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Hope at last for monastery of Apostolos Andreas

Remembering the darkest days of WWII

TV and lifestyle supplements to see you through the week

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Pages 4-5

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November 11, 2012

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COFFEESHOP: LATEST CONSPIRACY THEORIES AGAINST US MADE IN GERMANY INSIDE Cyprus Ongoing Troika talks focus on the banks 2

World Petraeus resigns as CIA chief, admits affair 9

Lifestyle Kardashians nearer world domination with London launch 19

Reportage Three-page look at upcoming Mind, Body & Spirit expo 24

Sport Gunners settle for 3-3 draw with Fulham 40

Awarding of gas licences could cost us billions Decision to give one licence to weak contender against island’s best interests

By Makarios Droushiotis

I

S THE government’s decision to award four offshore gas exploration licences in the best interests of the island? It seems not. A lot of eyebrows have been raised after the Cabinet’s decision to change the order of ranking of the companies that bid in the second licensing round. The awarding of the Block 9 licence to a French-Russian consortium that was actually ranked fourth has caused people to question whether that decision had been a foregone conclusion, and quite how much the decision will cost the island.

Technocrats are both outraged and disappointed with the government - which seems to have employed nontransparent procedures - for overriding their assessment in a rush to sign contracts on terms that are financially detrimental to the public interest. When the second licensing round was launched back in February, Commerce Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis had said in no uncertain terms that negotiations with the bidding companies would take several months, and that “the whole process, up to and including the signing of the contracts, is expected to be completed in the second half of 2013.”

But last Sunday, he said “the contracts must be completed

in the first months of 2013,” that is, a few weeks from now.

What the technocrats are reacting to are the changes in the assessment for offshore Block 9 - the most soughtafter prospect contested by nine companies or consortia.

It turns out that Block 9 may have been given or promised in advance to the consortium consisting of Total, Novatec and GPB, regardless of the results of the competition.

It’s clear from the assessment of the bids submitted for offshore gas exploration that the scores simply do not match the licences eventually awarded by the government.

We should back up a little here. The government has decided to award, at this stage, prospecting licences for four blocks: 2, 3, 9 and 11. The assessment of the bids was done on the basis of the terms of competition, as published in the government gazette. Under the established procedure, two separate assessments were made. One was carried out by the French consultancy Beicip, the other by the Energy Service of the Commerce Ministry.

The bids were rated based on two key criteria: technical capability, and the economic benefit to the state from exploiting hydrocarbons.

The scores awarded show that out of the four available prospects for three of these

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Pakistani students attend a ceremony to mark ‘Malala Day’ in Lahore yesterday. Pakistan marked ‘Malala Day’ as part of a global day of support for the teenager shot by the Taliban for promoting girls’ education. Nearly 100,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Malala to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize (AFP)

2 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

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TODAY: Unsettled with scattered showers. Temperatures will reach 21C inland, around 22C along the coasts and 12C over higher ground OUTLOOK: Generally fine from Monday until Wednesday, with a rise in temperature due

YESTERDAY

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max/min temp 24 - 14 25 - 14 23 - 15 23 - 17 24 - 15 10 - 7

Humidity 64% 51% 54% 57% 46% 97%

SUNRISE: 06.18 am

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Demonstrators outside the central bank yesterday

Troika banks’ focus Negotiations were ongoing yesterday

By Stefanos Evripidou NEGOTIATIONS with the troika continued yesterday at the Central Bank and Finance Ministry, with the main focus on the amount needed for the recapitalisation of the banks and the proposed supervision of the cooperative banking system.

Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly, accompanied by the ministers of commerce and labour and the central bank governor, met the troika for five hours yesterday to further discuss the terms of a potential bailout by international lenders.

Lower level meetings were held between state officials, including the head of the social insurance department, throughout the afternoon.

the risks by an authorised professional. The banks have stopped paying interest on the securities after making significant losses in the wake of a Greek sovereign debt write-down.

Investors propose converting their securities into fiveyear bonds with a 4.5 per cent interest rate and the option to retrieve 20 per cent each year.

“If we don’t solve the problem, we’ll take measures,” said investors’ spokesman, Fivos Mavrovouniotis, adding, “Let’s hope we won’t have to, because with these measures, we will destroy the banks, leading to their dissolution.”

The group handed a memorandum of their demands to a troika delegation yesterday afternoon.

Pensioner dies after being crushed by his tractor A 78-year-old man was killed on Friday when the tractor he was driving overturned, throwing him into a ditch.

At around 4pm on Friday, Patroclos Kyriacou from Kalo Chorio Orinis left his home on his tractor to go visit a friend in Klirou. The 78-year-old was said to know the area well.

However, four hours later his son, a policeman, found him unconscious in a threemetre ditch near to his friend’s Klirou

residence, crushed by the tractor.

After the Fire Service got him out of the ditch, Kyriacou was taken to Nicosia general hospital where the doctor on duty confirmed his death at around 10pm.

Klirou police station is investigating the circumstances of his death. Based on preliminary investigations, police believe the tractor he was driving overturned after the ground beneath it gave way due to the recent rains.

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Shiarly said he was satisfied with the course of negotiations. He is leaving today for Brussels to attend a Eurogroup meeting tomorrow and chair a meeting of EU finance ministers on Tuesday, before returning to Cyprus on Wednesday to continue negotiations with the troika.

Meanwhile, a group of investors in bank securities yesterday held a protest outside the central bank, briefly blocking off the road. They warned that 60,000 of them will sue the banks if their demands are not met, which will lead to the banks’ collapse.

The majority of the investors claim they were duped by the island’s two largest lenders - Bank of Cyprus and Laiki - into investing in securities, worth up to €1.4 billion, without being told

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3 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

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Gas licences could cost island billions Questions over award for Block 9, believed most lucrative continued from page one (blocks 2, 3 and 9) the top score went to the ENI/ KOGAS consortium. The top score, by a large margin, in the Block 11 bids went to the French company TOTAL. Based on these scores, the four available prospects should have been awarded thus: blocks 2, 3 and 9 to ENI/KOGAS, and Block 11 to TOTAL. But things were complicated due to the government’s political decision to ignore the bids and to award the popular Block 9 prospect to the TOTAL/NOVATEC/GPB consortium.

The companies who bid on Block 9, and their respective scores (the mean score derived from the points awarded separately by the Energy Service and Beicip) were as follows: 1. ENI (Italy)/ KOGAS (South Korea): 278 2. Premier Oil (Britain ) Vitol (Britain): 234.5 3. Capricorn (Britain)/ Marathon (USA)/ Orange Nassau (Netherlands) CC (Lebanon): 233.4.

4. TOTAL (France) Novatec (Russia) GPB (Russia): 220 5. Edison (Italy) Delek (Israel) Enel (Italy) Woodside Energy (Australia): 217.35 As the above scores show, the best bid by far belonged to ENI/KOGAS; its bid scored 58 points more than that submitted by TOTAL/ NOVATEC/GPB. It should be noted that, in all the cases involved, the separate assessments by Beicip and the Energy Service had a difference of between 0.5 and 2.0 points. However, in the case of the Block 9 bids, the Energy Service’s score for the French-Russian consortium was on average 10 points greater than the score awarded by the consultancy.

It is this signiďŹ cant deviation in the score patterns which suggests a certain bias. Moreover, according to the French consultancy’s score alone, the TOTAL/ NOVATEC/GPB consortium was ranked ďŹ fth.

Meanwhile the average scores awarded on the ďŹ nan-

cial offer alone of the bids showed that ENI/KOGAS got 271 points, and fourthplaced TOTAL/NOVATEC/ GPB received 160 points.

That’s a difference of around 25 per cent.

Though it’s not easy to estimate the cash value of this difference, we are talking about billions of euros, depending also on the - still to be proven - gas reserves.

So why did the government “give awayâ€? these billions to the French-Russian consortium? According to a report in daily Alithia, the government was trying to curry favour not with the French company which anyway was awarded Block 11 licence - but rather with the Russians, and more speciďŹ cally Russian banking organisations that were part of the TOTAL/NOVATEC/ GPB consortium.

Reliable sources say the government has asked private Russian organisations for a ₏1 billion loan, in the hope of securing at last half of that amount, which would keep the state aoat with a bailout from the EU/IMF. The same sources said this decision was sanctioned by AKEL’s Central Committee on October 6, when the ruling party rubberstamped a government document con-

cerning broader economic policy. AKEL has categorically denied this.

The government’s decision to alter the rankings of the technocrats had an impact on Block 2. ENI/KOGAS was awarded Block 3 without serious competition, and TOTAL got Block 11. But Block 9, which ENI/KOGAS deserved, seems to have been gifted to the French-Russian consortium.

This left Block 2, which was contested by six companies in TOTAL. But according to the average scores of the bid assessments, only three consortia were in the running for it: 1. ENI /KOGAS: 268.5 2. Premier Oil, Vitol, Petronas: 265.5 3. Capricorn / Marathon: 258 In the end, Block 2 was awarded to ENI/KOGAS consortium, which was ranked ďŹ rst. But had Block 9 been given to ENI/KOGAS, as it should have been, and had the government not wished to award a third block to the same consortium, it could have awarded Block 2 to any of the two other contenders, and without any ďŹ nancial loss, since the difference in the scores were insigniďŹ cant.

COMMERCE MINISTER HITS BACK COMMERCE Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis yesterday hit back at critics of the government’s handling of the second round of licensing, saying there was a “concerted effort� to undermine Cyprus’ credibility.

He accused some, without naming names, of making public piecemeal information which fails to give a full picture of the evaluation process, while in the process undermining Cyprus’ credibility in the second round of licensing.

He called on all to put the interests of the country above everything else.

The minister noted that negotiations with the preferred companies and consortiums to award licences for gas exploration in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) will begin tomorrow.

Sylikiotis clariďŹ ed that the blocks have not been given to any group yet, stressing that “negotiations will beginâ€?.

The government took into consideration a number of criteria, including the size of the companies involved, when making the decision to begin negotiations for awarding licences for four blocks in Cyprus’ EEZ, he said. “In view of Turkey’s threats to the Cyprus Republic and companies, given that we are under pressure regarding our economic outlook, I believe such actions, publications, and statements undermine Cyprus’ credibility and the country,� he said.

In short, based on the scores awarded, the offshore blocks should have been awarded as follows: 2, 9 and 3 to ENI/KOGAS; and 11 to TOTAL. And if the decision was to give just two blocks to ENI/ KOGAS in order to leave more options open for the rest, then Block 3 should have been awarded to the Premier Oil/Vitol/Petronas consortium, or alternatively to Capricorn/ Marathon.

In all these permutations, the government would have gained more ďŹ nancial beneďŹ t. Such a distribution would have ensured the maximum possible ďŹ nancial outcome, no questions asked.

Once it emerged in the press that the bid assessment process had been bypassed, the commerce minister countered that three other criteria were taken into account: national security, a company’s ďŹ nancial scope; and the consistency exhibited in prior licensing procedures.

It is true that the Hydrocarbons Law lists these criteria as well. But the criteria relating to ďŹ nancial scope and consistency should not have been an issue for any of the companies that placed a bid. And citing national security can only be used in order not to award a licence to a company (for example a Turkish company); this criterion cannot be used to give one eligible company the edge over another. Besides, does it stand to reason that EMI/KOGAS met the criteria for blocks 2 and 3, but it did not meet the same criteria for Block 9?

The government is currently negotiating a bailout with the troika; and a loan agreement would still have to be approved by the parliaments of individual EU nations. Already European media are criticising the economic ties between Cyprus and Russia. One wonders: how will Cyprus’ national interests be served should the Dutch parliament oppose an international loan for Cyprus in protest at the discrimination demonstrated against Vitol, a Dutch company?

Commerce and industry minister Neoclis Sylikiotis

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4 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

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Hope at last for famous Apostolos Andreas monastery has fallen victim to politics as various renovation plans have failed to get off the ground

By Poly Pantelides

S

UCCESSIVE plans to renovate Apostolos Andreas Monastery in occupied Karpasia date back years but have all stumbled over who is to administer and fund the project.

In the meantime, one of the most important Greek Orthodox religious sites in Cyprus is quite simply crumbling, becoming more dangerous with every passing year.

Eight months after a renewed push to reach agreement on the historic building, discussions with the United Nations and the Church of Cyprus are finally drawing to a close, the co-chairman of the bi-communal technical committee on cultural heritage, Takis Hadjidemetriou, said this week. He said the United Nations, the Greek and Turkish Cypriot members of the bicommunal technical committee have all agreed and were “formulating the terms of the endeavour” with the church.

“The road is open,” the former EDEK MP said.

Built in tribute to Apostle Andrew, who was said to have set foot on Cyprus on this section of the rugged Karpasia coast, most of the monastery’s buildings hail from the 19th century but the church itself is about five centuries older. In 1966 a series of concrete-reinforced upper rooms were added to be used as guesthouses. These were too heavy for the older building beneath to support and severely weakened the overall structure. Add to that the decades of neglect since the Turkish invasion and the need to renovate is now absolutely crucial.

However, getting all sides to agree to the same thing at the same time has so far been unsuccessful.

An early plan formulated in 2003 by UNOPS (UN office for Project Services) and to be funded by US funds aimed to demolish the 1960s upper rooms, but Greek Cypriot politicians disagreed with the plan and rejected the offer.

In 2005 and 2009, announcements that work would start following a Patras university study proved untrue when disagreements arose over who would administer the project.

Other efforts to restore the complex have also failed, sometimes because the church felt it would be forced to give up ownership.

In 2010 for example, Archbishop Chrysostomos II rejected UN suggestions to let the Turkish Cypriot religious organisation, EVKAF, oversee the restoration of the monastery because he viewed it as tantamount to the church giving up ownership of the monastery.

“I was very categorical that I would rather see Apostolos Andreas collapse and will never accept that this monument belongs to EVKAF,” he said in November 2010.

The primate said that authorities in the north have “constantly obstructed the maintenance” of the monastery in order to destroy Greek and Christian heritage.

But in February, the technical committee announced that a restoration of the monastery based on the Patras university study would start.

The bicommunal technical committee was created in April 2008 to protect the island’s cultural heritage and has since renovated religious monuments on both sides of the divide, including the Ayios Armolaos church in Kyrenia, the Saint Mamas church in Lapithos. The Tophane Mescit mosque and the Akaki mosques in Nicosia are being fixed and 11 projects are forth-

Cats eager to be fed in front of the monastery huge sections of which have had to be temporarily supported to prevent collapse (above). A vendor sells trinkets in front of the monastery (below left). Chunks of plaster have fallen off inside the church (CNA)

coming, said Hadjidemetriou.

“The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) asked for three things in March - a timeframe, cost estimation, and a plan - which we’ve delivered admittedly with some delay in October,” he said.

The committee is now ready to proceed with a two-year endeavour costing €1.1 million to fix the church but is waiting to see what the UN guidelines are in relation to the question of the church funding the restoration, Hadjidemetriou said.

“The UNDP Partnership for the Future is ready to proceed on the assumption that the church will provide the funds,” Hadjidemetriou said.

But even if the church decides it does not have the funds, the committee will carry on regardless, Hadjidemetriou said.

“We don’t want the project to be delayed.

If the church tells us they have no money then we can include Apostolos Andreas in other projects for which we have funding

or get European Union funding,” he said.

“We’ll find a way,” he said.

But are all the previous delays an ominous sign for Apostolos Andreas monas-

tery?

“What I see is the next step,” Hadjidemetriou said. “The committee is moving forward one step at a time.”

5 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

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The wild donkeys in front of the crumbling monastery are a popular attraction

At Apostolos Andreas time has been proven ruthless

By Maria Antouna, Cyprus News Agency THE ROAD leading to the Apostolos Andreas monastery is the same as it was in 1974. In the middle of the road flocks of sheep force the car to stop and let them pass - an image you don’t really see elsewhere anymore.

As we reach the monastery tame donkeys move towards the cars on the street and stop them. They are used to accepting food from travellers.

Getting to the monastery means a bumpy ride and the passage of time shows in the surroundings. Little houses where pilgrims would come from afar are now deserted, and the donkeys are now the monastery’s main attraction with plenty in the courtyard eager for the offers of friendship from tourists.

In the monastery courtyard, pedlars offer goods, crosses and saintly images that are meaningless to them. One rushes after you to sell you a plastic water bottle for two euros for you to fill from the monastery’s famous holy spring.

It hurts to see the monastery as it is today. The church’s wooden doors and windows have rotted. Large sections of plaster have fallen off and even the stone steps are worn and crumbling. And when it comes to the mediaeval arched buildings, time has been ruthless.

Metallic support beams are temporarily stopping various parts of the monastery from collapsing completely.

Through the main room and the big wooden door lies the church’s entrance. Push it a little and go in. There is a large image of St Andrew the Apostle and lit candles in the corner where an elderly priest, Father Zacharias, sits.

Father Zacharias is hopeful for the church’s future

The monastery’s crumbling mediaeval arches “Welcome,” says the man who tends the church. He takes us to the sanctuary where the humidity from the church has been eating away the building.

I look at the religious offerings from pilgrims laid out on a silk cloth bearing the apostle’s image, and they are not all Greek Cypriots and tourists.

“The Turkish Cypriots who

(CNA)

come here offer their religious offerings with respect and appreciation,” Father Zacharias said, adding that many come to pray.

Father Zacharias says he is optimistic the church will be fixed and the church’s due importance will be restored.

I leave wondering why Apostolos Andreas monastery has been allowed to get to this state.

6 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

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Pasta for the people A national institution that was founded by chance 80 years ago

By Peter Stevenson PEN your kitchen cupboards and the chances are you will find inside a bag of Mitsides flour, a pack of Mitsides pasta or a jar of Mitsides pasta sauce.

Yet one of Cyprus’ best known companies, which celebrated its 80th birthday this week, very nearly didn’t even get started.

Established in 1932 by brothers Chrysostomos and Kostas Mitsides, the company has battled its way back from a devastating fire in 1970 to claim the lion share of the pasta and flour market in Cyprus.

The company now also plays an active part in grain trading, the sale of pasta sauces, processed tomato products, frozen pasta and meals and other foodstuffs, as well as the sale of raw materials for the bakery and confectionary industries.

It all began back in 1932 when the two brothers purchased a stone flour mill in the heart of Nicosia, opposite Famagusta Gate.

“Our story began completely by chance, it was due to the courage and vision of two people who had absolutely nothing to do with this field of work,” said Dinos Mitsides, president and grandson of Kostas.

He explained how his grandfather

O

and great-uncle were forced into making a decision regarding a stone mill they had been guarantors for.

The owners had gone bankrupt and as guarantors the brothers had to decide what to do. On the advice of their bankers, they mortgaged their houses and sold their main source of income, a ship docked in Kyrenia, and bought the stone mill. They had used the ship primarily for importing wood and knew nothing about their new business.

“For years they joked that from ‘ship owners’ they had ended up becoming ‘millers’,” Mitsides said.

They founded ‘Chrysostomos and Kostas Mitsides’ and began the production of the first Mitsides flour although they didn’t immediately abandon the wood trade. They also produced the first pastas which were initially named ‘Krinos’, using the name the original owners of the mill had used.

“Of course, technology during that period had absolutely nothing to do with present day technology,” Mitsides added.

Flour was ground in traditional stone mills and pasta was kneaded in some form of ‘primitive’ kneader.

The process culminated in placing the pasta out in the sun to dry.

The company grew and by the 1940s the second generation was involved, bringing with them the first automatic flour mill from Germany

The original mill opposite Famagusta Gate in Nicosia which was destroyed by fire in 1970. A girl prepares Mitsides pasta in the 1960s while simultaneously modernising the pasta-making process. The first modern pasta making equipment was imported in 1961 from Italy which was followed the next year with the creation of the first Mitsides pasta factory.

Tragedy struck in 1970 which almost brought about the end of the company. A huge fire broke out which completely destroyed the flourmill in the old city.

“The owners didn’t give up and with the unwavering support and help of their employees, immediately began the construction of a new flourmill where the old one had stood,” Mitsides said.

The new mill was up and running two years later, using modern machinery from Italy and with double the production capability.

The running of the business shifted again as the grandchildren took over, introducing new pastas and new technology to improve production.

“Mitsides pastas and flour became number one in the Cyprus market, a place they have kept until today,” Mitsides said.

New factories have been constructed in Dali’s industrial zone along with new central offices and storage areas. They have also bought a flourmill in Aradippou.

But the company’s most strategic move towards foreign expansion was its acquisition of a Serbian company, ‘Zitopromet Bratstvo AD’. The company, which is based just outside Belgrade, has been renamed ‘Mitsides Point AD’ and has recently completed the construction of a new, modern dry pasta factory which produces a daily capacity of 48,000kg.

Mitsides now makes 14 per cent of its total sales from exports, the largest segment of them from contracted sales of flour to Pizza Hut restaurants in a growing number of Middle and Far Eastern countries.

In 2007 Mitsides Public Company

The Mitsides factory in Dali Ltd was listed on the Cyprus Stock Exchange.

The move was part of the company’s vision to “expand the company’s share base, to strengthen man power beyond the close family circle and the most important strategic plan, expansion abroad”, said Mitsides.

It’s all a long way from the small operation started 80 years ago by two brothers with no experience in the flour trade, but Mitsides has no plans to forget where it all started.

Mitsides retains its flour mill in the heart of Nicosia’s old city and has no plans to relocate it.

Growing market in old gold and watches

By Zoe Christodoulides ONE sure sign of the recession is in the growing market for buyers of old jewellery and watches.

BQ Watches of London, the largest buyers and sellers of used luxury watches in the UK, have been visiting Cyprus twice a year for the last ten years. Demand for their services has increased

so much, however, that six months ago they increased their visits to once a month, and are back again next week.

“Custom has increased fourfold since we first began visiting the island. We’ve really noted the difference in this past year,” says owner of the company, Ian Shaffer.

“We travel all around Europe doing this job, from Helsinki to Brussels, but Cyprus is

now one of our most popular destinations.

“There are obviously far more people trying to sell what they have during the recession,” says Shaffer. “I also think that it’s a case of more people being aware of the procedure, we now have a regular clientele with customers who keep on coming back to us.”

The procedure is a simple one. All jewellery and watch-

Koumoullis Lan nguage Centre 49, Kennedy Ave, 1076 Nicosia Tel: 22421970, 22426499

GREEK COURSE Learn Greek by attending a course beginning on Monday 3rd December Organisations and other bodies that have attended the course include the UN Secretariat, the UN Development Programme, the World Council of Churches, the British Army, the British High Commission, the American Embassy, the French Embassy, the German Embassy, the Russian Embassy, the Irish Embassy, the Italian Embassy, the British Council and the French Cultural Centre.

es are inspected by the experts on hand for evaluation.

They will then provide the customer with an estimate of how much it’s worth with an offer made. If the customer is happy with the price, they will be paid on the spot. For fine gold the price is fluctuating around €29 per gram.

“This price is for gold that will be recycled, but if it is something that would be resold in our shop it will be worth more than that,” explains Shaffer. “Twenty five per cent of the jewellery we buy is scrapped and made into new jewels. The other 75 per cent is refurbished and made to look like new and sold in one of our London shops.”

But Shaffer is the most fascinated by the huge collection of designer watches that Cypriots seem to pull out of their jewellery boxes.

“It really is impressive, they seem to be huge on their status watches on the island, more so than any other country that we have visited.”

And vintage watches fetch much higher prices than one would imagine. “In Helsinki some months back we bought a Rolex Submariner watch that dated back to the 1960s for €40,000. It was the same model that appeared in an early James Bond film and the seller was absolutely shocked. That was a rare case of course. But even battered vintage watches can be worth a few thousand euros,” says Shaffer.

A Rolex 5510 is worth in the region of €30,000-€40,000 As for the most desirable pieces that BQ Watches are on the lookout for, Rolex sport watches from the 60s and 70s are of particular interest.

That’s not to dismiss the desirability of precious jewels, with Cypriot ladies having impressed the specialists from the UK Company during past visits with some truly unique pieces from the 1920s and 1930s.

BQ Watches of London are not the only ones who will be arriving this week to get hold of treasured items. The London-based Roadshow EU Company is also descending on the island in search of unwanted jewellery and watches.

All sellers must take along

their ID cards.

BQ Watches The Hilton Hotel, Nicosia: MondayWednesday. 9am-12pm and 2.30pm-6pm. Four Seasons Hotel, Limassol: ThursdayFriday. Thursday 9am-12pm and 2.30pm-6pm. Friday 9am-3pm.

Email: info@ bqwatches.com. Cyprus tel: 22 232411. Uk tel: 0044 (0) 20 8953 4575 Roadshow EU Amathus Beach Hotel, Paphos: Tuesday 10am-5pm. Londa Hotel, Limassol: Wednesday 10am-5pm. Hilton Hotel, Nicosia: Thursday 10am-5pm. Louis Princess Beach Hotel, Larnaca: Friday 10am-3pm. Email: info@ roadshowEU.com. Tel: 0044 (0) 7960165618

7 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

Doing Business in Cyprus True to our tradition, we announce the launch of our new publication Doing Business in Cyprus.

Cyprus for over 40 years offers extensive investment, tax and business opportunities which have established it as a major International Financial Centre.

Oneworld is a major fiduciary and business services firm in Cyprus.

It is part of Group One which includes One Plus Capital ltd licensed

by CySEC, One Plus Family MFO ltd, One Plus Ventures ltd and other affiliated entities.

Our publication can be downloaded from our website or you can contact us to forward a printed copy. Our Head Office details: 75 Prodromou Avenue, Oneworld House, Nicosia Cyprus T +357 22496000 F +357 22493000 reception@oneworldweb.net www.onegroup.net We shall be pleased to hear from you.

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8 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

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Haunting tales from 1942, the ‘hinge of fate’ Poignant anniversaries of the darkest days of the war mark Remembrance Day

By Colin Smith

W

INSTON Churchill called the fourth volume of his history of the Second World War, which covers all of 1942, The Hinge of Fate explaining in its preface: “…because in it we turn from almost uninterrupted disaster to almost unbroken success”.

For those survivors of the campaigns of that year, whether caught up in its defeats or the turning of the tide, today’s Remembrance Sunday is particularly poignant. It comes near the end of a clutch of 70th anniversaries haunted by memories of young men who, given half a chance, would have certainly preferred to grow as old as those that were left grew old.

“Closer than brothers we were,” said Northumbrian Robert Lay at an Alamein service at Westminster Abbey. By the end of the war he was the only one of his first tank crew who was still alive.

Before the twelve days of Alamein (October

23 to November 4) came 1942’s litany of disasters starting with the wave of Japanese successes in South East Asia that, on February 15, culminated in the fall of Singapore. “The worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history,” Churchill called it. About 120,000 prisoners were taken, a third of them British and the rest mainly Australian and Indian.

As Japan consolidated its victories, British forces in the Middle East, which had recently succeeded in relieving the 242-day siege of their garrison in the Libyan port of Tobruk, were depleted to reinforce the Far East. In May Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps struck back and, after a brilliant feint, at last captured Tobruk with 33,000 prisoners. The rest of Britain’s 8th Army fled Libya and regrouped about 60 miles west of Alexandria at the Alamein railway halt in Egypt’s western desert.

Axis forces had never been so close to the Suez Canal. A delighted Hitler made Rommel a Field Marshal and Mussolini flew in from Rome for the expected victory parade in Cairo.

The British managed to hold the Alamein line, the best defensive position along the

Peter Watson, 92, a veteran of the Black Watch who fought at El Alamein, visits the graves of fallen comrades at a service to mark the battle’s 70th anniversary Mediterranean’s southern shore, only to face another setback. This time it was in Europe.

