CYPRUS MAIL

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Cyprus Mail www.cyprus-mail.com

Friday, December 14, 2012

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CYPRUS

SPORT

FILM

End of the road for Orphanides supermarkets

Chelsea power into Club World Cup final 32

The Hobbit hits the big screen today centre

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Europe upbeat on bailout for Cyprus Christofias says Cyprus ‘stabbed in the back’ by various quarters within the EU By George Psyllides

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HE Eurogroup yesterday appeared confident that an agreement on Cyprus’ bailout programme can be reached soon but not before the new year. The group discussed Cyprus yesterday though no decision had been expected. In a written statement issued after the meeting, the Eurogroup said progress had been made towards a possible macro-financial assistance programme and welcomed “that the Cypriot authorities are demonstrating their commitment to such reforms and that the Cypriot parliament has passed a first set of measures that had been agreed.” “We are confident that agreement on the programme could soon be reached, and we call on the international institutions and Cyprus to finalise negotiations accordingly,” the statement said. The Eurogroup said it had been assured that Cyprus’ immediate financing needs have been covered. Parliament on Wednesday passed a raft of austerity measures included in the provisional bailout agreement. Three other bills were already approved last week.

Eurogroup President Jean-Claude Juncker said Cyprus’ problem was serious but it was being tackled in a serious way. Juncker said private sector involvement with Cyprus had not been discussed and would not commit on a timetable. “I don’t want to lock us into an overly strict timetable. But we will work to find a solution as quickly as possible,” he said. Earlier yesterday, Juncker said a definitive solution for Cyprus would probably be found in January. European Commission Vice-President Olli Rehn echoed Juncker in that a decision can be expected next month. Rehn welcomed Cyprus’ move to adopt the measures agreed with international lenders – the troika. “This is an encouraging sign of Cyprus’ determination to do what it takes to ensure fiscal and financial sustainability,” Rehn said. To conclude the deal, the two sides need the final results of the due diligence exercise for the banking sector, expected by midJanuary. “In parallel, the Commission will continue to work intensively to facilitate a decision on a programme, which we envisage can be taken next month,” Rehn said.

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Swedish children take part in a Lucia concert in a church at the museum of Skansen yesterday in Stockholm (AFP)

Self-styled sugar daddy blows £121,000 on champagne A SELF-styled UK sugar daddy who pays cash-strapped students for sex spent £121,000 on champagne this week celebrating a big win at a casino. Dexter Koh, who owns a public relations company in Shoreditch, claimed he won a six-figure sum in a high-stakes night of gambling before arriving at Aura nightclub in Mayfair at midnight. By the early hours yesterday, Koh, 30, blew more than £121,000 on champagne, including a single Methuselah of Cristal - six litres - at £26,000. Koh, who has openly admitted entering into “mutually beneficial arrangements” with university students in return for sex, tweeted photographs from inside the nightclub, surrounded by models and huge champagne bottles fizzing with sparklers.

He highlighted Wednesday’s date, writing: “12/12/12 wow just smashed it again on the tables. Six figures. What a way to end the year. Let’s get my drink on!” Other items on the bill included one Jeroboam of Ace of Spades champagne, three litres, which cost £16,500. He kept his 19,000 Twitter followers updated through the night, adding tweets including: “having it large”, “this bill will be epic” and “now that’s what I call getting your round in!” The flamboyant businessman has been compared to Christian Grey, a central character from the hit “mummy porn” novel Fifty Shades of Grey, who also enters into contractual sexual relationships. A spokesman for seekingarrange-

ments.com — known as a “sugar daddy” dating site — said: “They give him sex and show him a good time, and he lavishes them with riches.” Koh recently told how he dated a 24year-old Bristol University graduate who had student debts of £62,000 and was struggling to find work in London. He said: “There was no way she could have survived financially without the help of a sugar daddy. “I really felt sorry for her, she was worried sick about her debt. I really don’t know how some students cope without having very rich parents. She had dated several sugar daddies before me. “She was totally unapologetic about it and admitted that once she had got her career and her finances sorted she would quit the site.”


Friday, December 14, 2012 CYPRUS MAIL

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Home PICTURE OF THE DAY

Weather Paralimni

Nicosia 17

8

Troodos

18 18

Larnaca

18

18

Paphos

Limassol

TODAY: A mixture of sunshine and cloud. Temperatures will reach 17C inland, 18C along the coasts and 8C over higher ground OUTLOOK: Remaining relatively settled over the weekend YESTERDAY:

Max Temp Nicosia 20 Larnaca 20 Limassol 20 Paphos 20 Paralimni 21 Prodromos 11

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Min 6 7 9 11 9 3

Humidity 53% 51% 59% 65% 54% 63%

SUNRISE: 06:47am

SUNSET: 4:35pm

Pollution Low/Low Low/Low Low/Low Low Low Low

Air quality in Cyprus is assessed with the aid of a network of nine advanced monitoring stations. Data is recorded hourly. Information provided by the Air Quality Section of the Department of Labour Inspection (DLI)

Worldwide Athens Budapest Bucharest Brussels Cairo Copenhagen Damascus Dublin Frankfurt Geneva Istanbul London

11 -2 -3 1 13 -3 16 5 -3 -3 6 1

Cloudy Clear Clear Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Snow Cloudy Cloudy

Madrid Manchester Moscow Oslo Paris Prague Rome Sarajevo Sofia Stockholm Tel Aviv Vienna

6 1 -6 -9 1 -3 7 -6 -1 -8 15 -3

Mist Cloudy Cloudy Snow Light Rain Cloudy Cloudy Clear Clear Snow Cloudy Cloudy

EXCHANGE

1.3147

0.8145

For a full list of exchange rates, see page 12

Chinese military personnel are pictured attending a ceremony for victims on the 75th anniversary of the Nanjing massacre at the Memorial Museum in Nanjing yesterday (AFP)

QUICK CROSSWORD 2262 Across

Down

5 Central US state (4) 7 Successful (10) 8 Proust (anag.) (6) 10 Potassium carbonate (6) 11 Operatic song (4) 12 Enormous (8) 14 Rebel (8) 16 Drug (4) 17 Cut into small pieces (4,2) 19 Heraldic coat (6) 21 Holding up (10) 22 Eat away (4)

1 Cornish saint (4) 2 Ideal place (6) 3 Discontinue parliament (8) 4 Ring (4) 5 Crystalline compound (6) 6 Churchgoer (10) 9 Everywhere (10) 13 Whirling motion (8) 15 Mischievous (6) 16 Discussion (6) 18 Hollow cylinder (4) 20 Old Venetian magistrate (4)

CHEMISTS NICOSIA M. Paphiti, Strovolos & Ay Mamantos Ave, Kato Lakatameia. Tel: 22324114, 22323943 (H) K. Solomou, 49E Z Archangelou Ave, Strovolos. Tel: 22357047, 22354816 (H) L. Froso, 69 Larnaca Ave, Aglandjia. Tel: 22338941, 22338941 (H) M. Papadopoulou, 38C Them. Dervis St. Tel: 22676936, 22338998 (H) I. Papaioakovou, 60 Democratic Ave, Strovolos. Tel: 22450644, 22876916 (H) LIMASSOL Ch. Karagiannis, 41 P. Tsirou,

Tel: 25336176, 25394850 (H) G. Sakkas, 23b Agios Zonis Str., Tel: 25366299, 25385672 A. Geitonas, 33 Agias Sofias & Adonidos, Tel: 25565632, 99937018 LARNACA A. Evlavis, 34 Gr. Afxentiou Ave. Tel: 24651317, 24662689 (H) V. Moyseos, PEO, Tel: 93 Ermou St., Tel: 24655312, 24626553 PAPHOS A. Papoudas 25 Al. Ipsilanti Tel: 26811750, 26952138 (H) PARALIMNI M. Pantelidou, 2 Mapias Sigklitikis, Tel: 23730111, 23823055

Cyprus Mail Established 1945. Number 21,405 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

For cryptic crossword and answers to the previous quick crossword see page 21

ON THIS DAY DECEMBER 14 1959 Archbishop Makarios is elected the first president of the future Cyprus Republic.

1972 Apollo 17, the last manned space mission to the Moon, returns to Earth, bringing an end to America’s programme of lunar exploration.

1995 Leaders of Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia sign the Dayton Accord in Paris to end more than three years of bitter conflict.

2003 The ousted President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, is captured after being found by US soldiers hiding in a cellar.

2008 President George W. Bush makes his fourth and final (planned) trip to Iraq as president and is almost struck by two shoes thrown at him by Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi during a news conference in Baghdad.

WHAT THE MAIL SAID 25 years ago, Wednesday December 14, 1987 There was a protest demonstration by PLO supporters at Eleftheria Square, Nicosia yesterday afternoon against the Israeli attitude in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Israeli troops shot dead three more Palestinians and wounded several others on the seventh successive day of unrest in the occupied Gaza strip. 35 years ago, Friday December 14, 1977 Nicos Sampson, who is serving a long term sentence for his part in the coup of July 1974, denounced the kidnapping of the President’s son and declared that he would not wish to be released through acts of violence or acts against the law of the country. In a statement from prison through his lawyers, Sampson says he is for amnesty and oblivion of the past for the good of the country. 45 years ago, Saturday December 14, 1967 Four British soldiers were sentenced by the district Court of Famagusta to a £238 fine, which they paid on the same day. They were charged with assaulting a police constable while on duty and while they were under the influence of drink.


CYPRUS MAIL Friday, December 14, 2012

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Home CYPRUS TODAY Brand of Christmas sweet unfit to eat THE HEALTH Ministry yesterday warned the public that a specific type of Greek-produced special Christmas sweets known locally as melomakarona are unfit for consumption. According to the ministry’s health services, during tests carried out in the market on seasonal food offered during Christmas, one version of the Christmas honey-soaked sweets produced by LIDL in Greece was found to have mould on the surface. The health services were informed by the Greek authorities that this specific product is unfit for human consumption given the mould identified. The commercial name of the product is Glykanthi Melomakarona, packaged in red cardboard boxes weighing one kilo each with an expiry date of January 31, 2013 and made in Greece by the company LIDL HELLAS & CO. The Cyprus distributor of the product is reportedly aware of the problem and already sent announcements to all retail stores to inform their customers. However, given that some products are already in the hands of consumers, the health services decided to issue an announcement warning all consumers to avoid the consumption of the product.

Emergency works for cultural sites THE BICOMMUNAL Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage yesterday announced the start-up of emergency measures at various sites. Works will start on the mosque at Denia and focus on emergency measures to prevent further damage to the building which is in a precarious condition, an announcement said. This will include a general cleaning of the mosque and the courtyard, removal of loose parts, consolidation of the internal arch and improvement of the courtyard fence. The works are expected to be completed by early March 2013. Steps are also being taken for similar measures on Prophet Elias Church in occupied Filia, and other monuments in the north. Additional cultural heritage sites will benefit from similar interventions in the months to come. All the activities are funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDPPartnership for the Future in collaboration with the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage. The startup of these activities marks an important moment in the Committee’s efforts to protect and preserve the island’s rich cultural heritage, the statement said.

New customer service for US visas THE US Embassy in Nicosia has launched a new customer service centre for the public – online at www.usvisainfo.com – for travellers applying at the embassy for visas for tourism, business, study, work, and other short-term travel in the United States. Customers can get information about non-immigrant visas, schedule interview appointments at the embassy, and arrange for the delivery of passports and visas either online at www.usvisa-info.com or on the telephone at 22 232 082. The new service is scheduled to go live today. Customers can visit the site online 24/7, or call for assistance from 7am until 9pm, Monday to Friday. The online and telephone centres will provide information in English, Greek and Turkish. Once people register for an online account, they can pay their application fees by credit card or cash, and schedule appointments for an interview at the embassy. Applicants who receive visas can pick them up at Aramex courier centres in Nicosia, Limassol or Larnaca.

The debt is so large it could not be covered even if the company returned to profitability

End of the road for Orphanides chain Buyer being sought for island’s biggest supermarket group as it goes into receivership with millions in debt By Elias Hazou ORPHANIDES supermarkets, in the red for over €200m, are to be placed in receivership, the company has announced. The largest supermarket chain is indebted to banks to the tune of some €140m; additionally it owes suppliers €85m and €10m to other creditors. The decision for corporate bankruptcy was announced yesterday by Andreas Andronikou, of UK auditing firm UHY Hacker Young. Andronikou is to be appointed receiver pending approval by the main creditors, Popular Bank and the Bank of Cyprus. The

banks will reportedly back the move. Speaking to suppliers yesterday, Andronikou was blunt: he said the aim was to find a buyer for the company as soon as possible. The debt was so large it could not be covered even if the company returned to profitability, he said. The company recorded a loss of €17.7m for the first three quarters of the year, and was already planning to shut down a number of stores. Andronikou called on suppliers to rally around the company in helping find a buyer, something he said he hoped could be achieved sometime in the next six to eight weeks. “Should the company be

wound up, even the banks, which are guaranteed creditors, might not get their money back, much less you,” he told them. The shake-up will also see founder and CEO Christos Orphanides step down. Speaking at the same gathering yesterday, Orphanides took full responsibility for the company’s state of affairs: “Unfortunately, mistakes have been made, and I assume responsibility,” he said. According to Orphanides, the company ran into problems more than a year ago, but the situation rapidly deteriorated in recent weeks when a minority of large contractors stopped supplying the chain.

Supermarkets have been left without a number of basic products, he said. The Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) said it was suspending for yesterday the trading of titles of Orphanides Public Company Ltd following news reports that the company was going into receivership. The Bourse said the decision was taken “to ensure the smooth functioning of the CSE market as to the aforementioned securities and in order to protect the investors.” The CSE decided also to transfer the shares of the company to the Special Category Market from the Main Market of the CSE, starting from today, Friday 14, 2012.

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Friday, December 14, 2012 CYPRUS MAIL

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Home Spending power of Cypriots continues to fall compared to EU average By Peter Stevenson THE SPENDING power of Cypriots is below the average of their fellow Europeans according to statistics gathered by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. The figure is expressed in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in terms of each country’s purchasing power standard. Purchasing power standards is an economic theory and a technique used to determine

the relative value of currencies. It estimates the amount of adjustment needed on the exchange rate between countries in order for the exchange to be equivalent to (or on par with) each currency’s purchasing power. Cyprus’ GDP per capita continued its downward trend after hovering at the average in 2009, falling to 3.0 per cent below in 2010, and 5.0 per cent lower in 2011. In 2011 the GDP per capita in Luxembourg was more than two and a half times the average. The Netherlands, Ireland, Austria, Swe-

den, Denmark and Germany were between around 20 per cent and 30 per cent above the average, while Belgium and Finland were between 10 per cent and 20 per cent above average. The United Kingdom and France registered GDP per capita nearly 10 per cent above the average, while Italy and Spain were around the average. Malta, Slovenia and the Czech Republic were between 15 per cent and 20 per cent lower than the average. Greece, Portugal and Slovakia were between 20 per cent and 30 per cent

below the average, while Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary and Poland were around one third below. The high GDP per capita in Luxembourg is partly due to the country’s large share of crossborder workers in employment. While contributing to GDP, these workers are not taken into consideration as part of the resident population which is used to calculate GDP per capita. In comparison, Gross National Income per capita in Luxembourg is around 196 per cent of the EU average.

Semi-state bodies under pressure to assist broke state CyTA workers call off strike over loan to government for now as EAC comes under spotlight for more cash By Stefanos Evripidou UNIONS OF the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CyTA) yesterday agreed to call off an indefinite strike until parliament had a chance to examine the government’s request for a €100m loan from the pension fund of the semigovernment organisation (SGO). Three of the five unions representing around 50 per cent of CyTA workers announced on Wednesday they would go on an indefinite strike after the authority’s board decided to lend the state €100m from the workers’ pension fund. The unions argued the decision was “illegal and irregular”, warning they would continue to strike until the board revokes its decision and its members resign. The three unions- PASE, ASET and SEP- issued a joint announcement yesterday saying they have decided to postpone strike action until after next Monday when the House Finance Committee will examine the issue. The unions also received assurances that the finance committee would send a letter to the CyTA board

asking it not to take money from the pension fund until parliament gets a chance to discuss the issue. The workers’ representatives called on all CyTA employees to gather outside parliament on Monday in a show of strength during the House Committee’s discussion on the issue. PASE head Alecos Tryfonides said the decision was taken after the positive response of parliament to their demands. “We love our country, we help our state in many ways,” he said, in reference to an earlier loan to the government of €100m by CyTA. “But from the pension fund, from the struggles of a lifetime, the workers’ safety net, we do not want and will not allow any amount to be taken,” said Tryfonides. The two remaining CyTA unions- SEK and PEO- representing the remaining 50 per cent of staff remained on the fence yesterday. SEK representative Orestis Vassiliou said the union would not take rash decisions without exhausting dialogue with the government and parliament first. SEK boss responsible for all SGOs, Andreas Elias, told the Cyprus Mail that the powerful union believes

taking a loan from the workers’ pension fund is wrong. “We have asked the finance ministry and parliament to give us a comprehensive overview of their plans for covering the needs of state finances in the coming months,” he said. Elias said the finance minister has publicly stated that the immediate financing needs of the state are covered until the end of January. Given that the Eurogroup won’t examine Cyprus’ request for a bailout until January 21, what SEK are most keen to find out is what happens if the government doesn’t get the bailout money by March, when the loan has to be paid back? Or what happens to the loan if the government doesn’t get the bailout approved at all? “It’s a logical question, the answer to which we must give to the workers,” he said. A PEO representative told the state broadcaster that the left-wing union will think very seriously before taking any decision on whether to strike. Meanwhile, other profitmaking SGOs have found themselves in the crosshairs of the cash-strapped state. The Port Authority has

announced a loan of €38m to the state, with a view to adding a further €12m if needed. The Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) will discuss a government request for a loan today. According to reports, the state has asked for a loan between €80m and €100m from the electricity company. The EAC union EPOPAI yesterday slammed CyTA chairman Stathis Kittis for calling on all profitable SGOs to throw the state a lifeline so that CyTA did not taken on the burden alone. The union said calls for the EAC to also grant a loan from its pension fund “misguided and unfortunate”. The EAC pension fund’s management committee will discuss the request today. According to sources, the government is considering even more innovative ways to meet its financing needs than a loan.The government has reportedly reached a preliminary agreement with the EAC and its insurers and reinsurers for an out of court settlement regarding the cost of fixing Vassilikos after the power plant was destroyed by the Mari blast last year. The insurers have reportedly agreed to pay €132.5m

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CyTA workers were back on the streets yesterday in full to the EAC to cover the cost of fixing the battered plant, €30m of which has already been paid, leaving €102.5m pending. In turn, the government has agreed to pay the insurers €99m in compensation in recognition of its own responsibility for the blast, while at the same time avoiding a costly legal battle with the insurers. According to sources, the government plans to give

the EAC another €30m instalment from the insurance payout, while temporarily pocketing the remaining €72.5m to cover its own pressing needs, leaving the EAC with another IOU. This will be added to any loan from the pension fund, in addition to the €24.5m still owed by the state to the authority to cover the cost of renting mobile generators after the naval base blast.

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CYPRUS MAIL Friday, December 14, 2012

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DISY’s bid to axe benefits for asylum seekers and TCs By George Psyllides OPPOSITION parties DISY and DIKO yesterday submitted draft legislation that would effectively end free health care for Turkish Cypriots and allowances paid to asylum seekers. “At a time when the state is cutting social allowances from vulnerable groups of the population, we consider it inconceivable for our Turkish Cypriot fellow citizens or other citizens of third countries, to have free access to health services and collect allowances without making any contribution to the social insurance

Bill submitted to parliament would save the government €50 million each year fund or having submitted a tax return,” said DISY MP Tasos Mitsopoulos. The bill, submitted on the initiative of DISY leader Nicos Anastasiades, provides that no healthcare card or right to healthcare or public allowance will be afforded to any individual unless they have paid social insurance for at least three years or have filed a tax return for the year preceding the application for a medical card.

The proposal is expected to save the state some €50 million per year. Speaking in parliament earlier yesterday, DISY deputy chairman Averof Neophytou asked for the proposal to be examined as a matter of urgency and put to the vote right away. The proposal is expected to be discussed next week after AKEL requested time to study the bill. Affording free healthcare to Turkish Cypriots was a po-

litical decision taken by the Tassos Papadopoulos administration after the opening of access points between the divided communities in 2003. Imposing on Turkish Cypriots the same income criteria as Greek Cypriots would have meant accepting and effectively recognising documents issued by the breakaway state. A lot of Greek Cypriots feel bitter about the arrangement, including politicians,

who have spoken against it many times. It has now come under sharper focus, especially after authorities were forced to cut allowances from various groups, including the disabled. The same goes for the allowances afforded to asylum seekers, which has on many occasions been used against the current administration. Under the current system, asylum seekers receive the same allowance as Cypriot beneficiaries of state assistance. Many MPs have repeatedly suggested that asylum seekers are granted too much money and have called for a change in the system.

‘Teachers have suffered most from austerity measures’ MEMBERS of the teachers unions OELMEK, OLTEK and POED protested against austerity measures, at barriers set up by police, some 60m from parliament’s entrance yesterday. Although the protest was peaceful, there was a heavy police presence, with metal barricades and members of the police riot squad (MMAD) making sure noone could get close to the House. There have been protests by various groups outside parliament every day this week, forcing police to take extra security steps. The new austerity measures will force teachers to work an extra hour per week but will also see contracted teachers, who have not been made permanent employees of the state, out of a job. The heads of the three unions met with House President, Yiannakis Omirou who told them that

Police stand guard near the parliament yesterday as protesters were kept behind barriers the House accepts complaints about issues that it is not responsible for. “Education is the future of our society, our children and our country and that’s why it should not be affected by the economic crisis,” head of POED, Filios Fylaktou said. “We cannot accept that education is being blighted by these measures and as teachers, along with parent associations, we must stand

up against the attack on the education of our country,” he added. Demetris Taliadoros, head of OELMEK, said that teachers in the public sector have suffered the most from the cuts. “Cuts to education limit the development of our place,” he said. He also spoke about how the cuts have left teachers who had been teaching for up to ten years, unemployed.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS/QUOTATIONS The Embassy of the United States of America in Nicosia announces that Requests for Proposals/Quotations for the acquisition of commodities and/or services will be posted through the Embassy's website below. http://cyprus.usembassy.gov/businessopportunities.html The Embassy of the United States of America encourages all prospective bidders to view the internet site on a regular basis to view current and upcoming

(Christos Theodorides)

Europe upbeat on Cyprus bailout

Juncker: January deal (continued from front page) Cyprus and international lenders have already earmarked up to €10 billion as aid for the island’s banks, but this was subject to outside verification. Investment company Pimco carried out an asset review of five Cyprus-based banks and a stress test to determine capital needs for each bank. It also covered a representative sample of co-operative credit institutions. The review was submitted to a steering committee comprising potential lenders and Cypriot authorities. Meanwhile, President Demetris Christofias charged yesterday that Cyprus had been stabbed in the back from various directions in the EU: over alleged money laundering, or supposedly being a paradise for Russian tycoons or allegedly using the loan to rescue Russians. These “were blows below the belt,” the president said. “We are small in number but we have dignity and we have proven this. And we will prove it on the way by overcoming the problems – with our sacrifice, our love for our country.”

