SUNDAY MAIL

FRENCH MESSAGE

CHRISTMAS

INSIDE IN

The Franco-Cypriot school offers a genuine multi-cultural experience

Take some tips from UK’s bright lights to decorate your home

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Page 25

TV and lifestyle supplements to see you through the week

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December 16, 2012

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TALES FROM THE COFFEESHOP: OUR POOR TREATMENT BY EU PAGE 17 INSIDE Cyprus State appeals to SGOs for cash 3

Cyprus EOKA ‘traitors’ cleared but hurt remains 4

World Search for answers begins after US massacre 9

Reportage The super rich 0.1% running the world centre

Sport City back on track after stylish victory back

Bailout blame is put on president Former Central Bank Governor says Christofias made series of errors

F

ORMER CENTRAL Bank Governor Athanasios Orphanides accused President Demetris Christofias of multiple errors of judgement that brought Cyprus to its knees, culminating in the ultimate failure last spring to take the necessary measures that would have kept the troika at bay.

Speaking to the Sunday Mail in a frank interview, Orphanides responded to a series of allegations and criticisms levelled against him by ruling AKEL and the president since he left office, accusing the latter of “resorting to lies” while painting a picture of a completely irresponsible government.

The former governor accused the ruling party and Christofias of implementing “dangerous” economic policies which proved disastrous for the island, while failing to take the opportunities that existed to save the economy.

The government’s biggest mistake was “its failure to evaluate the dangers that our economy was facing and take the necessary corrective measures”, he said.

Orphanides insists that with the right decisions Cyprus could have avoided the memorandum, which will lead to a bailout agreement.

The last chance was lost in May 2012 when the government rejected Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly’s “desperate efforts to implement the measures our president had promised the EU he would take”.

Christofias famously mocked Shiarly in a live televised press conference at the time, saying ministry

mandarins do not make policy, he does. He pledged not to take any fiscal measures just to meet the country’s deficit target of 2.5 per cent, adding in half-jest that Shiarly’s forte was finance not politics. The president subsequently blocked Shiarly’s plans for spending cuts.

“You know that our country is now paying for this irresponsibility, and very dearly.

If he had taken measures to tackle the widening deficit, even as late as May this year, he could have maintained the backing of the European Central Bank (ECB) for funding through the banks and we could have avoided the memorandum,” said Orphanides.

Instead, the ECB stopped accepting government bonds as security for the provision of liquidity as monetary policy transactions and Cyprus lost access to international markets in June 2012.

“The president’s decision to reject the measures the finance minister had committed to was tantamount to inviting the troika for a bailout with tougher measures,” Orphanides said.

The former governor also accused the president of costing the state billions by failing to raise certain demands when EU leaders gathered to agree on an 80 per cent Greek debt haircut.

As a result of a series of alleged failures, omissions and errors, a “harsh and unfair” memorandum has come to Cyprus at a time of record unemployment that could have been avoided, claimed Orphanides.

FULL STORY PAGE 20

Members of the French anti-fur group The Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade dressed as Santa Claus denounce the “horror and suffering that is hidden behind the glamour of fur” in Nice, south-eastern France (AFP)

Vodka saved elephants from freezing TWO elephants have been saved from the deadly Siberian cold by drinking vodka, Russian officials have said.

They say the animals had to be taken out into the bitter cold after the wooden trailer they were travelling in caught fire in the Novosibirsk region.

The elephants, aged 45

and 48, suffered frostbite to the tips of their ears amid temperatures of -40C, BBC News reported.

But they were warmed up by two cases of vodka mixed with warm water, one official was quoted as saying.

“They started roaring like if they were in the jungle!

Perhaps, they were happy,”

the official told Russia’s Ria Novosti news agency.

The animals continued their recovery in a heated garage of a local college where they were brought by a truck under police escort.

The elephants belong to a Polish circus, which has been touring the region, reports say.

2 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

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TODAY: A sunny start will give way to thickening cloud. Temperatures will reach 16C inland, 18C along the coasts and 7C over higher ground OUTLOOK: Becoming more unsettled, with rain forecast from Monday

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Father Christmas, aka Matthew Edmondson, with his multi-lingual elf, Roman, in their Paphos grotto

Multi-lingual Santa is coming to town Fulltime Santa grotto is the first of its kind in Paphos

By Bejay Browne A FULLTIME Santa’s grotto has been set up for the first time in Paphos and is welcoming children of all nationalities until January.

The grotto, at the Paphos Mall, is a multi-lingual affair, with an English-speaking Santa with some Greek aided by his multi-lingual Elf, Roman.

Talk of the Town Events organised the grotto which Matthew Edmondson, aka Santa Claus, says is the first of a kind for Paphos.

“Although there are usually a number of Santas in Paphos every year, this is the first time a permanent grotto has been set up.”

Edmonson pointed out that although it’s not unu-

sual to see Santa making an appearance for a few hours a day outside a supermarket or a business at Christmas time; the grotto is completely different.

“On a number of previous occasions when I have portrayed Santa, I have been supplied only with a banner and a chair, so it’s great to have a proper grotto,” Edmondson said.

This grotto is completely different. A winter wonderland has been set up inside a shop space in the Mall, complete with Santa’s house. Santa sits inside on his rocking chair, his table and lamp on one side, and a Christmas tree on the other.

The slightly portly Edmonson certainly looks the part when he’s dressed up complete with his white

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beard, spectacles, a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots.

Although he tells the children his main language is ‘North Pole-ish’, Edmonson prefers to communicate in English and when he gets into a sticky situation with a child visiting his grotto, a discreet cough brings his multi-lingual helper Elf, 19-year-old Roman, to his aid.

“I speak Russian, Greek and English and I help Santa out whenever he needs it, I enjoy working with the children,” Roman said.

Edmonson said: “We’re all children inside and we all love Christmas. The presents we have with us are suitable for children up to about 12 years old, but we welcome everyone.”

The red clad figure says he is also making a small guidebook, ‘Essential Greek for Santas’, which will include prompts to help him with Greek-

speaking children.

Edmonson says he’s tried to keep the costs of the first dedicated Paphos grotto down. “Most grottos in the UK cost about £8 entrance fee and ours is five euros.”

Santa and his two elves will be at the Paphos grotto until Christmas Eve, before returning to the mall on December 27 until January 5.

“I tell the children that I will have to have a couple of days off to recover, as delivering so many presents is usually hard work, my elves get tired too,” said Edmonson. “We will be back at the grotto in time for Russian Christmas.”

Santa’s grotto in Paphos has been organised by T.O.T.T. Events, and is open 2pm-6.30pm weekdays, Saturday 11am -5.30pm and Sunday 2pm-5pm. It is situated opposite the Orphanides supermarket entrance inside the Paphos Mall. For information call 96 322902

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3 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

CYPRUS TODAY Card scam THE COMPANY handling card transactions on the island, JCC Payment Systems, yesterday warned businesses of a group of scammers stealing personal data from clients by pretending to be JCC employees.

According to a company announcement, confidence tricksters dressed in clothing showing the JCC label are visiting offices and shops that have JCC card machines (Point of Sale devices).

The scam artists usually carry with them their own POS machine and ask the JCC client if they could use the client’s bank card to carry out some tests on their own POS device. They also tell the client that the card machine of the business or office visited is faulty and needs fixing.

JCC warns that the point of the scam is probably to take people’s personal data from their cards.

Mugging A WOMAN was mugged as she parked her car outside her house on Friday night in Orounta village in the Nicosia district, with the robber making off with her handbag and all its contents.

According to the woman, at around 8.15pm after parking her car outside her house, a man attacked her, stealing her bag that was placed on the co-driver’s seat and running off.

The bag contained €2,000, a mobile phone, a cheque book and credit cards.

Peristerona police are investigating the case.

Paedo trial THE TRIAL date for a 40-year-old father from Ayia Napa facing charges of rape, incest and indecent assault of his three children has been set for February 6 in Larnaca by the criminal court.

The court ordered the accused to be released on €50,000 bail under certain conditions to ensure he turns up in court on the trial date.

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SGOs should show responsibility by handing over cash says state Government spokesman says €200m is needed to cover needs for December

By Stefanos Evripidou THE GOVERNMENT yesterday called on semi-state organisations (SGOs) to show a sense of responsibility to the state by agreeing to short-term loans that would put €200m into empty state coffers.

Asked whether payment of public workers’ December salaries would be put at risk if the SGOs refuse to loan the state money, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said that first and foremost, the SGOs needed to show a sense of responsibility to the state in these “difficult times”.

“We are at a very critical stage and it is everyone’s responsibility to help overcome these difficulties so we can move forward,” he said.

The government is seeking a three-month loan from the profit-making telecommunications and electricity authorities which the SGOs will get back with interest, he said.

“And the state needs that

money now to be able to cover its financing needs in December where its obligations are very high due to the payroll and other end of year costs,” he added.

Telecoms company CyTA has already agreed to lend the state €100m from the workers’ pension fund at an interest rate of 5.5 per cent despite unions representing half its staff threatening strike action.

The electricity authority (EAC) put off a decision on whether to also loan the government €100m from the workers’ pension fund on Friday, choosing instead to wait until Monday’s discussion of the issue at the House Finance Committee.

The government needs to find approximately €400m this month to meet its payroll obligations, including public workers’ 13th salaries.

Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly has told the EU that Cyprus can meet its financing needs until the end of January but this statement rests on two conditions: that domestic investors, mainly

banks, agree to roll over maturing debt; and additional financing is found, mainly from SGOs, to cover the end of year deficit.

Stefanou described the debate on the short-term loan requests as “unnecessary and harmful” to the economy.

Speaking to state broadcaster CyBC yesterday, presidential candidate Nicos Anastasiades accused the government of painting the picture that Cyprus could survive a few more months without an international bailout.

This aimed at prolonging negotiations with the troika beyond January and even after the February elections, he said, highlighting the possibility of a memorandum not being signed during the current government’s term in office.

Responding, Stefanou accused the DISY leader of trying to blackmail the government into signing a memorandum here and now when the sum that the banks will eventually need to recapitalise has yet to be clarified.

DISY presidential candidate Nicos Anastasiades says the government is stalling over signing memorandum

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4 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

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EOKA ‘traitors’cleared But for the relatives, the memories of brutal killings will never fade

By Poly Pantelides

A

T THE age of 71, and more than 50 years after the event, Petrou Panagi Stylianou still cries whenever she talks about her father’s brutal murder by masked men beating him with bats embedded with nails.

Her father, Panayiotis Stylianou, died as a “traitor” during the EOKA insurgency against British rule; his reputation only restored by Cabinet this week in a landmark decision setting the record straight on the wrongful deaths of 19 people during the years 1955-59.

They were murdered on the pretext of being traitors to the EOKA movement, though their only crime was being members of left-wing AKEL. Extreme right wing elements of EOKA led by anti-communist general Georgios Grivas “executed” these people, and have been accused of sometimes brutally killing them without providing evidence they were indeed traitors.

The Cabinet decision follows through on an electoral promise by incumbent AKEL President Demetris Christofias who is not running for re-election this February.

Following the decision, opposition parties DISY and EDEK accused the government of intervening with history and selecting names on political criteria.

But the relatives say the decision finally exonerates the dead.

Petrou was just 17 when her father hurriedly handed her over his granddaughter - her seven-monthold baby - and got beaten to death.

Her mother was also beaten within an inch of her life.

“It was the biggest crime done to a poor, innocent family-man. Just 38 years old and working from the crack of dawn all day long to put food in our mouths,” said Petrou in tears.

Her father, Panayiotis, did any odd job around the village - Acheritou in Famagusta - to make ends meet.

He would make brooms and get on his bike to sell them in Varosha, dig holes and break down stones for people’s homes. When he was killed in 1958, he had just managed to get some sheep and had become a shepherd, said Petrou’s husband, Dimitris, who was only 20 at the time.

“All this has steeped deep in our souls,” Petrou said. She and one of her five siblings, a five-year-old boy at the time, watched the brutal killing.

Her father had come to a relative’s home to fetch her after getting chased from the village coffee shop.

“Then at the [house’s] fence, seven [masked] people appeared carrying bats and there were as many others nearby. My dad gave me the baby and they swung the bats and hit his forehead.” They continued beating “even when he fell down, they hit him on his neck,” she said.

“I ran out to scream but I had no voice,” she said.

Clockwise from top: Andreas Sakkas from Pera Orinis was shot dead on May 25, 1958. Koulla Michaelidou lost her father in 1956. Petrou Stylianou’s father was beaten to death in front of her in 1958

A still from a filmed 1958 demonstration protesting the killings of left-wingers by extremist members of EOKA. The banner reads ‘We express our profound grief over the murders of our honourable compatriots’ “I didn’t even know where my baby was, I had thrown her on the bed and I didn’t think about her,” Petrou said. She broke down as she described her father’s last moments prompting her husband Dimitris to take the phone away from her and continue the story.

“We lived through very hard times at our very bloom. My wife is traumatised, just think how many years we have been going through this,” he told the Sunday Mail.

The bats had spikes six inches long, he said. Two inches stuck out and the aggressors had to try to get the bats out of his head each time.

“We found pieces of him… It was a cannibalistic death and sadly for my wife she saw it all.

“These people who restored his reputation, they are saints to me,” he added.

An association for the relatives of

‘It is clear now that my father was killed because of [another man’s personal] jealousy’

those killed for political reasons between 1955 and 1959 was set up in 1995, although AKEL had officially called on Grivas twice in 1958 to set up an independent committee to determine who actually was a traitor, said association member and journalist, Michalis Michael.

Over the years, Michael has interviewed relatives and gathered facts in relation to these “politically motivated deaths”.

It is no accident that most of the deaths took place in Famagusta, a traditional stronghold for AKEL, Michael said.

During these dark times of Cyprus’ history, “hundreds were killed either for political reasons, for treason - not to say there weren’t any traitors - or because of personal rivalries,” said sociologist Gregoris Ioannou. For example, Turkish Cypriots belonging to the left were

killed by TMT, the Turkish Cypriot paramilitary organisation set up in late fifties to counter EOKA. And there are even missing EOKA fighters from the fifties “who just disappeared”, Michael said.

During the inter-communal fighting of the sixties, shortly after the birth of the republic, and then in the aftermath of the 1974 invasion, the time was not right to pursue the matter, despite individual efforts from relatives, Michael said.

Efforts resumed in earnest in the nineties on the level of political lobbying, but there was resistance from the EOKA fighters’ association and then later from the Tassos Papadopoulos government.

“The EOKA fighters said they would not vindicate traitors and so it went until Christofias promised he would look into it,” Michael said.

For Koulla, the daughter of Andreas Michaelides who was shot in the back of the head on November 18, 1956 in Kato Pyrgos, when she was just five years of age, the Cabinet decision is a “relief”.

“It’s what we wanted. We didn’t want revenge,” Koulla told the Sunday Mail this week.

“I have nothing against EOKA… [But] EOKA should have done their homework before killing innocent people.”

Andreas, 32, a relatively affluent tailor, was left-wing but supported EOKA and would send food to guerrilla fighters in Paphos who had even sent word out that he was not to be touched.

“It is clear now that my father was killed because of [another man’s personal] jealousy,” Koulla said.

Her mother, Ioanna, just 27 at the time, was convinced this man’s grudge was behind her husband’s death and she cursed the man who authorised the “execution”.

“If it was your fault, my Andreas, then it serves us right. But if it wasn’t your fault, then may the one who’s to blame not see 40 days after you.”

That man died 26 days later, Koulla said.

The whole family was terrorised after Andreas’ death and they eventually moved to London to start again. Mother and daughter have recently returned to their village in Cyprus, following the death of Koulla’s husband.

“My mother has been waiting for this day for 50-odd years,” Koulla said.

Others might have considered themselves lucky to have been killed by a shot to the back of their head.

Savvas Menikos from Goufes died a horrific death after having been tied to a eucalyptus tree in the village church courtyard on May 23, 1958. Primary school children stoned him in the presence of the priest, according to information gathered by Michael. Eventually, they untied him, placed a stone on him so he could not breathe, kicked dirt into his mouth and urinated in it while kicking.

Despite everything, Michael said the relatives did not want anything more than an apology.

“We know who did what. But we don’t come out saying them,” he added.

The government has also said they do not intend to prosecute anyone.

“These families are satisfied with being vindicated. They want no money, no prosecution, no revenge.

It shows great humanity after all this,” Michael said.

“The village knew he was no traitor but still, living with the taint of being a traitor, it’s good that strangers will know,” said Dimitris, the husband of Petrou who is doomed never to forget what happened some 54 years ago.

5 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

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Great results from college professor’s app-creating team

By Poly Pantelides WHAT was an after-hours project for Frederick university’s computer science and engineering department has become much more, a space for generating ideas as students often play around, exchange ideas and sometimes create top-notch internet and smartphone applications, its creator has said.

When computer science lecturer at Frederick Andreas Constantinides created the Mobile Devices Laboratory (MDL) in July, what he had in mind was helping his students get a technical know-how for which lectures were not the right medium. “The MDL was created so that students could get experience on research and industry projects,� Constantinides said.

The thought was to get people working on realworld projects, e.g. by getting companies to outsource actual projects so that students would be forced to work with real deadlines and see what is actually in store for them, he said.

But the MDL surpassed Constantinides’ expectations and a small team of undergraduate and postgraduate students in the computer science and engineering department have already created a top Google play app, won and topped competitions, and are at a stage that Constantinides thought would take them at least another half a year to reach.

Students have created apps for mobile devices and other technology that vary from a Windows phone 7 application that enables people to call or text directly people on their name day to technology that can be used to recognise aggressive behaviour and notiďŹ es the police or social welfare.

Andreas Constantinides Another application provides information on a weekby-week basis for pregnant women, via the internet, mobile phones or SMS. Recently, the Cyprus Radio app topped Google play store’s top free music and audio applications. “It was an idea we discussed with students as it was something missing from the Cyprus market,� Constantinides said.

It enables listeners to stream radio stations, listening in even when the app is in the background and the android smartphone’s screen is turned off. With a rating of 4.9 out of a possible 5.0, the application is praised by people commenting on Google play for “working perfectly� and doing what it claims to do. Other applications in the works include a winning application to introduce the notion of augmented reality to Cyprus smartphone users

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who may want to point their camera and ďŹ nd out how far away they are from say, a museum and even what that museum looks like.

Microsoft Cyprus has been a donor, providing equipment and various machines, books, and even designing the MDL itself, Constantinides said.

There are three groups on smart devices, games and natural interaction devices, and web and social media, so that students can work on what interests them.

Groups meet about three times a week, sometimes more.

All of this is done on a voluntary basis by students who are happy to spend free time learning and creating. Constantinides secured space from Frederick university that could be available to students throughout the day so they could come in and “have their chats, and socialise, instead of sitting at the cafeteria� but students from other universities are also welcome, he said. “We should all be helping our students get experience and additional technical skills so they can be ready to get out in the market during these hard times,� Constantinides said.

But though he envisioned the MDL as part of his duty to “offer something beyond a class and lectures�, what became of his idea surpassed his expectations, Constantinides said.

Find out more at http:// mdl.frederick.ac.cy/

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6 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

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Spreading the French message

Pascale Lagleize, director of the Franco-Cypriot School, attended by children of 20 nationalities (Photos: Christos Theodorides)

The new Franco-Cypriot School offers a genuine multi-cultural experience and the promise of fluency in three languages

By Tracy Phillips HEN the new Franco-Cypriot School opened in Aglandjia, Nicosia in September, President Demetris Christofias hailed it as “an investment in education” and “a great investment in French Cypriot relations”.

I went to meet the director, Pascale Lagleize, to see what the new school has to offer and how this collaboration between the Cyprus and French governments is working in practice.

For more than four years, Lagleize was the head of the Arthur Rimbaud School, in the old city, which went on to form the basis of the Franco-Cypriot school. It was one of a large network of about 450 French schools worldwide, supported by the French ministry of education and the ministry of foreign affairs.

She is employed directly by the French government and therefore can move around at regular intervals. She will be leaving to take

W

up a new post at the end of this academic year though she is not yet sure where she will be going next. While clearly sad to be leaving on one level, she is pleased to have had the opportunity to see this joint venture for a new school through to fruition. And even at this stage in her career, with grown up daughters of her own, she is not afraid of a new challenge.

She believes that “change is a good thing,” and that with change comes “new energies and new ideas”.

So what has changed? What is different about the new school?

Lagleize explains that it is still part of the worldwide network of French schools, but now it is also recognised and supported by the Cyprus government. In the past it was mainly populated by French families. Now it offers the option of a bilingual stream, in French and Greek, and is much more multicultural.

Lagleize points out that French schools in France are multicultural, so too are French schools abroad, and although they follow a French curriculum, “they adapt to the local

A gym lesson for primary school students

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environment and culture”. In the new FrancoCypriot school, between 35 and 40 per cent of the student population comes from French families, 30 per cent from Cypriot families, (including five Turkish Cypriot students), with 20 nationalities in total.

In the playground, you hear many different languages spoken. According to the director, the children switch between languages easily and choose their language according to the context.

“Often the teenagers communicate in English, as this is the language of a very popular culture,” she says.

The school has spacious new premises, the former Aglandjia Higher Technical Institute, donated and renovated by the Cyprus government. Buildings are bright and clean and airy.

Situated next to Athalassa Park, this is an extra resource that the school uses for science lessons and some of their sport. They also have access to an indoor sports centre and a large playground with basketball courts. A goodsized piece of land next to the school is also being developed as another outdoor space.

The school can hold up to 400 pupils from age two to 18. At the moment, there are 155 pupils, so for obvious reasons the school is keen to attract more pupils. Although it receives funding from the French government, (which pays part of the teachers’ salaries, funds regular training abroad in the region for all teachers and pays some scholarships for French pupils), it offers a full French curriculum, regardless of numbers. “In the senior years - the lycee - the school is obliged to offer all three main French Baccalaureate options: Scientific, Economic and Literature,” she says.

And as the bilingual French-Greek stream grows, they also have plans to offer the Apolytirion.

