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Childless women in their 30s are putting their eggs on ice

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November 18, 2012

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COFFEESHOP: LET’S IMAGINE OUR LIVES WITHOUT A BAILOUT INSIDE Cyprus Donkey sanctuary in need of funds 4

Cyprus Poker champs forced online 5

World Israeli air strikes hit Hamas HQ, reservists mobilised

Memories of the dark days of 2004 in troika divide State vitriol grows against those supporting bailout Government plans fresh raid on SGO coffers Moody’s consider further downgrade for state bonds

By George Psyllides

9

Feature Twilight: the fanged film franchise comes to an end 19

Sport Ruthless Arsenal gun down ten man Spurs in derby 40

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ITH no end in sight to the bailout negotiations, and economic problems piling up, the cash-strapped government appears poised to raid once more the coffers of profitable semi-state companies (SGOs) in a bid to secure the necessary money to pull it through the next month.

At the same time, there appears to be a concerted effort to create a negative climate against the international lenders and anyone who supports accepting their proposed measures for a bailout agreement.

The delays were the reason given by ratings agency Moody’s on Friday for placing Cyprus’ B3 government bond ratings on review for possible downgrade.

The agency cited two factors for its decision: the slow pace of negotiations with the troika and the resulting uncertainty regarding the likelihood and timing of a support package which raises liquidity risks, and evidence that Cyprus’ budget deficit will be significantly larger than expected, which fur-

ther increases liquidity risks for the government.

“This is a new risk factor that was not present when Moody’s downgraded Cyprus’ bond ratings to B3 from Ba3 in October 2012,” the agency said. “The rating action in October focused on the profound difficulties in the Cypriot banking sector, which creates both a macroeconomic risk and a solvency risk for the government.”

Cyprus applied for assistance for its Greece-exposed banks at the end of June. A month later, and after two fact-finding missions, international lenders submitted their proposals on the island’s adjustment programme.

They were rejected by Cyprus, which took three months to prepare its counter-proposals.

Substantive negotiations only started last week when international lenders returned to the island.

Moody’s said there was a risk that negotiations would be prolonged.

“Even if negotiations were to be concluded in 2012, Moody’s considers it unlikely that any assistance will be

TURN TO PAGE 3

Israeli soldiers sit atop a tank on the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip yesterday. Israeli air strikes destroyed the cabinet headquarters of Gaza’s Hamas rulers after militants fired rockets at the heart of Israel which called up thousands more reservists for a possible ground war FULL STORY PAGE 9 (AFP)

2 November 18, 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

Nicosia Larnaca Limassol Paphos Paralimni Prodromos

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

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

SUNRISE: 06.24 am

SUNSET: 16.39 pm

The terminal will store 357,000 cubic metres of oil to begin with, eventually rising to 643,000 cubic metres

A new look for Vasilikos as terminal nears completion Fuel prices will fall due to increased competition

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A NEW landscape at Vasilikos is taking shape as construction continues on the VTT Vasiliko Ltd’s fuel terminal which is currently employing 206 people.

Work started last April and is expected to be completed in 2014.

To begin with, the terminal should be able to store 357,000 cubic metres of oil (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, gasoil and mazut). It is eventually due to have a capacity of 643,000 cubic metres.

Plans include a marine jetty with four berths to extend offshore for 1,200 metres and to include two loading arms per berth per product. About 550 ships are expected to be served a year.

The company has said that the ports authority is expected to make €18 million a year from port duties, with customs duties and taxes bringing in additional revenue for the state. The overall investment is in the range of €300 million and the project is expected to considerably boost the island’s ailing economy.

According to VTT Vasiliko’s managing

director George Papanastasiou, Cypriot consumers would also benefit, due to reduced fuel prices, as the VTT Vasiliko terminal is expected to reinforce competition as it will be used by companies that currently don’t operate in the Cypriot market.

