 18 months of disturbance from secondary school pupils.

The violence prompted the commissioner of Cyprus to ask if it was possible to produce adventure comics to try to sway opinion.

17 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

Coffeeshop

Milking it for all it’s worth YOU HAVE to give credit to our commie rulers for the artful way in which they set the political trends. Months of relentless campaigning have finally paid off and bashing the banks has finally become terribly fashionable for the political class which is always looking for a safe target, preferably one that cannot fight back, to take shots at.

On Tuesday the first meeting of the House Institutions committee, called to investigate the causes of the banking collapse and those responsible, was held.

As expected it evolved into the familiar circus with all deputies joining in the bank-bashing, in the hope their sound-bites would earn them a mention on the TV news.

Committee chairman, Demetris Syllouris, who came up with the brilliant populist idea for the investigation, milked the bank cow for all it was worth, appearing on radio and television shows on which he stressed his determination to expose anyone who had received a loan at a preferential rate or had a debt written off by the bank.

For now, people who have bank accounts are safe, but if Syllouris’ investigation is as thorough as he claims it would be it might not be long before account-holders are hauled before the House committee to explain why they did business with the criminal banks.

THE TREND-setting, bankbashers of AKEL used this circus to remind us that the former governor of the Central Bank Athanasios Orphanides was to blame for all the woes of the banking sector.

Its new deputy Bambos Papageorgiou, who only joined the party last year, is acting like he always had AKEL DNA in his genes, bringing up the harddrive of the CB that Orph had allegedly not returned. By not giving all the information regarding the matter, Bambos makes it sound as if Orph was guilty of some serious crime.

The other new AKEL deputy, former TV diva, Irini Charalambidou, stood before the TV cameras and, apart from mentioning the hard-drive crime, revealed what she claimed to be a major scandal involving Orph.

When he was governor, he had abused his position to secure a housing loan from the CB at an interest rate below 1.0 per cent.

Was this legal, she asked.

Were Irini and Bambos (he also mentioned the low-interest loans) just ignorant or were they engaging in the time-honoured Stalinist tactic of character assassination through misinformation?

Orph was entitled to the low interest loan as part of his contract. Did Bambos as a member of the CB council not know that this was a perk of working for the CB enjoyed by all governors and senior ranking members of the bank?

The perk was offered so CB staff did not go to commercial banks, which they had to regulate, for loans.

When this was pointed out the following day the AKEL propaganda machinery forgot the scandal of the loan and started the tune about Orph’s inadequate regulation of the banks.

THE ANDROID put this pseu-

ed, at a ‘modest ceremony,’ the 2012 ‘Costas Lymbouris and Niki Georgiou Award for contribution to sport’ was given to Charalambos Koukoularides, who was unable to attend the ceremony, as he is no longer with us. The party could not find someone living who contributed to sport so it decided to give the award to a dead man.

Koukoularides made his award-deserving contribution to sport as the general manager of the Cyprus Sport Federation (KOA) which is a bit like giving an award to the head of Cyta for his contribution to telecommunications. It just seems a bit silly to give someone who is dead an award for doing the job he was handsomely paid to do when he was alive.

do-scandal in its proper moral context on Friday, saying it was unacceptable that at “a time the country was facing so many big difficulties some (Orph) were taking advantage of the superprivileges given to them by their contract,” to secure a low-interest loan, “without a guilty conscience.”

And at a time the country is facing so many big difficulties why does comrade Tof take advantage of the super-privilege given to him by his contract and collect the €200 per diem allowance when he is abroad, despite the fact all his expenses were being paid by the taxpayer? At least Orph will pay back the loan.

When the B of C wrote off debts of AKEL companies worth €10 million it was good practice, but when someone takes a loan on a low interest he is entitled to, he is acting immorally.

THE COMMIES’ audacity and hypocrisy pale when compared to that of Andreas Vgenopoulos, the former executive chairman of Popular Bank, who was in town last week to appear on the TV show of the hard-hitting hack and plagiarist, Chrysanthos Tsouroullis.

The man who led Popular Bank to bankruptcy was in fine form, the blued-eyed boy of Cyprus TV giving him free rein to do what he is very good at – taking the Cypriot public for a ride.

Vgen blamed Orph, of course for Laiki’s woes.

If the former Governor had not forced the Greek shyster to step down as chairman, he would have dealt with the crisis, claimed Vgen. He also wondered how Laiki’s re-capitalisation needs of €800 million had soared to €4 billion, after his departure.

Obviously, the new management was not as good as him at hiding losses and non-performing loans or at fooling shareholders.

VGEN’S biggest cheerleader and fan, the head of the bank employees’ union ETYK, Loizos Hadjicostis, has learnt a few tricks from his former hero. In an interview in last Sunday’s Politis, the union boss denied having any responsibility for anything, even though an ETYK rep sat on the boards of both the big banks.

He also denied having honoured Vgen, when he left Laiki.

“There was an event in Greece and we were also present,” he said. Hadjicostis did offer Vgen an ETYK plaque and praised him to high heaven during the ceremony, but at that time “everyone was thanking him.” He told the interviewer he knew nothing about the problems at Laiki.

READING the report about the ceremony in the party mouthpiece, I did not get the impression that he contributed very much to sport anyway. In giving the award, party chief Andros said Koukoularides “is a model fighter of democracy and freedom as well as a model teacher and sport official. Imbued with deep patriotism and adherence to principles, with his struggle he won a place in the conscience of the people.”

But how did he contribute to sport? Did he set a pancyprian record in the 100-metre patriotism sprint or in the high principles jump? The Android tried to explain the reasoning behind the decision at the ceremony and it had nothing to do with sport.

“This prize that we award him is the least that a man, who defended values and ideals all his life, deserves. He was modest and an ideologue.” With such personal qualities Koukoularides’ big contribution to Kyproulla sport is indisputable.

Demetris Syllouris decided to bring those responsible for the banks’ crisis to account, and more importantly secure some TV air time To be fair, Hadjicostis had every reason to publicly praise Vgen, because it was under Vgen’s catastrophic management that Laiki employed the union leader’s daughter. His other daughter works for the B of C. Of course both were hired not because of their dad, but because they got top marks in the entrance exams.

STAYING on the issue of banks, we have to mention Yiorkos Lillikas’ latest brilliant idea that would allow us to avoid the bailout. The government should consider the possibility of securing the re-capitalisation of the banks “from private capital or other sources, thus avoiding the very high lending rates proposed by the troika, that would be shouldered by working people.”

This idea is as brilliant as the one he came up with regarding the selling of shares in our natural gas resources, which he scientifically estimated to be worth €80 billion.

As regarding the banks, did no-

body inform him that the banks’ search for private capital had proved unsuccessful?

The most interesting part of his statement was that if we failed to re-capitalise the banks with private capital, we could do it “from other sources”? Which are these “other sources”? I would really like Yiorkos to name one “other source,” apart from private capital, that could re-capitalise the banks.

ONE WAY of promoting the myth of AKEL as the arbiter of everything that is good in our society is through the awarding of prizes. The commies have annual awards for ‘cultural contribution’ and ‘sports contribution’ to our society which go to people who are either card-carrying Akelites or party sympathisers.

The awards are named after loyal commie apparatchiks and usually reward mediocrities for their mediocre work, in keeping with communist abhorrence of individual excellence and originality.

Ten days ago, Haravghi report-

BEFORE we receive a letter of complaint from his family, about our inference that Koukoularides was an Akelite, we would like to make it clear that he was not. He was a DIKO man and close associate of the late, great Spy Kyp, who was also on very good terms with the commies.

One thing not mentioned during the award ceremony and not featured in the video about his life, was that some years ago a big arms cache was discovered in Koukoularides’ house in Galata.

He was storing the guns, since the days of Makarios, in case the need arose to make an even bigger contribution to sport.

I AM GLAD to see that crazy shrink Yiangos Mikellides, after his long illness, has made a full recovery and has lost none of his spirit. In last week’s column he wondered how the “smart accountants” of the troika would discipline “all the nutters, thieves, bribery-takers whose only interest is to snatch the food from the mouth of the Cypriot people.”

He had an answer. “All these people should be arrested and through summary procedures, outside the courts, be executed by the dozen. And once a good number are executed, I believe the economic situation would improve and the recession would belong to the past.”

ONLY 74 days left for the departure of the comrade and his ugly entourage of propagandists.

18 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

World in pictures

Members of the delegation accompanying the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah (unseen), look around Westminster Abbey during a visit in London (AFP)

A woman walks her dog along a snow-covered street in central Stockholm (AFP)

A swimmer stops short of a red algae bloom at Sydney’s Clovelly Beach, which closed some beaches for swimming including Bondi Beach for a period of time (AFP)

A police officer uses a shield to protect himself from milk being sprayed by dairy farmers, during their protest against European Union agricultural policies in Brussels (AFP)

People use canoes to travel through floodwaters in Malmesbury in the UK (AFP)

People pose next to wax figures of Britain’s Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William at a preview at the Madame Tussauds waxwork museum in Tokyo (AFP)

Artists perform during the Cirkafrica show at the Phenix circus in Paris (AFP)

A Palestinian man walks from the Egyptian side of the border in a repaired smuggling tunnel linking the Gaza Strip to Egypt (AFP)

People walk in front of a mural of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Gaza City as his body was exhumed

19 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

Lifestyle

Crown jewels (from left): Audrey Hepburn, 1953; Kisten Dunst, 2012; Elizabeth Taylor, 1965; Scarlett Johansson, 2005; Princess Diana, 1983; Georgia May Jagger, 2012

Dazzling diadems aren’t just for dusty dowagers and Victorian debutantes; a new generation of rock chicks and fashion designers are reinventing the heavenly headpiece for the modern day, discovers Hermione Eyre

W

HEN Lady Gaga turned 26 this year, she posted a picture of herself on Twitter, looking solemn and wearing a glittering tiara, along with her birthday note to self: ‘I can be the queen that’s inside of me.’ Such is the positive power of sparkly headwear.

Particularly if it’s bespoke and designer. When her make-up artist Tara Savelo teased her for taking self-portraits with her iPad, Gaga replied: “You’re just jealous that my tiara is custom Louis Vuitton.”

Never underestimate a tiara. It is the accessory that refuses to die. Just as they were beginning to seem terminally tarnished and passé, and people weren’t even wearing them to Elton John’s White Tie and Tiara Ball any more, suddenly fashion embraces them all over again, just as it has done this year, with freeform, deconstructed tiaras such as Vivienne Westwood’s new finely spun Palladium tiara (made to order from €10,000) crowning the tousled head of Georgia May Jagger, understated bands of diamonds (‘ferronières’) encircling the brow of Natalie Portman, and Dolce & Gabbana’s embellished headband of flowers festooning Kirsten Dunst at Cannes.

It all started in Mesopotamia, of course, where pagans loved to rattle their diadems. In classical times d wreaths were worn around ethe head to symbolise det: votion to a particular cult: ilaurel for Apollo, ivy for Dir, onysus, wheat for Demeter, d myrtle for Aphrodite and se sturdy oak for Zeus. These n were soon reworked in n gold by Greek and Roman craftsmen in a highly realistic manner - sometimes with golden insects lurkn ing among the leaves. In h the Renaissance, too much k bling was thought to look rather pagan, as well as a ut little over-reaching, but

Napoleon later latched on to the look for his Empress Josephine, who was seldom seen without a tiara. Soon, the modern tiara began to emerge as a top accessory for formal occasions - not to be confused with the golden Papal tiara, which is seldom seen at balls.

Geoffrey C Munn, managing director of Wartski jewellers and author of the magnificent tome Tiaras: A History of Splendour, notes that a tiara was often compulsory at Victorian and Edwardian gatherings.

There was, he says, a “genuine fear” of being invited to a formal reception after banking hours - since any really good tiara lives at the bank, of course. When in London, Queen Mary wore hers “almost every night” for supper with the King in their private apartments.

After the First World War things began to be codified and ‘Tiaras will be worn’ often appeared in the bottom right-hand corner of an invitation alongside similar instructions for medals and white tie. Frequently tiaras would be used “like a jewel Meccano set” and made down into brooches, necklaces or rings, before being reassembled for a particular occasion.

Traditionally, tiaras were never worn by unmarried women (who had to make do with fresh flowers, feathers, sprigs of leaves and the like). The first time a tiara was worn was, therefore, one s wedding, when it at one’s was customary for the bride to flaunt her

On the catwalk: a Roberto Cavalli design, plus tiara

Tiara for now... family sparkler, if there was one. Princess Diana wore the Spencer tiara to her wedding in 1981, while the Duchess of York received a new tiara purchased by the Queen and Sophie, Countess of Wessex borrowed her wedding tiara from Her Majesty - who also lent Kate Middleton her Cartier ‘halo’ tiara.

It has been a year of pageantry and royal celebrations in the UK, and the mood has trickled into fashion, with a pop-up tiara store at London’s Selfridges, and conspicuously traditional tiaras on almost every model on the catwalk at the Louis Vuitton and Roberto Cavalli shows. We are still getting over the fact that Elizabeth Taylor’s treasure trove of jewellery raised more than £100 million at Christie’s (her collection included a tiara from her third husband, Mike Todd, presented to her with the words: ‘You’re my queen, and I think you should have a tiara’). tiara ).

And then there was Downton Abbey.

When

I need a halo: the Cartier ‘halo’ tiara worn by Kate Middleton on her wedding day. Above right: Lady Mary in Downton Abbey and Lady Gaga posing in her Louis Vuitton tiara

Lady Mary married Matthew Crawley, we all knew she would pull something magnificent out of the vault. “We were delighted when the costume designers chose one of our tiaras,” says the head of marketing at B Bentley & Skinner, jeweller ellers by appointment to the Queen and the Prince of W Wales. “She wore a 45ct Geo Georgian myrtle-leaf tiara, whic which we were able to alter so it could sit more like a ban band across the head, to su suit the 1920s style.” It w was passed on to Lady Edith, who was sadly jjilted at the altar by Sir A Anthony Strallan. The ttiara is currently blazing in the window of Bentley &S Skinner, still available to purc purchase at £125,000.

Borrowing is also an option, and any piece from Bentley & Skinner may be hired, so long as a deposit is made of the full retail value (one per cent is retained, plus a charge of £75 per day - insurance and bodyguards are the customer’s own concern). “We get lots of calls for weddings and

parties,” says the spokeswoman. One lucky bride, Emma-Rose Cunningham, told me how it felt to wear a Romanov tiara: “Without a doubt, the tiara made me feel rather majestic… It made me feel unique and beautiful. It definitely dictated my posture - there was no slouching - but it didn’t feel cumbersome in the slightest and as we glided over the dancefloor, I didn’t give it a second thought.” The tiara came with its own bodyguard provided by the insurers and was secured to her hair after “an hour of hairspray and grips”.

Brides aside, the traditional tiara is being shaken up, reimagined in the style of Damien Hirst (Butler & Wilson pewter skull tiara, £128; in a nice touch, the centre skull has red eyes), or worn with attitude and an ironic twist - perhaps some smudged lipstick, à la Courtney Love circa 1995.

There’s definitely a punk element to a casually worn tiara. As Vivienne Westwood told Women’s Wear Daily: “You can have quite messy hair, and just shove a couple of grips in it, and have this tiara and a scruffy little dress or whatever.

It’s a way of dressing. You can wear rubbish and you can just put that on and it does something for your hair and everything.” She sums everything up with a shrug: “So, I like tiaras.” We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.

20

SUNDAY MAIL •

Reportage

Unruly British sh press may After months of hearing how the press had intruded into people’s private lives, Britain’s Leveson Inquiry issued its recommendations this week, which although tough were not outright ght rejected by the press report Michael Holden and Kate Holton ORD Justice Brian Leveson produced plans for the toughest regulation of the British press in 300 years on Thursday after decades of misbehaviour, final warnings and universal acceptance that the current system had failed.

Although rows lie ahead over whether a law will be required to underpin Leveson’s vision for a tough new regulator, the 63-year-old has shrewdly found a way forward which indicates that much of which he suggests is likely to be accepted by even his harshest critics.

Britain’s unruly newspapers, which came to simply disregard their own previous code, might bluster at the threat of new legislation but could be quietly relieved they are not facing anything even worse.

“We are grateful to Lord Justice Leveson for his thorough and comprehensive report,” said Tom Mockridge, chief executive of Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper arm News International.

It was a phone hacking scandal centred on News Interna-

L

Hugh Grant, a member of press standards campaign group Hacked Off, looks on during a press conference by the organisation after the publication of the Leveson report tional which led to Leveson’s inquiry but it merely represented the culmination of decades of growing belief that the press had run out of control, answerable only to a body run by its own editors.

The so called “dark arts” of the tabloid reporters included hiring private detectives to appropriate personal details, bribing officials for information, rummaging through

Lord Justice Brian Leveson presenting his conclusions.

Right: Guardian editor-in-chief, Alan Rusbridger. Far right: the report

garbage bins for discarded documents, and long-lens photography that exposed the intimate moments of the rich and famous.

Since 1695, when King William III was on the throne, the British press has been free of state control although it was not always the aggressive industry it is considered to be today.

While international readers were able to read about King Edward VIII’s affair with American divorcee Wallis Simpson in the 1930s, the story remained conspicuously absent from the pages of British newspapers.

But after World War Two that changed, and with it serious questions began to be asked whether the press should be regulated by law. In 1953, papers received their first warning that failure to get their house in order would lead to legislation.

“I give warning here and now that if it fails, some of us again will have to come forward with a measure similar to this bill,” said lawmaker CJ Simmons after he withdrew a proposal for a press law.

Similar warnings that par-

liament would act followed in 1962, 1977, 1990 and in 1993, not long after a government minister had warned the press they were “drinking in the last chance saloon”.

The current system of regulation was established in 1991 with the creation of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) with its own code of conduct. But it failed to prevent the press from running ever more sensational stories to attract readers, particularly about the British royal family.

Papers which had declined to report Edward VIII’s affair, regularly hounded Princess Diana, the wife of heir-to-thethrone Prince Charles who died in Paris in a car crash in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi.

They also had no qualms about publishing secretly recorded, intimate phone calls between Charles and his future second wife Camilla, with whom he was having an affair while married to Diana.

“Attempts to take them to task have not been successful.

Promises follow other promises. Even changes made following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, have hardly

been enduring,” said Leveson, whose year-long inquisition heard from more than 600 witnesses detailing a catalogue of horror stories about “outrageous” press behaviour.

“Too many stories in too many newspapers were the subject of complaints from too many people, with too little in the way of titles taking responsibility, or considering the consequences for the individuals involved.”

He dismissed the industry’s suggestion of a new self-regulatory body, saying it did not go “anything like far enough” in showing it was independent of the press.

He called for a new watchdog which would be independently appointed, would not consist of any serving editors, unlike the PCC, nor any members of the government or House of Commons, and could impose fines of up to £1 million.

The body would offer an ar-

The body would o service providing qu resolution of disput an incentive for pub bitration service providing quick and inexpensive resolution of disputes, which would be an incentive for publications to sign up, he said.

Those who declined to join, and thus were not party to this service, could face exemplary damages in libel cases and have to pay all their legal expenses even if they won. Leveson said this too would be a powerful incentive to join.

“We accept that a new system should be independent, have a standards code, a means of resolving disputes, the power to

The main recommendatio •A new self-regulatory body to be backed by legislation guaranteeing its independence of the press, of parliament and of the government and ensuring it “fulfils the legitimate requirements of such a body”. The law also to include “an explicit duty on the government to uphold and protect the freedom of the press”.