Lagleize is looking to build a multi-cultural community who can all benefit from the cur-

riculum on offer, not just French speaking and Greek speaking families. She believes change is good. “But in terms of building a school community, you need stability to build an identity,” she says.

Lagleize is confident the school will attract international students to the school. “The opportunity to learn three of the main European languages is a major attraction,” she says.

Students will learn French, Greek and English, plus either Spanish or German, regardless of the stream they choose. (The hours spent studying in each language changes depending on the stream chosen). And as French speakers, they can all benefit from the opportunity to attend any number of the French universities, which are free, or virtually free. With the French Baccalaureate, students can also be admitted to UK universities.

TAUGHT TOGETHER To ensure linguistic fluency, the school deals with the primary and secondary schools differently. There are two classes in the primary part of the school. In the secondary school, (gymnasium 11-14 and lycee 15-18), all students are taught together. This is a deliberate choice to integrate students. Lagleize believes that even as the school grows it benefits all pupils as they “learn better together”.

There are already French families that choose the bilingual stream, Cypriot students who choose the French stream and students from elsewhere who might choose either.

Core subjects like French and maths, history and geography are common to both streams.

These subjects follow the French curriculum, while science is taught in Greek but following the French curriculum. Even the Greek language course is a copy of the French language course, which “helps to reinforce the language learning better”.

7 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

Home In the secondary school the bilingual Greek-French stream and the French stream are merged and taught together

In the primary school, the children are divided into streams based on language A key question is how well students who speak neither French nor Greek can fit into the system. Lagleize says they fit in very well.

“If they join at the primary school level, they adapt quickly,” she says. It is obviously more difficult the older they get, yet the director described one girl who joined the school aged 14 with no French or Greek and managed to pass the Diplome National Du Brevet, taken at the end of the gymnasium.

“It is not a problem of language, it is a problem of level,” she says.

Good students in one language will be good students in a new language. In her experience, children need one to two years to become fluent in a new language.

So, up to what age is it realistic for students to join? She will not accept new students into the lycee if their language skills are not good enough. Potential new students are assessed in maths and their own language. And in the older age group, it very much depends on how committed the students themselves are, rather than the parents.

“It has to be their choice at this age,” she says.

The school provides in-class language support with two French teachers available in the language classes. One is there to adapt the teaching materials to support non-native speakers in the class. There is also extra inclass support in the primary school and free homework support for students between 1pm and 2pm. This may be for those whose parents do not speak French at home. But the help is directed where needed and for whatever subject it is most appropriate.

Lagleize believes that students should get all the help they need in school; extra lessons after school do not benefit anyone. “If parents think they are helping their children by paying for this, they are not,” she says. “Children need to learn autonomy - how to learn on their own.”

Compared to other fee-paying schools in Cyprus, the fees are competitively priced. The kindergarten is €2,900 per year, the primary is €4,200, the gymnasium is €4,600 and the lycee is €5,400.

When the original Arthur Rimbauld school changed in September, some parents pulled their children out because they were wary of the role the Cyprus ministry of education might

play. Lagleize says their fears were unfounded.

The school is inspected every year by French inspectors who come from France. Students take French national evaluations twice in the primary school, which are sent back to France to be marked. And all teachers are employed by the school, even the Greek teachers. The Cyprus ministry of education, she says, has been helpful and offers support, but “it is the director’s job to hire and manage staff”.

Whilst the school board includes two Cyprus government representatives, two French government representatives and parents, the board does not strictly speaking run the school. The board manages all financial issues but the director manages all pedagogical issues. So there is a clear separation of responsibilities.

While the teachers are accountable to the director, not the board, Lagleize makes clear that she values good working relationships with parents.

“In France, parents want their children to do well, but they do not get involved,” she says.

Regular communication with parents is important for students to do well and the school

holds class meetings with parents, four times a year. Individual meetings also happen whenever parents request it. On the school website parents can see what their children have been doing in class each day and what marks they receive. This gives parents a daily point of engagement with their children and “makes it easier, for younger children especially, to talk to their parents about what they are doing in school”.

I met some parents drinking coffee outside the primary school cafeteria, who seemed very relaxed and happy with the school.

“We feel that it is a huge opportunity for our children - who speak English at home - to learn French properly, to study in a very relevant and useful language,” one parent said. “Being a small school, which is essentially parent-run, the school has a very positive vibe. It has also attracted a number of young, progressive and very energetic teachers. We are very happy.”

Contact Information: Telephone 22665318, Email: secretariat@efcn.info (in French, Greek or English). Website: http://www.efcn. info

8 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

World

The former South African president was first treated in hospital for a lung infection last week

Mandela ‘is doing well’ after surgery 94-year-old has gallstones removed

By Agnieszka Flak NELSON Mandela, the 94year-old former South African president and Nobel Peace laureate hospitalised with a lung infection, has successfully undergone a procedure to have gallstones removed, the government said yesterday.

“The former president underwent a procedure via endoscopy to have gallstones removed. The procedure was successful and Madiba is recovering,” President Jacob Zuma’s office said in a statement, using Mandela’s clan name.

South Africa’s first black president, who came to power in historic all-race elections in 1994 after decades struggling against apartheid, remains a symbol of resist-

ance to racism and injustice at home and around the world.

Mandela was admitted to a Pretoria hospital on Saturday a week ago after being flown from his home village of Qunu in a remote, rural part of the Eastern Cape province.

Tests revealed a recurrence of a lung infection and that he had developed gallstones, the government statement said.

The medical team had decided to treat the lung infection before attending to the gallstones, it said.

Mandela spent 27 years in apartheid prisons, including 18 years on the windswept Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town.

He was released in 1990 and went on to use his unparalleled prestige to push for reconciliation between whites

and blacks as the bedrock of the post-apartheid ‘Rainbow Nation’.

He stepped down in 1999 after one term in office and has been largely removed from public life for the last decade.

Mandela spent time in a Johannesburg hospital in 2011 with a respiratory condition, and again in February this year because of abdominal pains. He was released the following day after a keyhole examination showed there was nothing serious.

He has since spent most of his time in Qunu.

His fragile health prevents him from making any public appearances in South Africa, although he has continued to receive high-profile domestic and international visitors, including former US President Bill Clinton in July.

Egyptians vote on divisive constitution EGYPTIANS queued in long lines yesterday to vote on a constitution promoted by its Islamist backers as the way out of a political crisis and rejected by opponents as a recipe for further divisions in the Arab world’s biggest nation.

President Mohamed Mursi provoked angry demonstrations when he issued a decree last month expanding his powers and then fast-tracked the draft constitution through an assembly dominated by his Muslim Brotherhood group and its allies.

The liberal, secular and Christian opposition says the constitution is too Islamist and tramples on minority rights. Mursi’s supporters say the charter is needed if progress is to be made towards democracy nearly two years after the fall of military-backed strongman Hosni Mubarak.

9 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

World

Search for answers begins after US school massacre Police say 28 dead after ‘brutal’ rampage

By Chris Kaufman and Hilary Russ RESIDENTS of the small Connecticut community of Newtown were reeling yesterday from one of the worst mass shootings in US history, as police sought answers about what drove a 20-yearold gunman to slaughter 20 children at an elementary school.

The attacker, identified by law enforcement sources as Adam Lanza, opened fire on Friday morning at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which teaches children aged five to 10. He ultimately killed 26 people, before turning the gun on himself.

Police said another adult was found dead at a related crime scene in the town.

Many media outlets reported it may have been the shooter’s mother, Nancy Lanza.

State police said they hoped to have more information later yesterday, including confirmation of the victims’ identities. More than 12 hours after the shootings, police began removing the bodies from the school and bringing in parents to make identifications, NBC News reported.

President Barack Obama urged Americans yesterday to join in solidarity as they mourned the victims, saying the hearts of parents across

A woman prays at Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church near Sandy Hook Elementary School, where a gunman opened fire on school children and staff in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday the country were “heavy with hurt”.

He called for “meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this”, but stopped short of specifically calling for tighter gun-control laws in his weekly radio and Internet speech.

The president wiped away tears as he told the nation in a television address on Friday: “Our hearts are broken.”

The holiday season tragedy was the second shooting rampage in the United States this week and the latest in a series of mass killings this year.

It revived a debate about gun-control in a country with a flourishing firearms culture and a strong lobby which has discouraged most politicians from any major efforts to address the easy availability of

handguns and rifles.

Newtown, an affluent town about 80 miles (130 km) northeast of New York City, was mourning its dead in community vigils.

“We’re just praying - just need to pray to God that this does not happen again, no matter where,” Amelia Adams, 76, said on her way into St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church with her husband Kenneth, 81.

The church, a couple of miles from the site of the shooting, was packed inside and out on Friday night with a crowd estimated at more than 1,000 people.

“It was just, it was brutal. I can’t think of a better word.

It was just brutal to have to witness the pain today,” Monsignor Robert Weiss said after

the service.

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy told reporters late on Friday he never thought something would happen to equal the grief he and oth-

ers felt after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001.

“Evil visited this community,” Malloy said.

The chaos at Sandy Hook

struck as children gathered in their classrooms for morning events. A state police spokesman said the shootings took place in two rooms. Witnesses reported hearing dozens of shots; some said as many as 100 rounds.

Former classmates of the shooter remembered him as someone who dressed more formally than other students, often wearing khaki pants, button-down shirts and at times, a pocket protector.

“His mother pushed him really hard to be smarter and work harder in school,” said Tim Arnone, 20, who first met Lanza at Sandy Hook.

He had attended Newtown High School.

The death toll exceeded that of one of the most notorious US school shootings, the 1999 rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, where two teenagers murdered 13 students and staff before killing themselves.

The New York Times reported Adam Lanza used a Sig Sauer and a Glock, both handguns, and said police also found at the scene a Bushmaster .223 M4 carbine rifle.

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10 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

World feature

Days of Dickens are brought alive Author’s re-opened London house provides a more atmospheric visit

By Natalie Huet

T

HE FORMER London home of Charles Dickens reopened on Monday, after an eightmonth, 3.1 million-pound refurbishment celebrating the author’s bicentenary.

Dickens lived at 48 Dough-

ty Street in central London with his family between 1837 and 1839. There, in his mid20s, he wrote Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby, novels that made him a rising literary star. r-storey The four-storey ouse brick row house ed was restored y to its early

Charles Dickens’ four-storey house in central London

Victorian splendour to feel less like a museum and more atmospheric, museum director Florian Schweizer told Reuters.

“We wanted to recreate it like a home, so visitors could feel lik like they’re actually visiting Charles D Dickens and that h he might step back in at any time,” Schweizer said.

Inaugurated in 1925, the museum is the a author’s only su surviving London ho ou house.

Its redesign, largely funded through the Heritage Lottery Fund, comes in the year marking the 200th anniversary of Dickens’s birth in Portsmouth, Hampshire, and opens the house’s kitchen and attic to the public for the first time.

Visitors are guided through the dimly lit home not by museum signage on the walls but painted silhouettes

The bedroom where Mary Hogarth, Dickens’ sister-in-law died. She bcame the model for many of the novelist’s most angelic heroines. Below: Dickens’ study and dining room of a young Dickens, with long hair and no beard, challenging the mainstream image of “the older Dickens”, said Schweizer.

They can tour the writer’s dining room, wine cellar (“Dickens loved his booze”), bedroom and study. There, surrounded by ceiling-high bookshelves, stands the author’s original desk, where he finished The Pickwick Papers and dreamed up the characters of Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby.

“He could have just been a one-novel sensation, but it was here that he built on that first reputation made with The Pickwick Papers, and by the time he moved out it was pretty clear he was there to stay,” Schweizer said, noting the house had an “inspirational” dimension, especially for young visitors.

“It’s the beginning of a career - that makes it special.”

Dickens lived in the house with his wife Catherine, the eldest three of their 10 children and his sister-in-law Mary.

Mary died in the house at age 17, a heartbreaking episode which left Dickens incapable of writing for weeks and inspired many of the angelic heroines and heroes in his novels.

The bedroom she died in is a space to reflect on the author’s relationship with death and displays extremely rare photographs of the 1865 railway accident in Staplehurst, Kent, which Dickens survived with his young mistress Ellen Ternan.

This “more evocative, more immersive” version of the 87-

year-old museum will offer guided costumed tours and workshops for school groups, Schweizer said.

The museum has also expanded into neighbouring 49 Doughty Street, which has been transformed into a learning centre to accommodate school trips and improve access for the disabled.

It features, until February, costumes from the recent

film adaptation of Dickens’ novel Great Expectations, including that of Abel Magwitch, played by Ralph Fiennes, and Miss Havisham, played by Helena Bonham Carter.

The Charles Dickens Museum has so far welcomed about 30,000 visitors per year, with almost half coming from overseas, and numbers are expected to rise to 45,000 in 2013.

Password posers perplexing Brits BRITONS are struggling to remember the passwords for an average of 22 online accounts each and more than one in six people have over 40 such accounts to keep track of, the Payments Council said this week.

Three-quarters of people use the same password for more than one account and more than a third admit to having shared their personal details with family and friends.

Almost a third (29 per cent) say they never bother changing their password.

The findings were released to highlight the council’s education campaign, PayYourWay. org.uk, which warns that people are increasing the threat to their security by using easy-to-guess passwords.

Some 25 per cent of people surveyed said they keep the memory of their dead pets alive by still using their names in passwords.

The council said that people should steer clear of using the same password, or even a variation of it, more than once, to restrict the damage if the password on one account

is compromised.

They could also use a piece of software called a password manager to keep track of their passwords.

This creates random, hard-to-guess passwords for each site someone visits, meaning they only need to remember one single, master password to access them all.

People are also advised to be creative and avoid birthdays, names and common words.

One way of doing this is to string together words from a phrase or song lyric.

“The Grand Old Duke of York, he had ten thousand men,” could give a password of “TGODoYhh10000m!” for example, the Payments Council said.

Adrian Kamellard, chief executive of the Payments Council said: “These days we have more online accounts than ever before.

“But you don’t have to be a memory expert - PayYourWay.org.uk tips should keep your vital financial accounts safe by helping you set secure, easy-to-remember passwords.”

11 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

News Review High prices

Police standing guard outside the House on Thursday as demonstrators were kept behind barriers (Christos Theodorides)

WASTEFUL public sector spending, crooked lawyers, along with high medicine and fuel prices were the main concerns of Auditor-general Chrystalla Yiorkadji as she handed over her 2011 report to President Demetris Christofias on Monday. The Auditor-general said what stood out for her this year were the high prices of drugs and fuel.

Flooded RESIDENTS of a Limassol neighbourhood were up in arms on Monday after seeing their properties flooded for the second time in three days following heavy rain.

People living on Vasileos Constantinou Street said they were up all night on Sunday trying to keep the rain out of their homes as the fire service scrambled to pump water from properties and rescue trapped drivers.

Self defence A LIMASSOL woman, 34, who was remanded in connection with the stabbing of her 39-year-old husband will not be prosecuted, Attorney-general Petros Clerides said this week. The woman was arrested over a week ago in a state of shock after her husband was found dead at their home following a

Tempers fray at austerity demos domestic dispute. “I have suspended prosecution on the grounds of self-defence,” Clerides said.

Last moments LARNACA Assizes on Monday watched several videos taken on mobile phones owned by two of the victims of last year’s blast at Mari who unintentionally filmed the last moments of several of their co-victims as they were called in to respond to what they thought was just a fire. Twenty minutes before the blast that killed him, chief fireman Yiorgos Yiakoumi, who died at the age of 30, was heard saying the footage could be used for training purposes.

Stepped up SECURITY is being stepped up at all government buildings in anticipation of more angry outbursts against coming austerity measures in the days and weeks to come, police spokesman Andreas Angelides said on Tuesday. Angelides was speaking only hours after angry investors, who claim they were duped into buying high-yield bank bonds, stormed parliament and disrupted a committee meeting discussion on the issue, while another arm of the police themselves demonstrated outside the finance ministry and later parliament.

Helios re-trial

BY A majority decision the Supreme Court has upheld an appeal lodged by the Attorney-general and has ordered a re-trial of the Helios air crash case.

In the ruling, six of the nine judges said they had found fault with the Nicosia criminal court’s prior decision to acquit the defendants and as such a re-trial was warranted. “It is understood that the complexity and scope of the case will entail additional time and cost, however the public interest is such that it must prevail,” the decision read.

Pimco January THE recapitalisation needs of Cyprus’ banks are broadly in line with expectations, according to an interim independent report, the finance ministry said on Tuesday. A preliminary agreement between Cyprus and interna-

Opposition parties DISY and DIKO submitted draft legislation to end free health care for Turkish Cypriots and allowances paid to asylum seekers

tional lenders has already earmarked up to €10 billion as aid for the island’s banks, but this was subject to outside verification. While mentioning no amount, the finance ministry said an asset quality review of banks submitted by Pimco, pending a final report from the consultancy in January, was being assessed.

Austerity or bust WITH its back to the wall, Cyprus on Wednesday passed a raft of austerity measures included in a provisional bailout agreement, in a bid to convince lenders it would stick to its side of the bargain ahead of a Eurogroup meeting on Thursday. Faced with the dilemma of austerity or bankruptcy, parliament rushed through some 23 bills that included social spending and wage cuts, a freeze in benefits, and a slew of fresh taxes.

Mega bailout

bailout would be the largest ever, second only to the bailout of Indonesia, Central Bank Governor Panicos Demetriades said on Wednesday. “The Cypriot taxpayer is now facing a bank bailout package that could be as high as €10 billion, which is equivalent to over 50 per cent of Cyprus’ GDP,” Demetriades said. “As a proportion of GDP it is one of the largest bank bailouts ever, second only to the 1997 bank bailout in Indonesia.”

Eggs and stones IN A second day of protests against austerity on Wednesday, demonstrators threw stones and eggs at the parliament building but an increased police presence prevented people from storming the House. While protests by teachers and the disabled were peaceful, members of large families became violent, clashing with police and antiriot squad MMAD officers.

There were no injuries during the fracas, but one woman fainted in front of the entrance.

AS A proportion of GDP, Cyprus’ bank

QUOTES OF THE WEEK “We see people who hold considerable property, whether a luxury car or boat, whether it’s buying property at auction... some of them are unknown to the Inland Revenue or they declare incomes much lower than those justifying their assets” Auditor-general Chrystalla Yiorkadji rkadji

“I remember I was hit by something like thunder and then I woke up in Israel [in hospital]” A man told the court during the Mari trial

“Disability benefit, which is a pitiful €337 is being reduced to €330, so of course this will affect us because we can’t work to make a living” Protester Andreas Potamitis

“We’re not asking for charity, we’re asking for what we’ve worked for” A laid-off worker from the Kofinou slaughterhouse

“Thiss is like biblical catastrophe for us. We are ed. Who’s retired. g to help going us?”

A distressed stressed assol resiLimassol dentt after ding flooding maged damaged her me home

“We realise that working people peo are angry, and it is their inalienable inalie right to demonstrate. But these the demonstrations must be within with the bounds of the law” Police spokesman Andr Andreas Angelides

“Announcements were made on television regarding the event [Last Sunday’s Nicosia Marathon] detailing which roads would be closed and between what times. There were even broadcasts every two hours on the radio but people just didn’t listen” Nicosia’s police traffic chief Demetris Demetriou commenting on the chaos

“Everyone must underst understand that they will face difficu culties in the next two, three years, but I s don’t believe any public servant will starve if a part of their wages is cut. We need to get a grip on reality and not have h our heads in the clouds if this country is to move forwa forward” Archbishop Chrys Chrysostomos

“This is an encouraging sign of Cyprus’ determination to do what it takes to ensure fiscal and financial sustainability” EC Vice-President Olli Rehn (left) “We love our country, we help our state in many ways 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” A CyTA union rep

Confident THE Eurogroup on Thursday appeared confident that an agreement on Cyprus’ bailout programme can be reached soon but not before the new year. The group discussed Cyprus though no decision had been expected.

In a written statement after the meeting, the Eurogroup said progress had been made towards a possible macrofinancial 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.”

Axing benefits OPPOSITION parties DISY and DIKO on Thursday 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 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.

Orphanides’ end ORPHANIDES supermarkets, in the red for over €200m, are to be placed in receivership, the company 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 Friday by Andreas Andronikou, of UK auditing firm UHY Hacker Young. Speaking to suppliers on Thursday, 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.

12 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Opinion Why is OEV bowing to AKEL’s anti-business agenda?

AS IF the desperate conditions under which businesses are currently operating were not bad enough, they also have to cope with additional pressure put on them by a labour minister who thinks she is still representing the trade union that once employed her. The last thing our cash-strapped, failing businesses need at this time is a dogmatic communist with no understanding of how the market economy works turning the screw on them.

In five years at the labour ministry Sotiroulla Charalambous has never hidden her pro-union bias nor her open hostility towards employers, whom she has repeatedly targeted with restrictive measures. She also adopted the police state tactic of sending out labour inspectors to carry out random checks of businesses to ensure that ministerial decrees were being respected and impose fines on those who were ignoring them.

The minister, for whom the free market is anathema, raised the

statutory minimum wage at a time of soaring unemployment and imposed fines on employers who violated restrictive union practices. In October she decided that her inspectors would impose fines on an employer who did not pay all his workers the same wage as this was regarded a violation of the collective agreements. At about the same time she increased the fines imposed on employers who delayed payment of wages, as if this would help things. Would a company with no cash and no access to bank credit pay wages on time because of a heavier fine?

The problem is that Ms Charalambous – no doubt encouraged by the president - has always operated on the assumption that all employers were ruthless exploiters that needed to be kept in line with restrictive legislation and the fear of punitive measures. And she refuses to cut the hated employers any slack even in these recession-hit times during which the overwhelming majority are struggling to keep

Letters to the Editor I have learned my lesson the hard way with pickpockets I read in your letters page last Sunday about a poor lady’s plight at having her purse taken. She is not alone. My handbag and contents were taken last Thursday after only being in the Lidl store ten minutes. My friend reached for a loaf on the lower shelf and I reached for a loaf higher up.