Last November, VTTI (to which VTT Vasiliko is a subsidiary) was forced to respond to reports suggesting there was a conflict of interest from the potential participation of the company in the construction and management of the oil storage terminal at the Vasilikos Energy Centre.

VTTI said that oil storage terminals, by nature, do not affect competition in a market as the owner/operating company of the terminal is in control of the storage infrastructure rather than the oil stored within it.

“The aim and priority of VTT Vasiliko Ltd is the development and operation of its private terminal that will be erected in Vasilikos and not any other similar

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project in Cyprus,” a statement said.

It said the main activity of the private terminal would be storing fuels for companies, the majority from abroad, which do not have commercial operations in Cyprus and are competitors to each other.

VTT Vasiliko Ltd is a company registered in Cyprus, a subsidiary of VTTI B.V. With interests spanning over 11 countries and five continents, VTTI is considered one of the top ten independent oil terminal operators in the world. Major terminals are located in Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Fujairah in the UAE and Port Canaveral, Florida, USA. VTTI’s shareholders are the Dutch energy giant Vitol, one of the world’s largest energy trading companies, and MISC, a leading international shipping company, registered in the Malaysian stock market and owned by the state oil company Petronas.

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BAILOUT talks between the troika and Cypriot officials continued yesterday amid reports that the lenders are asking for deeper cuts.

Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly and Central Bank Governor Panicos Demetriades met with the heads of the troika team in Cyprus to discuss issues that concern the island’s banks.

The meeting took place amid reports by state broadcaster CyBC that lenders have demanded deeper spending cuts worth €1.2 billion instead of €975 million sought initially.

The troika delegation, in Cyprus since last Friday, was scheduled to leave the island today, but has now extended its stay to at least Wednesday due to divergences between the two sides on major issues, state television said.

House President Yiannakis Omirou said yesterday the troika’s demand would lead the country’s economy back to “Dark Ages” and will abolish the sovereignty of the Cypriot state.

“There’s an attempt to abolish the sovereignty of the Cypriot state with specific demands and furthermore there’s an attempt for a complete disintegration and dissolution of the social fabric,” Omirou said.

3 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

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Contractors left unpaid for state projects

By George Christou THE government has repeatedly said it was not going to default, but there are growing signs it is only paying salaries and leaving other debts unpaid.

Companies that have completed government jobs are still waiting for payment; others are still awaiting VAT refunds.

One big construction firm which built a road in Nicosia is

still waiting for more than a million euros, despite completing the project 18 months ago.

The government found a pretext relating to the technical specifications to avoid payment and even after a compromise deal was reached, the state has still refused to pay.

But it seems to make no difference if a finished project complies with all requirements.

Work on the Paphos sewage project was completed and the government took delivery but it

is still refusing to pay the contractor the final 5 per cent it owes.

The authorities have told the company that it has no money and will settle the debt, with interest, when funds are available.

“The interest we will receive at some time in the future is no consolation,” said the company’s executive. “Our problem is cash flow. We need the money now to pay wages and our suppliers. Non-payment causes us huge problems.”

A smaller contractor that has been working on a government project in Dhali is now looking to secure a bank loan in order to complete it because he has run out of money and has received no payment from the government.

As a result he has been unable to pay his sub-contractors who had done part of the electrical engineering work.

The sub-contractor, who is owed €15,000 by the government, is now unwilling to run the risk

of buying the electrical units he was contracted to install because he does not know when he will be paid for them.

“If tomorrow I am obliged to make redundant my three employees, because I have no money to pay their wages, whose fault will it be?” he asked.

Companies are also complaining about significant delays in getting VAT refunds.

The VAT service did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.

Troika divide echoes the dark days of 2004 State plans to raid CyTA and ports authority coffers (Continued from front page) disbursed in 2012 because of the length of time that it takes for euro area national parliaments to agree to any new assistance programme,” it said.

It added that the presidential elections in February also raised the risk of delay in agreeing the conditionality and disbursement of assistance until late in the first quarter of 2013.