•The board of the new body to have a majority of non-press members, though with a “sufficient number” of ex-editors, senior journalists and academics with detailed knowledge of the industry. Serving editors barred as well as MPs and other Government ministers.

•The board to produce a standards code, with the advice of independent members and serving editors on areas such as the way people are treated in the hunt for material, “appropriate respect for privacy” where the public interest does not justify a breach and “accuracy and the

need to avoid misr public to be consulte of its operation.

•The board to be fr ies into suspected the power to fine ne of turnover (to a max for “serious or syste direct the publicatio apologies including t and placement”. Fin fenced fund to pay fo •A “fair, quick and tration service, free vexatious complaina plaints outside of c publications to sign the arbitration syste to reclaim court cost •A whistleblower h who feel they are be breach of the code a

21

• December 2, 2012

y bow to regulation plans Memorable quotes of Leveson Inquiry Over months of hearings, the Leveson Inquiry heard hours of evidence from celebrities, bereaved parents, media moguls and top politicians. Here are some of the memorable quotes that emerged: Bob and Sally Dowler Describing the moment she was given false hope that her 13-year-old daughter Milly was still alive, Mrs Dowler said: “I rang her phone, it clicked through on to her voicemail, so I heard her voice and it was just like, ‘she’s picked up her voicemail, she’s alive’.”

“As soon as I was told it was about phone hacking [of Milly’s mobile by a newspaper], literally I didn’t sleep for about three nights because you replay everything in your mind and just think, ‘oh, that makes sense now, that makes sense’.”

A protester wearing a mask depicting Rupert Murdoch (left), News Corporation chief, pretends to burn a mock Leveson Report as a protester wearing a mask of British Prime Minister David Cameron sits bound and gagged

offer an arbitration uick and inexpensive es, which would be blications to sign up demand prominent apologies and the ability to levy heavy fines,” News International’s Mockridge said.

Bob Satchwell, executive director of the Society of Editors, said the industry proposal was not that far away from what the judge recommended.

“I believe that the industry will take on board those points,” he said, adding the bulk of the press still remained steadfastly opposed to any law, which Leveson says is essential to underpin a

new body.

This is the one main area of contention for the industry and Prime Minister David Cameron has already outlined his opposition.

But even without legislation, the Leveson proposals will constitute a far greater oversight for the press, which many say has already begun to show greater restraint in the light of growing public awareness of its methods and behaviour.

“I think it’s a very shrewd and elegant report which cleverly has the lightest, lightest, touch of statutory... and really only if the industry doesn’t put its house in order,” Roy Greenslade, a former senior editor at Murdoch’s Sun tabloid, said.

“So it’s partly a return to the last chance saloon and with the axe hanging there in the background. It is self regulation with a stick.”

ns of the Leveson Inquiry

epresentation”. The ed as an early review

ree to launch inquirbreaches and have ewspapers up to 1% ximum of £1 million) emic breaches” and on of corrections and their “nature, extent nes to go into a ringor investigations. d inexpensive” arbito non-frivolous or ants, to resolve comcourt. To encourage up, those outside of em could lose rights ts. otline for reporters eing asked to act in and the possible re-

quirement of contracts ruling out disciplinary action for refusing to do so.

•Exemptions for journalists from data protection laws to be significantly watered down.

•An “immediate need” for party leaders, ministers and Opposition frontbenchers to provide a “general estimate” of the volume of emails, phone calls, texts and letters they swap with media owners, editors and senior executives alongside the subject matter and dates of all meetings between them or their advisers.

•All top-ranking police officers - from assistant chief constable upwards - to be forced to publish dates and subject matter of meetings with media.

•Better help for police whistleblowers.

•No briefings to be called “off the record”.

•Access to and checks on use of police national computer to be reviewed.

Kate and Gerry McCann Mrs McCann said she felt like “climbing into a hole and not coming out” when the News of the World printed her intensely personal diary.

“I felt totally violated. I had written these words at the most desperate time of my life, and it was my only way of communicating with Madeleine.”

The newspaper later apologised.

JK Rowling The Harry Potter author described her anger when she found a note that a reporter had slipped inside her daughter’s school bag: “It is very difficult to say how angry I felt that my five-year-old daughter’s school was no longer a place of complete security from journalists.

“The twist in the stomach as you wonder what do they

want, what do they think they have? It is incredibly threatening to have people watching you.”

Sienna Miller “I was 21, and at midnight I would be running down a dark street on my own with 10 big men chasing me.

“The fact that they had cameras meant that was legal, but take away the cameras and what have you got? A pack of men chasing a woman and that’s obviously intimidating. “...I accused my friends and family of selling stories and they accused each other as well. I feel terrible that I would even consider accusing people of betraying me like that, especially being people who I know would rather die than betray me.” [After her phone was shown to have been hacked] Mark Lewis The lawyer for alleged phonehacking victims said: “News International sought to destroy my life, and very nearly succeeded.”

Of learning his ex-wife and teenage daughter had been followed and videoed: “That was truly horrific, that my daughter was videoed, was followed by a detective with a camera I mean, just followed.

“That shouldn’t happen to anybody’s child.”

Charlotte Church “I think there is a shadow network where everybody has infiltrated in terms of hotel concierges, restaurants, will tip off journalists or paparazzi, the airlines, everywhere.

“I haven’t been on a holiday since I was 16 where I haven’t been found and photographed.”

Cyprus Handicrafts

about all his worst ever hits”.

Kelvin MacKenzie The former Sun editor recalled a conversation with John Major on the night the UK crashed out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) in September 1992, saying he told the PM: “I’ve got a bucket of shit on my desk, prime minister, and I’m going to pour it all over you.”

Charlotte Church Anne Diamond On the cot death of her son Sebastian in 1991, she said: “Our front door very quickly was surrounded with hundreds of newspaper photographers and reporters literally just sitting there waiting for something to happen, constantly ringing the doorbell.”

On joining The Sun’s campaign to raise funds for research into cot death, she said: “I felt emotionally blackmailed by the people I had felt had just trampled all over our tragedy, all over our child’s grave.”

Paul McMullan The former News of the World reporter argued: “Privacy is for paedos”.

Piers Morgan “I have very little sympathy with celebrities who sell their weddings for a million pounds - one of the most private days of their lives – and then expect to have privacy if they get caught having affairs.”

At the end of the grilling about his tenure as editor of the News of the World and the Daily Mirror he said he felt “like a rock star having an album brought out from his back catalogue

Jeremy Hunt The then-culture secretary when challenged on a report that he hid behind a tree to avoid journalists when he was attending a dinner with James Murdoch after the executive gave a lecture at University College London, he said: “On my way to the dinner, I spotted a large group of media journalists.”

Considering it was “not a time to have an impromptu interview”, he said, “I moved to a different part of the quadrangle,” adding: “There may or may not have been trees.”

John Major “The Press to me at the time was a source of wonder. I woke up each morning and I opened the morning papers and I learned what I thought, what I didn’t think, what I said, what I hadn’t said, what I was about to do, what I wasn’t about to do.”

David Cameron Asked about social contact between himself, his wife and Rebekah and Charlie Brooks, the Prime Minister said: “Mrs Cameron keeps a rather better weekend diary than I do.”

Lord Justice Leveson quipped: “The great value of wives, Prime Minister”, to which he replied: “Indeed.”

Lefkara handmade lace, embroideries, crochet and needlework. Woven cotton cloth in traditional Lefkoniko, Karpass and Phiti styles. Handwoven traditional costumes, leather goods, silverware, copperware, pottery, mosaic, wood-carved items, baskets and other rush-made articles.

CYPRUS HANDICRAFT SERVICE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, INDUSTRY AND TOURISM Lefkosia: 186, Athalassa Avenue, Tel: 22305024 Lemesos: 25, Themidos Street, Tel: 25305118 Larnaka: 6, Cosma Lysioti Street, Tel: 24304327 Pafos: 64, Apostolou Pavlou Avenue Tel: 26306243

22 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Property LEGAL ISSUES WITH GEORGE COUCOUNIS

The importance of a mortgage security

There are so many government departments involved and so much indifference it is hard to know where to turn

Worried property buyers

By Antonis Loizou FRICS IN addition to the local buyers of real estate, a large percentage of worried buyers are foreigners. It is difficult to say what is the percentage of foreign buyers in relation to the locals, but as a rough guess and within urban area/ holiday resorts, we would say it is over 25 per cent.

Each and every foreign buyer buys a property bearing in mind his own country’s procedures and safeguards.

This is especially so for EU countries.

Now that the real estate market is in trouble, questions that should have been raised at the time of purchase are now surfacing.

There are people with no titles, others with titles but with no capability of the seller to transfer, the buyers not paying their installments and the owner (developer) being a guarantor, even when transfer can be effected the buyers are not interested (lack of cash), the tax authorities will not release individual units in a project for transfer, holding hostage say 30 units because one of the buyers is not paying etc etc.

It is a mess. To whom can one turn? To the Planning Department, to the Municipality, to the local Tax authority, to the Lands Office, to the Income Tax

people, to the Ministry of the Interior, to the seller? There are so many people involved and so much official indifference one wonders what to do and how one goes about it.

Don’t expect this government to provide some sort of a guidance addressing most of the above questions. The civil service is worth very little in terms of care. Because we do not believe in the civil service, we would suggest: Set up a team of experts comprising of a lawyer, a real estate advisor and a Lands’ office (legal) person.

Collect all available inquiries and add personal ones giving answers.

This paper could form the basis for each and every interested person to discuss with his/her own advocate and decide what action to take.

This “group” could get in touch with the Bankers’ Association to get answers, to ascertain their point of view, as well as to discuss other issues, such as loans in foreign currency, corporate guarantees, guidance on disappearing buyers etc.

Discuss the building amnesty procedure (crazy as it is).

Become a “body”, a sort of pressure group, to deal in addition to the above other matters regarding real estate.

Submit its view to the House and the government.

WHAT YOU GET FOR

We feel that this is the only way forward to address people’s worries and questions. In a country such as ours, private initiative is the way to help solve some of the problems. A similar effort was undertaken by CIBA regarding the conditions/regulations on work permits for foreigners. Another private initiative is the comprehensive report on residency/visa/passport for cash, regarding real estate buyer prepared by ourselves and Andreas Neocleous law firm.

This new body (let’s call it romantically Group of Care) which will prepare this paper could forward it to the various embassies and others to help themselves and their compatriots. A most embarrassing way for the Cyprus government, but based on our experience, this is the only way if we want answers and get some sort of results within a reasonable time scale. The question is who will pay for this? We suggest, say a budget of €100,000, to be paid for by the purchasers, the government, those foreign embassies who think that this is worth it, developers and other interested parties. Regrettably in this society that we live in nothing is done for free.

Antonis Loizou & Associates Ltd – Property Valuers & Property Consultants, www.aloizou.com.cy, ala-HQ@ aloizou.com.cy

€500,000

How much: €500,000 What you get: This three-bedroom detached house in Ayios Giorgios, Paphos comes with a fireplace, private pool and mountain views. It is three minutes walk from the sea and five minutes drive from Coral Bay. From: www.buysellcyprus.com, Tel: 26 200000

THE mortgage security registered over an immovable property protects the mortgage creditor with regard to the business risk he undertakes. Granting a loan or credit facilities for development, business or other purpose, including housing purposes, requires for the obliged debtor to be able to pay off his debt.

Should he express inability to meet his obligations, the mortgage creditor may activate the relevant procedure for the sale of the immovable property burdened with the mortgage security. The system is generally reliable, but the only weakness is the delay observed until setting out the reserved price and the date for the forced sale of the property burdened in public auction. No court order is necessary since the Land Registry provides the ability for the forced sale of the property after sending a notice of claim of the debt owed with an affidavit. The default on the part of the mortgage debtor is enough for the creditor to start the procedure to collect the debt. However, there is usually a delay on behalf of the creditor, such as banks or other credit institutions, holding back the procedure, allowing them to collect interest on the one hand and on the other hand expecting to gradually collect the debt from the obliged debtor and his guarantors.

The Mortgage and Transfer of Immovable Properties Law provides that in every mortgage of an immovable property there is a silent term that the mortgage debtor has the right to mortgage it and is obliged towards the creditor to pay any tax, dues or cost in relation to the property, to repair and maintain it in good condition and allow the creditor to enter into and examine it regarding its state of maintenance and repair. The mortgage creditor is obliged to keep the certificate of registration of the property, as well as when the mortgage debtor insures the property against damages or wear and tear,

the creditor may ask and keep the insurance policy, as well as the receipts for the payment of the relevant premiums. When there are two or more mortgages burdening the same property their ranking is determined according to the order they were registered at the Land Registry. The mortgage creditor, as long as the mortgage deed does not include a term to the contrary, can transfer the mortgage which was introduced to his benefit to any person in the same manner a property is transferred.

In the event there is default for the payment of the mortgage debt for a period longer than one month from the day it became due under the terms of the mortgage, the mortgage creditor may serve to the debtor a statement of account and a written notice calling him to pay the amount due and informing him that if he continues to be in default for a month’s period from the service, an application for the forced sale of the property will be filed with the Director of the Land Registry to pay off the debt. The sale of the property is conducted through public auction in accordance with the Sale Regulations and the proceeds of the auction will be disposed as follows:- (a) for the dues, rights and other expenses of the sale, (b) for the payment of all dues, taxes or rights burdening the property, (c) to repay any amount set out in a court order regarding a previous mortgage, (d) to repay any amount secured through the mortgage in favour of the mortgage creditor who submitted the application for the forced sale, (e) to repay any amount secured through subsequent mortgages, (f) to repay any claims under court judgements registered as memos. If there is a surplus, then it is paid to the mortgage debtor.

George Coucounis is a lawyer specialising in the Immovable Property Law, based in Larnaca, Tel: 24 818288, coucounis.law@cytanet.com. cy, www.coucounislaw.com

compiled by Peter Stevenson

How much: €499,995 What you get: This four-bedroom detached villa in Paralimni comes with private swimming pool, covered parking, and established garden. The town of Paralimni is a short drive away and has all the amenities of shops and restaurants.

From: www.aloizou.com.cy Tel: 25 871552

How much: €500,000 What you get: This four-bedroom house in Strovolos, Nicosia is 15 minutes drive from the city centre and has a dark marble floor. It also has an entrance hall and an open plan kitchen.

From: www.cyprusprop.com Tel: 99 537985

23 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

Property

Popular garden shrubs at risk As ash trees are being struck down in the UK, hibiscus in Cyprus are struggling with their own demons

Hibiscus

I

AM SORRY to start this article with a sad tale, when we should be happy at the thought of the festive season fast approaching. You may have heard about the fate of ash trees in the UK and the dreadful virus Chalara fraxinea which has been attacking them, thought to have been imported from a batch of trees from Denmark.

People are being asked to wash their shoes and boots and even the paws of their dogs after walking through woods lest the virus spread to other areas.

Imagine walking through a wood in late autumn and not being able to scuff your feet through piles of dried leaves. Luckily here there are only a few ash trees in Cyprus and they are in the high Troodos mountains.

However we should not be gloating for we have a real problem lower down, as the invasion of scale insects and mealy bugs on hibiscus has reached almost epidemic proportions. Speaking with the President of the Growers’ Association, Christos Georgiades recently, I discovered that due to the vulnerability of the shrubs to these insects they are no longer being propagated, and gardeners are grubbing them up and trying other hedging plants instead.

Once the mealy bugs and scale insects are established they rapidly spread to other vulnerable plants such as verbenas, osteospermums and even daturas. So be watchful and take any remedial action that you can.

GARDENING with

Patricia Jordan

Holly

Poinsettia

There have been reports from the UK recently of blackbirds becoming intoxicated after eating rowan berries in Cumbria. It is thought that when the ber-

ries fell to the ground they began to ferment, causing yeast to be released, making the birds appear to be drunk. It is well known in Cyprus that Melia azedarach trees produces vast quantities of yellow berries after flowering and that the birds leave them strictly alone because of the effect they can have on them.

Known locally as ‘Mavromatis’ or Black Eyes, the juices released from the berries can stupefy the birds, making them easy prey to cats and other animals. The birds, through evolution, have learned not to eat them, hence the vast numbers of berries left hanging on the trees throughout the winter.

Birds in the UK are not so choosy about holly berries however, and many a holly bush had been stripped of the lovely juicy berries immediately prior to Christmas when branches and stems are used extensively for decorating the house in the traditional manner!

PLANTOFTHEMONTH Nerine bowdenii THE bright almost flourescent pink flowers of Nerine bowdenii certainly brighten up the day in a late autumn garden here. It is the most stunning of autumn flowers with a faint perfume on warm days. Like many plants, they look best in huge groups which may take some time to establish. They do not like being moved and will sulk and not have flowers if moved too frequently, so choose the correct place for them when you first plant them.

Nerine belong to the Amaryllidaceae but

look more like lilies than amaryillis. They were taken to the UK from the Drakensburg mountains in South Africa and the story is that the first consignment was shipwrecked on the Channel Islands, where they grew and were eventually called The Guernsey Lily. You may also know them as the Cape Flower or the Japanese Spider Lily.

They grow best in a well drained spot against a warm wall where they are remarkably drought proof. They are not fussy about soil types but dislike cold damp soil and do not do well in humid temperatures either. Otherwise they are very easy to grow and disease free, their only enemies being slugs or snails who like the strap like leaves which appear after the flowers. Plant the conical shaped bulbs with their necks proud of the soil and leave them alone while they do their own thing. They have been given the Award of Garden Merit (AGM) by the Royal Horticultural Society as they are a really truly amazing flower.

THINGSTODOINTHE GARDENTHISMONTH DECEMBER is a really good time to be choosing and planting new trees in your garden. There should still be a little residual heat in the ground and after all the autumn rains it should be quite damp and amenable to planting. If you select citrus fruits from the garden centre at this time of year there may be some fruit on them. Many people have been disappointed when they thought they had bought a Merlin orange, only to find that it is a bitter orange and only suitable for marmalade or glyko.

If you are just setting out your orchard then remember that not only will your tree grow upwards but outwards as well, so leave about five metres between one tree trunk and the next. It may seem a big gap but the trees will fill that space quite soon. The planting hole should be deeper and wider than the root ball and if the roots are tangled at all and twisted around, which usually means that they have been in the pot for too long, then gently tease them out. Sometimes it is necessary to trim them a little. If you can get bone meal, spread some evenly in the

bottom of the hole, otherwise use some slow release fertiliser. Support the tree while you are filling it in with soil and stamp around the area to make it secure. If the spot is likely to be windy then you may need to put a pole to support the tree but put this in place before you put the tree into the hole or you may damage the roots. If there is no rain then water in for a few days.

December is the time for feeding fruit and nut trees again, as they haven’t been fed since May. The roots, shoots and fruits all need a boost after the long hot summer so use 20.10.10 fertiliser – 900g for large trees and 300g for young trees, spread evenly around the base area.

The rain will probably water it in for you.

Keep clipping your hedges and topiaries lest they go out of shape and tie in climbers before they are buffeted about in the coming winter winds. Lots of climbers are top heavy by this time of year and branches and stems can be torn off if they are not supported. At ground level keep weeding as the plants grow. I find that unless I keep pace

Keep topiary well trimmed

with the weeds in my freesia beds the plants become dependant on them for support. When they are eventually removed the freesias flop over and drag in the soil, spoiling the flowers. Large clumps of plants such as chasmanthe need more positive supports and I saw some in one of the DIY stores recently.