As I put it into the trolley I glanced at the place our bags had been and mine was gone. You can’t take it in to begin with. My friend thought I might have taken it out when I was getting some chocolate and I thought maybe I’d put it under my friend’s bag but then it dawned on me that some kind person had stolen it.

So you start to rush round the store looking for security, and looking into other shoppers’ trolleys to see if a little cream bag

is lurking there. No security to ask at the door and only one man in the store who stands there and then proceeds to look under a baking tin saying: ‘it’s not there.’.

I informed my bank to stop my visa card because I had my pin number hidden in my purse. My husband had to come to the store with another set of car keys and house keys but alas my €200 in cash was gone and my visa spent to the sum of €400.

A costly lesson. The police said there was not much hope of getting anything back.

I’ve learnt my lesson the hard way too. Please look after your bags. Like the lady I read about, my friend was pushed and she also thought it was her fault and apologised.

Marge Wright, Limassol

Tourism figures need more detail I refer to an article in the Saturday edition with respect to the Tourism uplift for the month of September 2012 and I question or challenge the CTO to explain how they calculated this figure?

For instance, how many persons staying in hotels are tourists rather than for any other reason, such as conferences, training, local business personnel staff training, visiting business representatives, or for any other reason. Similarly, how are passengers arriving from landing aircraft are ever asked their reasons for visiting Cyprus? For instance, how many are returning expats, returning Cypriot nationals, students, businesspeople, holiday makers, airline or tourist company staff?

Come on CTO put some substance to the figures you claim and don’t hide behind percentage figures that don’t mean a jot to the public.

Ry Steeley, Pyla

SundayMail their businesses alive against all odds.

There is no recognition of the fact that most businesses are operating with losses, paying extortionate interest rates to the banks and are unable to obtain credit. On the contrary, Ms Charalambous’ hostility toward business is unwavering. On Friday the Labour Ministry issued an announcement threatening to bring criminal charges against employers who did not pay the 13th salary to its employees. It passed a law which stipulated fines of €15,000 and prison sentences of up to six months for employers who did not pay the 13th salary.

What is a business that simply does not have the money to make these payments supposed to do? It is unlikely to find any bank willing to lend it the money and it cannot raid the CyTA employees’ pension fund

as the state hopes to do in order to pay 13th salaries of public employees. The employer could just decide to close the business down rather than face a prison term, in which case the labour ministry’s tough law would have contributed to increasing unemployment.

More disappointing has been the approach of OEV, the Employers and Industrialists’ Federation which on Friday urged all its members that paid a 13th salary to their staff in the past to do so again this year. This is an organisation that is supposed to promote the interests of employers but has been known to side with the unions, as it did last January when the issue of suspending payment of CoLA in the private sector was raised.

OEV often gives the impression it is in cahoots with the unions, supporting the labour market rigidities imposed by collective agreements which undermine the competitiveness of its members.

It is incredible how the federa-

tion that supposedly represents the interests of employers is now siding with the most antibusiness labour minister we have ever had. Instead of publicly repeating Ms Charalambous’ diktat about the 13th salary, OEV should have explained the difficulties businesses were going through and that the majority would not be able to pay it, because in this economic climate most firms cannot afford it. The Federation should also have pointed out that employers never tried to get out of paying 13th salaries in the past, but these were exceptional circumstances.

Rather than defend its members and question the ministry’s punitive bill, OEV has in effect sided with a communist fanati c who has been on a mission to destroy businesses, regardless of the damage this does to the economy. It would appear that Charalambous and the AKEL propaganda machine have persuaded even OEV to support its anti-business agenda.

Tell me Mr President, when will I be able to afford to heat my home?

I’m a single mum, with a young child. I, as many other people were, was entitled to certain benefits up until May 31 this year. Then, as of June, I, just like many other people, I was no longer eligible for these benefits, as we were deemed to be too ‘well off’ to need them.

Almost 90 per cent of the benefits I received went to help pay off the debts that I had been left with when my spouse abandoned his daughter and myself and fled the country.

Trying to explain to the benefits office that my situation had by now become desperate, and I am now facing eviction from my home because my work doesn’t pay me enough to cover the full amount for mortgage repayments, I was met with the reply: ‘nothing to do with us,

the law has changed’. Now, I hear that we won’t be getting the Christmas bonus in our child benefits this year either, due to the various cuts.

Winter has arrived, tell me Mr President, when will I be able to afford to heat my home so my child doesn’t get hypothermia? I can’t afford petrol for the heating, and I can’t afford to turn on electric heaters, as I lost the singleparent discount I had had from the electricity company. And I know that I’m not the only one in this position.

Instead of using the troika money to shore up the banks, why not utilise the money to build council houses so that low-income families can have a place to live without the constant threat of eviction and foreclosure hanging over

their heads? Why not work in conjunction with the church and come to an arrangement with them about the land that they have to build said houses?

It will boost the economy as employment will be created to build the houses.

It will also increase the morale of Cypriots who are terrified that their kids will be left without a roof over their heads.

If the government feels that it would be too expensive for them to do this, then instead of rebuilding the refugee housing to give to refugees, which let’s face it, for how many generations can someone claim refugee status, fix up the existing houses for Cypriot families like myself.

Maire Christou, Nicosia

Rising scourge of graffiti Cyprus returns to colonial rule Am I alone in noticing the increasing scourge of graffiti that is plaguing so much of Cyprus? What, I wonder, do visitors make of an island with so many of its walls and buildings disfigured so grossly?

These charmless embellishments might be considered by some as an indication of a society that has lost its self respect, while others may happily accept them as a harmless example of popular culture. Harmless they may be on buildings, but on road signs they are certainly not.

On the comparatively short journey along the coast road from Mazotos to Zygi I counted ten road signs disfigured by spray paint.

Clearly it is beyond the power or inclination of the authorities to stop this: our supine police force find the arresting of boy racers, who nightly hold speed trials on

the public roads, too daunting a task to undertake, so what chance is there of graffiti louts being brought to book?

May I therefore suggest a remedy to the transport department?

If the supporting poles for all signs were not less than three meters in length the signs would be out of reach of even the most determined vandal; as a further insurance the top half meter of each pole, below the sign, could have wound around it a few turns of razor wire.

Not only would this solve the graffiti problem but it would also achieve the dual purpose of lifting road signs above the level of undergrowth and bushes that currently obscure so many of them.

Michael Duddridge, Maroni

The Memorandum of Understanding signed with the troika and the government is enslavement!

Cyprus once again is made a colony where the people have no say in running their economy and country.

The Memorandum of Understanding that has been dictated by the troika is nothing less than the loss of sovereignty.

With this deal, the salaries of civil servants will be frozen until 2016. The tax increase for fuel means that there will be price increases in all products.

Those on low income, the workers, the unemployed and pensioners will be hit very hard.

The banks in Cyprus have broken all the rules. They opened their doors wide to foreign capital with the aim of obtaining large profits. This money was nothing more than the capital of Russian oligarchs and Arab sheiks. The banks irresponsibly invested in junk bonds.

The responsibility of the failure of these banks has now been unloaded on to the people of Cyprus.

The true face of the so called people’s government has been exposed. Rather than defending the independence of Cyprus the government has surrendered its sovereignty. The government has been at the service of capital rather than the workers, toilers and poor farmers.

It is time to raise the struggle against these colonisers, the EU, the troika and finance oligarchs.

Mehmet Birinci, general secretary, Turkish Cypriot Socialist Party

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You can send letters to the Cyprus Mail by email, fax or post. Letters should include a full postal address (an email address is not sufficient), a daytime telephone number and a reference to the relevant article. A name and address 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. Management is under no obligation to inform readers if, when or where their letters will appear.

13 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

Opinion Ten things you can do for the customer to help you survive and profit

Managing ng in tough times Comment Theodore Panayotou

T

IMES are tough for business. Demand and revenues are down. The cost of capital is up. Redundant labour has already been laid off and cost cutting has already reached the bone. What more can business do?

It can certainly change its thinking! As Einstein remarked “you cannot keep doing the same things which got you into trouble in the first place and expect different results”. Actually, there are plenty of things you can do, not only to survive but to thrive, by turning problems into challenges and challenges into opportunities, starting with what you can do for the customer.

Think global, think long term Resist the temptation of short-termism.

This crisis is more than a business cycle; it is more than one of those crises that are endemic to capitalism. This crisis coincides with a tectonic shift of both the micro and macro economy towards lower-cost, higher quality, more differentiated, even unique, products and services driven by globalisation and information technology. Now you compete globally, not locally, even if you sell only locally. Competing lower-cost products are sitting on the shelf next to yours and the customer can compare and choose, and the internet is at his fingertips; he can always buy online. All this is not going to go away. Therefore, plan and act long term.

Cost-cutting is mechanics; building revenues is art Remember during bad times building revenues is tougher than cost cutting. Not everybody can bring in revenues, most cannot. Marketing people are notorious for spending more than they bring in. In bad times, selling is more than an art; it is a fine art. The people on whom the company depends to drive sales can make or break the company. It all depends on whether they have what it takes to sell: the personality, the attitude, the drive, the perseverance, the skills and the willingness to hit the road.

Signs of the times: struggling shops on Nicosia’s Makarios Avenue

Marketing is for good times; sales for bad times Shift half of your marketing budget to sales.

You have planted the seeds. Now it is time for harvest. Remember in good times the mountain is more than happy to oblige and scurry over to Mohammed, but in bad times it prefers to sit on the fence. Mohammed has no choice but to get out of his comfort zone and walk over to the mountain. And, if you retort that even in good times mountains don’t move, good, you got the point. Now hit the road.

Build relationships and partnerships Do not meet like with like. Don’t respond to your competitors’ transactional opportunism with the same currency. Meet it with relationship strategies: closer relationships with your employees, your customers, your suppliers, your distributors and even your competitors.

Even if you have to drop your prices or give special deals don’t do it as a transactional opportunism but in the framework and context of a closer relationship, even better a partnership.

Meet their needs and lower their costs Bend over backwards to take care of the needs of your customers, especially your best customers. Most importantly, keep in constant touch with them so they remember your business when they need something. It is your best clients who will help you through the recession. Your competitors will try to poach your customers; do your best to hold onto them by delivering more value for money.

Lowering your customers’ cost in a way that does not undermine the quality, image and reputation of your product helps keep them on your side. You can do this by lowering your cost and passing the savings to them. Find a simpler and smarter way to produce and supply your product or service of the same or even higher quality that is less costly and pass some of the savings to the customers.

The fatal mistake that many companies make is to lower their costs and pocket the

savings to increase their margin to make up for the shortfall of revenues resulting from reduced sales, a self-fulfilling prophesy. This just shows short-sightedness and lack of empathy for the customer, a sign that the customer is quick to sense.

Redefine value for the customer Your customers face new problems, so give them new solutions. Spend time to understand your customers’ business and their problems deeply and respond in sophisticated ways. The general principle here is “help the customers make the most of what they’ve got by redefining the value for the customer”. This does not mean lowering your quality; it means offering more relevant and practical quality that solves more readily the exact problems that the customer is facing right now.

Don’t assume their needs; ask them Go one step further and ask your customers what else you can do for them. They know you’re short on cash; offer them additional services, advice, free consulting, barter arrangements, deferred payments. If you think creatively you will be amazed how many services you could offer to your customers that cost you virtually nothing but would be highly valued by your customers. Look around your organisation and you will find plenty of underutilised resources – human, physical, material, experiential and relational - that can be transformed into valuable products and services at little or no cost to thrill your current customers and to attract new ones.

Sell experiences not products and services Good customer service is always important but in times of crisis it is a matter of life and death. Exceptional customer service in a market where poor service is the rule can be a lifeboat for a struggling business in bad times; it attracts reluctant customers who otherwise sit on the fence.

If you want to keep your customers and attract new ones don’t sell them a product or a service, stage a memorable experience for

them. Remember that today’s customer is reluctant and oversupplied; she faces plenty of choices. Give her a good reason to want to buy and to choose you over your competitors.

Those who succeed to turn their ordinary products and services into extraordinary experiences for their customers will survive and thrive.

Show empathy for the customer and build up your trust account Find ways to show concern and empathy to your customers. For example, extend the due date of your receivables by a month or more and tell them personally you are doing it because you understand their difficulties and let them thank you, personally. Tell your suppliers that you are not doing this to them even though you are doing it for your customers and let them reciprocate with better deals.

The key here is telling people what you are doing and why you are doing it, personally.

Your bank account might be low right now but a large trust account can come to the rescue from unexpected quarters. Now is the time to prove you are worthy of trust. Experience shows that ethical and trustworthy businesses rarely go under. How do you build trust?

Keep your promises, do hard things well, go the extra mile and do the unexpected.

Do well by doing good Be there for others now and they will be there for you later. We remember those who helped us when times were tough. Make a contribution to a local charity in severe trouble. It doesn’t have to be cash; it could be in kind, free labour or expertise, services, voluntarism of any kind. The community will notice and it will have a bigger impact than you think. Even better, choose the charity and your contribution strategically to be related to your core competence and strategy as to create shared value for both. Strategic corporate social responsibility, as this approach to CSR is called, has turned out to be the lifeboat for several companies in tough times.

Only sick minds could create property tax bill Comment Loucas Charalambous THIS COLUMN, on countless occasions in the past, has expressed the view that President Christofias and his people were incompetent, irresponsible and dangerous for the country. Now, I am convinced that they are politically sick. Their paranoid actions, which we are witnessing daily, have as a source an incurable ideological disease.

The bill for the immovable property tax (IPT) proved emphatically that they are ruthless when they want to put into practice some of their idiotic, ideological prejudices. No argument or rational explanation could stop them; not even the awareness of the harm they would ultimately cause. All they care about is the satisfaction that they acted in

accordance with their antiquated ideological beliefs.

They seized the opportunity provided by the bailout to avenge the rejection by the legislature in 2011 of a bill with the same aim taxation of immovable property.

They never accepted that the majority of the legislature prevented them from imposing this so-called ‘taxation of wealth’. So they decided to do it now, ensuring the provisions of the bill were much harsher.

So while the troika initially proposed that taxation of property raised €20 million, the government offered to raise that revenue to €69 million. But subsequently the government drafted a bill that - if it could be implemented and property owners paid their tax dues - would have raised, according to some calculations, €200 million. I think that the amount would have been

even higher as hotels would have had to pay astronomical amounts of between €200,000 to half a million euros.

The most interesting aspect of this case was the procedure followed by the government. As has been revealed, the land surveys department was not consulted.

And according to information, the technocrats of the finance ministry had no involvement in the preparation of the bill.

Unbelievable as it may sound, this monstrosity was created

by Commerce Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis and Labour Minister Sotiroulla Charalambous in cooperation with the presidential palace.

If this is the case, it would rank as one of the most disgraceful political acts ever perpetrated in this country. This version is supported by the logic that only sick minds could have mustered

the ruthlessness and irresponsibility to put together such an abomination. Because, apart from causing big problems for individuals, the IPT would have worked like a mega-ton bomb that would have blown our economy to bits. The property and construction sector is in a big mess, but increasing taxation on immovable property 10-fold now, would be the final nail in the sector’s coffin.

Tourism is the only sector of the economy that has been doing well in the last two years. A responsible government would have done everything in its power to help it as it was the only sector of the economy with real growth prospects. It would have taken measures that would have contributed to the lowering of costs so that the sector would be able to compete with other destinations, expand and cre-

ate new jobs. Instead of this, the government chose to demolish it, by putting the IPT bomb in its foundations.

When the government decides to impose a tax of 300 and 400 thousand euros on a hotel that until last year was paying 50 to 60 thousand euros what would it achieve other the complete destruction of the tourist industry? Don’t you have to be sick in the mind to try to destroy the only flourishing sector of an economy in deep recession?

On September 2 of this year, referring to Christofias and his associates in this column, I had written the following: “These people are dangerous. They will cause more catastrophes before they leave.” It is exactly what they are doing now. Nothing will be left standing by the time he leaves office.

14 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Opinion

The great recession, the Irish economy and Cyprus There are important lessons for Cyprus in how Ireland has struggled to meet troika terms Comment Costas Apostolides C

I

N THE European Union Ireland is portrayed as a small economy sharing many characteristics with the Mediterranean member states (construction and banking crisis).

It was in serious economic trouble early in the recession and is purported to have followed the troika austerity formula closely and is therefore a success story in terms of the European Commission, European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) memoranda criteria. In a discussion with four distinguished Irish economists in Nicosia this week it was made clear that in terms of the real economy this picture is far from the truth and the country is still struggling to get back to growth and reasonable employment levels.

Ireland was hit earlier and harder than Cyprus, and at best can be described as “seeing the light at the end of the tunnel”, but the tunnel’s length is indeterminate.

The Irish economists at the seminar, organised by Index Research and Dialogue, were Jim Stewart of Trinity College Dublin, Terry McDonough of the National University of Ireland at Galway, David Jacobson of Dublin City University and Rafique Mottiar an economist with great experience at the Central Bank of Ireland. Together they were unanimous in their

belief that the austerity package Ireland signed up to has cost a great deal for the country in terms of economic pain, though there have been some efficiency gains. The conclusion was that though the way ahead is clearer now, and there are signs of improvement, Ireland is not yet out of the woods.

Ireland hit the recession earlier and much deeper than Cyprus, both in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) decline and unemployment.

The speed of the rise in unemployment in Ireland is frightening, and even today it is still running at almost 15 per cent as compared to Cyprus at around 11 per cent. Yet even an apparent improvement in Ireland is a mirage in that though GDP increased, Gross National Product (GNP) declined in 2011. This is because of a peculiar feature of the Irish economy, its dependence on foreign multinationals, which account for over 20 per cent of the economy.

GNP differs from GDP by the net movement of income from abroad coming in, and foreign company income earned in Ireland moving out, the result is that GDP is much higher than GNP which reflects the welfare of the Irish people more accurately.

Rather surprisingly, repatriation of profits by foreign companies in Cyprus has gone up during the crisis so that GDP is not a good indicator of the state of the Irish economy and it is difficult to understand which way the country has been going. This is evident in the 2012 statistics which show for the first six months that that GDP is falling while GNP is rising, which may be due simply to reduced profit repatriation in the first semester. By comparison Cyprus is in recession in 2012 though unem-

The crisis hit Ireland early and hard

ployment appears to be stabilising in the second semester.

The discussion raised many issues, several of them very significant for Cyprus.

The economists emphasised that countries should not rush into an agreement with the troika and should negotiate hard to obtain the best they can and reduce the negative impact on the economy of the memoranda. It is important for countries to create space to implement their own policies in tandem with their troika commitments.

The crisis in Ireland was created by a fall in demand, both external and subsequently local, which hit the construction industry and then massively damaged the banks. This also occurred in Cyprus with a fall in UK demand arising from the international economic crisis, affecting both tourism and construction, but the banks have been mainly affected by events in Greece and their strong presence in the Greek market.

In Ireland the legal system was in a mess. The problems were accentuated in the banking sector, which led

to the crash, which was facilitated by overdependence on foreign multinationals. The Irish government responded to a shift in bank deposits by guaranteeing the banks in 2008, at that time with assets of €400 bln, but they did not guarantee their own bonds. Owing to the impossible situation they sought assistance from the EU and IMF. Debt in both countries was relatively low before the crisis, but it rose rapidly in Ireland to 95 per cent of GDP and subsequently in Cyprus it is approaching that figure. In Ireland the banking crisis caused the fiscal crisis, and there was also the issue of competitiveness.

The economists said the austerity programme imposed by the troika has not worked in Ireland, and these policies made the situation worse.

The official data shows that the austerity programme itself contributed one to two per cent a year to the fall in GDP. There were some positive aspects in that the memorandum process exposed deficiencies and inequities some of which were addressed increased efficiency and reduced costs.

The present situation was characterised as a world crisis which requires both universal policies and others that are specific to individual countries.

In response to a statement by a participant that only through growth can governments and international bodies get out of the mess that threatens the world as a whole, the following points were raised.

The European Central Bank was described as dysfunctional and in need of reform to assume the normal functions of a central bank.

Small and medium enterprises should be strengthened, with less dependence on multinationals and European Investment Bank loans brought in to facilitate growth.

Innovation of all sorts should be encouraged not just technological innovation, but also in services, trade, software and other sectors.

State ownership of banks should be used to encourage lower interest rates and growth policies.

Institutions should be evaluated to see if they are working, and on the basis of this they should be reformed or more effective institutions created.

More efficient and fair tax systems should be introduced, and taxes increased to cover state debts.

Elites should not be protected, especially in the banking sector.

The monetary union should be reformed in the eurozone so that it is less fragmented and interest rates converge downwards.

Ireland and the countries of the Mediterranean should get together and form a block to push through the right policies.

These are good ideas that require further development, and show that if governments can create a little space to introduce reforms and growth policies progress can be made in getting out of the domestic crises and thereby the world crisis Costas Apostolides is chairman of EMS Economic Management Ltd costas.a@highwaycommunications.com

Stockholm visit was well received Comment Andrestinos Papadopoulos THE RECENT visit of the president of DISY and presidential candidate, Nicos Anastasiades, to Sweden (November 27) should be viewed as politically well targeted.

It recognises the importance of a country which, on the one hand, is greatly interested in the Cyprus problem, given the traditional relations of friendship between Sweden and Cyprus, and, on the other hand, can exert influence on Turkey, because of the support it gives, inter alia, to Turkey’s European perspective.

Sweden’s interest in the Cyprus problem has always been strong. For 25 years Sweden participated in UNICYP with a strong presence. Of the 100,000 Swedish peacekeepers that served all over the world, 30,000 passed through Cyprus. In 2007, Sweden also took the initiative to arrange a meeting for the political directors of foreign ministries of countries interested in the Cy-

prus problem on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, in New York. Since September 2008, when the direct negotiations started, Sweden followed closely the developments, supporting every effort aimed at solving the Cyprus problem.