Vacancy The U.S. Embassy in Nicosia has a full-time opening (40 hours a week) for a Warehouse and Property Operations Manager position in the General Services Section. Applicants must have the required work and residency permits to be eligible for consideration. Main responsibility:

Incumbent has the overall responsibility for and supervises the expendable and non-expendable supply operations for the embassy, including the operation of the Embassy Warehouse. He supervises an ILMS and Expendable Supplies Clerk, a Receiving Clerk, a Warehouse Coordinator and a Truck Driver/Warehouseman, as well as summer hires, occasional day laborers and contractors. Works under the supervision of the General Services Officer. Please visit the following website for detailed qualifications for the position and for application procedures: http://cyprus.usembassy.gov/theembassy/employment.html

solicitations. For example we are currently requesting proposals for Locally Employeed Staff Health Insurance Services Questions regarding solicitations should be directed to the Procurement Section via fax: +357-22-393933 or e-mail NicosiaContracting@state.gov

Applicants should send the DS-174 application for employment to: U.S. Embassy, HR Office, Warehouse and Property Operations Manager, P.O. Box 24536, 1385 Nicosia or via E-mail to: VacanciesNicosia@state.gov to arrive no later than 5:00 p.m. December 21, 2012. No telephone calls will be accepted. An Equal Opportunity Employer.


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Guilty of nepotism and then promoted The two officials were the first convicted of the crime By Elias Hazou

People might be feeling the pinch even more this year, but this hasn’t stopped some from getting into the Christmas spirit with a roller coaster ride at the annual Christmas fair in Nicosia (Christos Theodorides)

All the fun of the Christmas fair in Limassol as 19 days of seasonal events get under way By Daphne Vrahimi THE first-ever International Christmas Fair in Cyprus begins today in Limassol, in the Yermasoyia tourist area. The opening will take place at 7pm, but holiday spirit is expected to ignite by 6.30pm with the lighting up of a 10metre high Christmas tree. The fair will last 19 days, ending on New Year’s Day and will include dozens of events such as Santa, magicians, zumba, cat and dog shows, and competitions with prizes. The fair is a result of the cooperation between Russian newspaper Vestnik Kipra and the municipality of Yermasoyia, with the support of the Tourist Board of Limassol. They have spent six months organising the event. Andreas Gavrielides, the

mayor of Yermasoyia, urged everyone to participate saying it would display Cyprus’ European character by bringing all communities of Cyprus together. “It will show our ability to celebrate the biggest Christian holiday even at a time as difficult as the one we are currently going through,” he said. Limassol Tourist Board manager Maria Stylianou said: “This event will really make a difference for Limassol locals and for tourists. We support this project and we wish it every success.” Each of the 19 days of the Christmas Fair will present visitors with exciting things to do and see. As editor in chief of Vestnik Kipra, Natalia Kardash said: “This is a first for a lot of things. First Christmas fair, first dog show, first cat show, first everything”. Visitors get to participate in competitions such as

Events will include a dog show, zumba and competitions Christmas tree decorating for which they can register on the fair’s website, www. vkchristmas.com. Afternoon programmes will include carol singing by children from local schools, magicians and Santa’s arrival by helicopter on December 23d at 3.30pm. Fair activities also include the biggest open zumba class yet with the cooperation of dance schools ‘Louloudi’, ‘Swing Latino’, ‘Informa and ‘Feel Good.

There will also be free food tasting with culinary delights from a variety of countries, which can also be purchased, and many countries will have their own ‘day’ such as ‘Cypriot Day’, ‘Day of Hungary’, ‘Day of Nordic Countries’, ‘Day of Germany’, among others. “We delayed lighting our Christmas decorations so that all of us will be together during the lighting of the tree for the fair,” said Gavrielides.

INSTEAD of facing sanctions, the two agriculture ministry officers found guilty of nepotism by a Nicosia court have been since promoted. The offences in question date back to 2009; Makis Antoniades and Giorgos Kyriakides were charged with influencing the hiring of temporary staff at the ministry, specifically the Veterinary Services. During the trial earlier this year, they initially pleaded not guilty, but then changed their plea and were fined €1,000 and €2,000 by the court. They are the first and only public functionaries to have ever been convicted of nepotism; the relevant law also provides for a maximum jail sentence of one year. But since then, Antoniades, at the time director of the agriculture minister’s office, has been bumped up to senior officer; and Kyriakides, formerly head of the ministry’s commission for hiring temporary employees, now heads the Veterinary Services. Daily Politis broke the story. The paper said that agriculture minister Sophocles Altetraris intends to pursue the matter of the promotions; he has asked the Attorneygeneral’s office to investigate whether the offences of the two civil servants in question involve moral turpitude. In the event the Attorney-general establishes this, he will then ask the Public Services Commission to launch disciplinary proceedings. The minister confirmed this yesterday in a phone conversation with the Mail. As far as he could recall, the promotions of the two civil servants were approved before the court handed down its verdict, that is, either during the trial or at the very least after the two defendants were charged. Civil service laws provide for disci-

plinary offences and/or termination in the event only that a person has been deemed guilty of offences involving moral turpitude. A court conviction does not automatically lead to termination, Aletraris said. Only the Attorney-general is authorised to deem a public functionary guilty of moral turpitude, following an investigation. The allegations of nepotism came to light in 2009, when Andreas Demetriou – a senior officer at the ministry – accused then minister Michalis Polynikis of personally meddling in the hiring of temporary staff. In a letter to Polynikis, made public, Demetriou identified Polynikis as having had a leading role in assigning public service posts based on party loyalty and not merit. Demetriou also described Antoniades, then director of the minister’s office, as Polynikis’ instrument. “From the time you took office you have, almost on a daily basis, through the director of your office, intervened with the aim of changing exam results,” the whistleblower’s letter to Polynikis read. Polynikis denied any wrongdoing in public, and internally ordered a disciplinary probe against Demetriou on the grounds that he was disrespectful toward him. In the ruling by the Nicosia court this year, the judge included a piqued remark about Polynikis’ absence from the charge sheet – particularly since Polynikis’ personal interference in influencing hiring at the ministry was one of the accepted facts in the trial. Polynikis had apparently cut a deal to turn state’s evidence, enabling the Attorney-general’s office to seal a conviction. As it turned out, he did not have to testify because the defendants meanwhile changed their plea to guilty and were automatically sentenced.

No fanfare for Hobbit opening in Cyprus THE long-awaited film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be opening tonight in Nicosia but no-one in Cyprus will be able to watch the movie as the director, Peter Jackson, had intended. The 3D film was made using the 48 frames-per-second format as opposed to the normal technique of 24 frames-per-second. The different frame-rate will not make a huge difference in the way the movie is viewed according to a K-Cineplex official. No theatres in Cyprus are currently equipped to screen films made using the higher frame-rate, although K-Cineplex said that despite the 48 frame-per-second projectors high cost they are considering bringing one next year. Asked why he used this new method, Jackson said: “Four years ago I shot a six or seven minute King Kong ride for Universal

Studios’ tram ride in California. The reason we used the high frame rate was that we didn’t want people to think it’s a movie. “You want that sense of reality, which you get from a high frame rate, of looking into the real world. “At the time, I thought it would be so cool to make a feature film with this process.” But the New Zealand Herald reported on Monday that fans attending advance screenings claimed they felt nauseous and dizzy from the higher frame rate. There have been no special events planned for the film’s premiere tonight despite the huge worldwide following of the J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation. The Hobbit will be released as three films, with the final instalment arriving in July 2014.


CYPRUS MAIL Friday, December 14, 2012

7

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Friday, December 14, 2012 CYPRUS MAIL

8

Europe

Putin slams US human rights bill

EUROPE TODAY ‘Andersen fairy tale discovered’ A DANISH historian has discovered a copy of what is believed to be a previously unknown fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen. Esben Brage said he found the six-page text in early October while searching in the National Archives through boxes that had belonged to wealthy families from Andersen’s home town of Odense in central Denmark. The handwritten tale entitled “Tallow Candle”, which was dedicated to a widow who had lived across from Andersen, had been left seemingly untouched at the bottom of one of the boxes. Andersen expert Ejnar Stig Askgaard said this is likely to be one of Andersen’s earliest works, written seven years before his official debut. Born in 1805, Andersen wrote nearly 160 fairy tales including “The Ugly Duckling” and “The Little Mermaid”.

Whale rescue bid abandoned RESCUERS have called off attempts to save a humpback whale which beached itself on a sand bank off the northern Dutch coast, saying the animal is too weak to survive. Experts from the marine wildlife centre Ecomare said in a statement that a plan to drag the 40ft (12m) whale into deeper water was scrapped because it is dying.

Voices support for retaliatory Russian bill By Alexei Anishchuk

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the US Magnitsky Act would further strain Russo-American relations

PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin said yesterday U.S. legislation to punish Russian violators of human rights would hurt relations with Washington, but called for a measured response. “This is a purely political and unfriendly act,” he said. “I don’t get why they would sacrifice U.S.-Russia relations in order to reap some political dividends at home.” The US Senate last week adopted legislation requiring the United States to deny visas and freeze assets of people involved in the prison death of Russian anti-graft lawyer Sergei Magnitsky and other alleged rights violators. President Barack Obama is expected to sign it into law soon. Putin warned the Magnitsky Act would further strain a relationship tested by the conflict in Syria and the treatment of critics of the

Kremlin since his return to the presidency in May. “Why do they need this? They talk about a ‘reset’ when they themselves make the situation worse,” Putin said, referring to Obama’s efforts in his first term to improve relations.

TIT FOR TAT He voiced support for a retaliatory bill to be debated today in Russia’s lower house, the State Duma. It would bar entry to Americans deemed to have violated the rights of Russian citizens abroad. “I think this is absolutely right that the State Duma rolled out this initiative,” he said. “We need to make sure though that the decisions we take are adequate and not excessive.” Russia has said it could take unspecified measures in addition to the bill, but denies any connection between the Magnitsky Act and its announcement today of restrictions on meat

imports from several countries including the United States. Pro-Kremlin deputies said the bill, to be debated in the first of three readings today, may be named after Dima Yakovlev, an 18-month Russian infant who died after his adoptive US family left him locked in a vehicle in Virginia in 2008. Putin criticised US authorities for their handling of cases involving violence against adopted Russian children. He also pointed to secret CIA jails abroad and treatment of inmates in the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba, saying Washington had no right to take the moral high ground. “For eight years now they have failed to shut down Guantanamo, (where) they extrajudicially hold people in irons, like in the Middle Ages,” he said. “United States set up secret prisons, legalised torture during investigation. And these people are pointing at our faults!”

Monti brushes off latest Berlusconi switch OUTGOING Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and the man most likely to succeed him brushed off Silvio Berlusconi’s latest turnaround yesterday as speculation grew that the billionaire might drop out of the election race. Monti, speaking in Brussels, refused to comment on former premier Silvio Berlusconi’s offer to withdraw his own candidacy in next year’s election if the former European commissioner Monti agreed to head a centre-right coalition. In Rome, Pier Luigi Bersani, head of the centre-left Democratic Party, dismissed the latest change of mind from the mercurial Berlusconi, whose badlydivided camp is riven with dissent and

trailing badly in the opinion polls. “Berlusconi will not win,” he told foreign journalists in Rome. “He will lose this election and he is trying to save what he can by making himself the centre of a story that will last half an hour so that nobody talks about serious things.” He said the centre left would respect European budget rules and continue Monti’s reform agenda. “We can no longer consider backpedalling on fiscal discipline and credibility,” Bersani said. Berlusconi, 76, has declared he is standing for his fifth term as prime minister, a decision that at first caused

nervousness on international markets and fears that he would reverse Monti’s economic reform agenda. With opinion polls suggesting Berlusconi has little chance of winning the election, market reaction has calmed and an auction of three year bonds yesterday saw the Treasury pay the lowest borrowing costs since late 2010. The media tycoon, who has a reputation for constantly changing his mind, pulled the latest of a series of surprises on Wednesday, declaring at a book launch that he would drop plans to run if Monti, whom he has attacked fiercely in recent days, agreed to lead the centre right in his place.

Monti refused to comment on the former PM’s offer

Ukraine parliament elects Azarov amid brawls Slow start to high-speed Dutch-Belgian train service UKRAINE’S parliament yesterday approved Mykola Azarov, President Viktor Yanukovich’s ally, as prime minister, after the ruling Party of the Regions and its allies mustered a solid majority despite raucous protests from the opposition. Azarov, 64, who now faces tough talks with the International Monetary Fund, has served as prime minister since Yanukovich became president in February 2010 and was voted in for a second term in office by 252 votes from the 450-seat chamber. “We must find compromise on (the issue of) co-operation with the IMF,” he told the chamber.

THIS WEEK IN YOUR

Azarov’s government lost access to the previous IMF programme in early 2011 after refusing to raise household gas and heating prices to cut the budget deficit. Azarov said in October he still hoped to avoid price hikes. The Fund, which insists on price increases, plans to send a mission to Kiev in late January. Ukraine needs fresh IMF loans to refinance at least some of $9 billion in state foreign debt falling due next year. The vote on Azarov’s nomination was an early test of the support that Yanukovich, who is expected to bid for a second term as president in 2015, commands in the new chamber.

BELGIAN railway operator SNCB has called an emergency meeting with its Dutch partner after a new high-speed service between Amsterdam and Brussels suffered embarrassing faults and delays. The Fyra train, launched on Sunday, is supposed to link the Dutch and Belgium capitals in two hours, an hour less than the Benelux train which has been withdrawn. But after a relatively successful first day, malfunctions left one train stuck in Amsterdam and others stranded in the Dutch cities of Rotterdam and Breda. Passengers reached their destinations more than an hour late.

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The problems peaked on Wednesday when only one of four morning services to Belgium made it to Brussels Midi station and some passengers had to take a bus part of the way. SNCB said its chief executive has called a meeting today with his counterpart at Dutch Railways (NS) and the head of NS Highspeed, the NS subsidiary operating the Fyra service. A SNCB spokesman declined to say where they were meeting and how they planned to get there. “I guarantee there will be an improvement in the coming weeks,” an NS spokesman said.


CYPRUS MAIL Friday, December 14, 2012

9

Britain

Libyan in £2m payout over rendition THE government has agreed to pay more than £2 million to the family of a Libyan dissident after accepting its role in his illegal rendition, his legal team said yesterday. Sami al Saadi, a leading Gaddafi opponent, was imprisoned and tortured after he was forced to board a plane back to Tripoli along with his wife and four children in 2004 in a joint UK-US-Libyan operation. Ministers are now understood to have offered him a sum of £2.2 million, but the government has not admitted liability, al Saadi said. “My family suffered enough when they were kidnapped and flown to Gaddafi’s Libya,” he added. “They will now have the chance to complete their education in the new, free Libya. I will

Keith Vaz leaves Westminster Coroner’s Court in central London yesterday

Prank call nurse found hanging Saldanha’s wrist also marked, inquest hears By Helen William THE nurse who was duped by a prank call from two Australian radio DJs to the hospital treating the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge was found hanging, an inquest has heard. Jacintha Saldanha, 46, a mother-of-two from Bristol, was found in her nurses’ quarters by a colleague and a security guard last Friday. There were also marks on her wrist. Two notes were found in her room and another was among her possessions, London’s Westminster Coroner’s Court was told. Detective Chief Inspector James Harman said: “On Friday December 7, Jacintha Saldanha was found by a colleague and a member of security staff. Sadly she was found hanging. “There was also injuries to her wrist. “The London Ambulance Service was called to the scene. At this time there are no suspicious circumstances.” Detectives are also looking into telephone calls and emails to see if they throw any light on the death, Mr Harman said.

Prank call victim: Jacintha Saldanha He told the Coroner, Dr Fiona Wilcox, that Scotland Yard detectives would be in contact with their colleagues in Australia to interview witnesses to “put the best evidence before you” about the circumstances of the death. He said: “I can expect in the very near future to be in contact with colleagues in New South Wales.” The body of Indian-born Saldanha had been visually identified by her accountant husband Benedict Barboza, the court heard. None of Saldanha’s heartbroken relatives were at the five-minute hearing, but they were not forgotten by the coroner. As she set a provisional date of March 26 next year for the next hearing, Dr Wil-

cox told family representatives in the court: “I would like the police to pass on my sympathies to her family and everybody who has been touched by this tragic death.” Saldanha had been fooled by the two DJs into believing they were the Queen and Prince of Wales during the prank call to the King Edward VII’s Hospital in London. She had unwittingly transferred the call from the Sydney-based station 2Day FM to a colleague, who described in detail the condition of Kate, who was being treated at the time for severe pregnancy sickness. Labour MP Keith Vaz, who is campaigning on behalf of the family, has written a letter to the chief executive of the Australian radio company Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), Rhys Holleran, calling for the full facts. Vaz, who arrived after the hearing, said outside court: “I have not received a response so I think we will need him to respond. “If you write a letter and you have questions, you really want answers, and that is all the family has wanted - the full facts - as you would want in a circumstance like this.”

‘Russian state involved in Litvinenko death’ THE Russian government was most likely involved in the murder by poisoning of Kremlin critic and former spy Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006, a British lawyer told a preliminary hearing into the death yesterday. The statement by Hugh Davies, an attorney acting on behalf of the inquest, is likely to enrage Russia, which has denied any involvement in the killing, and could put further strain on London’s already testy relations with Moscow. The London court also heard the former KGB agent was working for Britain’s MI6 secret service when he died, suggesting the British government might come under scrutiny for failing to protect him. Litvinenko, who had been granted British

citizenship and become a vocal critic of the Kremlin, died in 2006 after someone slipped polonium-210, a rare radioactive isotope, into his cup of tea at a London hotel. “Our assessment is that the (British) government material does establish a prima facie case as to the culpability of the Russian state in the death of Alexander Litvinenko,” Davies said at yesterday’s hearing, held to discuss the scope of the full inquiry into Litvinenko’s death. British police and prosecutors say there is enough evidence to charge two former KGB agents, Andrei Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun, but Moscow has resisted calls to extradite them. A Kremlin spokesman and the Russian foreign ministry both declined comment.

be able to afford the medical care I need because of the injuries I suffered in prison. “I started this process believing that a British trial would get to the truth in my case. But today, with the government trying to push through secret courts, I feel that to proceed is not best for my family. I went through a secret trial once before, in Gaddafi’s Libya. In many ways, it was as bad as the torture. It is not an experience I care to repeat. “Even now, the British government has never given an answer to the simple question: ‘Were you involved in the kidnap of me, my wife and my children?’ “I think the payment speaks for itself. We will be donating a portion of the proceeds to support other Libyan torture victims.”

JOB VACANCY The British High Commission Nicosia is seeking to recruit a

Personal Assistant to the High Commissioner Job Description This is a very busy all-rounder job that requires a self-starter PA with good typing, computer, communication and organisational skills, who can multi-task, deliver results and be willing to be flexible with regard to hours worked. Duties include: Manage the High Commissioner’s diary, liaise with government Ministries and other Missions, make appointments, respond to invitations, producing daily and forward programmes; assist with visitors programmes. Type letters, reports and other official correspondence and distribution of same by e-mail, fax etc. Draft routine correspondence for High Commissioner. Provide all round unspecified support to the High Commissioner as required, including occasionally at events outside the High Commission. Act as the High Commissioner’s social secretary: organising lunches, dinners and receptions. Act as a communication link between the High Commissioner and the Mission, especially when he is out of the office. Administer a selection of IT systems (training given), manage the electronic and paper registry, maintain and run duty rostas, collect and distribute mail and documents. Key Competencies required. Delivering results Problem solving Managing Self, Others and Resources Communicating Qualifications, Qualities and skills Excellent inter-personal and office organisational skills. Able to work with a diverse range of cultures and people of differing views and opinions. Ability to work under pressure, unsupervised and as part of a team. Capacity to deal patiently and effectively in a wide range of situations, including dealing with the public. Fluent English (written and spoken) and good telephone manner. Proficient and accurate typing. Numerate and proficient in IT including: Microsoft Word (essential), Excel (essential) and Access Database (desirable). Some proficiency in Greek and/or Turkish would be advantageous. Applications in writing with details of: past experience, qualifications, details of all nationalities held, countries of residence over the past ten years and CV should be sent by email to the following address: jobapplicationsnicosia@fco.gov.uk by Friday 18 January 2013. Applications that do not include the above details will not be considered. The Grade for the PA/Head of Registry position is Locally Employed Grade III. The starting salary will be €1609.00 gross per month on a scale rising to €3080. Twenty days holiday per year rising to twenty five days after three years and thirty days after ten years. Non-contributory medical scheme with access to group rates for dependants. Start date is flexible to suit the successful applicant in the range March to April 2013. A shortlist of applicants will be invited for interview by 31st January 2013. Interviews are likely to be in early to mid February. The successful candidate will have a six month probational period. The British High Commission is an equal opportunities employer with family friendly policies. We welcome applications from suitably qualified individuals, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or age. All applications are treated on merit. Applications are encouraged both from those who may be looking for long term employment and from those who may be seeking employment for a fixed period of time. The successful candidate will need to undergo a stringent UK security clearance process.


Friday, December 14, 2012 CYPRUS MAIL

10

World Egypt plebiscite violence warning A LEADING opposition figure warned of more blood on the streets when Egyptians vote on a new constitution championed by Islamist President Mohamed Mursi amid a growing political crisis. In the referendum tomorrow and next Saturday, Egyptians must accept or reject a basic law that has to be in place before national elections can be held early next year - an event many hope can steer the Arab world’s most populous nation out of its turmoil. At least seven people have died and hundreds have been injured in violence that erupted three weeks ago after Mursi awarded himself sweeping powers to ram the charter through a drafting body dominated by Islamists and boycotted by the opposition. Ahmed Said, a leading member of the opposition National Salvation Front, said pushing through the referendum with tension running high on the streets could provoke more violence as rival voters go to the polls. “During the referendum, I believe there will be blood and a lot of antagonism, so it is not right to hold a referendum,” he said.

Russia admits Syrian rebels might triumph Damascus denies it has fired Scud missiles By Steve Gutterman and Oliver Holmes SYRIAN rebels are gaining ground and might win, Russia’s Middle East envoy said yesterday, in the starkest such admission from a major ally of President Bashar al-Assad in 20 months of conflict. “One must look the facts in the face,” Russia’s state-run RIA quoted Mikhail Bogdanov as saying. “Unfortunately, the victory of the Syrian opposition cannot be ruled out.” Bogdanov, a deputy foreign minister and the Kremlin’s special envoy for Middle East affairs, said the Syrian government was “losing control of more and more territory” and Moscow was preparing to evacuate Russian citizens

WORLD TODAY Zuma rival SOUTH African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will challenge President Jacob Zuma for leadership of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) next week, spicing up a one-sided race for the top political position in Africa’s biggest economy. Motlanthe aide Thabo Masebe ended months of speculation about the internal ANC election in the city of Bloemfontein, saying Motlanthe would enter the contest after winning the backing of two of South Africa’s nine provinces. “I understand he will contest the presidency,” he said yesterday. Zuma, 70, is favoured to win re-election in Bloemfontein as ANC head, putting him in pole position for a second five-year term as state president in an election in 2014.

A damaged area is pictured after a car bomb in Qatana, near Damascus yesterday if necessary. Syria has relied on war planes and helicopters to bombard rebel districts, but Damascus denied accusations by US and NATO officials that it had fired Scud

missiles in recent days. The foreign ministry said the long-range missiles were not used against “terrorist groups,” a term it uses for the rebels, who now hold an almost continuous arc of territory from the east to the southwest of Damascus. The head of NATO said he thought Assad’s government was nearing collapse and the new leader of Syria’s opposition told Reuters the people of Syria no longer needed international forces to protect them. “The horrific conditions which the Syrian people endured prompted them to call on the international community for military intervention at various times,” said Mouaz al-Khatib, a preacher who heads Syria’s National Coalition. “Now the Syrian people

have nothing to lose. They handled their problems by themselves. They no longer need international forces to protect them,” he added in the interview on Wednesday night, accusing the international community of slumbering while Syrians were killed. He did not specify whether by intervention he meant a no-fly zone that rebels have been demanding for month, a ground invasion - which the opposition has warned against - or arms. He said the opposition would consider any proposal from Assad to surrender power and leave the country, but would not give any assurances until it saw a firm proposal. In the latest blow to the government, a car bomb killed at least 16 people in Qatana, a town about 25 km (15 miles) southwest of Damascus.

