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Wednesday, July 25, 2012
CYPRUS
BRITAIN
EDUCATION
Culling could be on the cards for the moufflon 4
Two charged in phone hacking scandal 7
Teenagers worried over their sleep levels 13
In-depth troika meetings begin Technocrats from EU and IMF meet finance leaders By Stefanos Evripidou
T
HE GOVERNMENT began discussions with EU and IMF technocrats yesterday on the state of the nation’s finances, with details on the potential conditions of a future bailout loan expected on the table by Friday. The ‘troika’ delegation comprising officials from the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund – had a full day of meetings on their second day of their return visit to Cyprus after completing a fact-finding mission earlier this month. The troika came to Cyprus on the invite of the government, which requested a bailout on June 25 to cover its budget deficit and the recapitalisation needs of the banking sector. The potential lenders met finance minister Vassos Shiarly and central bank governor Panicos Demetriades yesterday, after which they held a three-hour discussion with the government’s negotiating committee for the bailout consisting of Shiarly, labour minister Sotiroulla Charalambous, commerce minister Neoclis Sylikiotis and under secretary to the President, Titos Christofides. Speaking before the meet-
ing, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou used a sporting analogy to stress that the potential bailout would not be a take-it-orleave it scenario but a result of a two-way discussion. “The troika will not be playing alone on the pitch. I want to clarify that. We have our positions, sensitivities and limits,” he said. After the meeting, Stefanou said the negotiating committee had its first “in depth” discussion with the troika. The troika “submitted its own estimates on the Cypriot economy on the basis of data collected during its first visit to Cyprus”, he said, adding that the government also gave its views on various issues concerning the economy while making a “first comment” on the troika’s estimates. Regarding the terms and conditions of the bailout, he said the visiting delegation did not say anything about proposed measures and recommended patience until the discussion with the troika concludes. “It is very likely this Friday we’ll have an estimate on where the troika stands on issues relating to the economy,” he said. Asked if there is a gap between the estimates of the
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Performers in ethnic Mongolian costume dance during the opening ceremony of the Miss World pageant in Dongsheng Stadium in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China yesterday (EPA)
India court ruling bans tourism in tiger reserves TOURISM has been banned in tiger reserves across India in a court ruling that aims to protect the animals, but could hit a huge and lucrative industry. The country’s Supreme Court also announced stiff penalties on Indian states that have not created buffer zones around tiger habitats. The court fined six states for failing to declare buffer zones around tiger reserve forests and gave officials three
weeks to act on its orders. India is home to more than half of the world’s estimated 3,200 tigers, with most living in wildlife reserves set up since the 1970s. Hundreds of hotels and shops operate inside the reserves to cater to wildlifewatching tourists. The court said the ban was temporary, pending its final judgment on a case filed by a wildlife activist demanding
that all commercial activity be banned from the core area of the reserve forests where the tigers live. Conservationist Ajay Dube had complained to the court that authorities in several states had allowed the construction of hotels, wildlife resorts and shops in core areas of forest reserves. He told the court critical tiger habitats should be kept safe from all types of human disturbances, including tourism.