A large scale raid with tank support on the German occupied French port of Dieppe, one of its original planners the newly appointed commander of the 8th Army Bernard Montgomery, turned into a fiasco. Slightly less than half of some 6,000 troops put ashore got back to England. The majority, mostly untested Canadians who were longing to see action, got taken prisoner.

But it was the loss of Singapore to the despised Japanese, who were supposed to be so short sighted they could not fly their aircraft properly, that really hurt. In private the prime minister expressed his doubts about the fighting spirit of its defenders. “They should have done better,” he told his friend Violet BonhamCarter, the liberal politician and writer.

IN MEMORY OF PRISONERS Undoubtedly there were instances of panic and rank cowardice. Yet during Japan’s eight weeks’ campaign down the Malay peninsula and onto the island itself, all the Commonealth unts defending it displayed at times a dogged resistance, the Australians entering the fray with a devastating ambush. There were also moments of great valour. Between them the army, navy and air force collected four Victoria Crosses.

In September this year, Viscount Slim, son of General Bill Slim who eventually led an Anglo-Indian army to victory in Burma, unveiled a monument in Camden’s Mornington Crescent for some 20,000 Commonwealth servicemen and women who were worked or starved to death while prisoners of the Japanese.

Among those present was Toni Garizio, 93, for many years a chef at Le Caprice in Soho.

“We were allowed a pound of rice a day, just rice. That was your three meals. No vegetables, no salt. Now and then you might get a sliver of fish,” recalled Garizio who served with the Cambridgeshires, the last regiment on Singapore to cease fire. “If you didn’t believe you would live, you would die. Yet I sometimes look back on it and think I was very fortunate to meet so many great guys. Really great.”

A few weeks later came the ceremonies held

British soldiers at El Alamein, a turning point in the war

at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery close to the Alamein battlefield. Sucking thoughtfully on his favourite pipe, Major Peter Watson MC, a bent figure in a Back Watch kilt and tweed jacket, inspected row after row of headstones until he found the epitaph he was looking for: George Morrison, aged 22.

Greater Love Hath no Man than this.

He had been besides Morrison when he was killed. “Suddenly he was dead,” said Watson who during the battle’s opening night attack was, compass in hand, one of several young lieutenants acting as navigating officers slightly ahead of the rest of their battalion. “He was a great lad. It affects me now. It didn’t affect me so much then. You just pressed on.”

Almost all of the navigating officers in the 7th Battalion Black Watch became casualties. One was killed and five were wounded.

Watson, who had last seen action at Dunkirk, was hit twice. The first time was in the left hand, but he considered it to be a flesh wound and got somebody to tie a shell dressing around it.

“You didn’t bugger off unless you’d lost a leg or something,” said Watson who would receive a Mention in Dispatches for his behaviour at Alamein. Then, on the second day, another shell burst left him with facial injuries and shrapnel in his legs and buttocks and despite his protests he was evacuated.

The next six weeks was spent in a military hospital in Jerusalem pining to rejoin his battalion in which he would shortly be awarded a Miltiary Cross and finish the war as a major.

Watson emerged from his convalesence into an entirely different war. Churchill’s hinge of fate had irrevocably turned. By November 4, Montgomery, the untried newcomer to the desert who had given Churchill serious cause for doubt, had lost about 13,500 in killed, wounded and missing. Nonetheless, Rommel’s casualties, including prisoners, were almost four times that and he had begun to withdraw. The German Army would never really stop withdrawing.

Cyprus-based Colin Smith is the author of Singapore Burning and (with John Bierman) Alamein: War Without Hate both available as Penguin paperbacks and on Kindle

9 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

World China turns corner on economy

Petraeus resigns as CIA chief after admitting affair Agency deputy to serve as interim boss

By Mark Hosenball and Tabassum Zakaria

ing US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The woman with whom the former CIA director had the affair is Paula Broadwell, according to a person familiar with the matter. She is an author who wrote a biography of Petraeus titled All In.

CIA Director David Petraeus resigned as head of the leading U.S. spy agency on Friday, saying he had engaged in an extramarital affair and acknowledging he “showed extremely poor judgment”.

In a letter to the CIA workforce, Petraeus, 60, said he met with President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday and asked “to be allowed, for personal reasons, to resign from my position”.

“After being married for 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair,” he wrote. “Such behaviour is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organisation such as ours.”

Obama, who was re-elected to a second term on Tuesday, said in a statement he had accepted Petraeus’ resignation, praising him for his work at the Central Intelligence Agency and for lead-

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DRAMATIC EVENTS Attempts to reach Broadwell were unsuccessful. There was no answer at the door of her house in the affluent Charlotte, North Carolina, neighbourhood of Dilworth.

Much about the sudden and dramatic turn of events remained unknown Friday evening, including how long the affair had gone on and what prompted Petraeus to resign now, just days after the 2012 presidential election.

There were indications, however, that the affair was first uncovered a few months ago during an investigation by the FBI. A US national security source said the FBI had stumbled across evidence of

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rule in connection with his admitted affair, sources familiar with the matter said.

The CIA has no broad rule banning officials from engaging in extramarital affairs though, if discovered, liaisons

by CIA personnel with suspected foreign agents would pose security problems for a US agent.

Obama, who accepted Petraeus’ resignation on Friday afternoon, said Michael Morell, the agency’s longtime deputy director, would serve as acting CIA chief.

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US officials insisted the CIA’s handling of the Benghazi incident had nothing to do with Petraeus’ decision to resign.

Petraeus recently travelled to Libya and the Middle East, and had been scheduled to testify about the Benghazi events next week behind closed doors to the House and Senate intelligence committees. Now, he will not give that testimony.

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Petraeus’ affair during an apparently unrelated investigation of news leaks.

Petraeus’ revelation of the affair appeared to end the public career of a widely admired warrior-scholar who played a key role in the Iraq war, led the US Central Command and commanded US and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Petraeus’ name had circulated speculatively as a possible Republican presidential nominee before Obama tapped him as CIA chief. Before taking the CIA post, he retired as an Army general after nearly four decades of military service.

Petraeus led the CIA for only 14 months. His sudden departure threatened to usher in a period of instability at the spy agency, which is grappling with a levelling off in its budget after a decade of steady increases.

The agency is also fending off questions about its performance before and after the attack that led to the death

CHINA announced yesterday it is effectively turning the corner on the economy and likely to meet its growth target for the year, more good news for Communist Party policy makers meeting in Beijing to anoint new leaders for the next decade.

The world’s second-biggest economy had halted a slowing trend, the chief of the economic planning agency said, adding that he was confident GDP growth would exceed 7.5 per cent in 2012 though at the same time warning against complacency.

Zhang Ping, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 18th Party Congress at which outgoing President Hu Jintao said China should double its 2010 GDP and per capita income by 2020, as previous targets have implied.

Hu said China’s development should be “much more balanced, coordinated and sustainable”. The party, which has constantly stressed the need for continued one-party rule, has in recent years tied its legitimacy to economic growth and lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty.

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10 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

World Vatileaks computer expert convicted A VATICAN court yesterday found Claudio Sciarpelletti, a computer expert, guilty of obstruction of justice in the investigation of leaks of sensitive papal documents to the media by Pope Benedict’s former butler.

The same court which last month convicted Paolo Gabriele, the Pope’s former butler, gave Sciarpelletti a two-month suspended sentence.

Sciarpelletti had been charged with aiding and abetting Gabriele in leaking the document, but the court decided he was guilty only of obstruction of justice because he had changed his version of events several times during the investigation.

Gabriele was convicted of aggravated theft at a separate trial last month and sentenced to 18 months in jail for stealing sensitive papal documents and leaking them to the media. He kept some confidential information on his computer.

One of the pope’s closest household assistants, Gabriele admitted leaking the documents in what he said was a bid to disclose corruption and “evil” in the headquarters of the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic faith.

The blunder is another embarrassment for the state-funded broadcaster (EPA)

WORLD TODAY Helicopter crash kills 17 soldiers

UK rape victim apology

By Guy Faulconbridge and Michael Holden A CHILD rape victim apologised on Friday to an ally of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher who had been falsely identified on the Internet as his abuser, after days of furious speculation of a high-level paedophile ring in Britain.

Steven Messham, who had told a flagship BBC show last week he was abused as a child in social care by a leading political figure in the late 1970s, said former Conservative Party treasurer Lord Alistair McAlpine was not among his attackers.

The BBC, reeling from Messham’s disclosure, apologised “unreservedly for having broadcast this report”,

Victim says former Thatcher ally had not abused him and froze all investigations on its Newsnight programme for reassessment.

McAlpine, 70, who served as Conservative treasurer from 1975 to 1990, had earlier been forced to deny a flood of Internet allegations, saying he had been wrongly named in a “media frenzy” as the mystery paedophile.

From the BBC to the police and the National Health Service, some of Britain’s most venerated institutions have grappled with claims they failed to protect children from Jimmy Savile, a former BBC presenter who was unveiled as a prolific child sex

offender in October.

A November 2 report by Newsnight about child abuse involving an unidentified Conservative Party figure, and claims by a lawmaker about a paedophile ring with links to a former prime minister’s aide, propelled the scandal firmly into political circles.

Prime Minister David Cameron commissioned an investigation after the BBC report, and a host of Conservative Party figures - including McAlpine - were named on Internet and social media sites as paedophiles whose alleged crimes had been covered up.

The blunder is another embarrassment for the statefunded broadcaster, which is already facing awkward questions over why Newsnight axed an expose of Savile after

his death last year.

“I want to offer my sincere and humble apologies to him and his family,” Messham said of Lord McAlpine. “After seeing a picture in the past hour of the individual concerned, this is not the person I identified by photograph presented to me by the police in the early 1990s, who told me the man in the photograph was Lord McAlpine.”

McAlpine’s lawyers said they would take “legal action against all media who have defamed Lord McAlpine’s reputation and published defamatory statements”.

Any allegations linking the scandal to the Tories could be damaging to Cameron’s party - which rules in an uneasy coalition with centrists and may tarnish the image of the era of Margaret Thatcher, prime minister from 1979 to 1990.

Cameron has warned that speculation about the identity of alleged abusers could become a “witch-hunt” of homosexuals.

Car bombers kill Syrian security guards in Deraa says watchdog DOZENS of Syrian security men were killed when two explosives-laden cars drove into a military camp in the southern town of Deraa yesterday, an opposition watchdog said, in what appeared to be a double suicide attack.

The first car drove into the camp and exploded, followed by the second vehicle, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement. The detonation of the second vehicle caused the casualties, it added.

Syrian state television reported that two car bombs had gone off at separate locations in Deraa, saying there was “news of casualties among civilians and big material damage in the two places”. It did not mention a military target and gave no further details.

Islamist militant groups have moved increasingly to the forefront in the fight to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

Al Nusra Front, an al Qaeda-inspired group, claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing in Hama province on Monday that the Syrian Observatory said had killed around 50 security men loyal to Assad.

The Syrian government routinely blames foreign-backed Islamist militants for the 19-month-old anti-Assad revolt, in which the Observatory says about 38,000 people have been killed.

SEVENTEEN Turkish soldiers were killed yesterrday when their helicopter crashed in southeastern Turkey due to bad weather conditions including fog, the area’s governor said.

The Sikorsky helicopter crashed on Herekol mountain, in the Pervari area of Siirt province, Siirt Governor Ahmet Aydin said. The victims were members of the country’s gendarmerie special forces and there were no survivors, he said.

The Turkish military has been carrying out operations on the mountain in recent months to flush out militants from outlawed separatist group the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) who have hideouts there.

“Today at 7.15 in the morning in the village of Bilgili around Siirt, we had 17 martyrs - officers, noncommissioned officers and soldiers,” Turkish President Abdullah Gul said in a statement.

At least 27 slain in Sri Lanka prison gunfight AT least 27 people were killed and a senior police officer seriously wounded in a gunfight in Sri Lanka’s biggest prison that began when police came under fire from inmates, officials and police said yesterday.

The army brought the violence under control before dawn and freed staff held hostage at the Welikada prison in the capital Colombo, jail officials and military said.

Twenty seven people have been confirmed dead, prisons minister Chandrasiri Gajadeera told parliament.

The violence erupted when officers from the Special Task Force (STF), Sri Lanka’s elite police commandoes, were searching the jail for drugs and illegal mobile phones.

11 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

World

Fossils, whales and disease : vampires and other monsters explained

There’s a science behind monsters

By Elaine Lies THE SUAVE and sensitive Edward Cullen of Twilight may be the norm for vampires these days, but fictional monsters such as Dracula originally sprang from the fear of inexplicable diseases and the mysteries of death in the natural world.

So argues science journalist Matt Kaplan in Medusa’s Gaze and Vampire’s Bite: The Science of Monsters, an examination of monsters around the world and throughout history - the science behind their origins, and why they matter to us even now.

“When our kids ask for monster stories around the campfire, they are behaving in a way that is not dissimilar to lion cubs,” Kaplan said in an email.

“Lion cubs play fight so they can test out their skills in a safe place where nobody is going to get maimed or killed. Monster stories serve a similar purpose. They allow us to face our worst fears without the risks that are normally associated with them.”

Some are simple. The Kraken tales of mammoth monster squid, along with the Leviathan of the Bible, are most likely based upon the

existence of real creatures such as whales.

The terrifying Medusa of Greek myths, with her hair made of snakes and a gaze that could turn things to stone, may have been distantly connected to the idea of fossils for ancient people, with the snakes in her hair an example of pure fear.

Though mentions of vampire-like creatures exist as early as ancient Greece, it took hundreds of years for tales of the creatures to gradually evolve into the haunting undead of more recent history.

Accounts of people found in their graves with blood on their lips and their stomachs seemingly full, as if they had just eaten, may be explained by simple decay, with gas build-up throughout the body sometimes pushing blood up from the lungs. Elongated canine teeth and fingernails was due to skin shrinking after death and pulling away, making both more prominent.

Later, greater awareness of contagious diseases such as influenza and tuberculosis - which could cause people who came in contact with the ill person to also sicken and die - further contributed to the myth. This was especially true due to incubation periods that weren’t

understood at the time, making it unclear how the diseases were being spread.

“One death would follow another in a domino-like progression,” writes Kaplan. “In a morbid sense, these patients were literally killing their friends and relatives, but from their deathbeds rather than the hereafter.”

But vampires have now undergone a radical transformation, a process that began with the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula but has speeded up in recent years.

“If tuberculosis, influenza, rabies and bloated bodies are the human experiences from which Dracula came, how have we now ended up with the kind, honourable and handsome Edward Cullen?” Kaplan said.

For one thing, modern science has uncovered the mechanism of various diseases, which remain a fear but now appear as their true selves, as in stories such as The Andromeda Strain.

Vampires have also become increasingly charming, transforming their original monster nature into something else.

“In a world where the seemingly most virtuous individuals all too often fall prey to vice, public inter-

Vampires have come a long way: Robert Pattison as Edward Cullen est in good souls battling their own bestial natures is higher than ever, and vampires provide exploration of this,” Kaplan added.

In the future, fears are likely to focus on things like genetic manipulation - think Jurassic Park - and also from technology, with worries about what computers might do with true artificial intelligence looming large.

“What I find most interesting

here is that these monsters really require human participation in their creation,” he said, noting the popularity of films like Avatar and Planet of the Apes, where monsters are the heroes and the humans, monsters.

Why are we so comfortable with feeling elated as inhuman beasts rip apart people? I think a long, hard look in the mirror can provide a lot of answers,” he said.

12 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Opinion AKEL sacrificing our future to satisfy own interests FOR AS LONG as it was in opposition or junior partner in a government coalition AKEL was able to fool people into thinking it was a dependable and responsible political force that worked for the good of the country. But since electing its own president, a little less than five years ago, this myth has spectacularly collapsed and exposed the party’s moral and political bankruptcy. The propaganda techniques AKEL so successfully used for decades to cover up its political dishonesty are no longer working.

It has become crystal clear during the Christofias presidency that the party’s interests, as defined by the AKEL leadership clique, are above everything. Protecting the party’s standing is of paramount importance, which is why more time is spent on deflecting blame away from the government for the mess the country is in than dealing with the actual mess, which would involve taking unpopular measures. These might be what the country needed, but they were never pursued because AKEL did

not want to be burdened with the political cost, preferring the state to sink deeper and deeper into the mire of insolvency. Of course, we were repeatedly told the banks were exclusively to blame for the financial meltdown and not the infallible Christofias government, as if this justified its criminal inaction.

Two reports that appeared in Alithia newspaper on successive days last week revealed AKEL’s devious attempts to avoid signing a memorandum of understanding.

The state and the banks may have desperately needed financial assistance, but for the party it was more important for its president not to be debited with the signing of an unpopular bailout agreement. According to one of the reports, the AKEL Central Committee had decided at a meeting in early October that the government do everything in its power not to sign a bailout until the February elections.

A new request was put to the Russian government for a loan of one billion euro - as the request

Cyprus Mail

for the five billion euro loan had been rejected - a fact confirmed by the AKEL boss Andros Kyprianou during a trip to Moscow.

This amount, combined with non payment of any state dues (also part of the Central Committee decision) would cover public sector wages and see the government through to February without signing a bailout. What would happen to the banks, in the absence of a bailout until March, was of no concern to the AKEL comrades.

Needless to say, AKEL said the report was “a figment of the imagination, completely unsubstantiated and false” but was it? On the contrary, it is perfectly consistent with the stalling tactics of the government since it was forced to request financial assistance in June.

The first Alithia report was even more damning. It argued the government had decided to award the most sought after plot (eight bids) in the second round

for gas exploration licensing to a Russian-French consortium in which a subsidiary of Gazprombank – GPB Global Resources BV - was participating, as a sweetener for securing the billion euro loan from the bank. While this is speculation, it goes some way in explaining why the consortium’s bid, which was ranked fourth among eight applicants by both the French consultancy firm and the commerce ministry’s committee carrying out separate evaluations, was awarded Block 9.

The bid was not the most financially beneficial for Cyprus, a point raised on Friday by a Cyprus University academic who was a member of the committee of experts, but the Council of Ministers justified its decision by citing other criteria such as national security.

Strangely, the other three plots in the licensing round were awarded to the companies which received the highest evaluations; Blocks 2 and 3 were awarded to the ENI (Italy) - Kogas (South Korea) consortium, which also received the highest evaluation for its bid on

Block 9. Its evaluation mark was 278 while the Total-GPB-Novatek consortium’s was 220, so why did it lose out?

As it was good enough to be awarded Blocks 2 and 3, it satisfied the ‘other’ criteria which the government cited to justify awarding Block 9 to the fourth best bid. If it did not want ENIKogas to end up with three plots it could have given Block 2 or 3 to the second-highest bidder (differences in evaluations were small), but giving Block 9 to the fourth best, is suspect.

In short, the government has undersold our most sought-after offshore plot because this might assist AKEL’s and the president’s scheme to avoid signing a bailout.

It is scandalously contemptible behaviour, but what we have come to expect from a government of self-serving and small-minded communists, who have shown time and again during the last five years that they have no qualms about sacrificing the country’s future for the narrow interests of their party.

Letters to the Editor Future generation is crying out for change Cyprus holds the Presidency of the European Union, which is no mean feat. Well done for meeting the challenge, proving to the sceptics that it has upheld its responsibilities and political understanding in such uncertain political/financial times.

Let us hope that this new found standing for one of the smallest members of the Union is not wasted and as a nation, Cyprus moves forward in looking after ALL of its citizens, no matter what their creed, colour, belief, sexual orientation, if not it will prove itself as a ‘hypocrite’ and show how far it has removed itself away from its very origins of the Greeks and what the ancient Greeks contributed to our world in the form of democracy and fairness.

Time for change! Change to human rights by protecting the vulnerable and moving away from one of the thing that continually holds this nation back and that is its ‘mentality’. Many of the future generation are crying out

for change, some just want to leave having lost hope. Will it ever be possible that we can have confidence in our legal system, our police force, our local government offices, our media that is not tainted by narcissism, cronyism, and where employers are held to account in the way they treat their workforce.

Is there still a future for the Cypriots that are not based on the Russians, the Chinese or any other nation, but on its own merits? It built itself up as one of the top tourist destinations, yet it has lost all sight of quality, value for money and hospitality. Behind the veil lays the hidden Cyprus that seems to go out its way to ‘take advantage’ in whatever forms it chooses. It takes courage, transparency and determination to move things forward, let us hope that during its time of presidency of the EU, that it addresses many of its home issues as well as those that remain external.

Paul Thomas, Limassol

German magazine’s so-called Cyprus revelations are old news So, the weekly German magazine Der Spiegel raises the rather old subject of Cyprus and money laundering by informing us that Germany’s intelligence agency BND has prepared a report about Russian oligarchs who have “parked” their illegal earnings in Cyprus, and it is they who will benefit from any bailout that Cyprus receives from the EU. This so-called revelation is made as if it is some new and wondrous discovery, but what’s new in the world?

Russians (and Ukrainians) have been parking earnings in Cyprus for many years. Only a week or so ago, President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine confirmed that Cyprus is the largest foreign investor in Ukraine. Cyprus had that honour for the three years I worked in Ukraine until 2001. Cyprus is also well up there with the leaders for investment into Russia.

All such monies are of course from Russia and Ukraine in the first place and are simply funds cycled back into the two countries by their Russian and Ukrainian handlers.

Are such funds laundered? Money laundering (“the procedures performed to conceal the source(s) of funds obtained by illicit means”) generally requires the

complicity of several parties. As neither the Russian rouble nor the Ukrainian hryvnia are convertible currencies, the funds parked in Cyprus will be US$ or other international currencies and the “laundering” process may well, therefore, have been carried out before the funds are transferred to Cyprus and are unlikely to be any less legal than similar funds used to, for example, to acquire an English football club.

I think it safe to say that Vladimir Putin is fully aware of who has moved what to Cyprus.

What is a tad surprising about the BND report is the figure of €20 billion supposedly deposited here. I would put such a sum at a multiple of that amount, or are they suggesting that there is actually €20 billion right here on the island at this moment in time which would seem very unlikely.

The powers that be in the EU, bless their little socks, are all too aware of all of this and have been from day one, in much the same way they well know that Greeks evade tax annually in the order of €40 billion and, therefore, no “bailout” would be required if taxes were paid by Greek citizens.

Similarly, the EU are well acquainted

with the extensive tax evasion practised in Cyprus, together with the excessive cost of the over-bloated public sector, etc.

However, following the time-honoured manner in which inept organisations such as the European Commission function, we will very soon start a prolonged faffing around with much hand ringing by Christofias and his henchmen and sabre rattling by the unions resulting in, eventually, some sort of totally inadequate financing arrangement by the EU being agreed on.

Without a radical change in the way Cyprus manages its affairs this will be followed with further so-called bailouts in the future. As all political parties here appear intent on maintaining large and inefficient public services, radical change isn’t even on the horizon.

Further loans from Russia will simply exacerbate the already disastrous state of affairs.

In the meantime the average Cypriot will continue to suffer, although since so many Cypriots are on the government gravy train “Mr. Average” is probably in the minority.

Brian Lait, Maroni

Medicines and broken promises Cypriots will struggle like everyone else Fools in April I must agree with Cyprus Mail web commentator, John Mavro.

We are being led-on on the supposed drop in medicine prices.

First the CM wrote that the reduced prices for medicines would be introduced in November 2012. Next it was reported that the relief would commence “early in 2013”, now though that date too is in question.

May the Lord take these promises/lies from those incompetent lawmakers and pharmacists into account when they meet their Maker especially with the number of deaths this “pantomime” is causing due to the fact that people cannot afford to pay for life-saving-medication and have to make do with the inferior medication prescribed by the hospitals.

I am still waiting patiently for instructions in packets of medication to be clearly printed in any added European language, (EU Law), other than Greek. How many people’s health has been negatively affected through not being able to read the side effects, at least in English?

Diane Best, Limassol

I was living in Cyprus quite happily for ten years. Despite my suffering as an alien, many dirty dealings at the hands of most locals, l still quite like the island, and may return someday.

I look forward to the removal of local government at the hands of the EU, and the installation of governance and systems that will guarantee title deeds in accordance with every civilised EU country, good central accounting practice, and an end to corruption.

I am sure that then the country will again rise to be of an acceptable international standard.

Good practices will inevitably deal with the currently hidden €4.5 billion hole left by developers double-selling properties to buyers and banks, and establish proper first-world systems of property conveyance.

Cypriots will have to wake up to struggle like everyone else to make an honest living, no matter who you are or who you know. The EU doesn’t care what political, family or secret service connections you may think you have.

Maybe after the first ten years of adherence, they can become used to being parented, because they have proven to be entirely incapable of running their own affairs. For the second time in 40 years, they have destroyed their own country.

The new, strict rules that come with rescue will be vilified. The naughty child will cry, scream blue murder and be destructive when punished for its crimes.

Dr Tom Davies, formerly of Paphos,

I have just been reading your article in ‘Tales from the Coffee Shop’ November 4 regarding Antonis Prokopiou Kitas (otherwise known as Al Capone) and his so called hit operation on the AG Petros Clerides.

If the article in the paper is true then Mr Kitas made one glaring mistake. He picked the wrong date to announce the operation.

He should have waited until next year April 1, 2013.

Eric Hallam, Larnaca

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13 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

Opinion

Mitt Romney’s reality check Among senior aides to Romney, a belief developed that he was on the cusp of victory. Their conviction had no basis in the poll results Comment Jonathan Schell

T

HERE is a kind of war underway in the United States nowadays between fact and fantasy. President Barack Obama’s re-election marked a victory, limited but unmistakable, for the cause of fact.

Events in the days leading up to America’s presidential election provided a stark illustration of the struggle. Among senior aides to Republican challenger Mitt Romney, a belief developed that he was on the cusp of victory. Their conviction had no basis in poll results.

Nevertheless, the feeling grew so strong that aides began to address Romney as “Mr President”.

But wanting that to be true was not enough for them to make it true. It would be as close to becoming president as Romney would get, and he apparently wanted to enjoy it while he could, however prematurely. Then, on election night, when the television networks projected Romney’s defeat in Ohio and therefore Barack Obama’s re-election, the Romney campaign, in a further denial of fact, refused to accept the result.

A very awkward hour passed before he accepted reality and made a gracious concession speech.

The same disregard for reality has been the hallmark not only of the Republican campaign but of the entire Republican Party in recent times. When the Bureau of Labour Statistics issued a report in October showing that the national unemployment rate remained “essentially unchanged at 7.9 per cent”. Republican operatives sought to discredit the highly respected BLS. When polls showed that Romney was falling behind President Barack Obama, they sought to discredit the polls.

When the non-partisan Congres-

‘Of all of the Republicans’ unreal beliefs, their full throated denial of human induced climate change was surely the most consequential’

sional Research Service reported that a Republican tax plan would do nothing to foster economic growth, Republican Senators muscled the CRS into withdrawing its report.

These refusals to accept matters of plain fact reflect a still wider pattern. Increasingly, the Republican Party, once a fairly normal political party, has granted itself a licence to live in an alternate reality - a world in which George W Bush did find the weapons of mass destruction that he had thought were in Iraq; tax cuts eliminate budget deficits; Obama is not only a Muslim but was born in Kenya and thus should be disqualified from the presidency; and global warming is a hoax concocted by a cabal of socialist scientists. (The Democrats, for their part, have had one foot in the camp of unreality as well.)