UNSC ‘inaction’ THE prosecutor of the International Criminal Court accused the United Nations Security Council yesterday of doing too little to bring Sudanese genocide suspects to justice. The ICC had issued an arrest warrant against Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir for genocide over four years ago, but he remains at large. Interior Minister Ahmed Haroun and Janjaweed militia leader Ali Kushayb, both indicted for war crimes allegedly committed during attempts to put down the decade-long uprising in the Darfur region of western Sudan, also remain at large.

Ex army chief walks out of Ergenekon trial TURKEY’S former armed forces chief stormed out of a courtroom near Istanbul yesterday in protest at the handling of a trial of nearly 300 people charged with attempting to overthrow Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s government. General Ilker Basbug, along with politicians, academics, journalists and other retired army officers, is on trial on suspicion of belonging to a shadowy underground network of ultra-nationalists called “Ergenekon”.

The alleged group is accused of orchestrating decades of political violence, extrajudicial killings and bomb attacks, and most recently of trying to topple Erdogan. Basbug, the highest-profile defendant, walked out after prosecutors tried to add two additional indictments at the last minute despite protests from defence lawyers. Outside, thousands of Turkish secularists protested against the trial, denouncing it as an attempt by Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted government to stifle secularist dissent.

The Centre of Cultural Heritage has the pleasure to invite you to the

CHRISTMAS ART EVENT Friday 14.12 & Saturday 15.12.2012

from 09.00 – 14.00

Alexander the Great Street no.10 / Old Nicosia ANNE

CARMEN

SILVIA


CYPRUS MAIL Friday, December 14, 2012

11

World Thai ex PM denies murder charge

Japan scrambles Chinese jets after airspace incident

FORMER Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva denied yesterday a murder charge brought against him for his role in a bloody military crackdown on anti-government protesters in 2010. About 100 people, including family members of some of those who were killed during the crackdown, gathered at the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) in Bangkok, part of the Justice Ministry, as Abhisit arrived to meet investigators. Some protesters were dressed in black and held signs saying “blood on your hands”. Some shouted “civilian killer”. Prosecutors filed murder charges against opposition leader Abhisit and his former deputy prime minister, Suthep Thaugsuban, on December 6 under article 288 of the criminal code for allowing security forces to use live ammunition that led to the death of civilians. “I have denied the charge against me and have asked for clarification on some points,” Abhisit told reporters as he left the DSI.

China plane had flown over disputed isles By Kiyoshi Takenaka JAPAN scrambled fighter jets yesterday after a Chinese government plane entered what Japan considers its airspace over disputed islets in the East China Sea, escalating tension between Asia’s two biggest economies. Japan protested to China over the incident, but China brushed the complaint off saying the flight by the Chinese aircraft was “completely normal”. Sino-Japanese relations took a tumble in September after Japan bought the tiny islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, from a private Japanese owner. Patrol ships from the two countries have been shadowing each other since then in a standoff that has raised con-

cern that a collision could escalate into a clash. Thursday’s incident was the first time both sides used aircraft in the dispute.

‘WARNINGS’ “Despite our repeated warnings, Chinese government ships have entered our territorial waters for three days in an row,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osama Fujimura told reporters. “It is extremely regrettable that, on top of that, an intrusion into our airspace has been committed in this way,” he said, adding that Japan had formally protested through diplomatic channels. Japan’s military scrambled eight F-15 fighter jets, the Defence Ministry said. Japanese officials later said the Chinese aircraft had left

the area. It was the first time a Chinese aircraft had intruded into Japan’s airspace near the disputed islands, Japan’s Defence Ministry said. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda later instructed the government to be “all the more on guard”, the Kyodo news agency reported. China’s state maritime agency said a marine surveillance plane had joined four Chinese vessels patrolling around the islands and the fleet had ordered Japanese boats to leave the area immediately. “The Diaoyu islands and affiliated islands are part of China’s inherent territory. China’s flight over the islands is completely normal,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a briefing in Beijing.

For North Korea next step is a nuclear test NORTH Korea’s next step after rattling the world by putting a satellite into orbit for the first time will likely be a nuclear test, the third conducted by the reclusive and unpredictable state. A nuclear test would be the logical follow-up to Wednesday’s successful rocket launch, analysts said. The North’s 2009 test came on May 25, a month after a rocket launch. For the North and its absolute ruler Kim Jong-un, the costs of the rocket programme and its allied nuclear weapons efforts - estimated by South Korea’s government at $2.8$3.2 billion since 1998 - and the risk of additional UN or unilateral sanctions are simply not part of the calculation. “North Korea will insist any sanctions are unjust, and if sanctions get toughened, the likelihood of North Korea carrying out a nuclear test is high,” said Baek Seung-joo of the Korea Institute of Defence Analyses. The United Nations Security Council is to discuss how to respond to the launch, which it says is a breach of sanctions imposed in 2006 and 2009 that

A Chinese state-owned plane flies in airspace over the disputed islands in this Japan Coast Guard handout photo Japanese analysts said it was a significant escalation. “This is serious ... intrusion into Japan’s airspace is a very important step to erode Japan’s effective control over the area,” said Kazuya Sakamoto, a professor at Osaka University. “If China sends a military plane as a next step, that would really

make Japan’s control precarious.” Toshiyuki Shikata, a Teikyo University professor and a retired general, said the use of aircraft by both sides was significant. “Something accidental is more likely to happen with planes than with ships,” he said.

CUSTOMER SERVICE DURING CHRISTMAS During the Christmas holiday period (Sunday 23 December – Sunday 6 January), customer service working hours shall be as follows:

Cytashops

Kim Jong-Un

December 23

Christmas Eve December 24

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PUBLICATION THE ADMINISTRATION OF ESTATE RULE 1955 RULE 32 AR.N. 176/90 IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF PAPHOS, PROBATE JURISDICTION THE MATTER OF EDWARD ALEXANDER BOTTO OF PAPHOS DECEASE. ____________________________________________________ Notice is hereby given that after the expiration of 8 days from the present publication an application will lodged in The Principal Probate Registry of Paphos for the probate of the will EDWARD ALEXANDER BOTTO late of Paphos CHRISTODOULOS TSELEPOS Executor of the will of the Above deceased

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(AFP)

banned the isolated and impoverished state from missile and nuclear developments in the wake of its two nuclear weapons tests. The only surprise is that the Security Council appears to believe it can dissuade Pyongyang, now on its third hereditary ruler since its foundation in 1948, from further nuclear or rocket tests. Even China, the North’s only major diplomatic backer, has limited clout on a state whose policy of self reliance is backed up by an ideology that states: “No matter how precious peace is, we will never beg for peace. Peace lies at the end of the barrel of our gun.”

Christmas Day December 25

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24-hour service is available throughout the holiday period

The following services will continue to operate on a 24-hour basis throughout the Christmas holiday period: Operator Services: Services for the Deaf:

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The Telegram service (8000 0196) will operate as follows: Monday, December 31 The service will be closed on 24, 25, 26 of December, and on 1 & 6 of January. For further information, please contact the Cyta Call Centre on 132 or visit www.cyta.com.cy.

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Friday, December 14, 2012 CYPRUS MAIL

12

Business Boehner digs in on ‘fiscal cliff’ talks

Banking deal boosts EU leaders in fighting crisis

CONGRESSIONAL Republicans dug in on their opposition to raising taxes on the wealthy yesterday, even as polls showed them at a growing disadvantage in the U.S. “fiscal cliff” showdown with President Barack Obama. US House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the top congressional Republican, refused to give ground and voiced frustration about talks with the White House to avert the steep tax hikes and spending cuts that will be triggered at the end of the year unless Congress intervenes. At a news conference, Boehner occasionally raised his voice to charge that Obama’s bottom-line insistence on raising tax rates on the richest 2 per cent of Americans in any final deal would put American jobs at risk. While Republicans fumed, Obama, who is enjoying a post-election surge in his approval ratings, continued his public relations offensive, scheduling a round of interviews with anchors from local television stations, following his interview with ABC’s Barbara Walters two days ago. With time running out, not even experienced Washington hands are pretending to know when and how it will end. The back-and-forth rhetoric between Republicans and Democrats, with each accusing the other of not being serious in the negotiations, has been under way since the start of the post-election lame-duck session of Congress with almost no variation in the wording. “Raising tax rates will hurt small businesses at a time when we’re expecting small businesses to be the engine of job creation in America,” Boehner said, arguing that curbing spending increases is key to deficit reduction.

Closer fiscal links the focus of sixth 2012 summit

These Bank of Cyprus rates for telegraphic transfer transactions (spot deals) apply to yesterday, but provide a good guide to today’s value against the euro. Buying Selling Pound St

0.8145 0.8063

US Dollar

1.3147 1.3017

Australian $

1.2552 1.2242

Canadian Dol.

1.3032 1.2710

Swiss Fr

1.2192 1.2046

Denmark Kr

7.5541 7.3675 110.1017 108.7883

Norwegian Kr

7.4512 7.2672

Polish Zloty

4.1426

4.0404

Romanian Leu 4.6150 4.4340 Russian Ruble 40.4686 39.4694 Swedish Kr

EUROPEAN governments clinched a landmark deal on bank supervision and approved long-delayed aid to Greece yesterday, trumpeting the agreements as signs the bloc is getting a grip on its problems after three years of deep crisis. Leaders who were meeting in Brussels for their sixth and final summit of 2012 yesterday faced warnings about complacency however, as they gear up for a tough new year that will see Italian and German voters go to the polls, and may bring a full bailout of Spain. EU finance ministers agreed after marathon overnight talks to create a single banking supervisor for the eurozone and like-minded countries. The 27 leaders were set to give their stamp of approval at a summit that opened in a mood of optimism. The release of nearly 50 billion euros in fresh aid for Greece, the heavily indebted state where the crisis began in 2009, averted a catastrophic default and the risk of a Greek exit from the currency zone. “Since the summer, we have made a lot of progress in our efforts to overcome the immediate crisis in the eurozone,” European Council President Herman Van Rompuy told the leaders as he opened the summit. “The worst is now

The 27 leaders were set to give their stamp of approval to creating a single banking supervisor for the eurozone behind us but of course much still needs to be done.” At the summit, held days after the EU received its Nobel Prize in Oslo, leaders were to discuss closer fiscal integration in the currency union, a drive that some officials worry has lost momentum since ECB President Mario Draghi calmed markets by pledging in July to do “whatever it takes” to save the euro. European officials acknowledge privately that bolder steps towards closer integration of the single currency area will be on hold until after a German general election next September. After a hectic year of crisis

management, during which Greece had a close brush with the eurozone exit, the bloc appears to be heading into 2013 on a positive note. ECB President Mario Draghi hailed the deal on banking supervision, the first stage towards a banking union with more pooled sovereignty, as an important step towards a stable economic and monetary union. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Europe’s most powerful leader, said the agreement would boost trust and confidence in the eurozone. And Olli Rehn, the EU commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, said “Cas-

sandras” who had predicted disaster for the euro and a Greek exit had been proven wrong. But there is little time to relax. The next stages of banking union - creating a resolution fund for winding up troubled banks and coordinating deposit guarantees to protect savers - will be fought over even harder. And then there will be political and financial hurdles to negotiate through the year. “The fact that the situation in the financial markets is now better than before should not be seen by the governments as a way to procrastinate,” European Commission President

Jose Manuel Barroso said. Much of southern Europe faces another year of grinding recession with record unemployment and deepening poverty that will tear at the fabric of wounded societies and may push governments’ efforts to reduce deficits further off course. With Silvio Berlusconi vowing to contest an Italian election early next year, a full bailout of Spain still on the cards and the German vote casting a long shadow, 2013 promises to be the EU’s fourth turbulent year in a row, even without the risks from bailout countries Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

S&P revises UK credit rating outlook down to negative

Rates

Japan Yen

By John O’Donnell and Andreas Rinke

8.8451 8.6267

BRITAIN’S prized triple-A credit rating came under fresh threat yesterday, after ratings agency Standard & Poor’s cut its outlook for UK government debt to negative. S&P sees a one-in-three chance that Britain will lose its triple-A rating, which would be a major embarrassment for Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, who has staked his reputation on strengthening Britain’s public finances. “The outlook revision reflects our view that we could lower the ratings on the UK within the next two years if fiscal performance weakens beyond our current expectations,” S&P said. “We believe this could occur in particular as a result of a delayed and uneven economic recovery, or a weakening of political commitment to consolidation,” it added. Much weaker official growth forecasts forced Osborne last week to abandon a pledge to put Britain’s net debt as a share of national income on a downward path by 2015, and S&P cited rising debt as a key reason for its negative outlook. S&P had been the last major rating agency to hold a stable rating on British debt, after the other two, Moody’s and Fitch, gave negative outlooks early in 2012 to their triple-A ratings. “2013 looks like being a year when the UK could lose its AAA rating fairly comprehensively,” said BNP Paribas economist David Tinsley. “Some of the safehaven glow of the UK is looking a bit tarnished.” Moody’s has said it will review its rating in the first few months of next year, while Fitch has said it would take another look after Osborne’s March 20 budget.

While losing the triple-A rating would be a political blow to Osborne (above), the market impact on Britain’s borrowing costs is less clear Britain expects to run a budget deficit of 7 per cent of gross domestic product this year, down from 11 per cent at the height of the financial crisis. But it forecasts net debt, excluding financial sector interventions, will continue rising and peak at 80 per cent in the 2015/16 tax year.

While losing the triple-A rating would be a political blow to Osborne, the market impact on Britain’s borrowing costs would be less certain. The United States and France both lost their triple-A ratings after the financial crisis, and later saw their bond yields plumb fresh record lows. Britain, Germany and Canada are the only major economies to retain a triple-A debt rating. Nonetheless, some investors are already edging away from British government debt. British government bonds’ yield premium over safe-haven German debt rose to its highest since October 2011 earlier yesterday, before S&P made its announcement. “You have seen this death of a thousand cuts, a sort of salami-slicing of the gilt market,” said Andrew Roberts, a fixed income strategist at Royal Bank of Scotland. Britain’s finance ministry stressed that S&P backed the country’s current deficit-reduction plan. “Standard & Poor’s endorse the government’s ‘strong commitment to implementing the fiscal mandate’ and specifically warn against slowing ‘the pace and extent of fiscal consolidation’. It is because we have stuck to that commitment that the deficit is down,” a spokesman said. However, the opposition Labour Party said the rapid pace of government spending cuts was selfdefeating as it reduced economic growth. “At the start of this year S&P warned that austerity alone risks becoming self-defeating. But even as that warning is coming true, George Osborne is refusing to listen,” said senior Labour Party lawmaker Ed Balls.


CYPRUS MAIL Friday, December 14, 2012

13

Opinion

LETTER to the Editor

AG should not have suspended prosecution in stabbing case ATTORNEY-GENERAL Petros Clerides’ decision to suspend prosecution of a Cypriot woman, who was suspected of stabbing her Romanian husband to death, was a big mistake. There may have been compelling reasons to justify his decision, but these were not made public. All that Clerides said was that he suspended prosecution on “the grounds of self-defence.” He is not obliged to make his reasons public, but as a consequence, many questions could be asked about the decision. Did the suspect have political protection? Was she let off because she was Cypriot and the victim was a foreigner? Did the AG believe the suspect did what was ‘reasonably necessary’ to defend herself and had resorted to ‘reasonable force’? Did he not consider killing someone ‘unreasonable force’? These questions will linger and will not show the Attorney-General in a very good light. They will perpetuate the view, which could be wrong, that the law does not view suspected crimes by Cypriots and foreigners in the same way. Would he have suspended prosecution if the suspect was a Romanian woman and the victim a Cypriot man? We doubt it, because he would have been under immense pressure from the victim’s family and the media to prosecute. But nobody would apply pressure over the killing of a Romanian, alleged, wife-beater. There may have been reasons we do not know that influenced Clerides’ decision, but the Attorney General should also have taken into account how his decision would have been perceived. For instance, if someone cites his decision to claim that Cypriots and foreigners were not treated as equal before the law, what would his response be considering it highly unlikely he would have suspended prosecution if the victim was a Cypriot? He should not have used his discretionary power to suspend prosecution, even if he thought he would not be able to win the case, because this was bound to give rise to suspicions of discrimination, even if there was none. He should have filed manslaughter charges and allowed a judge to decide whether the suspect was not guilty because of extenuating circumstances. In this way, he would have safeguarded the institution of the Attorney-General and underlined the fact that everyone is equal before the law. And the truth is we need an Attorney General who commands everyone’s trust, including foreigners, who currently make up more than a quarter of the island’s population.

Want to send a letter? Send letters to the Cyprus Mail by email, fax or post. They should include a full postal address (email address is not sufficient), daytime phone number and reference to any relevant article. Names and addresses may be withheld from publication if circumstances warrant. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Correspondence will be published at the discretion of the editor.

Why is new evidence in the Helios crash being ignored? I

am shocked that the Cypriot press is mute about the new evidence regarding the causes of the Helios air crash as well as the proceedings in the criminal action in Greece. As the wife of an innocent man - a professional pilot and extremely responsible person who was at the time the chief pilot of the company; an individual who has been wrongfully prosecuted, I believe I must speak up and make the public aware of the brutal violations of all professional ethics and fundamental human rights during the court proceedings in Greece. For years the media, and the higher levels of power, speculated about the causes of the crash to appease the discontent of the public. At the end, through manipulation of public opinion they succeeded in creating the ‘villains’ destined to be used as scapegoats for the rage of all who suffered the unbearable losses in the crash. In its final report, the Greek Board of Investigation (AAIASB) threw the whole blame on the two pilots wjp were portrayed as incompetent suicidal idiots. The sequence of their alleged actions, as detailed in the official report of Mr Tsolakis, which was not supported with any evidence, is a hypothesis that will not stand the test of the new findings of independent experts. According to the official report’s hypothesis, the pressurisation system mode switch was ‘forgotten’ in the ‘manual’ position after the pre-flight check and inspection of the aircraft, and was left in that same position throughout the flight. Under the said scenario, everybody on the plane but one steward suffered hypoxia due to the slow depressurisation of the aircraft. It is unacceptable, but a fact, that the switch at issue mysteriously disappeared. Other important components of the plane were manipulated or destroyed as was proven in the court in Cyprus. Until this day, there is no explanation why only one-third of the 256 parameters recording the condition of all major aircraft systems and flight data of the recovered “black box”, were decoded and analysed. It is also inexplicable why the professional investigators failed to notice that a great number of the analysed parameters did not match or make sense at all. According to the data provided in the report, the passenger aircraft must have flown at supersonic speed while keeping its fuel consumption at the levels of a luxury limousine. These astounding irregularities were discovered five years after the crash and were submitted during the proceedings in Cyprus. As a result of the discovered omissions Ajet, the company-successor of Helios assigned AIR - a team of independent Canadian experts, the task of analysing elements of the pressurisation system. The experts’ scientifically based conclusion is that the mode switch of the pressuri-

‘Astounding’ revelations five years after the crash sation system was in position ‘auto’ and not ‘manual’, as the Greek Board alleged. The logical question then is: what happened at the beginning of the flight that led to its fatal end? Why were the masks of the pilots never found but at the same time the communication switch was in the ‘mask’ position? The standard practice in similar cases is to re-open the case/ investigation and find the real causes. Contrary to the recommendations of numerous aviation organizations and investigation boards, the Greek board (AAIASB) refused to re-open the investigation referring to a consultation with Boeing, who are a party to the case. At a hearing of the Court of Appeal in Athens, Mr Tsolakis as witness and seeking to defend his report mentioned that in the course of the investigation he relied on the assistance of two prominent NTSB experts whose competence he had no doubt about. Later, it emerged that those same experts, Mr Caj Frostell and Mr Ron Schleede, sent an official letter in which they confirmed the substance of AIR’s evidence and recommended the re-opening of the investigation for the purposes of aviation safety. The “hypothesis” report of the Greek board (AAIASB) became grounds for two parallel criminal lawsuits, which although not barred in the EU, is profound in its deliberate cruelty. The lawsuit in Cyprus was based on an independent police investigation. The judges had time and opportunity to get acquainted with the complicated

technical documentation of the case and to ultimately hold, despite political pressure, that the evidence submitted was such that no fair and reasonable court could convict a person. All prosecution witnesses, who could competently evaluate pilots and their performance, unequivocally stated that the pilots of the fateful flight were competent and there was no basis for them to be grounded before the flight. In contrast to Cyprus, the magistrate’s court in Greece accepted the AAIASB report as gospel, and with no second thought hastily sentenced four innocent people to 123 years jail. The news flashed around the world, bringing joy and satisfaction to some, pain and anguish from the obvious injustice to others. 1. Greece refused the defendants presentation of certain important exhibits related to the pressurisation system of the plane that were available in the Cyprus court proceedings. 2. The prosecution relied heavily for its case on the official accident report of the Greek investigators (AAIASB), notwithstanding the prohibition on this in the Chicago Convention of 1944 and European Regulation 996/2010 . They used it as a road map for the prosecution despite the new evidence provided by independent accident investigation experts from Canada, UK and USA, that challenged the conclusions in the final report. 3. Important exhibits that would have demonstrated the errors in the official report have been lost while in the keeping of the Greek Accident Investigation Board (AAIASB).