Almost all houses in Cyprus will have a poinsettia plant at this time of year although they are not everyone’s favourite. I don’t know why – they are bright and cheerful and mostly red, the colour most associated with Christmas. Village streets and roundabouts are often decorated with them but they do not fare as well as those indoors, although growing them indoors can be problematic too. They are rather fussy plants, not liking draughts or to be too hot or too cold. You have to cosset them as they do not like to be too wet or dry either. When you get them home take off the cellophane wrapper and let the stems naturally assume their position. They are very brittle and snap easily, so take care, as they ooze a sap from the break which is an irritant to some people.

Stand the pot in a bowl of water for it to recover. Hold it up above the bowl to let the water drip through and place it on a saucer or in a fancy pot.

Before you water again, feel the soil and if it is dry on the top then repeat the watering process. Sadly many poinsettias don’t last the Christmas period and end up on the compost heap, but some people manage to keep them growing and they turn red again on their own in time for the next Christmas celebrations.

There are lots of other plants in the garden centres so don’t despair.

Anthuriums are very easy to maintain and there is a great liking to give orchids, and with many being grown in nurseries up in the mountains you would be supporting local growers.

Smaller plants like cyclamen in bright colour combinations and sometimes deep reds are other ideal choices. Depending where you live you may even find the little endemic ones appearing now, sheltering under trees in the garden and showing off their very pretty heart-shaped leaves before the dainty flowers appear and nod in any passing breeze.

24 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Business & Jobs

Determining and proving domicile Investment Bill Blevins

Changing your domicile is not impossible but it depends on your circumstances and needs to be a carefully considered and planned process

Bill Blevins is Financial Correspondent at Blevin Franks International DOMICILE is a very important issue for British expatriates. You remain liable to UK inheritance tax on your worldwide assets for as long as you are domiciled or deemed domiciled in the UK. While changing your domicile is not impossible, it depends on your circumstances and intentions and needs to be a carefully considered and planned process.

The basic rule is that a person is domiciled in the country in which they have their home permanently or indefinitely the country you regard as your ‘homeland’, frequently described as the place where you intend to die. You can live in Cyprus for many years and remain domiciled in the UK. The major tax effect is that domiciles of the UK are fully liable for UK inheritance tax on their worldwide assets.

If you have set up a permanent home here in Cyprus and intend to live here until death, and ideally even to be buried here, there is good chance that you can acquire a ‘domicile of choice’ here in Cyprus. In this case you would no longer be liable to UK inheritance tax on your non-UK assets, though it takes at least three years to shed UK domicile for this purpose.

It is essential to take professional advice in this complex matter. A firm like Blevins Franks specialises in domicile determination and can guide you through the process.

HMRC’s manual on Domicile: Enquiries into domicile status: Schedule of useful information and documents lists the types of information that may be requested during an enquiry. Some of them are obvious, oth-

ability to speak, read and write the relevant languages n Location of personal papers and items of financial, sentimental or other value n Details of any wills, deeds, declarations etc n Summary of your advisers, their services and location n Summary of other connections you have with various territories n Explanation of your intentions for the future. Have you made plans? What contingencies have been taken into account?

What may cause you to change residence?

What provision have you made for the future? What have you actually done that provides evidence for your answers to these questions?

You will need to provide documentary evidence, from items like birth certificates, to insurance policies, to wills and perhaps personal correspondence, photos, electronic records etc relating to your background, lifestyle and intentions.

Remember you may not be dealing with this yourself. It may be your heirs and/or executor who have to prove to HMRC that your estate should not be liable to UK inheritance tax. You would therefore want to leave all your paperwork in order for them.

I cannot stress enough the importance to taking professional advice here; do-it-yourself domicile determination is not an option if you want to avoid leaving your heirs any unexpected tax bills and headaches.

British expats who don’t want their heirs forced to pay inheritance tax to the British gov- Blevins Franks is highly experienced in this area and would review your situation ernment must be sure to complete the detailed process of changing their domicile and advise on the way forward.

The tax rates, scope and reliefs may ers less so. The list includes the following: n Details of transfers of property n Detailed summary of properties that change. Any statements concerning taxa30-Νοε-2012 23-Νοε-2012 tion are based16-Νοε-2012 upon our understanding of n Date, place and nationality at birth have been available for your use n Parents names and marital status n Information regarding any exercise of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has n Details of siblings political rights in any territory n Details of marriages/civil partnerships, n Qualifications and memberships of pro- been summarised; an individual should take personalised advice. divorce and long-term cohabitation fessional bodies n Information on your children - names, n Membership of clubs, societies, associadates of birth, nationalities, education, tions, organisations and level of participa- n To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the current locations etc tion n Locations of your extended family n Details of religious, cultural and social latest news on our website www.blevinsn List of residences from birth connections, degree of participation and franks.com

ALPHA BANK

EURO EXCHANGE RATES

Currencies USD GBP CHF JPY AUD CAD SEK

1,2964 0,8081 1,1996 106,71 1,2338 1,2776 8,5690

1,3042 0,8129 1,2092 107,56 1,2585 1,3032 8,7404

1,2852 0,8057 1,1996 105,60 1,2271 1,2732 8,5198

1,2929 0,8105 1,2092 106,44 1,2516 1,2987 8,6902

1,2731 1,2807 0,8028 0,8076 1,1997 1,2093 103,02 103,84 1,2249 1,2494 1,2655 1,2908 8,5552be able 8,7263 should to expand because

London should follow model of New York airports

By Rhys Jones LONDON should follow the example of New York by allowing its secondary airports to add new runways to better compete with the capital’s Heathrow hub, the head of London’s Gatwick airport said this week.

Heathrow - the capital’s busiest airport - is operating close to full capacity after the coalition government blocked development of a third runway, which would have led to a significant increase in the number of planes flying over the capital.

But Prime Minister David Cameron is under intense pressure from business leaders to end years of deadlock and create more airport

ALPHA BANK

EURO EXCHANGE RATES

Currencies USD GBP CHF JPY AUD CAD SEK

30-Nov-2012

1,2964 0,8081 1,1996 106,71 1,2338 1,2776 8,5690

1,3042 0,8129 1,2092 107,56 1,2585 1,3032 8,7404

capacity in southeast England to counter competitive threats from other European hubs.

A commission chaired by former Financial Services Authority head Howard Davies to analyse ways to do this will report in the summer of 2015.

“The key decision for Davies is whether to create a competitive airports market in London with a second runway going into Gatwick and Stansted, having three tworunway airports competing with one another,”Stewart Wingate, Gatwick’s chief executive, told Reuters.

“London should follow the example of New York, which has several airports competing with one another, offering more choice to passengers and pushing up service levels.”

23-Nov-2012

1,2852 0,8057 1,1996 105,60 1,2271 1,2732 8,5198

1,2929 0,8105 1,2092 106,44 1,2516 1,2987 8,6902

Note: Selling FCY - Buying FCY opening rates.

Heathrow airport: development of a third runway was blocked Gatwick, south-east of London, and Stansted, to the north, are both currently single runway airports.

However, in New York, Newark and

LaGuardia airports both have two LIBOR RATES( LONDON INTERBANK DEPOSIT RATES) runways, competing for passengers

16-Nov-2012

1,2731 0,8028 1,1997 103,02 1,2249 1,2655 8,5552

1,2807 0,8076 1,2093 103,84 1,2494 1,2908 8,7263

1wk 1mth 2mth 3mth 6mth 1yr

with the larger John F Kennedy.

In London, Heathrow believes it

USD 0,19 0,21 0,26 0,31 0,53 0,86

EUR 0,02 0,06 0,10 0,13 0,24 0,48

GBP 0,49 0,50 0,51 0,52 0,68 1,03

CHF 0,00 0,01 0,01 0,03 0,11 0,31

it operates as a hub, with around a third of its customers being transfer passengers. Hub airports allow passengers to change planes easily for travel on to another destination.

Wingate, however, claims Ferrovial’s Heathrow has overstated the importance of transfer traffic, citing research from industry body IATA that shows 93 per cent of people who travel through the capital start or end their journey in London.

Gatwick is a point-to-point airport, mainly focussing on the leisure market and moving around 34 million passengers a year through its two terminals.

Under a long-standing local agreement that runs to 2019, Gatwick is not allowed to build a second runway.

3/12/2012

JPY 0,11 0,13 0,15 0,19 0,30 0,51

libor RATES (London Interbank Borrowing Rates) AS AT 03/12/2012

Note: Selling FCY - Buying FCY opening rates.

CAD 1,00 1,06 1,15 1,24 1,52 1,95

AUD 3,24 3,30 3,36 3,44 3,57 3,90

25 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

Business & Jobs

eBay’s double tax base prompts lawmakers’ call for investigation Online seller has best of both income and sales tax worlds

By Tom Bergin RITAIN and Germany may have missed out on a combined $1 billion in sales tax since online marketplace eBay picked a tiny Luxembourg office as its base for EU sales, a shift that lawmakers say should now be investigated.

EBay’s nomination of Luxembourg unit eBay Europe Sarl - with a staff of nine - as its provider of services to EU clients allows it to charge customers in Europe a low rate of sales tax, often known as Value Added Tax, helping it to compete against rivals.

However, the unit doesn’t actually receive the money from sales. Instead, eBay said it continues to channel revenues through a Berne-based unit, allowing the company also to benefit from what Swiss tax lawyers say is the most competitive corporate income tax regime in Europe.

EU rules allow companies to establish subsidiaries in Luxembourg and levy VAT at Luxembourg’s low VAT rate on sales to customers across the bloc.

However, the rules also allow individual EU taxmen to challenge any claim to Luxembourg residence, and the right to charge Luxembourg VAT, in their domestic courts, if the taxman feels a Luxembourgbased subsidiary does not have sufficient staff or assets to support its claim to be the true supplier of goods or services. Tax experts say eBay’s arrangement, which appears to give eBay the best of both income and sales tax worlds, could be open to challenge, and lawmakers in the UK and Germany want their taxmen to investigate.

“I hope that HMRC (UK tax authority Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) takes note ... and takes prompt action,” said Margaret Hodge, member of parliament and chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which monitors government finances.

“I will be seeking assurance that they are, next time we take evidence from HMRC,” she added. Officials from HMRC are due to testify to the PAC in early December as part of the committee’s investigation into tax matters.

Sven Giegold, member of the European Parliament for Germany’s Green Party, said he wanted the German tax authorities to “have a very critical look at this”.

It is common for companies

B

Lawmakers in the UK and Germany want their taxmen to investigate eBay’s presence in Luxembourg to seek to reduce their tax bills, and a number of multinationals have established bases in Luxembourg so they can charge customers lower levels of VAT. EBay said HMRC was aware of all its tax arrangements and that it was confident it met all its tax liabilities in the UK and elsewhere.

“In all countries and at all times, eBay is fully compliant with national, EU and international tax rules (including the OECD) including the remittance of VAT to the appropriate authorities,” an eBay spokesman said in an emailed statement.

The UK, German, French and Luxembourg tax authorities declined to comment on eBay, citing rules on taxpayer confidentiality.

Big companies’ tax practices have risen to the top of the political agenda in Europe in the past year, with lawmakers growing increasingly frustrated with the way in which companies, such as search engine company Google, pay almost no income tax in countries where they have billions of dollars in sales.

The companies escape liability for income taxes in countries like the UK by arguing the value created by their business, and therefore the location where the profit should be realised, is not the place where the customer resides, but rather in the location where the intellectual property underpinning the product or service is based.

Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of taxation at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, said this was a valid economic argument and

that if, for example, HMRC wants to claim more income tax from Google, it has to prove the company is generating more value in the UK than it is declaring. This would require a thorough deconstruc-

‘A number of multinationals have established bases in Luxembourg so they can charge customers lower levels of VAT’ tion of its business model and supply chain. However, it is easier to establish liability to VAT, since this tax hinges simply on the location of the buyer and seller.

“The threshold is lower,” said Simon Newark, head of VAT at accountants UHY Hacker.

“There are a lot more aspects for HMRC to challenge in VAT than in direct (income) tax.”

For tax purposes, the EU deems eBay’s online platform an “electronically supplied service”, a category that also covers e-Books and music downloads.

Under EU rules, suppliers of such services based within the bloc are supposed to charge EU customers VAT at the rate prevailing in the country where the supplier is based.

A number of suppliers of electronic services, including Amazon.Com Inc and Apple Inc’s iTunes have established European headquarters in Luxembourg to enable them to charge customers lower VAT rates than prevail in their customers’ countries. Luxembourg has traditionally charged the lowest standard VAT rates in the European Union.

Its 15 per cent rate compares with rates of 19-25 per cent in most other EU members. By charging customers VAT at Luxembourg’s rate eBay is better able to compete with rivals based elsewhere in the EU, such as Britain’s eBid, which must charge customers VAT at the standard UK rate of 20 per cent.

However, to be entitled to charge Luxembourg rates, a company has to be able to prove in British, German or EU courts that it is genuinely based in the Grand Duchy.

Companies selling to EU customers from outside the EU - as eBay was until the 2007 nomination of eBay Europe Sarl as supplier to EU clients - must charge European customers VAT at the rate prevailing in the country where the customer resides, and to pay that VAT to the taxman in the customer’s country.

There is no definitive checklist that determines the true base of a company and any decision by a national court can be challenged in the European Court of Justice. In the UK,

HMRC said it approached the matter on a case-by-case basis, and disputes are often resolved in court.

“HMRC will challenge any arrangements where it is claimed that supplies are made from a particular country but the business does not have the necessary resources to make those supplies,” a spokesman said.

EBay, which is headquartered in San Jose, California, moved into Europe in 1999 when it established eBay International in Berne. Switzerland’s low income tax regime for foreign companies was highly beneficial for the auction site. “We do have a very favourable international tax structure,” then-Chief Financial Officer Rajiv Dutta told analysts in 2002 when asked how the company managed to pay such low taxes on its nonUS income.

The Swiss base also meant, initially, that the company didn’t have to charge EU customers VAT. But in 2003, Brussels changed the rules, which forced eBay to charge EU sellers on its platform VAT based on their residence. The VAT gathered was remitted to the tax authority in the customer’s country.

Not all customers are charged VAT. Most mediumsized and big businesses are legitimately exempted from paying VAT on some purchases, such as eBay seller fees.

EBay’s Swiss-based European public relations head declined to say what portion of its EU customers were liable to be charged VAT. James Cordwell, equities analyst at Atlantic Equities, estimated that such customers account-

ed for 40-50 per cent of sales in Europe. Since the 2007 creation of its Luxembourg operation, eBay has had German fee revenues of $6.1 billion and UK revenues of $5 billion, its annual accounts show.

If the services were supplied from Switzerland or another non-EU country, and assuming only half of customers should have been charged VAT, EU rules would have obliged eBay to collect $580 million in VAT for the German taxman and $500 million in VAT for HMRC since 2007.

EBay’s entitlement to charge Luxembourg VAT on sales and to pay this to the Luxembourg taxman rests on being able to prove in court that eBay Europe Sarl is the provider of services to EU clients.

But despite German and UK fee income of $3.1 billion last year, eBay Europe Sarl recorded turnover of only 5 million euros in 2011.

John Hemming, an MP with the Liberal Democrats, the junior partner in the British coalition government, said the fact eBay’s sales revenues did not go through the Luxembourg unit undermined the claim that it was the true provider of services to EU clients.

“If it’s a real transaction, you would expect the money to pass with it, and not pass someplace else,” he said.

Rather than going to Luxembourg, the money generated from customers continues to go to Berne-based eBay International AG, a spokeswoman said.

When Reuters visited in mid November, staff at the Luxembourg office, just opposite the central post office, declined to discuss what operations the unit conducted for eBay. A spokesman later said the office conducted activities including billing, data privacy, contracting, regulatory, management and some customer services operations.

By contrast, Amazon and iTunes do report their sales of ebooks and music downloads to EU customers through their Luxembourg units.

Prem Sikka, professor of accounting at Essex University, along with Newark and RoyChowdhury said a cash trail through a unit was one of the key factors used as evidence that the unit was the true supplier of a service.

UK and German tax authorities could argue that the shift in eBay’s supply base to Luxembourg from Berne was therefore not genuine. If successful, they could claim back the VAT lost.

EBay declined to say why it channelled sales through Switzerland. Tax advisors say the country can still offer some companies lower tax rates than other European low-tax jurisdictions such as Ireland and Luxembourg.

Indeed, EBay’s closest rival Amazon, which channels about half its non-US earnings through Luxembourg, reported average income tax on overseas earnings of 6 per cent in the past four years.

EBay paid just 3 per cent over the same period.

26 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Business & Jobs Warning over UK pension tax changes THE BRITISH government risks undermining people’s confidence in retirement saving if it decides to “fiddle” with the pensions tax system, a pensions trade body warned yesterday.

The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) made the warning ahead of Chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn Statement next week and also urged him to do more to tackle the “damaging effects” of quantitative easing (QE) on pensions.

The maximum amount that people can pay into a pension annually that is subject to tax relief is £50,000.

But there has been speculation that this could possibly be cut back to £40,000 or even £30,000 a year. The annual allowance was previously reduced from £255,000 to £50,000 last year.

The NAPF said that changing the pensions tax system could put people off being automatically enrolled into a pension. A landmark scheme which will eventually see up to 10 million people enrolled into workplace pensions began in October, starting with larger firms.

Joanne Segars, NAPF chief executive, said: “Our pensions tax system has undergone big changes in recent years. This has added significant costs to businesses and pension schemes, and has damaged people’s confidence in pensions as a way to save.

“Faced again with another change, both employers and employees risk losing confidence in the system and becoming disengaged with pensions saving.”

She said that middle income earners could be hit with significant tax bills as a result of any changes.

Segars said: “The Government must not fiddle with the pensions tax regime again.

“With auto-enrolment now rolling out, it is key that the Government sticks to its commitment to reinvigorating workplace pensions so that employers can provide good pensions and employees can save for their future.”

The NAPF said the effects of QE have contributed to pension fund deficits hitting record levels. This in turn means companies are diverting resources away from creating jobs and innovating to plug the pension holes, the NAPF said.

QE has forced gilt prices up, reducing the yields that investors such as pension funds make on them. This has helped to increase pensions deficits.

Segars said: “The Chancellor needs to acknowledge the damaging effects of QE for pension funds and the employers offering them.

“He must give pensions some respite by indicating that an adjustment to discount rates based on gilt yields is helpful.”

Pharma industry on cusp of golden era, says PwC But research suggests that the industry must offer more value for money HE PHARMA industry is at a critical juncture - the next few years may look bleak but the following decade will bring an era of renewed productivity and prosperity. But if it is to prosper, the pharma industry must first make sure it has a future and address challenging issues head on Major scientific and technological advances, alongside socio-demographic changes and increasing demand for medicines, will revive pharma’s fortunes post 2020, according to a new report from PwC, Pharma 2020: From vision to decision.

However, in order to survive to 2020 and then to potentially thrive on the opportunities the next decade holds, important decisions need to be made - and the challenges of rising customers expectations, poor scientific productivity and cultural barriers need to be addressed.

One of the major hurdles facing the pharma industry is the rising healthcare bill.

Its expenditure as a percentage of GDP is climbing in countries in every income bracket and is increasing most steeply in the mature markets where the industry has historically made most of its money. At a time when all economies are feeling the tougher times, the industry is having to play its part.

The bill payers are demanding better outcomes and introducing new mechanisms to measure these as a precondition for paying for new medicines.

T

Less than 15 per cent of the health budget is spent on medicines As a result, PwC research suggests that the pharma industry must either offer more value without charging more or prove that it can remove costs from another part of the healthcare system to make room for the higher prices it’s charging.