UNREAL BELIEFS Of all of the Republicans’ unreal beliefs, their full-throated denial of human-induced climate change was surely the most consequential. After all, if left unchecked, global warming has the potential to degrade and destroy the climactic conditions that underlay and made possible the rise of human civilisation over the last ten millennia.

Romney, as governor of Massachusetts, had expressed belief in the reality of global warming. As a presidential candidate, however, he joined the deniers - a switch made clear when he accepted the party’s nomination in Tampa, Florida, in August. “President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans,” Romney told the Republican convention, and then paused, with the expectant smile of a comedian waiting for the audience to catch on to the joke.

It did. Laughter broke and built.

Romney let it grow, then delivered the punch line: “And to heal the planet.” The crowd cracked up. It

On election night, when the television networks projected Romney’s defeat in Ohio and therefore Barack Obama’s re-election, the Romney campaign, in a further denial of fact, refused to accept the result. A very awkward hour passed before he accepted reality and made a gracious concession speech (AFP) was perhaps the most memorable and lamentable moment in a lamentable campaign - a moment that, in the history now to be written of humanity’s effort to preserve a livable planet, is destined for immortal notoriety.

There was an astonishing sequel.

Eight weeks later, Hurricane Sandy struck the New Jersey shore and New York City. Its 14-foot surge of seawater was backed by the sea-level rise already caused by a century of global warming, and the storm’s sweep and intensity was fuelled by a warming planet’s warmer ocean waters. That tide of reality - what Alexander Solzhenitsyn once called “the pitiless crowbar of events” - burst the closed bubble of Romney’s campaign, its walls breached as decisively as

those of lower Manhattan and Far Rockaway.

In the contest between fact and fantasy, fact suddenly had a powerful ally. The political map was subtly but consequentially redrawn. Obama swung into action, now not just a suspect candidate but a trusted president whose services were sorely needed by the battered population of the East Coast. Eight of ten voters, as polls showed, viewed his performance favourably, and many declared that the impression influenced their vote.

In a surprising, politically potent twist, New Jersey’s governor, Chris Christie, who had been the keynote speaker at the Republican convention at which Romney had mocked the dangers of global

warming, turned out to be one of those impressed with Obama’s performance, and said so publicly.

The American political world - not only Republicans, but also Democrats (albeit to a lesser extent) - had fenced out huge, ominous realities. But those realities, as if listening and responding, entered the fray. They voted early, and they may very well have swayed the outcome. Earth spoke, and Americans, for once, listened.

Jonathan Schell is a Fellow at The Nation Institute and a visiting fellow at Yale University. He is the author of The Seventh Decade: The New Shape of Nuclear Danger © Project Syndicate, 2012

Those Russian billions have caused our downfall Comment Loucas Charalambous OUR DEMAGOGUES have gone wild because the German press took an interest in the huge amounts of money that Russians have deposited in our banks.

But what did the Germans write that caused such offence?

They expressed the view that the €2 billion the German taxpayer would have to give in financial assistance to Cyprus, could be used to protect the ‘illegal money’ that Russian oligarchs had put in our banks.

They also wrote about moneylaundering by Russian and other companies in Cyprus.

The indignant reaction of our political demagogues was difficult to comprehend, considering they said nothing that was not common knowledge. It did not stop presidential candidate Giorgos Lillikas from saying:

“The articles are completely groundless and serve political expediencies. There are Russian deposits in Austria.”

Is this a new form of logic?

How does Russian money in Austrian banks prove there are no suspicious deposits in Cypriot banks? And has Austria asked for bailout money from the German taxpayer? This is the inadequate logic of a man who wants to become our president. But he has no other argument.

House president and Lillikas backer Yiannakis Omirou immediately unearthed “groundless and defamatory allegations against Cyprus. Even Eva Papakyriakou, the head of MOKAS rejected the allegations of the Germans claiming they “are serving the interests of the competitors of Cyprus”.

But Ms Papakyriakou is the last person who should question information of the type published in Germany. Her de-

partment turned a blind eye back in the ‘90s when Laiki Bank and the Milosevic companies, set up and run by the Tassos Papadopoulos law office were bringing to Cyprus, in plastic bags, tens of millions of dollars belonging to the Serbian people, and thus violating UN sanctions. With such a record why is it strange or ‘defamatory’ for the Germans to suspect that money-laundering takes place in Cyprus.

There is another aspect to the Russian deposits that amount to between 20 and 22 billion euro, exceeding the Cyprus’s GDP. Everyone is in awe of them and terrified of the prospect of losing them. True, given the mess our economy is in, the banks would have to close down tomorrow if some Russians decided to withdraw a small proportion of these deposits.

But we should consider that in reality, these deposits, proved the main cause for the bank-

ruptcy of our banks. If we did not have these deposits, our gold-fingered bankers would not have had an abundance of money to lend with the greatest ease in Greece and Cyprus to clients who could not repay and to big local companies like supermarkets and others that had been insolvent for years.

The bankers gave out the loans so they could boost earnings from interest in their books and show profits (non-existent as has been proved) of hundreds of millions so they could be rewarded with the type of bonuses paid to executives of big banks abroad.

Easy credit was how we ended up with five times the number of shops our economy could sustain with the result that now there are ‘To Let’ signs on half Cyprus’ buildings. This was why we see more Mercedes and BMW cars on Nicosia’s streets than on those of Berlin, the population of which is ten

times bigger. You see on our streets, kids of 20 driving luxury cars worth 60 or 80 grand thanks to the crazy ‘financing’ schemes offered by our banks without checking the incomes or the repayment ability of the borrower. The banks were mindlessly offering unjustified loans like these thanks to the Russian deposits.

This is what the ‘troikans’ have been seeing and they are wondering why the taxpayer of Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia, where people earn between 300 and 500 euros a month, should bail us out for our profligacy.

We may be infatuated with the Russian deposits, but we should not forget that in the hands of our incompetent and irresponsible - perhaps corrupt as well - bankers, they were like explosives that blew up our economy. If we had never had them we would not be in the mess we are in today.

14 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Opinion

Ignoring the advice of experts While we’re busy battening down the hatches, those responsible for our economic mess know they will escape the day of judgement Comment Hermes Solomon

A

LTHOUGH fast asleep half a kilometre away from the source of the noise, I am awoken at dawn in our school mid-term holiday abode by the constant roar of labouring diesel engines. Container trucks, nose to tail, are climbing the steep hill adjacent to the Vasiliko power station - the odd unladen truck flying by on an outside carefree lane before 6.00 am.

The roar fades to intermittent by 7.00 am, both lanes busied instead by saloon cars, double cabins and vans delivering their mostly solitary and impatient occupants to work.

By comparison to the UK, Belgium, Holland and Germany, whose motorways are jam-packed all day and most of the night, traffic flows fast and freely throughout our tiny motorway network, although bottlenecks are not uncommon on entry into Nicosia, where the Laiki Bank head office glances cynically sideways at the Athalassa Avenue/ Nicosia-Limassol highway T junction.

Strangely, for me, that early morning cacophony implies that our economy has yet to collapse completely - after all, the number of unemployed here stands at 12 per cent, only half that of Greece and Spain. To further substantiate the implication, the fridges and cupboards at our town residence

are still bursting with produce, as are supermarket shelves. You’d think, what with all this hue and cry about rising prices and unemployment, that half the population would be on the breadline by now.

And so they would were it not for the heroic efforts of today’s finance minister, Vassos Shiarly, who has laboured ceaselessly since last March for reality to prevail beyond the vote searching sycophancy of point scoring politicians and our self-glorifying EU-inflated president.

After watching the recent RIK1 interview between Mr Shiarly and Mr Kareklas, I took a leaf out of Mr Shiarly’s book and asked my wife if I could check out the contents of the brimming fridges and kitchen cupboards with the same zeal as he inveigled the truth from our banks and civil service prior to his first meeting with the troika, promising my wife that I would, in keeping with the modus operandi of the dapper and doggish minister, not coerce her with lies, sex or sleazy videos to permit me unrestrained access.

We all know how touchy wives can be when their fridges are foraged by other than themselves; I can’t find a thing in ours! They’d rather die than be accused of wastefulness, although on foraging, I discovered that twenty per cent of the items stocked therein were well past their sell-by dates some by much more than a month and others by two or three weeks only.

Sell-by dates mean little to the hungry; most processed (bottled, tinned or vacuum packed) food can be consumed safely several weeks or months late. Nevertheless, we decided to bin anything a month or more old and devour the

A full fridge: the festive days of yore

remainder with ‘friends’ pronto.

Unfortunately, Mr Shiarly is having trouble binning well pass their sell-by date bank bosses, doubtful developers and under-employed civil servants, who now live in dread of having to pay full whack towards social charges on troikaproposed reduced salaries, bonuses and pensions.

We, hoi polloi, innocent of any wrongdoing, find ourselves battening down the hatches, emptying the spoils derived through easily accessed credit from our pantries and fridges, concentrating what’s left of our finances on essentials, when those, not only responsible for this mess, but for criminally irresponsibly perpetuating it, persist

in the certain knowledge that they will escape the day of judgement nor ever go to a jail, where they can play Monopoly with paper money instead of people’s lives.

Greece’s debt-load is rising much faster than expected as the country spirals into a sixth year of depression, ratcheting up the pressure on Germany and Europe’s creditor states to accept debt-forgiveness for the first time.

Their previous prime minister, Papandreou abdicated when matters went beyond his control. He must have known what was coming from the troika and decided to vacate his post in favour of someone more patriotic and courageous.

You could argue that by not ab-

dicating, our president is truly patriotic and courageous. But then he knows that he’s only got a few months of his term to run and he’d prefer to secure a full pension, bonuses, etc. with his social security card fully stamped up no matter the mess he leaves to DISY. By our president playing hideand-seek with the troika and refusing to permit Mr Shiarly to do his job properly, this bankrupt economy might remain so for many years to come.

He, and his party, AKEL, have yet to take the blame for any of the many bungles committed during this past four and a half nightmare years of sloppy government. AKEL holds 19 out of a total of 56 seats in the House of Representatives yet the five other political parties combined have done little to stop AKEL ruining the country.

Vassos Shiarly was born in London in 1948. He studied accounting at the LSE, in Europe and at Wayne State University in USA. Before returning to Cyprus in 1985, he was senior manager at Coopers & Lybrand (now Price Waterhouse). He joined the Bank of Cyprus Group in 1989 and in 2010 was appointed group chief general manager. In December 2010 he was elected chairman of the board of directors of the Cyprus anti-Cancer Society. In November 2011 he was appointed chairman of the Cyprus Health Insurance Organisation followed by his appointment in March 2012 as Minister of Finance.

He is responsible for implementing the second round of austerity measures in order to optimise the Cyprus economy.

Our EU-inflated president was born in the village of Dikomo in 1946. He studied at the Institute of Social Sciences and the Academy of Social Sciences in Moscow - he’s a social worker!

Panicos Onisiphorou Demetriades was born in Limassol in 1959.

He is the proud owner of a dozen or so PhD theses in economics from as many top flight UK universities.

He is a member of the European Central Bank governing council.

In May 2012 he became governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus.

Pick any two from the above three to save Cyprus, then kick yourself for having voted at the last presidential elections for the one you left out!

International dimensions of the Syrian crisis Comment Andrestinos Papadopoulos IT DID not take long for the Arab spring to reach Syria, after Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Here, as well, in a traditional region of conflicts, two factors played an important role: religious and tribal differences. Of the population of Syria, 74 per cent are Sunnis, 10 per cent Christians and the rest Druze and other minorities, among whom are the Alawites who govern Syria through their Alawite president, Bashar al-Assad.

Since March 2011, the crisis has assumed the dimensions of civil war with un-

foreseeable consequences not only for the region, but for the international community as well. It is of interest to know how the crisis is affecting the stance of those countries which entertain relations with Syria and play a role in Middle East affairs.

Turkey readily comes to mind because of the recent escalation of military activities. Their friendly relations with Syria belong to the past. Turkey’s change in attitude is based on her wish to secure political influence in the post-Assad era and show solidarity with her mostly fellow Sunnis. Consequently, Turkey supports openly the Syrian opposition, offering refuge to the members of the National Syrian Council, arming the Free Syrian Army and accepting thousands of Syrian refugees on her territory.

In response, President

Assad has allowed the reestablishment of PKK bases on the frontiers with Turkey.

The Kurdish question is of serious concern to Turkey.

Her big fear is the creation of a Kurdistan consisting of Kurds from Iraq, Syria and Iran.

Concerning the possibility of a direct military intervention in Syria, it should be mentioned that Turkey would need to secure the support of the Arab states - Saudi Arabia and Qatar in particular - avoid the opposition of Russia and Iran and bear in mind that Syria might use its chemical weapons.

For a better understanding of Turkey’s action in the Middle East, reference should be made to her ambitions to become a regional power. Turkey has been encouraged to pursue this goal by her economic strength (the sixth economic power

in Europe, and 16th in the world), the diminished influence of the USA in the region and the negative stand of Europeans towards her accession to the EU. These ambitions, however, are limited by Egypt’s dynamic return to the international scene, and its opposition to Turkey’s hegemony in the region. Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi has already asked President Assad to relinquish power and proposed the creation of a quartet (Egypt-TurkeySaudi Arabia-Iran) to solve the crisis.

On the opposite side are the supporters of Syria: Russia and Iran. Russia, the erstwhile ally and supplier of arms to Syria has a naval base in Tartous, which allows it to have an important role in the affairs of the Middle East and explains the support for President Assad.

As far as Iran is concerned, it should be mentioned that Syria is the only country among Arab states with which Iran has excellent relations. On the one hand Iran is using Syria in order to strengthen the Shiite community of Lebanon, by sending arms and money to Hezbollah, whereas on the other hand Syria is benefiting from Iran’s commitment to undermine Israel.

Finally, concerning any intervention by the United Nations, once again the international organisation has proved its weakness in fulfilling its mission whenever the permanent members of the Security Council disagree: in this particular case, the pro-Syrian stand of Russia and China. The resignation of Kofi Annan and the lukewarm statements of his successor, Lahtar Brahimi testify to the fact.

The repercussions of the

Syrian crisis will be felt not only regionally, but also internationally. Already, the spillover of the crisis has affected neighbouring Lebanon, where the antagonism of pro-Syrians and anti-Syrians threatens the delicate balance achieved after a long civil war between Christians, Sunnis and Shiites.

Moreover, if the Sunnis prevail in Syria, the Shiite axis running from Iran through Iraq and Syria to Lebanon will lose a link. Finally, success or failure of political Islam will have repercussions not only in the region, but also in the Muslim countries of the Balkans, the Caucasus and central Asia.

It is for these reasons that we follow closely the developments in Syria.

Dr Andrestinos Papadopoulos is a former ambassador of Cyprus

15 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

Opinion uotes of the week “The best is yet to come”.

President Barack Obama in his re-election victory speech

“My ambition is to stop climate change, which is the most ridiculous ambition you can ever have”.

Labour peeress Baroness (Bryony) Worthington

The EAC’s assets are estimated at over €1.7 billion

Privatisation, a simple solution Selling off CyTA and the EAC is an example of a very basic, easily understood, concept in economics: opportunity cost Comment Costas Apostolides

O

NE CAN be forgiven for being confused about the prospects for the economy in Cyprus, because listening to the politicians and economists debating the issues generally present a fog of words, clouding the simple truths and leading to depression and apprehension.

Things become clearer, however, if you come back to basic concepts of economic theory and practice.

One key to understanding economics is the concept of “opportunity cost”. This basically says that if I spend my money on one thing (ie a new car) the cost is what is foregone (ie the abandonment of the family holiday). In other words the real cost of spending money on one thing is not being able to enjoy the benefits provided by the other options I had before the decision was taken.

This principle simplifies things when it comes to the confused debate on the economy because the concept of “opportunity cost” allows us to see the choices more clearly, and to take appropriate positions, something that the Cyprus government still fails to do.

This week has provided a good example of how this concept can be used. The example shows how Cyprus can overcome its present problems quickly and effectively with the minimum of assistance from the EU and others, notably with respect to how to recapitalise the banks owing to losses expected in Greece.

At present, Cyprus and the European Commission are both disputing with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) what the requirements for recapitalisation of Cyprus banks are, with the former assuming around €5 billion and the latter

double that (€10 billion). This spread further depression, as everyone pondered how on earth such enormous sums (especially the IMF’s) can be repaid.

Then, all of a sudden, there was light at the end of the tunnel, as it also arose that the government was disputing whether state organisations such as the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CyTA) and the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) should be sold off or privatised.

President Christofias is on record as being steadfastly against such a move, stating that since they are profitable why should they be sold? The media has reported that CyTA is reputably worth between €4 billion (government figures) or €2.5 billion (troika figures). No figures were stated for the EAC, whose assets are estimated at over €1.7 billion.

‘If the value of CyTA and EAC approximates the assessed requirements of the banks, then the government could solve most of the problem by privatising them’ In other words most of the lower estimate for bank recapitalisation (€5 billion) could be paid simply by privatising CyTA and the EAC. Furthermore that would be at no cost to the economy, and could make the organisations better by improving efficiency. Government revenues from siphoning off profits would not necessarily be lower, and there would

be the revenues from taxation, possibly from taxation arising from increased activity (an additional gain).

Coming back to the concept of “opportunity cost”, the government and trade union insistence on keeping CyTA and EAC under state ownership is at the cost of burdening the economy with massive loans, and maintaining unemployment at very high levels. The lost generation of unemployed could become the lost future for everyone, as demonstrated by the European Commission projections for the economy of Cyprus which depict “deep recession”.

If the value of CyTA and EAC approximates the above assessed requirements of the banks, then the government could solve most of the problem by privatising them, and at the same time nationalising the Bank of Cyprus in addition to the Cyprus Popular Bank which is already nationalised. With a little luck the economy should recover more easily than at present, sovereign debt would be kept below 100 per cent, and the stabilisation of the banks would enable the government to gradually sell its bank shares to get some of the money back.

Even in the event that the banks require €10 billion then privatisation is still a good option, because it resolves the immediate problem, and gives time for the European Central Bank to get its act together and in 2014 to support the banks, relieving the government from much of the cost.

Seen in terms of opportunity cost, the insistence on keeping CyTA and EAC in state ownership presents a very high cost to the economy in terms of the loss of the opportunity to deal with the current problems effectively. This opportunity would provide stimulation and growth, reduce unemployment and lessen the tax burden for everyone.

Costas Apostolides is chairman of EMS Economic Management Ltd (costas.a@highwaycommunications. com)

pocket, it would probably not be legal”.

Sir David Attenborough, hits out at laws banning children from collecting birds’ eggs and fossils

“Vote for me. I am not a liar. I am not a thief. I am not a whore. And I am not a politician. I think that uniquely qualifies me to become president of the United States”.

Actress Roseanne Barr who ran her own White House campaign

“I don’t believe in it. It’s a carrot, but it is the worsttasting carrot I have ever tasted in my whole life. I don’t want this carrot”.

Hollywood star Joaquin Phoenix rejects the idea of an Oscar for his latest film The Master

“You know you almost set light to my mother”.

Sir Michael Parker recalls what the Queen once told him when he arranged a fireworks party for the Royal Family “I am a few sausages short of a barbie”.

A jet-lagged Prince of Wales on his arrival in Australia

“I’ve been trying to get out of this from the very moment I got into it. But they won’t let me go”.

Actor Daniel Craig on playing James Bond “He should preach with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other”.

The outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, offers advice to his successor

“Eating grubs and performing humiliating tasks on air are not consistent with being an MP - unless you’re retired, or desperate”.

Former Tory MP Louise Mensch lambasts her exparliamentary colleague Nadine Dorries for taking part in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!

“If you were to pick up a feather and put it in your

“I would describe myself as an excellent driver. I am aggressive. You need to be, otherwise you get nowhere, especially in London”.

Tamara Ecclestone, daughter of F1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone “An amphitheatre featuring scenes of abandon that might make Caligula blush”.

Michael Cole, former royal reporter and Mohamed Fayed’s one-time spokesman, recalls his years at the BBC during the 1970s

16 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

News Review Money laundered

THE government came under more pressure on Monday following a report in the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel which described Cyprus as a moneylaundering haven.

Citing a confidential report by Germany’s intelligence agency BND, the magazine said Russian oligarchs who have “parked” their illegal earnings inside the country stand to benefit most from an EU bailout of Cyprus.

The government swiftly dismissed the article as slander saying it complied with all EU anti-money laundering legislation.

Soldier killed

THREE British tourists appeared before Famagusta District Court on Monday in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 19-year-old British soldier during a nightclub brawl in Ayia Napa.

Fusilier David Lee Collins from Manchester died minutes after being stabbed in the chest after a fight broke out early Sunday morning, and just hours before he was due to be deployed to Afghanistan with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers The suspects, two of Pakistani origin and the third of Somali descent, were taken into custody minutes after the stabbing, kept in separate police stations before appearing in court on Mon-

Traffic chaos: blackouts on Thursday caused mayhem on the roads as traffic lights failed (Christos Theodorides)

Soldier killed, energy troubles day morning. They were remanded for eight days.

DISY ahead

DISY leader Nicos Anastasiades maintains an as yet unassailable lead ahead of next year’s presidential elections, the latest survey has shown.

The results of the poll, published by Phileleftheros on Sunday, gave Anastasiades a 20 per cent advantage over AKEL-backed candidate Stavros Malas, and a 10 per cent edge over independent Giorgos Lillikas.

Gas sweetener

LAST WEEK’S decision to award an offshore gas exploration licence to a consortium which includes a subsidiary of Gazprombank may have been a sweetener for a hoped-for Russian loan to keep the government afloat until the end of its term, reports said on Tuesday.

Daily Alithia said the Cabinet’s decision to award the Block 9 licence to a consortium including GPB Global Resources BV (a Gazprombank subsidiary) was clearly a political decision designed to sugar-coat a request made by Cyprus for a €1 billion loan from Russia.

But according to the paper, the loan would not come from the Russian government per se, but rather from Russian banks involved in the Block 9 project.

This consortium’s bid was ranked fourth by the evaluation committee consisting of government technocrats and experts.

Price fall delay

THE HEALTH ministry’s promised price reductions in medicines will be effective some time within February due to a delay, health minister Androula Agrotou said on Tuesday.

Agrotou said that changes in the prices of medicines had been expected in January.

But she told parliament yesterday that a problem had arisen with the company tasked to update the price lists and so pharmaceutical services would do it themselves.

Forged invoices

POLICE have questioned two men linked to the Nicosia bus company OSEL in connection with forged invoices worth around €90,000, as investigations continued on Tuesday into claims of fraud.

The pair were arrested on Monday, around a week after police visited the company offices in search of evidence.

One of the men was released the same

AKEL denied the party had decided to reduce the state’s operation to a minimum to save money so President Demetris Christofias would not have to sign a bailout

day, the second was freed on Tuesday.

Neither was charged.

Police suspect a company official had been issuing fake fuel invoices worth around €90,000, which were later presented to the state for payment.

UCY med school

OPPOSITION DEPUTIES in the House Education Committee on Tuesday decided to withdraw the legal proposal freezing supplementary funds for the establishment of a Medical School by the University of Cyprus (UCY).

Ruling AKEL welcomed the move but called it a “disorderly retreat” of the opposition groups after trying to put the whole project in the freezer.

The medical school is expected to welcome its first students in September 2013.

Long slump CYPRUS will stay mired in recession through this year and next with higher unemployment persisting well into 2014, the European Commission said on Wednesday in its autumn forecast.

The unwelcome news came on the eve of the arrival of international lenders, the troika, who arrived on Thursday and resumed negotiations on Friday with the

government on a bailout deal.

According to the EU’s forecast, the island will see its €17.9 billion economy contract by 2.3 per cent in 2012 and by another 1.7 per cent in 2013.

Stalling denied RULING AKEL on Wednesday denied a press report that the party had decided to reduce the state’s operation to a minimum in a bid to save money so that President Demetris Christofias would not have to sign a bailout deal.

The party said the report was a blatant lie and part of the mudslinging campaign launched by opposition newspaper Alithia, which claimed that a gigantic, yet unseen, effort was underway to find money for salaries and pensions to last until February, the month of the elections.

Popular CyTA A LOW-PAID entry-level job at telecommunications authority CyTA this year attracted over 3,000 more applicants than it did when last advertised two years ago.

About 4,400 people applied for one of the 100 positions in customer service and sales, jobs paying €8 an hour with

QUOTES OF THE WEEK “The report of the BND ND [Gerency] man intelligence agency] shows who will profit most of all from the billionss in European taxan payer funds - Russian oligarchs, businesspeople and mafiosi who have parked their illegal earnings in Cyprus” Der Spiegel “We can’t use German taxpayntee ers’ money to guarantee ussian deposits of illegal Russian anks” money in Cypriot banks” Carsten Schneider a Gerrat MP man Social Democrat “A deal before 2013 will likely be difficult” nistry German finance ministry spokesman Martin Kotthaus

“They are not supposed to go to Ayia Na Napa but it’s got to be wrong that he would have been safer in Afghanistan than in nigh a nightclub in Cyprus” Bri A British soldier quoted th Daily Mail after by the the stabbing of Fusilier Da David Lee Collins “I know on a daily b basis, some children are breaking their sandwiches in half and sharing it with t other children” the President of the Paphos municipali social welfare municipality committee Maria Zavrou T community is “It is weird. The distressed … nothing like this hap has ever happened before” Panayiotis Tyrimou, mukhtar a of Kellia after a Turkish flag appeared on the church

“I don’t want to feel tight in the classroom. It’s more comfortable wearing a tracksuit” A pupil from Nicosia’s Pancyprian gymnasium calling on the school’s management to let them wear tracksuits instead of jeans at school “Any worsening of the economic situation in Greece remains a significant downside risk for Cyprus as well as any further needs of recapitalisation for domestic banks” EU Commission in its autumn economic forecast “The minister [Commerce Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis] basically barked at me in front of everyone. That’s something I cannot put up with.

If I’m not appreciated, what’s the purpose of staying on?”

Energy chief Solon Kassinis (left) on why he’s quitting the state hydrocarbons company

very few benefits, CyTA told the Cyprus Mail on Wednesday.

And although people generally tend to come and go in those jobs, viewing them as temporary stop-gaps, fewer people have been leaving over the last two years, the company said.

Election work

THE INTERIOR Ministry on Wednesday called on unemployed university graduates to apply for temporary jobs during the presidential elections next year.

The ministry hopes to staff the voting centres on election day on February 17, 2013, and if necessary on the following Sunday in a runoff vote, with some of the unemployed graduates who made up the near 40,000 jobless figure recorded last month.

Power cuts

MAJOR power cuts caused by separate problems hit the capital Nicosia, Limassol and other areas on Thursday causing chaos on the roads for hours, and keeping police and fire services busy.

No injuries or damage were reported despite dozens of calls for help from people trapped in lifts.

No sooner were things getting back to normal in Nicosia after a fault at the Athalassa sub-station caused a twohour outage, than lightning struck a turbine at the Electricity Authority of Cyprus’ (EAC) main power plant at Vassilikos, plunging most residential areas of Limassol and several other areas islandwide – including parts of Nicosia for a second time - into near darkness at 4.30pm. Supply began to be gradually restored to affected areas from 5pm onwards, the EAC said.

Kassinis quits ENERGY chief Solon Kassinis said on Thursday he had resigned from the state hydrocarbons company KRETYK, citing concerns over the company’s role and scope.

It later emerged, however, that tensions between himself and Commerce Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis may have prompted Kassinis’ decision to walk away.