Moody’s said the extent of deterioration in the country’s fiscal position in a short period of time is further heightening liquidity risk given the government’s limited market access.

“The extent of the deterioration is sufficiently material not just to pose further challenges to the government’s fiscal consolidation programme, but to materially heighten liquidity risk given the government’s very limited market access,” Moody’s said.

Central Bank Governor Panicos Demetriades has emphasised in recent days the urgency of signing a bailout deal as soon as possible so that banks receive the necessary capital and in turn start supporting the economy.

The government has so far dealt with its cash flow problems through shortterm borrowing from banks and SGOs. Most banks can no longer finance the state, which according to daily Politis yesterday, was once again preparing to go cap in hand to the telecommunications company, CyTA and the ports authority, in order to cover its needs for the next month or so, which amount to some €400 million.

The government has said repeatedly it was not prepared to privatise profitable SGOs as is the troika’s demand.

To complicate matters further, unions are strenuously resisting certain troika proposals that they say would change the pension system.

Christofias: no return to the 1930s The troika proposed gradually - by 2060 - doing away with a 4.3 per cent contribution paid by the state for all workers and writing-off some €7 billion owed to the social insurance fund by the state.

Unions also oppose scrapping wage indexation or CoLA, the 13th salary and privatisations.

Critics suggest that union utterances regarding workers’ rights only apply to employees of the wider public sector as private sector workers are already bearing the brunt of the crisis with 40,000 jobless and widespread pay and other benefit cuts.

On Friday, President Demetris Christofias paid tribute to the union movement and slammed those “coming from overseas” who have the workers rights and conquests in their crosshairs.

“I hope - and I promise we will fight to the end - that we will successfully defend these workers’ conquests so that our country and the living conditions of its people … do not return to the 40s and 30s,” Christofias said.

Christofias, who has repeatedly denied any responsibility for the island’s economic hardship, suggested that a lot of

people “inside and out of Cyprus” were uniting their forces to hurt the Left.

He said this came to a peak when the Left decided to run in the elections with its own leader “but it should not be accepted”.

Christofias has been accused by the opposition of dragging his feet in the bailout negotiations until after his term ends in February in a bid to avoid being the one signing the painful agreement.

The administration has denied that, but lately there appears to be a concerted effort to create a negative climate against the memorandum and anyone who speaks in favour.

Some say its reminiscent of 2004 when anyone supporting the UN reunification blueprint known as the Annan plan was vilified and branded a traitor.

Like then, the target once more appears to be DISY chief Anastasiades, so far tipped to win February’s presidential poll.

“Mr Anastasiades, DISY and their neoliberal companions continue to undermine the Cypriot side in its negotiation with the troika, intensifying their pressure to surrender to the troika’s appetites by signing a memorandum now, irrespective of contents,” was the response of AKEL to opposition criticism on Thursday.

AKEL went on to ask whether DISY was prepared to sign a deal handing over Cyprus’ natural gas to the troika or privatising SGOs to pay off the banks’ losses.

Stavros Malas, the candidate backed by AKEL in next year’s election, also took a shot at Anastasiades yesterday.

He said Anastasiades wants the government to sign a memorandum before the elections so that the austerity measures he planned on imposing if elected would be blamed on others.

Editorial, page 12

DISY leader Nicos Anastasiades accused of undermining Cyprus in the negotiations with international lenders

4 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

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Vouni donkey sanctuary in funding plea Necessary relocation has forced closure of lucrative, popular visitors’ centre

By Alexandra Anastassiades THE DONKEY Sanctuary’s outreach programme, that provides support to donkeys and their owners in villages all over Cyprus, is at risk of shutting down unless public donations increase.

A significant proportion of elderly people living in villages still own donkeys but often don’t have the financial means to call farriers or vets to maintain their donkeys’ good health. The Donkey Sanctuary, through its outreach programme, can refer the owners to vets and farriers and provide free care for the donkeys.