For example, the scope for helping healthcare payers save money in the mature markets is huge. Currently, roughly more than 85 per cent of the health budget goes on healthcare services and less than 15 per cent on medicines – so if the industry can reduce spending on costly medical services and procedures, PwC estimates

that its share of healthcare expenditure in these countries could rise to 20 per cent by 2020.

“A healthy, vibrant and responsive pharma industry is vital to society for the development of new medicines,” said Steve Arlington, global advisory pharmaceutical and life sciences leader at PwC. “More needs to be done to support and encourage long-term investment in the discovery and development of medicines to treat serious disease. We need to all work together to improve the wellbeing of populations.”

The growth markets which will account for 33

per cent of the world’s GDP and where demand for medicines will more than double by 2020 - offer the pharma industry countless opportunities but the report highlights that for it to be profitable, it’s about being sensitive, strategic and targeting the right population with the right medicine and delivering value.

The report believes that the industry needs to rebalance its expenditure and invest more in the early part of the R&D process to deal with rising costs. More needs to be done to improve productivity and the returns on R&D investment.

Most of the products that will be launched in the coming years are already in the pipeline, but they are not aligned with demand and rising expectations from healthcare payers, providers and patients. Marrying the pipeline with the market in the next decade is going to be the key.

Despite the big changes in the industry over the past few decades, the report also finds that the organisational culture at many pharma companies has changed very little, or if anything has become more stultifying. The industry has struggled to deal with change in the past, but the report says change must now be embraced in a rapidly changing world. A demanding commercial environment is set to continue and in order to succeed, the report suggests this must change and industry’s top figures need to foster a creative corporate culture that allows organisations to develop with the courage to explore and flexibility to thrive in different conditions.

“The industry is at a crossroads. In established markets, budgets are constrained and all stakeholders want real solutions and cures,” said Mike Swanick, global pharmaceutical and life sciences leader at PwC. “Pharma companies must now deliver ‘real’ value to payers and patients to prove their worth and to rebuild trust in the sector. In growth markets, companies must respond responsibly to a growing population’s needs, recognising demographic and cultural diversity.”

Typical family Christmas takes 12 days to organise

A lot of time and effort goes into organising Christmas Day

THE TYPICAL family Christmas in Britain takes 12 days, 14 hours and 13 minutes to organise, research has found.

From shopping for presents, putting up decorations and cooking Christmas dinner, mums and dads spend almost two weeks trying to make December 25 as special as possible.

The study by retailer Wilkinson found that the average British family begins organising and saving money for Christmas in the last week of August.

However, one in seven start buying Christmas gifts in the January sales, almost a full 12 months in advance.

A third leave it all until just four weeks beforehand.

It found that nine days, 15 hours and 48 minutes is spent researching and shopping for festive gifts.

Wrapping those gifts takes three hours and 26 minutes, while two hours and 31 minutes are spent writing Christmas cards.

A total of three hours and six minutes is spent retrieving decorations from the loft and hanging them up around the house, according to the study, which surveyed 2,000 parents across the UK. Two days, 10 hours and 48 minutes is taken up thinking, planning and shopping for food for Christmas dinner and a further two hours and 34 minutes is

spent preparing the festive feast and laying the table.

Steph Chambers, Christmas buyer for the company, said: “A lot of time and effort goes into making Christmas Day the most special of the year, and thanks to our research we are able to pinpoint exactly how much time and effort it takes.

“So from now on, we won’t talk about the 12 days of Christmas but the 12 days, 14 hours and 13 minutes of Christmas.

“All the effort that parents put in shows just how important an event a family Christmas is. It is a great tradition and despite any stresses and strains most of us wouldn’t have it any other way. We love Christmas just the way it is.”

Oxford is the Christmas shopping capital of the UK, where parents spend the longest time looking for gifts - 11 days, 15 hours and 54 minutes.

Meanwhile, Edinburgh is where parents spend the least time buying presents - seven days, one hour and 15 minutes. Eight out of 10 families have relatives over to stay during the seasonal period.

One in 10 spend at least a week getting the house in order before they arrive, but 5% have a quick dust around just an hour or less beforehand.

27 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

ADVERTISER helps you find what you’re looking for

Advertiser Only

€14 (plus VAT)

a week for classifieds (up to 40 words)

Send your classified by fax or email and pay by credit card, cheque or cash. It couldn’t be simpler!

Nicosia - email: classified@cyprus-mail.com Limassol - email: limassol@cyprus-mail.com Paphos - email: paphos@cyprus-mail.com

MISCELLANEOUS

back pain, sacro-iliac pain and neck pain. More info on 22446988. *****************************

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GURMIT KAUR from India and Holder of passport with K 0609492. Wishes to change her name on her passport.

From now on she wants to be called Gurmit Kaur Rai. My new name will be on my new passport. ************************** LOOKING TO PURCHASE a second hand saxophone and trumpet which are in good condition. Please contact us on Mob.: 99405636

PERSONAL

Nicosia - tel: 22 818583 fax: 22 676385 cosia Dog Shelter, many more dogs and puppies like this one are looking for forever homes ! To provide a temporary foster home or to adopt contact Elena on 99520511 mon-frid.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

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PETS

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MOLLY is sweet and polite and very gentle. Aged around 2 yrs, she is a Pinscher cross, small sized and will do best in a quiet home.

She is good with other dogs.

A bit scared/shy around children and prefers peace, quiet and cuddles. At the Nicosia Dog Shelter, many more dogs and puppies like this one are looking for forever homes ! To provide a temporary foster home or to adopt contact Elena on 99520511 mon-frid. *****************************

URGENTLY LOOKING FOR HOMES together or separately. Two female ginger cats, good natured and neutered. Call: 99 682327. *****************************

LESSONS

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GREEK LESSONS taught in small and friendly groups or individually. Tel 99274971

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ACUPUNCTURE, cupping, skin honing, massage. For the alleviation of aches, pains, stress and rehabilitation from illness or injury.

Qualified Chinese practitioner. Pafos [Konia] 9922 1851.

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CLINICAL PILATES. Personalised Clinical Pilates

by Physiotherapists in Nicosia. Individual assessment and supervision of exercises. “Clinical pilates” is a modified form of therapeutic exercise used by physiotherapists to assist in the rehabilitation and prevention of musculoskeletal injury especially lower

SNOW is a female lab x hound cross around 10 months old. Snow is energetic and sweet. Best suited to a home with lots of space and older children she can play with.

She will do great in a home with other dog/s. At the Ni-

SERVICES

PROFESSIONAL UPHOLSTERY CLEANING, also carpets, rugs and mattresses. Special offers now available. For a quote call Rickys Cleaning Services on 99131044 (all areas) rickyscleaningservices@ gmail.com

AUSTRIAN INGENEUR, 50 years, searching for a nice women. Mobile: 004917365562 or 00491726293462

‘’SEBASTIAN”, German Pointer cross, around 6 years old. He is very big and strong, he is gentle with humans and adores children.

Come and meet him! At the Nicosia Dog Shelter, many more dogs and puppies like this one are looking for forever homes ! To provide a temporary foster home or to adopt contact Elena on 99520511 mon-frid.

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more information call now on 99839307.

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ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS - CYPRUS Is drink costing you more than just money? AA could be the answer.

Meeting at the following locations/days. Call to speak to an AA member.

Ayia Napa Monday 97798043 Larnaca Tuesday (Polish spk) 96616589 Thursday 24645523 / 99259264 Limassol Tuesday / Wednesday / Friday / Saturday 25368265 / 99559322 Nicosia Wednesday/Sunday 99013596 Paphos Tuesday / Thursday / Saturday 99916331 / 99399240 Details of meetings are available on www.aa-europe.net

Limassol - tel: 25 761117 fax: 25 761141

PRIVATE TUITION Experienced, UK-qualified teacher offers full/part-time private home tuition in Maths, English, the Sciences, Geography, History, Business Studies and Economics, from KS3 to iGCSE, AS and A2 levels. 9 years experience in Cyprus; references available. Telephone 99318796 *****************************

TIME FOR A CAREER CHANGE? Learn how to teach English! The London Teacher Training College is offering TEFL Certificate courses in Cyprus. For

DO YOU NEED A WEBSITE BUT ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE COST? Web design & hosting at exceptionally low prices, experienced designer & programmer , your dream web-site is only a phone call away.

Don’t delay!!! Call Andros for a free quote or consultation on 99335078, info@ akalou.com, - islandwide *****************************

CHIMNEY SWEEP, when did you last have your chimney swept or log burner cleaned? Build-up of soot can cause respiratory problems and fires. All areas, call Dave, a professional sweep, now on 99819137.

Also available for weddings. www.paphosluckychimneysweep.com *****************************

DO YOU WANT A SHINY LOOKING FLOOR? Full repair & restoration of chipped, scratched, dull and stained, Marble, Terrazzo, Stone & Ceramic tiled floors and surfaces. Professional cleaning, repair & sealing of internal/external ceramic tiles & grout lines. For a free professional consultation & demonstration contact Mark at Premier on 70006766 or 96333961 All areas *****************************

K.D.FLYSCREENS LTD We manufacture top quality sliding screens, opening doors and roller systems. We also do repairs. For a FREE QUOTE please contact Phone: 99119582 Website: www.kdflyscreens.com

Paphos - tel: 26 911383 fax: 26221049

FOR SALE MISCELLANEOUS CLOTHES STOCKS AND SHOP FITTINGS FOR SALE. Excellent women’s brands for sale including Italian, Spanish and French clothes and shoes. Also women’s dummies and modern wall fittings (clothes rails.) Selling at very low prices for clearance. Tel: 99168943

FOR SALE BUSINESS/ PROPERTY/LAND TIMI, PLOTS, a few selected available, seaview, near the 2 golf courses, Venus Rock and airport 60% building factor, €99.000. Half registration fees til the 31.12.12.

Tel. 99621914 *****************************

LARNACA, ALETHRIKO, plots for sale, 525 sqm, 90% building factor, near highway Limassol-Larnaca, 5 min from airport, quiet residential area €109.000.

Half registration fees till the 31.12.12. Tel. 99621914 *****************************

PRIME LAND IS AVAILABLE FOR LONG LEASE IN LIMASSOL. 40, 000 sq.m., zoning Ka7 (80% -45% - 3 stories). Regular amphitheatrical shape overlooking Ladies Mile. Close to New Limassol Hospital with direct access to Limassol – Paphos Highway. Water supply, electricity and telephones are readily available.

Suitable for immediate development. Ideal for various health facilities and resorts, holiday centres, commercial and shopping centres, entertainment enterprises etc.

Information: Tel. 22 674338, 99621554 *****************************

FOR SALE LAND in Anthoupoli (half plot) 288 sq.metres. for information 99621554. *****************************

WANTED TO RENT

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WE UNDERTAKE REFURBISHING of houses or holiday homes, construction of pergolas, undertaking of plumbing, house painting, garden work. For information call JIMMYS: 96587137, MELIS: 96547879

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FLAT OR HOUSE TO RENT, 2-3 bedrooms, veranda/ terrace or garden, prefer furnished, SW of Nicosia (in approx area Lakada-

Larnaca - tel: 24 652243 fax: 24 659982

classified contents Employment Opportunities pg 27 Employment Miscellaneous 27 Pets 27 Lessons 27 Health & Fitness 27 Personal 27 Services 27 For Sale Miscellaneous 27 For Sale Land/ Property Business 27 For Sale Motor vehicles 28 Wanted 28 To Let Nicosia 29 To Let Limassol 30 To Let Larnaca 31 To Let Paphos 31 To Let Protaras, Ayia Napa, Paralimni -To Let Athens -Land For Sale Bulgaria -For Sale Nicosia 33 For Sale Limassol 33 For Sale Larnaca -For Sale Paphos 33 For Sale Ayia Napa -For Sale Famagusta Protaras -For Sale Athens -Property& Home Services display ads 34

abbreviations bdrm c/h a/c s/pool f/f apt pm pw sw nw st rd p/s c/l swb r/cass e/w

bedroom central heating air conditioning swimming pool fully furnished apartment per month per week south west north west street road power steering central locking short wheel base radio cassette electric windows

Please note tel nos. that begin with: 22 = Nicosia 23 = Paralimni/Protaras 24 = Larnaca 25 = Limassol 26 = Paphos

28 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser WANTED TO RENT mia to Kapedes and Kalo Chorio) alan.tye@birdlifecyprus.org.cy, 22455072, 99089083. *****************************

FOR SALE MOTOR VEHICLES MINI COOPER (2005) 1600cc, 52.000 miles, British racing green/Blk roof, full mini spec., bluetooth fitted, MOT 15/07/14, €6.500 ono. Contact 35799531267 Pyla. *****************************

FORD FOCUS GHIA (2006) diesel, 1600cc, 98000km, blue, automatic - tiptronic. dual zone climate control, power steering, electric windows, 6 airbags, central locking, cruise control, computer board, alloy wheels, and many extras. €7500.

Contact: 99022779 - Nicosia *****************************

PROPERTY TO LET NICOSIA LUXURY FLAT 1-bedroom,fully furnished,58sq.m/entrance camera with Jacuzzi, italian

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA €380, Kennedy furnished €400, 2bdrm Ag. Dometios €400, Lykavitos €550, Kennedy €400, Acropolis rear house €300, 3bdrm m/ ssa with garden €500, Str/ los €400, Acropolis €550, 4 bdrm new house Dasoupolis €1,200, Acropolis g/f €800. 21 PROPERTY FINDER A.M. 627 A.A.108 / E 99474839, 99646822

equipment, Central autonomous heating, ALL electrical appliances for the kitchen (ceramic boards etc). Autonomous double covered parking with entrance camera, 3.6 sq.m storage room. close to the University of Nicosia/Makedonitissa-Egkomi, Nicosia. Tel +35796440161 *****************************

FOR RENT OR SELL: 2 bedroom flat in Nikis Avn in Nicosia, 80 m. Completely renovated, with electric supplies. Excellent for office or flat. 3 bed-room flat and some furnitures in Nicosia near Central Bank, 140 m.

Completely renovated like new. Mob : 99 460 860 *****************************

LUXURIOUS APARTMENT FOR RENT A luxurious one floor apartment situated in central Nicosia in an area of exceptional Beauty at 3 Museum Street, is available to let. It has been recently renovated and consists of four bedrooms, two bathrooms, big dining and sitting rooms, kitchen and a huge veranda. Approximate covered area 250 sqm. Monthly rent €1400.00 o.n.o. Tel: 99622370. www.parcon. com.cy *****************************

FLATS / HOUSES FOR RENT: studio Aglantzia €350, 1bdrm Ag. Andreas furnished €425, Hilton €400, Strovolos €350, Acropolis

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MODERN 2 BDRM, first floor flat in attractive building in Anthoupolis, very quiet area between the Grammar School and the European University, also very convenient for Pascal and Highgate Schools and the University of Nicosia. Large front veranda, all appliances, modern fittings, light and bright.

Furnished or unfurnished €550p.m. Call 99900177. *****************************

2

ROOMS €125 each, near McDonald’s Engomi only Philippine girls. Call 99663927.

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FOR RENT 3 B/R apartment fully furnished close to Central Bank. 3 W.C., fully air-conditioned extra storeroom, owned covered parking. Excellent condition. Information: Tel. 99621554 *****************************

3 BEDROOMS flat on second floor in a block of six flats, in a nice position at Strovolos area, fully a/c, c/h, covered parking place for one

TO LET NICOSIA car, recently painted. Rent €650pm. (furnished if required). Tel: 97773358. *****************************

LUXURY HOUSES: 1. 5 bedrs detached house, 550sq.m, built in 2 big plots of land, big garden with grass, big swimming pool with extra fence for children and big covered patio with bbq area, big reception areas with marble floor, fire place and bar, big kitchen with all electrical appliances and sitting room with fire place, maid’s room, floor heating, full a/c, blinds on the windows, master bedroom with en suite bathroom and shower, big bathroom for the other 3 bedrooms and extra shower in the 5th bedroom - Strovolos €2500 (H5ST10001-R), (photos in the website).

2. H3AR0004-R, 3 bedr luxury detached house with central heating, full a/c, 3wc, 2

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

bathrooms, parquet floor throughout the house, big sitting and dining area, big kitchen with family room opening onto the swimming pool which has big covered area with wooden deck, bbq area, covered parking, in a very quiet area behind Apoel football training ground - Archagelos - €1700 (photos in website).

3. 2 bedr fully renovated semi detached house 120 sq. m, a/c for hot and cold, small yard, FULLY FURNSIHED or not, double glazed windows with aluminum shutters, in a quiet area off Nikis behind Burger King - ACROPOLIS €650 (H2ACS0001-R), (photos in the website).

4. 3 bedr luxury semi-detached house with character, 200sq.m, central heating, full ac, sitting and dining room with fire place, big kitchen with cooker and oven, dishwasher and refrigerator, nice mature garden

with flowers, trees and small garden with grass, covered parking, 3wc, 2 bathrooms in a quiet neighborhood.

Available middle of January. Agios Andreas - €1200 - H3AAD0001-R (photos in website).

5. 4 bedr new luxury detached house, separate maid’s room, central heating, full Ac, 260sq.m, big kitchen with all the electrical appliances, blinds on all the windows, 4wc, 2 showers, 1 bathroom, 2 covered parking, big garden with grass in a quiet neighbourhood in a dead end near French Ambassador house - Strovolos €1400 (H4ST10045-R), (photos in the website).

6. 3 bedr+big attic room with shower and wc luxury new house, 210sq.m, central heating, full a/c, 4wc, blinds on all windows, cooker and oven in the kitchen, small garden, covered parking near Alpha Mega supermar-

English-Painter & Decorator

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29 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

Advertiser

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

ket - STROVOLOS €1200 (H4ST10007-R), (photos in the website).

7. 3 bedr detached ground floor house with big garden with grass and covered patio with bbq and bar, central heating, a/c, 230sq.m, FULLY FURNISHED or partially, covered parking, storage room, in a very quiet neighborhood opposite Acropolis park. Acropolis - €1500 - H3ACS0004-R (photos in website).

8. H4LAK0002-R, 3 bedr + office space luxury detached house, built on a big plot, 350sq. m, big swimming pool with cover, garden with grass, big sitting and dining room, separate family room, central heating, a/c, curtains on all the windows, cooker, dishwasher and dryer, parquet floor throughout the house,3wc, 2 bathrooms, 2 covered parking in a quiet area on the borders of Strovolos with Lakatamia Lakatamia- €1600 (photos in website).

9. 3 bedr upstairs and 2 separate bedroom in the basement luxury detached house(all the bedrooms with en suite bathrooms/ shower), also separate kitchen and sitting room in the basement which has also separate entrance from the house, central heating, full a/c, solid parquet floor all the house, big sitting

and dining room with fire place, big fully equipped kitchen with breakfast area and family room, big overfloor, swimming pool with covered patio area with fully equipped bar(bbq, fridge, freezer, cooker), mature garden around the house, 2 parking places, alarm system near the Cyprus Conference CentrePLATY AGLANTZIAS €3500 (H5PAG0002-R), (photos in the website).

10. 4 bedr semi detached house with central heating, 4 a/c, 3 wc, 2 bathrooms, 180sq.m, electrical appliances, small yard, bbq area, off Kostantinoupoleos street near French ambassador residence.STROVOLOS €700 (H4ST10043-R), (photos in the website).