This interest is better understood if we take into account the friendly relations between the two countries which date back to the last century when the Swedish archaeological expedition conducted excavations in Cyprus between 1927-1932 and founded scientific archaeological research in the island. A vivid symbol of this relationship is the permanent exhibition of Cypriot archaeological treasures at the Mediterranean Archaeological Museum in Stockholm.

As far as Turkey is concerned, Sweden supports the accession of Turkey to the EU. It recognises Turkey’s geostrategic importance and considers her a stabilising factor in the area. This, however, does not mean that Sweden does not wish faster harmonisation and compliance with the obligations undertaken towards the EU and the Republic of Cyprus. This can be summed up as: “full compliance, full accession”.

This support could therefore be translated into influence, which Sweden can exert on Turkey, so as to contribute positively to

the solution of the Cyprus problem. If this influence is constructively used and Turkey abandons her intransigent position, then its European perspective will be immensely enhanced, a fact wished for by Sweden as well as Cyprus. Sweden’s view is that a solution of the Cyprus problem would not only benefit the people of Cyprus but would also promote regional co-operation and stability, at the same time solving problems related to NATO-EU security co-operation.

Against such background and knowing that there are strategic reasons to keep Turkey’s EU accession on track, Anastasiades asked the Swedish Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt during their meeting to undertake an initiative with a view to enhancing Turkey’s European perspective, which to materialise needs a demonstration of good will on her part. Such a development will keep alive the motive to find a solution to the Cyprus problem.

According to reliable sources, the positive reaction of the Swedish prime minister to Anastasiades’ request is a good omen and will certainly contribute to the further strengthening of relations between Sweden and Cyprus.

Dr Andrestinos Papadopoulos is a former ambassador of the republic

Nicos Anastasiades with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in Stockholm

15 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

Opinion Globalisation and instantaneous communication have made it impossible to contain conflict within national borders

An anti-Mursi protester holds a Cross and a Koran at Tahrir Square in Cairo this week

uotes of the week “Before shouting ‘Hi. Seattle!’ make sure you are in Seattle”.

Timely advice from Sir Mick Jagger

Comment

“Some of their high notes are worthy of mating foxes”.

Theatre critic Quentin Letts reviewing the new Spice Girls musical Viva Forever!

David Shinn

T

HROUGHOUT history, mistreatment of minorities - whether ethnic, religious, linguistic, cultural, regional, ideological, sexual, or other - has fuelled violence and devastated societies worldwide.

Egregious cases in the last century include the Holocaust in Nazi Germany, the Khmer Rouge killing fields in Cambodia, and the genocide in Rwanda.

The abuse of minorities, and reactions to it, often are linked to fault lines in conflicted societies. Minorities tend to experience economic inequality and political marginalisation.

This negative trend shows no sign of waning. While international treaties, national laws, more and stronger institutions, improved education, and efforts by organised religious groups to foster respect for minorities can help to ameliorate the problem, collective efforts have so far fallen woefully short.

The problem will not disappear until people stop tolerating intolerance. And recent history - from the indiscriminate killings by the Lord’s Resistance Army in central and eastern Africa to the attacks against Christians by the Pakistani Taliban - shows that bigotry remains deeply embedded.

Moreover, globalisation and instantaneous communication technologies have made it impossible to contain conflict within national borders. Domestic economic and political grievances can now buttress discontent across regions and continents.

Ethnic conflict in countries such as Kenya, Sudan, Sri Lanka, and the former Yugoslavia underscores the challenge of reducing - and eventually eliminating - intolerance. But some other multiethnic societies such as Tanzania and Burkina Faso have largely escaped communal conflict.

Others, including Belgium and Cameroon, have avoided serious conflict, but have experienced significant acrimony over the treatment of linguistic and regional minorities. And, in different periods, Lebanon has managed and mismanaged official policy toward religious and ethnic minorities.

Understanding the factors at play in these countries can help policymakers and religious and civil-society leaders to address intolerance.

Intolerance emanating from organised religion is perhaps the most inexcusable. On the one hand, all organised religions teach peace and love for others, and they have often intervened successfully to prevent or mitigate conflict. On the other hand, at certain times in their history, organised religions have allowed, encouraged, and even propagated hatred and violence. And fringe elements often use religion to espouse violence against particular groups.

In recent decades, Roman Catholic and Protestant leaders failed to speak

Battle against intolerance is proving endless out early and effectively against the genocide in Rwanda. Similarly, rather than condemning the adoption of terrorist tactics by the Taliban in Afghanistan, Boko Haram in Nigeria, and al-Shabaab in Somalia, and the destruction of Sufi shrines in Mali by Ansar Dine, a radical Islamist sect, Muslim leaders have remained largely silent. While none of these groups represents a majority point of view, they do exert significant influence and probably believe that they are acting in the interest of the majority.

Developments following the Arab Spring might provide some indication of the prospects for religious tolerance. In Egypt, with its 10 per cent Coptic Orthodox Christian minority, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Mursi won the presidency in a free and fair election, after which Mursi resigned from the party, saying that this would allow him to represent all Egyptians more effectively, and promised that he would respect minority rights. Yet subsequent actions designed to give him unprecedented executive power raise concerns about these early positive steps.

By protecting minorities, Mursi could demonstrate to other governments and political movements the importance of minority rights and encourage them to behave likewise.

But it remains to be seen whether his Islamist political base, including hardline Salafists, who won some 20 per cent of the parliamentary vote, will be tolerant of the Christian minority in the months and years to come.

Syria will be an even more important test. The Alawites, who comprise only

11 per cent of the population, dominate President Bashar al-Assad’s crumbling regime. While the ruling minority has been generally tolerant of Christians, Kurds, Druze, and Turks, who together comprise 29 per cent of the population, the regime has long oppressed the Sunni majority. If a Sunni-controlled government replaces the current leadership, its decision to protect minorities’ rights would be particularly encouraging.

Democratic governments are often perceived as more respectful of minorities, given that, unlike autocratic regimes, a democratic system with an elected legislature, independent judicial system, strong civil society, and free press provides citizens with opportunities to express their views and pursue justice. But, while democracies do have a better record of protecting minorities, a democratic system does not guarantee respect for minorities any more than autocracy ensures their repression. An enlightened autocrat can be just as protective of minority rights as a solidly democratic government.

That said, when it comes to respecting minority rights, democracies have a far better record than autocracies.

This is one of the main reasons why, throughout history, democracies have rarely fought each other.

David Shinn, a former US ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, teaches at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. This commentary is part of the Carnegie Council Centennial projects © Project Syndicate, 2012

“From the minute I picked it up, Maria Callas did not stop singing.

She didn’t stop until the battery ran out. Now I am fearful to plug it in again because she will start again. It’s horrifying”.

Actress Dame Maggie Smith on her new mobile phone

“The only reason poor old Jeremy is 6,000 miles away from me is because American television is sadly allergic to potbellied, gnarled, balding, boring old petrol heads”.

CNN star and former Fleet Street editor Piers Morgan on his rival, Jeremy Clarkson “I am very proud to be an equal citizen and I think that is what the opening ceremony was actually about”.

Film-maker Danny Boyle rejecting the idea that he should be given a knighthood for his Olympics opening spectacle “My Europe speech remains as yet unmade.

This is a tantric approach to policy making: it will be even better when it does eventually come”.

Prime Minister David Cameron “Mansions can’t run away to Switzerland”.

Business Secretary

Vince Cable, an advocate of the mansions tax “Well, it did destroy 10 years of my life. I think I am through it now”.

Actor Hugh Grant on playing golf

“I will make one final promise. When you do join me, I’ll be on the other side with a stiff nectar and soda. I won’t say farewell, just au revoir”.

An undertaking given to his friends by astronomer Sir Patrick Moore, shortly before his death “I don’t think he was a monster. He was very witty. He didn’t tolerate small talk. He was a very practical man and he didn’t have any time for nonsense”.

Actor Sir Anthony Hopkins on the film director Alfred Hitchcock who he plays in a new movie “There is nothing more soul-destroying than being offered a big juicy role and having to say no because you are doing something rubbish to pay bills”.

Actor Rufus Sewell

“I have already read the draft of the 2048 script.

We are on a starship”.

Actor Hugh Bonneville, star of Downton Abbey, wonders whether there is any end to the hit TV show

16 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

World in pictures

An Indian Sadhu - holy man - smokes a ‘chillum’ on his arrival at the upcoming Maha Kumbh Festival in Allahabad Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II inspects gold reserves in a vault at the Bank of England in London

(AFP)

Tourists at Copacabana beach near a sand sculpture depicting Santa Claus as temperatures rose to 35 to 38C (AFP)

Japanese macaque, commonly referred to as snow monkeys, react next to an open-air hot spring at the Jigokudani (Hell’s Valley) Monkey Park in Yamanouchi. Some 160 monkeys inhabit the area and are a popular tourist draw (AFP)

A Santa Claus rides with Christmas presents in Mellensee, eastern Germany (AFP)

A man carries a mannequin in the Belarus capital Minsk

People skate at dusk on an ice rink hosted in the glass-roofed central hall of the Grand Palais in Paris, the largest rink ever created in France (AFP)

A penguin eats a fish next to a Christmas tree at London Zoo during a photocall to mark Christmas (AFP)

A bicycle is covered with snow in Hannover, Germany (AFP)

17 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

Coffeeshop

We have taken a battering from the EU, and been stabbed in the back THE COMRADE was in top form this week on his visit to Brussels, bad-mouthing our partners, slamming the EU, expressing disgust for the thieving markets and of course blaming Athanasios Orphanides and the banks for Kyproulla’s current woes.

“We were stabbed in the back by different quarters of the Union – allegations of money laundering, allegations that we were a paradise for Russian oligarchs, allegations that we would use the loan to protect the Russians and much more, all of which were blows below the belt,” he told the members of our representation in Brussels.

Although he was too diplomatic to name the back-stabbers, so as not to hurt the feelings of his dear and close friend Angel Merkel, he was obviously referring to the nasty Germans who have been mouthing off about our money-laundering past and enviously moaning about the deposits of Russian money in our banks.

And let’s face it, only the Germans are capable of stabbing you in the back, from different quarters and at the same time hitting you below the belt.

HE PROMISED to reveal his feelings about the “lack of solidarity in this Union of supposed solidarity” after the end of the wounded Kyproulla’s presidency, but for now he would be happy to maintain our dignity.

“We are a small country, we are few in numbers, but we have dignity and you have proved this; we have all proved this.”

His harshest words against the EU were uttered on a Euronews show about the ‘explosion of poverty in Europe’ which featured scenes of poverty and destitution.

The heart-broken comrade said: “This is the EU of 2013, of the 21st century. We all thought that joining the EU, at the end of the day, we would be eating with golden spoons… not even with wooden ones would we be eating soon. Unfortunately. Why?” Graciously, he did not blame Orphanides for this. “Because those who exploit the sweat of ordinary people are in power. The so-called markets, with their impunity, have stolen the wealth of many countries and dictated the fate – economic and social – of Europeans.”

THERE are no limits to the guy’s nerve. He went out of his way to piss off his partners in the EU, ignoring their pleas to engage in bailout talks, siding with Russia on foreign policy issues, slamming the European economic model, failing to honour agreements he signed for a deficit reduction and now pretends he is hurt by the lack of solidarity.

If it were not for the EU propping up our banks, the taxpayer would not be able to pay for the petrol of his bullet-proof limo and he would not be travelling around the world in a private jet and eating his machallepi with the golden spoon.

And let’s be fair it was not the thieving markets who stole the wealth of our country. It was the greedy public parasites, Cyprus Airways, EAC, bankers, the politicians on massive wages and perks, and a president who was distributing money we did not have in the form of allowances and benefits in the hope of securing a second term.

ALTHOUGH the comrade’s concern

for the ordinary man is very moving, he should admit that he is still eating with the golden spoon and will carry on doing so until he meets his maker, as he will take home a 350 grand plus retirement bonus, collect a pension of 70 grand a year and have a chauffeur, car and secretary paid for by the taxpayer.

He has even ensured that the president’s salary would be higher in 2013, as this would help increase his pension by a few tens of euro.

Finance ministry insiders claimed that more was cut, by mistake, from the president’s salary for 2012, so the amount was added to next year’s pay.

I bet the addition was made on the instructions of the greedy comrade, who despite his communist ideals loves money more than a capitalist does and takes every last cent from the taxpayer he is entitled to by law.

He always demands his €200 per diem allowance when abroad, even though the taxpayer picks up all his bills for eating with the golden spoon.

MANY of the beneficiaries of the comrade’s generosity with the taxpayer’s money were outside the legislature last week protesting about the proposed cuts to benefits and allowances that would force them to eat with the wooden spoon.

Only the protest by the representatives of big families, whose superallowances were cut by the troika, turned violent as they fought with cops, and threw stones and eggs at the legislature building, while mothers sobbed and shouted curses at deputies. It was the best of the protests, by far, but they have the numbers to make it a success.

The mothers were furious because the ‘mother’s allowance’, paid every month to women with three or more kids was abolished on the instructions of the troika. I never knew there was such an allowance which was paid to a mother long after her kids had grown up, left home and started their own families.

It was an allowance thought up by the generous comrades to ‘honour and reward’ mothers for having children. Even bad mothers were eligible for this lifetime payment.

SPEAKING of mothers with hordes of children, I feel obliged to reproduce the exchange of Groucho Marx and a mother of 10 on his TV show You Bet Your Life. The contestant told Groucho that she had 10 kids and he asked why she had so many.

“Because I love children… and I love my husband,” she said. Groucho replied: “I love my cigar, too, but I take it out of my mouth once in a while.”

YOU CAN sympathise with the members of big families and the disabled, but the self-pitying teach-

Photographers shoot (photos of) the comrade in Brussels this week ers crying because they would lose a few hundred euro from their overinflated pay checks were a nauseating sight.

Every day of the past week, their union bosses were on radio and TV shows complaining about this great injustice and threatening ‘dynamic measures’ if they had to teach an extra period a week.

As part of the campaign to earn the pity of the public, the teachers arranged for Phil to publish how much money would be cut from the monthly salary of primary teachers on a variety of pay-scales. Interestingly there were tables showing how much would be deducted, but nowhere was the original wage printed.

We were shown that a teacher on the A11 pay scale would have 17.39 per cent cut from his wage in 2014, which represented €777, but nowhere were we told what the salary was. My calculations showed it is €4,465 per month, which is not bad for someone who works for half a day, five days a week for seven months a year.

THE HEAD of the Energy Service Solon Kasinis always came across as a bit of lunatic, but his situation appears to have deteriorated recently. On Tuesday he was a guest on a CyBC TV show and spoke like the Hydrocarbons Messiah, urging skeptical viewers to have faith in his prophecies.

From the three-dimensional plans he saw he reckoned there were 60 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in our exclusive economic zone.

And this was not counting the sea north of Kyproulla. Now if the drilling went deeper to 7.5km he was certain we would also strike oil; he prophesied that there were about two billion barrels worth of crude oil in our EEZ. If we simply sold our plots with 60 trillion cubic feet, not bothering to extract and market the gas, we would make a cool 60 billion bucks said the Messiah. If we extracted it and installed pipelines to take it places we would make $300 billion

and if we liquefied it or turned it into a petro-chemical (Kasinis would do this by waving his walking stick) we would make $600 billion.

And before the mega-bucks start flowing in and we throw away our wooden spoons, some four to five thousand jobs would be created said Kasinis in his sixth prophesy.

What are we waiting for to tear up the memorandum of association, tell the troika to go to hell and give all mothers their allowances back?

KASINIS’ prophesies are restrained compared to those made by the apprentice gas prophet and presidential hopeful Yiorkos Lilligas, who a couple of weeks ago was claiming we could make as much as €80 billion from pre-selling junk bonds in plot 12 and thus survive without a bailout.

Yiorkos has become extremely irritating in the last few weeks because he is everywhere. And when you do not see him talking about his simplistic political proposals with which he hopes to win the votes of the less intelligent voters, his campaign team accost via mobile phones or the internet.

Ten days ago my mobile rang and I was asked if I wanted to attend the Lilligas gathering at the Hilton Park Hotel the following day. I said no, because I had heard all I needed to hear from Lilligas. But where had the caller found my number? He said that it was given by friends and associates of Mr Lilligas.

I asked the guy to delete me from his list, but half an hour later, I received a text message from ‘LILLIKAS’, inviting me to the same event.

A week later, on Tuesday, I received an e-mail from a fan of Lillikas which had a Greek translation of the bailout agreement as an attachment.

“I am forwarding this message which, in my view, constitutes an example of the Giorgos Lillikas approach,” wrote the candidate’s employee. The approach was “Correct citizen, informed citizen.” The e-mail also had links to this nuisance candidate’s website, articles etc. Then I drove through Nicosia’s Gavrielides

traffic lights and right in front of me was a massive poster featuring a picture of the self-satisfied Lillikas’ head, informing us ‘we can’.

I could not to go to sleep on that night terrified that the ubiquitous Lillikas had found a way of harassing me in my nightmares as well.

THE MINISTER of Labour, Sotiroulla Charalabous, the comrade’s Pourekka, has found a new method for boosting unemployment figures, something she has done very consistently and efficiently during five years in her post. She passed legislation threatening employers who did not pay a 13th salary to staff with €15,000 fine and/or six months imprisonment.

She presumably hopes this would lead to the closure of companies that cannot afford to pay the 13th salary - preferable for the employer to a stint in prison - thus creating more jobless. Does she not realise that not every employer can go to Cyta and demand it lends him money from its employees’ pension fund so that he can pay 13th salaries?

I hope Cyta and the EAC refuse to give the millions the government is demanding and it is unable to pay 13th salaries to public parasites.

This is not because I have anything against the parasites, but I want to see their employer charged and taken to prison for violating Pourekka’s law.

IT SEEMS the only employees who will not experience any pay cut and would also receive a 13th salary are those of the Bank of Cyprus. Funny, how everyone will take home less money this month except the employees of one of the banks that caused the current economic fiasco.

The timid board members of the B of C, who said and did nothing while their megalomaniac CEO destroyed the bank, are afraid to take a decision and so is the dynamic new chairman, Andreas Artemis. Are the directors protecting their own, substantial earnings or are they just too scared to take any decision?

18

SUNDAY MAIL •

Lifestyle

0.1%: a new breed of sup is running the worl world The richest man ever to have lived: Carlos Slim

Making an impact: Bill and Melinda Gates and (above right) Arki Busson

London is set to pip New York as a tax haven for bankers - the ultra-wealthy are flocking to the British capital as never before. What makes them tick, asks Richard Godwin, and is a plutocrat class a good thing?

ONDON has always welcomed immigrants with dreams of prosperity. And as the US prepares to raise taxes for the super-rich, its bankers may soon be wealthier than their New York counterparts.

“Oh, London is a wonderful city for plutocrats, one of their favourites!” says Chrystia Freeland, the author of Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich, an absorbing study of the world’s wealthiest people. “One of them, a European actually, said to me once: ‘London is such a great city: the British will sell you anything’. I was listening to Boris Johnson give one of his

L

‘rah-rah’ speeches at the CBI recently, and it made me think of that remark.”

By anything, what did he mean? Railways? Palaces?

Schools? “Exactly. All that stuff! He saw nothing wrong with that at all.”

Neither, apparently, should ordinary Londoners. “The irony of life in this plutocracy - which all of us inhabit - is that we have come to rely on our plutocrats. It’s better to have them around than not but you need to be aware that having them around doesn’t mean your middle class grows prosperous.”

Even if she rebuffs certain criticisms of the super-rich,

Freeland issues urgent warnings about the system that has created this “0.1 per cent”, as she terms the plutocrat class.

Taking rising income inequality as a starting point, her book focuses on the men (all men) who have taken an ever larger proportion of the world’s resources for themselves: Russian oligarchs, the Silicon Valley billionaires and even the Mexican tele-communications tycoon Carlos Slim, who she calculates is the richest man ever to have lived, with a fortune of $53 billion.

Freeland is familiar with these circles. A mother-ofthree, she is currently the Global editor-at-large of Reuters.

She was a business reporter in Russia for much of the 1990s and later worked for the Financial Times in New York.

We meet at the Savoy, where she is happy to order champagne in the middle of the afternoon - though she knows her limits. Mikhail Khodorko-

vsky, the Russian billionaire, once remarked to her that “if a man is not an oligarch, something is not right with him.

We all had the same chances some of us did it and some of us didn’t”.

“I sometimes wonder how the superrich feel about the male journalists who talk to them,” she says, “because in their heart of hearts, a lot of them feel that if you’re not a plutocrat, you’re not as good a person. I don’t think they consider women to be eligible to be plutocrats. We’re not in the game, so we’re not lesser humans.”

So what sets these greater humans apart? By and large, according to Freeland, they are “self-made”. That doesn’t necessarily mean they were born poor (Mitt Romney and Rupert Murdoch both used the affluence they were born into as a springboard to greater wealth). However, most were born outside the traditional elites. “That helps,

because if you’re on the inside, you aren’t going to spot the shifting of the tectonic plates that might enable you to make a fortune,” says Freeland.

Two major shifts in particular have created the plutocrat class: globalisation and the

systems.

Still, to spot these opportunities you need a specific mindset. “You have to be really numerate to become a plutocrat ,” says Freeland, “in technology and finance, obviously but also emerging

The stereotype of the Russian oligarch is that they are surrounded by supermodels and gun toting bodyguards, but you’ll find that the guy himself often has a PhD technology revolution. While for the middle class, globalisation means more competition for jobs, for those at the top it means a bigger marketplace.

And while new technology means workers being replaced by computers, for the plutocrat it means more efficient

markets. The stereotype of the Russian oligarch is that they are surrounded by supermodels and gun toting bodyguards, but you’ll find that the guy himself often has a PhD.” And they believe they deserve their rewards: “They see their wealth as divinely ordained.

the British media, to whom he never speaks, but his love of London isn’t in question.

turing and energy. In 2006 the brothers bought a £66 million residence on Carlton House Terrace, right at the heart of Establishment London.