Kassinis’ intention to step down comes just a month after he and three others were appointed non-executive directors in tandem with the company’s official unveiling.

Kassinis cited certain ‘problematic’ clauses of KRETYK’s articles of association, in particular that which empowers the entity to monitor commercial contracts between the state and other companies.

17 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

Coffeeshop

The latest conspiracy against Kyproulla ‘made in Germany’ THE INTERNATIONAL headquarters for the plotting and development of conspiracies against our long-suffering Kyproulla has moved from London to Berlin, events in the last couple of weeks seem to suggest.

Nobody could say whether the move is permanent, because for the duplicitous Brits it is a matter of prestige having the ‘Conspiracies Against Kyproulla HQ’ (CAKHQ) in their capital, a happy reminder of their glorious colonial past. But with the Cyprob dead and buried there is no real scope for the hatching of sinister plots against the Greek Cypriots.

Now that our problem is money, the Germans, who have lots of it, inevitably have taken charge of the foreign scheming against the island of sunshine and martyrdom, informally assisted by the Yanks, who run the inhuman, neo-liberal IMF. Back in the days of the Cold War, the CAKHQ was in Washington, as any Soviet-worshipping Akelite would tell you, but the Yanks eventually lost interest in us, allowing central plotting to return to London.

Such is US indifference to us now that the need for a just and fair settlement of the Cyprob was not mentioned once during the televised Obama-Romney election debates.

BACK to Berlin, where the first salvos against Kyproulla were fired by the most prominent member of the Merkel government, finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble 10 days ago.

Schaeuble was asked whether the raising of Cyprus’ corporate tax would be a condition for providing financial assistance. He said euro group members had been making this demand ‘very forcefully’ and the Cyprus government was aware of it.

His diplomatic response was only the start. A couple of days later, the authoritative German weekly Der Spiegel published a report which confirmed that the latest conspiracy against Kyproulla was, like our beloved BMW, made in Germany.

The German intelligence service BND, according to Der Spiegel, reported Russian deposits in Cyprus banks amounted to $26 billion and the island still offered “opportunities for money laundering”. We had given citizenship to some 80 Russian oligarchs, thus giving them access to the entire EU, the BND source told the magazine.

Der Spiegel concluded that the financial assistance given by the EU and IMF to shore up Cyprus banks would go towards protecting the Russian oligarchs, “who have parked illegal income in accounts,” in Kyproulla.

This proves the theory that jealousy of Kyproulla has always been one of the strongest motivating factors of international conspirators, be they Yanks, Anglo-Saxons or Huns. Of course, the Huns get jealous when they know that we own more Mercs and Beemers per head of population than they do.

HUN politicians have also jumped on the anti-Kyproulla bandwagon.

A Social Democrat MP was quoted

by Der Spiegel as saying that before any bailout was approved “the country’s business model must be addressed.”

Carsten Schneider said: “We can-

ed tha that she had come well as well.

Ther There have been THE REAL AL question is other troika females in film clips and phowhy does someone choose led Tiny Kox? It tograp to be called tographs but none might nott mean anything of them had the star guage, but at the in his language, quality or the elegance here he is working, of dear De C of E, where Delia. Sigma TV’s aise a few econom it must raise economics corresponden laughs. His full ent, who knows artinus a name is Martinus as much about e Josephus Maria economics as Kox. Calling comrade Tof, himself Maria Petra Argyrou, would be betreported on Friter than Tiny, day night that given the surDelia was ushname. ered into the finance ministry tthrough the back M O R E d T H A N door, presumably to avoid the pho30 trou-tog blesome tographers and cam Troikans cameramen waitinvaded ing for her. nd Ar the island Argyrou, who was ek for this week formerly known th as Petroulla but armed with ch industrial changed her name to Petra, in order quantities -Ex tto have more auof Tipp-Ex h to th with which thority when she re delete alll the re-invented herself as an economics red lines that our nt has expe government expert, claimed that Deli drawn. Of course Delia violated the rnment min our government ministry protocol by g will fight till the going in through a b bitter end to proback door. EveA and ryon tect CoLA ryone had to go Poster girl: the IMF’s thro comrade Tof’s through the recepDelia Velculescu was y. tion and give their 13th salary. spotted on the island cred Semi-official credentials, reported yesterday after keeping uthpiece, Petro Tof mouthpiece, Petroulla proud that a low profile g Gnomi she h weekly rag had uncovered a major scandal. set the tone with page banWho knows, we may a front-page ine urging be abl ner headline able to get a court ce, people”. to decl “Resistance, declare the bailout e called on agreeme The article agreement null and void because a member of the people to “resist the troika di terrorism of the Gerdid not enter the d their local finance m mans and ministry through the righ lackeys” and not allow right entrance. sionary baila “recessionary AT LEA out to be imposed.” As LEAST the Troikans practice victims of hundreds of what they es we deserve preach. Tw conspiracies Two of them were seen carry a growth bailout. carrying six-packs of Ayios Nico It is not only the comNicolaos bottled wanalistic henchter in the H rade’s journalistic Hilton lift to their bedrooms. They did not men who believe this. want to pay the extortionYesterday DIKO deputy ate price th Angelos Votsis was arguthe hotel charges for the 500m ing that as the austerity 500ml bottle of water provided in the mini-bar. measures have failed whery were imposed I suspect that any drinks ever they they take ffrom their room’s (this is an AKEL propaganda mini-bar tthey pay out of message adopted by all our ), the troika should their own pocket. They politicians), oulla for a new exshould include such a provision for use Kyproulla periment – the bailout should Cypriot officials sstaying abroad, cha focus on creating conditions who probably charge hookers to ment and growth, their hotel bills, in th of development the bailout agreeur country had its ment. because our culiarities.

Staying on the issue iss unique peculiarities. of travel exosses have also penses, the Troik Union bosses Troikans could also proulla’s unique scrap the €200 per diem allowance cited Kyproulla’s es our comrade pre peculiarities to argue president collects t ik proposals l ffrom th against the troika the ttaxpayer ffor every day he is that would diminish their powers. abroad, even though all his expensThe only unique peculiarity we can es – hotel, food, travel – are paid for really boast about is the embarrass- by the taxpayer. It could be a red ingly high number of people with line for the government, like his 13th very low IQ in positions of authority salary. speaking on our behalf.

EDEK’S Marinos Sizopoulos came WHATEVER happened to the IMF’s up with a great description of the poster girl Delia Velculescu, whom troika on a morning radio show cameramen and photographers yesterday. He called it a group of love? We did not see a single pic- ‘loan sharks’ and was so proud of ture of her since the arrival of the his sound-bite he repeated it three troikans even though it was report- times. if we have to deal with the big cocks of Berlin.

not use the German taxpayer’s money to guarantee deposits of illegal Russian money in Cypriot banks.”

On Tuesday, German daily Die Welt attacked us, describing poor old Kyproulla as “a tax haven and playground for money launderers.”

The paper claimed that our Central Bank was on the verge of giving a banking licence to the Federal Bank of the Middle East, which has a bit of a money-laundering reputation in exchange for the bank renewing a €240 million loan it gave to our government, beyond the November 4 cash-in date.

Die Welt concluded its article by saying that “European donors will find it difficult to tell their voters that their tax money would be used to protect the foreign assets of Russian millionaires and billionaires.”

OUR GREATEST and most fearless foreign and local conspiracy-buster Spy Kyp may have passed away but his legacy lives on. Our politicians united to resist the Kraut conspiracy against our country, sending the message that ‘we might be broke but we have not lost our will to fight for a low corporate tax.’

Leading the resistance was AKEL chief Andros, who showed heroic defiance to the horrible Huns. “We will not give in to any threats, no matter where they come from,” said the courageous Android on Tuesday, before warning the Germans that if they mess with us we would take the whole euro group down with us.

“Germany needs to keep the euro group united as much as we need the support of the troika. If they think they can cause problems to the Cyprus Republic, other countries would follow which would affect their (Germany’s) standing.” The cocky Krauts, said the Android, wanted “to impose their views on the entire EU and take all the wealth of Europe.” So far it is Europe that has been taking all the wealth of Germany, but factual reality is never allowed to slip into Akelite propaganda.

THE ANDROID’S heroic warning was made after a meeting he had with the visiting chairman of the Party of the United European Left in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, who has the rather unfortunate name of Tiny Kox. Tiny Kox, a Dutch politician, expressed his admiration for comrade Tof and called for respect of national sovereignty by the EU which “should not tell its members what they should do, how they should do it and with what speed.”

The support of Tiny Kox is welcome but it will not be much help

I do not want to be accused of being a defender of loan sharks, but at least they do not tell you how to spend the money they give you, because they have ways of ensuring your loan repayments are made promptly. Add to this the fact that the interest rate on the money the troika will lend us will be less than half what the Cypriot banks, which are supposedly not loan sharks, charge us.

SPEAKING of banks the Governor of the Central Bank Professor Panicos and his lieutenant and AKEL apparatchik Spyros Stavrinakis are really turning the screw on the top executives and directors of the Bank of Cyprus.

Stavrinakis is constantly demanding reports and explanations for every decision the bank has taken, calling in directors for questioning and applying pressure on them to resign. B of C directors fear that Professor Panicos is working on instructions from AKEL to get rid of the old directors and replace them with government appointees as the first step in an effort to bring the bank under state control.

The directors cannot think of another explanation for being treated like criminal suspects by the professor. Ironically, Dr Panicos is not half as tough with Laiki, which is not just much deeper in the merde than the B of C, it is technically bankrupt.

Not only has he not been giving a hard time to its top executives, but one of our metrios-drinking customers, who works as a waiter in a Nicosia restaurant, saw Dr Panicos having lunch there with the Laiki CEO Christos Stylianides.

Stylianides was Andreas Vgenopoulos’ right hand in the period when the Greek con-man led Laiki to insolvency.

AKEL and the government have been offering total protection to Vgenopoulos, blaming the banks for our economic mess, but never the man in charge of the bank. He must have made big contributions to the party and the Tof election campaign to enjoy such a level of protection.

WHEN Commerce Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis announced the second round of licensing for offshore oil exploration, he said that contracts with the successful bidders would have been signed at the end of 2013 by the new government.

Now the government has announced that the contracts would be signed before comrade Tof leaves office in February. Why? If it were any other government, we would have said that it wanted to sign the contracts so it would take millions in commissions. But this is an AKEL government and we all know that communists are not only honest, they are incorruptible.

I suspect they want to sign before the comrade leaves office, to ensure licensing is done honestly and above board. They should get moving because there only 105 days left of Tof’s incorruptible presidency.

LAST Thursday’s power cut was due to a technical problem and was not ordered by the troika as a way to save money, as some people claimed.

Being loan sharks, they may resort to power cuts when we fail to make our loan repayments on time, but we can worry about that next year, if we agree a bailout with the Troikans and the German terrorists.

18 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

World in pictures

Chanel’s creative director Karl Lagerfeld poses before the opening of his photo exhibition Little Black Jacket (AFP) Victoria’s Secret model Candice Swanepoel during the 2012 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York

(AFP)

Naked volunteers perform for US photographer and artist Spencer Tunick in Mexico (AFP)

US President Barack Obama celebrates after delivering his acceptance speech in Chicago

(AFP) Russian soldiers wearing Soviet Union WWII military uniforms take part in a rehearsal of a military parade on Red square

Crosses dedicated to soldiers killed in combat in Afghanistan in the Field of Remembrance, Westminster Abbey

A rowing boat on the Tiber river as night falls over Rome and St. Peter’s basilica (AFP)

A petrol bomb explodes next to riot police during a demonstration against austerity measures in Athens (AFP)

Pupils of a Japanese high school pose for the camera in front of the ‘Hinterlandmauer’, at the memorial site of the Berlin Wall (AFP)

19 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

Feature

K-Club takes London by storm Sister act: (from left) Kourtney, Khloe and Kim

Watch out, Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian landed in London this week to launch their fashion line there. Kor blimey, says Maxine Frith

Kourtney (left) and Kim Kardashian with Philip Green in London. The Kardashian Kollection is to be stocked at his Dorothy Perkins stores

WHAT’S WITH ALL THE Ks? Blame “momager” Kris Jenner’s mother, Shannon Houghton. She loved the letter so much she named her daughters Kristen (soon shortened to Kris) and Karen. And so the clan began. Kris took up the gauntlet, marrying lawyer Robert Kardashian (who defended OJ Simpson) in 1978 before producing Kourtney (now 33), Kim Where it all (32) and started:

Kim

28-year-old Khloe.

Brother Rob escaped the curse but following Kris’ divorce from Kardashian and subsequent marriage to former Olympic athlete turned businessman Bruce Jenner, daughters Kendall, now 17, and Kylie, 15, were added to the brood. And Kim has continued the tradition. Her whirlwind 72-day marriage to basketball player playe Kris Humphries questions about raised qu whether they shared anything more mo than the 11th letter of tthe alphabet as an initial, while wh her current roKanye West has mance with w them the nickname coined th Kimye. the trend seems to But th skipped a generahave sk has named tion: Kourtney K her two children (with boyfriend Scott Disick) boyfrie Mason and Penelope, is married to while Khloe K basketball player Lamar basket Odom.

Odom

WHY DO WE KARE? The seventh s season of family’s reality show, the fa Keeping Up With the Keep Kardashians, is on now Kard and earlier this year the e clan signed a $40 million si deal with wit E! for another two serie series. The family have allowed literally every allo aspect of their wealthy Californian lives to be Californi captured on camera – from

Momager Kris with second husband Bruce Jenner

Kylie’s first period to Kris’ extramarital affair, Kourtney giving birth and Kim’s marriage breakdown.

But how did it all begin?

Well, once upon a time a beautiful girl (Kim) became best friends with a blonde princess (Paris Hilton) and met a dashing rapper called Ray J. Departing somewhat from the fairytale, Kim fell out with Paris and split up with Ray J. In February 2007 a homemade sex tape Kim and Ray J had filmed found its way into the public domain and was released by Vivid Entertainment.

Canny Kim sued Vivid and eventually settled for a reported $5 million. E! spotted the family’s entertainment potential and in October 2007 the first episode aired.

HOW MUCH KASH?

An eye-watering $1 billion, making the family’s wealth equivalent to the entire GDP of Tajikistan. Their TV earnings are just the tip of the iceberg, with multimillion-dollar deals and endorsements for everything from diet pills to cupcakes and sponsored tweets to a debit card called, naturally, the Kardashian Kard. Kim, Khloe and Kourtney’s hugely popular clothing range, the Kardashian Kollection for US store Sears, includes denim and plus-size off-

shoots and had sales of $200 million last year.

It was launched at Dorothy Perkins stores across the UK this week after the sisters struck a deal with boss Sir Philip Green. There’s the nail varnish (Kardashian Kolors) and even a shop in Las Vegas, Kardashian Khaos.

Pop culture expert Natalie Rotman said: “The Kardashian ladies are ultramedia savvy. They are like a Sex and the City reality show. There is the pretty one who dates around (Kim), the loud one who married an NBA champion (Khloe) and the smart one with the not-so-smart baby daddy (Kourtney).”

According to Forbes business magazine, Kim is now the second-highest-earning woman on American TV after Modern Family’s Sofia Vegara. Even brother Rob, who is dating Rita Ora, is now getting in on the act with the launch of a sock range this month. And as their canny manager, Kris takes 10 per cent of everything they earn. Now that’s what we call keeping it in the family.

MEET THE KRITICS In June Dr Helen Wright, headmistress of St Mary’s Calne, told an education conference that Kim summed up “almost everything that is wrong with Western society today”.

Not so, said columnist Camilla Long, who wrote she would take Kim over K-Middy any day, adding: “Sure the girls of St Mary’s

Calne can be taught to impersonate the Duchess of Cambridge for fees of £30,000 £30 000 a year, year but is not hard-working Kim a better role model?”

KOULD IT ALL BE OVER? It has to be said that all is not well in the house of Kardashian. They are facing a $5 million class action from customers who say the girls have lied about the QuickTrim diet pills they endorse. And long-suffering Bruce recently spoke about his discomfort with the constant oncamera sex talk.

But with three spinoffs the

brand is going from strength to strength.

Proof of their place in American society was highlighted by a recent episode of a US quiz show in which contestants were asked to guess the most popular answer to the question: “If the US had a royal family, who would it be?” While the Kennedys topped the list, the second most mentioned name was, yes, the Kardashians.

Kendall and Kylie Jenner in Las Vegas.

20

SUNDAY MAIL •

Lifestyle

IT’S DIGITAL,

Fabrics that change colour at the touch of an app, ‘magic mirrors’ playing catwalk footage, shop assistants who know your tastes before you do… If you thought e-commerce was just about shopping from your sofa, think again. Julia Robson on fashion’s final frontier Brave new world: Burberry’s 360 world live show in Taipei

HIS September, Topshop’s S/S 2013 show was the most watched in fashion history: 2.5 million Topshoppers, most of whom were not at London Fashion Week in person, engaged with the live-streamed extravaganza created in collaboration with Facebook. As soon as looks came down the runway they could be shared with friends and purchased.

The show’s soundtrack could be downloaded, as could behind-the-scenes live footage and make-up tutorials. Not being at the show was probably more fun than being there. The result was three million tweets: ‘…Loving the military-inspired outerwear, use of velvet and leather.

Wow!’ ‘Peaked caps, highheel lace-ups with brothel creeper soles and those rucksacks. Want it all!’ and more than 400 million Facebook impressions. That’s some marketing.

Live streaming is not a new concept. Five years ago - an age in digital time - Rosanna Falconer, 27, then a digital strategist for the British Fashion Council, championed the idea. She is now head of digital marketing at Matthew Williamson, and is amazed at how fast things have moved in the intervening years. “When I started at the BFC, Twitter was only a year old and platforms such as Instagram didn’t exist.

Initially it was a daunting prospect for an industry accustomed to being behind closed doors, exposed only

T

biannually to the public with a perfectly choreographed show. Now we rely on digital media so much that if a brand doesn’t have presence online, it doesn’t exist.”

Hot on the heels of music and publishing, fashion is an industry on the brink of a technological transformation. “We are at the crossroads of fashion and technology,” explains Rachel Arthur, marketing editor of the WGSN trend forecasting service. “I compare this moment to the 1960s when design underwent a seismic shift to youth,” agrees David Wolfe, creative director of Doneger Group, a New Yorkbased fashion consultancy and forecasting service. “It’s the only thing happening in fashion that is new, really truly new.”

Also in September, at the Diane von Furstenberg show in New York, ‘wearable technology’ featured on the runway. Models wore ‘Google Glasses’, augmented-reality headsets containing smartphone functions including a camera, which Google is still in the process of developing but that hint at what might come.

“Technology can make a customer feel connected to a brand 24/7,” says Kate Ormrod of UK retail analyst Verdict. “It can give a brand personality.” Luxury brands and high street chains have both been quick to invest in e-commerce

Alison Loehnis

and are building a presence on sites such as Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Facebook.

“Aurora Fashions [Coast, Oasis, Warehouse], Urban Outfitters and M&S are retail-

ers already doing this, and we expect more to follow in their wake,” says Ormrod.

This summer, the luxury conglomerate PPR announced a collaboration with the online fashion platform Yoox to manage e-shops for many of its most high-profile brands, including Alexander McQueen and Saint Laurent.

“Technology has moved on so rapidly in the past five years, brought on by softwear costs dramatically coming down and smartphones becoming incredibly powerful and cheaper,” explains Philip Delamore, who heads up a team of multi-disciplinary academics, designers and computer scientists at the London College of Fash-

ion’s Fashion Digital Studio (FDS), a centre for technology innovation founded in 2003. Working with forwardthinking brands including Hussein Chalayan and Cassette Playa, they create innovative products such as softwear sensors embedded in fabric that can change prints or colours when triggered by an iPhone app, and a mobile app that mimics a body scanner with a view to solving the thorny issue of sizing.

Technology is changing the way we shop, as well as the way we interact with brands.

The trailblazing new London flagships of Burberry and McQ enable customers to learn about the brand and products like never be-

fore. McQ customers in its Dover Street store can view still-life lookbooks on tablets then ‘throw’ the images on to giant interactive walls and watch them come to life as moving images on the big screen. Burberry’s seven-metre main display screen is the tallest in-store TV screen in the world, and the brand was also one of the first retailers to use radio frequency identification (RFID) tags embedded in clothes to trigger videos on ‘magic mirrors’ instore that become a screen showing footage of how it was made or how it appeared on the catwalk.

The trailblazing Net-a-Porter e-shopping site changed the fashion landscape nearly

Le click, c’est chic! Digitally directional Condé Nast’s US GQ MAGAZINE used imagerecognition technology cover-to-cover via the Aurasma app to bring its September issue, the biggest and most important of the year, to life.

NET-A-PORTER will soon be exclusively selling a Richard Nicoll handbag with an inbuilt phone charger (right).

In April, HARRODS launched an online magazine specifically for iPads (left). With an emphasis on beauty products, it features images of models you can ‘virtually’ make up, using the store’s new beauty ranges. The magazine has resulted in an additional

4,000 customers a month. wned US denim e-tailer SHOPBOP - owned

by Amazon, the world’s largest inped ternet retailer - recently developed a video game likened to the hit app Angry Birds, following a move by riak val Yoox.com to introduce ‘speak &shop’, which enabled customers to ow shop by voice command (eg, ‘Show me pink!’). bTo celebrate its first birthday in Febdruary, MR PORTER staged a worldre wide augmented mobile ‘treasure d hunt’ via the GoldRun app, played dacross five cities, with prizes includs. ing Lanvin sneakers and APC jeans.

Y’s Spring 2013 will see BURBERRY’s ‘Customer 360’ service trialled in urstores. Personal data, including pur-

chas chases made anywhere our d comme ours, styles and wi will be able to be ‘re vi bile as y via your mobile s stores. You will the rrected to areas i tthey think you’ll ou’ll like A ntly laun ASOS recently tw ps: ‘Fash two new apps: ion Up’, a weekly kly digital m xclusivemagazine exclusively ai one and aimed at iPhone iPad users, where ere you can read reviews ws from othe rs, and other customers, ‘Dail ‘Daily Edit’, which has the t d feel look and of an app but is actually a website solely olely

21 November 11, 2012

DARLING Future visionaries: Diane Von Furstenberg and Google co-founder Sergey Brin at the practice run of her wearable technology show

‘Technology has moved on so rapidly in the past five years, brought on by softwear costs dramatically coming down and smartphones becoming incredibly powerful and cheaper’

Tech heads: Matt Mills from Aurasma and Rosanna Falconer with Prince Charles (left)

15 years ago. The site was founded in 1998 by former Tatler fashion editor Natalie Massenet, who was frustrated at the lack of stockists for her favourite designer jeans. It has subsequently spawned myriad rivals and niche e-sites. But is there a danger that if fashion gets too technological the whole experience could become less personalised? “Not at all,” says Alison Loehnis, Net-a-Porter’s managing director. “Technology is amazing. It makes it happen. We used Aurasma [an image recognition iPhone or iPad app that triggers a portal that ultimately clicks into a moving image on your mobile] for projects

such as the Karl launch [the first designer brand ever to be launched online].” Net-aPorter also used installations within shops in fashion capitals, which could be ‘brought to life’ via Aurasma apps on customer phones. “Now we’re looking into virtual changing rooms for jewellery and eyewear.”

“The interesting thing will be to see what’s next in terms of new ways to engage with customers,” says Shea Warnes, social media manager at advertising agency Bartle, Bogle, Hegarty (BBH) whose global clients include

Burberry and Google. “You’ve got to be like Steve Jobs, giving people what they don’t know they want yet. Digital is moving faster than people.”

“It’s an evolving landscape,” agrees Jeremy Langmead, edi-

brands

in the world, sizes, colents left on the website, ead’ by staff you enter en be din-store e. nched hd

smartp for smartphones.

VO During VOGUE’S FASHION NIGHT OUT in New York in September, Bloomingdale’s collabw orated with Microsoft on an installation that encoura encouraged customers to tag Twitter posts, w which were then projected on to a rice paper ((a dress (above).

HERM HERMÈS’ collaboration with computer artMig ist Miguel Chevalier, ‘8 Ties’, will take the Maud Adams form Title of anrole: installation in Selfridges WonR der Room.

The project (right) will include eig metre virtual reality wall projecan eight tion, with visitors’ movements activating ‘Bina ‘Binary’ tie designs on the wall.

tor-in-chief of Mr Porter, Neta-Porter’s online menswear sibling, launched in February 2011. It has just developed the ‘TUX’ app for the iPad, which includes a guide to creating the perfect cocktails, a film with master tailors Brioni, a guide to party etiquette and

perfect chat-up lines.

Online fashion company Asos was launched in 2000 as a product placement business, selling items worn by celebrities (‘As Seen On Screen’). It now offers 50,000 branded and own labels, many not available elsewhere online, and attracts 16.6 million unique visitors a month.

Social media plays a major part in Asos’ interaction with customers and accounts for soaring profits (in March its revenue leaped up by 33 per cent). A fifth of all its traffic comes via mobiles. “That said, mobiles are still mainly used for browsing, rather than shopping,” says Asos editorial and design director Duncan Edwards.

Myf Ryan, the UK general manager of Westfield, agrees about the importance of digital technology. “It’s one of Westfield’s key strategies,” she says. Recent examples include Future Fashion, an event staged at both London malls, which featured giant 106in LCD touchscreens that combined products from more than 100 retailers, giv-

ing shoppers the opportunity to create outfits on a moodboard shared on any number of digital channels.

“We are still benefiting from the Facebook collaboration in terms of customers ‘sharing’ information with friends,” says Topshop’s Justin Cooke. “Whereas once a show was seen by a small number of people, and trends took months to filter into magazines, the sharing of information has changed this to hours.”

Rosanna Falconer agrees: “The fashion consumer has developed an appetite for fast access to every aspect of a brand. A wise brand should value its online audience. And it is not just about final purchase; today, a brand’s online audience has the power to influence its reputation.” She is closely watching ‘social shopping’ websites such as Motilo.com, which enable people to shop together in real time using video. “This allows you to answer the perennial question ‘What shall I wear today?’ from your sofa, with the help of all your friends.”

22 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Business & Jobs

We need to talk to our lenders This is the time we need to use logical and persuasive arguments to defend our case

By Averof Neophytou THE CYPRIOT economy is a services-based economy and has traditionally relied on a few economic sectors for its development and growth such as the services sector which includes financial, legal, accounting, consulting, and banking - which has been the most dynamic sector but is now in dire straits - and the tourism sector whose significance has gradually declined over the past decade with maybe the exception of this year and last year.

Cyprus has no industrial base and no manufacturing capacity. The construction sector, which had a major impact on economic growth a few years ago, has been adversely affected by the crisis due to falling external demand, restricted access to credit, and over-supply.

Data released by the Statistical Services on November 8 for the first eight months of 2012 indicate a 31 per cent reduction in the total square

metres constructed in comparison to the first eight months of the previous year.

Agriculture and farming do not play an important part in the economy any more. Thus, the only sector that offers a prospect of growth for the Cypriot economy is services.

As is well known, Cyprus has applied to the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund for financial assistance. The suggested troika measures will contract our banking sector and cause it to shrink. In the coming years we will witness our banking sector becoming smaller so clearly there can be no growth prospects in this sector.

Tourism and hospitality are important exporting sectors and big employers. However, in recent years, the tourism sector has experienced a gradual erosion of both price and non-price competition.