4. The Court failed in its obligation to provide adequate translation. The interpreter was not sufficiently competent to deal with the complex technical issues raised, but the request for a proper interpreter, made evident from two of the defendants, who were foreigners, was rejected. 5. During the course of the hearings in Greece, the Bar council called on lawyers to strike. The court was requested to adjourn the hearing, but in flagrant breach of custom and practice, denied the defendants their basic right to representation and the trial continued in the absence of defence counsel. During these days a series of important witnesses testified, but the defence was not able to examine them. 6. The court also refused the defendants a request to allow a simple reconstruction of the workings of the pressurizsation system of a similar aircraft which would have demonstrated the impossibility of certain key findings in the official report. 7. The court exerted pressure on proceedings, and the defendants were not given time or opportunity to call a substantial number of their witnesses, most of which are experts who do not live in Greece and are engaged in professional duties in different parts of the world. After many international institutions were notified about the numerous procedural and other violations during the investigation and trial, we believed that the Court of Appeal in Athens would proceed in a way consistent with the principles of European legislation, which allows for a fair trial. On October 26, 2012, the appellate trial began. The judges, entrusted with this technically complex case and supposed to start from the very beginning according to the Greek law, heard a total of three witnesses, whose competency to evaluate pilots’ performance is doubtful, and surprisingly concluded after the testimonies that the prosecution could rest. While the defence was provided a single day to summon all its witnesses, the Court announced that it would be ready with its opinion within three days. Aviation experts from all over the world readily flew in from thousands of miles to defend the truth. All of them unanimously stated that the pilots of the illfated Helios flight had been competent. The experts proved that the conclusions of the official report were faulty and that the investigation must be re-opened in order to find the real causes of the crash. It is more detrimental to society to convict innocent people than not to have a conviction. If today, despite the pain, accumulated wrath and thirst for redemption, we allow this judicial farce to victimise innocent people and to add to the number of the victims of the tragic crash, it will rest upon our own conscience. Antoaneta Stoimenova, Larnaca


Friday, December 14, 2012 CYPRUS MAIL

14

Showbiz and Rock legends take to the New Britney Taylor Swift York stage for Sandy victims top-earning music women Bon Jovi, Rolling Stones and Springsteen wow crowd

By Patricia Reaney

By Christine Kearney and Edith Honan Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi and the Rolling Stones joined with actors and comedians in headlining a benefit concert on Wednesday for victims of Superstorm Sandy, which six weeks ago devastated scores of communities along the U.S. northeast coastline. The celebrity-packed ‘12-1212’ concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden stretched on for nearly five hours, and organisers said it was distributed to nearly 2 billion people worldwide through television feeds, radio and online streaming. “How do I begin again? My city’s in ruins,” Springsteen sang to the packed crowd. He was joined by fellow New Jersey native Jon Bon Jovi for ‘Born to Run’, ushering in a night of musical duets. Next up, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters performed alongside Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, and later Paul McCartney jammed with the surviving members of Nirvana. “This has got to be the largest collection of old English musicians ever assembled in Madison Square Garden,” Mick Jagger told the

Singers Bon Jovi (left) and Bruce Springsteen perform during the 12-12-12 benefit concert crowd. The Stones, in the midst of a brief U.S. tour, performed ‘You Got Me Rocking’” and ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’. Chris Martin of Coldplay jokingly suggested audience members should calculate the average age of the night’s performers and agree to donate that much. “And I think you’ll raise billions,” he said. At the end of the concert, R&B singer Alicia Keys closed the show with ‘Empire State of Mind’. To help with the fundraising, celebrities such as Kris-

ten Stewart, Jake Gyllenhaal, Chelsea Clinton and Billy Crystal took part in a telethon during the concert. Comedian Adam Sandler took the stage for a Sandythemed spoof on Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’, rhyming the title with Sandy, Screw Ya! Backstage, actress Susan Sarandon recounted losing power in her New York home but said that was a small hardship compared with the real victims who lost their homes. Steven Van Zandt, guitarist of the E Street Band,

scolded “the oil companies” and “Wall Street guys” for not doing more to help. “Even with the music business not what it used to be ... we are proud to be here,” he said. The concert was broadcast live on television, radio, movie theatres, on Facebook and iHeartRadio, and streamed on digital billboards in New York’s Times Square, London and Paris. More than 130 people were killed when Sandy pummelled the East Coast of the United States in October. Thousands more were left

homeless as the storm tore through areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, causing billions of dollars in damage. Throughout the show, celebrities shared memories of growing up in New York City or the Jersey Shore, and offered shout-outs to first responders. “Watching my hometown get pummelled was devastating to watch,” said actorcomedian Crystal, who grew up on Long Beach, Long Island. “It’s a helpless feeling of what’s in store for us maybe in the future.”

Stars attend Hobbit royal Whitney’s death most Googled premiere in the West End A HOST of stars gathered in the West End for the royal UK premiere of the new Hobbit film. The Duke of Cambridge joined them for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in London’s Leicester Square and attended alone as his wife Kate, whose pregnancy was announced last week, continued to rest at St James’s Palace from acute morning sickness. Sir Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis and Cate Blanchett, who reprise their roles from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Office star Martin Freeman, who plays main character Bilbo Baggins in the JRR Tolkien adaptation, all attended. They were joined by showbiz figures including boyband McFly, who braved freezing temperatures on the green carpet in front of hundreds of screaming fans. Sir Ian, who plays the wizard Gandalf, said it was great to be in London for a film with a strong British presence. He added: “Its cast is basically British and from the Commonwealth, Tolkien was an English writer, here we are in the capital city and it feels proper.” Australian actress Cate, who plays elf queen Galadriel, joked about the cold. “The weather is enough to drive anyone away but it is great to see so many fans,” she said. She wore a stunning white backless dress but had donned a black jacket by the time she went into the cinema for the performance. Freeman admitted it was a challenge to star as The Hobbit himself, Bilbo Baggins, and he said he hoped fans would enjoy the film. He said: “I loved playing it. I really loved playing it. “I hope people like it. There’s nothing more you can do. It’s in the hands of Peter Jackson and the editors.”

The late pop diva’s untimely death on February 11 created the biggest overall spike in US internet traffic

THE late pop diva’s untimely death on February 11 created the biggest overall spike in US internet traffic as fans rushed to read about the singer, according to online giant Google’s annual Zeitgeist List. The list ranks “the searches that had the highest amount of traffic over a sustained period of time in 2012 as compared to 2011”. Hurricane Sandy and Election 2012 rounded out the top three longest trending searches, while movie The Hunger Games - starring Jennifer Lawrence - came in fourth place. Asian singing sensation PSY’s hit song ‘Gangnam Style’ managed to sneak its way onto the list at number eight. The top 10 also features Jeremy Lin, Olympics 2012, Amanda Todd, Michael Clarke Duncan and Kony 2012. Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez’s recent tiff spawned the most curiosity in terms of celebrity couples, followed by Heidi Klum and Seal’s separation, with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ break-up ranking third.

POP star Britney Spears edged past Taylor Swift to claim the title of topearning woman in music after bringing in an estimated $58 million (35.9 million pounds) from her album, endorsements and a perfume in the past year, Forbes said this week. Country-pop singer Swift, 22, was a close second with an estimated $57 million paycheck thanks to her tour - which made more than $1 million each night - a contract with CoverGirl cosmetics, her own line of fragrances and her new album Red. R&B star Rihanna, 24, earned an estimated $53 million to put her at No.3, two places up from last year, followed by Lady Gaga, 26, who slipped from No.1 in 2011 to fourth place with $52 million. Katy Perry, 28, the only musician other than Michael Jackson to produce five No.1 hit singles from one album, rounded out the top five with about $45 million in earnings. “I think people love the comeback story - Britney never really finished her run as a superstar,” Steve Stoute, marketing expert and author of The Tanning of America told Forbes. Spears, 31, who was No.10 last year, earned most of her money from her latest album Femme Fatale and her tour, according to Forbes, which compiled the list with estimated earnings from May 2011 to May 2012. In September, Spears became a judge on the reality TV singing show The X Factor, reportedly for $15 million. Despite their huge incomes, only eight of the top women music earners were among the 25 best-paid musicians, which Forbes attributes in part to career breaks to have children. Madonna made the list in ninth place with an estimated $30 million in earnings, which did not include profits from her latest tour because it was outside the time period considered for the ranking. Forbes compiled the list after estimating pre-tax income based on record sales, touring information merchandise sales and interviews with concert promoters, lawyers and managers.

Moneybags: Britney Spears made $58 million this year


CYPRUS MAIL Friday, December 14, 2012

15

Health

Health

bites

Broccoli may fight cancer A VEGETABLE famously hated by children contains a compound that may assist the treatment of childhood leukaemia, research suggests. Laboratory tests showed that sulphorophane, found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, can kill acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cells. Scientists exposed leukaemia and healthy cells originating from children to a purified form of the compound. While many of the cancer cells died, the healthy cells were unaffected, the researchers reported in the online journal Public Library of Science ONE. Experiments with mice yielded similar results.

Slower growth ‘increases lifespan’

More mothers-to-be ‘want a girl’

THE slower you grow, the longer you live, a new study suggests. Scientists looking at growth patterns in stickleback fish say they discovered lifespan is affected by the rate at which bodies expand early in life. Bodies which grow quickly accumulate greater tissue damage, with life-shortening results. A team from Glasgow University altered the growth rate of 240 fish by exposing them to brief cold or warm spells, putting them ahead or behind their normal growth schedule. Researchers noticed the fish got back on track once their environmental temperature was returned to normal but the change in growth rate affected their rate of ageing. The slow-growing fish lived for around 30 per cent longer than the stickleback’s two-year average, with a lifespan of nearly 1,000 days.

MORE expectant mothers want baby girls despite historically hoping to have a boy, a survey by website Netmums has found. The study found 45 per cent of mothers secretly wished to give birth to a daughter while only 22 per cent hoped to have a boy. The prime reason for mothers wanting daughters was because women felt they would “bond and understand” them better, felt by a third of women, while 32 per cent wanted to dress up their child and decorate the nursery for a girl. A further 15 per cent were brought up in a “female-dominated household” and wanted the same for their child. But for fathers the reverse was true with 27 per cent hoping their newborn will be a boy while only 15 per cent want a girl. Fewer than a third of the 1,560 parents polled expressed absolutely no preference for the sex of their child.

Smoking, drinking, high blood pressure the biggest killers

Give kidney patients a second chance at life

More people die from being overweight than malnutrition By John von Radowitz HIGH blood pressure, smoking and alcohol abuse are the most dangerous health risks in the world, a major study has shown. In 20 years, all three have overtaken child hunger to become the leading causes of premature death. More than nine million people died as a result of high blood pressure in 2010, making it the deadliest single global risk factor. Smoking accounted for 6.3 million deaths and alcohol consumption 4.9 million. The average trends masked a lot of regional variation, with different parts of the world experiencing different health problems. International scientists participating in the Global Burden of Disease Study compared the effects of common health risk factors in 1990 and 2010. Estimates were made both of the number of deaths attributed to each, and disability-adjusted life years (Dalys), a measurement that takes into account years of life both lost and lived with disability. The findings form part of a series of papers published online by The Lancet medical journal. Together, they constitute the largest investigation of the global burden of disease, injury and health risks ever undertaken. Professor Majid Ezzati, one of the study leaders from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, said: “Overall we’re seeing a growing burden of risk factors that lead to chronic diseases in adults, such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and a decreasing burden for risks associated

Alcohol was the leading risk factor in eastern Europe and most of Latin America

with infectious diseases in children. “But this global picture disguises the starkly different trends across regions. The risks associated with poverty have come down in most places, like Asia and Latin America, but they remain the leading issues in sub-Saharan Africa.” Obesity, expressed as high body mass index (BMI), showed the fastest rise in harmfulness. It moved up the rankings of health burden from 10th place in 1990 to sixth in 2010. More than three million deaths in 2010 were attributable to excess body weight, according to the study. This

was more than three times the death toll due to malnutrition. High BMI was the leading risk factor in Australasia and southern Latin America. Smoking, including passive smoking, had the greatest impact on health in the high-income countries of western Europe and North America. Alcohol was the leading risk factor in eastern Europe, most of Latin America and southern subSaharan Africa. Cooking and heating using dirty solid fuels such as coal and wood remained a leading health risk in southern Asia. However, its effect had generally diminished during

the 1990s. Prof Ezzati added: “The good news is there are lots of things we can do to reduce disease risk. “To bring down the burden of high blood pressure, we need to regulate the salt content of food, provide easier access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and strengthen primary healthcare services. “Under-nutrition has come down in the ranking because we’ve made a lot of progress in many parts of the world. This should encourage us to continue those efforts and to replicate that success in Africa, where it’s still a major problem.”

By Dr Kyriakos Ioannou MD, PhD CHRONIC kidney disease (CKD) is characterised by a gradual loss of kidney function over time. And it has several causes, including primary kidney diseases and systemic diseases like diabetes and hypertension, which are responsible for up to two-thirds of the cases. The number of people known to have end stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide is growing rapidly as a result of improved diagnostic capability of CKD, which is estimated around 11 per cent of the adult population, and also due to the global epidemic of the last two conditions. When the kidneys fail to work efficiently, renal failure develops and eventually dialysis is required urgently to replace kidney function and maintain life. However, despite the life-preserving ability of dialysis, being on chronic dialysis affects patients’ physical well-being, social/family life, but also life expectancy in the longterm. Patients are subjected to significant restrictions in their diet and fluid consumption, while their ability to work is substantially diminished. Transplantation of the kidney, when properly applied, is the treatment of choice for patients with ESRD, since it restores normal kidney function, eases patient wellbeing and increases life expectancy. Kidney transplantation is a “second chance in life” and therefore is what patients anticipate for and what health professionals work for. Kidneys needed for transplantation are recovered either from living donors or deceased (brain-dead) do-

nors. Living-donor donation typically occurs between individuals who share an emotional bond and may not necessarily be related. However, no country in the world generates sufficient organs from these sources to meet the needs of citizens. Patients on dialysis are increasingly being referred for transplant evaluation, which has resulted in enlarged waitlists and increased waiting times for patients in need of kidney transplants.This creates an ongoing and urgent need to increase the number of organs available for transplantation. Previously, living donation required a flank incision by the surgeon but new techniques have created operations that are quicker and less painful to recover from. Called laparoscopic donor nephrectomy, the new operation has contributed in a considerable increase in the willingness to donate. For deceased donation, signing a donor card is a good first step in designating one’s wishes about donation. However, also letting family or other loved ones know about this decision is vitally important. That’s because family members are often asked to give consent for a loved one’s donation, so it’s important that they know. Kidney transplantation provides high-quality life years to patients with ESRD worldwide. What was an experimental, risky, and very limited treatment option 50 years ago is now a routine clinical practice in more than 80 countries.

Dr Kyriakos Ioannou MD, PhD is Consultant Nephrologist at the Nephrology Department, Nicosia General Hospital


16

CYPRUS MAIL Friday

Film ES SUMMARIES The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (See page opposite) Our rating:

Seven Psychopaths (See page opposite) Our rating:

Shadow Dancer Single mother Collette McVeigh (Andrea Riseborough) is a Republican living in 1993 Belfast with her mother and hardliner IRA brothers. When she’s arrested for her part in an aborted IRA bomb plot in London, an M15 officer called Mac (Clive Owen) offers her a choice: lose everything and go to prison for 25 years, or return to Belfast to spy on her own family. With her son’s life in her hands, Collette chooses to place her trust in Mac and return home. But when her brothers’ secret operation is ambushed, suspicions of an informant are raised and Collette finds herself and her family in grave danger. Also starring Gillian Anderson. Directed by James Marsh. (Drama, 101 mins.) Our rating:

Hotel Transylvania Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania, Dracula’s lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free to be the monsters they are without humans to bother them. It’s a special weekend and Dracula has invited some of his best friends – Frankenstein and his wife, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Werewolf family and many more – to celebrate his beloved daughter Mavis’ 118th birthday. For good old Drac, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem; but everything could change for the over-protective dad when one ordinary human guy stumbles on the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis. Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. In 3D. DUBBED INTO GREEK. (Cartoon comedy, 91 mins.) Our rating:

Hotel Transylvania

Lawless

Lawless

It’s 1930, and America is in the grip of Prohibition. The Bondurant brothers, timid Jack (Shia LaBeouf), tough-as-nails Forrest (Tom Hardy), and psychotic Howard (Jason Clarke), are bootleggers, making ‘moonshine’ whisky which they sell to friends and neighbours – including the local sheriff – in Franklin County, Virginia. Their livelihood is threatened by the arrival of Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce), a ‘special deputy’ from Chicago who has come to Virginia to stop those who violate the law of the land. What that means is that those who pay a fee are allowed to continue bootlegging while those who don’t are shut down, often by force. The Bondurants refuse to give in to Rakes, and their stubbornness instigates a war. Also starring Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman and Mia Wasikowska. Directed by John Hillcoat. (Crime drama, 116 mins.) Our rating:

Rise of the Guardians Jack Frost (voice of Chris Pine) is chosen to join an elite group of superheroes – the so-called ‘Guardians’, namely Santa Claus (voice of Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (voice of Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (voice of Isla Fisher) and the Sandman, whose job is to

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

in Santa, Bunny, and Tooth. Jack reluctantly agrees to help and, in the process, discovers the true hero within. Directed by Peter Ramsey. In 3D. (Cartoon adventure, 97 mins.) Our rating:

Rise of the Guardians

protect children everywhere. Jack is an unwilling hero; he’d prefer to roam the world on his own, freezing ponds and causing snow days – but the world’s children are threatened by Pitch (voice of Jude Law), a.k.a. The Boogie Man, who wants to turn dreams into nightmares and banish belief

Killing Them Softly Markie Trattman (Ray Liotta) runs one of the Mob’s many secret and lucrative poker games – a potential magnet for crooks tempted to cash in on the piles of ready cash on the tables. When two young, opportunistic petty crims, Frankie

(Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn), are talked into robbing Markie’s game at gunpoint by local lowlife Johnny Amato (Vincent Curatola), the Mob sends in Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt), one of its hitmen, to find and punish those responsible. Since he knows Amato, he’s reluctant to make the hit himself and suggests they call in the heavy Mickey (James Gandolfini) from New York. Mickey turns up – but Jackie is unimpressed, and has to take matters into his own hands. Also starring Richard Jenkins. Directed by Andrew Dominik. (Crime drama, 97 mins.) Our rating:

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 Bella (Kristen Stewart) is enjoying her new life and new powers after the birth of Renesmee, her daughter with vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). Soon, however, their family bliss is threatened again, by a new menace. The vampire Irina (Maggie Grace) believes a child like Renesmee could challenge the power and existence of the Volturi. As Irina rallies the Volturi to

destroy this potential threat, Bella and the Cullens – together with any allies they can assemble – prepare for a crucial battle to protect their family. Also starring Taylor Lautner and Billy Burke. Directed by Bill Condon. (Fantasy drama, 115 mins.) Our rating:

Taken 2 Four years ago, retired CIA agent Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) stopped at nothing to save his 17-year-old daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), kidnapped in Paris by Albanian kidnappers to be sold into prostitution. Murad (Rade Serbedzija), the father of one of the kidnappers killed by Mills in that operation, has sworn revenge, and takes Mills and his wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) hostage during their family vacation in Istanbul. Mills enlists his daughter to help them escape. Directed by Olivier Megaton. (Action-thriller, 92 mins.) Our rating:

Skyfall A hard-drive listing all NATO operatives undercover in terrorist organisations is stolen, and used to make M (Judi Dench), the head of British Intelligence, look bad. Though not in peak condition after a near-death experience, secret agent James Bond (Daniel Craig) sets out to recover the drive, which leads him to mystery man Silva (Javier

Seven Psychopaths

Bardem) – a psycho who’s nursing a grudge, and has a revenge scheme in mind. Also starring Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes and Albert Finney. Directed by Sam Mendes. (Action-drama, 143 mins.) Our rating:

The Raven When a mother and daughter are found murdered in 19th century Baltimore, Detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) makes a startling discovery: the crime resembles a fictional murder described in gory detail in the local newspaper – part of a collection of stories penned by struggling writer and social pariah Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack). But even as Poe is questioned by police, another grisly murder occurs, also inspired by a popular Poe story. Realising that a serial killer is on the loose using Poe’s writings as the backdrop for his bloody rampage, Fields enlists the author’s help in stopping the attacks – but the stakes soon become even higher, and the inventor of the detective story calls on his own powers of deduction to try to solve the case. Also starring Alice Eve and Brendan Gleeson. Directed by James McTeigue. (Mystery thriller, 110 mins.) Our rating:


y, December 14, 2012

17 For full cinema listings see page 14

Television

20

Crossword

21 28-32

Sport

NEW FILMS The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

the creature that will change his life forever … Gollum.

Directed by: Peter Jackson Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage US 2012, 169 mins. In 3D. In English, plus occasional dialogue in made-up languages with Greek subtitles. Showing from today at the K-Cineplex and K-Cineplex (Mall of Cyprus) in Nicosia, the Rio and K-Cineplex in Limassol, the K-Cineplex in Larnaca and the Orasis in Paphos.

Pro/Mixed: “At almost three hours, Peter Jackson’s fourth foray into the world of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is initially worrisome and typically self-indulgent … The opening is slow-going and tepidly genteel, taking its time with two prologues, one that includes an aged Bilbo Baggins and Frodo Baggins. And while The Lord Of The Rings films always sported a jovial and light-hearted tone, The Hobbit (set some 60 years before the events of LOTR) ratchets up the goofiness to a near unfortunate level (yes, the source material is more of a kids’ book, but even this is a little much). “But while the first act meanders to put the story in place, and is perhaps sillier than LOTR movie fans are used to (lots of songs and merriment without much of a rudder), once An Unexpected Journey gets cooking, it takes off into a familiar but deeply entertaining rhythm full of all the wonder, action, spectacle and visual dazzle Jackson provided in his original trilogy… “The Hobbit sticks to the formula, but as much as the picture follows the conventional narrative, its thrills and set pieces are so satisfying and epic, sometimes it’s easily forgotten and forgivable … And the last two acts of The Hobbit are simply a non-stop actionadventure rollercoaster that is just as engaging and winning as anything in the director’s previous trilogy. As epic, grandiose, and emotionally appealing as the previous pictures, The Hobbit doesn’t move far from the mould, but it’s a thrilling ride that’s one of the most en-

THE PLOT A hobbit named Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) is swept into a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild, through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID

Seven Psychopaths joyable, exciting and engaging tentpoles of the year.” Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist, Indiewire.com (Internet) “There are explosively dramatic battles, with a lot of 3D plunging from vertiginous heights. But the crux comes with Bilbo’s meeting with the ineffably creepy Gollum, played in motion-capture once again by Andy Serkis. It is a terrific scene, a contest of nerves, a duel of wits, and the one moment in the film where the drama really comes alive and Freeman’s (admirable) underplaying of the role works well against Serkis’s animal paranoia… “And the rest of the film offers an enormous amount of fun, energy and a bold sense of purpose. But after 170 minutes I felt that I had had enough of a pretty good thing. The trilogy will test the stamina of the non-believers … But if anyone can make us love the new epically supercharged Hobbit, it’s Peter Jackson.” Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian (UK)

Step Up 4

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Seven Psychopaths Directed by: Martin McDonagh Starring: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson UK 2012, 110 mins. Showing from today at the K-Cineplex and K-Cineplex (Mall of Cyprus) in Nicosia, the Rio in Limassol, the KCineplex in Larnaca and the Rio in Paphos.