THE MEN WHO BOUGHT LONDON Lakshmi Mittal Top spot: London’s bankers may soon be wealthier than their New York (above) counterparts

£12.7 billion The wealthiest man in Britain since 2005, steel tycoon Mittal is now also one of the best connected, after an Olympics

spent schmoozing with Boris Johnson and Seb Coe in the shadow of his £19 million Arcelor Mittal Orbit. He lives with his wife Usha in Kensington Palace Gardens in a house bought from Bernie Ecclestone for £57 million in 2004.

Roman Abramovich £9.5 billion He’s the oligarch who first put that word into our everyday lexicon and, as chairman of Chelsea Football Club, remains the most famous plutocrat in Britain. A triggerhappy record of firing successful managers is beginning to hurt his reputation among

The Hinduja brothers £8.6 billion Gopichand, 72, and Srichand, 76, come from a famous Indian business family, with interests in banking, defence, technology, motor manufac-

Leonard Blavatnik £7.5 billion Another resident of Kensington Palace Gardens, Blavatnik paid £41 million for his home

19 December 16, 2012

per-rich d

These particular skills they have make them feel they are Supermen.”

Unlike previous elites, this is a class of hard workers.

“They’re not struggling to join a leisured class. They don’t have that much interest in leisure – they want to do things and make an impact.” She cites the Bill Gates Foundation and Arki Busson’s education projects. “While we non-plutocrats find the idea of conspicuous consumption so appealing, the new status symbol is intellect. It’s about being as creative and having as much impact in the public and civic spheres as you did in the business world.”

According to Freeland, “today’s plutocrats attach the most value to people who made it themselves. The point is that you had what it takes to make that fortune. They recognise and admire that trait in one another, regardless of nationality - and even

regardless of politics.”

It is an instinct they want to hone in their children, too.

“Because they are alphageeks, they believe strongly that you must be geekish to succeed. So just as they don’t aspire to a life of leisure, what they want for their kids is not for them to have fine manners or an appreciation of art - but for them to get into Harvard or MIT. It’s not for the social cachet, it’s really the idea of excellent intellectual preparation.”

Still, another less appealing trait is their self-pity. If one thing unites global billionaires it is the notion that they are uniquely persecuted. There’s some truth in this in China, where 14 yuan billionaires have been executed in the past 10 years, and in Russia – Mikail Khodorkovsky currently languishes in his ninth year in jail.

In the West, it seems harder to fathom. Freeland cites an email from the hedge fund manager Dan Loeb, entitled

The Reuben brothers £7 billion Previously industrialists in Russia and now Britain’s biggest property magnates, David, 73, and Simon, 70, own 10 British race courses and Oxford airport. They are also planning to transform Cambridge House, known as the In and Out Club, into Britain’s most expensive home. and outbid Abramovich in the process. Married to a former air hostess, Blavatnik is being sued for discrimination by two Filipinas who alleged that he didn’t hire them as maids because of their race.

In 2009 he bought the British arm of Mel Gibson’s film distribution business.

Battered Wives, in which he encouraged his fellow multimillionaires to see themselves as the victims of domestic abuse, and President Obama as an aggressive husband.

“For your average white hedge fund multi-billionaire in New York, life doesn’t really get any better,” says Freeland, “yet they are comparing themselves to a physically abused wife. It’s hard to imagine a weaker person in our society.”

The best explanation that Freeland has encountered for all this weepy-woo came from a Seattle plutocrat called Nick Hanauer. “He pointed out that since the Reagan era, to be rich has been the equivalent of being virtuous. The process of getting rich has been your contribution to society. Now that’s tremendously appealing, because people don’t just want to be rich - they want to be good.”

It is only since the crash of 2008 that people have started to challenge that narrative.

Indeed, the US election was in some ways a referendum on the plutocrats, lost by the multi-millionaire Mitt Romney and his Ayn Rand-loving sidekick, Paul Ryan. “There were so many private jets that travelled to Logan airport in Boston for the expected Romney victory party that they had to send them to an overflow airplane parking lot,” says Freeland. “Barack Obama was explicit about income inequality being an issue and about the rich having to pay a bigger share. Until recently that sort of discourse has been taboo in the US. The Republicans accused him of waging class war - but if there was a class war, the middle class won.”

Even if Freeland maintains that London is better off financially with its Qatari sheikhs and Uzbek business magnates, she warns that it is due a cultural reckoning. “Apart from the United States, Britain has most eagerly embraced these ideas - and it’s a society that has seen income inequality surge, much more so than the rest of Europe. In some ways the British experience of global plutocracy is much more extreme. America is mostly run by its own plutocrats but to have outsiders come in and exert influence on your country is much more of a cultural challenge.”

Still, we shouldn’t mistake this for a local phenomenon.

Every country looks for its own reasons for rising income inequality, she says – in Britain they have fixated on George Osborne reducing the top rate of income tax or the fact that, say, David Cameron went to Eton. This is a global class and they have created a global problem.

“The really compelling thing is to pull back and see it’s happening all over the world. We as a society are experiencing huge economic changes that are mostly benign - who is really opposed to the technology revolution or to globalisation? These should be positive things but the results have not been positive. That is the reality. And that’s really scary.”

20 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Interview

Orphanides puts memorandum blame squarely on President Makarios Drousiotis asks the former governor of the Central Bank Athanasios Orphanides to answer the accusations being leveled against him about the island’s need for a bailout THE former Governor of the Central Bank Athanasios Orphanides has been made a scapegoat by President Christofias and AKEL for the economic problems currently facing the country and the bailout. The official lines the bailout was a direct result of the banking crisis which was caused by Orphanides’ inadequate supervision. The government, in contrast, did not put a foot wrong. Here he puts his side of the story forward.

In his recent address to the people, President Christofias accused you of being responsible for the €8 billion loss the banks have incurred - €4bn as a result of the Greek debt haircut and €4bn as a result of your approval of the merger of Marfin with Laiki. Is there any truth in this?

It is sad that at this critical time for our country, the president instead of offering a message of unity, resorted to lies. Let’s look at the socalled €4bn loss as a result of the conversion of Marfin from a subsidiary to a branch in 2010. Based on the European Banking Authority’s methodology and the European supervisory framework, the parent company, and hence the country where it is based, has the obligation to cover any recapitalisation required either for a subsidiary or any of its branches. Marfin Popular was based in Cyprus from 2006, before I took over at the Central Bank.

And the €4bn loss from the Greek haircut?

This was clearly a political decision at the time taken

by President Christofias and his counterparts at the Summit meeting. Personally I strongly objected to this, as did the other central bankers who warned that any Greek debt haircut would be damaging for the eurozone. This was discussed at a number of summit meetings in 2011 and on June 21 of the same year a 20 per cent haircut was agreed, which I believed at the time was manageable for Cyprus. However instead of implementing this decision the heads of state reneged and on October 26 of that year agreed to an 80 per cent haircut. This was a disastrous decision for Cyprus.

Andros Kyprianou claimed a few days ago that it was you and your counterparts at the ECB who took this decision?

This is a lie. It was not in the jurisdiction of the ECB to take such a decision. This decision was taken by the heads of state, Mr Christofias included. Even though the ECB disagreed with this decision it was forced to cope with it.

Was our president aware of the extent of the damage such a decision would have on Cyprus?

He should have been! A head of state who attends these high level meetings where such decisions are taken

Could it be that you did not foresee the extent of the eurozone crisis?

On the contrary. From 2009 we asked Marfin Popular and the Bank of Cyprus for a significant increase in their capital and the banks complied by securing billions. The problem arose after May 2011 when the state lost its trustworthiness in the markets. This made it near impossible for our banks to secure more capital and the system became particularly vulnerable. It was then that I informed all interested parties that a change in course was not just an option, but a necessity to avert the collapse of the Cyprus economy. should at the very least be informed of their consequences.

The banks’ exposure to the Greek government bonds was well-known following the stress tests they conducted in June 2011. The first thing that a leader had to do before agreeing to such a deal was to see how his country would have been affected. When the heads of state took this decision they knew, or at least should have known, what this would mean for their banking system and their economy.

In its defence, the government claims that if it did not agree to the haircut then Greece would have been financially ruined.

So it was a conscious decision to destroy Cyprus to save Greece. But in the EU it’s not a case of one or the other. You explain your problem and seek solutions. Every leader has a right and a duty to defend his country in these meetings. In the case of the Greek banks, for which an 80 per cent haircut would have been catastrophic, the Greek government sought and acquired an additional amount for the banking sector’s recapitalisation. It seems that Cyprus never raised such an issue and our president accepted the demise of our banks.

Furthermore, he agreed that in the event they needed recapitalisation the state would cover this. It was obvious that our president went completely unprepared to these meetings.

Do you believe that it was conscious decision or a major blunder?

It doesn’t really matter now as the result is the same. I think only the president could answer this. I was shocked when he took this decision. During our very last meeting in April 2012 I asked him this question but did not get a reply.

In one interview Christofias claims you never informed him of what was at stake.

I tried on a number of occasions to advise him but they were all in vain. He would neither return my calls nor respond to my letters. Almost daily I used to inform and advise the then Finance Minister, Kikis Kazamias.

Many say that you did not

talk when you should have, and when President Christofias did not reappoint you, you started criticising him?

I spoke when and where I should have. I never leaked information. I did not feel that public confrontation and apportioning blame would have been constructive in any way.

Even after these wrong decisions were taken, I believed that with the correct actions the situation would have been manageable. The then finance minister Kikis Kazamias also agreed with this and it was in this direction that we tried to work together.

But you did not resist the temptation?

There was no temptation and I only went public when the government and AKEL’s propaganda machine began accusing me to cover their own shortcomings on the matter. They also decided to wage a merciless war on the banks. That is why I pleaded with him on June 19, through an open letter, to stop this war, and if his intention was to find those responsible for our problems he should have looked at his decisions.

Why was May 2011 so critical?

In May 2011 the state was excluded from the markets and so could not provide the banks with any temporary assistance, which posed big risks to the economy. It left the banks exposed and led to the problem caused by the October 26 summit decision on the Greek haircut. On top of this Mr Christofias and his counterparts at the summit decided banks had to increase dequacy to levtheir capital adequacy els above nine per cent. These decisions that the president ut seeking help endorsed without nks, as Greece for Cypriot banks, ted the €1.8bn had done, created fin deficit for Marfi n Popular.

Are you blameless?

I blame myself for not being able to convince the government and AKEL to change their policies to save the country. The damage that AKEL’s government has inflicted on the economy is colossal. It was evident from the very first year of its administration that its economic policies were dangerous. There were numerous warnings both by others and myself. I would just like to remind those who accuse me of not saying anything, that Mr Christofias, at the time, complained that ‘wherever he finds a mike, he blames the government economic policy’.

re to blame for So the banks are um? the memorandum? re that we have We cannot ignore y the eurozone been affected by crisis. But no other governts banking secment accused its rvisory bodtor or its supervisory ies because itss banks k govbought Greek s. The ernment bonds. war against banks for buying Greek y by bonds is a ploy ment our government in its attempt to find a scape-goat and coverr its mistakes, e incompetence and unwillingness to deal with the problem. The irresponsible bashing of the o banks led to g deposits being as moved overseas and cultivated a lack of trust for uch the banks to such a degree that it is e to now impossible attract foreign investment to Cyprus.

When the 2007 crisis began to unfold what measures did you take to safeguard the banks?

We took very precise and targeted measures. We limited bank lending which was excessive and demanded greater security for housing loans, something for which we were strongly attacked by the present government when it took office. In this way, real estate prices did not plummet and banks remained healthy.

onWhat do you conovsider as the govigernment’s biggest mistake? valIts failure to evalers uate the dangers our economy was ake facing and take necessary corres. rective measures.

With the right deould cisions we could have avoided the memorandum. The

last chance was lost last May when the government rejected finance minister Vassos Shiarly’s desperate efforts to implement the measures our president had promised the EU he would take. I will repeat what was required: trustworthiness. Nothing else!

Why is the lack of trustworthiness so important?

With no trustworthiness the markets cannot trust you; you cannot borrow from them.

The imperative was for the government to urgently regain its trustworthiness in the markets. Do you recall how the president responded last May to Shiarly’s plans, when he said it did not matter that the government’s profligacy had bloated the deficit? That it was not the ministry mandarins who would decide how much he would spend. Our country is now paying for this irresponsibility, and very dearly. If he had taken measures to tackle the widening deficit, even as late as May this year, he could have maintained the backing of the ECB for funding through the banks and we could have avoided the memorandum.

Why was this possible then but not now?

When I was Governor, the ECB accepted the Cyprus government bonds as security for the provision of liquidity as monetary policy transactions. It was well known however, that for this practice to continue it was necessary for the government to show that it was seriously committed to implementing the fiscal consolidation programme.

Was there a specific proposal by the ECB or is this just speculation?

On April 17, 2012 I had arranged an official meeting in Frankfurt at which Mr Shiarly proposed to the ECB measures that would be put in force by the end of May. If these measures were implemented we would have persuaded the ECB to continue to accept our government bonds as security, as well as the bonds required for the €1.8bn recapitalisation of Marfin Popular. In this way we would have embarked on a fiscal consolidation course and would have avoided the memorandum. Unfortunately, the government and AKEL blocked the minister’s plans for spending cuts.

Was it then that the president told Mr M Shiarly during a press confe conference that he was an administrator administ of the economy who kn knew nothing about politics?

Yes, it was at the same news conference he talked about ministry mandarins and pledged he w would not take any measures fo for fiscal consolidation. The co consequence of this irrespo irresponsibility was the excl exclusion of Cyprus go government bonds fro from transactions of th ECB. The presithe d dent’s decision to Attacked: re reject the measures former Central tthe finance minisBank Governor tter had committed tto was tantamount Athanasios tto inviting the Orphanides. ttroika for a bailAbove (left to o out with tougher right): Andros m measures.

Kyprianou and Vassos Shiarly

D Do you believe this g government would ha have taken any me measures if there was no imminent dang danger of a total collapse of the economy?

No, and this is the crux of the prob problem. A responsible govern government should have taken meas measures. Unfortunately this gov government showed contempt ffor the most basic principle th that governs public administrat administration - responsibility. AKEL’s government spent one billion more than it was receiving e every year. It was only a matt matter of time before the state los lost its access to the markets, as happened in June 2012. The m memorandum the AKEL gove government has now agreed will counter the billion euro w wasted every year, but unfortu unfortunately with harsh and unfair m measures while unemploymen employment is at an all-time high.

21 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

Business & Jobs

Inappropriate to use future revenues from natural gas to avoid signing memorandum Comment George Theocharides A FEW weeks ago I made some comments about the proposal of one of the presidential candidates to use future proceeds from the natural gas through the issuance of long-term bonds.

Because my comments may have been misunderstood, I would like to clarify my position.

Under no circumstances would it be appropriate to use future revenues from natural gas to avoid signing the memorandum that is forcing us to take measures - as painful as they are - in order to fix the banking, fiscal, and structural problems of our economy. This adjustment of our economy - again as painful as it is - is necessary if we are to regain our lost credibility and be able to borrow again from the foreign markets. Any attempt to avoid signing the memorandum at this moment could cause immense damage, destroying our credibility irreparably.

The only reason that would justify the use of future revenues from the natural gas is to promote growth by providing business loans to citizens for innovative ideas to effectively tackle unemployment, especially among young people.

But, as I pointed out a few weeks ago, because of the substantial risks in these bonds (credit, inflation, political, social, liquidity and interest rate risks, as well as the risk arising from the

Currencies USD GBP CHF JPY AUD CAD SEK

uncertainty at the moment around the exact quantities and future price of natural gas), the interest rate that will have to be paid will likely be too high and at levels that do not serve our interests and cannot allow us to even service this debt.

This proposal of course can be studied, and in the future if circumstances change and the risks to foreign investors are reduced significantly, then we could discuss the use of some of the revenues from natural gas for development projects either by issuing bonds or shares from the state company that is currently being formed. However, right now it is important to immediately sign the pre-agreed memorandum to avoid state bankruptcy and the collapse of our banking system. And let’s not forget that the loan from troika is longterm (30 years) with a very low interest rate (probably around 2.5 per cent) and a long enough grace period where we will not have to pay interest.

Exploitation of natural gas is a major national issue and should be given the proper attention from officials. There must be a coherent long-term strategy so that we can achieve the most efficient use of the proceeds from this national wealth. Any hasty decisions made under pressure may prove destructive.

George Theocharides is an associate professor of finance at Cyprus International Institute of Management (CIIM). He is also the director of the MSc programme in finance and banking

14-Dec-2012

1.3054 0.8095 1.2039 109.37 1.2292 1.2749 8.6370

1.3132 0.8144 1.2135 110.24 1.2538 1.3004 8.8097

07-Dec-2012

1.2919 0.8048 1.2037 106.29 1.2244 1.2718 8.5189

1.2997 0.8096 1.2133 107.14 1.2489 1.2972 8.6893

UK son for US tax account law The UK determined to demand more tax information from crown dependencies

Investment Bill Blevins Bill Blevins is Financial Correspondent at Blevins Franks International

HERE is a move towards automatic exchange of information as the new global standard in international tax co-operation, with the US leading the way with its groundbreaking Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).

The UK has now also opened negotiations with its crown dependencies, Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, which are likely to herald in a new era of automatic exchange of information between the islands and the UK. FATCA was introduced

by President Obama in 2010, to start in 2014. It obliges foreign financial institutions over the world to provide information on US citizens to the US tax authority. The institutions have to enter into compliance agreements with the US treasury to report on US clients. If they fail to do so, they will have to pay a Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) was introduced by President Obama in 2010 withholding penalty of 30 per cent of the payments made to them. extending the principles behind FATCA to “an exchange of Offshore centres like the Channel Islands and Isle of Man information” with Britain, and that further discussions are are keen to sign up to avoid the penalties, which could dam- expected. age their finance industry. In October they announced that No details of the content of the meeting were given. they will negotiate partnership agreements with the US. In a joint statement, the Channel Islands said: “The UK US FATCA would mean that the UK’s crown dependen- and the crown dependencies share a common commitment cies exchange more tax related information with the US to combat tax evasion and to participate generally in interthan they do with the UK, so it is not surprising that the national efforts to combat financial and other crime includUK treasury is now seeking to impose its own version on its ing fiscal crime.” This implies that they will accept an agreeterritories. ment modeled on the US FATCA. On November 23, International Tax Review reported that The Isle of Man also re-affirmed its long-standing policy to its journalists had seen a leaked copy of a draft government meet established international standards. document detailing how a UK scheme would work.

If legislation goes ahead, it is expected to come into effect It called the scheme “son of FATCA” and claimed it would on January 1, 2014. “deal an almost fatal blow to tax evasion through the UK’s The biggest change will be in Jersey, since Guernsey and tax havens”. the Isle of Man already automatically exchange information According to the report, the agreement would require the on savings income under the EU Savings Tax Directive. automatic exchange of information for each reportable acAccording to Richard Murphy of Tax Research UK, who count of each reporting financial institution. This would was speaking to the Telegraph, information exchange curinclude full details of all beneficial owners of the account, rently impacts around four to five per cent of total funds in including those whose identities might otherwise be hidden Jersey. If the agreement goes through, over 90 per cent of by trusts or companies. funds will be subject to information exchange.

Geoff Cook, chief executive of Jersey Finance, acknowlFor advice on legitimate tax planning in Cyprus, speak to edged that: “It is well known that the principles behind the an experienced advisory firm like Blevins Franks.

US FATCA arrangements are being looked at by the OECD, EU and UK”.

Any statements concerning taxation are based upon According to the Observer, the UK government could force our understanding of current taxation laws and practices its territories to comply by threatening to veto their own which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual should take personalised advice.

FATCA agreements with the US. On November 30, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man gov- To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offernments confirmed that they had attended an explana- shore world, check out the latest news on our website www. tory meeting with treasury officials about the possibility of blevinsfranks.com

T

30-Nov-2012

1.2964 0.8081 1.1996 106.71 1.2338 1.2776 8.5690

1.3042 0.8129 1.2092 107.56 1.2585 1.3032 8.7404

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

USD 0.18 0.21 0.26 0.31 0.51 0.85

EUR 0.02 0.05 0.10 0.12 0.22 0.44

GBP 0.48 0.49 0.51 0.52 0.67 1.01

CHF -0.01 -0.01 0.00 0.01 0.07 0.26

JPY 0.10 0.13 0.15 0.18 0.29 0.50

LIBOR RATES (London Interbank Borrowing Rates) AS AT 7/12/2012

CAD 1.00 1.06 1.15 1.23 1.52 1.94

AUD 3.05 3.15 3.19 3.25 3.38 3.71

22 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Business & Jobs

The challenges of troika policy

By Andreas Theophanous THE EUROPEAN Union is facing its most serious economic crisis since the creation of the Common Market in the 1950s. The current deep and persistent eurozone crisis threatens the main pillars of the foundations of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).

Even before the crisis sev-

New government will have some economic chances eral economists had put forward the view that the EMU also required a fiscal union and a minimum level of political integration for its smooth functioning. It is essential to understand the broader context of the crisis and how to take forward the debate on the future of

Europe.

The economic policies pursued so far to address the excessive fiscal deficits and high public debts in several countries of the eurozone have, not surprisingly, been pro-cyclical. As demonstrated by the Greek experience, a draconian fis-

cal austerity policy cannot be effective in resolving the debt crisis and the restructuring of the economy.

Cyprus, which was once referred to as a model case for its economic record, now faces serious structural problems. Following the initial agreement on a memorandum of understanding it is expected that Cyprus will soon formally sign an economic adjustment programme with the troika.

The challenge for Cyprus is to avoid the Greek predicament and to move out of the crisis relatively quickly.

But one must first understand the context, and this is defined by two key parameters: (a) the overall philosophy of the troika and the associated economic adjustment programme for Cyprus and (b) the depth of the economic problems of this country and the appropriate way to address them.