The reasons for the loss of competitiveness, as identified by the troika and presented in their proposals in the adjustment programme, are “due to

JOB OPPORTUNITY The world class Elea Estate Golf is an 18, Hole prestigious golf course, which is situated on the edge of Geroskipou, Paphos and is the first phase of the premier development which will comprise of: hotel, spa, real-estate and golf of the highest standard.

We are seeking a certified mechanic with experience with agricultural and or turf machinery for maintenance and service purposes. A highly motivated person with preferably leadership skills, who will be able to communicate, essentially in English and Greek, would be an advantage. The person would possess acquired skills in hydraulic, auto-motive electrical systems and diesel/petrol engine maintenance and repair.

high labour costs, outdated terms and conditions of the collective agreements for hotel employees and the CoLA, high electricity /energy costs, high tariffs applied for the central sewage system and water supplies, high cost of food and other hotel supplies, more difficult access to bank financing, excessive red tape in the granting of licences and permits, as well as restrictive provisions of the bilateral air-service agreements”.

The sector offers no prospect for growth in the immediate future, or at least not until competitiveness issues are resolved.

The only sector that offers a potential for growth for Cyprus is in services. All kinds of financial, legal, accounting, and consulting services have been the driving force for growth of the Cypriot economy in the last two decades.

The business services sector brings in more balance of payments income than tourism.

In 2010 exports of business services amounted to 10.6 per cent of GDP whereas tourism income was lower, at 10.1 per cent. This trend was also confirmed in 2011. Furthermore, the business services sector is a bigger employer than the tourist industry. In 2010 more than 40,000 people were employed in the services industry whereas the tourism sector employed about 28,000.

If the corporate tax rate is increased, it is very likely that those companies that use Cyprus as base for operations could move, and this is despite the fact that Cyprus’

Tourism is doing better but it’s not going to be the saviour of the economy main competitors have a much higher corporate tax rate. This is due to the difference between the nominal tax rate and the effective tax rate.

Normally the effective tax rate is much lower than the nominal rate, due to numerous exemptions and deductions provided in various tax systems. Even though Cyprus has the lowest corporate tax rate in the EU at 10 per cent, it is strongly competing with other jurisdictions with a much higher rate. In the 2010 Doing Business Report, Cyprus is classified at number 37 in the ‘Paying Taxes’ category. In the same report many European countries with corporate tax rates higher than Cyprus are classified in much favourable positions. Thus, preserving the current corporate tax rate is essential for maintaining the country’s status as a regional centre for the provision of such services.

In addition, the recent discovery of hydrocarbon reserves in the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone is considered as a focal point for the economic prospects of Cyprus.. But in order for Cyprus to enjoy the full potential of

The successful candidate will be responsible for the day to day running of the workshop and managing his /her own work programme.

Ensuring all machinery is serviced and maintained to manufacturer’s specifications. Keep up to date records of machinery service history using computer generated records. Have excellent knowledge of Health and Safety regulations and a full driving licence with practical skills of using plant machinery including excavators and tractors of various categories would be advantageous.

preferably UK qualified, for a Limassol company/corporate law firm. Must be fluent (written/spoken) in English and Greek and computer literate.

If you have the necessary skills, experience and enthusiasm to succeed in the role, please apply in writing with your CV details to: admin@eleaestate.com, tel: 26202006, 26202001

Apply with CV to Marinella Kilikitas by email: marinellak@mk-legal.com or by fax 25755686

Currencies USD GBP CHF JPY AUD CAD SEK

09-Nov-2012

1,2740 0,7961 1,2009 101,19 1,2130 1,2634 8,4237

1,2816 0,8009 1,2105 102,00 1,2373 1,2887 8,5922

02-Nov-2012

1,2860 0,7993 1,2022 103,09 1,2294 1,2723 8,5310

1,2937 0,8041 1,2118 103,91 1,2540 1,2977 8,7016

TRAINEE LAWYER REQUIRED

26-Oct-2012

1,2896 0,8005 1,2049 103,14 1,2416 1,2750 8,6001

1,2973 0,8053 1,2145 103,97 1,2664 1,3005 8,7721

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

USD 0,18 0,21 0,26 0,31 0,53 0,87

EUR 0,02 0,06 0,10 0,13 0,27 0,53

such an economic recovery it is essential that the country offer tax certainty so that foreign and local investors can rest assured.

In recent weeks, we are observing an increasing number of articles and publications in the international press regarding Cyprus’ low corporate tax rate, and the pressing need of some European governments to amend it so that an adjustment programme is approved by their parliaments. Special attention has been given to statements made by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on the issue.

But if we carefully read his statement, Mr Schaeuble does not state that this is the position of Germany. He merely says that he is aware that certain member states have this demand, and they feel strongly about it.

We need to understand that Germany is not a servicebased economy. They have a huge manufacturing and industrial capacity and produce all sorts of high quality electronic devices, cars etc.

They do not have much to gain if Cyprus raises its corporate tax rate. The countries that will gain are the rival jurisdictions that offer similar services to Cyprus. And we know who our competitors are within the European Union.

So confronting and opposing one of the most powerful people in the eurozone just because he’s telling us what we already know is not in our favour and does not serve any purpose. What we need to do is convey our positions and arguments to the Germans and try and convince them.

Besides, Germany will be the biggest contributor of financial aid to Cyprus. The last thing they want to do is

GBP 0,49 0,50 0,51 0,53 0,70 1,08

CHF 0,00 0,01 0,01 0,03 0,12 0,32

lend money to a country that will have no prospect in exiting the crisis. If we can convey our position that maintaining the corporate tax rate is essential for the economy and its growth prospects, then the Germans could support us. But doing the contrary and starting a direct confrontation with the most powerful country in the eurozone leads us nowhere.

In this respect, the president of DISY and candidate for the presidency, has taken the initiative and addressed a letter to Mr Schaeuble expressing his concern about the current financial situation in Cyprus and also noting the main arguments and concerns regarding raising the corporate tax rate.

A similar letter was also addressed to the President of the Eurogroup. This is the time that we need to use logical and persuasive arguments to defend what we believe is right.

The success story of Ireland is an example that needs to be applied to Cyprus. The Irish authorities have shown a remarkable fiscal discipline regarding the implementation of their adjustment programme. This discipline, combined with its low corporate tax rate (12.5 per cent), which was not increased by the troika, has put Ireland on a sustainable path of recovery. We strongly believe this can be applied to Cyprus as well.

All we need to do is use effective arguments to try and convince our future creditors.

After all, they will all want to get paid back. Risking the destruction of our economy is not something they will want.

Averof Neophytou is Deputy President Democratic Rally

JPY 0,11 0,13 0,15 0,19 0,30 0,52

LIBOR RATES (London Interbank Borrowing Rates) AS AT 12/11/2012

CAD 1,01 1,07 1,15 1,24 1,53 1,96

AUD 3,25 3,34 3,41 3,49 3,67 4,01

23 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

Business & Jobs

UK economy turns the corner Investment Bill Blevins Bill Blevins is Financial Correspondent at Blevins Franks International.

THE UK is officially out of recession. It is still early days, but the economy is showing signs of progress.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics reveal that the economy grew by one per cent of gross domestic product over the third quarter of the year, the fastest growth figure recorded for five years.

We need to exercise caution, since the growth was boosted by one-off factors. The extra bank holiday in June shaved 0.5 per cent off growth over the second quarter, so there was a bounce back in the third. Olympic Games ticket sales then added an extra 0.2 per cent to GDP. The one per cent growth however beat most expectations, which is encouraging news.

Growth was driven by the UK’s dominant services sector, which expanded by 1.3 per cent. Industrial output, including manufacturing, grew by 1.1 per cent, its strongest rise since quarter two 2010. However the construction sector shrank by 2.5 per cent.

Data released on October 29 by the Bank of England showed that lending to UK consumers rose at its fastest pace in four and a half years in September. Consumer credit rose by £1.2 billion, the strongest rise since February 2008, while mortgage approvals hit a four month high. These figures boost hopes that the economic recovery is sustainable.

SIGNS OF PROGRESS It is too early to say that the UK economy is out of the woods, but it is showing signs of progress and gathering momentum. This will hopefully pave the way for an ongoing recovery.

Deputy governor of the Bank of England, Charlie Bean, believes there is “reason for optimism”.

The headwinds the economy has been struggling against, like the eurozone, banking system problems and high inflation, are abating somewhat. Household’s real

spending power has improved, and although there is still a long way to go for the eurozone, there has been some progress.

The director general at the British Chamber of Commerce said the news will give many businesses the confidence to invest. However the government needs to do more to ensure an economic recovery is sustainable.

US GDP rose two per cent over the third quarter, while the unemployment rate fell below eight per cent for the first time since 2009.

The housing market continues to show encouraging signs of improvement, which helped consumer sentiment hit a five year high.

The potential “fiscal cliff” however remains a concern and potential barrier to further recovery.

A series of tax reliefs and government spending programmes are scheduled to end in January and this would reduce households’ disposable income. We need to see how the next US budget negotiations pan out.

Whether in the US, UK or elsewhere, positive economic news should lead to higher levels of confidence. This is critical in terms of driving longer-term growth, since they can promote gains in consumer spending, which in turn can lead

Vacancy The U.S. Embassy in Nicosia has a full-time opening (40 hours a week) for a Supply Clerk position in the General Services Section.

Applicants must have the required work and residency permits to be eligible for consideration.

Main responsibility: Assists with the annual warehouse inventory and inventories of household furniture when employees arrive and depart post. Accurately enters data into the ILMS program, extracts information as required and prints housing inventory reports. Assists occupants with inventory problems. Maintains supply inventory, fills supply requisitions, and assists with recommending which supplies to order to replenish stocks.

Please visit the following website for detailed qualifications for the position and for application procedures: http://cyprus.usembassy.gov/theembassy/employment.html Applicants should send the DS-174 application for employment to: U.S. Embassy, HR Office, Supply Clerk position, P.O. Box 24536, 1385 Nicosia or via E-mail to: VacanciesNicosia@state.gov to arrive no later than 5:00 p.m. November 21, 2012. No telephone calls will be accepted. An Equal Opportunity Employer.

Deputy governor of the Bank of England, Charlie Bean to better jobs growth and therefore creating a self-reinforcing cycle.

We do not normally recommend that investors react to every bit of news, whether good or bad. You would normally be invested for the long term with a suitably diversified portfolio, and leave day to day decisions to your professional fund managers.

However, those waiting to in-

vest should note that historically markets are forward looking and tend to move higher before the economy does. Waiting until the economy is clearly on an upward path could mean you miss out on market rises.

There are still risks ahead.

Whether you look at the UK, US, the eurozone or further afield like China, uncertainty remains. At the same time though, there may be opportunities for investors.

Strategic asset allocation is as important as ever. If you remain broadly invested, with a fully diversified portfolio, you will be in a position to partake in any upsides while having some protection if the risks prevail a while longer.

Your portfolio should be designed around your specific objectives, circumstances, time horizon and risk tolerance. Blevins Franks specialises in providing personalised wealth management advice to British expatriates and could help you review and plan your investments in the current economic climate.

To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www.blevinsfranks. com

Vacancy The U.S. Embassy in Nicosia is accepting applications for a Chauffeur position. This is a full-time position (40 hours per week) with rotating shifts and rotating work days. Applicants must have the required work and residency permits to be eligible for consideration.

Main responsibility: Drives Embassy vehicles to include a 15-passenger van and armored vehicle to transport personnel in Nicosia and other cities as needed. Drives defensively and is responsible for the security, safety and well being of passengers.

Please visit the following website for detailed qualifications for the position and for application procedures: http://cyprus.usembassy.gov/theembassy/employment.html Applicants should send the DS-174 application for employment to: U.S. Embassy, HR Office, Chauffeur position, P.O. Box 24536, 1385 Nicosia or via E-mail to: VacanciesNicosia@state.gov to arrive no later than 5:00 p.m. November 16, 2012.

No telephone calls will be accepted. An Equal Opportunity Employer.

24 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

special report

Mind Body & Spirit

Mind, Body & Spirit Exhibition 2012 Hilton Park Hotel Nicosia, Saturday November 17, 11:00-20:00 & Sunday November 18, 11:00 – 19:00. Entry €8 per day – Includes lectures, classes and workshops

Enter a whole new world at the Mind, Body & Spirit exhibition Find out more about everything from crystals to yoga, astrology to live blood analysis

RE YOU curious about how to stay healthy naturally?

How can you reduce the stress in your life? Are you concerned about the environment and the effect it has on our lives? A visit to the Mind, Body and Spirit exhibition in Nicosia will give you the chance to meet many people working in these fields and gather valuable information over the two day expo.

For the previous nine years the Mind, Body, Spirit team has brought a varied and inspiring schedule of work-

A

shops to their bi-annual expos in Limassol and Nicosia.

This year is no exception.

Held at the Hilton Park, Nicosia the price of €8 covers entry to the exhibition and all presentations and includes a voucher for €5 off any purchase of €10 or above from Benny Vervliet’s eclectic collection of crystals, gemstones and unusual gift items or half-price entry to his Numerology Workshop

Past Life Work

Feng Shui

on Saturday evening right after the exhibition.

It’s up to you whether you would like to spend a full day or just an hour attending the presentations and workshops which include yoga, Tai Chi, meditation, nutrition, dance, colour therapy, the Great Shift of 2010, shamanism, astrology, numerology and live blood analysis.

This year there will be two parallel events on Saturday evening at 8pm, conveniently also at the Hilton Park Hotel.

Benny Vervliet will present an extended workshop on Nu-

Seminars

Coaching Meerah A. Baum

Meditation

www.meerah.de phone 99 72 37 97

merology, showing you how to gain useful insights about yourself and others through a simple process of analysing numbers. General admission to this additional event is €10 but if you have an entry ticket or a voucher from Benny then pay only €5.

No visit to a Mind, Body & Spirit exhibition would be complete without dedicating some time to the eclectic exhibitor marketplace. Here you’ll find over 90 individuals and organisations with a wealth of experience and expertise, treatments and

treats to see, try and buy.

Discover the colour of your aura, see your own blood cells, find your perfect yogamatt, test quality organic skincare or organic herbal preparations or just stock up on natural healthcare products and gifts.

To find out more details on the presentations and who’ll be exhibiting in the marketplace, pick up a copy of the free Mind, Body & Spirit Magazine in venues across Nicosia, Larnaca and Limassol or check out the Mind, Body & Spirit website (www.

mbscyprus.com).

Take some time out from your busy schedule and invest the time in yourself.

Spend a pleasant day exploring the exhibition and sampling what is on offer.

The Hilton Park is offering a light lunch buffet, so why not kick back, relax and plan to stay all day.

If you’ve been before, do come again to see what’s new. If you have never experienced a Mind, Body and Spirit expo don’t miss the opportunity to be a part of it.

Love to live!

True happiness is only to be found within ourselves BORN and raised in Germany, Meerah studied Business Administration and worked as Environmental and Quality Management Consultant for a couple of years before joining an international company working in various management functions.

While working in the United States for two years she decided to combine career and children to increase her work life balance. Returned to Germany the search for fulfillment in life finally got her on the spiritual path.

She realised that she could only find true happiness inside herself.

In 2011 she received her spiritual name. Meerah did an education as Alpha Chi Consultant and Spiritual

Teacher. Meerah’s dedication is to support You to find Your true-self and inner happiness in life.

For the last two years she has lived in Nicosia with her husband and their two sons.

Visit Meerah at table 15 at the MBS or join her free seminar at the MBS on Saturday, November 17 in the Salamina Room at 3pm: Preparation for the Golden Age, a short introductory lecture about the Golden Age followed by a guided meditation in which you will experience the energy of the Golden Age. Attending this presentation will support you in your transformation process

25 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11,, 2012

Mind Body & Spirit BPA: what’s the harm?

PARENTS are more concerned than ever about the impact of BPA (a chemical used in the production of plastic bottles) on their families.

BPA exposure is especially concerning for young girls, because its chemical makeup is disruptive to the body’s natural flow of estrogen.

Studies have linked BPA with physical and behaviour problems in girls, such as aggressiveness and reproductive problems, principally affecting development of

My Mind Body & Spirit journey

By Rita Berdanis “WHAT am I doing here?” I thought as a wandered around the Mind, Body and Spirit exhibition for the first time. I felt drawn to attend, but I really didn’t know why or what it was I was looking for, I didn’t speak with any of the exhibitors; didn’t attend even one presentation, I bought a few crystals and a CD then left.

When the next MBS expo rolled around, again I went, but again, I was merely an observer. Looking back, maybe I was afraid of being judged, I’d been brought up in the Orthodox faith and knew that some of what was represented at the MBS expo was not in keeping with its beliefs. I didn’t realise that what was on offer was about self-development, and not a threat to my faith.

At that time, I was not happy in my life, I felt I was losing touch with myself; feeling angry and bad-tempered all the time. Some days I even thought about packing my bags and leaving my family. I knew that I loved them, but I was unhappy and unfulfilled, I blamed those people around me for my misery. One day, I lost my temper and spoke very badly to someone, I realised that I was turning into a person I didn’t like at all. ‘What have I become?’ I thought to myself, dissolving into tears, ‘this is not me’.

Then and there I decided I needed to take responsibility for my own happiness. I had heard about yoga and signed up for classes. Almost immedi-

ately I felt a difference, as if a mist were lifting from my mind. Over the weeks, my yoga practice grounded and centred me.

A friend of mine introduced me to Feng Shui. She explained about the importance of the flow of energy and how it affects our lives. This experience and yoga were the beginning of my study of myself. Through reading about the principles of Feng Shui and many other books, I grew stronger in my conviction and ability to take control of my own life. I immediately enrolled for a Feng Shui course.

The next time I attended a Mind, Body & Spirit exhibition I was not afraid to engage with the people there.

I attended workshops both at the expo and more in-depth ones afterwards to increase my body awareness and my intuition. I came to the realisation that the fears I had that were holding me back were actually rooted in the past.

A healthy gut leads to a healthier you HEAVEN on Earth Herbals, based in Pano Akourdaelia herb garden, produces and supplies quality herbal teas, tonics, essential oils and cream blends for health and wellbeing. At the herb garden, it runs workshops, tours, a kids club, volunteer gardening days as well as a regular herbal and osteopathy clinics and a working apothecary.

The herb garden is run by Caroline Evans, Herbalist, Naturopath, Iridologist and Nutritionist with her helpers and volunteers. Caroline is taught by the line of Dr Christopher’s School of Natural Healing, who stated “there is no such thing as an incurable disease, only incurable people”.

On Saturday November 17 at the MBS exhibition, in the Curium Room at 2pm, Caroline will present a lecture entitled ‘Your Gut Instinct’.

She will explain how the seat of the body’s immunity is contained in the gut. How the digestive tract from

mouth to anus really does dictate our health. Drawing from her clinical experience, Caroline will discuss the gutbrain axis, digestive ills and how to bring about digestive harmony and boost immunity using food and herbs.

For more information or to discuss any health ailments contact: 99 9934 12 or caroline@heavenonearthherbals.com or visit Heaven on Earth Herbals at table 12

The more clearing I did, the more of myself I found.

I realised that I was afraid of losing the things I had worked hard to attain, but learned that whenever there is loss there is always an opportunity for something better to come out of it.

I found out that there are many people around me who can offer guidance when I get stuck in my development and I was not afraid or hesitant to ask for help when it was needed.

Now, rather than focus on what may seem to be missing in my life or the fear of what may happen, I express gratitude for what I have today. Since I began to live this way, opportunities have opened up that I could not have imagined and many gifts have come my way. I learned that the more you find yourself, I mean your whole self, the positive and the negative (we all have a dark side), the more you can love and respect yourself for who you are. The better you know, love and respect yourself, the more you will love and respect others and your environment. After all, we are all connected!

If you feel drawn to attend the MBS Expo, please go; if you think you want to go to a particular presentation but are not sure, GO! Follow your intuition. Speak to people - this is the least judgmental group of people you will ever find under one roof!

Rita is now one of the organisers of the MBS exhibitions

absorbed into the bloodstream where it is passed onto the fetus and can disrupt normal endocrinal development. It affects males, too, with some studies suggesting that it may cause impotence in men and boys.

Also studies indicate that it may cause damage to the intestinal lining, which makes it more difficult for the body to absorb water and nutrients from food.

Though the full effects of BPA may not yet be fully

BPA exposure is especially concerning for young girls, because its chemical makeup is disruptive to the body’s natural flow of estrogen the reproductive system, in particular the ovaries. Some studies suggest that the estrogen-mimicking characteristics of BPA are partly responsible for the early onset of puberty in girls, which could lead to greater risk of breast cancer later in life.

BPA is harmful for pregnant women because it is

known, the data so far is alarming.

Rainbow Products Cyprus believes that awareness of one’s health and environment is the key to improving it! It also believes that stainless steel bottles are our future.

Environmental consciousness of the usage of plastic will only help to preserve our planet. Seriously, rethink what you drink!

26 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Mind Body & Spirit Saturday Lecture Schedule 17 November 2012

20:00

Sunday Lecture Schedule 18 November 2012

Benny Vervliet

Exhibitors List

Special Event Entrance fee 10 euros or 5 euros with voucher Activate Your Wealth Potential

cyprus

free magazine Issue 14, November 2012 17th & 18th November 2012 Hilton Park Hotel, Nicosia Sat./Σαβ. : 11:00 - 20:00 Sun./Κυρ. : 11:00 - 19:00

Ĉ1 T[

J

Jĉ [ N 1 YT

Exhibition - Εκθεση

tel: 96 472717 | www.mbscyprus.com | info@mbscyprus.com

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27 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

Property

Bata factory town gets modern polish Uniformity of Zlin one of largest mass uses of functionalist architecture in its time

By Jason Hovet

W

HEN Tomas Bata turned the Czech town of Zlin into a global shoe capital and created a “utopian” factory village for his workers almost a century ago, his redbrick architecture won widespread praise from the likes of Le Corbusier as a “shining phenomenon”.

By the 1930s, the Bata company had built Europe’s second-highest skyscraper, with its own mobile office tucked in an elevator. Workers lived a short walk from the factory in ‘Bata houses’, and Zlin’s 2,000-plus-seat cinema was Europe’s largest.

A world war and four decades of communism has taken some of the shine off Zlin since then. Bata has not produced shoes there for more than 70 years and dozens of the red-brick buildings in its giant factory complex fell into disrepair, something that has continued since the 1989 return of democracy.

But the architecture remains, and now public and private investors are in the final stages of a decade-old plan to restore the area with cafés, housing and entertainment centres.

The Zlin region will finish a 900 million crown ($43.79 million) overhaul of two Bata buildings next to the railway station that will house a museum, library and gallery for the Bata Institute next year.

Blocks away, private developer Cream Real Estate is building a 300 million crown residential, office and commercial project in a refurbished former Bata factory.

“That time (of Bata) is over,” said Martin Jarolim, Cream Real Estate’s director. “We have to think about what we can do with so many buildings in such a large area in a smaller city like Zlin... to bring new life.”

Bata is still a global brand

New look: refurbished and old areas of the Bata factory in Zlin. Below: homes were created using the same mould with 5,000 shops in more than 70 countries, but in Zlin, it is a few big tyre companies - including a Continental factory in neighbouring Otrokovice - and countless small and medium-sized manufacturing firms that now drive the town’s economy.

The success of the Bata shoe empire funded Zlin’s growth from a town of 3,000 in 1894, when the company started, to a city of over 40,000 by 1938 when the Batas fled to Canada before the Nazi occupation during World War Two. It wasn’t until after communism the Bata brand reappeared in the country. After 1989, Bata’s son Thomas J. became a frequent visitor to Zlin.

The refurbishment work today continues to showcase the red brickwork that colours Zlin, now a city of 75,000 tucked in a lush valley 300km southeast of Prague.

Designing and marketing for large developments in tourism THE Workshop titled ‘Design and marketing for large developments in tourism’ was held earlier this month on the initiative of Armeftis & Associates and Horwath HTL Cyprus.

The event was attended by professionals and senior executives of enterprises/firms related to tourism, architecture, interior design and land development and real estate.

The workshop began with greetings from the President of the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry Philokypros Andreou; Meleti Apostolides on behalf of the President of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation Alekos Orountiotis; the President of the Limassol Tourism Development and Promotion Company Tony Antoniou and the Vice-President of the Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA) Christos Mavrellis.

The first presentation, ‘The importance of the Design of Landmarks’ was made

by Yasmine Mahmoudieh, a leading and internation-

ally renowned architect and interior designer. The presentation ‘Architecture in the Service of Tourism’ followed by the acclaimed Cypriot architect Yiannis Armeftis, while the third presentation, ‘Strategic Marketing and Investment Promotion of Large Projects’ was performed by the Managing Director of Horwath HTL Cyprus (represented

by Cypronetwork Consultancy Group) Christos Michaelides.

The event finished with a cocktail reception for the attendees. In the room where the workshop took place, projects of both the companies, Yasmine Mahmoudieh and Armeftis & Associates where presented.

Ringing the centre, rows of boxy, two-storied, red-brick homes, once used by Bata workers and called Batovky, dot leafy neighbourhoods and are lived in today. Across from the factory complex and beyond the main four-lane road that cuts through the city stands a rectangular-

shaped 11-story hotel from the 1930s.

When Tomas Bata died in a plane crash on July 12, 1932, his brother Jan Antonin took over the company.

It was then - with the direction of renowned architects like Frantisek Gahura and Vladimir Karfik - that many

of the stand-out buildings appeared.

This included the flagship 77.5 metre tall skyscraper on the edge of the factory complex that was refurbished in 2004 and houses regional government offices.

Buildings around Zlin are marked with the same boxy shape and steel window frames. Construction met Bata’s demand for efficiency by using reusable formwork to pour concrete.

The uniformity of Zlin’s expansion was one of the largest mass uses of functionalist architecture in its time. The model was also a blueprint for so-called Batavilles replicated around the world by the company - from Brazil to England and India. “(It) really follows many of the ideas that are now sought in new town plans in the United States, Europe and Asia: walkable communities,

mixed building types, a tight urban plan, sustainable and green land-use,” said Erik Jenkins, associate professor of architecture at the Catholic University of America.

“Today, much is made about how architecture is innovative but Bata was 75 to 100 years ahead of its time,” added Jenkins, who grew up near a Bata town in Maryland in the United States.

Despite the simple beauty of the town he created, the construction of Zlin served a single purpose: to boost production.

“In Zlin, style was not on Tomas Bata’s mind as much as utility,” said Kimberly Zarecor, an associate professor of architecture at Iowa State University.

“We look at Zlin today as having a ‘modern’ aesthetic, but Bata saw the housing and the civic buildings as an extension of the physical logic of the factory and tried to use similar building modules for all the construction to save time and money.”

The end result, though, won plaudits from architects and serves as a sort of time capsule for historians.

Today, the factory complex remains an important location for Zlin. And while the area continued to churn out shoes under Communist times after it was nationalised in 1948, the return of capitalism left firms struggling to compete with cheaper madein-China footwear.

Instead of shoes, smallscale production companies now occupy the area, and tyre maker Mitas operates a factory. Government offices, warehouses and outlet shops fill out the rest of the area.

More retail is on the way.

Jarolim said it was important that Zlin’s heritage reaches a new generation.

“We are trying to put together the old - what Bata architects have done - with the new, which is essential for the 21st century.”

28 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser

ADVERTISER

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a week for classifieds

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Send your classified by fax or email and pay by credit card, cheque or cash. It couldn’t be simpler!