11. 4 bedr luxury semi detached house with good size garden with grass, big covered patio with bbq area, central heating, a/c units, 3wc, 2 bathrooms, 2 covered parking, FULLY FURNISHED AND EQUIPPED, in a quiet area in a dead end close to all amenities and schools. - ANTHOUPOLIS €1300 (H4ANT0002-R), (photos in the website).

12. H4AGZ0010-R, 3 bedr RENOVATED GROUND FLOOR HOUSE with big separate 1 bedroom flat with multi room, big sitting and dining room , separate tv

room, big kitchen with family room and fitted cooker and oven, 3wc, 2 bathrooms, very big 5 X 6 bedrooms with solid parquet floor, central heating with petrol independent, a/c units, double glazed windows with shutters, big verandas around the house, in a very quiet neighbourhood 200metres from FRENCH school and near Athalassas park - Aglantzia - €1300 (photos in website).

13. 3 bedr ground floor house with big separate 80sq,m room with shower and wc for multi use, central heating independent, full a/c, 2wc, 2 shower,1 bathroom, fully furnished, small garden, bbq area, parking, on a small building in a very quiet area near Agios Vasilios church. Strovolos - €900 - H4ST10028-R (photos in website).

14. 4 bedrs new luxury detached house, all the bedrooms very big and all with big bathroom/shower, sitting room upstairs, attic room with shower and wc, office space/maid’ s room with shower and wc, central heating, full AC, 450sq.m, big sitting and dining areas, big kitchen with sitting area and fitted cooker and oven, 6 wc, 2 covered parking’s, big yard with tiles and garden with grass, bbq area in a very quiet neighbour-

hood near the CYBC ( RIK) station and near a neighbourhood park – Aglantzia €2000(H4AGZ0005-R), (photos in the website).

15. 4 bedr luxury detached house, separate maid’s room, 600 sq.m, central heating, full a/c, 6 wc, 4 bathrooms, big sitting and dining areas opening on to the garden, big kitchen with electrical appliances, built in 2 big plots of land with huge garden with grass, swimming pool, 2 covered parking, in a quiet neighbourhood close to Alpha Mega supermarket Engomi - €3000 (H4PA20005-R), (photos on the website).

For many more properties with photos visit our website at www.landtouristestates.com which is updated daily. LANDTOURIST ESTATES LTD 22-422225/96422225/96422226, www.landtouristestates. com

tos in website).

2. AINIC0006- R, 1 bedr., fully furnished and equipped apartment, 50sq.m, 2AC for hot and cold, covered verandah, covered parking, nice view, off Makarios avenue between Hilton and DEBENHAMS shop. Nicosia centre, € 450 (photos in website).

3. 1 bedr spacious apartment with separate kitchen, 2a/c for hot and cold, big bedroom, covered veranda, NICELY FURNISHED, in the centre behind Cleopatra hotel – Nicosia Centre - € 550 - A1NIC0020-R (photos in website).

4. A1DAS0010-R, 1 bedr luxury spacious apartment with big sitting and dining room, big bathroom, big bedroom with shutters, covered veranda, storage heaters, 2a/c, cooker and oven in the kitchen, covered parking in a quiet area in a small modern building near Acropolis Park. Dasoupolis €400 (photos in website).

5. 2 bedr new luxury modern furnished apartment , central heating ind, 2 a/c, big covered veranda and covered parking in a quiet area behind the Municipal building – Agios Dometios € 660 - A2ADO0004-R (photos in website).

6. 1 bedr new modern luxury apartment, 50sq.m, 2 a/c for

hot and cold, nicely modern furnished, 3rd floor, covered parking, 6 year old in a quiet neighbourhood off Kantaras street. - STROVOLOS €370 (A1ST10009-R), (photos in the website).

7. 4 bedr luxury floor apartment,250sq.m, office, maid’s room, central heating ind, full hidden wall unit a/c,2 showers, 1 bathroom, 3wc, parquet floor, big kitchen with cooker and oven, bbq on the veranda in the kitchen, big sitting area, roller blinds on all the windows, alarm system, big veranda on a small building off Athalasas avenue near Alpha Mega supermarket and Areteion hospital – Dasoupolis - € 1100 - A4DAS0002-R (photos in website).

8. A1ACS0007- R, 1 bedr luxury spacious apartment with 2 a/c for hot and cold, electrical appliances in the kitchen, big bedroom, covered veranda, blinds, covered parking, in a quiet area near Acropolis park. NICELY FURNISHED. Acropolis €450 (photos in website).

9. 3 bedr new luxury finished PENTHOUSE apartment 150sq.m internal areas+120sq. verandas, solid parquet floor all the flat, big bedrooms, big sitting and dining room, big semi separate kitchen with electrical appliances, home cine ma with big screen,

*****************************

LUXURY FLATS: 1. 2 bedr luxury spacious apartment, with central heating independent, 3a/c, big sitting and dining room, cooker and oven in the kitchen, blinds, 2 bathrooms(on en suite), big covered veranda, covered parking, storage room, near Ippokration private hospital. Available end of November – Engomi - € 550 - A2ENG0012-R (pho-

30 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

LCD tv, covered parking in a quiet neighborhood near CYTA, Laiki + Hellenic bank headquarters and French school. CAN BE RENTED ALSO expensive MODERN furnished – Dasoupolis - € 1200 - A3DAS0019-R (photos in website).

10. A2AOM0009-R 2 bedr luxury finished apartment in a small building with 4 flats only, central heating with petrol independent, full a/c, 2 bedrooms with en-suite bathroom/shower, separate guest wc, NICE MODERN EXPENSIVE FURNITURE, big covered veranda, covered parking, storage room, in a very quiet neighbourhood very close to Junior school and the park - Agioi Omologites - € 800 (photos in website).

11. 3 bedr luxury spacious ground floor apartment with separate entrance, big verandas and garden, big sitting and dining room, central heating independent, full a/c, 2wc, very big master bedroom, electrical appliances in the kitchen, aluminum shutters on windows, parquet laminate floor all the flat, covered parking, storage room, in a very quiet neighbourhood in a dead end street, off Athalasas Avenue behind Stephanis near English School €720 (A3ST10030-R), (photos in the website).

12. A2LYK0006-R, 2 bedr penthouse apartment with big veranda 60sq.m, storage heaters, full a/c, 2 bathrooms (one en suite), big sitting room, big separate kitchen with cooker and oven, blinds, covered parking near Agios Antonios market CLOSE TO THE UNIVERSITY. Lykavitos €510 (photos in website).

13. A2ST10028- R, 2 bedr new luxury apartment on the 1st floor of a 2 storey building, with a/c for hot and cold, fully nicely modern furnished, big covered veranda, parking, in a quiet neighbourhood. (no common expenses). Strovolos €600 (photos in website).

14. 4 bedr new spacious luxury finished floor apartment with floor heating independent, full a/c, 3wc, electrical appliances in the kitchen, blinds on all windows, very big 50sq.m covered veranda, fire place, covered parking and big overfloor heated covered swimming pool on the ground floor, on a small 3 storey building in a quiet neighborhood near a playground and near Ippokration private hospital Engomi - €2000 - A4ENG0003-R (photos in website).

15. 2 bedrs new luxury apartment, sitting room open plan with kitchen which includes cooker, oven, refrigerator and washing ma-

chine, 2 wc, central heating, full AC, blinds on the windows, very big covered verandas, covered parking and storage room in a dead end off Athalassas avenue near Laiki popular bank and Hellenic bank headquarters. - DASOUPOLI €550 (A2DAS0006-R), (photos in the website).

For many more properties with photos visit our website at www.landtouristestates. com which is updated daily. LANDTOURIST ESTATES LTD 22-422225 / 96-422225 / 96422226 www.landtouristestates. com

TO LIMASSOL

TO LET LIMASSOL

old house detached with central heating, a/c all over the house, lounge dinning room, separate kitchen, utility room, en-suite master bedroom, parking, three wcs. Price 800 euros (negotiable) 25337400 *****************************

3 BEDROOM HOUSE IN YPSONAS 3-year-old two storey detached house situated in a private area of Ypsonas with separate

kitchen, lounge dinning room,garden, parking ensuite master bedroom a/c all over house. 25 337400 Price 700 euros *****************************

2 BEDROOM COTTAGE FOR RENT IN LANIA VILLAGE in a quiet and peaceful area, fully furnished, storage heaters, a/c, rent €300 per month. Minimum contract 1 year. Info mob 99548855 FOR RENT new ground floor

TO LET LIMASSOL terrace studios for rent in Kouka village (20 minutes from Limassol) in a quiet and peaceful area fully furnished €180 per month minimum contract 1 year. For info mob 99548855 *****************************

GROUND FLOOR HOUSE, furnished renovated this year. Laminated parke floor, and big wardrobes in the 3 bedrooms. Rent €590.00 Tel 99497576 99886775

*****************************

2 BDRM flat in the centre of Nicosia. Rent €450. For information call 99453663, 99663927. *****************************

LIMASSOL *****************************

FOR RENT luxury 2 bedroom flat near Alasia hotel very close to Debenhams (Makarios avenue), with kitchen, office room, dining room, big siting room, two wc, a/c, verandas. For further information please call 99465365 *****************************

4 BEDROOM HOUSE IN EPISKOPI Split level 4-year-

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Abbeygate CYPRUS 1

31 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

TO LET LARNACA LARNACA *****************************

FOR RENT spacious 3 bedroom apartment with balcony situated in centre of town, semi furnished. Please call 99311152 *****************************

FOR RENT 2 bed, 2 bath, new built apartment, in a quiet scenic location In Alethriko, Larnaca 5 min. to Larnaka, 5 min. to the beach Fully furnished, A/C, communal pool, under covered parking, Long term rent, €350.00 per month For more info pls call 99639378 *****************************

FULLY FURNISHED one bedroom flat near Larco hotel Larnaca. Price €370. Tel: 99202543 *****************************

1. K.S.L LETTINGS – APARTMENT FOR RENT Fully Furnished 1st floor 2 bedroom apartment. High quality furnishings throughout. 400 Euros per calendar month.

Pyla. Quote TLL1088. Tel. (00357) 24815104 2. K.S.L LETTINGS – Properties Required for waiting Long Term Tenants. We desperately require 2/3 & 4 bedroom villa’s with private swimming pools for waiting tenants in the Larnaca District. Please call us for a free valuation. Tel.(00357) 24815104 3. K.S.L LETTINGS – LARGEST RANGE OF PROPERTIES. OVER 200 RENTAL PROPERTIES IN THE LARNACA DISTRICT AT THE MOST COMPETITIVE RATES! FLEXIBLE CONTRACTS AVAILABLE. Tel. (00357) 24815104 4. www.KSLlettings.com – Villa For Rent Simply Stunning! Fully furnished 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom Villa with a good sized rear garden & private pool, located in the

Advertiser

TO LET LARNACA

TO LET PAPHOS

village of Oroklini. Call for further information quoting Ref. TLL1415. Tel. (00357) 24815104 CALL 24 815 104 TO ENQUIRE OR ARRANGE A VIEWING – NO OBLIGATION OR FEES. View our full range of over 200 properties by visiting www.KSLlettings.com updated daily. LANDLORDS ADVERTISE YOUR PROPERTY FOR FREE AND GET WORLD WIDE ADVERTISING – NO TENANT NO FEE!

and parking. Unfurnished.

Very nice well worth seeing. €800 pcm reduced 4. Peyia Unfurnished 2 bed 2 bathroom house, a/c, ceiling fans, fly screens, storage, satellite TV, private parking, swimming pool, From €350 pcm REDUCED THIS IS JUST A SMALL SELCTION OF PROPERTIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE AND MANY MORE PLEASE CALL EITHER 96 545 174 OR E-MAIL ON info@ unique-consultancy.eu LANDLORDS; WE NEED YOUR PROPERTIES NOW. PLEASE CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY IF YOU HAVE A PROPERTY FOR RENT.

*****************************

PAPHOS *****************************

€290 /mnth Acropolis Heights (a) ,Chlorakas (b) € 380 /mnth Universal area and Both are 2-bed houses, beautiful locations, in Cul-desacs, 10 years old, 90 sq. mts, Furnished, Open-Plan Lounge/ Kitchen, Front Car-port, Garden, (a) is Ground floor, 1 W.C/ bath. (b) is 2-Floors, 2 W.CS/ Bath and part air-conditioned.

Call 99-632388.’ *****************************

BARGAIN PROPERTY FOR RENT - Moutallos, 3 bedroom first floor apartment, fully furnished, 2 bathrooms, 1 en-suite, balcony, very close to all amenities, euro 350 per month o.n.o tel: 99127195 *****************************

Long Term Rentals 1. Chlorakas 1 bed ground floor furnished apartment with central heating, communal pool and parking, sky TV. €335 pcm including all bills 2. Tala 2 bed quality furnished apartment. Stunning sea views, large balcony, well kept gardens, communal pool, quiet area. €375 pcm 3. Chlorakas Large 4 bed detached villa, secluded position, large private pool, a/c,

*****************************

GREAT VALUE STUDIO FLAT FOR RENT, just off Tomb of the Kings, very convenient position, easy walk to harbour, town centre or Kato Paphos. Fully furnished (washing machine etc.) Only Euro 200/month inc. communal charges.

Phone 99-493862 *****************************

1. UNIVERSAL – superb 2 bed furnished apartment for rent. Lovely quiet complex with pool, private parking, entry phone system & storage room. €350 per month.

2. UNIVERSAL – one bed furnished apartment on 2nd floor, small quiet well maintained complex with sea views. €300 per month.

3. UNIVERSAL – 2 two bed, 2 bath apartments on superb quiet complex, with 3 pools, gym, sauna, jaccuzi & bowling green. 1 apt furnished, 1 unfurnished from €400 per month.

4. TALA – 2 two bed, 2 bath villa style apts on stunning quiet complex with 4 pools, with off road and underground parking. 1 apt furnished 1 U/F from €360 per month.

TO LET PAPHOS PLEASE CALL 96203009 *****************************

FOR RENT A selection of 1 to 5 bedroom houses & apartments F/F & U/F Universal, Peyia, Tomb of the Kings, Tsada, Timi, Chlorakas & Kato Paphos Landlord & Owners please call 99329357 Or please view at are website www. cyprussands.com Fully Registered Company in Cyprus *****************************

1. MANDRIA, 2 bedroom apartment, fully furnished with modern furniture, separate kitchen, communal swimming pool, air conditioning throught, 2 balconies euro 375 p/m o.N.O 2. SEA CAVES, 3 bedroom bungalow, specially fitted for people with disabilities , stunning sea views, free wi-fi, fully furnished with modern furniture, swimming pool, all bedrooms with ensute, utility room, air conditioning throughout, shutters, very green and secluded area euro 1100 p/m o.N.O 3. EMBA, 2 bedroom apartment, 2 bathroom, modern furnished, air conditioned throughout, communal swimming pool, covered parking, close to all amenities, euro 330 p/m 4. CHLORAKA, 3 bedroom furnished villa with pool, amazing views, master ensuite, in cul-de-sac, fully airconditioned with fireplace, euro 700 p/m PLEASE CALL : 99 387842 *****************************

CHLORAKAS, 2 bedroom apartment, fully furnished, large veranda, very quiet location, communal pool, Euro 280 – o.n.o Please call: 99699019 /26910140

TO LET PAPHOS electrical appliances provided, beautiful sea and mountain views. €400 per month.

Call: 99 553741 *****************************

DT PROPERTY LETTINGS PRESENTS : Chloraka 4 bed Villa fully furnished, 3 bathrooms, 2 lounges, air conditioning throughout, private garage, large garden only €700.00 per month Universal 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom ground floor apartment fully furnished, air conditioning, communal pool and private parking special rate €320.00 Tsada 5 bedroom villa with 4 bathrooms, fully furnished, double garage, very spacious with private swimming pool, fantastic views only €1.600.00 per month neg.

Peyia 3 bedroom villa with two bathrooms fully furnished, air conditioning throughout, communal swimming pool and parking. Nice location close to all amenities €500.00 per month Now available at DT property lettings Many other properties available.

Please call: Tel 2683543 or 97675123 *****************************

PEYIA, available now for rent in a most sought after location next to the municipal park, 1 & 2 bedroom apartments with magnificent sea and mountain views, furnished or unfurnished, off street parking, quiet area, for viewing, ring: 99 887251 / 99 025173 *****************************

A DELIGHTFUL AND SPACIOUS 1 bedroom apartment, F/F, top floor, new, located at a peaceful location

TO LET PAPHOS just 500 from St. George hotel in Chloraka. A+ quality apt. Within walking distance to amenities, part of a beautiful building with swimming pool, list and other amenities. Only €250p/m Other apts also available near Carrefour in the Centre of Paphos. Call 99403261, 26934650 *****************************

PAPHOS RENTALS SECTION TREMITHOUSA Very sought after location, Modern 2 Bedroom, F/F, Town House, Lovely Communal Pool, Sea views, Early viewing highly recommended, 400 Euros PAPHOS - Very large 3 Bedroom Apt , Fully Furnished to a very high standard ,Would suit 3 Professionals sharing, Within close proximity to Hospital and Court, Central Heating, 2 Bathrooms, Laundry, 350 Euros.

TALA - Luxurious 4 Bedroom, F/F to a very high standard, 2 bathrooms, 2 en-suite, Swimming Pool, Landscaped Garden and Spectacular Views, 700 Euros.

EMPA - Immaculate, Spacious 2 Bedroom, U/F, House, Large kitchen, Patio, Quiet location, Must be seen, 300 Euros WANTED - 2 bedroom furnished properties MORE PROPERTIES AVAILABLE FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 99862922 *****************************

FLOWRON PROPERTY RENTALS, YOUR NUMBER ONE CHOICE FOR RENTAL PROPERTIES. LOOKING FOR A RELIABLE AND EFFICIENT PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPA-

*****************************

KISSONERGA VILLAGE, St Kononas area, 3 bedroom flat with private parking, private roof garden with barbeque, elevator, full a/c &

THE DEVONSHIRE RESTAURANT GOOD HOME COOKING- RUN BY FAMILY-ESTABLISHED 1988

• BE ASTOUNDED BY OUR LOW WINTER PRICES !

• OPEN ALL WINTER 7 DAYS A WEEK !

• SUNDAY ROAST LUNCH & DINNER FOR ONLY EURO 6.95 !!!

• BOOKINGS FOR PRIVATE PARTIES AVAILABLE AT VERY LOW PRICES !

• OPEN FOR CHRISTMAS DAY LUNCH & NEW YEAR’S EVE CALL PETER NOW FOR ANY ENQUIRIES: 96870774 – PAPHOS

32 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

NY, CALL THE EXPERTS TODAY!!

TIMI 3 bed modern villa with wood burner, Ac, offered fully furnished. Spacious living areas with 2 sitting areas, big kitchen,3 upstairs bedrooms, master on suite shower, family bathroom, Small private pool, off street parking. Quite location not far from the village amenities. Paphos Town. Ref: 722 price €600 KISSONERGRA A bed luxury villa on its own private grounds, with fantastic views of the sea, private pool, Modem Furnishings, quality appliances, downstairs bedroom, large kitchen, upstairs bedroom with en suite, family bathroom.

Ref 0000 Price €950 ANARITA A 3 bed villa offered furnished , with private pool, in nice quiet cul-de-sac, off street parking, AC. quality kitchen, 3 bedrooms upstairs. Ref 855 price €600 PEGEIA A superb character 4 bedroom villa, with beams, fire place, central heating.