To begin with it should be understood that Cyprus’

economic problems are basically of an endogenous nature. Undoubtedly, the exposure of the banking system to the Greek economy was the biggest problem. But the relevant decisions were taken in Nicosia in a climate of complacency, and with inadequate, even reckless, supervisory control as well as an element of greed.

FISCAL SIDE On the fiscal side there were very deep structural problems which led to a situation where the state was consistently spending well above its means. This severely affected the labour market as it created several distortions and negative side effects. By the same token there have been long standing and serious problems with the Social Security Fund and related schemes.

Not surprisingly the troika wants serious cuts in the

public payroll, social transfers and generally in public spending. At the same time, there are provisions for tax increases. The programme extends to 2016. The troika initially wanted to see a balanced budget in a three year period, but the government asked for and secured an extension.

It would, of course, have been better if the programme for fiscal rationalisation extended to at least five years. The adjustment process would have been smoother and easier for the economy to deal with.

Indeed, the stricter a fiscal package is, especially during a recession, the higher the risk for the recession to turn into a depression.

The Greek predicament is a case in point.

But the major challenge is the process of recapitalising the banks. If the required amount is debited on the state the great danger is that the public debt may turn out not to be viable. The new government that will be formed after the February 2013 presidential elections will have the opportunity to reassess several aspects of the stabilisation programme given that economic developments at various levels are characterised by dynamic processes. With the implementation of the stabilisation programme and also with new initiatives we may look forward to overcoming the recession. At the same time the EU must reassess it own economic strategy and formulate a new approach that will pave the way for economic stability and growth.

Andreas Theophanous is professor of political economy and president of the Centre for European and International Affairs at the University of Nicosia

23 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

Business & Jobs

Cruise control and the secret of success The Sunday Mail interviews Century Travel’s CEO, Daniel Essex about the cruise industry and its 2013 prospects What drew you to the cruise industry initially?

I was drawn to the cruise industry over 20 years ago, while in the UK, at a time when cruise popularity was still in its infancy. I was attracted to it because 99 per cent of travel agents were afraid of the complexity and I saw this as an opportunity.

It was then, and still is today, a great product for travel agents to increase and sustain high levels of income as the average percentage of commission available to the travel agent is higher than any other type of travel. When sold correctly, you can also almost guarantee repeat bookings year-onyear as no other type of vacation provides the overall value and quality received on a cruise.

What is the secret behind the success of the Century Travel brand?

The secret to the success of any business is hard work, dedication, passion, knowledge and above all a continuity of a high level of service provided to your customer. In an industry with little loyalty it is so important to maintain all of the above. The brand has succeeded as it is not only the choice of the consumer but also the partner of choice for many major cruise lines and Etihad Airways.

Tell us about the Etihad Guest partnership and how do benefits translate to the consumer?

The Etihad Guest partnership represents a milestone for Century Travel.

To be a part of what has been voted as the best airline loyalty programme is something that we are all very proud of. It demonstrates recognition by one of the largest corporations in our industry of our professionalism, deliverance of service and above all integ-

Daniel Essex: optimistic about cruising in 2013

Crystal cruises offers 6-star luxury and exotic destinations rity. Etihad Guest has over 1.4 million members worldwide, with over 60 per cent residing in our region. The benefit to these members is massive.

They not only receive concise, expert advice, but they also receive competitive prices and the ability to earn an Etihad Guest mile for every Euro spent. As well as this, we are offering up to 50,000 bonus miles on selected cruise lines for bookings made before the beginning of June. For the Etihad Guest member, this is a win-win situation. You do not have to fly with Etihad to become a member of the Etihad Guest programme; you can join anytime via our website.

Tell us more about the cruise lines which are exclusively represented by Century Travel and featured in the partnership agreement All of the cruise lines we represent are eligible for mileage through the Etihad Guest scheme; however the following cruise lines that

are exclusively represented

by Century Travel carry the additional benefit of bonus mileage. These featured cruise lines include: Crystal Cruises – voted the best large cruise ship cruise line for 17 consecutive years by the readers of Conde Nast Traveller as well as the Berlitz Guide to cruising.

They are truly a 6-star cruise line offering large ship amenities with boutique ship service. Seabourn Cruise Line – another award winner, but this time in the small ship category, with 6-star rating and all suite ships, Seabourn put their emphasis on privacy rather than amenity, the perfect product for pure escapism.

For the food and wine lovers we have Oceania Cruises – the self-proclaimed cruise line for epicureans (lovers of fine food and wine). Operating five mid-size ships, with itineraries that inspire. This 5-star cruise line often make you question the difference between 5 and 6 star.

For a more resort feel, Holland America Line have

the widest variety of cruise ships ranging from midsize to large, all, 5-star and all offering the Holland America Line ‘Signature of Excellence’, the cruise lines award winning premium services and amenities at incredible prices.

For the romantics about us we offer Windstar Cruises, offering three unique ships powered by both sail and engine, basically a cruise ship with sails.

Having recently spent over 20 million USD on refurbishing all three ships, this boutique cruise line is bound to impress. Offering fine dining, a completely relaxed atmosphere, waters ports off the ship and most importantly the ability to venture where larger ships cannot.

It was recently announced by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation that a more unified effort will be made to develop the cruise industry in Cyprus. What, in your view, is the cruising industry’s impact on Cyprus’ economy?

As an international business consultant I have analysed the impact on an economy when cruise lines are encouraged to make regular visits to ports of call that are either not visited at all or only visited periodically.

The impact is massively positive for the local economy; as it provides an injection of spend at so many different levels.

On average a cruise ship will carry 2,000 passengers.

It is accepted that not every passenger will disembark in a port of call but again the average number that do equates to over 75 per cent.

Of the 75 per cent many will opt to take a shore excursion and in doing so provide incremental revenue to tour companies.

It is also common for people to want to experience local cuisine, so money is spent in restaurants and cafes. Then there are the regular purchases of local souvenirs and trinkets, again providing external money into the local economy.

If multiple cruise lines

are attracted to a port on a weekly basis, this can provide millions of euros to the local economy. With the connections that I have attained with cruise industry leaders over the past 20 years, I would be happy to assist in the continued effort to drive the incoming cruise business and ultimately generate much needed incremental revenue to our economy.

What can we expect from Century Travel for 2013?

Century Travel will strive to continue delivering an exceptional level of service in 2013. We will also be launching new products to the Cyprus Market such as Rocky Mountaineer and a year-round cruise product in the Seychelles. 2013 will also see the launch of our comprehensive river cruising holidays, offering cruises on many of the World’s most popular rivers, including the European and Russian Waterways, as well as the Mekong in Vietnam and Cambodia.

American women make slow progress into boardrooms ALTHOUGH women make up nearly half of the US workforce, only 16.6 per cent have seats on the boards of Fortune 500 companies and the number has barely budged since 2005, according to a study released on Tuesday.

The Catalyst 2012 F500 Census, which annually tracks women in top positions in companies, showed progress is painfully slow for women seeking the top spots in corporate America, with only a 0.5 per cent rise from the previous year.

“What we found is that the needle barely budged for women aspiring into corporate board service or into top-level leadership at these very prominent American companies,” said Rachel Soares, a senior research associate at Catalyst, a non-profit group.

“In 2012 women held only 16.6 per cent of

board seats and only 14.3 per cent of executive officer positions.” The number of women executives last year was slightly lower than in 2010 and only marginally better than in 2011.

During the past two years more than a quarter of U.S. companies had no women executive officers, according to the research, and just onefifth had 25 per cent or more.

Women’s advancement into boardrooms and executive offices has been slow since Catalyst, which works to expand opportunities for women and businesses, started with the F500 Census in 1993. In 2005 it slowed to a snail’s pace, with half or less than half of a per centage point gain each year.

“It is not meaningful. It is not significant,” Soares said of the lack of progress in closing the gender leadership gap.

For women of colour, the situation is even worse, with 3.3 per cent holding board seats in 2012, up 0.3 per cent from 2011.

“It just underscores the challenges that women face, particularly at the intersection of different dimensions of diversity, in this case gender and race/ethnicity,” said Soares.

In 2011 and 2012 two-thirds of companies did not have any women of colour serving on their boards.

Catalyst compiled the results by studying the top 500 US companies ranked by revenues by Fortune magazine and counting everyone on boards and in top executive positions, noting their gender and race/ethnicity. Three companies were excluded because data was not available. Although many barriers block women’s entry to boardrooms and executive offices,

Catalyst research showed that sponsorship is critical to advancing women, as is the commitment of current leadership.

“Our data shows that between 2009 and 2011, 81 per cent of (board) seats that were filled went to men. The pool that companies were drawing from is not taking advantage of the full range of women with their skills that are available,” Deborah Gillis, chief operating officer of Catalyst, said in an interview.

To pry open the door further and break through the relationship barrier, Catalyst is compiling a directory of board-qualified women based on recommendations from sponsors and companies. “What we are saying with this list is that the under-representation of women on corporate boards is not about a lack of supply. That’s a myth,” said Gillis.

24 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Property

Time for foreign investment?

The new Limassol marina

By Antonis Loizou FRICS DUE TO the economic recession in most countries, every country is searching for foreign and local investors to help regenerate its economy and provide employment.

Cyprus is one of these countries, with numerous schemes to attract this category of large-scale investors, but then what type of investment can a possible investor make in Cyprus to make it worth his while?

Real estate is out at this point of time for known reasons, except for investors who have access to potential buyers and can be involved in the marina and golf projects.

But even these (the latter in particular) there are so many projects around that it makes their attraction difficult to sustain. Already one (existing) golf project in Paphos is expanding with another 18-hole golf course offering in addition to the existing unsold (first golf project) 300 units, another 400 units for the new phase/expansion and all these in addition to the numerous resales. This is one and there are another four golf projects with permits.

Limassol marina is doing well, but then it is the first and only one, it is in Limassol and its results cannot be projected similarly to the other two marinas and the one pending (in Paphos).

In our search to ascertain some sort of suitable investment opportunities in Cyprus, the only ones we came up with is that of touristic based projects and health care/ sports and education.

Tourism is on the up, whereas the future expectations are positive with respect to top quality hotels on the beach.

This new generation of hotels must be combined with spa, entertainment and large scale conference halls which can accommodate around 1,000 people. These

hotels are more suitable to Limassol and Paphos, as opposed to other areas, since conference people combine a conference with entertainment and as such locations such as Polis, Paralimni etc are not the first priority. Even hotels with some sort of golf facilities/connections are not doing as well as one would expect.

Water parks and theme parks are another option, but then examining the water parks, one has managed to survive, plus another two whose financial results are not so clear. Another two that operated for a while shut down. Theme parks need a lot of land in suitable areas which is not easily found in tourist locations.

Private hospitals are another option, especially for those who can provide top medical brains and equipment to attract our Arab neighbours. A connection with say an Israeli hospital is one way and which could attract part of the over 200m Arab residents, as well as from other countries. The cost of equivalent care must be checked however. A most successful local heart hospital for example is charging more or les the same as a specialised German hospital. So is there a future for this?

Higher education is another option usually a branch of a European university is also to be considered not so much to cover the local needs but the Middle East, as well as far eastern countries.

The degrees given must be equivalent and the fees charged much be less to make it competitive.

Sports centres are another option taking advantage of the good weather. A sports set up to include football, tennis, swimming, gymnastics etc, to cooperate with local authorities and use the existing dams for sailing, canoeing and other water sports could be an all year operation, attracting foreign teams for training. The recent success by a Russian firm

WHAT YOU GET FOR

to establish a sailing school in Paphos is a start, as is the expected Scuba diving investments (to be) all over the island.

Using the old Larnaca airport or the under utilised Paphos airport for light plane training/pilots could be another, depending on local costs in relation to those, abroad.

There must be others, but whatever one decides to adopt, funding is the major problem since local finance is not available and incoming foreign investors must have their funding in place. Another problem is the bureaucracy which takes too much time. Notwithstanding that the government has set up a “fasttrack” procedure, time is still a problem – see the Qatar deal, the Larnaca Shopping Mall, the Russian Conference Hall at Alaminos and so many otherS who left due to time. We have a somewhat problematic attitude. A most recent example is the old Limassol port which is being developed into a “fishing/entertainment” port, but because a couple of the buildings block the view to the sea (from where?) there is a lot of discussion to demolish them, thus placing the whole project under question. We hope that now that we are “poor”, we will put some sort of sense in our heads and we could forget some of our peculiar behaviours.

The ending of this government’s term will, hopefully, open the door to casino and other investments and a more liberal approach to such matters. Time is not with us we are afraid and other countries in more or less the same economic situation such as ours are watching and talking to the limited international investors that have left us.

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

LEGAL ISSUES WITH GEORGE COUCOUNIS

The meaning of an account stated TRANSACTIONS are made daily on credit and the creditors who can be a bank, a vendor, a professional service provider, a trader or others, keep a statement of account for the transactions. Such a statement, when acknowledged and accepted by the debtor, constitutes an account stated and the debtor is estopped from denying it. The details and the balance of such an account are considered to be correct and that the debtor has promised to repay the balance due. In the event an action is brought before the court by the creditor claiming the balance, he is not obliged to plead and prove separately each one of the details of the account. The account stated is considered a new agreement between the parties and there is no need for a new consideration. Delivery of the statement of the account and the acknowledgement of the debt by the debtor is significant, since it makes the account stated and protects the creditor from any denial of the balance due.

The acknowledgment of the debt by the debtor created for previous loans and its acceptance through a new agreement in the form of a letter specifying not only the interest payable, but also the mode of payment of the amount due in instalments, make such an agreement an account stated.

This has been decided by the District Court of Larnaca in a recent judgment whereby the plaintiffs were claiming a substantial amount of money due under a loan agreement, as well as default interest and an order for the sale in public auction of the immovable property belonging to the defendants. The court, referring to the case-law as adopted by the Supreme Court with regard to the meaning of an account stated, held that it means an agreement between the parties according to which all the details of the account and the balance due are correct, accompanied with a promise by the debtor, expressed or implied, to pay the balance. It also stated that the defendants-debtors were barred or estopped from com-

ing back to question the correctness of the balance, which they had already agreed was due and payable. Moreover, it indicated that the defendants must blame themselves, since they didn’t check the account at the right time and its balance due when they made the agreement and accepted the balance due to the plaintiffs.

The court also referred to a relevant judgment of the courts of Scotland whereby the representatives of a company were claiming an amount from a bank, with which, according to their allegations, their account was illegally overcharged. The bank raised various defences among which it stated that the correctness of the account was acknowledged by the company in writing at an earlier time in a manner estopping the company to dispute the correctness of the charges in the said account.

The court decided in favour of the bank, since the company had acknowledged the correctness of the account.

Given the acknowledgment of the correctness of the amount due by the company, it was not necessary for the court to examine whether the alleged charge was correct.

Based on the above, the District Court of Larnaca referred also to the principles of equity which do not allow a litigant to insist in the enjoyment even of his legal rights deriving from an agreement or the law, when according to the circumstances of a case and the relation between the parties, this would be unjust and in violation of the principles of equity. This constitutes the doctrine of estoppel which does not allow a litigant to deny the facts he has already accepted. Tthe court decided that the plaintiffs were entitled to a judgment for the amount due, plus legal interest and issued an order for the sale of the mortgaged property in public auction.

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

€500,000

How much: €500,000 What you get: This four- bedroom house is located near Crown Plaza Hotel. Close to Debenhams and other services and entertainment venues. 200 meters from the beach From: www.bestcyprushomes.com Tel: 25 321001

How much: €490,000 What you get: A new, four-bedroom, four-bathroom house in Peyia close to facilities and a five minute drive from Coral Beach From: www.cyprusproperties.com.cy Tel: 24 655 800

How much: €425,000 What you get: This beautiful villa has a large swimming pool and three air conditioned bedrooms. It is situated at the top of the village of Pissouri, 1km from the village square.

From: www.buysellcyprus.com Tel: 26 200000

25 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

Property

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas London’s image makers give Barbara Chandler their tips for a decorative Christmas home The lights: Paul Dart PAUL Dart, who trained in his theatre design, is truly this s, year’s Mr London Lights, creating ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ above Regent Street, and the lights for Carnaby Street, Piccadilly Arcade, Leicester Square, Brent Cross and more.

“I wanted to tell a story,” he 50 said. Dart had a team of 250 making the decorations in his studio in Old Kent Road.

He used digital printing for the words of the carol and its illustrations. You too can use your printer, Dart suggests.

“Print out family photos, or other artwork from the internet, and then glue around baubles, varnish, maybe add a little glitter, and hang with ribbon. Or make family portrait place mats.”

And lighting tips? Dart has round-the-year garden lighting. “Think of your windows as picture frames. Let flexes follow the outlines of twigs and branches to create pretty silhouettes. Don’t spread lights out thinly – better to mass them together in one area. ” Get the look Use low-voltage lights, designed and labelled for outdoor use, from a reputable supplier. Connect to a power supply inside the house using a waterproof extension cable. You will, however, need to leave a window ajar - or use a weatherproof outdoor plug.

Don’t be mean with garden lights. A 10-metre string of 100 bulbs will light a bush or small tree. Simpler low-tech ideas include nightlights in jam jars hanging from trees.

The tree: Kally Ellis Celebrity florist Kally Ellis of McQueens worked all night to create the Christmas “tree” adorning the art deco staircase at Claridge’s in London. The shimmering magnolia twigs are five metres high and drip with wispy white fronds of lichen, together with jewelled baubles that resemble Fabergé eggs.

Twenty years ago, Ellis gave up a job in the City to take over an east London florist run by an aunt of the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen.

Ellis kept the name, and was soon supplying floral haute couture to celebrities and royalty, and styling events in as far-flung spots as Hollywood and Japan.

Her advice this year is to go into the garden and the woods for your floral decorations. She is ditching red and green for ivory, white and mist grey, with metallic gleams of silver, copper, gold and jade. “Stay with a simple palette,” she advises.

“Comb parks, woods or heaths for fallen twiggy branches - the larger the better.” Add long stems of ivy, gather fir cones and fallen leaves and let them dry out, then glam them up with a spray can of gold or silver.

Just a touch, not a blanket all-over spray. Look for dramatic pieces of bark, and use soft, dampened, springy moss at the base of displays.

“Experiment and have confidence. Invest in some lovely gold and silver baubles and place them in bowls or around your logs, or cupped in the moss.”

Get the look White bouquets are chic yet simple. Fill bowls with masses of white roses. To stop wilting, cut stems at an acute angle under warm water. White chrysanthemums, carnations and lilies are cheaper; mix them with glossy green stems of holly.

Change the water regularly.

Add white-feathered birds for a surreal touch.

Buy metallic fantasy on a budget at Zara Home, with

Christmas brights (from top): Janet Wardley, Paul Dart and Kally Ellis

handpainted frosted baubles in a box, and white feather birds. (zarahome.com).

The wow factor: Janet Wardley Christmas window displays in Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge, are predictably offbeat, and have been designed for more than 15 years by Janet Wardley and her display team of 20. “We always start with fashion trends,” she says. “This year we went oriental for a happy, uplifting and sparkly look. Be brave with colour at Christmas.” The windows are a riot of pink, purple, jade and yellow, with fans, feathers, butterflies, giant-petalled lo-

ttus flowers and chrysanthem mums, plus glittering peac cock tails. “Stick to a theme,” advises Wardley. “Always keep in mind the colours in your room.”

In her Victorian home in e east London, where she lives w with her partner and 12-yearo old daughter, Wardley does a d decorating hit on the whole h house: “I’ll even add a few bits to the kitchen.” But you don’t have to buy everything new.

“Try rearranging what you have already. Fill wine glasses and tumblers with baubles (some small, some large) group them together on a shelf, and spotlight if possible.” Or you could fill a clear glass vase with snow-frosted fir cones, and mass candles in an empty fireplace.

Get the look At home, DIY decs could include huge paper flowers in neon brights, bows tied with wire-edged ribbon, strings of beads to scatter on surfaces.

The New Japan collection at John Lewis includes hanging kimono dolls and cerise satin baubles (johnlewis. com).

26 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser

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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.

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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 beggining 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 car-

Limassol - tel: 25 761117 fax: 25 761141

pets, rugs and mattresses.

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:

Paphos - tel: 26 911383 fax: 26221049

99-168943 *****************************

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. *****************************

Larnaca - tel: 24 652243 fax: 24 659982

classified contents Employment Opportunities pg -Employment Miscellaneous 26 Pets 26 Lessons 26 Health & Fitness 26 Personal 26 Services 26 For Sale Miscellaneous 26 For Sale Land/ Property Business 26 For Sale Motor vehicles 27 Wanted -To Let Nicosia 27 To Let Limassol 28 To Let Larnaca 28 To Let Paphos 29 To Let Protaras, Ayia Napa, Paralimni -For Sale Nicosia 30 For Sale Limassol -For Sale Larnaca -For Sale Paphos 30 For Sale Ayia Napa -For Sale Famagusta Protaras 30 For Sale Athens -Property& Home Services display ads --

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

27 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

FOR SALE MOTOR VECHICLES

TO LET NICOSIA

FOR SALE MOTOR VEHICLES

sia. Fully furnished including 2 double beds, fitted wardrobes, TV, fridge, oven, dining table & chairs. Recently refurbished with new kitchen. Private landlord. €550 pcm. ***************************** 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

***************************** 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. ***************************** 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, amble storage spaces, covered garage, verandas with pergola, garden, barbecue area, quiet street in a qul de sac. Call 99606856.

2-BEDROOM FLAT with balcony in leafy side-street, Ayioi Omoloyites, near Hilton, walking distance to central Nico-

***************************** 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, 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

Advertiser TO LET NICOSIA 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).

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

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TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

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, cov-

ered 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 bathrooms/shower), also separate kitchen and sitting room in the basement which has also separate entrance from the house, central heating, full a/c, solid parquet floor all the house, big sitting and dining room with fire place, big fully equipped kitchen with breakfast area and family room, big overfloor, swimming pool

with covered patio area with fully equipped bar(bbq, fridge, freezer, cooker), mature garden around the house, 2 parking places, alarm system near the Cyprus Conference 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 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

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28 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser TO LET NICOSIA 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 ES-

TO LET NICOSIA TATES LTD 22-422225/96422225/96422226, www.landtouristestates.com ***************************** 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, 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).