“This is a very important programme,” says Maria Nikolaou, welfare and office

administrator of the sanctuary. “The owners, who are often elderly, know who they can contact if there is a problem with any of their donkeys.”

The team that organises these visits often encounters donkeys suffering from disfigured hooves, parasites, dental problems and untreated wounds. The sanctuary offers advice to the owners and rescues donkeys in cases where the owner can’t be found.

The programme is funded solely through donations from the public and has suffered a big hit as a result of the current economic crisis but also because its visitors’ centre - the sanctuary’s other main source of income - just outside Vouni has had

to close. The visitors’ centre was popular with individuals and school groups visiting the rescued donkeys that lived on the grounds and attracted up to 8,000 visitors a year. Land erosion and then a fire over the summer destroyed equipment and a large area of the grounds, forcing the centre to close.

The animals have been transferred to a new base at Kivides village in Limassol, but its present inaccessibility means the public will be unable to visit the shelter until adequate provisions have been set up.

“Now that the visitors centre is closed, we urgently need people to support us, either through donations or by adopting a donkey. At the moment most of our supporters

The sanctuary takes in an average of two donkeys each month are foreigners, and we would like to encourage as many locals as possible to support us as well,” said Nikolaou.

The sanctuary takes in an average of two donkeys every month, the majority

having been working animals. Some have been found abandoned, while others are no longer required for work.

In many cases, former owners can no longer look after them due to financial or

health reasons.

For more information on the Donkey Sanctuary and how you can help, visit http:// www.donkeysanctuarycyprus.org/

Lecture revisits colonial architecture THERE ARE over 700 buildings and works and an extensive network of infrastructure which survive from the period of British rule in Cyprus. Yet, there is little knowledge or understanding among Cypriots, particularly the younger generation, as to what this heritage is, what it means and what its future might be.

On November 21, at 7pm, Professor Costas Georghiou will present a lecture at the University of Nicosia’s Architecture Research Centre in Engomi, Nicosia, on British colonial architecture in Cyprus between 1878 and 1960.

The lecture, based on a forthcoming book

by Georghiou, aims to address this knowl-

edge gap. This is the first comprehensive and scholarly study of the architecture and town planning of the British colonial administration in Cyprus 1878-1960. Both the book and lecture will be in English.

It will examine the colonial context within which the buildings and infrastructure were created and will describe, analyse and evaluate some of the most significant buildings and works.

Georghiou is a chartered architect and town planner and visiting professor of architecture and urban design at the University of Wolverhampton in the UK. For more information on the lecture, contact 22842600 or email info.arc@unic.ac.cy.

Vacancy The U.S. Embassy is seeking individuals for the following positions in the Regional Security Office. These are full-time positions (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.

• Local Guard Force Supervisor: Supervises guard services of assigned Local Guard Force members to safeguard the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia, its annexes, official residences and other USG facilities. Reports to the Guard Force Commander and the Security Coordinator.

• Local Guard Force Guard: Performs guard services to safeguard the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia, its annexes, official residences and other USG facilities. Reports to the Guard Force Shift Supervisor.

Please visit the following website for detailed qualifications for each these positions: http://cyprus.usembassy.gov/theembassy/employment.html Applicants should send a resume with a cover letter in English to: U.S. Embassy, HR Office, LGF Commander or LGF Guard Vacancy, P.O. Box 24536, 1385 Nicosia, or via E-mail to: VacanciesNicosia@state.gov to arrive no later than November 30, 2012.

Cover letters should address the position(s) in which an applicant is interested. No telephone calls will be accepted. An Equal Opportunity Employer.

5 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

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Champion poker players are forced underground Fear of arrest for gambling forces tournament tryouts to go online

By Bejay Browne

I

T’S government recognised and certified and it’s about to represent Cyprus internationally for the first time ever in a prestigious European championship.

Yet members of the Cyprus Poker Association (CPA) have been forced underground to carry out selection games for next month’s tournament because they fear arrest.