Italian kitchen, sitting and dining areas, 3 good size bedroom, with downstairs bedroom with en suite. Outside mature gardens, private pool, fantastic views, peaceful location. Ref: 765 Price €900 Mandria A modern unfur-

nished 4 bed Villa with private pool. Downstairs bedroom with shower, sitting room with log burner, 3 bedrooms upstairs, master bed with en suite shower room.

Property has private fence and pets are welcome. Ref 1174 price €700 YEROSKIPOU 2 bed furnished apartment with communal pool, gym, under cover parking on modern new complex Apartment is furnished, with bathroom, modern kitchen and blinds + AC Ref: 1164 price €350 ARMOU A 3 bedroom fully furnished bungalow with private pool. Nice clean modern property with log burner, 3 good size bedrooms, master en suite, large family bathroom, garage, fantastic views of the sea. Ref 854 Price €750 MANDRIA Modern 2 bedroom apartment, offered furnished. Property is modern and has a large outside veranda, great views, large communal pool. Not far from all local amenities. Ref: 882 Price €400 Please call for a free viewing on Office 26600450 Mobile: 97614070 many more properties on our website at www.flowron. com - www.paphospropertycyprus.com LANDLORDS IF YOU HAVE

A PROPERTY FOR RENT, PLEASE CALL US!!!!!!

Your Vision is our Mission

bedroom 2 bathroom bungalow with gas central heating throughout, log burner in living area and real fireplace in bedroom, perfect for those winter months. A fully enclosed pretty courtyard offers stunning views.

Available furnished or part furnished. Pets allowed at owners discretion. Website reference number: rtl_644 3. KISSONERGA €550 modern detached 3 bedroom villa situated in a quiet residential area. Master bedroom with ensuite, separate kitchen, downstairs guest wc. Enclosed garden offering private pool & off street parking. Available unfurnished though can include kitchen appliances. Pets allowed at owners discretion.

Website reference number: rtl_501 4. PEYIA €700 price includes pool cleaning. If you are looking for a villa with breathtaking views & privacy than this property is for you. This modern detached 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom villa is furnished with modern furniture, including satellite tv & electric radiators throughout. One bedroom & bathroom on ground floor.

A spacious enclosed garden with private pool offering stunning sea views. Off street parking. Website reference number: rtl_401

5. MANDRIA €750 modern detached 4 bedroom villa, master with ensuite. Fully enclosed low maintenance garden offering private pool.

Available unfurnished to include white goods, blackout blinds, curtains, ceiling fans & log burner for those winter months. Immaculate condition. Pets allowed at owners discretion. Website reference number: rtl_633 offers considered.

6. CHLORAKA €750 modern detached 4 bedroom 3 bathroom villa with ground floor bedroom & bathroom.

Beautifully furnished with good quality modern furniture includes sky satellite, fly screens & feature fireplace with modern gas fire.

Private pool offering views of the sea. Off street parking. Situated within walking distance of bus routes & shops. Website reference number: rtl_611 7. KATO PAPHOS €800 large 4 bedroom detached villa situated in the sought after residential area of limnaria.

Walking distance to the beach and the many amenities of kato paphos. Spacious living accomodation offering an enclosed garden with storage & communal pool. Fully furnished with modern furniture & solar panels. Website reference number: rtl_442

8. TALA €900 a charming detached 4 bedroom villa with character, situated on a corner plot in a quiet residental area with breathtaking sea views. Spacious living rooms with central heating & real fireplace. Separate kitchen & dining room.

Good sized garden offering private pool and stone built barbeque area. Undercover parking. Available fully furnished. Website reference number rtl_638 TEL: 97790883 OFFICE: 26271858 VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MANY MORE PROPERTIES www. mrrent-paphos.net Email: info@mrrent-paphos.net

*****************************

PEYIA – 3 bedroom villa with modern quality furniture and finishes. Central heating, sky, alarm, infinity pool and stunnning sea and mountain views €700 per month, call: 99389426 *****************************

BRAND NEW APT, opposite Poseidonio Gym, near Carrefour, F/F, a/c, great quality, 1 bdrm, from €340p.m.Tel 99403261 *****************************

MR RENT PAPHOS, THE LEADING PROPERTY RENTAL AGENCY IN PAPHOS OFFICE: 26271858 (00357) IF YOU HAVE A PROPERTY TO RENT WE ARE THE RENTAL AGENCY TO CONTACT OFFERING FULL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT & RENT COLLECTION SERVICE 1. ANARITA €375 modern 2 bedroom 2.5 Bathroom townhouse situated on a quiet peaceful complex with manicured gardens, communal infinity pools & a large indoor gym. Fully furnished with modern furniture & sateliite. Garden with country & sea views.

Website reference number: rtl_647 2. TSADA €380 charming 2

***************************** RENTAL POINT - PAPHOS

PROPERTIES AVAILABLE TO RENT IN THE PAPHOS DISTRICT. JUST A SMALL SAMPLE OF AVAILABLE PROPERTIES. ALL TYPES OF PROPERTY URGENTLY REQUIRED FOR LONG TERM RENTAL. CALL 97648440 FOR MORE INFORMATION. LANDLORDS CALL IF YOU HAVE A PROPERTY FOR RENT.!!!

1. MESA CHORIO – 2 bed 2 bath fully furnished ground floor apartment set on an elevated position on this prestigious development.

Open plan living area. Good sized kitchen. 2 double,

33 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

Advertiser

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

FOR SALE PAPHOS

bedrooms, master with ensuite shower room. Family bathroom. Large patio areas with enclosed gardens and lovely sea views. Covered parking and security gates..

Comm swimming pool, and landscaped gardens. Euros 425.00 a month. 2 bed apartment same complex Euros 400.00 a month.

2 MESOGI 3 bed 3 bath furnished apartment in handy location close to the shopping areas. Large open plan living area and dining area..

Fully fitted dining/kitchen with appliances . Guest WC. Utilty room. 3 double bedrooms one with en-suite.

Family bathroom. Balcony & and parking. Euros 500.00 a month. Suit non-drivers!

3. TOMB OF THE KINGS – 3 bed fully furnished apartment in established block.

Own entrance via stairway.

Open plan living area. Dining kitchen. 3 bedrooms and family bathroom. A/C, sat TV. Internet available. Large balcony area. Parking. Euros 350.00 per month 4. KISSONEGA - 3 bed 2 bath unfurnished villa. Set in enclosed gardens the villa consists of open plan living area.

Full itted kitchen. Small utility area. Conservatory room.

Ground floor bed room with en-suite. Stairs to two double bedrooms and family bathroom. Pool and off street parking. Euros 600.00 per month 5. STROUMBI – 2 bed fully furnished stone bungalow set in quiet location. Open plan living area with working fireplace. Spacious dining kitchen. 2 double bedrooms and family bathroom with corner

bath. Landscaped gardens, swimming pool and covered parking. Realistically priced Euros 500.00 per month or close offers only 6. UNIVERSAL AREA. 2 bed fully furnished apartment.

Living area, fitted kitchen. 2 double bedrooms and family bathroom. A/C, Enclosed garden area, comm. Pool and parking. Euros 375.00 a month or offers. 1 & 2 bed apartments available on Universal starting at 250 euros per month.

7. CORAL BAY - 3 bed, 3.5 bath furnished/unfurnished villa situated very near to the centre and within easy walking of beaches and restaurants. Open plan living area with fully fitted kitchen.

Doors out to garden and pool. Ground floor bedroom with ensuite. Separate guest WC. Stairs to 2 double bedroom both with en-suite and balcony areas. Private pool, gardens, BBQ area and covered verandahs. Central location.Euros 650.00 per month or close offers.

8. STROUMBI– 3 bed 2.5 bath large unfurnished villa in quiet village area. Spacious open plan living area with feature fireplace and dining space Good sized fitted kitchen and breakfast area.

Guest WC with storage area.3 double bedrooms. Mas-

ter with en-suite bathroom.

Family bathroom. Enclosed gardens, pool and off street parking. Realistically priced Euros 550.00 per month.

OVNO FOR FULL LISTINGS OF A PA R T M E N T S / T O W N HOUSES AND VILLA PLEASE CALL FOR DETAILS. ALL TYPES OF PROPERTY URGENTLY REQUIRED FOR LONG TERM RENTAL LANDLORDS/ OWNERS PLEASE CALL PLEASE CALL 97648440 or email:inforentals@aol. com

- Two Traditional stone village houses, large common courtyard in picturesque village of Lysos, Paphos.

10min from Latchi.

- 5017m2 Land with 10% building rights, in Lysos village on main road to Stavro Tis Psokas.

- 8362m2 Land with 10% building rights in Lysos village on boarder of housing zone which is to be extended.

QUICK SALE FOR SERIOUS OFFERS EURO 800,000 Tel : 99452241/99848757

FOR SALE Well kept detached bungalow on the edge of Pano Kivides. Quiet location with open view. Kitchen/diner 5.55m x 3.75 Separate lounge of similar size. Two bedrooms, with A/C, fitted wardrobes.

Good size bathroom. Mains drainage. Entrance hall, used as an office. Gas CH. All new double glazed windows. Conservatory 7.26m x 2.46m. Outside, plot in excess of 700 sq. m.. Large covered area including brick built workshop 5.3m x 4.8m . Hot tub. Car port, TITLE DEEDS. Euros 198000. Private sale. No agents. No VAT. Why pay for a building site with no services when you could move into a comfortable home, with no hassle, but lots of potential, for less?

Tel. 99995906 or 99995992.

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REFURBISHED stone-built village house located in Kili Paphos. Consists of 3 large rooms 1 small. Traditional wood burnt fireplace, fully tiled secluded yard and garage. Tel: 99210610. ******************************

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UNIVERSAL AREA, 3 bedroom detached villa, covered area 122 sqm, master bedroom en-suite, air conditioned throughout, all white goods, solar panels, garden irrigation, plot size 273 sqm, communal pool, euro 165.000 o.v.n.o. – title deeds available Call : 99682644- no agents ******************************

PROPERTY FOR SALE

1. PAPHOS, FLATS FOR SALE OR RENT: Kisson-

NICOSIA

FOR SALE PAPHOS erga, 3 bdrm flat with title deeds, in a block of 4 flats only, fully renovated, 2 baths, 146 sq.m closed area, c/h, a/c, covered parking, excelent view of sea and mountains, half registration fees titll 31.12.12 reduced to €135.000 or rent €450 per month. Tel. 99621914. ******************************

FOR SALE special offer, €79, 000 first floor apartment in Protaras, fully furnished with 2 bedrooms and a swimming pool. Walking distance to the beach of Ayia Triada and all amenities. Tel: 97 608941. ******************************

AYIA NAPA ******************************

1.AYIA NAPA, Studio for sale, 38 sqm, furnished and fully renovated,. with title deed, in licensed complex, 5030m from Nissi Beach €49.000.

Tel. 99621914. LARNACA

U SEFUL PHONE NUMBERS POLICE DIVISION HQ

HOSPITALS ........ 1400

NICOSIA, FLAT FOR SALE: 2 bdrm flat with title deeds, 110 sq.m., fully renovated, best central area, 800m from the European University, excellent view, €99.000. Tel. 99621914.

Nicosia ........................22 802 020 Limassol ......................25 805 050 Larnaca .......................24 804 040 Paphos ........................26 806 060 Famagusta ..................23 803 030

******************************

Drug Law Enforcement Unit ......................................... 1498 (Confidential Information)

Nicosia General .............22-801400 Nicosia Makarios ...........22-405000 Limassol Old ................25-305333 Limassol New ................25-801100 Larnaca Old...................24-630312 Larnaca New .................24-630300 Paphos ..........................26-821800 Famagusta ....................23-821211

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FOR SALE PENTHOUSE between Armenias Str and Hilton Hotel. 3 bedroom, main bedroom with shower, c/h, fireplace, large verandas. For more information please call: 99467596.

PAPHOS ******************************

PROPERTY SALE BLOCK BUY INVESTMENT - House (detached) 3-Bed, 2 Bath, on ½ plot, Koloni, Paphos in cul-de-sac. Near amenities, highway and airport. 5 min from sea.

Rescue Co-ordination Centre ............................. 1441 (Immediate Response Service for Aeronautical or Maritime Accident & Incidents) Game Fund Service: (Wildlife and hunting) Central offices (Nicosia): 22867786, 22-867897 Nicosia: 22-664606, 99-445697 Limassol: 25-343800, 99-445728, Larnaca/Famagusta: 24-805128, 99-634325 Paphos: 26-306211, 99-445679 Forest Fires ..................... 1407

Narcotics Helpline ......... 1410 (Outside hours.............. 22-304160) AIDS Advisory Bureau ................................ 22-302826 Domestic Violence Centre .......................................... 1440 (Emergency Centre for Victims) Drug Info & Poison Control ............... 1401 Cyprus Samaritans ... 77777267 Police Duty Officer ......... 1499 (Confidential Information) Airports Larnaca ..........................77778833 Paphos ...........................77778833

Friends for Life Limassol Hospice Care Appeal Reg no 2423

Annual Christmas Fair 8th & 9th December 2012 at The Atlantica Miramare Beach Hotel Potamos Yermasoyia Limassol Buy all your Christmas Gifts under one roof with 700sq metres of Exhibitions: Dolls Houses and accessories to suit all from 3 years to the young at heart- Exquisite Beadwork- Mosaics- Aromatherapy –Soaps - Beautiful Candles - Fun with Encaustic Art-Jewellery - Denise with Hair Clips and an exciting new product -Patchwork –Woodcraft - Felted items – Knitwear – Cards –Books - Hand Painted Glassware - Chutneys and Jams - Helen’s Indian Treasures -Handmade accessories Numerous other gift ideas.

Kiddies Korner with Santa Lucky Dip / Magic / Face Painting / Friends for Life / Cake Stall / Bric Brac / Books / Art Exhibition Limassol Theatre Arts School will be performing on Saturday 8th December at 11:45 a.m.

"Limassol Theatre Arts School (LTAS) is a dynamic Stage School which nurtures and inspires young performers.

Under the expert guidance of a team of experienced professionals and ex West End performer, LTAS provides high quality training in Musical Theatre, Dance, Singing and Drama/Acting. LTAS prepares its students to be the stars of the future!"

Tombola – Grand Draw Excellent Car parking with Wheelchair & Pushchair access Open 11am – 7pm Entry Adults €2, including Free Tombola Ticket - Children Free Entrance Door Prize kindly donated by the Atlantica Miramare Hotel Further details contact Anne on 99269016 or 25632446 All Proceeds to the Limassol Hospice Care Appeal

34 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser FOR PAPHIAKOS ANIMAL WELFARE SOS HELPLINE, 24 HOUR MEDICAL EMERGENCY SERVICE - CALL 99655581 CONTACT DETAILS FOR PAPHIAKOS. Paphiakos & C.C.P. Animal Welfare Education/Information Centre, No. 12 Dedalos Building, 8049 Kato Paphos PO Box 61272 8132 Kato Paphos Web. www.cyprusanimalwelfare.com www.facebook/paphiakos Email info@cyprusanimalwelfare.com Larnaca Emergency Service - The contact point for animal emergencies in Larnaca is Maria at the Paphiakos Animal Welfare Charity Shop, telephone 24623494 or 99325897 STOP, SHOP AND GIVE TO THE ANIMALS! ALL DONATIONS ARE WELCOME AT OUR CHARITY SHOPS! PAPHIAKOS & C.C.P. ANIMAL WELFARE Registered Charity No 1529 Contact our shops and we can take your clutter The Charity Shops are located at: Shop No.1 Agapinoros Street, Kato Paphos Tel 26910325 Shop No.2 Ap Pavlou Avenue, Kato Paphos Tel 26942894 Shop No.3 Gr. Afxentiou Avensia Court 3 Larnaca 24623494 Shop No.4 9 Ayiou Ioanni Street 3061 Limassol 25561695 Peyia Information Centre & Shop & T Rooms 26622828 Polis Information Centre & Shop & T Rooms 99223572 Book Exchange Shop Trimithousa 99771763 Our shops are always happy to receive your unwanted goods!

NOW YOU CAN HELP BY COLLECTING YOUR ALUMINIUM CANS AND HANDING THEM IN AT ANY PAPHIAKOS CHARITY SHOP OR THE CLINIC. SAVE AN ANIMAL AND SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT!!

PAPHIAKOS CAR BOOT SALE EVERY SATURDAY at the Ambassador Restaurant and outside in the grounds at Paphiakos. Free parking. Sellers from 7am, buyers from 8am. For information & bookings please call MIKE on 96702600.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS FOR PAPHIAKOS CHARITY NO. 1529 WORLD ANIMAL DAY. On Thursday October 4th Paphiakos will be micro chipping pets for only €20 including all the paperwork. For further information telephone 26953496.

To celebrate World Animal Day on Thursday October 4th Paphiakos will be offering free spaying/neutering for all feral and unwanted animals as they do throughout the year. Contact 26953496 for further details.

PAPHIAKOS SHELTER OPEN DAY The Open Day will be held on Sunday October 7th between 10am and 3pm. It will be a Family Fun Day out with a lot of different activities. There is car parking, toilets and refreshments on site so enjoy and join in the celebration of animals and what they bring to our lives. Entrance is €2 CHARITY HAIR CUT. On Thursday 4th October 09.30-17.30 without an appointment Andri at Atlantic Bay Hotel (2nd Floor) will be charging €5 for a haircut with all proceeds going to Paphiakos. Telephone Suzanne on 99151996 or Andri on 99604783.

PAPHIAKOS CHRISTMAS BAZAAR. Saturday November 24th 9am – 3pm at the Crazy Spoon Restaurant. For further details contact 99151996. Stalls, Santa’s Grotto, Donkey Rides, Pirate Pat and many more.