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

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 laminate floor all the flat, covered parking, storage room, in a very quiet neighbourhood in a dead end street, off Athalasas Avenue behind Stephanis near English School €700 (A3ST10030-R), (photos in the website).

12. A2LYK0006-R, 2 bedr penthouse apartment with big veranda 60sq.m, storage heat-

ers, 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.

TO LET NICOSIA 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 GROUND FLOOR HOUSE, furnished renovated this year.

Laminated parke floor, and big wardrobes in the 3 bedrooms.

Rent €590.00 Tel 99497576 99886775

LARNACA 2 BEDROOM NICOLADES SEA VIEW CITY BLOCK, a/c’s in all rooms, private parking, sea view, walking distance to everything, can be used for office or residential. €750, minimum 12 months contract. 99320077 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 RENTAL AGENCY IN PAPHOS OFFICE: 26271858 (00357) IF YOU HAVE A PROPERTY TO RENT WE ARE THE RENTAL AGENCY TO CONTACT OFFERING FULL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT & RENT COLLECTION SERVICE

1. 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 refer-

29 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

Advertiser

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

ence 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 cen-

tral 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 WEB-

SITE 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.

try phone system & storage room. €350 per month.

2. UNIVERSAL – one bed furnished apartment on 2nd floor, small quiet well maintained complex with sea views. €300 per month.

3. UNIVERSAL – 2 two bed, 2 bath apartments on superb quiet complex, with 3 pools, gym, sauna, jaccuzi & bowling green. 1 apt furnished, 1 unfurnished from €400 per month.

4. TALA – 2 two bed, 2 bath villa style apts on stunning quiet complex with 4 pools, with off road and underground parking. 1 apt furnished 1 U/F from €360 per month.

PLEASE CALL 96203009

***************************** 1. UNIVERSAL – superb 2 bed furnished apartment for rent.

Lovely quiet complex with pool, private parking, en-

***************************** FOR RENT A selection of 1 to 5 bedroom houses & apartments F/F & U/F Universal, Peyia, Tomb of the Kings, Tsada, Timi, Chlorakas & Kato Paphos Landlord & Owners please call 99329357

TO LET PAPHOS 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 fur-

30 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

nished 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

Must be seen, 300 Euros WANTED - 2 bedroom furnished properties MORE PROPERTIES AVAILABLE FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 99862922

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

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.

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.

***************************** 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, 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,

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

***************************** 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 kitchen. 2 double, bedrooms, master with en-suite shower

FOR SALE Semi-detached house in Archangelos area split level on a hill, no houses in front, 3 big bedrooms, 2 big bathrooms and TV room big lounge & dining area, fireplace, fitted kitchen, 40 sq.m. store room, C/H, A/C, solar.

For information call: 99496541

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

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.

PAPHOS

FAMAGUSTA

PAPHOS, FLATS FOR SALE OR RENT: kissonerga, 3 bEdroom flat with title deeds, in a block of 4 flats only, fully renovated, 2 baths, 146 sqm

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

PROPERTY FOR SALE NICOSIA

U SEFUL PHONE NUMBERS 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

THE DEVONSHIRE RESTAURANT

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)

• BE ASTOUNDED BY OUR LOW WINTER PRICES !

• OPEN ALL WINTER 7 DAYS A WEEK !

• SUNDAY ROAST LUNCH & DINNER FOR ONLY EURO 6.95 !!!

• BOOKINGS FOR PRIVATE PARTIES AVAILABLE AT VERY LOW PRICES !

• OPEN FOR CHRISTMAS DAY LUNCH & NEW YEAR’S EVE CALL PETER NOW FOR ANY ENQUIRIES: 96870774 – PAPHOS

***************************** 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.

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

31 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Compiled by Rosie Ogden

Motoring

Avoid a breakdown by preparing your vehicle for winter WINTER is upon us: torrential rains have already struck, and doubtless snow will soon fall on the mountains.

As the season progresses, there’ll be an increased risk of dangerous driving conditions like fog and, in the mountains, ice and snow. Sensible drivers prepare their vehicles in good time, so as not to get caught out if conditions deteriorate.

There are many things drivers can do to ensure their car is best prepared for the chillier months and less likely to break down on the way to Yiayia’s for Christmas Day. Firstly, a general check on the battery, oil, water, de-icer and screen-wash are essential, along with a close look at the condition of the car’s tyres to ensure they have sufficient tread to grip wet and slippery roads.

If you spend a lot of time in the mountains it may be worth considering buying a set of winter tyres (as is standard across most of Europe and a legal requirement in many colder countries), to give the best grip and protect the summer tyres from cracking in the cold. If winter tyres are too expensive, there are other options such as ‘snow socks’, which fit over standard tyres to offer some of the same benefits as winter tyres (and are probably a better option for our relatively short cold season).

Lee Taylor, of Allianz Global Assistance in the UK, says that, with a little regular care, it’s possible to minimise the risk of a breakdown. “Any niggles and noises that have been hidden away under the bonnet during the summer may well turn into major issues, as winter gets a grip. Cold, dark and damp winter conditions mean drivers are using the heating more, as well as lights in both the mornings and evenings, taking their toll on a vehicle’s electrics”.

“There are some straightforward steps drivers can take to ensure they are prepared for winter roads, and we’ve put together a quick hit-list to help motorists prep for this winter – a little time spent on your

vehicle now could save you a few cold, miserable hours waiting for roadside assistance this winter.”

Fortunately, in Cyprus the distances are small so your wait in the event of a breakdown is not likely to be terribly long, but it can still be an irritation – and if you are in an out-of-theway area in the mountains, potentially very chilly!

First, keep some winter essentials in the car in case you get stuck in cold weather. For example: a torch, windscreen icescraper, a shovel, a blanket, boots, some warm clothes, bottled water and snacks.

If your battery is accessible, check the connections on the top of the battery are clean, damage free, secure and free of corrosion.

Make sure your battery is fully charged and in good condition.

Ensure your tyres are in good condition for maximum grip on the road in slippery conditions.

Check that all of your lights, including fog lights, are working and clean. Replace any blown light bulbs – and don’t forget to check internal lights.

Make sure your wiper blades are in good condition, and replace them if they’re not clearing the windscreen effectively.

Check the oil, water and screenwash levels - top up where necessary and don’t forget to add an appropriate anti-freeze to the water and screenwash if required.

Before leaving, check the weather forecast and be sensible about whether or not your journey is essential – it’s much better not drive in extreme conditions unless absolutely necessary.

When driving in bad conditions, remember that braking distances are much greater, and visibility potentially much lower than usual. Drive cautiously, maintaining a constant speed wherever possible and applying brakes gently to avoid skidding.

If you do get stuck in snow, use a high gear and gently rock the car back and forth to ease out of the snow – revving the engine in a low gear will just dig the wheels deeper into the snow.

As the season progresses, there’ll be an increased risk of dangerous driving conditions

Taking a closer look: the new family of three-cylinder engines, which will be available on the C3, DS3 and C-Elysée, has equivalent or superior power compared with the previous generation of powerplants

Citroën PureTech engines are here Objective to make substantial cuts in emissions and fuel consumption, and to reduce the engine weight

T

HE arrival of new PureTech petrol engines in the Citroën range is, says the French auto giant, proof of the its commitment to ‘Créative Technologie’.

The design brief called for a clean break in powertrain development. The objective was to make substantial cuts in emissions and fuel consumption, and also to reduce the weight of the engines and to make them more compact. The specifications also stipulated a specific power of 50 kW per litre.

The new family of threecylinder engines, which will be available on the C3, DS3 and C-Elysée, has equivalent or superior power compared with the previous generation of powerplants, combined with significantly lower fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, which are down by roughly 25%.

Two different capacity versions have been developed: a 1.0 litre and a 1.2 litre with power ranging from 68hp to 82hp (50 to 60 kW). Depending on the model and the tyres fitted, combined cycle fuel consumption for the new family is between 65.7mpg and 61.4mpg (4.3 and 4.6 l/100 km) and CO2 emissions range from 99 to 107g/km.

The VTi 82 engine has a capacity of 1,199cc. Maximum power of 60 kW comes at 5,750 rpm for a 6 kW increase on the 1.4 litre unit it replaces. Other impressive advances have also been made with this version. Top speed is up 7mph (11km/h), and fuel economy is also improved - by up to 15.7mpg (1.5 l/100km) or 25% compared to the previous generation engine - to 62.8 mpg (4.5 l/100km). CO2 emissions are up to 35g/km lower at 104 g/km.

The VTi 68 engine, which will be available in the C3 range next year, has a capacity of 999cc. Maximum power of 50 kW at 6,000 rpm is up by 6 kW compared to the 1.1 litre engine it will replace. Progress has been made across the board, with the top speed increasing by 5mph (8km/h).

Combined-cycle fuel consumption is down 17.8mpg (1.6 l/100km) to 65.7mpg (4.3 l/100km), while CO2 emissions are a full 38g/km lower at 99g/km.

The PureTech engine family features the latest technology which includes a timing system with two overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, controlled directly by two mechanical push rods for enhanced fill-up and efficiency; continuous vari-

able hydraulic timing for the intake and exhaust camshafts, for better performance at low and medium engine speeds and optimised fuel consumption and on the VTi 82 version, a counter-rotating balancer shaft, for reduced vibration and quieter operation.

An electronic management system optimises battery charge, with freewheel alternator operation used to a maximum when it requires no energy expenditure.

IMPROVED EFFICIENCY Besides reducing weight and friction, downsizing significantly reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. To deliver at least the same performance as the previous generation, engine efficiency also had to be improved to offset the reduction in the number of cylinders, from four to three.

A three-cylinder engine has a number of advantages over a four-cylinder powerplant, including reduced energy loss through friction, fewer moving parts, lower weight and more compact dimensions, all of which cut fuel consumption.

By reducing the number of cylinders, as well as re-

designing several components, the weight loss compared with the previous engines is 25kg for the VTi 68 and 21kg for the VTi 82, or over 20%.

The engine is also much more compact than the previous generation, having lost 100mm in width and 70mm in height.

The combustion system is a crucial component in fuel consumption and emissions, and the bore/ stroke ratio was chosen “to optimise the compromise between the intrinsic efficiency of the combustion system and engine friction loss”.

The intake ports, piston heads and combustion chamber were optimised to enable the combustion system to work with high rates of Internal Gas Recirculation, which reduces fuel consumption and pollutant gas emissions.

To get the engine up to temperature faster, Split Cooling technology is used. When the car starts up, with the engine cold, the cooling circuits in the cylinder block and head are separated to optimise the warm-up process. This system has two advantages: firstly, it reduces CO2 emissions, which are higher when the engine is cold, and secondly, it helps to warm up the cabin faster.

32 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport Lendl is giving nothing away as Murray targets Melbourne

UK aim for medals in Rio funding package

Scot’s coach throws up his own Iron Curtain

By Martyn Herman

By Ossian Shine

IN BRIEF

IVAN Lendl threw up his own Iron Curtain when reporters probed about the state of Andy Murray’s mind and his game as Britain’s newly minted Grand Slam champion switches his focus to the Australian Open.

“I never get into the details of his game with anyone because it not necessary for anyone other than Andy to know,” the Czechborn Lendl said in familiar taciturn style.

The former world number one - now a U.S. citizen steered Murray to the U.S. Open crown in September, ending Britain’s wait for a men’s grand slam singles champion which had stretched back to 1936.

Like Murray, Lendl lost the first four grand slam finals he contested but then went on to win eight, failing only at Wimbledon.

Now Britain’s barren spell is broken, many expect Murray to emulate his coach and win several more, but Lendl cautioned it would be far from easy.

“Well obviously that is the goal,” he said when asked if Murray could win in Melbourne. “But tennis is very difficult at the moment with (Novak) Djokovic, (Roger) Federer, (Rafa) Nadal and Andy all very good at the moment so it is going to be difficult to succeed.

“Yes he does have a chance but I can’t make any predictions.”

A question on whether Murray could now dominate

Andy Murray ended Britain’s wait for a men’s grand slam singles champion which had stretched back to 1936, when he beat Novak Djokovic at the US Open in New York in September. The world No.3 also won Olympic gold at London 2012 the sport was rifled straight back like a Lendl service return of old.

“I am not going to go there,” he said.

“The only way to answer that is to take one match at a time, one tournament at a time and see what happens.”

Lendl, who was in Hong Kong to promote a global ‘BNP Paribas Tennis Showdown’ event next March in which he will play old nemesis John McEnroe, said it

was impossible to compare eras.

“I think there are many eras in the game and there have been many good players at the same time,” he said.

CAN’T COMPARE ERAS “You can look at the early 80s with (Jimmy) Connors and McEnroe, (Bjorn) Borg and myself, you can go back in to the 60s and 70s and there are many good play-

ers there.

“I don’t think we should be comparing one era to another because you just can’t compare them.”

One comparison he did make, though, and the unflattering conclusion he reached was that he would not be able to live with Murray were the two to play now.

“Andy would kill me,” he said. “All you have to do is look at the sports against time - swimming, athletics

etc - and compare the times from today compared to 30 years ago and you will get the answer.”

The first Showdown event was staged in New York and featured Pete Sampras against Roger Federer.

The Hong Kong event will feature Lendl and McEnroe plus women players Li Na and Caroline Wozniacki, and will be part of a series aimed at celebrating the sport and supporting grassroots tennis.

BRITAIN will pump money into its most successful Olympic sports in a bid to match its London 2012 medal haul at the Rio de Janeiro Games in four years’ time, funding agency UK Sport said.

“Investment will be targeted where it has the greatest chance of succeeding using our ‘no compromise’ philosophy, which sets out to reinforce the best, support those developing and challenge the under-performing,” UK Sport chief executive Liz Nicholl, said in a statement.

“UK Sport aims to support all sports and athletes deemed to have medal potential in Rio 2016 or 2020 regardless of whether they are individual or team disciplines.”

UK Sport, the body which distributes government funds and National Lottery money to the various sports governing bodies, will announce who gets what next week but minority team sports such as handball and volleyball are preparing for bad news.

Olympic and Paralympic sports were given 313.4 million pounds by UK Sport in the period 2009-13, helping the country to take third place in the medals table at London 2012, behind the United States and China.

Britain won 29 gold medals, with the majority in cycling (eight), rowing (four), athletics (four), equestrian (three) and boxing (three).

The appearance of British teams in sports such as handball, volleyball, water polo and basketball was largely symbolic as Britain entered Olympic teams in every event for the first time.

However, with little realistic chance of medals in those sports in four years, UK Sport is set to reduce their funding under its nononsense ‘no compromise’ policy.

US Open 2013 change puts Race for NFL playoffs gathers Nuggets tame Grizzlies men’s final on Monday speed as pressure builds on return to Denver THE US Open tennis tournament has extended its schedule to a Monday men’s finish next year after a fifth year of weather delays disrupted the event in September, the US Tennis Association said.

The new program will feature a Sunday women’s final followed by the men’s title match on Monday, and provide a day’s rest between the semi-finals and finals for both the men and women, bringing the US Open in line with the other grand slams.

The change will abolish the Open’s controversial Super Saturday, that for nearly 30 years had the men’s semifinals and women’s final scheduled on the same day.

THE race is on for the National Football League (NFL) playoffs. The pressure is building by the day with teams knowing one mistake could cost them a chance to be a contender for the Super Bowl.

With just three weeks left in the regular season only four teams, the New England Patriots, the Denver Broncos, the Houston Texans and the Atlanta Falcons, are assured of spots in the postseason.

That leaves eight places still up for grabs, with 20 teams vying for the remaining spots and only eight of the NFL’s 32 teams eliminated from the playoff race.

THE Denver Nuggets took full advantage of a Memphis Grizzlies team lacking in confidence by grinding out a 99-94 home win to get back to .500 for the season.

The Nuggets, who have spent an NBA-high 17 of 24 games on the road this season, improved to 12-12 on their return to Denver, while condemning the Grizzlies to a third consecutive loss.

Andre Iguodala had a big night for the Nuggets with 20 points and seven assists, while benchman Andre Miller contributed 18 points.

“He is amazing with some of the stuff he does,” Nuggets coach George Karl said of the 36-year-old Miller.

33 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

Sport Asia fight back against Europe in Royal Trophy

By Patrick Johnston

Indian captain MS Dhoni shared a 198-run partnership with Virat Kohli before being agonisingly run out on 99. They frustrated the tourists for most of the day, with Kohli scoring 103

England strike late on Persistence pays off with four quick Indian wickets after tea

By David Clough A last hour featuring four wickets helped England avoid an unwanted shut-out on day three of a finely-balanced final Test in Nagpur.

The tourists had toiled for 75 wicketless overs as India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and centurion Virat Kohli closed them down with some ease, but both had gone by the time stumps was called, along with Ravindra Jadeja and Piyush Chawla, giving England a greater belief that they can now secure at least the draw they need to win the series.

That landscape switch came after Dhoni (99) and Kohli (103) had taken it upon themselves to radically

alter the equation.

The fifth-wicket pair resumed on a highly-vulnerable 87, yet by stumps their stand of 198 had underpinned India’s 297 for eight in reply to 330 all out.

England simply got nowhere for all but the final hour of the day, on a dead pitch which has proved an aid to stagnant cricket from the outset.

Until the first ball after evening drinks, their bowlers - last previously successful nine overs before the close yesterday - appeared destined to draw a blank for the entire day, for the first time since Australia’s Mark Taylor and Geoff Marsh tormented the home attack at Trent Bridge 23 years ago.

Respite came at last when

Graeme Swann had Kohli lbw pushing forward in defence - and among four late wickets for only 28 runs, Dhoni was run out by a direct hit from Cook at mid-off as he tried to scamper his 100th run off Anderson (four for 68) in the penultimate over before stumps.

Dhoni and Kohli were constrained, as were England’s batsmen and India’s top order before them, by the extreme conditions.

A perilous situation added to their dilemma too; yet they dug in, and then branched out, faultless application giving way to increasing fluency as India battled back into contention.

Gradually, without compromising risk avoidance, they pushed the run rate

Doctor ‘never saw’ Lance dope LANCE Armstrong’s former doctor Michele Ferrari has said he did not see the cyclist take drugs and insists he did not have dealings with his accusers.

Ferrari was banned for life by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in July for his role in systematic doping at Armstrong’s US Postal Service team.

But Ferrari told Al Jazeera: “I’ve never seen any doping practice from Lance Armstrong.

“I can say I’ve never seen, I never heard something about that.”

The Italian physician, who worked with Armstrong during his seven-year Tour de France reign, was mentioned in USADA’s 1,000page doping report published in October.

A total of 26 witnesses, 11 of whom were former teammates of Armstrong, cited

The Texan has been stripped of his seven Tour titles doping-related incidents involving Ferrari.

But the 59-year-old added: “He (Armstrong) never asked me for information about doping.

“My relationship with some team-mates of Lance

Armstrong was very, very short and occasional. It was not strict.

“There are six riders that accused me, but these riders, I didn’t have any relationship, any consulting with these guys.”

Ferrari has previously denied having a professional relationship with 41-year-old Armstrong after 2005, but has admitted to meeting and accepting payments from the American between 1996 and 2006 - totalling around $1m (£619,000), according to USADA. In October, Ferrari dismissed key witness statements as “false accusations” and uncorroborated “visual testimony”.

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and given a lifetime ban by USADA. He strongly denies doping.

above two-an-over as England tired in their thankless task to try to induce a mistake.

Dhoni, without a Test century for more than a year, raised eyebrows when he promoted himself to number six last night above debutant all-rounder Jadeja.

Frontline batsman Kohli had a top-score of 20 in six previous innings in this series.

But both excelled themselves here in critical circumstances.

Kohli completed his 289ball hundred with his 11th four, on the back foot past cover off Swann.

Soon afterwards, the offspinner finally got his revenge, as India nonetheless edged towards parity.

ASIA stormed back into contention at the Royal Trophy yesterday by taking three points from the four fourball matches against Europe to close the deficit to just one ahead of the final day singles.

Holders Europe have a slender 4 1/2-3 1/2 lead ahead of today’s eight singles matches at the Empire Country Club in Brunei with Jose Maria Olazabal’s side needing four more points to win the annual contest loosely based on the Ryder Cup model.

Asia have won the Royal Trophy only once, in 2009, with Europe winning the four other editions. A fifth win looked odds on after Olazabal’s side had taken three-point lead from the opening foursomes but Asia had other ideas on the second day.

India’s Jeev Milkha Singh rolled in a four-foot putt on the 18th as he and Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand scored a fighting half in their match against Olazabal and Spanish compatriot Miguel Angel Jimenez in the opening game of the day.

Singh’s putt also drew a welcome response from the crowd on his 41st birthday.

“It was nice to hear the crowd singing happy birthday. They might not have

Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal (right) is also captaining and playing for the Europeans at the Royal Trophy

CHEMISTS NICOSIA SUNDAY 16/12/2012 Th. Nioulikos, 22 Them. Severis Ave. Tel: 22669664, 22661852(H) A. Nicolaou, 12 Ay. Andreou St, Pallouriotissa. Tel. 22430032, 22424078 (H) E. Hadjigeorgiou, 132C Kirinias Ave. Tel: 22338002, 22330761 E. Daskalakis, 24A, Elia Papakyriakou Egkomi, Tel: 22355955, 22357220 G. Konstantinou, Giannitson 8, Tel: 22107447, 22380736 LIMASSOL D. Mavroyiannis, 228 Makarios Ave. Tel: 25361626, 25359224 (H) G. I. Kamenidou, 255E Fr. Rousvelt Tel: 25715315, 25715716 (H) D. Filippou, 22 Ierou Lochou Kapsalos, Tel: 25335455, 25333867 (H) LARNACA S. Iacovides, 68 Str. Timayia Ave. Tel: 24637499, 24657045 (H) G. Antonis, 14 K. Matsis St. (Atticon Cinema road) Tel: 24626332, 24657313 (H) PAPHOS I. K. Konstantinou, 11 Ellados Ave., Tel. 26100292, 26653401 PARALIMNI E. Michael, 175 Protara Ave, Tel: 23811031, 23824471

bothered if I had missed on 18,” the Indian said in a television interview.