THE PLOT Irish screenwriter Marty Faranan (Colin Farrell) has come down with a bad case of writer’s block. He has the title for his next script, ‘Seven Psychopaths’, but is struggling to write it. Billy (Sam Rockwell) is Marty’s best friend, an unemployed actor and parttime dog-napper, who wants to help Marty by any means necessary. Hans (Christopher Walken) is Billy’s partner in crime; they snatch dogs, then return them and claim the reward – but they get in trouble when they dog-nap Bonny the shih tzu, whose owner Charlie (Woody Harrelson) is a psychopathic gangster. Now Marty’s going to get all the inspiration he needs for his subject matter – as long as he lives to tell the tale.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID Pro: “Do I really have to write anything other than the cast list

above? Because that sums up the crazed glory of Seven Psychopaths far better than any critical fawning I could pen. Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, and Harry Dean Stanton? Damn, just garrote me now because I can’t imagine it getting any better – or weirder – than this, ever. And McDonagh, director of In Bruges, pulls it off: a Southern Californian, sun-blasted odyssey that skitters from one rocky outcropping of narrative improbability to the next, until a kind of sublime summit is reached and you can look down into a valley littered with conjoined storylines and sub-plots, bodies and gallows humor. This is a very smart comedy about very dumb people doing really awful things to one another. And it’s been scripted by one of the best new voices in the business – a chorus of madmen, really – McDonagh himself… “Seven Psychopaths isn’t a great movie – there are stretches where it has too much going on for its own

good – but it is an inspired, strange, and occasionally c h o k e - o n - y o u r- p o p c o r n funny ensemble piece that, frankly, blows just about every other current comedy out of the water. And that’s all I ever really ask for.” Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle (US) Mixed: “For a good hour, Seven Psychopaths is lively, bloody fun. Then the yawning starts. The second movie from Irish filmmaker/playwright Martin McDonagh reprises the combination of ironic violence and earnest sentiment from his first picture, In Bruges, except this time the scope is bigger and the body count is higher… “McDonagh invests clichéd situations and character types with urgency and ingenuity. Seven Psychopaths is packed with chatty murderers, serial killers and lunatics, but the dialogue feels natural and the conversations sound spontaneous. The opening scene, in which two hit men

debate whether or not it’s OK to kill a woman, is a terrific piece of writing, ably performed by two well-known actors, the first of several surprise cameos throughout the film. “The performances are so good and the humour so effective (McDonagh never treats violence as a joke) that it’s a shame the story veers into meta territory, stranding the characters in Joshua Tree for a dull, peyote-fueled gabfest. Seven Psychopaths becomes a movie within a movie – it’s the script that Marty will eventually write. But the film fared better when it was reenacting the contrivances of the crime genre (such as the way women serve no purpose in these stories other than to get killed) instead of having the characters talk – and talk – about them. Stranded in the desert, Seven Psychopaths tells instead of showing, and as one of these knuckleheads aptly puts it, hanging out with psychos gets tiresome.” Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald (US)


Friday, December 14, 2012 CYPRUS MAIL

18

What’s on

films

(K) All Audiences (12/15/18) No admittance to Under-12s/ 15s/ 18s (N/A) Not Available

NICOSIA The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (12) K-Cineplex (Screen 1) at 7 and 10.15pm, weekends also at 3.30pm; K-Cineplex, Mall of Cyprus (Screen 1) at 7 and 10.15pm, weekends also at 11.30am and 3.30pm. Tel: 7777-8383 Seven Psychopaths (18) K-Cineplex (Screen 4) at 5.35, 7.50 and 10.20pm, weekends also at 3.25pm; K-Cineplex, Mall of Cyprus (Screen 4) at 5.35, 7.50 and 10.20pm, weekends also at 11.15am, 1.20pm and 3.25pm. Tel: 7777-8383 Shadow Dancer (12) K-Cineplex (Screen 6) at 5.35 and 7.50pm, weekends also at 3.30pm. Tel: 7777-8383 Hotel Transylvania (K) K-Cineplex (Screen 3) (in Greek, in 3D) at 5.35pm, weekends also at 3.30pm; K-Cineplex, Mall of Cyprus (Screen 3) (in Greek, in 3D) at 5.35pm, weekends also at 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm. Tel: 7777-8383 Lawless (15) K-Cineplex (Screen 6) at 10.20pm. Tel: 7777-8383 Killing Them Softly (18) K-Cineplex (Screen 2) at 10.15pm; K-Cineplex, Mall of Cyprus (Screen 2) at 10.15pm. Tel: 7777-8383

CINEMA WEBSITES: K-Cineplex: http://kcineplex.com, Friends of the Cinema Society: http://www.ofk.org.cy

Rise of the Guardians (K) K-Cineplex (Screen 2) (in Greek, in 3D) at 5.30pm, weekends also at 3.25pm; K-Cineplex (Screen 5) (in English, in 2D) at 5.30, 7.50 and 10.15pm, weekends also at 3.25pm; K-Cineplex, Mall of Cyprus (Screen 2) (in Greek, in 3D) at 5.30pm, weekends also at 11.20am, 1.20pm and 3.25pm; K-Cineplex, Mall of Cyprus (Screen 5) (in English, in 2D) at 5.30, 7.50 and 10.15pm, weekends also at 11.20am, 1.20pm and 3.25pm. Tel: 7777-8383

LIMASSOL

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (12) K-Cineplex (Screen 3) at 7.45 and 10.15pm; K-Cineplex, Mall of Cyprus (Screen 3) at 7.45 and 10.15pm. Tel: 7777-8383

Shadow Dancer (12) Rio 6 at 7.45pm, weekends also at 5.30pm. Tel: 25-871410; K-Cineplex (Screen 5) at 5.35 and 7.50pm, weekends also at 3.30pm. Tel: 7777-8383

Skyfall (12) K-Cineplex (Screen 2) at 7.40pm; K-Cineplex, Mall of Cyprus (Screen 2) at 7.40pm. Tel: 7777-8383

Hotel Transylvania (K) Rio 3 (in Greek, in 3D), weekdays at 5.50pm, weekends at 3.30 and 5.30pm. Tel: 25-871410; K-Cineplex (Screen 3) (in Greek, in 3D) at 5.35pm, weekends also at 3.30pm. Tel: 7777-8383

A Detail in Cyprus (in Greek, call for details of subtitles) Eirini Hall (Peace Room) at 9pm. Tel: 99-434923 Kolya (in Czech, call for details of subtitles) Eirini Hall (Peace Room) at 7.30pm. Tel: 99-434923

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (12) Rio 2 at 7.45pm, weekends also at 4.30pm; Rio 3 at 10.20pm. Tel: 25-871410; K-Cineplex (Screen 1) at 7 and 10.15pm, weekends also at 3.30pm. Tel: 7777-8383 Seven Psychopaths (18) Rio 1 at 7.45 and 10pm, weekends also at 3 and 5.15pm. Tel: 25-871410

Lawless (15) Rio 4, weekdays at 10pm, weekends at 10.10pm. Tel: 25871410; K-Cineplex (Screen 5) at 10.20pm. Tel: 7777-8383 Killing Them Softly (18) Rio 2 at 10.45pm. Tel: 25871410; K-Cineplex (Screen 2) at 10.15pm. Tel: 7777-8383

Rise of the Guardians (K) Rio 4 (in English, in 2D), weekdays at 7.45pm, weekends at 3, 4.50, 6.35 and 8.20pm; Rio 2 (in Greek, in 3D), weekdays at 5.50pm, weekends at 2.50pm only. Tel: 25871410; K-Cineplex (Screen 2) (in Greek, in 3D) at 5.30pm, weekends also at 3.25pm; K-Cineplex (Screen 4) (in English, in 2D) at 5.30, 7.50 and 10.15pm, weekends also at 3.25pm. Tel: 7777-8383 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (12) Rio 5 at 7.45 and 10.05pm, weekends also at 5.30pm. Tel: 25871410; K-Cineplex (Screen 3) at 7.45 and 10.15pm. Tel: 7777-8383 Taken 2 (12) Rio 6 at 10.10pm. Tel: 25-871410 Skyfall (12) Rio 3 at 7.35pm. Tel: 25871410; K-Cineplex (Screen 2) at 7.40pm. Tel: 7777-8383 The Raven Rio 5, Monday at 8.30pm, presented by the Limassol Cine Club. www.cinelesxi.org

LARNACA The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (12) K-Cineplex (Screen 1) at 7 and 10.15pm, weekends also at 3.30pm. Tel: 7777-8383

Seven Psychopaths (18) K-Cineplex (Screen 4) at 5.35, 7.50 and 10.20pm, weekends also at 3.25pm. Tel: 7777-8383 Shadow Dancer (12) K-Cineplex (Screen 6) at 5.35 and 7.50pm, weekends also at 3.30pm. Tel: 7777-8383 Hotel Transylvania (K) K-Cineplex (Screen 3) (in Greek, in 3D) at 5.35pm, weekends also at 3.30pm. Tel: 7777-8383 Lawless (15) K-Cineplex (Screen 6) at 10.20pm. Tel: 7777-8383 Rise of the Guardians (K) K-Cineplex (Screen 2) (in Greek, in 3D) at 5.30pm, weekends also at 3.25pm; K-Cineplex (Screen 5) (in English, in 2D) at 5.30, 7.50 and 10.15pm, weekends also at 3.25pm. Tel: 7777-8383 Killing Them Softly (18) K-Cineplex (Screen 2) at 10.15pm. Tel: 7777-8383 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (12) K-Cineplex (Screen 3) at 7.45 and 10.15pm. Tel: 7777-8383 Skyfall (12) K-Cineplex (Screen 2) at 7.40pm. Tel: 7777-8383

PAPHOS The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (12) Rio 1 at 7.30pm, weekends also at 11am and 4pm; Rio 6, weekdays only at 5.30pm; Rio 7 at 9.30pm. Tel: 26-207000 Seven Psychopaths (18) Rio 5 at 5.30, 7.45 and 10pm. Tel: 26-207000 Hotel Transylvania (K) Rio 1 (in Greek, 3D), weekdays only at 5.30pm; Rio 3 (in Greek, 2D), weekends only 4 and 5.45pm; Rio 6 (in Greek, 3D), weekdays at 8.30 and 10.15pm, weekends at 11am, 2.40, 4.30, 6.20, 8.10 and 10pm. Tel: 26-207000 Lawless (15) Rio 2 at 9.45pm. Tel: 26-207000 Rise of the Guardians (K) Rio 4 (in English, in 2D) at 5.30pm, weekends also at 11am and 3.30pm; Rio 7 (in Greek, in 3D), weekdays at 5.50 and 7.40pm, weekends at 11am, 3.30, 5.30 and 7.30pm. Tel: 26-207000 Killing Them Softly (18) Rio 1 at 10.30pm. Tel: 26-207000 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (12) Rio 3, weekdays at 7.30 and 9.45pm, weekends at 7.45 and 10pm. Tel: 26-207000

listings Today Exhibition The Art of Xmas Fair Fun and amazing art at very attractive prices. Opens December 14, 7pm until December 29. Thiseas Art Gallery, 9 Thiseos Street, Limassol. Tel: 99-674243

Music Christmas Elegy Classical music concert with the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra. December 14. Rialto Theatre, Limassol. 8.30pm. Free. Tel: 22-463144

Theatre Social Security THOC play by Andrew Bergman. December 14 until January 27. THOC New Theatre Building, 9 Gregori Afxentiou, Nicosia. Friday through Sunday. Friday & Sunday at 8.30pm, Saturday at 6pm and 8.30pm. Tel: 77-772717

Dance From Classroom to Stage Annual climax of the Dancecyprus Junior Company’s education programme, with dancers demonstrating how they make the transition from dance training to stage performance. December 14. Markideion Municipal Theatre, Paphos. 7pm. Tel: 99-920264

Thirty Eight Thousand Dragons Chorotheatro Omada Pente presents its 23rd production, a co-production with the Theatre Development Company of Limassol (ETHAL), choreographed by Chloe Melidou. December 14-15. Technohoros ETHAL, 76 Franklin, Roosevelt Avenue, Limassol. 8.30pm. €8/5. Tel: 99-349265

Other Events Moving Silence Two-day event on contemporary silent moving image and experimental sound within the framework of the Fourth X-Dream Festival. December 14-15. ARTos Cultural and Research Foundation, 64 Ayion Omoloyiton Avenue, Nicosia. 8.30pm. €5. Tel: 22-445455. info@artosfoundation. org. www.artosfoundation.org Christmas Art Event A small show, offering drinks and snacks and selling small and large paintings, postcards, hand painted glasses etc. December 14 & 15. Centre of Cultural Heritage, 10 Alexander the Great Street, old Nicosia. 9am-2pm. Tel: 96-578996 First International Christmas Fair Includes a wide range of events and concerts for families and children. December 14-Janaury 1. Christmas Fair, Sea Road, Between McDonalds and Pascucci Café, Yermasoyia. All day event. Tel: 97-745594

Faneromeni 2-Day Xmas Fest Christmas with DJ’s and wine, carols, treats & games to play and more. December 14-15. Faneromeni Square, old Nicosia. 9pm. December 15. 11am-6pm Micro Scooters at The Mall of Cyprus Children and Adults come and test ride for free the safest, the most reliable and most trendy scooters in the world. December 14. The Mall of Cyprus, Entrance 2, Nicosia. 9am9pm. Tel: 99-621820/96-563820. www.microscooters-cyprus.com

Tomorrow Exhibitions Once upon… a Christmas A Christmas themed exhibition that journeys into the past, with narration of traditional Cypriot Christmas fairy tales along with etchings by the artist Hambis. Opens December 15, 11am until January 27. Pandrora’s Box, Leventis Museum of Nicosia, 15-17 Hippocratous St, Laiki Gitonia, Old Nicosia. Tuesday- Sunday: 10am-4.30pm. Tel: 22-661475 Nicosia my City - A European City Exhibition by drawings and crafts by children aged 3-6 years old. Opens December 15, 11am until January 27. House of Educational Programmes, Leventis Museum of Nicosia, 15-17 Hippocratous St, Laiki Gitonia, Old Nicosia. Tuesday- Sunday: 10am-4 .30pm. Tel: 22-661475

The Beauty of Life A charity art exhibition by Alvard Karapetian. Opens December 15, 7pm until December 17. Hilton Hotel Cyprus White Christmas Group exhibition. Opens December 15, 11am until 19 January 2013. Argo Gallery, 64E D. Akrita Avenue, Nicosia. Monday-Friday: 10am-1pm and 5pm-8pm. Saturday: 10am-1pm. Tel: 22-754009. www.argogallery.org

Music Smooth and Swinging Christmas Party Christmas carvery, after dinner live entertainment including Christmas favourites by Andrea Morrelli and Karen Kendall. December 15. Paliomonastiro Taverna, Peyia. 7pm. €25 per person includes four course meal. Tel: 96-818066

Other Events Aida - The Met: Live in HD A screening of a live, New York Metropolitan Opera performance. December 15. Rialto Theatre, Limassol. 7.55pm. €20/15. Tel: 77-777745. Online ticket: www.rialto.com.cy Creative Writing Workshop Nese Yasin, poet, writer and journalist, discusses her internationally acclaimed work in relation to the theme of ‘the Other’ in literature and engages the audience in creative writing activities. December 15. Home for Cooperation, Opposite Ledra Palace, Buffer Zone, Nicosia. 11am-1pm. Free. Tel: 99-314539

WhereHaus 612 Christmas Bazaar The bazaar will include handmade jewellery and handcraft, food, drinks and entertainment. Interactive fairy tale reading, theatre games for children, face painting, music and a theatre performance by Point To theatre workshops. December 15-16. WhereHaus 612, 5 Michael Kousoulide, Pallouriotissa Industrial Area, Nicosia. 2-10pm. Tel: 70-000612 Winter Day Basketball Tournament Bi-communal youth sports initiative with 3-on-3 street basketball mixed teams. December 15. Poliproponitirio Basketball Courts behind Makario Stadium, Nicosia. 9.30am-1.30pm. Tel: 96-403773/05428581307. e-mail: asouflias@peaceplayersintl.org

Ongoing Other Events Small Volunteers Campaign collection of new Christmas gifts for needy families. Until December 16. Nicosia Presse Café Cross Ledra and St. Anthony, as well as in stores Costas Theodorou and Original Marines (102 Pericles Street, Strovolos, 28th Oct Street, 12 Makedonitissa), Limassol (Zavos Shopping Center, 25 Street Kolonaki, 25 Street), Larnaca (80 Zenon Kitios) and Paphos (92 Makarios Avenue). Tel: 22-818884

For a full guide to the week’s events and regular meetings, make sure you get a copy of the Sunday Mail

Theatre Death and the Maiden Satiriko Theatro. Until December 21. Vladimiros Kafkarides Cultural Centre, 11-15 Vladimiros, Kafkarides Street, Aglantzia, Nicosia. Every Wednesday and Friday at 8.30pm. In Greek. Tel: 22312940/22-421609 11:16 Anemona Theatre presents a mystery by C. G. Wilson. Until December 23. Anemona Theatre, 7 Archagelou Street, Latsia, Nicosia. Every Friday and Saturday at 8.30pm and Sunday at 8pm. In Greek. €10. Tel: 22-573031

Exhibitions Beyond Boundaries A photographic journey through Cyprus by Rachael Atherton-Charvat. Until December 14. Kaimakli Cultural Centre ‘The Mills’ 4 Constantinoupleos Street, Nicosia. 10am-1pm and 4pm-7pm Feeling Solo painting Exhibition by Anastasios Motitis. Until December 15. Opus 39 Gallery, 21 Kimonos Street, Nicosia. Monday: 5pm-8pm. Tuesday-Friday: 10.30am-12.30pm and 5pm-8pm. Tel: 22-424983 Byzantine Icons and Iconography Group exhibition. Until December 16. Polyhoro Katoi, 43 Ayios Omologiton Avenue, Nicosia. Open daily: 10.30am-6pm. Saturday: 10.30am2pm


CYPRUS MAIL Friday, December 14, 2012

19 To have your event included for FREE in our listings, send details to: Arts Editor, Cyprus Mail, PO Box 21144, Nicosia. Fax: 22-676385. Email: whatson@cyprus-mail.com Please send your information as early as possible. Include full details, a contact number and good quality photos

Getting to the Point of the Arts

Legendary filmmaker, Harun Farocki will be in Cyprus to present a selection of his work and to give a presentation in connection to the opening of the Point Centre. Right: Bidoun Library at the Serpentine Gallery, London, 2011

WHILE Nicosia’s art scene has seen a steady stream of gallery and other organisations open and close in recent years, its cultural revival is hoping to vault ahead of its city rivals with the opening of the Point Centre for Contemporary Art, a modern art hub that will host a library, seminars, workshops, lectures, screenings, educational programmes as well as relevant publications. Located at a junction between the old city of Nicosia and its ‘modern’ commercial centre, Point Centre for Contemporary Art is a non-profit organisation involved in the creative support and promotion of various fields of contemporary cultural production. It aims towards fostering a multi-disciplinary engagement with new tendencies in all aspects of the arts. To mark the occasion of the launch of the Point Centre, the venue will be hosting two events which open tomorrow. The first is a celebration of the work by Harun Farocki, one of Germany’s most respected filmmakers. To many, Farocki may appear an obscure figure, who was once infamously dubbed the “world’s most known, unknown filmmaker” and yet his work has had a decisive influence on a generation of artists and filmmakers. As a director, film critic and teacher, Farocki has analysed the changing role of the moving image for more than 40 years. Born in the German-annexed Czechoslovakia in 1944, Farocki began making films in the volatile, rebellious atmosphere of Berlin. Galvanised by the international student protest movement of the 60s, he began to develop an experimental documentary style integrating his own material with footage taken from a range of sources, including mass media, surveillance and political propaganda. In the past several years, he has translated his essayistic approach to the gallery environment. Besides over 100 productions made for television and cinema, using a staggering variety of modes of filmmaking, his long list of credits include the authoring and editing of the influential Filmkritik and numerous gallery and museum shows. In the 90s he was visiting professor at Berkeley, Harvard and since 2006 is full professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. This historical introduction of Farocki in Cyprus includes seven screenings from 1969 to 1993. The artist will give a presentation in connection to the opening ceremony on Saturday. The selected video installations as well as the screening of his oeuvre at

Point will give local audiences an insight into the artist and filmmaker’s creative production. The compilation of films entitled 7 films: Harun Farocki has been organised by Mats Stjernstedt, director Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo and Andre Zivanari, director of Point Centre for Contemporary Art. In one of Farocki’s earliest works Inextinguishable Fire (1969), the film explores the impact and manufacture of napalm, the deadly chemical weapon used frequently during the Vietnam war, and brings to the surface the hidden relationships between labour, industry, and destruction. In Images of the World and Epigraphs of the War (1988), Forocki, with austerity and rigour, engages in the act of looking at an image and in describing what the image really signifies as well as its implications. The use of archival material is common in his work, as in, for example, Videograms of a Revolution (1992). Co-directed with Andrei Ujica, the film uses anonymous material from a television archive and deals with the bloody collapse of the Ceaucescu regime in Romania in 1989. Likewise, Workers Leaving the Factory (1995), a socio-political take on the 1895 Lumière film of the same name, employs archival material taken directly from the history of cinema. Another recurrent theme in Farocki’s work is advertising. A Day in the Life of a Consumer is an epic portrait of consumer society constructed entirely from advertisements. Tomorrow’s ceremony at the Point Centre will also include the opening of the Bidoun Library, which will hopefully provide an enduring relevant discourse on the Middle East. If you’re not schooled in Middle East literature, then this decade-spanning exhibition will give you a crash-course real fast. Organised in association with Bidoun Magazine – a quarterly publication founded by Lisa Farjam aimed at filling the void in art and cultural coverage of the Middle East and its diaspora – the library seeks to exhibit an eclectic mix of loved and hard-to-find printed material from the Middle East. Originally conceived as an itinerant collection of hardto-find books travelling to cultural organisations in the US and Europe, the Bidoun Library has since evolved into a conceptual project that tracks the different ways in which print culture has represented the Middle East. As you walk into the first floor of the Point Centre, books serve as raw materials for a conceptual art installation that invokes the romance of the physical

library. Arranged on wall-mounted shelves, the interactive installation encourages viewers to freely browse (with care) the cover designs, engage with the printed materials or study the texts in detail. The printed matter, ranges from US magazines, Soviet publications, cheap romances, propaganda text, Orwell written in Arabic and Middle-Eastern philosophy. At the end of the day, you can walk away with a head full of subjects as disparate as the hot pant, a sexy Sheik, or Black Muslims; all in all a meaningful insight into the Middle East. For its Cypriot debut, the Bidoun Library turns the page on the twentieth century. More specifically, the period after World War II, set against the context of the Cold War, when the Middle East as we know it came into its own. The Bidoun Library in Nicosia will present a thematic version of the Library built around espionage, the legacies of state-sponsored publishing and the cultural Cold War. The motif of the exhibition is The Object of the Book – the book as object of material production, and the book as a vector for material objectives. 7 films: Harun Farocki A selection of screenings by legendary German filmmaker, critic and teacher followed by discussion and talk with the artist. Within the framework of the opening ceremony of a new contemporary art centre. December 15, 4pm, until February 15. Point Centre for Contemporary Art Megaron Hadjisavva, 2 Evagorou Street, Nicosia. Every Wednesday through Sunday from 11am-5pm. Tel: 22-662053. Email: info@pointcentreforcontemporaryart.com Bidoun Library A mobile library consisting of books, magazines and other printed matter about the Middle East. Within the framework of the opening ceremony of a new contemporary art centre. December 15, 4pm, until February 15. Point Centre for Contemporary Art Megaron Hadjisavva, 2 Evagorou Street, Nicosia. Tel: 22662053. Email: info@pointcentreforcontemporaryart.com By Ledha Socratous

For a full listing of the day’s events, see facing page


Friday, December 14, 2012 CYPRUS MAIL

20

Television CYBC 1 06.45 08.15 11.00 11.30

Proti Enimerosi Kali Sas Mera Kaftes Piperies (rpt) Istories Tou Horkou (rpt) Local comedy series, which happens to be the longest-running show on TV.

12.00

CYBC 2 07.00 08.00 16.00 16.30 17.00

Current affairs programme.

Entehnos Mazi Sto CyBC News Kaftes Piperies

18.45

Paizoume Kypriaka

Live cookery show. New season of local game show, asking questions having to do with Cypriot dialect.

19.20

18.00 19.00 21.30 21.40 22.50

Moiraia Fengaria

News Patates 8 Local satirical show, using comedy sketches and embarrassing TV clips to skewer local politicians.

22.00

Greek FILM: Ap T’Alonia Sta Salonia Comedy. 1972.

23.30 23.45 00.15 00.45

News Moiraia Fengaria (rpt) Entehnos Repeats

06.50 07.00 08.30 09.05

Biz/Emeis World Swimming Championships News In English News In Turkish Top Gear

23.45 00.00

09.40 10.20 11.15 12.10 13.00 13.20 14.00 14.50 16.10 17.00

Fourteenth season. Episode 5. The hosts bid to prove that cars can be art by filling a gallery in Middlesbrough with motoring-related works, including a few creations of their own. They also resort to unusual promotional techniques to attract more visitors to their exhibition. Back on the track, Jeremy Clarkson tests British supercar the Noble M600. Jenson Button drives the Reasonably Priced Car.

New local drama series inspired by Maro Kranidioti’s book ‘Otan i Moira Apofasizei’.

20.00 21.15

NRG Zone Kids’ TV FIFA World Cup 2014 Magazine UEFA EURO 50 Classic Matches (rpt) Kati Psinetai (rpt) Australian version of the show where contestants try to outdo each other by throwing the perfect dinner party, which is then judged on its merits by their rivals.

Apo Mera Se Mera

15.30 16.00 18.00 18.15

ANTENNA

17.45

Me Agapi Deliyianneio Parthenagogeio (rpt) Englimata (rpt) Lyke, Lyke Eisai Edo (rpt) FTHIS Panselinos (rpt) Ekeino To Kalokairi (rpt) Niose Me (rpt) News Mera Mesimeri Konstantinou Kai Elenis (rpt) I Zoi Einai Oraia (rpt) Tha Vreis To Daskalo Sou (rpt) Ekeino To Kalokairi (rpt) Aiyia Fuxia (rpt) With News at 18.00.