CHEMISTS NICOSIA SUNDAY 02/12/2012 L. Tsangaris, Gr. Dighenis Ave. Tel: 22671531, 22439014 (H) E. Matsa, 105E Athalassa Ave. Tel. 22425078, 22428570 (H) Ch. Charalambous, Makarios III Ave & Doiranis. Tel: 22374939, 22877694 (H) Economidou Kefala M., 84C D Ithakis St, Engomi. Tel: 22352933, 22518687 (H) Ch. Filippou, 151A Larnakos Ave., Aglantzia, Tel: 22731020, 22484085 LIMASSOL G. Straggas 70 Saripolou Tel: 25362373, 96450441 P. Theodorou 47 Makariou Ave., Tel: 25566411, 25574038 (H) P. Panayiotou, Ayias Fylaxeos 225, Tel: 25770930, 25811860 LARNACA K. Kaymis, 88 Makarios III Ave. Tel: 24637044, 24626339 (H) G. Zoppou, 122 Faneromenis St. Tel: 24622810, 24651003 (H) PAPHOS P. Malikkidou - Karaolidou, N. Nicolaides Ave. Tel: 26935495, 26944566 (H) PARALIMNI A. Mavroyiannou, 216 Gr. Dighenis St. Tel: 23828880, 23829202 (H)

NICOSIA MONDAY 03/12/2012 D. Evangelou, 34E Metochiou St. Tel: 22774123, 22352123 (H) A. Pontou, 38A Eleftheria St, Anthoupolis. Tel: 22382550, 22384724 H. Christofides, 43A Pericleous St, Strovolos. Tel: 22511351, 22319454 C. Iacovides, 6C Crete St. Tel: 22752877, 22255058 (H) K. Georgiou. Tifa, 100 Kyrenia Ave, Platy. Tel: 22340340, 22514500 (H) LIMASSOL A. Kyriazis, 13 A. Themistocleous, Tel: 25364451, 25338317 (H) F. Nicolaides, 29 Paphos St., Tel: 25572303, 25563693 (H) T. Aggelopoulos, 6 Gr. Afxentiou & Makedonias Tel: 25751900, 25328511 (H) LARNACA S. K. Eleni, 15. 17 Kilkis St. Tel: 24651035, 24621522 (H) A. Christoforou, 21 Larissa St, Kamares. Tel: 24364270, 24645787 PAPHOS S. Socratous, 52 Agapinoros St, Kato Paphos. Tel: 26949855, 26221966, (H) PARALIMNI Ch. X. Alapai, 8 Gr. Dighenis Ave. Tel: 23742002, 23744155 (H)

DOCTORS ON DUTY NICOSIA Pathologist: Doros Polidorou, Tel: 99727817 Ophthalmologist: Antonis Glikeriou, Tel: 70000171 Gynaecologist: Androula Perikleous, Tel: 22355928, 99623550 Paediatric Surgeon: Eliana Eliadou, Tel: 99384324 LIMASSOL Pathologist: Georgios Vasiliou, Tel.: 99649905, 25750343, 25317383 Surgeon: Nearchos Zaoskoufis, Tel.: 99622236 Neuro-Surgeon: Christos Kyriakides, Tel: 99696706 Paediatric: Toula SiamisiAndreou, Tel.: 25339997, 99434985, 25332280 Paediatric Surgeon: Koualis Yiannakis, Tel.: 25731673, 25732256 Ophthalmologist: Andreas Elia, Tel: 25725134, 25353424, 99675811 Doctor: Maro Hadjikyriacou, Tel: 25341814, 25342003

AYIA NAPA and DHERYNIA (Anglican Church in S.E Cyprus) Sunday Worship 9.30am Morning Prayer every Sunday morning at St Constantinos & Eleni Chapel, Dherynia (near Hospital in Dherynia) 11am at Scandinavian Church, off Nissi Avenue (opp Tassia Maris Hotel), Ayia Napa nd 6pm at St Constantinos & Eleni (2 week) Chaplain : Revd Simon Holloway M.A. Tel: 97 839349 www.angsecyp.org Visitors especially welcome

35 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Compiled by Rosie Ogden

Motoring

MERCEDES: CAR OPENS UP ‘NEW CHAPTER IN THE COMPACT SEGMENT: MARKEDLY EMOTIVE IN DESIGN’

The new vehicle ditches the rather boxy dimensions of its MPV-like predecessor and is also longer, wider and lower than the previous model

A-Class takes new direction D

ITCHING the rather boxy dimensions of its MPV-like predecessor, the new Mercedes A-Class stands 160 millimetres lower on the road than the preceding model.

It is also 409mm longer and 160mm wider than the previous generation, and boasts a completely new look – much more like a ‘hot hatch’ than an MPV, so it’s really more like an Audi A3 and will compete with the BMW 1-Series.

Mercedes says the car opens up “a new chapter in the compact segment: markedly emotive in design”, with powerful engines ranging from 80 kW (109 hp) to 155 kW (211 hp).

The German auto giant claims that it’s “extremely efficient”, with emissions from just 98 g of CO2/km and a best-in-class drag coefficient of 0.27. At the same time the new model aims to underline that safety is not a question of price – the standard specification includes, among other things, a radar-based ‘collision prevention assist’ system.

Dr Joachim Schmidt, Member of the Board responsible for Sales & Marketing says “We have taken the opportunity to design a completely new vehicle which sets standards in its segment. I am convinced that the new A-Class will make a significant contribution to our Mercedes-Benz 2020 growth strategy.”

The A 180 is driven by a 1.6 litre turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder

The interior features the sort of finish you’d expect from a Mercedes petrol engine, delivering 122 hp and 200Nm of torque.

Mercedes promises fuel consumption figures of 5.8 l/100km.

The petrol powered A 200 has a more powerful version of the A 180’s engine, delivering 156 hp and 250Nm. Available on order only are diesel variants with 109 or 136 hp, and an A 250 petrol version which has a 2.0 litre turbocharged petrol engine, producing 211 hp and 350Nm of torque.

I had a chance to drive all the models in the CIC’s

showroom, and they are certainly more engaging than the old model – although fans of the original A-Class may rue the smaller boot and some might argue that there’s reduced practicality.

The boot’s opening is slightly narrow, and at 341 litres, it’s smaller than a BMW 1 Series or Audi A3’s boot, though if you fold down the rear seat backrests its capacity jumps to 1157 litres.

All versions feature an ECO start/stop function as standard. The engines are combined with a new six-

speed manual transmission or optionally with the 7GDCT dual clutch automatic transmission, which ‘combines comfort and sportiness’. Fuel consumption is down by as much as 35 per cent compared to preceding models, and the frugality is accompanied by a pretty considerable power increase.

A comparison between the new and previous A 200 demonstrates what has been achieved with the petrol engines: with 115 kW (156 hp) and 250 Nm of torque, the

new engine delivers superior performance but consumes only 5.4 litres/100 km (127g CO2/km – figures for the 7G-DCT), which is 26 per cent less than its predecessor (100 kW, 185 Nm, 7.4 l/100 km, 174 g CO2/km).

Even the new top model with the 7G-DCT producing 155 kW (211 hp) and 350 Nm is considerably more efficient with a consumption of 6.1 litres and CO2 emissions of 143 g.

The suspension has a four-link rear axle, electromechanical power steering with assistance functions and ESP® with “Extended Traction Control” (XTC).

Handling is greatly improved, thanks largely to the lower centre of gravity (24 mm lower than its predecessor) and seating position (174 mm lower) but I couldn’t describe the drive as “exciting”. It was comfortable, certainly, and quiet; and when you hit the button on the dash to switch to sport mode you can feel the surge of power, though the extra oomph comes at a cost – in ECO mode you are certainly using much less fuel.

It relished being flung round corners on the twisty run up to Lefkara, and in town you benefit from that stop-start technology across the range, which really boosts the economy figures.

Bluetooth connectivity is standard, so there’s no excuse for owners to be holding their mobile while driving, and the new A-Class is also equipped as standard with a radar-based collision

warning system with adaptive Brake Assist, which lowers the risk of rear-end collisions.

The ‘collision prevention assist’ system gives a visual and audible warning to alert a possibly distracted driver to identified obstacles, and prepares Brake Assist for the most precise braking response possible. This is initiated as soon as the driver operates the brake pedal decisively. Basically, if you get too close to the car in front a red triangle lights up on the dashboard – on the highway this would certainly discourage tail-gating, and it reminds drivers who may be distracted that they are too close for comfort (or rather, for safety).

Other safety systems which have been adopted into the new A-Class from the larger model series include Adaptive Highbeam Assist, Blind Spot Assist and Lane Keeping Assist, attention assist (standard), Speed Limit Assist (speed limit sign recognition), Active Parking Assist with parking guidance, Brake hold function , Hill-Start Assist, LINGUATRONIC, Reversing camera and DISTRONIC PLUS. The 3-spoke steering wheel comes with 12 function buttons, there’s air conditioning, Audio 5 USB, electric windows all round and generally the sort of finish you’d expect from Mercedes.

In Cyprus there’s a choice of ‘Urban’ and ‘AMG’ specs, and prices start at €20.900 for the entry level petrol model, up to €30.400 for the A200 diesel variant.

36 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport Golf’s long putters are going belly up to preserve challenge

Memorial for slain boxer Camacho

Practice may be outlawed by 2016

FAMILY, fans and fellow boxers said goodbye this week to Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho at a memorial and wake for the slain former world champion fighter known for his flamboyance in and out of the ring.

Hundreds of people filed past Camacho’s open casket in Puerto Rico, displayed inside a gymnasium decked out for the occasion with black carpet and curtains.

The boxer wore white, along with a large gold crucifix and a necklace spelling out his nickname, Macho, in capital letters.

First up were members of his immediate family, including his mother Maria Matias who wept and caressed her son’s face in the coffin, which was draped in a Puerto Rican flag.

“They killed him,” she wailed at one point.

Camacho was shot November 20 while sitting in a parked car with a friend outside a bar in Bayamon, his hometown.

The friend died at the scene and the boxer three days later after doctors took him off life support. Police have said they have suspects but have not yet arrested anyone for the shooting.

After the family, came a cross-section of Puerto Rican society that included parents with young children, the elderly, road crew workers in neon safety vests, US soldiers in uniform and a who’s who of Puerto Rican boxers.

Camacho, who was 50 when he died, left Puerto Rico as a child and moved to New York. He went on to win super lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight world titles in the 1980s and fought high-profile bouts against Felix Trinidad, Julio Cesar Chavez and Sugar Ray Leonard.

He had a career record of 79-6-3.

He battled drug and alcohol problems throughout his life and had frequent run-ins with police. When he was shot, police found an open package of cocaine in the car and nine unopened packages on his friend.

By Martyn Herman

IN BRIEF

GOLF’S rulemakers proposed a ban on players anchoring long putters to their body this week, saying they wanted to outlaw the practice by 2016 in order to preserve the “skill and challenge” of putting.

Broomhandle or belly putters, pioneered by 2002 European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance among others in the late 1980s, are often tucked under the chin, against the chest or stomach.

They are swung in a pendulum fashion, helping to reduce the effects of nerves when lining up a putt.

The proposal by the Royal and Ancient (R&A) and United States Golf Association (USGA), will be discussed by players and the golfing community before being implemented.

Three of the past five major winners have used long putters and, while both organisations stopped short of proposing changes to current rules on equipment, they say putters should swing freely and not be anchored to any part of the body.

Some players, such as 2011 USPGA champion Keegan Bradley, the first player to win a major using the anchoring technique, have already voiced their displeasure.

Announcing the proposal in a telephone conference, R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said they had acted because so-called anchoring

Keegan Bradley (left) became the first player to win a major title using a long putter at the 2011 USPGA and has since been followed by Webb Simpson, at this year’s U.S. Open, and Ernie Els (right), at the Open Championship in July had become the “preferred option” for many players.

“Our objective is to preserve the skill and challenge which is a key component of the game of golf,” Dawson said.

“Our concern is that anchored strokes threaten to supplant traditional putting strokes which are integral to the long-standing character of the sport.”

Mike Davis, executive director of the USGA, said swinging a club freely was the essence of the 600-yearold sport.

“The player’s challenge is to control the movement of the entire club in striking the ball, and anchoring the club alters the nature of that challenge,” he said.

“Our conclusion is that the Rules of Golf should be amended to preserve the traditional character of the

golf swing by eliminating the growing practice of anchoring the club.”

Davis said that the percentage of players anchoring putts had risen from two or three to 15 per cent and that in some events 25 per cent of the players had adopted the technique.

INCREASE IN SALES “We have seen an increase in sales of long putters.

Trends follow the professional tours,” he said.

“People used to anchor strokes as a last resort, maybe because of nerve problems. What’s changed is that we are seeing a growing advocacy by players as a preferred option.

“This is all about defining the stroke. We feel strongly it’s in the best interests of the game moving forward.”

Bradley has since been followed by compatriot Webb Simpson, at this year’s U.S. Open, and South African Ernie Els, at the British Open in July.

However, Dawson said the R&A and USGA had not acted because of improved putting performance.

“This proposed rule change is not performance related,” he said. “It’s about defining the stroke.

“Webb Simpson and Keegan both said they accepted the governing body’s authority and Webb said he was already practising for the new rule to be implemented.

“We very much hope players agree with the views of the governing bodies, for the good of the game.”

Dawson expected the European Tour to endorse the proposals.

Lakers find offensive range Vonn resumes her winning in rout of Nuggets in NBA ways in Lake Louise THE Los Angeles Lakers rebounded from their worst offensive performance of the season with an all out blitz from the bench against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, prevailing 122-103 at the Staples Center.

Three nights after their last-second loss to the Indiana Pacers in the same building where they managed to score just 77 points, 40 of which were Kobe Bryant’s, the Lakers were on fire offensively across the board as they converted a franchise record-equalling 17 three-pointers.

Dwight Howard played up to his big money reputation with 20 rebounds and 28 points, with Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks coming off the bench to find their range.

LINDSEY Vonn resumed her winning ways in her Lake Louise backyard by clinching her 12th race in the Canadian resort after a false start to the season.

Her 10th downhill victory on the Men’s Olympic piste was clocked in one minute and 52.61 seconds and the American’s first World Cup win of the winter was her 54th overall.

The race was held in poor visibility and halted three times because of the fog - Lara Gut was allowed to start again after being showed the yellow flag halfway down her run.

But the organisers still managed to have more than 30 skiers complete the course, the minimum amount for the results to be validated.

Current players have expressed sharply contrasting views on the proposal, but nine-time major champion Gary Player said he was delighted by the proposal.

“These long putters eliminate the nerves,” the 77year-old told Sky Sports.

“As a young man I worked for hours and hours on my mind to try and strengthen it so that when I came under pressure I could go about it. Now there is no tremble in your hands, you are anchored to your body and nerves are eliminated.”

The proposed new rule would come into force on January 1, 2016.

“This timetable would also provide an extended period in which golfers may, if necessary, adapt their method of stroke to the requirements of the Rule,” an R&A statement said.

Flintoff bowls them over to win debut fight ANDREW Flintoff entered the ring a former England cricketer but left a heavyweight boxer after overcoming a second-round knockdown to beat American Richard Dawson on his professional debut on Friday night.

The 34-year-old, who had previously led England to an Ashes series triumph against Australia with a bat and ball in his hand, won by a single point on the referee’s scorecard at the Manchester Arena.

Flintoff took the fight to Dawson from the first bell and recovered well from hitting the canvas for the first time since he started training four-and-half months ago.

37 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

Sport Faster Ferrari is needed next season, says Alonso

By Mark Pangallo

The main man: Dale Steyn (second right) terrorised the Australians in a brutal spell of fast bowling (4-40) and took the wickets of opener David Warner, nightwatchman Nathan Lyon and skipper Michael Clarke at the cost of just four runs in the first 40 minutes

S. African quicks finally fire Perth showdown with both the series and the top Test ranking on the line

By Nick Mulvenney SOUTH Africa’s much celebrated pace attack finally fired on the second day of the third Test against Australia yesterday to wrest the momentum away from the hosts for the first time since the opening days of the series.

The Proteas were forced to bat out the final day to save draws in both the Brisbane and Adelaide Tests, setting up a Perth showdown with both the series and the top test ranking on the line.

The bowling of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne

Morkel had played a key role in the series triumph in England that earned them the number one spot in the rankings but on bat-friendly tracks, they had disappointed.

Yesterday, they faced an Australia side charged with confidence after dismissing the tourists for 225 and resuming on 33 for two with high hopes of building a big first-innings lead.

Instead, Steyn (4-40) terrorised the Australians in a brutal spell of fast bowling and took the wickets of opener David Warner, nightwatchman Nathan Lyon and skipper Michael Clarke at

the cost of just four runs in the first 40 minutes.

“He’s the number one bowler in the world for a reason,” said Philander, who chipped in with the dismissal of Ricky Ponting and ended up with figures of two for 55.

“When you bowl on the other side from him it is special and just to bowl the new ball with him is special. The way he can deliver on big moments is unbelievable.”

Philander, a late bloomer in Test cricket who now ranks third in the ICC bowling rankings, said the conditions and the batting disappointment on Friday had helped transform the fortunes of

the bowling unit.

“The wicket has a bit more bounce and the guys have to play a bit more off the back foot, which is good for us because it’s similar to the wickets we have back home,” he added.

“We knew we had to get 20 wickets to win this game, we didn’t bat so well in the first innings which left us a few runs short.

“The bowlers knew they had to step up and bowl them out cheaply. And obviously with Steyn this morning, it was a pleasure to be bowling from the other side.”

With a lead of 292 going

into the third day, South Africa’s number one ranking and their record of not having lost an away Test series since 2006 look safe.

Perhaps mindful that the Proteas chased down 414 to win the Perth Test four years ago, Philander said they would aim to leave nothing to chance and he was not expecting to be bowling again any time soon.

“There’s plenty of time left in the Test and we’d obviously like to get as many runs as possible,” he concluded. “Tomorrow’s a new day and will pose a lot of new challenges, but hopefully we can get another 200-250 runs.”

London Olympic Park gets £292 million makeover

By Keith Weir

A tenant for the centrepiece Olympic Stadium, built at a cost of some £430 million, has still not been found

LONDON’S Olympic Park has taken on the air of a construction site again, with work under way on a £292 million transformation before Britons can use facilities like the swimming pool and cycle trails.

Builders in hard hats were this week dismantling temporary seats towering above the pool where American Michael Phelps won a record 18th Olympic gold in August.

However, the failure to settle on a tenant for the centrepiece Olympic Stadium, built at a cost of some £430 million, has taken some of the gloss of a successful Games that silenced the sceptics.

Premier League club West Ham United remain the most likely tenant but wrangling over the division of the costs of turning the stadium into one also suited for top-flight football has slowed the proc-

ess.

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the public body responsible for the site, is scheduled to discuss the stadium issue again this coming week and there are hopes that a decision will be announced before the end of the year.

However, the LLDC has warned the stadium will not open before 2015, prompting a frustrated UK Athletics Chairman Ed Warner to denounce the delay as a farce.

The Olympic Stadium will hold the 2017 World Athletics Championships and is on the list of potential venues to host matches during the 2015 rugby World Cup but that deadline is beginning to look tight.

The Games cost the British public around £9 billion and spending during the Olympics helped to give a one-off boost to Britain’s struggling economy.

London has restarted free

bus tours around the Olympic Park, keen to maintain the goodwill generated by the Games and show that it will have a viable future as part of plans to regenerate what was long a rundown part of east London.

Workers on the site on a bleak November day were focused on getting it ready to reopen to the public next July - a year on from the Games with a new name of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Contractors Balfour Beatty and BAM Nuttall are expected to employ up 1,000 workers on the conversion.

The swimming pool is scheduled to be used as a public leisure centre from 2014, although London has also bid to stage the European swimming championships at the venue in 2016.

Britain is seeking to build on the good publicity generated by the Olympics to attract lucrative international events.

WHILE Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso rates 2012 as his best season in Formula One, the Spanish driver says his car must be quicker next year if he is to fight for the title again.

Uninspiring qualifying times continually forced Alonso to weave his way up through the pack on race day, making his three victories and 13 podiums all the more impressive.

Wrangling with a car slower than the Red Bull and McLarens was hard for the double world champion who said Ferrari’s luck would run out if a repeat happened next year.

“For the future, I think we need to improve the car,” Alonso told reporters after the final and deciding race of the season in Brazil was lost to Sebastian Vettel last Sunday.

“We were behind the Red Bulls, behind the McLarens, and now, in the last couple of grands prix, behind Williams and Force India.

“We were clearly slower than them in pace so this is something we must improve next year because we cannot fight for a world championship if we are too slow.

SOMETHING STRANGE “We can be a little bit slower but not that much and this year it was something strange, combinations that allowed us to fight until the end but I’m not sure we’ll be this lucky in the future.”

Alonso’s defeat by Vettel on Sunday came in a tense finale. Weather greased the track and the German’s car spun on the first lap and he fell to the back of the field.

A multitude of permutations lined Alonso’s path to a third drivers’ crown but his younger rival worked his way up the field. Alonso’s secondplace finish was not enough as Vettel crossed the line in sixth to take the title by three points.

Heading into the Belgian Grand Prix at the start of September, Alonso had a 40-point cushion over Red Bull’s Australian driver Mark Webber and was on course for a third world title despite the odds of an underperforming car.

“Two or three bad races can make you lose everything,” Alonso said in August. “We have a points advantage but a performance disadvantage so I don’t think we are any favourites.”