Nicosia - email: classified@cyprus-mail.com Limassol - email: limassol@cyprus-mail.com Paphos - email: paphos@cyprus-mail.com

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES ***************************** WE ARE LOOKING FOR RESPONSIBLE VOLUNTEERS in the Larnaca area to work at our second hand charity shop. If you can help us any time to raise money for hundreds of homeless and unwanted dogs and puppies at the shelter please call John on 99866121 *************************** LIVE-IN COUPLE NEEDED for a house in the mountains to be responsible for all the housekeeping & general maintenance of the house, pool and garden. Required to work on weekends. Full driving licence. Please send your CV to office141b@ gmail.com ***************************

JOB WANTED *************************** I AM 35 years old boy from Sri Lanka looking of a job. I have necessary papers to work in Cyprus. Good knowledge of English and Greek. Please call 96543838. ***************************

in Nicosia every first Saturday of the month in support of these families. We can even collect them from your house or if you dont live in Nicosia you can send them via Akis/Travel Express and we can pay the fare. For further info please contact 99 55 95 94. Thank you! ***************************

HEALTH & FITNESS *************************** CHINESE ACUPUNCTURE, cupping, skin honing, massage. For alleviation of aches, pains, stress and improvement of body tone.

Pafos area - call 9922 1851 for appointment *************************** CLINICAL PILATES. Personalised Clinical Pilates

by Physiotherapists in Nicosia. Individual assessment and supervision of exercises. “Clinical pilates” is a modified form of therapeutic exercise used by physiotherapists to assist in the rehabilitation and prevention of musculoskeletal injury especially lower back pain, sacro-iliac pain and neck pain. More info on 22446988. ***************************

MISCELLANEOUS

PETS

***************************** I’M FILIPINA with EU passport, trustworthy …if you are interested. Please call me at 96393391 or 96575315 & can take your properties cleaning, ironing, cooking and gardening…only in Limassol or outside not very far *************************** STAGE ONE THEATRE, Emba, Paphos, presents Tim Firth’s famous play CALENDAR GIRLS at 7.30 on 3-8 December. Directed by Peter Sandwith. Tickets €12.00, €6.00 for children 12 and under. Booking on 99967737 weekdays 10am – 1pm, email boxoffice@stageonetheatre.com. Proceeds will be donated to charity. *************************** WHOEVER HAS UNWANTED CD/DVD, books, decorative items and homeware in good condition can donate it to the Hiv Cyprus Foundation so we can re-sell them at the Gynaikopazaro

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

Nicosia - tel: 22 818583 fax: 22 676385

Limassol - tel: 25 761117 fax: 25 761141

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

FEMALE POODLE. Good temperament. A kind dog and very friendly. 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. *****************************

EMMA, a mix breed large type of dog. She is a large dog between 1 and 2 years old. She has a wonderful temperament. Throughout the treatment she stayed calm even though she was suffering and even managed to wag her tail as if to thanks us for helping.

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

LESSONS

FEMALE DASCHUND CROSS, she is sweet natured and very friendly. She needs permanent or temporary foster home. 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. *****************************

***************************** PRIVATE TUITION Experienced, UK-qualified teacher offers full/part-time private home tuition in Maths, English, the Sciences, Geography, History, Business Studies and Economics, from KS3 to iGCSE, AS and A2 levels.

9 years experience in Cyprus; references available. Telephone 99318796 ***************************** TIME FOR A CAREER CHANGE? Learn how to teach English! The London Teacher Training College is offering TEFL Certificate courses in Cyprus. For more information call now on 99839307. *****************************

PERSONAL AUSTRIAN INGENEUR, 50 years, searching for a nice women. Mobile:004917365562 or 00491726293462 LILLY beautiful and sweet pekingese mix female looking for a loving home. She likes children very much and she will do ok with other dogs.

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.

A MALE wirehaired terrier type pup, around 5 months old, looking for a loving home.

Good temperament. A kind dog and very friendly. Give him a chance! 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. *****************************

SERVICES

Paphos - tel: 26 911383 fax: 26221049

+ CURTAIN CLEANING Rugs from 20€ - Carpets from 38€ - Fabric Suites from 85€ Leather Suites from 95€ - Mattresses from 25€. Curtains, Roman blinds, Vertical Blinds need to be surveyed. Collection Service available. For a free quotation call Mark on 70006766 All areas ***************************** 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 ***************************** LOGS FOR SALE olive, carob and eucalyptus. Delivered to your door free 12 euro per 20 kilo bag tel 99682243 or 99588114 By the Tom the log man. ***************************** KEEP YOUR HOME COOLER IN SUMMER AND WARMER IN THE WINTER by having Windowfilm professionaly fitted. Stops up to 86% of heat from entering/leaving your home! Windowfilm increases privacy, blocks harmful uvrays which cause fading, reduces glare and saves energy costs on air-con/heating. Call Ian on 99979671 ***************************** 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 *****************************

Larnaca - tel: 24 652243 fax: 24 659982

classified contents Employment Opportunities pg 28 Employment Miscellaneous 28 Pets 28 Lessons 28 Health & Fitness 28 Personal 28 Services 28 For Sale Miscellaneous 28 For Sale Land/ Property Business 29 For Sale Motor vehicles -Wanted 29 To Let Nicosia 29 To Let Limassol 32 To Let Larnaca 32 To Let Paphos 32 To Let Protaras, Ayia Napa, Paralimni -To Let Athens -Land For Sale Bulgaria -For Sale Nicosia 34 For Sale Limassol 34 For Sale Larnaca -For Sale Paphos 34 For Sale Ayia Napa 34 For Sale Famagusta Protaras -For Sale Athens --

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: WINTER’S COMING *WOOD BURNING FIREPLACES* Supplied and installed from as little as €695, Paphos and Limassol areas. Tel 96714074 for a free quotation. While stocks last!!!

UPHOLSTERY, RUG, BLINDS

22 = Nicosia 23 = Paralimni/Protaras 24 = Larnaca 25 = Limassol 26 = Paphos

PORTABLE

SEWING

MA-

29 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

Advertiser

FOR SALE MISCELLANEOUS

FOR SALE MISCELLANEOUS

FOR SALE B.P./LAND

FOR SALE B.P./LAND

CHINE. The Swiss Bernina 900 Nova is a simple-tooperate portable electronic machine with a removable hard case. Sturdy, reliable, will go on for years. Instruction books in English and French. All original accessories except the stitch-ripper.

Recently serviced. Supply of metal bobbins included. €180 or best offer. Call 99512965 (Nicosia) ***************************** DUE TO RENOVATION we sell the following furniture: 1) Beds and mattress 2) Tables and chairs for kitchen 3) Sofa beds 4) Various other furniture. Tel 99655551 ***************************** VIRGIN OLIVE OIL FOR SALE. Fresh and last year virgin olive oil for sale, bottles of 1L, 4L, and 20L. Price €5 per Litre. Please contact 00357 99681606 or apply to Rantzo cafe Pissouri village. ***************************** HOUSE CLEARANCE - garage sale from dishes and clothes,furniture,electrical house appliances,Piano etc.

Sunday Nov 11th from 10.00 A.M. - 18.00 P.M. Address: 13,Kyriakou Kolokassi. Engomi ( Close to the American Embassy) 96491788 99222649 **************************** z CLOTHES STOCKS AND SHOP FITTINGS FOR SALE. Excellent women’s brands for sale including Italian, Spanish and French clothes and shoes. Also women’s dum-

mies and modern wall fittings (clothes rails.) Selling at very low prices for clearance. Tel: 99-168943 *****************************

***************************** FOR SALE PLOT IN THE CENTER OF LEFKARA Village 670sqm, high build factor, near all shops, and amenities €210.000 negotiable Tel: 99 330 908 ***************************** FOR SALE PLOT of 528sqm located in Paphos Municipality in the Agios Paulos area.

It offers a large 100% build factor, and is suitable for the construction of a large house or apartment building. Price € 260.000 tel. 99 330 908 www. cyprusre.com/listing-paf0007 ***************************** SALE OF FIVE ADJACENT PLOTS in Paphos.Considered a significant investment opportunity because the plots are located in a central area of Paphos(very close to the central public market).Sale of either all together or independently. Prices: €220000 – 250000 each. Call 99494753 ***************************** TREMITHOUSA, plots for sale in a very quiet area, unobstructed sea and mountain views, 600 – 700 sqm, prices from €170.000 Tel: 99510420 ***************************** 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, elec-

tricity 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. *****************************

FOR SALE BUSINESS/ PROPERTY/LAND ***************************** TIMI, PLOTS, a few selected available, seaview, near the 2 golf courses, Venus Rock and airport 60% building factor, €99.000. Half registration fees til the 31.12.12. Tel. 99621914 ***************************** LARNACA, ALETHRIKO, plots for sale, 525 sqm, 90% building factor, near highway Limassol-Larnaca, 5 min from airport, quiet residential area €109.000. Half registration fees till the 31.12.12. Tel. 99621914 ***************************** PLOT LOCATED IN MESA GEITONIA, LIMASSOL 617sqm.

100% build. Ideal for the construction of apartment building or 1 or 2 large houses.

Price reduced to € 360.000 tel. 99 330 908 www.cyprusre. com/listing-lim-0170 ***************************** RESIDENTIAL PIECE OF LAND of 985sqm in the village of Pareklisia. Partial sea views, near to electricity and water supplies. €135.000 D.C. (Cyprus) Real Estate Tel: 99 330 908

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

TO LET NICOSIA

PROPERTY TO LET NICOSIA FOR RENT OR SELL: 2 bedroom flat in Nikis Avn in Nicosia, 80 m. Completely renovated, with electric supplies.

Excellent for office or flat. 3 bed-room flat with electric supplies and some furnitures in Nicosia near Central Bank, 140 m. Completely renovated like new. Mob: 99 460 860 ***************************** MODERN 2 BDRM, first floor flat in attractive building in Anthoupolis, very quiet area between the Grammar School and the European University, also very convenient for Pascal and Highgate Schools and the University of Nicosia. Large front veranda, all appliances, modern fittings, light and bright. Furnished

TO LET NICOSIA or unfurnished €550p.m. Call 99900177.

TO LET 2 bedroom, fully detached house, with sitting & dining room, living room, office/study room, 2 bathrooms, 2 verandas, a/c, central heating, solar, covered garage in a quiet neighbourhood in Ayios Andreas, Nicosia. Call Thanos 99543533.

FOR RENT 3 bedroom flat completely renovated in Strovolos. 135sqm, quite family owned building recently painted. c/h, a/c, storage room. Stainless steel appliances, washing machine. Sky satellite tv. €650/month Call 99 330 908.

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 FOR RENT – three-bedroom flat in Lykavitos, Nicosia. Open

English-Painter & Decorator

SELEC Fencing & Decking Specialist

Fully Qualified 30 years’ Experience

For all your Garden and Security Fencing

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

Tel. Tony on 99176557

♦ Quality approved workmanship ♦ 15 years experience + guaranteed work ♦ English workers ♦ also garden gates ♦ sheds ♦ chain link fencing ♦ free estimates ♦ all types of fencing & decking

Tel. SELEC fencing 99176557

30 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser TO LET NICOSIA plan fully-equipped kitchen and living area, two bathrooms, air conditioning and central heating. Big veranda.

Near the town centre and University of Cyprus. Contact 99721911 / 99-454141 ***************************** 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

TO LET NICOSIA dining area, big kitchen with family room opening onto the swimming pool which has big covered area with wooden deck, bbq area, covered parking, in a very quiet area behind Apoel football training ground - Archagelos - €1700 (photos in website).

3. 2 bedr fully renovated semi detached house 120 sq. m, a/c for hot and cold, small yard, FULLY FURNSIHED or not, double glazed windows with aluminum shutters, in a quiet area off Nikis behind Burger King - ACROPOLIS €650 (H2ACS0001-R), (photos in the website).

4. H3ST10012-R, 3 bedr luxury semi detached house with central heating independent, a/c, 3wc, parquet floor, fire place, electrical appliances in the kitchen, curtains, SHARED SWIMMING POOL, in a very quiet neighbourhood in the area near Falcon school. Strovolos € 1200, (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).

TO LET NICOSIA 6. 3 bedr+big attic room with shower and wc luxury new house, 210sq.m, central heating, full a/c, 4wc, blinds on all windows, cooker and oven in the kitchen, small garden, covered parking near Alpha Mega supermarket - STROVOLOS €1200 (H4ST10007-R), (photos in the website).

7. 3 bedr upstairs and one downstairs luxury detached house built in 2 plots of land with big garden and big over floor swimming pool 4 X 10, central heating, full a/c, 2 covered parking, FULLY NICELY MODERN FURNISHED, double glazed windows(PVC), electric shutters on all windows, in a very quiet neighbourhood, in the centre of Latsia near Carrefour - LATSIA €2700 (H4LAT0010-R), (photos in the 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- €1900 (photos in website).

9. 3 bedr upstairs and 2 sepa-

TO LET NICOSIA rate 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 €850 (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

TO LET NICOSIA (H4ANT0002-R), (photos in the website).

12. H4AGZ0010-R, 3 bedr RENOVATED GROUND FLOOR HOUSE with big separate 1 bedroom flat with multi room, big sitting and dining room , separate tv room, big kitchen with family room and fitted cooker and oven, 3wc, 2 bathrooms, very big 5 X 6 bedrooms with solid parquet floor, central heating with petrol independent, a/c units, double glazed windows with shutters, big verandas around the house, in a very quiet neighbourhood 200metres from FRENCH school and near Athalassas park - Aglantzia €1300 (photos in website).

13. 3 bedr 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, 1 shower, 2wc, 2 covered parking, big verandas surrounded by trees and bushes off 28th October street - Makedonitissa €1300 (H4STI0043-R), (photos in the website).

14. 4 bedrs new luxury detached house, all the bedrooms very big and all with big bathroom/ shower, sitting room upstairs, attic room with shower and wc, office space/maid’ s room with shower and wc, central heating, full AC, 450sq.m,

TO LET NICOSIA big sitting and dining areas, big kitchen with sitting area and fitted cooker and oven, 6 wc, 2 covered parking’s, big yard with tiles and garden with grass, bbq area in a very quiet neighbourhood near the CYBC ( RIK) station and near a neighbourhood park – Aglantzia €2000(H4AGZ0005-R), (photos in the website).

15. 4 bedr luxury detached house, separate maid’s room, 600 sq.m, central heating, full a/c, 6 wc, 4 bathrooms, big sitting and dining areas opening on to the garden, big kitchen with electrical appliances, built in 2 big plots of land with huge garden with grass, swimming pool, 2 covered parking, in a quiet neighbourhood close to Alpha Mega supermarket Engomi - €3000 (H4PA20005-R), (photos on the website).

For many more properties with photos visit our website at www.landtouristestates.com which is updated daily. LANDTOURIST ESTATES LTD 22-422225/96422225/96422226, www.landtouristestates.com ***************************** LUXURY FLATS: 1. 3 bedr furnished apartment, 140sq.m, near Cyprus Hilton, kitchen, bathroom and extra guests toilet, large sitting room, opposite a small park, recently renovated independent oil central heating, air

31 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

TO LET NICOSIA conditions, solar heater, covered parking – Acropolis €630 (A3ACS0040-R), (photos in the 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. 2 bedrs luxury big apartment in a small building with 4 apartments only, very big bedrooms with parquet floor, 125sq.m, central heating independent, 3ac, Fully nicely furnished separate kitchen, big sitting and dining area, 2wc, covered parking behind Hilton hotel off Kennedy and Makarios close to the centre.– NICOSIA CENTRE €600 (A2NIC0026-R), (photos in the website).

4. A1DAS0010-R, 1 bedr luxury spacious apartment with big sitting and dining room, big bathroom, big bedroom with shutters, covered veranda, storage heaters, 2a/c, cooker and oven in the kitchen, covered parking in a quiet area in a small modern building near Acropolis Park. Dasoupolis €400 (photos in website).

5. A3ST10036- R, 3 bedr new luxury apartment on the last floor of a 3 storey building with nice view, electrical applianc-

TO LET NICOSIA es in the kitchen,2bathrooms, 2wc, blinds, big covered veranda, air condition for hot and cold in all the rooms, covered parking and storage room in a quiet area – Strovolos - € 550 (photos in website).

6. 1 bedr new modern luxury apartment, 50sq.m, 2 a/c for hot and cold, nicely modern furnished, 3rd floor, covered parking, 6 year old in a quiet neighbourhood off Kantaras street. - STROVOLOS €400 (A1ST10009-R), (photos in the website).

7. New 2 bedr luxury apartment, 90sq.m, storage heaters, 3 a/c, cooker and oven, covered verandah, 2 wc, NICELY FURNISHED, covered parking and storage room of Kyriakou Matsi street near the centre – Agioi Omologites €650 (A2AOM0008-R), (photos in the 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 luxury spacious floor apartment on the 4th floor of award winning building, 200sq.m+big covered veranda, central heating independent, full built in air conditions, lighting fixtures, curtains and

Advertiser TO LET NICOSIA blinds on all windows, big spacious living room with fire place, big kitchen with double cooker, oven and microwave and breakfast area, double glazed windows, all the bedrooms with en suite shower/ bath, big satellite dish with sky decoder, 2 covered parking and storage room, close to American embassy and other amenities – ENGOMI €1600 (A3ENG0025-R), (photos in the website).

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

lasas Avenue behind Stephanis near English School €720 (A3ST10030-R), (photos in the website).

12. A2LYK0006-R, 2 bedr penthouse apartment with big veranda 60sq.m, storage heaters, full a/c, 2 bathrooms (one en suite), big sitting room, big separate kitchen with cooker and oven, blinds, covered parking near Agios Antonios market CLOSE TO THE

UNIVERSITY. Lykavitos €510 (photos in website).

13. A2ST10028- R, 2 bedr new luxury apartment on the 1st floor of a 2 storey building, with a/c for hot and cold, fully nicely modern furnished, big covered veranda, parking, in a quiet neighbourhood. (no common expenses). Strovolos €600 (photos in website).

14. A2NIC0001- R New luxury

finished 2 bedr apartment with separate electric floor heating for each room, a/c units, parquet floor all the flat, big sitting and dining area, electrical appliances in the kitchen, fully modern furnished and equipped, big bedrooms, covered veranda, central satellite dish, cable net service, blinds on the windows. In the centre opposite the walls, Nicosia centre, €670 (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 Atha-

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32 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser TO LET LIMASSOL

TO LET NICOSIA

contract 1 year. For info mob 99548855

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 â‚Ź550 (A2DAS0006-R), (photos in the website).

FLAT TO LET 280 sq in Limassol opposite Debenhams Apollon- Bank of Cyprus and Laiki Bank. 4 bedroom, 3 wc, c/h and ďŹ tted kitchen suitable for business ofďŹ ces. Tel 994034450 99207216 NEW STONE HOUSE bungalow in Kooka village Limassol.

1 bedroom, f/furnished, c/h, a/c, ďŹ re place, nice garden, parking available, panoramic view of mountains, perfect for retired couples. â‚Ź400 pm (negotiable) 99548226

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 at in the centre of Nicosia. Rent ₏450. For information call 99453663, 99663927. *****************************

FOR RENT one bdrm furnished at, in Katraki Building, 100 metres from the sea and Debenhams Olympia. Price ₏430 (including common expenses). Tel. 99406415 Fax 25582963 Andreas ***************************** OFFICE FOR RENT opposite sea with amazing sea views.

120sqm, 2 bathrooms, kitchen. Security system, cabling and server room ready. Price ₏1300/month tel. 99 330 908 www.cyprusre.com/listingLIM-0103 ***************************** BRAND NEW OFFICE FOR RENT on busy shopping street in Limassol 170sqm, raised ooring, ready to be occupied. Price ₏3000/month tel. 99 330 908 www.cyprusre. com/listing-lim-0155. ***************************** BRAND NEW SHOP FOR RENT on busy shopping street in Limassol 190sqm basement, 150sqm shop area + 75sqm

LIMASSOL 2 BEDROOM COTTAGE FOR RENT IN LANIA VILLAGE in a quiet and peaceful area, fully furnished, storage heaters, a/c, rent â‚Ź300 per month.

Minimum contract 1 year. Info mob 99548855 FOR RENT new ground oor terrace studios for rent in Kouka village (20 minutes from Limassol) in a quiet and peaceful area fully furnished ₏180 per month minimum

TO LET LIMASSOL

TO LET LARNACA

upper oor ready to be occupied. Price ₏ 6000/month tel.

99 330 908 ***************************** FOR RENT 2 bedroom at located in Germasoyia with partial sea views, 85sqm less than 10 years old with title deeds Price ₏135.000 tel. 99 330 908 www.cyprusre.com/ listing-lim-0361 ***************************** GROUND FLOOR HOUSE, furnished renovated this year. Laminated parke oor, and big wardrobes in the 3 bedrooms. Rent ₏590.00 Tel 99497576 99886775 ***************************** OFFICE FOR RENT opposite sea with amazing sea views.

120sqm, 2 bathrooms, kitchen. Security system, cabling and server room ready. Price â‚Ź 1400/month negotiable tel.

99 330 908 www.cyprusre. com/listing-LIM-0103

Larnaca – Dhekelia road, close to Golden Bay Hotel 1 & 2 bedroom apts, furnished and with low rent with swimming pool, 2 minutes walking distance from the beach, with a new pedestrian crossing in front of the building. Contact us on 99672466, 99404522, and 99078590 ***************************** LARNACA FLAT FOR RENT: Fully-furnished spacious 2-bedroom ďŹ rst oor at in central location near Metro supermarket, A/C, private parking, intercom system, ensuite bathroom, small block.

Phone: 99354789 ***************************** FULLY FURNISHED one bedroom at near Larco hotel Larnaca. Price ₏370. Tel: 99202543 ***************************** 1. K.S.L LETTINGS – APARTMENT FOR RENT Fully Furnished 1st oor 2 bedroom apartment. High quality furnishings throughout. 400 Euros per calendar month. Pyla.

Quote TLL1088. Tel. (00357) 24815104

LARNACA FOR RENT: 2 bedroom apartment. Quiet block in Drosia, Larnaca. Fully furnished with new furniture. Freshly painted. Heating/cooling. Big verandas. Includes parking.

Reasonable price, will rent fast! Call 97774512. ***************************** 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, â‚Ź350.00 per month For more info pls call 99639378 ***************************** PROTEA APTS LARNACA Residential and holiday apts for rent monthly or weekly

2. K.S.L LETTINGS – Properties Required for waiting Long Term Tenants. We desperately require 2/3 & 4 bedroom villa’s with private swimming pools for waiting tenants in the Larnaca District. Please call us for a free valuation. Tel. (00357) 24815104 3. K.S.L LETTINGS – LARGEST RANGE OF PROPERTIES. OVER 200 RENTAL PROPERTIES IN THE LARNACA DISTRICT AT THE MOST COMPETITIVE RATES! FLEXIBLE CONTRACTS AVAILABLE. Tel. (00357) 24815104 4. www.KSLlettings.com – Villa For Rent Simply Stunning!

Fully furnished 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom Villa with a good

TO LET LARNACA sized rear garden & private pool, located in the village of Oroklini. Call for further information quoting Ref. TLL1415.

Tel. (00357) 24815104 CALL 24 815 104 TO ENQUIRE OR ARRANGE A VIEWING – NO OBLIGATION OR FEES. View our full range of over 200 properties by visiting www.KSLlettings.com updated daily. LANDLORDS ADVERTISE YOUR PROPERTY FOR FREE AND GET WORLD WIDE ADVERTISING – NO TENANT NO FEE! *****************************

PAPHOS TO LET 2 bedroom apartment ground oor, for rent in Kissonerga village in a very quiet area. Building with a house and 2 apartments only. Covered parking, central heating, satellite dish (sky), extra storage room, big verandas, large garden, sea view, furnished or unfurnished. Ideal for pensioners. Tel : 99675760 TO LET 2 bedroom apartment with 2 bathrooms, 3 air conditions throughout and double covered parking close to roundabout of Paphos technical school (behind Volkswagen showroom) new washing maching, refrigerator. Call: 99450398 / 99355642 ***************************** DT PROPERTY LETTINGS PRESENTS : 1. Apartments for rent Kato Paphos area, with c/pool a/c f/f within walking distance of harbour Now available. Starting from ₏230 P/M 2. Peyia and surrounding areas apartments and villas all f/f with a/c pool and parking, nice location Now available.

Starting from â‚Ź320 P/M 3. Chlorakas and surrounding areas apartments and villas c/ pool a/c f/f easy access to bus routes Now available. Starting from â‚Ź250 P/M 4. Tsada Lovely spacious f/f 5 bedroom villa central heating, private pool, double garage, fantastic views. â‚Ź1600 P/M or nearest offer.

Now available at DT property lettings Many other properties available. Please call : Tel 2683543 or 97675123

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V O Y A G E S

TO LET PAPHOS ***************************** PEYIA, available now for rent in a most sought after location next to the municipal park, 1 & 2 bedroom apartments with magniďŹ cent sea and mountain views, furnished or unfurnished, off street parking, quiet area, for viewing, ring: 99 887251 / 99 025173

A DELIGHTFUL AND SPACIOUS 2 bedroom apartment, F/F, top oor, new, located at a peaceful location just 500 from St. George hotel in Choraka, with breathtaking sea views. A+ quality apt, With walking distance to amenities, part of a beautiful building with swimming pool, list and other amenities. Only ₏350pm Other apts also available. Call 99403261, 26934650 ***************************** 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.

TREMITHOUSA - Modern 2 Bedroom spacious TownHouse, U/F, Enclosed Rear Garden. â‚Ź350.

TREMITHOUSA - 2 Bed room, Bungalow, Situated on a corner plot, Open- Fireplace, Quiet location, pets welcome, â‚Ź320.

KATO PAPHOS - 1 bedroom Town-House, Newly ďŹ tted kitchen, Enclosed Rear Garden, D/S Cloakroom â‚Ź200.

FULLY FURNISHED PROPERTIES WANTED. MORE PROPETIES AVAILABLE. FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 99862922 ***************************** 1. 1 bedroom, fully furnished apartment in Peyia in a small complex in a very quiet area, air condition throughout, spectacular sea and mountain views and communal pool, pets allowed Price: â‚Ź270 o.n.o 2. 2 bedroom, fully furnished apartment in Peyia in a small complex in a very quiet area, 1 bathroom, air condition throughout, spectacular sea and mountain views and communal pool, close to all amenities, pets allowed Price: â‚Ź320 o.n.o 3. 2 bedroom, fully furnished

33 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

TO LET PAPHOS apartment in Peyia in a small complex, quiet area, 1 W/C downstairs, 1 bathroom, air condition throughout, communal pool, balcony, lovely sea and mountain views, close to all amenities, satellite dish, pets allowed, Price: €370 o.n.o 4. 4 bedroom fully furnished detached Villa in Peyia in small complex, private swimming pool, BBQ area and small garden, 1 en-suite bathroom in master bedroom, downstairs bedroom and bathroom, air condition throughout, 2 balconies, very spacious rooms, with additional storage space, lovely sea and mountain views, close to all amenities, satellite dish, pets allowed.