“We are making history as the first ever national poker team to represent the island,” the CPA’s vice president, Antonis Theophanides said this week, adding that members had to play team selection games online as they feared playing in public.

Police raids on two venues in Larnaca and Limassol in July resulted in the arrest of 31 CPA members on charges of illegal gambling.

Players insisted they were taking part in initial tryouts for the national team and that they weren’t playing for money which is illegal in Cyprus.

Police also seized equipment and cash, which the CPA said had been collected for membership fees. The arrests stunned CPA members because they had previously been allowed to hold similar tryouts in Nicosia.

At the end of last month with the International Federation of Poker’s European Nations Cup competition looming on December 7 in Vienna, the CPA needed to hold the final heats for selecting the national team.

At first they planned to play in Nicosia.

“We decided to try and arrange the final trial tournament in Nicosia at the same venue - as we had previously been given permission for the initial trial there in July,” said Theophanides.

He said he spoke to Nicosia police three weeks before the October 28 event reiterating their legal status and explaining their intention to host trials for a national team.

He was told that as long as they were not gambling for money, they would be allowed to continue.

“However, one of our members spoke to a different police officer a few days later as he was concerned about being arrested again,” said Theophanides. “The member was informed that ‘under no circumstances’ could we play the final. If we did, we would suffer the same fate as the Larnaca and Limassol trials.”

In frustrated desperation, the CPA vice president contacted police in Nicosia once again underlining that no gambling takes place and that the tournament is being held to select a team to represent Cyprus in an international competition. He stressed that the CPA is a government recognised and certificated association with an approved constitution.

“But when I explained that each player will pay €20 to cover costs of hiring the hotel function room, beverages and the dealers, we hit an obstacle,” Theophanides said. “He couldn’t say either way what would happen.

In fact his words were: ‘you should do what you want’. This wasn’t the reassurance we were looking for.”

CPA members decided it wasn’t worth the risk and resorted to a series of online games where “no money is involved whatsoever”.

The CPA will have selected the Cyprus team

by November 28.

“We are making history as the first ever national poker team to represent the island,” he said, underlying the association’s frustration that their reputation has been brought into disrepute, even though nothing illegal has occurred.

But there is a glimmer of hope for the poker buffs. Since the arrests in July Theophanides has been bombarding the chief of police and attorney general with emails outlining the association’s legal status and seeking clarifications.

Last week, he was contacted by Limassol police to attend a meeting requested by the attorney general to discuss the events of the Limassol trial.

“The meeting was very positive and we proved to the police, that beyond any doubt our event was a selection process, that no gambling took place and that not one single law was broken,” Theophanides said.

The police seem to agree.

“My personal opinion is that if these players were not playing for money, it’s not illegal. I believe the case will be withdrawn,” a spokesman for Limassol police said this week.

He added that paperwork associated with the case had now been completed and sent to the attorney general.

At issue for the police is the use of poker chips as these could be construed as having a monetary value.

“I explained that chips are a fundamental part of the game and used to determine the actions of the players and the winner of the game,” Theophanides said.

He said the police were very understanding and in “full agreement that the CPA seem to have been transparent, honest and legal in all of their practices”.

Buoyed by the hope that the poker’s association future will soon be clarified, Theophanides is competing in the President’s Cup in the Ukraine this weekend.

And then it’s time for the big European challenge.

“We are making history and this is the first step for Cyprus into the poker arena, joining some 300,000,000 players globally,” said Theophanides.

Police view poker as gambling even if no money changes hands

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6 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

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Women, their eggs and US doctors are advising childless women in their thirties who want families in the future to freeze their eggs. Cypriot women are starting to heed the advice

By Zoe Christodoulides HIRTIES ARE the new twenties while fifties are the new forties, both glib phrases that, when it comes to women, gloss over a rather more fundamental and worrying fact: the relentless ticking of their biological clocks.