Alonso duly failed to finish in Belgium, and again in Japan in October.

38 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport

Pardew buoyed by Coloccini presence before Wigan clash

Keeper Bunn ‘will rise to the occasion’

By Simon Peach

Struggling Magpies desperate for a revival

By Damian Spellman NEWCASTLE boss Alan Pardew is hoping skipper Fabricio Coloccini can help spark a revival.

The 30-year-old Argentina international returned to action at Stoke on Wednesday evening after a threematch domestic ban and although he could not lead his side to a positive result at the Britannia Stadium as the Potters produced a late fightback, there were signs of significant improvement.

Coloccini was sent off for a late challenge on Liverpool’s Luis Suarez during the 1-1 draw at Anfield on November 4, and Pardew believes the defeats the Magpies suffered at the hands of West Ham, Swansea - both at St James’ Park - and Southampton in his absence were no coincidence.

He said: “He missed three games and we lost all three, so that gives you some indication.”

Coloccini’s importance to the club was illustrated in March when he was handed a new four-year contract.

However, even his presence at the heart of the Newcastle defence could not prevent the last-gasp capitulation at Stoke as Jonathan Walters and substitute Cameron

Newcastle lost all three games in which Argentina international Fabricio Coloccini (left) was suspended Jerome cancelled out, then overhauled Papiss Cisse’s early second-half strike.

As a result, Pardew’s men head into tomorrow night’s home clash with Wigan desperately needing a win if they are not to be sucked into the thick of a relegation scrap, which was not even on their horizon as they kicked off the campaign.

The Magpies have not lost four consecutive Premier League games since the 2008-09 campaign, at the

end of which they slipped out of the top flight and they simply cannot afford to countenance a repeat with a bumper new broadcasting deal due to come into effect next season.

Injuries, suspensions and the demands of a first European campaign in five years have all played a part in a start which has been less than impressive and they continue to have an impact.

James Perch, who returned from a thigh prob-

lem on Wednesday evening, will sit out on Monday after collecting a fifth booking of the campaign, while Steven Taylor and Yohan Cabaye will be sidelined until February by injury and the likes of Hatem Ben Arfa and Shola Ameobi are also currently on the casualty list.

Those selection problems have left Pardew trying to plug holes while at the same time seeking a solution to the kind of issues which he has largely avoided during

his near two-year reign on Tyneside to date.

He said: “As a manager and as a coaching team, we have looked at everything we have done.

“We have changed some stuff, which we think might help, and we have to change the environment because we have got a different set of players now.

“It’s all very much now about us all pulling really strongly in whichever role we are given.”

Beckham looking for Champions League swansong

By Alastair Himmer

Goodbye: the former England captain played his last match for the LA Galaxy in the MLS Cup Final last night

DAVID Beckham has targeted one final fling in the European Champions League before hanging up his boots once he leaves Los Angeles after five-and-a-half years.

“I always loved it when I went back to AC Milan being back in the Champions League,” the 37-year-old told British media as he prepared for his last game for the L.A. Galaxy in the early hours of this morning.

“I still miss playing in it, they are the games you love playing in. Of course I’d want to play in it again,” he added before the MLS Cup final against Houston Dynamo.

“We’ll see where I go next.

If it’s a team that’s in the Champions League then it will be nice to be back.”

Former England captain Beckham admitted watching former Manchester United

team mates Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs still playing in Europe’s top competition gave him added incentive.

“It’s nice to see them still playing at Manchester United,” said the former Real Madrid midfielder.

“They have had successful careers there and to see them playing like they do is great.

I’m 37 years old, the same age as Scholesy, although Giggsy is even older than me.

“Me and Scholesy grew up together and played with Giggsy and it is great to see them still playing.”

Beckham has been linked with French sides Paris St. Germain and Monaco, among others, although regular firstteam minutes could be hard to come by at Carlo Ancelotti’s big spending side.

“I plan to keep playing as long as I can,” said Beckham, arguably the most recognisable athlete on the planet.

“I know when Scholesy

stepped away he came back and regretted stopping. I want to continue to play as long as my legs will take me.”

Beckham, who has an option to take an ownership share in a future MLS expansion team, denied money had ever been a factor in his transfers between clubs.

“My career has never been about money,” insisted Beckham, who has a net worth of $260 million dollars, according to Forbes.

“I’m not money-motivated, I just want to play for the best team and with the best players. I know I will miss it when I finish playing.

“When I got my Achilles injury and I was out for six or seven months it gave me time to realise what it would be like. I kind of got a taste of it then and I didn’t like it.

“It’s going to happen at some point but ... I’ve got four kids so it’s not like I’m not going to be busy.”

ROBERT Snodgrass believes goalkeeper Mark Bunn will shine for Norwich during John Ruddy’s injury absence.

Ruddy starred for the Canaries in their rise to the top flight and has become a regular in Roy Hodgson’s England squad.

However, the 26-year-old now faces three months on the sidelines with a thigh injury that will see him undergo surgery this weekend.

His absence will see summer signing Bunn get an extended run in the first team, with the former Blackburn goalkeeper helping Norwich to a 1-1 draw at Southampton on Wednesday.

Snodgrass, who scored the Canaries’ equaliser, believes Bunn is a more than capable replacement for Ruddy.

“We’ll miss John,” the midfielder said. “What he brings to the team is clean sheets. But we’ve got a great keeper in Mark Bunn, who is terrific. I think you saw that in the Tottenham game and against Southampton.

“He was calm, composed and pulled off some good saves, but I would like wish John a speedy recovery because he is a great chap and great keeper. His return will only bolster the team.”

Ruddy has been one of Norwich’s standout players this campaign, but they continued their fine run without him against Southampton, extending their unbeaten streak to eight games in all competitions.

Snodgrass was involved in both goals at St Mary’s, first giving away the free-kick from which Rickie Lambert gave Southampton a 32ndminute lead.

City players felt aggrieved after the striker handled in the build-up but soon equalised as Snodgrass won a free-kick on the edge of the box and then beat goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga at his near post to level things up.

“I fancied my chances,” Snodgrass said. “I scored a few free-kicks for Leeds when I was there.

“It went in and people will blame the keeper, but you’ve got to get it on target and I done that. We showed great spirit and character to come back and I think there was only going to be one team that was going to win it in the second half.

“The first half wasn’t good enough but we take away a point and firmly believe we could have won the game.

“Sometimes you’re a wee bit unfortunate, but we will pick ourselves up and look forward to the weekend and what will be a tough game with Sunderland on Sunday.

“We’re back at home, which seems to be a place where we’re winning these days, so we’re looking forward to it.”

39 SUNDAY MAIL • December 2, 2012

Sport Michu’s late double piles more misery on Wenger on day of Emirates protest

STICKY TOFFEES REMAIN BOGEY TEAM FOR CHAMPIONS CITY

Arsenal 0 Swansea 2

By Jim van Wijk

Spot on: Carlos Tevez equalised with a controversial penalty in the first half but Everton held on at the Etihad

Mancini’s men frustrated Manchester City 1 Everton 1

By Andy Hampson MAROUANE Fellaini made significant contributions at both ends as Everton frustrated champions Manchester City yet again in the Barclays Premier League.

Fellaini headed the Toffees, victors in eight of their previous ten clashes with City, into a first-half lead but then conceded a controversial penalty to allow Carlos Tevez to level.

Everton felt Edin Dzeko had gone to ground too easily to win the award but Tevez made no mistake and City went on to dominate the second half.

The result preserved City’s unbeaten start to the season in the Premier

League and prolonged their run of home games without defeat to 37, a sequence stretching back to a loss to Everton two years ago.

It was also Everton’s seventh draw in their last nine games.

The match took some while to warm up and City suffered an early blow as Aleksandar Kolarov limped off after just six minutes.

Manager Roberto Mancini had opted to rest the hard-working Pablo Zabaleta but the in-form Argentinian was summoned from the bench straight away.

Everton’s 33rd-minute opener came in familiar fashion as the ever-dangerous Leighton Baines, who passed a fitness test to feature, crossed and Fellaini eventually headed in.

Vincert Kompany did well to divert the cross away from Nikica Jelavic but it dropped for Fellaini, who headed home at the second

attempt at the far post after Joe Hart saved his initial effort.

It was the Belgian’s eighth goal of an impressive season.

That brought the game to life and City almost found an immediate equaliser as Tevez met a Semir Nasri cross with a deft header that Tim Howard did well to save.

Gareth Barry then chested down another Nasri cross for Dzeko to turn and shoot but again Howard was alert.

Controversy followed the resulting corner as Dzeko tangled with Fellaini and went to ground.

Referee Lee Probert sparked immediate protest from Everton by pointing to the spot and Toffees manager David Moyes clearly thought the award was harsh.

Tevez made no mistake as he stepped up to tuck home

Brazil to face Japan in opening Confederations Cup encounter

By Mike Collett HOSTS Brazil will face Japan in the opening match of next year’s Confederations Cup in Brasilia on June 15 following the draw made yesterday.

Brazil, who have won the last two tournaments, regarded as a rehearsal for the World Cup in 2014, will also face CONCACAF champions Mexico and Italy, runners-up to Spain in this year’s European Championship.

Spain, the world and European champions, will open their campaign against South American champions Uruguay in Recife on June

16.

Oceania champions Tahiti and the African champions, who will be decided on February 10, complete the quartet.

The simple draw led to problems for FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke, who originally placed Uruguay and Tahiti in the wrong slots in Group B before their positions were changed.

The final takes place in Rio de Janeiro on June 30.

Dozens of people wearing white masks and carrying banners with the word ‘SHAME’ protested against corrupt police and rampant violence in Brazil’s big cities outside the draw.

Protesters belonging to the Rio de Paz group, or River of Peace, said they had come to peacefully confront authorities because they were not being heard.

his eighth of the campaign.

Whether or not Fellaini was unfairly penalised, he almost produced the perfect response in the final moments of the first half with a glancing header from a Steven Pienaar cross, but Hart saved.

The game became scrappy in the second half as Everton’s hard-working defence did their best to repel City’s threat.

Mario Balotelli also entered the action for the last ten minutes in place of Dzeko and did inject a bit of energy into the side.

His first chance to aim at goal, however, was probably best forgotten as he screwed a shot well wide.

Nasri then combined well with David Silva in the area but could only win a corner.

Everton went close in injury time from a Jelavic freekick but Hart saved and the ball squirmed wide.

SWANSEA condemned Arsenal to a 2-0 home Barclays Premier League defeat as Michu fired in two late goals at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners had been second best for long spells, and despite an improved performance after the break, the Swans earned reward for their persistence when Spain forward Michu grabbed a late brace.

Jeers greeted the final whistle at the Emirates, as manager Arsene Wenger’s side dropped more points and fell further behind in the battle to break back into the top four.

Gunners fans backing the ‘Black Scarf Movement’ had demonstrated around the ground before kickoff, complaining at the perceived commercialisation of the club following their move to the Emirates Stadium.

On the pitch, Wenger opted to deploy Ivory Coast forward Gervinho in the central striker role ahead of Theo Walcott, who had netted an early goal in the midweek 1-1 draw at Everton.

Make mine a double: Swansea striker Michu celebrates

Premier League standings Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Manchester City United Manchester United Chelsea Chelsea Arsenal Tottenham ManchesterHotspur City West Brom Liverpool Everton Tottenham Hotspur Swansea Everton West StokeHam City Utd Stoke BoltonCity Wanderers Arsenal West Brom Liverpool Fulham Fulham Newcastle United Norwich City Sunderland Newcastle Aston Villa United Wigan Athletic Blackburn Rovers Sunderland Wolves Aston Villa Birmingham Southampton Blackpool Reading Wigan Athletic QPR West Ham United

However, it was Swansea who were the first to press, with a free-kick into the Arsenal penalty area eventually being hacked away by Per Mertesacker.

In the 14th minute Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny made a fine double save after Angel Rangel had been played in on the overlap down the right and fired in a low, angled drive with his follow-up effort also blocked by the agile Pole.

Arsenal failed to get any sort of rhythm together in the first 20 minutes, far too careless in possession and lacking ideas in the final third.

The hosts finally got some momentum in the second half, with Santi Cazorla heading at Swans goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel after another good cross from Carl Jenkinson.

With five minutes left, Thomas Vermaelen’s flying header just lacked the pace to beat Tremmel.

Swansea, though, took the lead when Michu broke clear after a neat onetwo with substitute Luke Moore to slot past Szczesny and leave more questions for Wenger to answer about the character of his side.It got worst for the Gunners in stoppage time when Michu latched onto a long clearance, racing through to beat the keeper again.

P

W

D

L

F

15 37 14 36 15 36 15 36 15 36 15 36 15 37 15 36 15 37 15 37 15 36 15 36 14 37 14 36 14 37 13 37 14 36 15 37 13 36 14 36

9 22 11 21 7 19 8 19 8 17 5 14 6 12 6 13 5 12 5 12 4 10 4 11 3 11 3 10 4 10 2 11 3 8 3 10 1 7 0 7

6 11 0 7 5 10 2 8 2 7 8 14 5 15 4 7 7 10 6 10 7 15 5 11 7 11 5 12 2 10 7 4 15 3 9 6 15 5 12

0 4 3 8 3 7 5 9 5 12 2 8 4 10 5 16 3 15 4 15 4 11 6 14 4 15 6 14 8 17 4 19 7 13 9 18 6 14 9 17

28 74 33 67 25 69 28 55 24 59 25 51 23 50 19 46 14 52 24 53 19 45 25 51 11 42 14 45 15 43 12 44 11 36 21 53 16 36 10 41

A Pts 11 35 18 30 16 39 23 33 19 41 19 45 17 45 17 44 12 54 16 68 18 41 26 52 20 56 21 58 25 57 16 63 22 54 32 74 23 59 26 64

33 77 33 70 26 67 26 65 26 58 23 56 23 51 22 46 22 46 21 46 19 45 17 44 16 44 14 42 14 40 13 40 13 39 12 39 9 36 5 33

West Ham Chelsea

3 1

Arsenal Swansea

0 2

Fulham Tottenham

0 3

Liverpool Southampton

1 0

Man City Everton

1 1

QPR Aston Villa

1 1

West Brom Stoke

0 1

Reading Man United

L L

Playing Today Norwich v Sunderland 6pm Playing Tomorrow Newcastle v Wigan 10pm Cyprus Championship Anorthosis 1 AEL 1

40 December 2, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport

Golf’s long putters are going belly up to preserve 36 challenge

Mancini’s men frustrated by sticky Toffees 39

England stun All Blacks with record win England 38 New Zealand 21

By Mitch Phillips

Flying high: Chris Ashton was among the scorers as England ended the world champions’ 20-game unbeaten run

ENGLAND produced one of their finest performances ever to stun New Zealand 38-21 and end the world champions’ 20-game unbeaten run in the most spectacular style during a remarkable afternoon at Twickenham yesterday.

New Zealand, who had won their last nine games against England and not

dropped a European tour game for ten years, were 12-1 on favourites at the start.

But they were outplayed in every department by a callow England team beaten

by Australia and South Africa in the last two weeks, who chalked up their highest score and record margin against a team being touted as the best ever to have played the game.

England deservedly led 12-0 at halftime via the boot of Owen Farrell and, though the All Blacks closed to within a point with quickfire tries to Julian Savea and Keiran Read, the hosts

roared back with tries by Brad Barritt, an inspired Manu Tuilagi and Chris Ashton.

New Zealand, perhaps suffering the effects of an illness bug that hit the camp this week, got another late Savea try but England, with only 206 caps in their starting XV to the 789 of their feted rivals, dominated to the whistle to end coach Stuart Lancaster’s first year in charge on an unexpected high.

“It’s brilliant. We kept ourselves to ourselves this week - we’d been written off but that fuelled the fire a little bit,” England captain

Chris Robshaw told BBC Sport after the game.

“We stuck to our guns and everyone went out believing we could do it.

“To beat the world champions you need a bit of luck and we had that. We’re always building towards something and we won’t get too carried away.

“It’s a work in progress but it looks like it’s starting to click. It’s a great way to finish off the autumn series.”

Elsewhere, at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff yesterday, Australia fought back to beat Six Nations champions Wales 14-12 in a thrilling match.

Rafa’s revolution in tatters Hammers beat Chelsea for first time in nine years as Torres drought continues West Ham 3 Chelsea 1

By Martyn Herman

C

HELSEA collapsed to a 3-1 Premier League defeat at West Ham United after leading at halftime yesterday as Rafa Benitez’s start as the club’s interim manager went from bad to worse.

Juan Mata gave Benitez’s side a well-deserved halftime lead but the home side roared back after the break with former Chelsea striker Carlton Cole levelling just past the hour before substitutes Mohamed Diame and Modibo Maiga struck late on.

Since the deeply unpopular decision to sack Champions League and FA Cup-winning manager Roberto Di Matteo and replace him with former Liverpool boss Benitez, Chelsea have managed just two points and are falling out of the title race.

Benitez was booed in the 0-0 draw at home to Manchester City last Sunday, his first game in charge, and his side then produced a dismal performance in another 0-0 draw at home to west ham on London rivals Fulham Wednesday. g about Banners protesting ge were the managerial change again in evidence att Upton ening 45 Park, yet for the opening ere in minutes Chelsea were complete control and heading for victory. els However, the wheels he came off after the s break as Chelsea’s run without a league victory reached seven games. e “In the first half we wo or could have scored two nitez, three goals,” Benitez, lsea who is the first Chelsea

Misery: Rafa Benitez is the first Chelsea manager in the era of Russian owner Roman Abramovich (since 2003) to fail to win any of his first three matches. Misfiring £50 million Blues striker Fernando Torres meanwhile has now failed to score in over 12 hours of play manager in the era of Russian owner Roman Abramovich to fail to win any of his

firs rst three th matches, to old Sky told S orts.

Sp Sports.

“But the second half they scored a controversial

first goal and everything changed and they were on top and we couldn’t manage. I thought we had to do better in the second half.”

Benitez added: “We need a win, simple.”

When Fernando Torres cut the ball back from the byline for Mata to shoot Chelsea in front after 13 minutes it seemed that Benitez could silence the critics for at least a day.

Mata could have increased the lead but Jussi Jaaskelainen made a great save to keep the home side within touching distance.

Mohamed Diame scored West Ham’s second goal to put them in the driving seat

West Ham’s Kevin Nolan had a goal disallowed just before halftime while Chelsea keeper Petr Cech made a fingertip save to keep out Nolan’s header from a corner.

West Ham were far more adventurous after the break and deservedly drew level when Cole nodded past Cech from close range after appearing to climb over Branislav Ivanovic.

Mata nearly restored Chelsea’s lead with a superb free kick that thudded against the woodwork and Chelsea looked the more likely winners as the game entered its closing stages.

However, West Ham, who

had not beaten Chelsea for nine years, roused themselves for a final surge.

Ashley Cole had to head Winston Reid’s header off the line, and with four minutes of normal time remaining Diame smashed a low shot past Cech.

Disgruntled Chelsea fans were already heading for the exit when Maiga converted a rebound for the third after Cech had saved Matt Taylor’s shot.

“It was an outstanding victory. Every West Ham fan should have a fantastic weekend,” manager Sam Allardyce told BBC Sport after the match “We needed to get in the

opposition’s half and play off Carlton Cole. I thought we were trying to play through the midfield too much. In the second half we took the game to Chelsea.

“Cole was fantastic. Everything we played up with a bit of quality, he held on to. He messed up Cahill and Ivanovic all day. His goal was a great finish and the players can really enjoy their week.”