Price: €750 o.n.o ALL THE ABOVE PROPERTIES ARE PRIVATELY OWNED PLEASE CALL: 99351008/99563020 ***************************** FLOWRON PROPERTY SERVICES LTD: PROVIDING AN EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE FOR TENANTS AND LANDLORDS: PROPERTIES AVAILABLE FOR RENT LONG TERM RENTAL. PROPERTIES WANTED: FULL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT WITH KEY HOLDING AND RENT COLLECTIONS OFFERED 1 Mandria: 3 bed unfurnished apartment on a quiet complex

TO LET PAPHOS with communal pool, off street allocated parking, white goods, blinds Ref: 969 Price 350 2 Konia: 3 bedroom unfurnished town house with communal pool in nice residential area, near to all local amenities: Ref: 1027 Price 500 3 Yeroskipou: 2 bed furnished Town house, downstairs wc, kitchen, dining/sitting room, upstairs 2 bedroom, family bathroom: Ref: 1169 Price 350 4 Mesogi: Luxury 4 bed unfurnished villa with large living areas, downstairs bedroom with en suite, 3 bedrooms upstairs, Fire place, Modern villa, residential area Private pool: fully fenced off: pets welcome Ref: 783 Price 750 5 Secret Valley: fully furnished, modern style, easy maintenance gardens, Private heated pool, quiet residential area, near golf area: Ref: 1186 Price 800 6 Kissonergra: 4 bedroom villa offered furnished, downstairs bedroom, 3 upstairs, en suite, family bathroom, closed garage, private pool, on its own very private no near by villas: Ref 0003 Price 900 7 Tala: 3 bedroom villa offered part furnished with private pool, stunning sea views, property is a family home, central heating, residential Ref: 988 Price 700

Advertiser TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

8 Coral Bay/Peyia: large luxury villa with central heating, large gardens, AC, off street parking, stunning views, quality fittings and furniture’s: Ref: 1176 Price 3500

CALL EITHER 96 545 174 OR E-MAIL ON enquiries@ cypruspropertysolutions.com LANDLORDS; WE NEED YOUR PROPERTIES NOW. PLEASE CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY IF YOU HAVE A PROPERTY FOR RENT. ***************************** FOR RENT A selection of 1 to 5 bedroom houses & apartments F/F & U/F Universal, Peyia, Tomb of the Kings, Tsada, Timi & Kato Paphos Landlord & Owners please call 99329357 Or please view at are website www.cyprussands.com Fully Registered Company in Cyprus ***************************** PEYIA – 3 bedroom villa with modern quality furniture and finishes. Central heating, sky, alarm, infinity pool and stunnning sea and mountain views €700 per month, call: 99389426 ***************************** BRAND NEW APT, opposite Poseidonio Gym, near Carrefour, F/F, a/c, great quality, 1 bdrm, from €340p.m.Tel 99403261 ***************************** MR RENT PAPHOS, THE LEADING PROPERTY RENTAL AGENCY IN PAPHOS OFFICE: 26271858 (00357) IF YOU HAVE A PROPERTY TO RENT WE ARE THE RENTAL AGENCY TO CONTACT OFFERING FULL PROPERTY

OFFICE: 120 MARKARIOS AVENUE, PAPHOS. OFFICE: 26600450 MOBILE: 97614070 many properties available on WEB: www. flowron.com Email info@ flowron.com ***************************** 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. Kissonerga 2 bed town house, small garden, off street parking, close to bus and shops. NO POOL €350 pcm 3. Sea Front 200 sq-m plus detached villa, large plot, ample parking, cul-de-sac, stunning sea views, loads of room and storage. Must be viewed. €900 pcm open to offers.

4. Peyia 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 SELECTION OF PROPERTIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE AND MANY MORE PLEASE

TO LET PAPHOS MANAGEMENT & RENT COLLECTION SERVICE 1. SEA CAVES €500 we are delighted to offer this detached 2 bedroom villa situated on a corner plot in a quiet residential area offering sea views.

Gated drive for off street parking. Fully enclosed good sized low-maintenance garden with private pool offering privacy and shaded areas. Available unfurnished or part furnished.

Pets allowed at owners discretion. Website reference number: rtl_482 2. KISSONERGA €550 modern detached 3 bedroom villa situated in a quiet residential area.

Master bedroom with en-suite, 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

TO LET PAPHOS ing for a villa with breathtaking views & privacy then this property is for you. This modern detached 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom villa is furnished with modern furniture, including satellite tv. One bedroom & bathroom on ground floor.

A spacious enclosed garden with private pool offering stunning views. Off street parking.

Website reference number: rtl_401 5. MANDRIA €750 modern detached 4 bedroom villa, master with en-suite. Fully enclosed low maintenance garden offering private pool.

Available unfurnished to include white goods, blackout blinds, curtains, ceiling fans & log burner for those winter months. Immaculate condition. Pets allowed at owners discretion. Website reference number: rtl_633 offers considered.

3. TALA €590 unfurnished modern 3 bedroom detached villa offering total privacy & breathtaking sea views. Includes underfloor heating plus real fire.

Master with en-suite. Storage room. Shutters & flyscreens.

Covered veranda, garden with mature plants, private pool offering sea views. Off street parking. A beautiful home. Website reference number: rtl_530

6. CHLORAKA €770 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

4. PEYIA €700 price includes pool cleaning. If you are look-

7. KATO PAPHOS €800 large 4 bedroom detached villa

34 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser TO LET PAPHOS situated in the sought after residential area of limnaria.

Walking distance to the beach and the many amenities of kato paphos. Spacious living accomodation offering an enclosed garden with c/pool. Fully furnished with modern furniture & solar panels. Website reference number: rtl_442 8. TALA €900 a charming detached 4 bedroom villa with character, situated on a corner plot in a quiet residental area with breathtaking sea views. Spacious living rooms with central heating & real fireplace. Separate kitchen & dining room.

Good sized garden offering private pool and stone built barbeque area. Undercover parking. Website reference number rtl_638 TEL: 97790883 OFFICE: 26271858 VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MANY MORE PROPERTIES www.mrrentpaphos.net Email: info@ mrrent-paphos.net **************************** RENTAL POINT - PAPHOS PROPERTIES AVAILABLE TO RENT IN THE PAPHOS DISTRICT. JUST A SMALL SAMPLE OF AVAILABLE PROPERTIES. ALL TYPES OF PROPERTY URGENTLY REQUIRED FOR LONG TERM RENTAL. CALL 97648440 FOR MORE INFORMATION. LANDLORDS CALL IF YOU HAVE A PROPERTY FOR RENT.!!!

1. MESA CHORIO – 2 bed 2 bath fully furnished ground floor apartment set on an elevated position on this prestigious development.

Open plan living area. Good sized kitchen. 2 double, bedrooms, master with ensuite shower room. Family bathroom. Large patio areas with enclosed gardens and lovely sea views. Covered parking and security gates..

Comm swimming pool, and landscaped gardens. Euros 425.00 a month. 2 bed apartment same complex Euros 400.00 a month.

TO LET PAPHOS 2 MESOGI 3 bed 3 bath furnished apartment in handy location close to the shopping areas. Large open plan living area and dining area..

Fully fitted dining/kitchen with appliances . Guest WC. Utilty room. 3 double bedrooms one with en-suite.

Family bathroom. Balcony & and parking. Euros 500.00 a month. Suit non-drivers!

3. TOMB OF THE KINGS – 3 bed fully furnished apartment in established block.

Own entrance via stairway.

Open plan living area. Dining kitchen. 3 bedrooms and family bathroom. A/C, sat TV. Internet available. Large balcony area. Parking. Euros 350.00 per month 4. KISSONEGA - 3 bed 2 bath unfurnished villa. Set in enclosed gardens the villa consists of open plan living area. Full itted kitchen.

Small utility area. Conservatory room. Ground floor bed room with en-suite. Stairs to two double bedrooms and family bathroom. Pool and off street parking. Euros 600.00 per month 5. STROUMBI – 2 bed fully furnished stone bungalow set in quiet location. Open plan living area with working fireplace. Spacious dining kitchen. 2 double bedrooms and family bathroom with corner bath. Landscaped gardens, swimming pool and covered parking. Realistically priced Euros 500.00 per month or close offers only 6. UNIVERSAL AREA. 2 bed fully furnished apartment.

Living area, fitted kitchen. 2 double bedrooms and family bathroom. A/C, Enclosed garden area, comm. Pool and parking. Euros 375.00 a month or offers. 1 & 2 bed apartments available on Universal starting at 250 euros per month.

7. CORAL BAY - 3 bed, 3.5 bath furnished/unfurnished villa situated very near to the centre and within easy

TO LET PAPHOS walking of beaches and restaurants. Open plan living area with fully fitted kitchen.

Doors out to garden and pool. Ground floor bedroom with ensuite. Separate guest WC. Stairs to 2 double bedroom both with en-suite and balcony areas. Private pool, gardens, BBQ area and covered verandahs. Central location.Euros 650.00 per month or close offers.

8. STROUMBI– 3 bed 2.5 bath large unfurnished villa in quiet village area. Spacious open plan living area with feature fireplace and dining space Good sized fitted kitchen and breakfast area. Guest WC with storage area.3 double bedrooms.

Master with en-suite bathroom. Family bathroom.

Enclosed gardens, pool and off street parking. Realistically priced Euros 550.00 per month. OVNO FOR FULL LISTINGS OF A PA R T M E N T S / T O W N HOUSES AND VILLA PLEASE CALL FOR DETAILS. ALL TYPES OF PROPERTY URGENTLY REQUIRED FOR LONG TERM RENTAL LANDLORDS/OWNERS PLEASE CALL PLEASE CALL 97648440 or email:inforentals@aol. com **************************** 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. ****************************

PROPERTY FOR SALE LIMASSOL **************************** FOR SALE AGIOS TYCHONAS detached 2 bedroom house with deeds. Sea/ mountain views. Retiled, replastered, rewired, replumbed. Fans. A/C. Handmade solid wood kitchen.

Large lounge/dining area.

2 mins from highway. Email janmurr1@yahoo.co.uk for photos and info. Price €235, 000. **************************** BARGAIN PRICE DETACHED HOME FOR QUICK SALE with title deeds. Located on a quite cul de sac in Germasoyia within a short 2 minute drive to the beach and tourist area. 3 bed-

FOR SALE LIMASSOL room. 325sqm plot, 160sqm house. Price € 385.000 tel.

99 330 908 www.cyprusre. com/listing-lim-0337

NICOSIA **************************** HOUSE FOR SALE AT ARCHANGELOS AREA (Nicosia) WITH SEMI-DETACHED STUDIO FOR HOUSEKEEPER AND GARDEN 300 sq.m - with Title. 3 bedrooms (one big with dressing room and bathroom). Open big space Kitchen with Dining and Living Room. Two Bathrooms and one WC for Guests.

Fully Air-conditioned, Central Heating €390.000 TEL 99668822/99680700 **************************** NICOSIA, FLAT FOR SALE: 2 bdrm flat with title deeds, 110 sq.m., fully renovated, best central area, 800m from the European University, excellent view, €99.000. Tel. 99621914. **************************** FOR SALE is a building with 4 flats, each 3 bedroom. 2 on the ground floor with yards, and 2 on the first floor. 2 on first floor completely renovated. Located in quite area.

Building recently plastered and painted. €850, 000. Negotiable Call: 99 330 908 **************************** FOR SALE PENTHOUSE between Armenias Str and Hilton Hotel. 3 bedroom, main bedroom with shower, c/h, fireplace, large verandas. For more information please call: 99467596. ****************************

PAPHOS FOR SALE 3 bed house with pool in Souni full of character, open plan accommodation. 3 bedrooms, 2 with ensuite & further shower room. a/c and central heating.

Parking. Title Deed available. Price €318,000. No Agents. Tel 99122366 **************************** LOFOS – TALA, 3 bedroom bungalow for sale, living room, kitchen, bathroom, shower room, central heating, air con, private pool, landscaped gardens, lovely views. Call: 99342913 – no agents **************************** 1. PAPHOS, FLATS FOR SALE OR RENT: Kissonerga, 3 bdrm flat with title deeds, in a block of 4 flats only, fully renovated, 2 baths, 146 sq.m closed area, c/h, a/c, covered parking, excelent view of sea and

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

FOR SALE PAPHOS

FOR SALE PAPHOS

mountains, half registration fees titll 31.12.12 reduced to €135.000 or rent €450 per month. Tel. 99621914. **************************** FOR SALE- PAPHOS

beautiful villa comes furnished with high quality furnishings and a covered area of 154sq. mtrs. Set on a plot of 408sq. mtrs. Very reasonably priced at €370, 000.

1. REGINA GDNS- 2 Bedroom Townhouse set on a luxury complex with 3 communal pools, private parking, private driveway, rear patio, solar panels, TITLE DEEDS. Covered area 92sq. mtrs. Priced to sell at €115, 000.

7. LOWER PEGIA- 3 Bedroom 2 Bathroom detached villa with totally enclosed gardens, workshop and storage units. Master bedroom ensuite, downstairs bathroom, private 8mx4m pool, to be sold including quality furniture. Covered area 132sq. mtrs on a plot 378sq. mtrs.

TITLE DEEDS. Priced to sell at €295, 000.

2. FAROS BEACH- 2 Bedroom fully furnished apartment, situated 120m from a popular beach off Tombs of The Kings. Sea views, solar panels, private parking, spacious balcony, large family bathroom, TITLE DEEDS AVAILABLE. Priced to sell at €138, 000.

3.

ATHENA GARDENSBeautiful 2 Bedroom fully furnished ground floor apartment in Geroskipou with communal pools, gardens, large patio with roll down canvas sidings (low electricity bills). This property comes with many many extras and it is priced at 25% below value at €140, 000.

Covered area 96sq. mtrs.

4. UNIVERSAL- 2 Bedroom end of terrace Townhouse, situated close to the new school and bus route, with front garden, rear patio area, and communal pool, this property comes fully furnished and is priced for a quick sale at €98, 000. TITLE DEEDS IMMINENT. 5. LIMNARIA GARDENS- 1 Bedroom fully furnished spacious top floor apartment with lounge leading to patio overlooking communal pools on a luxury complex.

Shutters all round, heated pool with Jacuzzi, 200m from beach. Priced to sell at €135, 000.

6. SECRET VALLEY- Splendid 3 Bedroom detached villa with master bedroom en-suite, enclosed gardens, private pool next to Secret Valley Golf Course and set in a quiet cul-de-sac. This

8. MARATHOUNDA- Superb 4 Bedroom detached villa with a covered area 310sq. mtrs on a beautiful plot of 928sq. mtrs. Set in an unspoilt area offering marvellous views.

All bedrooms en-suite, large lounge with stone carved fire surround and wood burning fire, black granite work surfaces, traditional stone arches, private 8mx4m pool, outbuildings, garage. Many many extras. Price includes all furniture and white goods.

TITLE DEEDS. Priced well below the market value at €475, 000.

For further details please contact 99874804 or Email: rocpropertiescyp@ gmail.com **************************** FOR SALE special offer, €79, 000 first floor apartment in Protaras, fully furnished with 2 bedrooms and a swimming pool. Walking distance to the beach of Ayia Triada and all amenities. Tel: 97 608941. ****************************

AYIA NAPA **************************** 1.AYIA NAPA, Studio for sale, 38 sqm, furnished and fully renovated, with title deed, in licensed complex, 5030m from Nissi Beach €49.000.

Tel. 99621914. LARNACA *****************************

U SEFUL PHONE NUMBERS POLICE DIVISION HQ

HOSPITALS ........ 1400

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

Nicosia General .............22-801400 Nicosia Makarios ...........22-405000 Limassol Old ................25-305333 Limassol New ................25-801100 Larnaca Old...................24-630312 Larnaca New .................24-630300 Paphos ..........................26-821800 Famagusta ....................23-821211

Drug Law Enforcement Unit ......................................... 1498 (Confidential Information) Rescue Co-ordination Centre ............................. 1441 (Immediate Response Service for Aeronautical or Maritime Accident & Incidents) Game Fund Service: (Wildlife and hunting) Central offices (Nicosia): 22867786, 22-867897 Nicosia: 22-664606, 99-445697 Limassol: 25-343800, 99-445728, Larnaca/Famagusta: 24-805128, 99-634325 Paphos: 26-306211, 99-445679 Forest Fires ..................... 1407

Narcotics Helpline ......... 1410 (Outside hours.............. 22-304160) AIDS Advisory Bureau ................................ 22-302826 Domestic Violence Centre .......................................... 1440 (Emergency Centre for Victims) Drug Info & Poison Control ............... 1401 Cyprus Samaritans ... 77777267 Police Duty Officer ......... 1499 (Confidential Information) Airports Larnaca ..........................77778833 Paphos ...........................77778833

35 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Compiled by Rosie Ogden

Motoring

Twizy is Stuff’s Tech Transport of the year RENAULT has added to its trophy cabinet with Twizy winning Stuff magazine’s Tech Transport at their annual awards ceremony last week at the London Film Museum in Covent Garden.

Stuff magazine is the world’s largest gadget brand. Their Awards celebrate ‘the best-performing hardware, software and accessories’ to have emerged in the previous 12 months.

The Tech Transport category was hotly contested with competition from cars, pushbikes and motorbikes.

Stuff said, “The Twizy might well be the answer to a question that very few

people were asking. But it’s an answer that’s delivered in such a charming, unusual way that it defrosts the hearts of all who see it.

Drive it and that slightly condescending ‘aww’ turns into an excited ‘ooh’ as you realise how much of an urban weapon the Twizy really is – instant-on electric torque and a wheel at each corner combine to make every traffic gap an attainable goal. It’s brilliant.”

Andy Heiron, Renault UK’s Head of Electric Vehicles Programme, said: “I’m delighted to accept the Tech Transport award.

Stuff ’s recognition of the

innovative Twizy is praise indeed. We’re confident that after experiencing the refined and responsive driving experience of a purely electric vehicle, combined with the financial and environmental benefits of switching to an electric vehicle, buyers are also smitten” Twizy is the first-ever fully electric urban compact two-seater, combining “bold design and bright styling while being incredibly fun and easy to drive” – especially in a busy cities, where it can nip around and squeeze into the tightest spaces.

Urban weapon: the Renault Twizy has received high praise

Used cars are second to none, says What Car mag

Volvo cuts electric car recharging time

Publication gives the lowdown on top-performing used vehicles

MANY owners of electric cars suffer from ‘range anxiety’ – worrying about whether they have sufficient juice in their battery to get them where they need to (and back again).

With the recharging infrastructure still in its infancy in many countries, they will doubtless be pleased to hear that Volvo Car Corporation is testing a new fastcharger for electric cars that cuts recharging time to an ‘outstanding’ 1.5 hours.

The fast-charger operates six times faster than today’s on-board devices.

“We know that short recharging times and extensive operating range are a necessity for potential electric car consumers. The fast-charging unit helps cure range anxiety since the car can be more easily recharged during the day.

And even if you don’t have enough time for a 1.5-hour charge, plugging in for just 30 minutes will give you enough power for another 80 kilometres of driving,” says Lennart Stegland, Volvo’s Vice President Electric Propulsion Systems.

The new charger will be installed and evaluated in a number of Volvo C30 Electric cars. The new 22 kW fast-charger is the world’s first charger that operates on a three-phase supply and is small enough to be fitted in an electric car.

Plugging into an ordinary single-phase 230 V household outlet gives a charging time of 8-10 hours, depending on the available current.

“The user can ‘top up’ the battery pack with electricity one or more times during the day. This means that the total daily range is significantly extended,” says Stegland. “Giving customers more usable hours each day means that electric cars become more viable as a commercial proposition, in both the private and public sectors.”

THERE’S always plenty of information around on what new cars to buy, including in newspapers, on TV and in the glossy motoring mags.

But most of us still need guidance on used cars, too; there are some great deals out there if you know where to look.

So where do you start? What Car? magazine has just announced its pick of the bunch in its Used Car of The Year 2012 awards, and it makes fascinating reading.

Not only does it consider the price you’ll have to pay for a given model, it also considers it in terms of safety, style and general value for money.

So no wonder the great Ford Fiesta, in particular the 1.25 Zetec five-door model, takes the overall crown, as well as becoming this year’s used supermini of the year.

According to the magazine’s editor in- chief, Chas Hallett, it’s a “fantastic used car”.

He adds: “It’s stylish, refined, safe and great to drive.

It’s also reliable and cheap to run, and you can buy a threeyear-old example for a little over £6,000, so it’s a lot of talented car for the cash.”

Maybe the Fiesta, especially with its safety pedigree, might be what you were seeking for your newly-qualified son or daughter. If you want a family car, however, What Car? is recommending another car bearing the blue oval, the Ford Mondeo, as its best used family car.

It’s a good day for the firm, in fact, as its superb Ford S-Max also scooped the best used MPV trophy, taking Ford’s tally of awards to three.

Last year’s overall winner, the Nissan Qashqai, has now been voted best used SUV, with judges praising its spacious and classy cabin, comfortable ride and commanding view.

Number one: the Ford Fiesta has been crowned the UK’s best used car by the famous motoring magazine London’s Evening Standard motoring journalist Davis Williams says he thoroughly concurs: “I ran one a year ago for a short while and was similarly impressed before bizarrely - Nissan collected it from me one day and secretly emblazoned it in a Union Jack design.

“I next spotted it a day or two later, when it was being driven along Downing Street by one David Cameron, as part of an ‘invest in Britain’ event.”

Volkswagen also picked up two awards with What Car? recently. The Golf was named best used small family car and the Passat Estate best used estate car. A Audi also won two trophies, with the A6 awarded best used executive and luxury car, and the TT named used

fun car of the year.

The Toyota Aygo was named best used city car. The judges said the Aygo’s blend of “funky styling and rockbottom running costs” were exactly the attributes city car buyers are looking for.

The What Car? Used Car of the Year judging panel were from all areas of the motor industry, including Fords of Winsford car supermarket, Warranty Direct and CDL Ltd, plus experts from What Car?.

As well as selecting the overall Used Car of the Year, the judges picked winners and runners-up in nine categories, looking at running costs, reliability, driveability, quality, longevity, safety features and desirability.

More details at whatcar. com/usedcaroftheyear2012

The Nissan Qashqai (with PM David Cameron at the wheel) has been voted the best SUV

36 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport Raikkonen brings a breath of fresh air to Formula 1 ‘Iceman’ has often done things his own way

By Ian Parkes

IN BRIEF

THERE were two glorious moments during last Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when Kimi Raikkonen proved today's breed of Formula One drivers are not simply robots without thoughts or feelings.

There is a certain sterility that has crept into the character of the so-called stars of the show these days, and you wonder where and when it all started.

When you think of the likes of Graham Hill, James Hunt, Ayrton Senna, Jacques Villeneuve, to name but a few, they were not merely drivers, but men whose being infused and enriched the sport.

Perhaps the PR and corporate nature of F1 these days has sapped some of the lifeblood from the current generation, who will undeniably have been trained on how to address the media and, more importantly, the sponsors before barely turning a wheel in anger.

Raikkonen, for one, found the stuffy corporate nature of McLaren in Ron Dennis' heyday horribly suffocating, which is one of the reasons behind his departure to Ferrari at the end of 2006.

But then Raikkonen has often been his own man, shying away from the norm and conventionality, despising the majority of his media work, and in particular, hating to be told what to do.

In fairness to Lotus, since joining the Enstone-based team at the start of this year, for the most part they have

The Finn has revelled in the more laid-back atmosphere within Lotus, and took his first win of an impressive comeback season at last weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix given him a free reign, restricting his sponsorship and media duties to a minimum.

Raikkonen has revelled in the more laid-back atmosphere within Lotus, however, last Sunday at the Yas Marina circuit, en route to winning his first race for three years, he vented his frustration at some of the more mundane orders from the pitwall.

The Finn had not long inherited the lead due to a fuel-pressure issue on Lewis Hamilton's McLaren, forcing the Briton into retirement for a second time in five races whilst on course for victory.

Told over the radio Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was five seconds behind and he would be kept informed of his pace, a clearly irked Raikkonen retorted: "Just leave

me alone, I know what I'm doing!"

Then with 14 laps remaining, and running behind the safety car for a second time in the race, Raikkonen was told to keep working all four tyres.

Again his response was classic Raikkonen as he said: "Yes, yes, yes, I'm doing that all the time. You don't have to remind me every 10 seconds!"

REFRESHING STUFF It was refreshing stuff, providing light relief in the media centre as there were chuckles and smiles all round.

It is almost certain Raikkonen's remarks would have prompted a similar response from those watching around the world.

You have to remember this is the same Raikkonen caught eating an ice cream in the Ferrari garage after the Malaysian Grand Prix of 2009 had been red-flagged, and whilst others sat in their cars waiting for a restart.

This is the same Raikkonen who in 2007, midway through his debut year with Ferrari, entered a jet ski race in a gorilla suit and under the pseudonym 'James Hunt', a true F1 wild child.

Hunt, aside from winning the 1976 world championship, will long be remembered as the iconic playboy, a man who partied hard off track.

It was in deference to that era, more than to the man himself, who passed away in 1993 at the age of 45, that in Monaco this year Raikko-

nen - with the permission of Hunt's family - wore a specially-designed helmet with the British driver's name emblazoned across it.

Raikkonen described those days in which Hunt lived as "a different way of life, a different way of racing, a completely different atmosphere".

You suspect Raikkonen would have been at home in the hedonistic mid-70s, rebelrousing with Hunt, rather than in the nondescript nineties and noughties in which he has so often had to smile politely - if he can be bothered - to entertain a team's boring corporate clientele.

Known as the 'Iceman', Raikkonen has embraced the sobriquet to such an extent it is ornately tattooed on his inner-left forearm.

Olympics, World Cup ‘at risk’ with royalty bill BRAZILIAN President Dilma Rousseff is under pressure to veto an oil royalty bill that will slash the revenues of Rio de Janeiro state and put the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup in peril, according to the state’s governor.

The bill passed by Congress this week cuts royalty payments to governments where about 80 per cent of the country’s oil and natural gas is produced and shares it out more equally among Brazil’s 27 states and more than 5,500 municipalities. It also redirects royalties to a national fund for social programmes.

Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo states, which have been experiencing an oil-led boom, stand to lose most.

Rio alone will lose about $2 billion in 2013 and forgo $39 billion in revenue by 2020, the state development secretariat said.

“This bill will cause the financial collapse of the state of Rio de Janeiro,” Governor Sergio Cabral warned in Brasilia on Thursday.

“It’s totally unfeasible. The state would have to close its doors. There would be no Olympics, no World Cup, no payments for retirees and pensioners.”

Cabral said he was confident Rousseff will veto the bill because it would modify existing oil exploration and production contracts between companies and the government, a move she has strongly opposed.

Day two of Australia-South Knicks grind down Mavericks Australia’s Meares targets Africa Test rained out to remain unbeaten more Olympic gold in Rio RAIN washed out the second day of the first test between Australia and South Africa at the Gabba yesterday.

A torrential downpour some 45 minutes before the scheduled start was followed by drizzle which persisted throughout the day.

It was the first time a whole day’s play had been lost to rain at the ground since 1983, when Australia’s test against Pakistan was similarly disrupted.

South Africa were set to resume on 255 for two in their first innings with Hashim Amla (90) and Jacques Kallis (84) closing on centuries.

THE New York Knicks remain the only unbeaten team in the National Basketball Association (NBA) after an impressive 104-94 win over the in-form Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

The Knicks were led by five-time all-star Carmelo Anthony who top scored with 31 points and bench man J.R. Smith who added 22, nine of them during a third quarter surge in which the home team broke clear.

This is the first time since the 1993-94 season the Knicks have started perfect through four games, halting a three-game winning streak for the Mavericks who dropped to 4-2.

AUSTRALIA’S track cycling queen Anna Meares will bid for more Olympic glory at the 2016 Rio Games.

The 29-year-old Meares, who captured a longcoveted Olympic sprint title at London, said she would target a fourth Games after a lengthy sabbatical.