19.30 20.15 21.30 00.10 00.15 00.30 01.40 02.30 03.20 04.30

Niose Me News Dancing With The Stars News News Ola Balaho Fetos Synora Agapis (rpt) I Agapi Irthe Apo Makria (rpt) News Deal (rpt)

MEGA 06.00 06.40 07.00 08.00 10.00 12.45 14.00 15.00

I Dipsa (rpt) Diktiotheite Kai Exelihtheite Koinonia Ora Mega Nea Mera Proino Mou Enimerosi Tora Kelmmena Oneira (rpt) Eheis Meson

SIGMA 06.10 07.00 08.20

Variety show featuring entertainment as well as segments on cooking, health, astrology, lifestyle, and more.

10.20 11.10

Local investigative show.

16.00 18.00 18.20 19.20 20.20 21.15 22.10 23.10

Yia Sena News Eisai To Tairi Mou (rpt) Eftyhismenoi Mazi (rpt) News Klemmena Oneira Porta Kleidomeni FILM: The Net 2.0 A computer expert has all details of her identity erased and is framed for stealing from the Russian Mafia. Thriller sequel, starring Nikki Deloach. 2006

00.00 01.00 03.00 04.00 05.00

News Yia Sena (rpt) Charlie’s Angels Enimerosi Tora (rpt) Proino Mou (rpt)

Vasiliki (rpt) 7 Ouranoi kai Synnefa Alites (rpt)

06.45 07.20 07.50 09.00 09.30 10.55

12.00 14.20

Mesimeri Kai Kati Aspra Balonia (rpt) Yet another local drama series.

15.20 18.00 18.05 18.30

Magazino News Ti Tha Fame Simera Mama The Del Monte Heirs Latin American telenovela.

19.30 20.20 21.25 22.20 00.00 00.05

7 Ouranoi kai Synnefa Alites News Aspra Balonia Oikogeniakes Istories News CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Star News Fotis - Maria Live Best Of Mesimeriani Meleti Best Of Exelixeis Sti Showbiz Mila Best Of Nistikoi Praktores (rpt) Cookery show, with helpful tips on eating well and nutrition. Hosted by Dina Nikolaou.

Trashy sounding local drama series.

01.00 01.40 02.30 03.00 03.30

News In English & News In Turkish Repeats

The Del Monte Heirs (rpt) Protoselido Eleni

PLUS TV

11.50 12.30 13.00

Kids’ TV Star News Mesimeriani Meleti Showbiz news and gossip show hosted by Eleonora Meleti.

15.30 17.15 17.50 19.40

Kids’ TV Exelixeis Stin Showbiz Fotis Maria Live Mila Discussions about various issues based on woman’s life (men, relationships, sex, kids etc.) with showbiz guests. Hosted by Tatiana Stefanidou.

21.15

An elite team of police forensic evidence investigation experts work their cases in Las Vegas.

22.00

Dekati Entoli (rpt) Alithinoi Erotes (rpt) Mila Mou (rpt) Otan Megaloso (rpt) Eleni (rpt)

23.15

06.45 08.35 09.20 10.00

17.35 18.15

Kids’ TV S’Agapo (rpt) Akti Oneiron Ston Asterismos Tis Imeras Kouzina Me Apopsi Remington Steele Milagros Kids’ TV Top Models S’Agapo Sabrina, To Koritsi Tis Agapis Akti Oneiron Pacific Blue

19.15 19.50 20.05 21.00

News Sports Time Rubi FILM: Code 11-14

11.00 11.30 12.30 13.25 15.00 15.50 16.40

With News at 18.30.

FBI agents fly to Australia to arrest a serial killer and take him back to the US. But during the return journey, they learn they’ve got the wrong man. Thriller, starring David James Elliott. 2003.

22.50

O Koumbaros O Xeftilas LTV Sports News Star News Repeats

FILM: Water’s Edge A novelist and his wife encounter violence and dark secrets after they move to a small town. Crime thriller, starring Nathan Fillion. 2003.

Exelixeis Stin Showbiz La Bomba Sportshow Satirical show focusing on the sports and news.

00.45 01.40 02.30

CAPITAL

00.40

FILM: The Cutter A former cop-turnedprivate eye searches for a kidnapped diamond cutter, which leads to a sinister conspiracy. Action adventure, starring Chuck Norris 2005.

Morning Glory (Novacinema2, 18.05)

01:15 The Weakest Link 02:00 Born And Bred 03:55 EastEnders 03:20 Doctors 03:50 Keeping Up Appearances 04:20 Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps 04:50 My Family 05:20 Born And Bred 06:15 The Weakest Link 07:00 Tellytales 07:10 Boogie Beebies 07:25 Teletubbies 07:50 Balamory 08:10 Tellytales 08:20 Boogie Beebies 08:35 Teletubbies 09:00 Balamory 09:20 Charlie And Lola 09:30 Buzz & Tell 09:35 Keeping Up Appearances 10:05 Mastermind 10:35 The Weakest Link 11:20 EastEnders 11:50 Doctors 12:20 Ray Mears’ Wild Foods 13:10 Tribal Wives 14:00 Mastermind 14:30 Keeping Up Appearances 15:00 The Weakest Link 15:45 EastEnders 16:15 Doctors 16:45 Ray Mears’ Wild Foods 17:35 Tribal Wives 18:25 The Weakest Link 19:10 Big Cat Diary 19:40 Doctors 20:10 Robin Hood 21:00 Lead Balloon 21:30 Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps 22:00 Tribal Wives 22:50 ‘Allo ‘Allo! 23:25 Sport Relief 2012: David Walliams’ Big Swim 24:25 Alan Carr: Chatty Man

07:00 How It’s Made ; 07:25 Wheeler Dealers 07:50 Wheeler

Dealers 08:15 American Chopper 09:10 Dirty Jobs 10:05 Deadliest Catch 10:55 Ultimate Survival 11:50 How Do They Do It? 12:15 How It’s Made ; 12:40 Extreme Engineering 13:35 Fifth Gear 14:30 Wheeler Dealers 15:25 American Chopper 16:20 Mythbusters 17:15 Dirty Jobs 18:10 Deadliest Catch 19:05 Ultimate Survival 20:00 How It’s Made ; 21:00 Tallest Tower: Building The Shard 22:00 Curiosity 23:00 How We Invented The World 00:00 Curiosity 01:00 Protecting Washington Dc 01:55 Tallest Tower: Building The Shard 02:50 Curiosity 03:50 How We Invented The World 04:50 Curiosity 05:45 How Do They Do It? 06:10 Overhaulin’

09:30 Luge: World Cup Germany 10:00 Swimming: World Short Course Championships Turkey 11:30 Winter Sports: Ski Pass 11:45 Alpine Skiing: World Cup France 13:00 Football: Uefa Champions League 14:00 Football: Uefa Europa League 14:30 Biathlon: World Cup Slovenia 16:30 Ski Jumping: World Cup Switzerland 17:00 Snooker: European Tour Scotland – 22:00 Boxing: Bigger’s Better Heavy Weight Contest Latvia 00:00 Snooker: European Tour Scotland 01:00 Swimming: World Short Course Championships Turkey 02:15 All Sports: Watts

05:40 Off The Map 06:25 Castle 07:10 Modern Family 07:35 Happy Endings 08:00 The Gates 08:50 Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations 09:40 Off The Map 10:25 Castle 11:10 Modern Family 11:35 Happy Endings 12:00 Happy Endings 12:25 Don’t Trust The B...In Apartment 12:50 Glee 13:40 The Gates 14:30 Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations 15:20 Off The Map 16:05 Castle 16:50 Modern Family 17:15 Happy Endings 17:40 The Gates 18:30 Jamie’s Best Ever Christmas 19:20 Off The Map 20:10 Castle 21:00 Happy Endings 21:25 Don’t Trust The B...In Apartment 21:50 Glee 22:40 Modern Family 23:05 New Girl 23:30 Happy Endings 23:55 Don’t Trust The B...In Apartment 00:20 Glee 01:10 Castle 02:00 Off The Map 02:45 Modern Family 03:10 New Girl 03:35 Rita Rocks 04:00 The Gates 04:50 Jamie’s Best Ever Christmas

07:00 Pawn Stars 07:30 Storage Wars 08:00 American Pickers 09:00 American Restoration 09:30

Storage Wars 10:00 Pawn Stars 10:30 Storage Wars 11:00 Ancient Aliens 12:00 Ice Road Truckers 13:00 Ax Men 14:00 American Pickers 15:00 American Restoration 15:30 Storage Wars 16:00 Ice Road Truckers 17:00 Ax Men 18:00 American Pickers 19:00 American Restoration 19:30 Storage Wars 20:00 Pawn Stars 20:30 Storage Wars 21:00 Ancient Aliens 22:00 Soviet Storm: WWII In The East 23:00 Mankind: The Story Of All Of Us 01:00 Ancient Aliens 02:00 Mankind: The Story Of All Of Us 04:00 American Pickers 05:00 American Restoration 05:30 Storage Wars 06:00 Ancient Aliens 07:30 Dead Girl 09:15 Practical Magic 11:10 Jennifer’s Body 13:00 Art Of Travel 14:45 City Heat 16:30 Special 18:00 Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day 19:30 Hollywood Buzz 20:00 LTV Sports News 21:00 Crackie 23:00 Country Strong 01:00 Hustler TV 02:35 Hollywood Buzz 03:15 Invisible Sign, An 05:00 Mafia! 06:30 LTV Sports News

07:00 Chowder 07:25 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack

07:50 The Tom & Jerry Show 08:15 Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get A Clue! 08:40 Loonatics Unleashed 09:05 Superman: The Animated Series 09:30 Superman: The Animated Series 09:55 The Looney Tunes Show 10:20 Tak & The Power Of Juju 10:45 Fanboy & Chum Chum 11:10 The X’s 11:35 Ni Hao, KaiLan 12:00 Dora The Explorer 12:25 Spongebob Squarepants 13:15 The Mighty B! 13:40 My Life As A Teenage Robot 14:05 Hey Arnold! 14:30 Icarly 15:20 Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get A Clue! 15:45 Justice League Unlimited 16:10 Legion Of Super Heroes 16:35 Young Justice 17:00 Makeover: Hunt Dog Edition 17:30 Planet Speed 18:00 Barclays Premier League World 18:30 NBA Action 19:00 La Liga World 19:30 Barclays Premier League 2012-13 21:30 A’ Division Cyprus Soccer Championship 2012-13 23:30 Barclays Premier League Preview 00:00 La Liga Show 2012-13 00:30 ATP World Tour Uncovered 01:00 Barclays Premier League Review 02:00 NBA 2012-13 04:30 La Liga Review 2012-13 05:30 Makeover: Hunt Dog Edition 06:00 Winter X-Games 15

07:15 Two And A Half Men 08:00 Eastbound & Down 08:35 The Closer 09:20 Harry’s Law 10:05 Chuck 10:50 2 Broke Girls 11:15 Supernatural 12:45 Strike Back 13:35 Two And A Half Men 14:25 The Closer

15:15 Harry’s Law 16:05 The Big Bang Theory 16:30 According To Jim 17:15 The Mentalist 18:00 C.S.I. New York 18:55 Underbelly 19:45 Gossip Girl 20:30 Entourage 21:00 Ncis: Los Angeles 22:30 True Blood 23:30 Tell Me You Love Me 00:25 Road, The 02:15 The Year Without A Santa Claus 03:45 The Big Bang Theory 04:10 According To Jim 04:55 The Mentalist 05:40 C.S.I. New York 06:25 Underbelly

08:30 Man With Two Brains, The 10:00 Hotel For Dogs 12:00 Hall Pass 14:00 L’ Etoile Du Soldat 16:00 Sleepy Hollow 18:00 Sin Nombre 20:00 Nick Of Time 22:00 Funny Bones 00:10 Daring! Tv 03:30 Fair Game 05:30 Eruption

05:20 The Client 07:20 Xxx: O Apolytos Praktoras 09:25 Last Night 11:00 Cine News 11:45 Sundays At Tiffany’s 13:20 Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story 15:00 «Love Stories» Beastly 16:35 The Ides Of March 18:20 Mad On Novacinema 19:10 O Annivas Pro Ton Pylon 21:00 Ncis 22:00 Habemus Papam 23:55 Sanctum 01:45 Cine News 02:15 Korkoro 04:05 Jude

06:05 Analyze That 07:45 Cine

News 08:40 The Negotiator 11:00 Ever After: A Cinderella Story 13:05 Cine News 14:05 Ap’ Ta Kokala Vgalmena 15:35 The Tempest 17:30 Spotlight On 18:05 Morning Glory 19:55 The Lincoln Lawyer 22:00 I Don’t Know How She Does It 23:40 The Illusioninist 01:35 The Way Back 03:50 Cine News 04:40 Kill Bill: Vol.1

19:20 Bad Teacher 21:00 The Man Who Wasn’t There 23:00 The Haunting 01:00 Cine News 01:30 Adult Zone 03:40 Black Hawk Down

19:35 My Future Boyfriend 21:00 Winter’s Bone 22:50 Black Swan 00:45 Don Juan De Marco 02:25 The Art Of Getting By

07:00 Anna Christie 08:30 Two Weeks In Another Town 10:15 Unfinished Dance, The 11:55 Travels With My Aunt 13:45 Prize, The 16:00 Sunday in New York 17:45 Meet Me In Las Vegas 19:35 Cimarron 22:00 Lolita 00:30 Alex In Wonderland 02:20 Edge of the City 03:45 Strip, The 05:10 Postman Always Rings Twice, The

By Preston Wilder

Crackie (LTV, 21.00) It’s a troubled-girls double on Pick of the Day, two films with women on the verge of a nervous youknow-what - though also another low-budget Canadian drama, after yesterday’s Stone Angel (what’s going on with pay-TV? are they keeping the big films for Christmas?). Meghan Greeley is our heroine Mitsy, a teenager in a shabby small town in drab, stormtossed Newfoundland. She’s been abandoned by her alkie mum and lives with her strict, oppressive grandma, kept going only by her dreams of becoming a hairdresser and the unconditional love of a small dog named Sparky - but her dreams are probably hopeless and Sparky’s life is no better than hers, the dog

getting “tied up, mistreated and [bearing] the brunt of everyone’s frustration,” to quote a shocked viewer at the Internet Movie Database. The mutt runs away, Mitsy’s forced to sleep with a scruffy delinquent in order to get him back, and it’s all pretty downbeat but still worth a look for its sense of truth, unless your tastes run solely to the glossy and glamorous. Cheer up folks, Christmas will be here soon. Made in 2009.

Black Swan (Novacinema4, 22.50) This is my favourite film of 2010; don’t judge me! Admittedly it won an Oscar for Natalie Portman but it’s still a bit trashy, a ballet drama that morphs into a horror movie - a tale of a young woman cracking up, like

Repulsion in the 60s. Nat is the fragile young woman, a “frigid little girl” who’s terrified of sex but also an Artist (a ballerina) who’s obsessed with being “perfect”; she gets the lead in a new production of Swan Lake, and everyone knows she can play the innocent White Swan - but can she also play the dark, sensual Black Swan? The result is a prime entry in what novelist Steve Erickson called “American film’s most clandestine canon, the Cinema of Hysteria” - a film that’s intensely subjective, as if taking place inside its heroine’s head, thrillingly high-strung and (yes) hysterical. Also with Mila Kunis, prompting an apt remark from an old lady sitting behind a friend of mine when he saw the film: “That girl is so naughty!”. Made in 2010.

Black Swan


CYPRUS MAIL Friday, December 14, 2012

21

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD 2262 1

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HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1-9. There’s no maths involved, you solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. With the ‘X’ sudoku, the shaded X must also contain the numbers 1-9.

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EASY

EASY

MEDIUM

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1 Not that part of ancient history (4) 2 It’s difficult when it’s hot and humid (6) 3 Barred network on an American football field (8) 4 Way to include company tax (4) 5 Meat encased in iron served in glowing spirit (6) 6 Suffering distress (10) 9 Made slippery in order to reduce friction (10) 13 Revealing story of Swiss archer? (8) 15 Kind Christian I leave (6) 16 Hislop’s remarkable refinement (6) 18 Nail used to finish a vicious attack (4) 20 Growing source of fuel (4)

Rating EASY

5 Partially deflated this tyre (4) 7 Wildly funny but violently emotional (10) 8 Joined or cut quietly having left (6) 10 Fall for a drier (6) 11 Order youth leader to be dutiful (4) 12 Reduce expenditure relating to a deep ditch (8) 14 Help over a long wriggly line (8) 16 Faint sound of a bucket (4) 17 Get girl in, the greedy bird! (6) 19 Innate ability with old money (6) 21 Not have another result – how dull (10) 22 Snick a boundary (4)

Rating HARD

Down

Rating MEDIUM

Across

Rating MEDIUM

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Answers to crossword 2261

HOROSCOPE

CRYPTIC: Across – 1 Jackdaw; 5 Widow; 8 Revered; 9 Set fair; 10 Andante; 11 Marital; 14 Useless; 16 Knockon; 18 Imposed; 19 Trident; 20 Hated; 21 Delayed. Down – 1 Jetsam; 2 Contortionist; 3 Dynasty; 4 Wirral; 5 Waved; 6 Dire necessity; 7 Wedged; 12 Despoil; 13 Sketch; 14 United; 15 Sidled; 17 Knead.

QUICK: Across – 1 Ventnor; 5 To let; 8 Impeach; 9 Limited; 10 Earshot; 11 Yearned; 14 Lockjaw; 16 Eatable; 18 Treacle; 19 Spinach; 20 Sight; 21 Linctus. Down – 1 Valley; 2 Not mean a thing; 3 Nesting; 4 Raided; 5 Taper; 6 Leatherjacket; 7 Tahiti; 12 Echelon; 13 Census; 14 Lethal; 15 Wrests; 17 Blast.

ARIES March 21 - April 20

LEO July 23 - August 22

SAGITTARIUS November 23 - December 21

The power of thought! If you feel that something is possible, there is a greater chance of realising an ambition more quickly. And with Uranus in your sign, and Mars in Capricorn strengthening both your instincts and determination, why not aim high and see where it leads. Someone with great knowledge can be a powerful and influential ally.

Part of you can be drawn to all the mirth and pleasures of this time of year, but a strong sense of duty can still surface within you. Or will it be someone else who reminds you of your responsibilities? The best way to manage this could be through good planning and a sensible strategy. Be dutiful first and foremost, then liberate yourself to play.

What’s yours is yours, and even if you’re generous, you can hold onto your resources a little more tightly today. As much as you have been feeling a sense of renewal at some levels, your love life has perhaps been more complex lately, even if nothing much seems to be happening. Be assured the planets are preparing new energy here too.

TAURUS April 21 - May 21

VIRGO August 23 - September 23

CAPRICORN December 22 - January 20

If anyone ducks or dives on a direct question you ask of them, even if you don’t obviously confront them, the chances are you’ll immediately know that they are trying to avoid “fessing up”. Then again, you may want to experience the transformation that a very direct conversation can have. Sometimes people accuse you of being blunt, today you may be.

Your feelings about the things you hold dear can seem more vivid. With your emotions already stirred by the New Moon, the basic foundation of your existence, where you live, who you live with or how you live there, are all very much to the fore already. You can find yourself feeling a little more defensive, or the moods of others can affect you more.

Part of you can feel charged up, sure of your chance of making progress. Yet paradoxically, another side of you can feel less assured, in fact, even quite tentative. This may see you needing some reassurance, or if you are often the one sharing a broad shoulder for people to lean on, appreciate someone being there to do this for you, for a change.

GEMINI May 22 - June 21

LIBRA September 24 - October 23

AQUARIUS January 21 - February 19

Money matters can be on your mind, and especially shared money matters. You could find yourself toying with a more direct or diplomatic approach, especially if someone you are involved with tends to be more secretive, or says “I have transferred the money” and a cursory check on your bank account, would seem to suggest otherwise.

Just when the music, chat and joviality have really started to flow, you might experience a brief but profound switchback today. This could see you happy to scuttle home and have a lovely cosy evening, happy to muse to yourself, perhaps also enjoying a spot of personal pampering or preening, all of which can charge you up ready for tomorrow’s fray.

As the Moon sweeps across Pluto and squares your coruler Uranus, so psychological energies are to the fore. If you are an insightful person, you may be recognising the repeat pattern of this, and how it is stirring previously buried memories or views of yourself. Or is it helping you to see yourself in a new light? Comfortable this may not be.

CANCER June 22 - July 22

SCORPIO October 24 - November 22

PISCES February 20 - March 20

You may be finding that some relationships, perhaps for no conscious reason on your part, are becoming more and more charged with intensity, conflict and obstacles. To you it may seem as if certain individuals are raining on your parade, when in the past they didn’t. Really it’s because you’re growing more assertive about your needs and hopes.

Today, once more, you can find it hard to contain your need to express your earnest feelings about something. It’s possible this concerns one of your pet subjects, topics or causes. The only thing is, will you actually get heard? If you have been beating the drum for this previously, others may be less, not more, receptive. Do stay attuned to your audience.

A heart to heart with a friend can be good, but only if they are playing a supportive role, rather than telling you what you must do. Is someone holding too much sway in your world? It’s not good to be in any kind of passive idealising situation, for true bonds are based on a more equal relationship. Steer away from putting anyone on a pedestal.


22

Friday, December 14, 2012 CYPRUS MAIL

Advertiser

ADVERTISER helps you find what you’re looking for

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

JOB WANTED ***************************** LADY LOOKING FOR PART TIME JOB, cleaning, elderly people, children, ironing, cleaning offices. Speaks good English and Greek, has own transport. Limassol area. Tel 96451034 *****************************

alised 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 back pain, sacro-iliac pain and neck pain. More info on 22446988. *****************************

PERSONAL

MISCELLANEOUS ***************************** MRS LENA ASSAF from Lebanon has reported her Lebanon passport was stolen, passport no RL 0059332. Anybody who finds it can please inform your nearest police station or call her on 99220625 or e-mail her on lenaassafk@gmail.com ***************************** 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

***************************** AUSTRIAN INGENEUR, 50 years, searching for a nice women. Mobile: 004917365562 or 00491726293462 *****************************

Nicosia - tel: 22 818583 fax: 22 676385 *****************************

TAG 43, male, probably a Braque-Dachshund mix, with a beautiful Labrador like face! Excellent temperament, very loving and well behaved. He will make an amazing companion. Worth Meeting! He is small sized and only around 1,5 years old. 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 10-2pm. *****************************

PETS ***************************** A BEAUTIFUL BLACK COCKER GIRL will be available for sale at the begging of the new year, with an excellent pedigree, vaccinated, microchipped, lovely natured, free from eye cataract, kidney failure and hips dysplasia. Living with a family with kids, other dogs and a cat (450 euros). Also an adult black cocker male, very handsome, fully vaccinated is given for free to the right home. For information and photos look at www. costopa.net or call 99884578 Anna ( Nicosia)

*****************************

MIKA is a beautiful and sweet female puppy, around four months, is looking for a loving home. She is very lovable and she will definitely be your best friend. 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 10-2pm. *****************************

HEALTH & FITNESS

LESSONS

***************************** HARMONY AND BALANCE! Anti cellulite treatment, reflexology, aromatherapy, massage-against stress, back pains, headache. Nicosia for appointment call on 97696795. ***************************** 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. ***************************** CLINICAL PILATES. Person-

*****************************

RAMONA is a female Labrador mix, around 4 years old looking for a loving family. She is looking for a forever home! 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 10-2pm.