The latest Demographic Report issued by the government’s statistical service clearly indicates changing times. While in 1990, the average woman on the island was giving birth to her first child at the age of 24, this average has now jumped to 29. And if trends abroad are anything to go by, the next decade is likely to see this age increase even further, with women moving well into their thirties before even considering the idea of starting up a family. But as social norms change, biology doesn’t. A woman’s fertility drops suddenly after the age of 30.

It’s a fact of life that is all too easy to ignore.

“I’ve been with my partner for two years now and we’re in a serious relationship,” says 29-year-old Andrea Philipidou. “But I’m not sure about having a family, and I’m not ready to have one any time soon. I find myself busy enough trying to get somewhere with my job and can just about handle my own expenses.”

Andrea is however aware that she may decide to take the plunge when it’s too late.

“I know that I’m getting less fertile as the years go by. Sometimes the thought can be a little worrying.”

Thirty-one-year-old Lucy Panayiotou has been single for the past few years.

“These days it’s not totally abnormal for a woman in her early thirties to be single.

My parents sometimes make a little joke of it but I’m perfectly happy; I have a good

T

The average age for a first time mother in Cyprus is now 29 and, based on trends abroad, is likely to rise in the future career, I travel to great places, and I have fun with my friends,” she explains. “I would of course like to meet someone and have a family one day but who knows when the right person will come along? Until that day comes, I just hope I’ll stay fertile enough to be able to conceive naturally.”

While it is still of course perfectly possible for a woman to conceive well into her thirties, the average 30-year-old will only hold a mere 12 per cent of the two million or so eggs she was born with. By the age of 40, the average plummets to three per cent.

But it’s also the age and quality of a woman’s eggs that play a pivotal role in falling pregnant, something which inevitably decreases over time. On average, one thousand eggs die each month.

“All statistics show that a woman’s ability to fall pregnant drops dramatically by the age of 40,” says clinical embryologist Michalis Pelekanos working for the AKESO Fertility Centre in Nicosia. “Every woman should really aim to have her first baby by the time she is 35.”

While more and more women in their thirties are turning to IVF (In vitro fertilisation) in hope of pregnancy, the procedure of continuous hormone treatments takes its toll.

And while the end result can be a very successful one, it by no means guarantees results for every hopeful.

‘A woman looking to freeze her eggs should really do so by her early thirties to ensure better quality eggs’ In this light, the US National Institute of Health recently advised women in their early thirties with no plans of becoming pregnant to embrace a rather alternative path and freeze their eggs now if they want to have children later. At the same time, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine declared that freezing a woman’s eggs should no longer be considered “experimental” with the technique now embraced as a more standard treatment.

Soon after, articles followed in the British press about why an increasing number of women nowadays are freezing their eggs

What is oocyte vitrification?

VITRIFICATION freezes the eggs so quickly that it stops them from expanding and also prevents ice crystals from forming within the eggs, which can destroy their internal structure. Following extraction, the eggs are transported to a lab where they are vitrified, then stored in liquid nitrogen tanks “freezing them in time”.

The process of extraction itself is similar to the first stage of IVF which involves stimulating the woman’s ovaries with fertility medication administered with injections. Ovarian monitoring then includes frequent doctor’s visits over the course of a few weeks until the eggs are deemed “ready” by the doctor.

The actual number of eggs removed depends on the woman’s age and how she has responded to fertility medication. The eggs are then always evaluated for health before being frozen. Not every treatment cycle and extraction will necessarily yield a good number of eggs which means two or three treatments may be needed.

The patient may experience some abdominal bloating, while the discomfort usually peaks about a week after the procedure. Risks, although very rare, include ovarian overstimulation syndrome, which can cause blood clotting and pelvic infections and perhaps lead to fertility problems in the future.

The average 30-year-old woman will only hold a mere 12 per cent of the two million or so eggs she was born with

for the future. An indicative article in the Evening Standard published two weeks ago said the procedure has become particularly popular among thirty-something Londoners who are far more concerned with climbing the career ladder and securing a desirable home rather than making babies. Putting their eggs “on ice” seems to be the way forward.