“I would like to continue on for the next Olympic campaign,” Meares said after collecting Australia’s top cycling award on Friday.

“But you won’t see me until next year because I will be taking a nice break.”

37 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

Sport Ignorance is bliss for victorious Andy Murray

Drama avoided: Murray finished off Tsonga 6-2 7-6 (7/3) to reach the tournament semi-finals

ANDY Murray was determined to avoid drama at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Friday night and he managed it - despite the best efforts of coach Ivan Lendl.

Novak Djokovic’s victory over Tomas Berdych earlier in the day meant Murray only needed to win a set against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to reach the semi-finals, something he had avoided finding out until Lendl inadvertently told him.

The Scot, who eventually won 6-2 7-6 (7/3), said: “When we chatted before the match, he said, ‘Just focus on trying to win the match, don’t think about winning one set, just try and concentrate on winning the match.’

“I didn’t know exactly what I needed to do. But obviously when he said that, I kind of realised.

“Then I just asked the umpire at the change of ends after the first set whether I was through or not. He said

I was. That was it.”

Murray has been caught out by the vagaries of the round-robin system before, particularly in 2009 when he won two matches out of three but lost out by one game, while two years ago he also needed to win a set against David Ferrer and began nervously.

TSONGA ERRORS There were no alarms at all this time as Murray, helped by some woeful errors from Tsonga, won the first four games and then served out the set to book his passage.

Both players appeared to want the match over quickly, with Tsonga’s hopes now gone, and two double faults from the Frenchman handed Murray another break at the start of the second set.

But Tsonga, beaten by Roger Federer in the final at the O2 Arena last

year, roused himself to break back in the eighth game.

That was greeted warmly by the packed crowd, which included actor Kevin Spacey and former footballer Fabrice Muamba watching courtside, who wanted to see a competitive match.

Tsonga even had a set point with Murray serving at 5-6 but blazed a backhand wide and the Scot sealed victory in the tie-break with his third ace.

He did not feel knowing the scenario had been detrimental in the end, saying: “Maybe the game where I was serving for the first set would have been a little bit different.

“In some ways it feels like you’re serving for the match when you know you’re through if you win that. I was very focused from the start of the match. I got off to a good start. So it didn’t make any difference at all.”

England score a record win against Fiji at Twickenham

Dan Carter reveals his driving force

Preparing for more ferocious fights ahead

A DETERMINATION to excel and honour the New Zealand jersey is behind the peerless Dan Carter’s continual desire to improve.

The 30-year-old fly-half has amassed 1360 points in 92 Tests over nine years, but remains a key component of the team as the All Blacks aim to finish the calendar year unbeaten.

“There’s a couple of (motivating) things,” said the Crusaders playmaker ahead of today’s EMC Test with Scotland at Murrayfield.

“One is not wanting to let the team down. You’re playing with your best mates and every time you get the opportunity to play you’re not wanting to let the All Blacks down, you’re wanting to add to the legacy.

“Then on a personal level you’re always wanting to strive to be better.

“It can be challenging at times when you’ve played so many Tests, but there’s something special about the black jersey; every time I put it on, when I take it off I want to add something to the jersey.

“That’s something on a personal level that really motivates me.”

Rather than be too concerned about his opponents, Carter focuses on self-improvement.

And he was less than happy with his display in the 18-18 draw with Australia which ended hopes of a recordequalling 17th successive Test win.

“You tend to look at your last performance and what you’re wanting to improve; there’s a little bit to that last game.

“You’ve got to look at your strengths as much as your weaknesses. A lot of guys just look at their weaknesses and want to improve those.

“For me I know I’m playing well when I’m taking the ball to the line and being an attacking threat.

“I guess that’s something I didn’t do that well in the last game. Defence was pretty poor as well.”

England 54 Fiji 12

By Alex Lowe CHARLIE Sharples scored his first two Test tries as England prepared for the more ferocious challenges to come with a record victory over Fiji yesterday.

The Gloucester wing, making his first Test start at Twickenham, was joined on the scoresheet by Ugo Monye, flanker Tom Johnson and centre Manu Tuilagi, who touched down twice late on against the tiring Fijians.

England’s pack was so superior they struggled to retain control at times but their power did earn a penalty try, while Fiji’s captain and tighthead prop Deacon Manu was watching from the sin-bin.

England had talked about imposing themselves from the outset against Fiji as they prepare to face Australia, South Africa and world champions New Zealand.

Head coach Stuart Lancaster will be satisfied with the seven-try performance, disappointed by the two tries England conceded and aware they will need to be more accurate when the Wallabies come to town next Saturday.

England must retain their fourth place ranking through this most challenging autumn campaign to be among the top seeds when the 2015 World Cup draw is made on December 3.

England paid the price for starting slowly on their summer tour of South Africa and

England’s Charlie Sharples is tackled by Fiji’s Watisoni Votu during their international rugby union match at Twickenham Stadium in London yesterday a more clinical team would have punished them in the first 20 minutes yesterday.

Fiji bossed the opening quarter, with the powerful Gloucester number eight Akapusi Qera causing England all sorts of problems around the fringes.

England fell foul of referee Glen Jackson, the former Saracens fly-half, and had Danny Care sin-binned for what was considered to be a dangerous tackle.

It looked harsh but no one could have denied that Fiji deserved the lead they would have had if fly-half Metuisela Talebula had not dropped two penalty kicks woefully short.

In the end, England negotiated Care’s absence and then

turned the tables on Fiji, with man of the match Alex Goode particularly impressive in his role as the second play-maker.

After Flood had kicked England into the lead, the men in white attacked in waves and Sharples marked his first Twickenham start with his first Test try.

The Gloucester wing collected Goode’s offload and cut in-field, wriggling and driving his way through three Fijian defenders before stretching for the line.

Johnson, debutant Tom Youngs and captain Chris Robshaw all carried powerfully to keep England on the front foot and Fiji’s only answer to the pressure was to spoil.

Flood added a second penalty, before Fiji captain Manu was sin-binned but England were guilty of butchering chances.

England failed to control their own five-metre scrum and when they spread the ball wide, the final pass from Joe Marler to Brad Barritt went forward and straight into touch.

When Robshaw was held up over the line, the pack England remained disciplined and twice shoved Fiji backwards to earn the penalty try.

Fiji received a let-off when Sharples’ chip ahead just brushed the in-goal whitewash before he could touch it down.

Care was scragged just short of the line, but Fiji conceded

yet another penalty and Monye benefited from the quick tap to score.

Flood extended England’s lead with a penalty soon after the restart and ran at Fiji again, with Tuilagi and then Care making a dart for the line.

England spread the ball wide and Dan Cole crashed over the line in search of his second international try but the television official ruled he had been held up.

Saracens prop Mako Vunipola was sent on for his debut and England built from the attacking platform, working an overlap down the left and Robshaw sent Johnson over for his first Test try.

England switched off and allowed Fiji to score an eyecatching consolation, with Malaki Ravulo streaking away from Tuilagi before Talebula kicked ahead to score.

Flood then scuffed the kickoff, to cap an unceremonious couple of minutes but they were soon back in the groove with Monye benefiting from Barritt’s decoy run to cut an excellent line.

Flood then exploited the space out left, launching a long pass for Sharples, who stepped inside his men and scored his second try of the match.

England began to ring the changes and Ben Youngs came on to join his elder brother Tom, who produced an impressive Test debut before making way for David Paice.

Ben Youngs and Mike Brown both dropped the ball over the line as England looked to turn the screw against a tiring Fiji team.

Qera somehow managed to haul down a barnstorming run from Waldrom but Fiji were stretched again as quick hands from Barritt allowed Tuilagi to dive over in the corner.

The Leicester centre then brushed aside a weak tackle to touch down again but Fiji had the final word, with Seko Kalou crashing over for their second try.

38 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport Di Matteo calls for calm ahead of Reds clash ROBERTO Di Matteo has attempted to defuse the tension between Chelsea and Liverpool over the behaviour of their supporters ahead of their latest clash.

The two clubs have developed a bitter rivalry since the turn of the millennium which has led to some sickening chants at games between them.

But it was in a fixture involving only one of them that this reached a new low, last season’s FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Tottenham.

The match was played on the 23rd anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster and a moment’s silence before kick-off was marred by an outbreak of derogatory chanting and catcalls from a section of Blues supporters.

Both the club and manager Di Matteo were quick to condemn the abuse, but the Italian was keen to point out yeserday such behaviour was not endemic.

“To be honest, here in England when the fans are singing - and it’s mostly the whole stadium - they’re supporting the team,” he said.

“Sometimes, there’s a bit of taking the mickey out of the opposition.

“As long as it’s not bad language or abusive...

“It’s been actually very good in England in general compared to the Continent.

“There’s a unique atmosphere in England. The atmosphere that’s created is quite magnificent.

“We obviously don’t want to hear any bad language, because there are a lot of families with children in the stadium, but it’s not too bad.”

Chelsea fans have arguably been too busy trying to catch their breath to focus too much on winding up the opposition this season.

Wednesday’s Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk was the latest rollercoaster ride at Stamford Bridge, which has witnessed a crazy 43 goals in nine matches there this season.

Di Matteo admitted even he had been on the edge of his seat, with Chelsea attacking with almost reckless abandon as they continue their transfor-

mation from dogs of war to the great entertainers.

“Changes need time, and we know how, in football, time is very precious,” Di Matteo said.

“I believe in something, and I want to continue to go that way. I think the players believe in it, which is the most important factor.

“Hopefully, the future will be that Chelsea continue to play in this style.”

Even if it means shipping 14 goals in just six matches?

“There’s a compromise you have to make, but I’m 100 per cent sure we’ll improve that part of the game as well,” Di Matteo said.

“Personnel also helps, but also the players playing regularly with each other, game after game, and the work we do will improve that.”

As will the return of John Terry today.

“His experience is very important,” Di Matteo said.

“We maybe lacked a bit of experience on Wednesday without Ashley (Cole), Lamps (Frank Lampard) and JT.”

Di Matteo was attempting to defuse tension between the Blues and Reds over the derogatory behaviour of some of their supporters, ahead of today’s encounter

Newcastle no grudge match, says Allardyce

City players are ‘resilient animals’ says assistant boss

WEST Ham boss Sam Allardyce insists he has moved on from his turbulent time at Newcastle as he prepares to face the Magpies in the Barclays Premier League this weekend.

Allardyce takes his side to St James’ Park today knowing victory for the Hammers would move them four points clear of the club he was sacked from almost five years ago.

The 58-year-old has since been back to the north-east as Blackburn manager and has already banished the memories of his dismissal in January 2008.

Asked whether the Newcastle game carried an extra edge, Allardyce said: “No, not for me. Those days are long gone.

“They happened when I got the Blackburn job and Newcastle came to Blackburn.

After that they got relegated, so I didn’t meet them again until we went up to Newcastle and played them.

“There has been a lot of water under the bridge since then. Life moves on, I don’t live in the past. I can only look to the future as best I can.

“It’s a piece of history in my career that didn’t quite work out as well as I’d liked it to.”

Allardyce felt he was sacked as Newcastle boss due to a change in ownership, rather than because of results on the pitch.

Mike Ashley took control of the club in summer 2007 and Allardyce reckons he wanted to bring in his own man, who proved to be former boss Kevin Keegan.

“For me, it wasn’t me getting bad results at Newcastle - it was a change of ownership and a decision made at the time that they wanted their own man in,” he said.

“I accepted that at the time and since that time has drifted by, I have no animosity towards Newcastle United at all.”

Platt: Europe frustrations won’t hold City back

By Andy Hampson ASSISTANT boss David Platt expects Manchester City to bounce back quickly from their latest European frustrations.

City’s Champions League challenge looks doomed to failure after a controversial and frustrating 2-2 draw with Ajax in midweek.

Roberto Mancini’s men must now win their remaining two group games and hope other results go in their favour to avoid a premature exit for a second successive season.

They will switch their attention back to their Barclays Premier League title defence as Tottenham visit the Etihad Stadium today and Platt has no concerns about the players’ state of mind.

Platt said: “Players are resilient animals and people don’t give them credit for that.

“They think that players get affected and things like that.

“Disappointment or any pleasure lasts a very short time because immediately there’s another game coming your way and the boys have got to put their boots back on again.

“This is the first day we’ve had back when we’re all together and my experience would tell me that that will happen after the next game too.”

City’s form has not reached the heights of last season, but they remain the only unbeaten side in the Premier League

Despite the mounting pressure from their Champions League woes, City’s assistant boss said concentrating on the league table was enough motivation for his side as they take on Spurs today and are well placed in a leading pack with Manchester United and Chelsea.

Their defensive frailties were exposed again by Ajax on Tuesday but they have kept three clean sheets in their last four league games.

To build on that record they will need to quell the threat of Tottenham’s inform frontman Jermain Defoe, who scored a hat-trick in a Europa League win over Maribor on Thursday.

The 30-year-old is a player

former England Under-21 coach Platt is well aware of.

Platt said: “He is potent.

Defoe will always score goals.

“He could go six or seven games without scoring but you know if he does there is a glut coming because his stats tell you he scores goals.

“He has done all his career, ever since he was a young kid.

“I have had him in an under-21 team and training. He will get efforts on goal and he can finish.

“He is 5ft 3in - he’ll have pop at me for that - but a cross comes in and he gets a header in the six-yard box.

“When a ball comes into the box he knows how to finish, he knows what to do.

“He has very early pictures in his mind about how he is going to score, no matter what angle it is.

“His first goal on Thursday was just an exceptional finish. He had the picture long before he got the ball.”

Spurs lost to Wigan in their

last league outing but remain a team with plenty of attacking quality, as seen when they beat Manchester United at Old Trafford in September.

Platt said: ““What Tottenham have got over the years, with what Harry (Redknapp) has created and Andre Villas-Boas has added to and developed, is a group of young, energetic players that can harm you, can score a goal in an instant.

“They change their team but they are dangerous.”

39 SUNDAY MAIL • November 11, 2012

Sport

Victory over Sunderland keeps Everton in league’s top four Toffees maintain 11year run of wins against Black Cats Everton 2 Sunderland 1

By Carl Markham EVERTON produced a late rally to score twice in three minutes and maintain their remarkable 11-year unbeaten record against Sunderland.

Black Cats winger Adam Johnson scored his first goal for the club on the stroke of half-time and for a long time it looked like giving his side their first league win over the Toffees in 16 matches.

However, Marouane Fellaini and Nikica Jelavic swung the game decisively in Everton’s favour with goals in quick succession in the last 15 minutes to ensure manager David Moyes’ 400th Premier League match ended in victory.

It also kept the Toffees in the top four as they stretched their current good run in 2012 to just one defeat in 20 league games.

Sunderland, who have not won away since February, must have thought their luck was about to change against their bogey side after Johnson’s strike.

Not only was it his first goal since joining from Manchester City for £10million in August it was the team’s first in eight hours 54 minutes of football in all

Everton’s Nikica Jelavic (centre) clipped home a first-time shot and clinched a sixth successive Premier League home win against Sunderland competitions.

He became only the second Black Cats player to score this season, with Steven Fletcher (five) the only other as Newcastle striker Demba Ba’s own goal had contributed to the paltry tally of six in nine previous matches.

Going into the weekend Everton were second only to defending champions Man-

chester City in terms of shots on target but they struggled to live up to that billing as it was Sunderland who posed all the early threats.

Jelavic, who had not scored for more than a month after grabbing four in five games, had an early shout for penalty turned down after John O’Shea’s challenge before the visitors had two chances to take the lead.

Stephane Sessegnon shrugged off Seamus Coleman but should have done better as he closed in on goal but keeper Tim Howard, watched by United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann, saved.

Fletcher came even closer when he beat the American with an angled shot from a similar position only to see the ball roll past the far

Premier League standings

Baggies sink Latics 2-1 in deserved win

Team

Wigan 1 West Brom 2 WEST Brom maintained their excellent start under manager Steve Clarke with a deserved win at Wigan yesterday, keeping them fifth in the Premier League.

James Morrison headed the Baggies ahead from Chris Brunt’s cross before Gary Caldwell deflected Billy Jones’ effort into his own net.

Wigan reduced the deficit through Arouna Kone’s close-range finish.

But the Baggies deserved the points, Ali Al Habsi only denying Romelu Lukaku a third goal with a stunning save.

This was West Brom’s first away win under Clarke.

But on this evidence,

Morrison headed the Baggies ahead in the 31st minute former Baggies manager Roberto Di Matteo could be in for an uncomfortable return when his Chelsea side visit The Hawthorns next

Saturday.

West Brom are clearly flourishing under Clarke, whose bold tactical switches are paying off.

post.

Everton’s response saw the lively Kevin Mirallas have a shot blocked by Danny Rose and Steven Pienaar denied

by Simon Mignolet before the Toffees were dealt a blow when the former was forced off with a hamstring injury and had to be replaced by Steven Naismith.

The hosts had got themselves back into the game by this point and the sight of Phil Neville shooting from distance, forcing Mignolet to palm away, highlighted the confidence running currently through the team.

However, with virtually the last kick of the half Johnson struck with a neat volley.

Sebastian Larsson’s corner was only half headed clear

by Jelavic and when Craig Gardner curled a cross towards the far side of the penalty area the England international pounced.

Johnson also found himself in the right position early in the second half as he cleared John Heitinga’s header off the line.

Substitute Apostolos Vellios, in his first appearance of the season after replacing Neville, headed at Mignolet but within minutes Everton were ahead.

Leon Osman, named in an England squad for the first time this week at the age of 31, and Fellaini played a big part in both.

In the 76th minute Osman slid the ball through to his midfield colleague on the edge of the penalty area and the Belgium international turned before firing a low shot through a crowd of players, across Mignolet and into the far corner.

The same two players then combined again - Fellaini’s cheeky backheel going through O’Shea’s legs - to allow Jelavic to clip home a first-time shot and clinch a sixth successive Premier League home win against Sunderland.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Manchester United Chelsea Manchester City Arsenal Everton Manchester City West Brom Liverpool Tottenham Hotspur Arsenal Everton Fulham Stoke City West Utd BoltonHam Wanderers Newcastle West BromUnited Swansea Fulham Stoke City United Newcastle Liverpool Sunderland Wigan Athletic Aston Villa Norwich City Blackburn Rovers Sunderland Wolves Aston Villa Birmingham Reading Blackpool Southampton Wigan Athletic QPR West Ham United

P

W

D

L

F

10 37 10 36 10 36 11 36 11 36 10 36 11 37 11 36 10 37 10 37 11 36 11 36 10 37 11 36 11 37 10 37 10 36 10 37 11 36 11 36

8 22 7 21 6 19 5 19 6 17 5 14 4 12 4 13 4 12 3 12 3 10 2 11 2 11 3 10 2 10 1 11 2 8 0 10 1 7 0 7

0 11 2 7 4 10 5 8 2 7 2 14 4 15 4 7 3 10 5 10 4 15 6 11 5 11 2 12 5 10 6 7 3 15 6 9 2 15 4 12

2 4 1 8 0 7 1 9 3 12 3 8 3 10 3 16 3 15 2 15 4 11 3 14 3 15 6 14 4 17 3 19 5 13 4 18 8 14 7 17

26 74 22 67 18 69 21 55 17 59 17 51 18 50 24 46 13 52 12 53 16 45 9 51 13 42 12 45 8 43 7 44 8 36 12 53 15 36 8 41

A Pts 14 35 10 30 9 39 14 33 12 41 14 45 11 45 19 44 11 54 14 68 15 41 10 52 15 56 18 58 18 57 11 63 14 54 18 74 29 59 20 64

24 77 23 70 22 67 20 65 20 58 17 56 16 51 16 46 15 46 14 46 13 45 12 44 11 44 11 42 11 40 9 40 9 39 6 39 5 36 4 33

Ferguson questions friendly’s value SIR Alex Ferguson cannot see the point of England’s friendly with Sweden in Stockholm next week.

The selection of Jack Wilshere has already provided the game with its major talking point, given the Arsenal midfielder is only three matches into his comeback after 17 months out, and Arsene Wenger has expressed his unease at the 20-year-old being named in Roy Hodgson’s squad.

Ferguson has some sympathy with the Frenchman.

And, even though England will train at Manchester United’s Carrington HQ tomorrow, the Red Devils chief does not understand what benefit will be gained.

“Friendly games at this time of year don’t mean a thing to me,” said Ferguson.

“It won’t be a full squad anyway because players will drop out.

“I can understand where Arsene is coming from with that (Wilshere complaint).

“When you are out for a long period and play your first game, the adrenaline helps you.

“But there is a physical reaction a few days later. You never know after someone has been out for so long.”

Such is Wilshere’s value to Arsenal’s flagging campaign, it is little wonder Wenger is so troubled, something the player has acknowledged in an interview with BBC’s Football Focus.

“Maybe it is a bit too soon (to be called up) because I have only played three games since I have been back,” said the 20-year-old.

“But it is great for my head and my confidence to know I am in the new manager’s plans.

“It is a new chapter for me in my football career, the last time I played for England was 17 months ago. now everyone can see there is a different style of play.”

Premiership results Arsenal Fulham

3 3

Everton Sunderland

2 1

Reading Norwich

0 0

Southampton Swansea

1 1

Stoke QPR

1 0

Wigan West Brom

1 2

Aston Villa Man United

L L

Playing Today Man City v Tottenham, 3.30pm Newcastle v West Ham, 5pm Chelsea v Liverpool, 6pm

40 November 11, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport

Ignorance is bliss for victorious Murray 37

Victory over Sunderland keeps Everton in 39 top four

Del Potro beats Fed to progress to semis

By Eleanor Crooks JUAN Martin Del Potro joined Roger Federer in the semi-finals of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals after ending the defending champion’s 12-match winning streak at London’s O2 Arena yesterday.

Federer has won the title the last two years with a perfect record, but knew he was already through after straightsets wins in his first two group matches.

The incentive was therefore with Del Potro, and he seized his chance, recovering quickly after dropping the second set to win 7-6 (7/3) 4-6 6-3.

The semi-final match-ups were not to be decided until yesterday’s late match between David Ferrer and Janko Tipsarevic, even though it was now a dead rubber.

At the time of going to press, victory for Ferrer would mean it would be Federer who plays Andy Murray with Del Potro playing Novak Djokovic, while a Tipsarevic win would reverse the fixtures.

Federer had won 13 of his previous 16 meetings and six of seven this year with Del Potro, but the Argentinian is a player who has given him plenty of trouble.

As well as winning his only grand slam title with victory over Federer in the final of the US Open in 2009, Del Potro also led the Swiss by two sets in the French Open quarter-finals this year and pushed him to 19-17 in the third set at the Olympics.

The 24-year-old, meanwhile, handed Federer his only other indoor defeat in the last two years in the final of his home-town tournament in Basle two weeks ago.

It was a very tight first set, with the

only break points coming for Federer in the eighth game, but Del Potro saved all three.

And it was the Argentinian who dominated the tie-break, Federer choosing a bad moment to misfire with a series of poor forehands and backhands.

His response was emphatic, going on the offensive and winning the first eight points of the second set, and Del Potro did not come close to retrieving the break.

The sixth seed did strike first in the decider, though, taking a 2-0 lead when Federer miscued a backhand.

The champion was making a lot of errors and let out a cry of frustration midway through the set as he battled to turn things around.

There was no way back, though, and Del Potro sealed an impressive victory after exactly two hours when Federer netted a volley.

Del Potro sealed an impressive victory after exactly two hours when Federer netted a volley

Gunners settle for Fulham tie Arsenal blow twogoal lead for second time in a week Arsenal 3 Fulham 3

By Jim van Wijk

A

rsenal blew a twogoal lead for the second time in a week as Fulham battled to a 3-3 draw at Emirates Stadium, where Mark Schwarzer saved a penalty in stoppagetime.

Just as they had been in their midweek Champions League game at Schalke, the Gunners were in control after early goals from Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski.

Fulham, though, rallied after Dimitar Berbatov reduced the deficit and Alex Kacaniklic levelled before half-time.

The visitors then went ahead from the penalty spot when Berbatov slotted home after Mikel Arteta had fouled Brian Ruiz.

Although Giroud quickly levelled at 3-3, the Gunners could not find a winner - but were then awarded a penalty in stoppage-time for handball, only for Fulham keeper Schwarzer to produce a brilliant stop from Arteta’s low effort.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger admitted the atmosphere had been “flat” at Emirates Stadium for the last two home games, and challenged his team to lift the fans with an all-action display this afternoon.

Fulham players celebrate their team’s second goal as Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen (left) looks on dejected However, it was Fulham who showed early promise as Ruiz’s 20-yard effort was deflected wide.

Theo Walcott, retained in the starting XI after his European goal, looked lively down the right channel.

Arsenal took the lead after 11 minutes.

Walcott delivered a corner into the six-yard box, where Giroud powered in his second headed goal of the week.

Fulham were then forced into a change when Kieran Richardson pulled up with what looked like a hamstring injury and Kacaniklic came on.

Arsenal then doubled their

lead after 23 minutes.

Arteta drove into the right side of the penalty area and pulled a low cross back through the six-yard box, where Podolski got ahead of his marker to stab the ball past Schwarzer.

Fulham, though, halved the deficit after 28 minutes when Berbatov nodded home with a free header from a corner.

Arsenal’s confidence was dented and the hosts failed to recover, losing the midfield battle.

It was no real surprise to see Fulham level five minutes before the break.

Berbatov strolled down the right channel and effort-

lessly floated a lovely ball back over to Kacaniklic, who dispatched a header into the bottom corner past the diving Vito Mannone.

Fulham almost went ahead in stoppage time when John Arne Riise’s low centre from the left went straight across through the six-yard box.

The visitors started the second with intent.

Walcott, though, continued to provide Arsenal’s threat down the right, and his cross was just too high for Giroud.

The England forward then took the ball on himself from the halfway line and driving forwards before firing a curling shot just over

the top-left angle.

Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey replaced Francis Coquelin.

Arsenal were pushing Fulham deeper, if without really stretching the visitors’ defence.

Fulham midfielder Steve Sidwell, who had been cautioned in the first half, upended Santi Cazorla 25 yards out, but was given a final warning by lenient referee Phil Dowd.

The official, however, got it right a few minutes later when Ruiz robbed Arteta on the right side of the penalty area and was pulled back by the Spaniard.

Berbatov confidently sent Mannone the wrong way from the spot to turn the match on its head after 67 minutes.

The drama was not over yet, though, as Arsenal quickly levelled.

Giroud’s shot came back off the post and Walcott sent the rebound into the sixyard box, where the France striker guided a cushioned header over Schwarzer to make it 3-3.

As Arsenal pressed forward, Fulham were dangerous on the break and it needed a brilliant last-gasp tackle from Laurent Koscielny to deny Berbatov a clear shot on goal.

With 15 minutes left, Podolski was replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who had been out since the defeat at Norwich with a hip problem.

Schwarzer pushed behind a goal-bound effort from Giroud, before both sides made another change as Walcott, who looked to have picked up an injury which could rule him out of England duty next week, was replaced by Andrey Arshavin and Damien Duff came on for Ashkan Dejagah.

Arsenal pressed for the winner during the closing stages, but Giroud could only plant his free header wide.

However, there was more drama in stoppage time when Arshavin’s cross hit Sascha Riether on the arm and Dowd pointed to the spot.

Arteta struck his shot well enough towards the bottom right corner, but Schwarzer - once an Arsenal transfer target - produced a brilliant save at full stretch to earn the Cottagers a share of the spoils in the final action of an entertaining encounter.