TIME FOR A CAREER CHANGE? Learn how to teach English! The London Teacher Training College is offering TEFL Certificate courses in Cyprus. For more information call now on 99839307. *****************************

SERVICES PROFESSIONAL UPHOLSTERY CLEANING, also carpets, rugs and mattresses.

Limassol - tel: 25 761117 fax: 25 761141

Special offers now available. For a quote call Rickys Cleaning Services on 99131044 (all areas) rickyscleaningservices@gmail.com ***************************** DO YOU NEED A WEB-SITE 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 ***************************** 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 *****************************

FOR SALE MISCELLANEOUS ***************************** L-SHAPE SOFA, long 5 seats. Light beige colour, BO Concept design, €350 buyer to collect. Limassol area. Tel 99201904 ***************************** 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: 99-168943

Paphos - tel: 26 911383 fax: 26221049

Larnaca - tel: 24 652243 fax: 24 659982

*****************************

FOR SALE BUSINESS/ PROPERTY/LAND ***************************** FOR SALE LAND in Strovolos between Leoforos Iosif X” Iosif & Leoforos Stavrou area. 721 sqm. Call 99321785 22421785 ***************************** TIMI, PLOTS, a few selected available, seaview, near the 2 golf courses, Venus rock and airport. 60% building factor, eu 99,000. Half registration fees till the 31.12.12. Tel. 99 621914 ***************************** LARNACA, Alethriko, plots for sale, 525 sqm, 90% building factor, near highway Limassol-Larnaca, 5 min from airport, quiet residential area, eu 109,000. Half registration fees till the 31.12.12. Tel. 99 621914 ***************************** LAND FOR SALE Prodromos resort. Can be perfect for building hotel, hotel apartments, restaurant, shops or offices. On main road, water/ electricity and telephone supplied. Building factor 60%. Also, stone house 120sqm. More info 99214165 ***************************** 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 ***************************** FLAT OR HOUSE TO RENT, 2-3 bedrooms, veranda/terrace or garden, prefer furnished, SW of Nicosia (in approx area Lakadamia to Kapedes and Kalo Chorio) alan.tye@birdlifecyprus.org.cy, 22455072, 99089083. *****************************

classified contents Employment Opportunities pg -Employment Miscellaneous 22 Pets 22 Lessons 22 Health & Fitness 22 Personal 22 Services 22 For Sale Miscellaneous 22 For Sale Land/ Property Business 22 For Sale Motor vehicles 23 Wanted -To Let Nicosia 23 To Let Limassol 24 To Let Larnaca 24 To Let Paphos 24 To Let Protaras, Ayia Napa, Paralimni -For Sale Nicosia 26 For Sale Limassol -For Sale Larnaca -For Sale Paphos 26 For Sale Ayia Napa -For Sale Famagusta Protaras 26 For Sale Athens -Property& Home Services display ads 27

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


23

CYPRUS MAIL Friday, December 14, 2012

Advertiser FOR SALE MOTOR VECHICLES

FOR SALE MOTOR VEHICLES ***************************** RED BMW MINI 1 2005 1600cc full factory specs 22500 miles New tyres full service history 2 year MOT Drivers & Maint manual 6500euros Pafos 99096902.

MINI COOPER (2005) 1600cc, 52.000 miles, British racing green/Blk roof, full mini spec., bluetooth, fitted, MOT 15/07/14, €5.995 ono. Contact 99531267 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 ono. Contact: 99022779 - Nicosia *****************************

PROPERTY TO LET NICOSIA FLATS TO LET - Nicosia: A wide selection of furnished & unfurnished in all areas of Nicosia. NIKARIA ESTATE LTD Theo Loizides 22761616 / 99660050 nikaria@cablenet.com.cy FOR RENT spacious modern 5 Bedr house, next to Metro Supermarket, Strovolos, Nicosia. Furnished, 3 Restrooms, air-conditioning throughout, central heating, extra office room, ample storage spaces, covered garage, verandas with pergola, garden, barbecue area, quiet street in a cul de sac. Call 99606856.

TO LET NICOSIA 2-BEDROOM FLAT with balcony in leafy side-street, Ayioi Omoloyites, near Hilton, walking distance to central Nicosia. Fully furnished including 2 double beds, fitted wardrobes, TV, fridge, oven, dining table & chairs. Recently refurbished with new kitchen. Private landlord. €550 pcm. ***************************** NEW LUXURY residence for rent, located in a prestigious area in Strovolos. It offers spacious living rooms, 3 bedrooms en-suite, 2 kitchens, maid’s room and large garden. Call 99883521 ***************************** TO LET 3 bedroom house situated on a dead end street next to a small quiet park near Falcon School. Has an En-suite master room, large study room, central heating, a/c and fire place in the living room. For enquiries tel 99660758 ***************************** 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 €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,

TO LET NICOSIA 99646822 ***************************** 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. ***************************** FOR RENT 3 B/R apartment fully furnished close to Central Bank. 3 W.C., fully airconditioned 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 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).

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Tel. SELEC fencing 99176557

ALL AREAS • External & Internal painting • Damp Damage Repairs • Spritze Repairs • Free Estimates + very clean work • All areas. All types of woodwork stained and preserved • All work guaranteed

Tel. Tony on 99176557

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

2. H3AR0004-R, 3 bedr luxury detached house with central heating, full a/c, 3wc, 2 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 supermarket - STROVOLOS €1200 (H4ST10007-R), (photos in the website). 7. 3 bedr detached ground floor house with separate maid’s room, with very big garden with grass(200sq.m) and covered patio with bbq and bar, central heating, full a/c, 180sq.m, FULLY FURNISHED or NOT, 2 covered parking, storage room, in a very quiet neighborhood opposite Acropolis park - Acropolis €1200 - 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 bath-

rooms/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 Centre- PLATY 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

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24

Friday, December 14, 2012 CYPRUS MAIL

Advertiser TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

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. 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 supermarket - Strovolos - €1200 – H4ST10007-R (photos in website). 15. 3 bedr detached house with extra room for office, 250sq.m, central heating independent, 4a/c, big renovated kitchen with cooker and oven, big sitting and dining room with parquet floor and fire place, 1bathroom, 2 shower, 3wc, 2 covered parking, double glazed windows and shutters in bedrooms, big verandas surrounded by trees and

bushes off 28th October street in the central part of Makedonitissa - Makedonitissa - €1100 – H3MAK0004-R (photos in 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

big separate kitchen with all the electrical appliances, big bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, storage heaters, full a/c, shutters and blinds on the windows, covered parking in a quiet neighborhood off Prodromou close Ministry od Defence – Engomi- € 700 – A3ENG0026-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. 2 bedr luxury spacious apartment on a small modern building with central heating independent(with petrol), full a/c, solid parquet floor, big bedrooms, big sitting room with open plan kitchen, big covered veranda, FULLY MODERN FURNISHED, covered parking off Makarios avenue in a quiet area near the centre – Nicosia Centre- € 800 – A2NIC0030-R (photos in 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, 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 lami-

nate 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 €700 (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. 3 bedr luxury apartment with central heating independent, full a/c, 2 bathrooms, parquet floor, big sitting and dining area, big covered veranda, covered parking, storage room, blinds, shutters in the bedrooms, big kitchen with all expensive electrical appliances, off Makarios avenue near the centre – Nicosia Centre- € 800 – A3NIC0025-R (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 machine, 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 ***************************** 2 BDRM flat in the centre of Nicosia. Rent €450. For information call 99453663, 99663927.

***************************** LUXURY FLATS:

1. 3 bedr luxury finished spacious floor apartment with very big sitting and dining areas with family room with fire place, solid parquet floor all throught, central heating independent, full a/c, all the bedrooms with en suite shower/bathroom, 4wc, big kitchen with all the electrical appliances, blinds on all windows, big covered veranda, covered parking, big storage room, on a small 3 storey building in a quiet neighborhood – Agios Andreas- € 1300 – A3AAD0005-R (photos 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. 3 bedr new luxury big apartment 150sq.m+big 25sq.m veranda with very nice view, big sitting and dining areas,

LIMASSOL 4

BEDROOM HOUSE IN EPISKOPI Split level 4-yearold 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 en-suite 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 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

LARNACA 1 BEDROOM two-storey maisonette for rent 200m from the sea on Larnaca-Dhekelia Road. No communal expenses fully furnished, heating and a/c, 1 bathroom - 270 euro a month . Call 99449556 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

PAPHOS € 290 /mnth Acropolis Heights (a), Chlorakas (b) € 380 / mnth Universal area and Both are 2-bed houses, beautiful locations, in Cul-de-sacs, 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.’ ***************************** MR RENT PAPHOS, THE LEADING PROPERTY RENT-


25

CYPRUS MAIL Friday, December 14, 2012

Advertiser TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

AL 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. TSADA €380 charming 2 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. Pets allowed at owners discretion. Website reference number: RTL_644 2. UNIVERSAL AREA €450 luxury modern 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment. Available fully furnished with modern furniture including plasma tv & satellite, fully equipped modern kitchen with top brand appliances. Situated on top floor with lift. Complex with communal pools & indoor gym. Great central location walking distance to bus routes & shops. Website reference number: RTL_395 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. 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 5. PEYIA €850 luxury spacious 3 bedroom 3 bathroom villa with automated garage, situated in a private residential area offering breathtaking sea views. This desirable villa offers central heating & real fireplace for those winter months. Manicured garden & private pool. Hot tub & bbq area. Modern fitted kitchen, separate utility room & games room. Website reference number: RTL_ 270 6. SECRET VALLEY €850 modern 3 bedroom bungalow, master with ensuite. Spacious modern kitchen, fully furnished with modern furniture. Landscaped garden with private pool offering stunning views. Situated in a quiet residential area. Website reference number: RTL_651 7. ANAVARGOS €895 we are delighted to offer this unique 5 bedroom 3 bathroom rustic country home offering spacious living accomodation with large gardens, private pool & stone built bbq & entertainment area. Fully furnished with log burner for those winter months. A real character home worth viewing. Pets

allowed. Website reference number: RTL_635 offers considered. 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.mrrentpaphos.net Email: info@ mrrent-paphos.net ***************************** 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, 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.

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 & bowl-

ing 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. PLEASE CALL 96203009

*****************************

***************************** FOR RENT A selection of 1 to 5 bedroom houses & apartments F/F & U/F Universal,


26

Friday, December 14, 2012 CYPRUS MAIL

Advertiser TO LET PAPHOS 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 en-sute, 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 en-suite, in culde-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

A DELIGHTFUL AND SPACIOUS 1 bedroom apartment, F/F, top floor, new, located at a peaceful location 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,

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

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

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 unfurnished 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

kitchen. 2 double, bedrooms, master with en-suite 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. €425.00 a month. 2 bed apartment same complex €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. €500.00 a month. Suit nondrivers! 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. €350.00 per month 4. TALA - 3 bed 3 bath quality furnished villa. Set in enclosed gardens the villa consists of open plan living area with dining space. Fully fitted kitchen with all appliances, door to rear garden. Storage room. Ground floor bedroom with adjacent shower. Stairs to two double bedrooms both ensuite, one with Jacuzzi tub. Small seating area with adjacent balcony. Pool and off street parking. Landscaped gardens €750.00 per month or close offers only 5. SEA CAVES – 2 bed, 2 bath fully furnished large townhouse set in quiet location. Open plan living area. Fully fitted kitchen. 2 double bedrooms and family bathroom. Garden area and parking. Realistically priced. Suit retired people or those wanting a quiet area. €400.00 per month 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 per month. 7. LOWER PEYIA - 3 bed, 2.5 bath part furnished villa situated in quiet cul du sac. Open plan living and dining area with doors out to pool and garden. Very large breakfast fitted kitchen. Doors out to garden and pool. Separate guest WC. Stairs to 3 double bedrooms. Master bedroom very large with en-suite shower. Family bathroom. Private pool, gardens, shutters. €550.00 per month or close offers only.

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. Master with en-suite bathroom. Family bathroom. Enclosed gardens, pool and off street parking. Realistically priced €550.00 per month. OVNO FOR FULL LISTINGS OF APARTMENTS/TOWNHOUSES 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 ***************************** 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.

renovated, 2 baths, 146 sqm closed area, ch, ac, covered parking, excellent view of sea and mountains, half registration fees till 31.12.12.Reduced to eu 135,000,or rent eu 450 pm. Tel 99 621914 KATO PAPHOS UNIVERSAL, large 2 bedroom apartment, ground floor, 1 bathroom, kitchen, large veranda, private parking, A/C, satellite TV. Near bus route, shops, banks, quiet apartment. Full furniture. Communal pool. 92 sq.m covered area. Full TITLE DEEDS. REDUCED €92,000 PAPHOS 1 bedroom apartment, fantastic central location, lounge/kitchen, bathroom, veranda, covered parking, communal pool, Furnished. Near all amenities. TITLE DEEDS NOW REDUCED €45,000. 1 BEDROOM APARTMENT, TOMBS OF KINGS AREA, close to the sea, large private roof terrace with electric and water, covered parking, veranda, furnished, swimming pool. Full TITLE DEEDS, was €95,000 reduced to €65,000. Chlorakas, 2 bedroom townhouse. Exceptional sea views. New kitchen, bedrooms and bathroom. Private parking, On mains sewage system. Communal pool. A/C, quality fixtures. Fully furnished. Security barrier. FULL TITLE DEEDS Now €92,000 Call 99716390. 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 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.

***************************** FLOWRON PROPERTY RENTALS, YOUR NUMBER ONE CHOICE FOR RENTAL PROPERTIES. LOOKING FOR A RELIABLE AND EFFICIENT PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY, 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

***************************** 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 ***************************** 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 in this prestigious development. Open plan living area. Good sized

PROPERTY FOR SALE NICOSIA NICOSIA, FLAT FOR SALE: 2 bedroom flat with title deeds, 110 sqm, fully renovated, best central area, 800m from the european university,excellent view, eu 99,000. Tel 99 621914 HOUSE FOR QUICK SALE on whole plot in Makedonitissa Tymvos area. 4 bedrooms 340m2, quality construction 1999 built, near schools. In need of minor modernization. Space for pool. Private sale €595,000, no agents. 99582335

PAPHOS PAPHOS, FLATS FOR SALE OR RENT: Kissonerga, 3 bedroom flat with title deeds, in a block of 4 flats only, fully

POLICE DIVISION HQ

HOSPITALS ........ 1400

Nicosia ........................22 802 020 Limassol ......................25 805 050 Larnaca .......................24 804 040 Paphos ........................26 806 060 Famagusta ..................23 803 030

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

Drug Law Enforcement Unit ......................................... 1498 (Confidential Information)

GOOD HOME COOKING- RUN BY FAMILY-ESTABLISHED 1988

Rescue Co-ordination Centre ............................. 1441 (Immediate Response Service for Aeronautical or Maritime Accident & Incidents)

• 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

AYIA NAPA, studio for sale, 38 sqm, furnished and fully renovated, with title deed, in licensed complex, 500m from nissi beach, eu 49,000, tel. 99 621914

U SEFUL PHONE NUMBERS

THE DEVONSHIRE RESTAURANT

• BE ASTOUNDED BY OUR LOW WINTER PRICES !

FAMAGUSTA

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

Narcotics Helpline ......... 1410 (Outside hours.............. 22304160) 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)

Forest Fires ..................... 1407 Airports Larnaca ..........................77778833 Paphos ...........................77778833


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CYPRUS MAIL Friday, December 14, 2012

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.

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


28

Friday, December 14, 2012 CYPRUS MAIL

Sport Jeff the dinosaur scares Australian PGA away By Ian Ransom THE Australian PGA Championship will leave its traditional Queensland venue next year after the Coolum resort painted adverts on the fairways and put a giant replica dinosaur on the course. This year’s A$1.25 million tournament began yesterday but according to local media reports it was nearly scrapped after a dispute between the PGA and mining tycoon Clive Palmer, the resort’s new owner. While late negotiations ensured the 2012 event would

go ahead, players were greeted by the sight of ‘Jeff’, a 20metre long and eight metre-high dinosaur plonked between the ninth and tenth holes. PGA chief executive Brian Thorburn said the tournament, one of four marquee events on Australia’s golf calendar, would move to another Queensland course in 2013 after an 11-year run at the Coolum because the resort would not meet sponsorship demands. “Commerce plays a part in these things, you’ve got to make the books balance ... but emotionally it’ll be sad, the PGA’s had a great run

here and we’re sorry to be leaving,” he said. This year’s competitors will be allowed to lift and place their balls if they land on any of the 61 adverts and slogans painted on the fairways. “Only about six to ten of them are in landing zones and come into play,” added Thorburn. Players were amused by the course’s unusual decoration during practice rounds on Tuesday. “It’s different, that’s for sure,” said 2011 British Open winner Darren Clarke. “But it’s fine, sponsors give us a lot and in this day and age you accept that it is what it

is.” Peter Senior, who won the Australian Open on Sunday, was also unfazed by Jeff the dinosaur. “It doesn’t worry me as long as it doesn’t crap everywhere,” he quipped. Billionaire businessman Palmer, who also has grand plans to build a replica of the Titanic, has had other brushes with professional sport. Palmer launched football club Gold Coast United to much fanfare in the topflight A-League in 2008 but the club were booted out earlier this year after the mining tycoon rowed with administrators.

The giant replica dinosaur has been placed between the ninth and ten holes at the Coolum resort

Ecclestone expects more races Space for a 20th Grand Prix in Europe not taken up yet By Alan Baldwin

IN BRIEF

FORMULA One looks likely to have 19 races next year despite organisers tweaking the calendar to create space for a 20th round in Europe, commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said this week. Speaking to Austria’s Kleine Zeitung newspaper, the 82year-old Ecclestone poured cold water on suggestions that the country’s grand prix could be reinstated after a 10-year absence to take the vacant July 21 slot. “Really? Who says that? Until now I have not talked about this with anyone,” Ecclestone said of speculation that a race could be held at Spielberg’s revamped Red Bull-owned circuit, formerly known as the A1 Ring. Ecclestone said he had not spoken to Red Bull’s billionaire owner Dietrich Mateschitz for some time and there had been no approach by the Austrian energy drinks company whose team have won the F1 title for the past three years. He added that the lack of hotels in that part of rural Austria remained a problem. “At the moment I am thinking more about Turkey and a return to Istanbul,” said

Ecclestone, although he recognised those efforts might come to nothing. The Turkish race was removed from this year’s calendar due to disagreements over the hosting fees and money has again proved a stumbling block in talks to have the circuit reinstated. “At the moment I think that we will have only 19 grands prix next year. That would not be a big problem for F1,” said Ecclestone, who had a record 20 races on the calendar this season. The vacancy was created by the postponement to 2014 of a planned street-circuit race in New Jersey, against a backdrop of the New York skyline. The calendar uncertainty has been irksome for others already, with MotoGP’s governing body and the organisers of the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Britain both changing their dates to accommodate Formula One’s latest calendar revision and avoid a clash. The German MotoGP round at the Sachsenring and Goodwood had been scheduled for July 7 - a date now filled by the German Formula One Grand Prix which was moved forward to create a space for a July 21 race that may not happen.

There has been speculation that a race could be held at Spielberg’s revamped circuit, in Austria - owned by world champions Red Bull

Emotional Popovic grabs Aussie lead AN emotional Daniel Popovic fired a sizzling eight-under-par 64 to grab a two-shot opening round lead at the Australian PGA Championship yesterday after Greg Norman withdrew due to a bout of food poisoning. Popovic, who won the 2012 Australasian PGA qualifying school, flirted with the course record of 62 at the Palmer Coolum Resort in Queensland before settling two shots ahead of compatriot and clubhouse leader Scott Strange. Former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, China’s Zhang Xin Jun and Singapore’s Choo Tze-huang were a further one shot behind at tied third. Popovic birdied his first four holes and went on to sink five consecutive birdies in the round of his life before revealing his father’s battle against cancer. “It really shook me around a lot. It still sort of does when I think about it,” the 26-year-old said. “But I find a lot of strength in him; how he’s fighting that and how he really wants me to push forward with my golf and find happiness through him.” Defending champion Greg Chalmers began his title defence with an even-par 72 in the $1.3 million tournament.

Champ Wiggins not ruling out Tour attempt in 2013

Jazz stun Spurs with Williams’ L’Equipe hands its top three-point buzzer beater awards to Serena and Bolt

TOUR de France champion Bradley Wiggins has not ruled out an attempt at retaining the title next year. “As it stands, I’m probably going to try and win a second Tour de France, so I don’t know, maybe we’ll have two leaders (with Chris Froome),” the Team Sky rider, who became the first Briton to win the race, told BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday. The 32-year-old had previously hinted he may play a supporting role to Froome in the 2013 Tour as the route, which has four mountain-top finishes and only 65-km of individual time trialing, is expected to suit his team mate better. Froome, 27 finished runner up to Wiggins this year.

MO Williams drained a long-range three-pointer as time expired to give the Utah Jazz a buzzer-beating 99-96 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs. Williams had missed a three-pointer seconds earlier but the Jazz corralled an offensive rebound and he got another chance. Williams ran down the clock, pulled up a few feet behind the three-point line and sank the basket to end the game and send the crowd into a frenzy. “We knew he was going to step up and shoot it with confidence. We had faith in him, and he knocked it down,” Jazz reserve Gordon Hayward said.

Jamaica sprinter Usain Bolt, who retained his three Olympic titles at the London Games, was named sportsman of the year by French daily L’Equipe while American tennis player Serena Williams took the women’s prize. Bolt had already received the main French sports award in 2008, after he won the 100 metres, the 200m and the 4x100m relay at the Beijing Olympics, and in 2009. Serena Williams, won Wimbledon, singles and doubles gold at the Olympics and the U.S. Open, and took the women’s award for the first time.


CYPRUS MAIL Friday, December 14, 2012

29

Sport

Gatland confident his Lions coaches will be up to speed

Ryu is Dodgers’ latest gamble

Lions aim for first Test series triumph in 16 years

By Larry Fine

By Chris Jones WARREN Gatland this week assembled an Anglo- Welsh coaching team in a bid to bring the Lions their first Test series triumph in 16 years. Gatland, part of Ian McGeechan’s Lions management set-up in South Africa in 2009, is head coach for three match series against Australia next June when his assistant coaches will be Welshman Rob Howley and English pair Graham Rowntree and Andy Farrell. The New Zealander is taking a break from his role as Wales head coach to mastermind the tour and has opted not to include Shaun Edwards, the Wales defence coach and his right-hand man for more than a decade. Instead, Farrell will take charge of the Lions defensive system with Rowntree in charge of the forwards and Howley the backs. Gatland will add technical coaches to the party including a specialist kicking coach with Dave Alred, who helped England win the 2003 World Cup in Australia, an obvious target. Gatland said: “I am delighted with the appointments and confident that Rob,

British and Irish Lions rugby union team head coach Warren Gatland (2L) poses with his assistant coaches Andy Farrell (L),Graham Rowntree (2R) and Rob Howley after their press conference for their Tour to Australia in 2013 Graham, Andy and myself can come together quickly to face one of the hardest rugby challenges. “Lions tours are unique as we have to mould together players from four different countries in an incredibly short space of time. “We have no illusion as to the hard work required but we have spoken of the challenges and truly believe that as a coaching team we can provide the players with the support and environment needed for victory in Australia. “We will also discuss over the coming weeks the requirement for any further

technical assistance.” The last Test series triumph came in South Africa in 1997 and since then the Lions have gone down to Australia (2-1), New Zealand (3-0) and the Springboks (2-1). Lions tour manager Andy Irvine is only too aware of that record but believes the backroom team will get the best out of the squad. He said: “These are exciting times and the next chapter in the 2013 tour story. The selection of the coaching staff is significant, this experienced trio have proven track records and we are delighted to have them on board. Importantly I believe

we now have in the Tour management team, in the areas of coaching, logistics, media, performance analysis and medical, continuity from previous Tours especially 2009. “This is important as they all understand the challenges that lie ahead and the experience gained in South Africa will be essential as we head to Australia next year.” While Scotland will struggle to supply many players to the squad, their team doctor, James Robson, will head the Lions medical team for the sixth tour in a row. Robson’s quick action in South Africa in 1997 saved

England centre Will Greenwood’s life after he was heavily concussed in a midweek match in Bloemfontein. Irvine said: “The entire management team are delighted that James is on board once again. “His extensive experience of all things Lions is invaluable, and his knowledge of player management in terms of welfare and medical assistance is second to none. “I congratulate James on this amazing personal milestone of six Tours and know that once again he will give everything to ensure the players are ready for the onfield challenges.”