Jimenez and Olazabal, who was nursing what appeared to be a neck injury throughout the round, both narrowly missed makeable putts on the last to claim the win.

Despite the pain, Olazabal, who grimaced after hitting shots and had his caddie help stretch out his shoulders and neck during the round, will lead off the singles against South Korean Bae Sang-moon today.

South Korean Kim Kyungtae then rolled in a fourfooter on the 17th as he and compatriot Yang Yong-eun claimed a topsy-turvy 2&1 win over Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Swede Henrik Stenson.

Bae could have added the second win for Asia shortly after but he missed his birdie effort on the 18th to half the match with Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and German playing partner Marcel Siem.

Japanese duo Ryo Ishikawa and Yoshinori Fujimoto then sealed a come-from-behind 3&1 win over Italian brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari to make it Asia’s day and give them hope of winning the trophy.

“The whole team knows we have to play our very best golf to win, but we have given ourselves a good chance,” China’s Ashun Wu said.

NICOSIA MONDAY 17/12/2012 M. Kyriakoudes, 6B. C Pindarou St. Tel: 22344877, 22773127 (H) D. Sergiou, 18 Delfon St. Tel: 22775613, 22778449 (H) E. Frangouli, 58A Athenon St, Strovolos. Tel: 22314660, 22492935 (H) A. Hadjiapostolou, 36D K. Matsis Ave. Tel: 22311416, 22510679 (H) G.S. Charalambides, 64B Ayiou Eleftheriou St, Strovolos. Tel: 22371177, 22353584 (H) LIMASSOL M. Pahoumis, 56 Ay Filaxeos St. Tel: 25374449, 25721781 (H) A. Papachristodoulou, corner Gropious & V. Constantinou St. Tel: 25338363, 25346494 (H) N. Leonidou 60 Kolonakiou Ayios Athanasios Tel. 25327766, 25727942 LARNACA M. Christodoulou, 2 Armenian Church Rd. Tel: 24652440, 24626763 V. Christakis, 31A Papanicolis St. Tel: 24634390, 24663431 (H) PAPHOS Evaggelos Manolis, 49 Aristoteli Savva Tel: 26930599, 26943628 PARALIMNI P. Loizou, 150 Gr. Dighenis Ave. Tel: 23821368, 23823608 (H)

DOCTORS ON DUTY NICOSIA Pathologist: Doros Polidorou, Tel: 99727817 Ophthalmologist: Antonis Glikeriou, Tel: 70000171 Urologist: Achilleas Corellis, Tel: 70007773, 99562642 Gynaeocologist: Pieris Pieri, Tel: 22339169, 22665777, 99665855 Paediatric Surgeon: Giorgos Demetriades, Tel: 22442327, 99425445 LIMASSOL Pathologist: Marios Simeonides, Tel.: 25581212, 99687510 Surgeon: Nearchos Zaoskoufis, Tel.: 99622236 Neuro-Surgeon: Christos Kyriakides, Tel: 99696706 Paediatric: Androula Stephanou, Tel.: 25340570, 99615535 Paediatric Surgeon: Elka Christophi, Tel: 25762586, 99306678 Ophthalmologist: Andreas Elia, Tel: 25725134, 25353424, 99675811 Doctor: Michalakis Charalambous, Tel: 99616436

34 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport

Vertonghen: I snubbed Arsenal approach to sign for Tottenham Villas-Boas feels exciting times ahead for Spurs

By Paul Hirst JAN Vertonghen turned down a move to Arsenal after hearing that Arsene Wenger wanted to deploy him in midfield, the Tottenham player has revealed.

Vertonghen joined Spurs from Ajax this summer and has gone on to become a fans’ favourite after a series of excellent displays for Andre Villas-Boas’ team.

The Belgian started his White Hart Lane career as a centre-back but soon moved over to left-back - the position he plays in for his country - after an injury to Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

Gunners manager Wenger was interested in signing Vertonghen, but the 25-year-old instead opted to move to the Gunners’ north London rivals after it became clear that the Frenchman wanted him to play in midfield.

“Arsenal’s interest was concrete, but they wanted me to be a controller in the midfield, an Emmanuel Petittype,” Vertonghen told Dutch website NUsport.

“I’m not afraid of competition, but the overall picture of Spurs appealed to me more.”

Jan Veronghen (left) says he is loving life at Spurs after turning down Arsenal, who wanted to play him in midfield Spurs manager Villas-Boas initially moved Gareth Bale to left-back following AssouEkotto’s injury, but Vertonghen has been a more effective solution during the Cameroonian’s absence.

With Assou-Ekotto now back in full training following his three-month layoff, Vertonghen looks set to return to the heart of the defence, much to his delight.

He added: “Ultimately, I just came to play at centre back.

“Gareth Bale had to play left back, but it did not work

Cyprus Handicrafts

so he pushed forward and I moved to full-back.

“I see myself still as a centreback. I’m not agile enough to play against players like Nani and (Raheem) Sterling.”

Villas-Boas, meanwhile, says any new recruits he adds in January must subscribe to his and Tottenham’s attacking philosophy.

Speaking in a question and answer session on Twitter, the Portuguese, who has been linked with moves for Joao Moutinho, Fernando Llorente and Willian, said:

“The players we are trying to bring in and have here also embrace that philosophy which we want to carry into the future.

“Being at Spurs is great because of the philosophy of the club want to implement, what I think about football and the way we should play.

“I think we should have a go, play well and be open.”

Despite last weekend’s defeat at Everton, Villas-Boas’ team go in to today’s game against Swansea in fifth place, just three points be-

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hind Chelsea.

The 35-year-old, who lasted just under nine months in charge at Stamford Bridge, has been pleased by his start to life at White Hart Lane.

He said: “I have encountered a tremendous group of people, staff and players. It was important to get a positive response, which we have had since we arrived.

“It has been an exciting five months and we hope we can keep doing well in order to repay the confidence given to us from the beginning.”

Blatter says gun row a warning for World Cup THE abandonment of Wednesday’s Copa Sudamericana final following shocking accusations police had pulled guns on players should serve as a warning for Brazil’s World Cup organisers, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said yesterday.

Argentina’s Tigre refused to emerge for the second half after claims of police brutality, leaving Sao Paulo to pick up the trophy and heightening concerns over security for 2014.

The incident came moments after a brawl involving players and officials as the two teams left the pitch at halftime of the second-leg match.

“In football there are so many emotions and so much passion sometimes football cannot be controlled,” Blatter told reporters in Tokyo after FIFA’s executive committee meeting.

“But after such an incident, I have to say it also a warning for the organisers of the World Cup,” he added 18 months before the tournament. “It’s a warning for all organisers what can happen.”

Accusations that a police officer had poked a revolver into the chest of goalkeeper Damian Albil was the latest in a series of controversies involving Brazilian police at matches.

Blatter said the responsibility for security at the World Cup lay with the organisers and local authorities and not with FIFA. “Security is not a matter of the sports organisation,” he said.

“It’s a pity you can’t play the second part of a match for any reason but it can happen in football.”

Wenger optimistic in face of criticism

By Josh Reich AFTER one of the toughest weeks in his 16-year reign, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says his side are united and looking confidently towards tomorrow’s Premier League clash at Reading (10pm).

Arsenal were dumped out of the Capital One (League) Cup by fourth tier Bradford City on Tuesday, the first time the club had lost to a team from a lower division in England’s second knockout competition in his time in charge.

Much has been written in the press in the days following the defeat, including reports of a rift between Wenger and assistant manager Steve Bould.

Wenger has angrily denied that suggestion and said Monday’s match was a chance to show the real character of the north Lon-

don club.

“I believe it’s a good opportunity to show that we are strong inside the club and let people talk,” he told a news conference on Friday.

“We are criticised when results are not good, we have to take that on the chin, but when we have to face a lot of lies, it is less acceptable.”

Wenger named a near fullstrength side against Bradford but backed his players to get over the shock defeat.

“We are top professional people, what is important is what happens tomorrow, not what happened yesterday,” he said.

“We are sorry for that, but what is important is the next game.”

French striker Olivier Giroud is expected to return after missing Tuesday’s match with a back injury, while Laurent Koscielny is back in training after suffering a groin injury at the end of November.

35 SUNDAY MAIL • December 16, 2012

Sport Rampant Villa stun sorry Liverpool with three-goal barrage Liverpool 1 Aston Villa 3

By Carl Markham

Deadly duo: Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie were both on target again as the Red Devils brushed Sunderland aside

Man United march on Leaders have too much firepower for brave Black Cats Manchester United 3 Sunderland 1

By Simon Stone ROBIN van Persie’s 15th goal of the season ensured Manchester United will spend Christmas Day on top of the Premier League tree as the Red Devils eased past Sunderland.

Tom Cleverley’s first league goal at Old Trafford and Wayne Rooney’s fifth in four games were enough to keep United six points clear of neighbours City, with Frazier Campbell’s header against his old club scant consolation for the Wearsiders, who remain deep in relegation trouble.

Yet perhaps the most sig-

nificant moment of the entire game came with Nemanja Vidic’s introduction midway through the second-half.

Plagued by injuries since August 2011, Vidic’s absence during last season’s run-in contributed to United’s defensive wobbles and the Serbian is viewed as the main way of plugging the leaks that have been so obvious for a side who have still only kept three clean sheets all season.

Not for the first time, Sir Alex Ferguson used the build-up to offer support to an under-fire colleague, only for his team to dismantle them 24 hours later.

In ridiculing those who questioned Martin O’Neill’s credentials, Ferguson was ignoring statistics that showed the Black Cats had won just twice in the Pre-

mier League this season, both on home soil against teams - Wigan and Reading - that are alongside them in the mire.

Within 20 minutes here, it had become apparent this was not going to be number three.

Ferguson had insisted those cheeky celebrations

by Sunderland fans when the title was snatched away from their last-day visitors in May would play no part in the outcome.

Nevertheless, there was a sense of purpose about United’s start which has rarely been matched this season.

With victory assured, Ferguson felt sufficiently confident about easing Vidic back into the fray.

After only 13 appearances in a 16-month period that included a calf injury and

QPR beat Fulham for first win QPR 2 Fulham 1

By Simon Peach QPR finally won a league game at the 17th time of asking yesterday, dispatching west London rivals Fulham to move off the bottom of the pile.

Adel Taarabt’s inspired performance proved the difference at Loftus Road as Harry Redknapp’s side belatedly broke their duck with a 2-1 victory against their near neighbours.

Few could have predicted the Hoops’ winless start to a campaign, with a summer of high-profile acquisitions

and ambitious plans raising expectations in Shepherd’s Bush.

Last weekend’s draw at Wigan saw them break the record for the longest winless start to a Premier League season, with chairman Tony Fernandes this week admitting the season has been “nothing short of a disaster”.

The Rs have, though, shown signs of improvement since Redknapp succeeded Mark Hughes at the helm, following up three successive draws with a first win yesterday - thanks in no small part to Taarabt.

The Morocco international proved a thorn in Fulham’s side from the outset and saw an effort deflect in off Brede Hangeland seven minutes into the second half.

Taarabt doubled QPR’s advantage with an exquisite solo effort and they held on for three points despite substitute Mladen Petric’s late strike.

Fulham’s frustrations were clear in a match they failed to assert their authority, with Steve Sidwell and substitute Ashkan Dejagah picking up bookings.

The former will miss the trip to Liverpool next week as it was fifth yellow card of the season and Petric ensured a nervy ending when his strike deflected in off Jamie Mackie’s outstretched leg.

Mark Schwarzer somehow clawed out a goalbound Djibril Cisse header at the death as QPR went on to secure victory, leading to raucous celebrations at the final whistle.

two lots of knee surgery, the 31-year-old desperately needs to stay injury free in order to rediscover his old form.

Evidently, Vidic has plenty of work in front of him too judging by the uncharacteristic mistake that eventually led to United old-boy Campbell heading home from close range.

“For an hour we were fantastic. Some of our football was very good and we could have scored lots of goals.

But I don’t know what happened after that because Sunderland could have had two or three towards the end, it could have been embarrassing.

“I don’t know if we were relaxed or Sunderland picked up the baton 20 minutes from time,” Ferguson told BBC Sport after the match.

ASTON Villa exposed Liverpool’s flaws and the flakiness of their challenge for a topfour place by inflicting the Reds’ worst home defeat for more than three years.

Christian Benteke scored twice, either side of Andreas Weimann’s well-worked goal, before Steven Gerrard’s late consolation as the hosts’ three-match winning run was ended in surprising fashion.

It was the first time Villa had scored more than once in any half of league football this season and extended their own unbeaten run to five matches, with only a second away win in 17 away league games.

Villa inflicted the same scoreline in August 2009, and although both sides are at a lower level now, this was a result no-one would have predicted.

The visitors almost doubled their league away goals tally for the campaign, which now stands at seven, in recording only their fifth Anfield vic-

Down and out: Liverpool slumped to defeat at Anfield

Premier League standings Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Manchester United Manchester City Chelsea Chelsea Arsenal Everton Manchester City Tottenham Liverpool West Brom Hotspur Tottenham Norwich Everton Arsenal Stoke City Stoke Bolton Wanderers Swansea West Brom West Ham Fulham Liverpool Newcastle United Fulham Sunderland Aston Villa Newcastle United Blackburn Rovers Sunderland Wolves Southampton Birmingham Wigan Blackpool QPR Wigan Athletic Reading West Ham United

tory in 34 visits.

Yet barely 24 hours earlier Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers had been talking about targeting secondplaced Manchester City so high was the confidence in his squad.

City are now 14 points ahead and, worse still, Liverpool failed to take advantage of Everton’s draw at Stoke to close the gap on fourth place with many of their rivals playing today.

Liverpool’s inability to take their chances has hurt them in the past and it proved to be the case again in the 29th minute.

Brett Holman passed inside to Benteke, who took a touch and - with no-one closing him down - unleashed a low shot which beat Pepe Reina off the inside of his right-hand post.

Just before half-time Weimann released Benteke in the inside-right channel and raced into a gaping hole in theLiverpool defence to turn the striker’s clever backheel under Reina.

And things got worse after the interval when Joe Cole was robbed by Holman on the halfway line, Benteke was sensibly quickly given possession and he danced through the Reds backline to chip a shot past Reina.

P

W

D

L

F

17 37 17 36 16 36 17 36 16 36 16 36 17 37 16 36 17 37 16 37 16 36 17 36 17 37 17 36 17 37 17 37 16 36 17 37 17 36 16 36

14 22 10 21 8 19 6 19 8 17 8 14 6 12 6 13 5 12 6 12 6 10 5 11 5 11 4 10 4 10 3 11 4 8 4 10 1 7 1 7

0 11 6 7 5 10 9 8 2 7 2 14 7 15 6 7 9 10 5 10 4 15 7 11 5 11 6 12 5 10 7 3 15 3 9 7 15 6 12

3 4 1 8 3 7 2 9 6 12 6 8 4 10 4 16 3 15 5 15 6 11 5 14 7 15 7 14 8 17 7 19 9 13 10 18 9 14 9 17

43 74 33 67 28 69 28 55 29 59 24 51 19 50 26 46 15 52 26 53 21 45 23 51 28 42 15 45 19 43 18 44 22 36 18 53 15 36 19 41

A Pts 24 35 15 30 17 39 21 33 25 41 21 45 25 45 16 44 13 54 21 68 20 41 23 52 29 56 24 58 26 57 24 63 32 54 32 74 30 59 31 64

42 77 36 70 29 67 27 65 26 58 26 56 25 51 24 46 24 46 23 46 22 45 22 44 20 44 18 42 17 40 16 40 15 39 15 39 10 36 9 33

PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS Newcastle Man City

1 3

Liverpool Aston Villa

1 3

Man United Sunderland

3 1

Norwich Wigan

2 1

QPR Fulham

2 1

Stoke Everton

1 1

Playing Today Tottenham v Swansea 3.30pm West Brom v West Ham 6pm Playing Tomorrow Reading v Arsenal 10pm

36 December 16, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport Benitez praises Chelsea ahead of Corinthians clash

By Stuart McDill CHELSEA interim manager Rafael Benitez praised the commitment of his players as the first holders to exit the Champions League at the group stages prepared for today’s Club World Cup final against Corinthians.

“I’ve been really impressed with the mentality of the players,” Benitez told reporters yesterday. “Also the commitment, the passion that they show.

“Every training session you can see they are keen to learn so all these positives are good for a manager thinking about the future.”

Chelsea took four games to record a victory under Benitez, who replaced the sacked Roberto Di Matteo, but have won their last three, scoring 12 goals in the process with five of them coming from a resurgent Fernando Torres.

“What we are trying to do is trying to keep this winning mentality, trying to keep this hunger in the players,” said Benitez.

The Spaniard knows more than anyone what it takes to win the Club World Cup, having done so with Inter Milan two years ago after controversially losing the 2005 final with Liverpool.

“I’m really pleased, I’m really proud, because I could manage three top sides in the world,” he said.

“To be here and to have this opportunity to win again is amazing and is fantastic.

“I know that it is a very important competition.

“Some people say that it is not the biggest in the world.

“We know that the Copa Libertadores or Champions League are maybe a little bit different because you play 13 games and you play

during the whole season.

“To be here, you have to be champions.

“After, you have to win.”

Chelsea will be favourites to beat South American champions Corinthians after the London side overpowered Mexico’s Monterrey 3-1 in Thursday’s semi-final.

Their Brazilian opponents, winners of the first Club World Cup in 2000, scraped past Egypt’s Al-Ahly 1-0 .

Corinthians are expecting at least 15,000 travelling fans, many of whom have sold their cars and quit jobs to make the long trip.

To add to the pressure, European sides have won the last five editions of the Club World Cup. Brazilian David Luiz started in front of Frank Lampard, still feeling his way back from injury, in the semi-final and Benitez said he had yet to decide his starting lineup.

“It’s only been a week since he returned,” Benitez said of Lampard. “We have to take it one game at a time with him.”

Lampard, out of contract at the end of the season, said Chelsea’s players would not make the mistake of underestimating Corinthians.

“It’s obviously a cultural thing,” the England midfielder said of South America’s obsession with the Club World Cup. “They probably watch on telly - Barcelona, the Premier League, Champions League - and don’t get the chance to pit their wits against us.

“We have got the strongest leagues in the world in Europe. I don’t think many can say anything against that.

“Brazil has that magical history of being such a footballing nation. That will bring some magic to the game on Sunday.”

Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez was in a confident mood at yesterday’s pre-match press conference

England strike late on against India 33

Leaders United march on 35

MANCINI: WE PLAYED VERY WELL AND IT COULD HAVE BEEN SIX OR SEVEN

Opening up: Argentine ace Sergio Aguero scored the champions’ first goal after only ten minutes

City back on track after stylish victory Newcastle 1 Manchester City 3

By Damian Spellman

Y

AYA Toure helped Manchester City stay in touch with Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester United by sealing a hard-fought win at Newcastle.

The reigning champions looked to be coasting to victory at St James’ Park after Sergio Aguero and Javi Garcia gave them a 2-0 lead before the break.

However, the Magpies launched a concerted fightback after Demba Ba dragged them back into the game with a 51st-minute header, his 11th goal of the season.

Papiss Cisse came agonisingly close to rescuing a point in front of a raucous crowd of 49,579, but the visitors - who did not have striker Mario Balotelli among their ranks after manager Roberto Mancini left him out of the 18 - eased over the line when Toure restored their two-goal advantage 12

minutes from time.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew was left to reflect upon a sixth defeat in seven league matches, but buoyed by a performance of real character against a team which at times threatened to rip them apart.

Deprived of the threat of mercurial Frenchman Hatem Ben Arfa, Pardew beefed up his midfield by introducing the more defensively-minded James Perch.

The Magpies enjoyed the better of the possession in the first 10 minutes and might have been ahead had Joe Hart not got down smartly to turn away Cisse’s early half-volley from Cheick Tiote’s cross.

However, roused from their slumbers, City responded to assume the appearance of a team assembled on a budget of hundreds of millions of pounds playing against another assembled on a budget.

The pace and movement of Samir Nasri, David Silva, Carlos Tevez and Aguero, coupled with the vision of the imperious Toure, was simply too much for Newcastle to handle at times and had it not been for the efforts of goalkeeper Tim

Krul and some less than effective finishing, the game could have been out of their reach long before the halftime whistle sounded.

City took the lead in breathtakingly simple, but magnificently constructed style with 10 minutes gone when a Toure pass split the home defence and Nasri unselfishly squared for Aguero to slide the ball into the empty net.

CHASING SHADOWS In an instant, the flow of the game had changed and Pardew’s men found themselves chasing shadows.

City doubled their lead with six minutes of the half remaining. This time, City adopted a far more prosaic approach as Garcia met Silva’s left-wing corner with a header which full-back Davide Santon perhaps should have cleared at the far post, but could only hack into his own net.

To their credit, Newcastle returned determined not to capitulate, and went close twice within four minutes of the restart with Ba heading over at the far post and Santon drilling a low drive into the side-netting.

They got their reward with 51 minutes gone when, after Vurnon Anita’s corner had been half-cleared, Fabrizio Coloccini hooked the ball back into the penalty area where Ba beat the offside trap to head firmly past Hart.

The Magpies came within inches of levelling two minutes later when Cisse spun on Anita’s pass and fired inches over.

However, City made sure 12 minutes from time when Pablo Zabaleta got in down the left and crossed for Toure to make it 3-1.

“The performance against Manchester United was fantastic but today it was difficult,” City manager Roberto Mancini told BBC Sport after the match.

“After that defeat we needed to start quickly and the guys were really good. All of the players played very well and it could have been six or seven as we missed many chances to score.”