Saints QB Brees slams Commissioner over bounty probe By Larry Fine

Former Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Drew Brees of New Orleans feels the NFL authorities have lost credibility

NEW Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees criticised National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday for his handling of the investigation into the team’s cash-for-hits programme. The former Super Bowl Most Valuable Player felt Goodell lost credibility with NFL players and fans for doling out suspensions that were overturned after a nearly year-long process and that the league must be held accountable. “If someone would just come out in the league office and admit, you know what, we could have handled this situation better, it would go such a long way with both players and fans,” Brees said during his weekly news conference after bans to four

players were overturned. “I think people would really come around to realise what this thing was all about because right now the league office and Commissioner Goodell have very little to no credibility with us as players and I’d say with a lot of the fans because of the way that this has taken place.” Jonathan Vilma, Scott Fujita, Will Smith and Anthony Hargrove were suspended in May after an NFL investigation found them to have had leadership roles in a bounty programme that gave players cash rewards for knocking opponents out of games from 2009-2011. But the bans were overturned by former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who oversaw the appeals process. Brees, who said he hated to sound like a “conspiracy theorist” felt that since Ta-

gliabue was brought into the process to rule on the appeal, it had seemed very “staged,” like, ‘how do we get out of this mess?’” The appeals process did not impact the suspensions to Saints coaches, including a season-long ban to head coach Sean Payton, or the fines and forfeited draft picks handed to the team, all of which Brees felt were too stiff. For Brees, whose Saints went from division champions last season to one in danger of missing the playoffs for the 2012 campaign, it is all about accountability. “Like I say, we are held to a very strict code, and that’s enforced, as it should be, and we take pride in that as players,” said Brees. “I would just like to see them hold themselves to the same level of accountability”

THE Los Angeles Dodgers, who have enjoyed major contributions by international players over the decades, welcomed South Korean left-handed starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin to the team this week. The Dodgers, who spent $25.7 million for exclusive rights to negotiate with Ryu, struck a six-year, $36 million deal with the pitcher just before a deadline that would have returned him to the Korean Baseball Organisation’s (KBO) Hanwha Eagles. The 25-year-old Ryu, an All-Star in all seven of his KBO seasons, registered a 98-52 record with a 2.80 ERA for Hanwha and won the league’s strikeout title five times featuring a fastball/ change-up combination. Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti, recalling the impact that pitchers Fernando Valenzuela of Mexico, Hideo Nomo of Japan and South Korean Chan Ho Park had with the Dodgers, said the team believed Ryu could follow in that tradition before helping the stocky pitcher put on a No.99 Dodgers jersey. “I watched Chan Ho pitch since I was young, a lot of Dodgers games,” Ryu said through an interpreter at a news conference at Dodgers Stadium. “It’s my honour to play for the Dodgers. I will do my best to follow Chan Ho’s record here.” Park broke in with the Dodgers as a 21-year-old in 1994 and by 1997 he was a starter in the rotation, posting a 14-8 record, the first of five successive seasons with at least 13 wins. In 2000, Park had his best season, going 18-10 with a 3.27 ERA and the next year was named to the National League All-Star team. He went on to register a career mark of 124-98, with his total victories, accumulated with five different teams, a record for a Korean pitcher. While striking a humble tone, Ryu was not shy about spelling out his goals. “My first goal is having twodigit wins, the (earned run) average of 2-point ERA, and my final goal is breaking Chan Ho’s winning of 124, so probably more than that.” Ryu said he was pleased to sign with the Dodgers but liked his chances of earning a bigger salary in the future. “I’m happy with my contract,” he said. “It’s my first deal with Major League Baseball. I’m going to do my best to get a better deal next time.” Ryu was given some direct advice by Dodgers co-owner Magic Johnson. When the Korean pitcher with the sinking change-up was asked about adjustments he might have to make in Major League Baseball, Johnson interrupted, “just tell him to throw strikes.”


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Friday, December 14, 2012 CYPRUS MAIL

Sport

Unstoppable Messi keeps on scoring as Real lose at Celta

By Andrew Downie

Argentine takes 2012 tally to 88 By Iain Rogers THE apparently unstoppable Lionel Messi extended his record goals tally for 2012 to 88 when he scored twice to earn holders Barcelona a 2-0 win at second division Cordoba in their King’s Cup last-16 first leg on Wednesday. Real Madrid, the 2011 winners, fell two goals behind at La Liga rivals Celta Vigo but Cristiano Ronaldo’s late strike to make it 2-1 put the 2011 winners in a reasonably strong position ahead of next week’s second leg at their Bernabeu stadium. Messi’s Argentine compatriot, Athletic Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa, had a wretched night when his side were dumped out by third tier Basque neighbours Eibar on away goals in their postponed last-32 second leg. Mikel Arruabarrena’s 72ndminute penalty for Eibar at the San Mames sent the Segunda B side through after the second leg ended 1-1. Eibar, who held Bilbao to a 0-0 draw in the first leg, will play Malaga in the last 16, with a quarter-final against Barcaor Cordoba the prize for the winners. On the other side of the draw, Atletico Madrid have one foot in the last eight after forward Diego Costa scored twice in a 3-0 win at home to city rivals Getafe. Atletico, resurgent un-

Corinthians take European style to Club World Cup

Catch me if you can: Lionel Messi’s (second right) amazing goalscoring records may not be broken for a very long time der Argentine coach Diego Simeone, would play second division Las Palmas or Real Betis in the quarter-finals. On Sunday, World Player of the Year Messi overhauled Gerd Mueller’s goals record for a calendar year of 85 set in 1972 and he took only 11 minutes on Wednesday to add to his haul in a vibrant atmosphere at Cordoba’s packed Arcangel stadium. David Villa sped clear on the left and he squared for Messi to clip the ball into the net off the underside of the crossbar from close

range with the Cordoba goalkeeper stranded. Fielding a near fullstrength team despite the lowly opposition, Barca controlled the game in the second half before Thiago Alcantara released Messi on the left in the 74th minute and he finished low into the corner. Barca coach Tito Vilanova said Messi’s injury scare in last week’s Champions League match against Benfica, when he bruised a knee in a clash with goalkeeper Artur, had sharpened the 25-

year-old’s hunger for goals. “I think he’s so happy after the fright against Benfica that now he’s even more motivated,” Vilanova, whose side are six points clear at the top of La Liga and through to the last 16 of Europe’s elite club competition, told a news conference. Bruno Lucena, head of Flamengo’s research and statistics department, told Brazilian sports daily Lance that he had calculated Zico scored 89 goals in 1979 and Messi’s record is not valid.

The statement could not be verified. Real struggled against a well-drilled Celta side in rain-lashed Galicia. “It was a tough game but I think that Cristiano’s goal gives us plenty of hope for the return leg,” Real director Miguel Pardeza said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster Canal Plus. “We are going to play at our stadium which is an example when you have to play this kind of match and we are confident of getting through,” he added.

Del Piero’s adventure Down Under is turning sour By Ian Ransom

The Italian World Cup winner (centre) joined Sydney FC to much fanfare, but the team are bottom of the standings

ALESSANDRO Del Piero’s Australian adventure is not going according to plan, with his adopted club Sydney FC in the doldrums and a hamstring injury compounding the Italian World Cup winner’s woes. The long-time Juventus stalwart joined Sydney to much fanfare in the off-season but despite the 38-yearold’s best efforts, his side have nose-dived to the bottom of the 10-team league after 10 rounds. Del Piero signed a oneyear deal with an option to sign on for another year but negotiations to extend his contract, which Sydney have said is the most lucrative in the history of Australian sports, have dragged. Del Piero told reporters in Sydney the two sides had been talking but at the mo-

ment they were playing a waiting game. “We have a good relationship but at the moment we have to think day by day,” he added. “First we have to make good position on the league standings, then we can talk with calm and tranquillity about next season.” While hailed as a groundbreaking signing by the club and fledgling league, Del Piero’s arrival raised expectations to fever pitch in Sydney, a burden that former coach Ian Crook was unable to handle and led to his resignation a month ago. Sydney have since replaced Crook with former Australia coach Frank Farina, but the hunt for the new coach distracted the team from efforts to retain their marquee player. “Now we have appointed Frank Farina, it will be a matter for the board to sit

down and sort out something in regards to Ale in the next few weeks,” Sydney FC Chief Executive Tony Pignata told The Australian newspaper on Wednesday. Del Piero missed Sydney’s 2-1 win away to New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix on Sunday and is not certainty to recover in time for the team’s derby with Western Sydney Wanderers at the weekend. Del Piero limped gingerly off the ground in the team’s 0-0 draw with Melbourne Heart two weeks ago, with opposing defenders seemingly determined to make the Italian earn every penny of his high salary. “The last game was especially tough because six or seven tackles from the back is no good. It’s dangerous,” Del Piero said. “But I am not here for crying: ‘Oh, they kick me.’ This is the referees’ work to protect.”

THE Corinthians side at the Club World Cup has the ammunition to ambush European champions Chelsea in Sunday’s final. The Brazilians won South America’s version of the Champions League at a relative canter in July, going unbeaten for 14 Libertadores Cup games and conceding just four goals. Corinthians play a dour but effective Europeanstyle pressing game and their biggest plus is the club’s long-held mantra of putting teamwork and hard graft ahead of individual brilliance. “It’s one of the real strengths of this team,” coach Tite told FIFA.com after Wednesday’s 1-0 semi-final win over Egypt’s Al-Ahly. “If you have a group of players that only look out for themselves, that’s the first step towards failure. “But playing as a team doesn’t mean that players won’t stand out. They understand that by all pulling together they’ll create a winning team that’ll give everyone a chance to shine.” The laconic Tite has strengthened his Corinthians squad since leading them to their first Libertadores title. The coach lost Leandro Castan to Roma and Alex to Al-Gharafa of Qatar but made up for that by signing Peruvian Jose Paulo Guerrero from Hamburg, Jose Manuel Martinez from Argentines Velez Sarsfield and midfielder Guilherme from hometown rivals Portuguesa. Young striker Romarinho has established himself as a regular while Paulinho and Ralf have been commanding enough in midfield to win regular berths with Brazil. Goalkeeper Cassio and full back Fabio Santos have also earned callups to the national team. While Chelsea have just hired Rafael Benitez on an interim basis, the London club’s third coach in nine months, Corinthians are a relative ocean of stability. The Brazilians have had the same coach for two years, an unusually long time in a nation where volatility and fireworks are not limited to the terraces. “Corinthians have been more European than the English,” said Luiz Fernando Gomes, columnist with Brazilian sports newspaper Lance. “Organisation on and off the pitch is the order of the day.” The Brazilians are treating the Club World Cup seriously, with an estimated 15,000 fans seeing them off at the airport last week and a similar number estimated to have travelled to roar on their side in Japan.


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Sport Laudrup revels in semi-final appearance

Parlour defends Wenger from ‘dictator’ slur

By Andrew Baldock

Under-fire manager has money to spend By Jim van Wijk FORMER Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour has rejected suggestions Arsene Wenger runs the club like a dictatorship. The Frenchman is facing one of the biggest tests of his 16-year tenure this season, with the Gunners having crashed out of the Capital One Cup at League Two Bradford after a penalty shoot-out on Tuesday night and struggling for consistency in the Barclays Premier League. Stewart Robson - who came through the Arsenal youth system and played at Highbury from 1981 to 1986 - branded Wenger “a dictator in many ways” and claimed that there was a growing rift between the manager and his assistant Steve Bould. Parlour was part of Wenger’s squad which won the Premier League and FA Cup three times before joining Middlesbrough in 2004, and believes his former boss was always approachable. “Stewart Robson has got his own opinions, but I played under Arsene Wenger and thought he was a great manager when I was there,” Parlour told Sky Sports News. “He was always one of those managers you could talk to. “Arsene Wenger is one of those sort of guys who will always try to stick up for his

players. “We would have meetings after games and it would all come out in the dressing room, which is how it should be. It is a private matter between the players, the manager and the staff. “It was quite embarrassing to lose to Bradford, there is no doubting that, but I think he is one of those guys who does criticise people behind the scenes instead of in the press.” Earlier this month, Wenger hit out at “superficial information” after reports Bould had led a heated dressing room inquest in the wake of the 2-0 home defeat by Swansea. Rumours of problems with their relationship, however, continue, with Bould said to have become a marginalised figure at the club’s Hertfordshire training base. Parlour sees no reason why the duo cannot work well together. “Steve Bould was a real character in that dressing room area, he’s one of those sort of players that points a finger at people if you weren’t doing your jobs, and I’m sure he’s not changed,” said Parlour. “People will speculate very quickly about training bustups and whatever, but whenever I’ve been there Steve Bould’s been next to Arsene Wenger and they’ve been as

good as gold. “But if that is the case that is a problem, of course.” Wenger meanwhile has been given “considerable resources” to spend in the January transfer window, Arsenal Supporters’ Trust have been told. The AST met the club’s chief executive Ivan Gazidis on Wednesday evening to discuss Arsenal’s poor season. “There is plenty of money there,” said Trust spokesman Tim Payton. “That was the message that Ivan and his finance director were giving.” Arsenal supporters wanted answers as to why Wenger had been reluctant to spend money on new players and 100 fans met with Gazidis to voice their concerns. “He stayed for over two hours,” said Payton. “He apologised for the result at Bradford and said it was not good enough and had to be better. “The Arsenal fans were dissatisfied with the strength of the squad and particularly don’t understand whether there were resources to be used. “I specifically raised this with the finance director and his colleague and they were in no doubt there is considerable resources available to the manager ready to spend when he has identified the players he wants to sign.”

The Frenchman, who has been in charge of Arsenal for 16 years, hasn’t won a trophy since 2005

Pulis puts Owen return on hold By Ian Parkes

Injury-prone: Michael Owen hasn’t appeared for the Potters since October 27, the last of his four outings as a sub

MICHAEL Owen’s hopes of receiving a welcome birthday present from Stoke manager Tony Pulis have been put on hold. Owen declared himself “raring to go” after coming through 70 minutes of a behind-closed-doors friendly on Tuesday in a bid to step up his fitness after struggling with groin and hamstring niggles. Ahead of Saturday’s visit of Everton to the Britannia Stadium, there was the prospect of Owen making his first appearance for Stoke since October 27, the last of his four substitute outings since joining the club at the start of September. But ahead of the former England striker’s 33rd birthday today, Pulis says Owen still needs at least another week of fitness work and another reserve outing before he can be thrown into the

first team. Pulis said: “Michael did smashing on Tuesday, came through 70 minutes, but he needs more work on the training ground, a bit more strength “He needs another couple of weeks of full training, another game or two first before we chuck him back in. “That’s because every time we’ve tried to get him in there he has broken down, and maybe that’s because we’ve tried to push him a little bit.” Pulis, meanwhile, has reacted with scepticism to the prospect of netting being erected at football grounds around the country. The idea was suggested by Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor in the wake of Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand being hit by an object thrown from the crowd in Sunday’s derby victory at Manchester City. Pulis said: “There were 50-

odd thousand people there and we had a mindless few who caused a problem. “All the time it’s about finding a balance because I thought it was a fantastic game, soured by a couple of incidents off the pitch, which was disappointing. “But netting? I’m not sure that’s the right way of doing it. “With the cameras and monitoring we have at grounds today, these people will hopefully be found and then banned from football for the rest of their lives. “If you do that, it’s a great deterrent to stop these people from doing it again.” Stoke defender Robert Huth meanwhile says he couldn’t be prouder after seeing Stoke lay claim to the Premier League’s longest unbeaten home record. But he has warned that the Britannia Stadium’s 14match undefeated sequence will come under severe pressure from Everton.

SWANSEA will end a 48-year wait when they play in the Capital One Cup semi-finals next month. The Swans’ 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough on Wednesday secured their first appearance in the last four of a major cup competition since going down to a 2-1 defeat to Preston in the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 1964. “It’s fantastic to reach a semi-final,” manager Michael Laudrup said. “I asked all the players before the game if any of them had played in a cup final, and no one had. “Everyone can be proud that we are in the semi-finals, but when you are there you want to go the next step and be in the final. Whoever we play next, it will be very special.” It took an 81st-minute own goal from Boro’s Seb Hines before Swansea could start thinking about the twolegged semi-final. They will be joined by Bradford, Aston Villa and the winners of next week’s tie between Leeds and Chelsea. “It was a very tight game,” Laudrup added. “It wasn’t a brilliant game to watch for the neutral, but it was a tight cup game. “Everybody had the right attitude, everybody wanted to win, but I think they wanted it too much (in the firsthalf). When you want something too badly, you can’t do exactly what you usually do. “Middlesbrough put pressure on us, but in the second half we came out and played much, much better. We were more relaxed and took control of the game. “It wasn’t a game with a lot of great chances. At Crawley earlier in the competition, we were 2-1 down and won in the last minute, and the Liverpool game was tight. It happens a lot in cup games.” Middlesbrough must now pick themselves up for Saturday’s home clash against Wolves, but they will only have one full day of preparation after completing a 320-mile journey home from South Wales. “Cup competitions are about getting through to the next round, and we didn’t manage that,” Boro boss Tony Mowbray said. “We gave a decent account of ourselves. It was a game we could have won. I don’t think there was any time when they cut us open. “I think the team can take some heart that if we can get out of this division that we are in we can come into the Premier League and be positive. “There is no respite for us, really. We will try to do a session before we travel back, then we have one day’s preparation and go again against Wolves, who were obviously a Premier League side last year. “It’s a big ask, but we keep going.”


Friday, December 14, 2012 CYPRUS MAIL

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Sport

Jeff the dinosaur scares Australian PGA away 28

Unstoppable Messi keeps on scoring as Real lose 30

Pietersen hails patient debutant Root KEVIN Pietersen was full of praise for Joe Root after the batsman ground out a patient innings on his England Test debut yesterday. The 21-year-old Yorkshire player made 31 not out and shared in an unbroken 60-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Matt Prior as England reached stumps against India on day one in Nagpur on 199 for five. With the pitch proving particularly slow most batsmen struggled, although Pietersen produced a fine innings of 73. England lead the Test series 2-1, with this the last of four matches. “Joe was brilliant. He’s his

yed own man, he played ket some lovely cricket shots, he’s got a good ulhead on his shoulders,” Pietersen said rence at a press conference y broadcast by Sky Sports News. y“Never judge anyple body after a couple ng of hours of batting for England but he’s shown signs of what could be a very good Test career.” s Pietersen admits e the nature of the pitch makes it hard to predict how the Test will develop. “We’re in an okay posi-

tio tion at 200 for five b but my guess is as g good as anybody’s in this room as to w what that wicket’s g going to do,” he sa said. “I don’t know what the w wicket’s going to b goodness it’s do but slow slow. “T “The key to today w was to try to bat fo for as long as poss sible because I don’t think that wicket’s getting better.” Speaking to the BBC’s Test Match Special, fo former England gre Geoffrey Boygreat

cott said: “India got their tactics dead right - they’ve sat back and waited for England to make mistakes, they’ve played here before and they’ve sussed it. “Mahendra Dhoni’s had three men in the short mid-wicket area, because as soon as the bowling’s been straight they’ve tried to whip it through mid-wicket. The Indian press were bullish after the close of play, with The Times of India saying England have been left “in tatters” thanks to the effots of debutant Ravindra Jadeja, while former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram told The Hindu that Dhoni is still the right man to captain India.

Kevin Pietersen top scored with 73 and was later full of praise for 21-year-old Joe Root (left)

Chelsea power into final Deposed European champions brush aside Mexicans to set up Corinthians clash Chelsea 3 Monterrey 1

By Ben Rumsby

C

helsea shook off their Japanese jet lag as an early second-half blitz brushed aside Monterrey to set up a Club World Cup final against Corinthians. The European champions did not get out of second gear in the opening 45 minutes of their semi-final at a half-empty Nissan Stadium, Juan Mata’s 11th goal of the season giving them the edge. They came out flying for three minutes after the break, Fernando Torres scoring his fifth goal in eight days inside 20 seconds, with Darvin Chavez putting through his own net soon after. Aldo de Negris did grab a stoppage-time consolation for Mexico’s CONCACAF champions but Rafael Benitez’s men barely broke sweat in a match that proved as one-sided as predicted and did not trouble the goalline technology being used in Yokohama either.

Easy: the Blues marked their Club World Cup debut with a stylish win at the prestigious FIFA competition in Japan The attempts before the game to talk up the importance of the Club World Cup - the bits of it that take place before Sunday’s final anyway - were made to look rather silly by the sparse crowd that turned up to witness yesterday’s affair. The small band of travelling Chelsea fans tried to cheer on their team but the biggest noise was coming from the pitch, with the players’ shouts clearly audible. Interim Blues boss Benitez lived up to his promise to field a strong team, al-

though he sprung one major surprise by starting David Luiz in midfield for the first time. And if Benitez thought being so far from home would spare him the ire of Chelsea’s fans, he was mistaken when they reacted with typical bile to his face being shown on the big screen. But just as the inevitable 16th-minute chants of ‘One Di Matteo’ were in full swing, Mata came to his fellow Spaniard’s rescue by opening the scoring. Monterrey gave away pos-

session and Ashley Cole, who spent Tuesday serving dinner to his team-mates as a forfeit for losing to them at ten-pin bowling, put the ball on a plate for Mata to sidefoot home. Mata’s celebration paid tribute to stricken teammate Oriol Romeu and he almost added an assist when Branislav Ivanovic nodded over another corner. Chelsea were allowing the Mexicans back into it as the game drifted towards halftime but their biggest concern looked to be a return

to the doldrums for Torres, who was struggling even to control the ball despite the confidence boost of four goals in two games. It took less than 20 seconds of the second half for all that to change, the excellent Hazard getting round the back before squaring for Torres to score via a huge deflection, the first time he had netted in three successive games since his £50million move from Liverpool. Barely two minutes later and it was game over, Torres’ brilliant low cross find-

ing Mata, whose ball back across goal hit the unfortunate Chavez and trickled in. Loud cheers greeted Frank Lampard’s introduction for Luiz and more changes followed with one eye on Sunday’s final, Mata and Torres both withdrawn. Di Nigris saw a shot deflected wide as Monterrey pushed for a consolation, which the striker got in stoppage time when he beat Cech from a narrow angle. “We can’t afford to lose the final,” Benitez, who won the tournament with Inter Milan in 2010 but lost in the 2005 final with Liverpool, told reporters. “We will see if Corinthians can play at our level. They have Brazilian quality so we know it will be a difficult match.” He also told his players there was still plenty of room for improvement, saying: “When I talk about a winning mentality, always I talk about little details making the difference.” Mata also spoke to the media after the game. “We are glad to get the win because it’s an important trophy for us. We want to be world champions and on Sunday we will do our best to get it,” he said. “In the second half we were very focused to get more goals and we were able to get them, so it’s a great result. We have confidence about winning on Sunday but we know that Corinthians are a very good team, and it will be a football party.”


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