Here in Cyprus, the process - more officially termed Oocyte (Egg) Cryopreservation - is also slowly becoming a more popular choice.

“Some do it as a preventative measure if they are undergoing chemotherapy but most women do it for social reasons,” confirms Andreas Mavrides, gynaecologist at the ISIS Fertility clinic.

“I’ve seen a big change recently as women are becoming more educated on the matter and looking into new options. I’ve had quite a few women come to the clinic to freeze their eggs recently and many more are enquiring.”

The change has been accelerated in the wake of a huge improvement in the technology now available with the latest method of ‘oocyte vitrification’.

“This is a big breakthrough in the field as we must remember that the egg is very sensitive, far more so than an embryo,” says Mavrides.

Up until recently, the method of ‘slow freezing’ meant that viable eggs were damaged during the freezing process as many eggs burst open as they were filled with liquid.

Vitrification however freezes the eggs so quickly that it stops them from expanding and also prevents ice crystals from forming within the eggs, which can destroy their internal structure.

Freezing of course, does not guarantee success, and the age that a woman is when she decides to undergo the procedure still plays a pivotal role.

“This is where it gets a bit tricky. Women usually decide to freeze their eggs as they approach their late thirties and say haven’t met a partner, scared of the big 40 milestone to come as fertility rapidly declines,” explains Mavrides. “But a woman looking to freeze her eggs should really do so by her early thirties to ensure better quality eggs upon freezing. To be honest, the younger the better. The age of the eggs is very important.”

Mavrides also suggests that a woman thinking of freezing her eggs should undergo the appropriate blood tests to check her ovarian reserves beforehand.

Dr Pelekanos echoes his sentiments, also

7 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

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the big freeze

Overtime and bonuses could be cut at Paphos municipality A PAPHOS councilor has suggested municipality staff in Paphos have overtime and bonuses reduced, a move that would save €200,000 a year.

“In 2011, we paid far too much in overtime and bonuses - it was close to €400,000,” Nikos Konnikos said this week.

He stressed it was important for the municipality to cut these costs, which last year reached €370,000.

“I am suggesting on the issue of overtime 50 per cent would be given to staff as a day off and fifty per cent would be with pay. This is on top of the twenty five per cent cut in overtime across the board, which we have decided to implement.”

The councilor has also proposed the notion of outsourcing some jobs, which he says will help to give more people employment, such as parking stewards for events at the harbour who are usually municipality staff. “Anyone can do this job,” he said and most of those doing so at the moment are paid overtime for it.

He said there are other “bad practices” which need to be stamped out, such as when the municipality employs staff, they are supposed to carry out their specific work but are also required to help in other departments if needed.

“Staff shouldn’t get paid extra for this. If I had a large store, I wouldn’t pay a staff member on top of his salary to work in a different section, during working hours. It’s very silly.”

“Things need to be fair for everyone involved,” he said.

A vote on the proposals will be taken at the next meeting of the personnel committee of the municipality of Paphos in the coming weeks.

Arrivals up despite British slump

Eggs being stored in liquid nitrogen: vitrification freezes the eggs so quickly that it stops them from expanding and also prevents ice crystals from forming within the eggs, which can destroy their internal structure keen to point out that frozen eggs by no means guarantee a successful pregnancy.

“In theory the eggs can last forever once frozen. But eggs don’t love being frozen, those originally inside a woman are better of course,” he points out. “Even if a healthy woman with good eggs freezes them at the age of 30, we’re looking at around a 30 per cent success rate in the future. Of course, the more eggs she has had removed over the course of time, the more chances she has to fall pregnant.”

The procedure is not cheap, costing about €2000 on average, depending on the clinic, the doctor and the quality of medication used.

In theory, any woman who has frozen her eggs can have them inserted back inside her at any point she wishes. But this leads to crucial moral issues which the House has been debating periodically for years but has been unable to agree on legislation.

In the UK, for example, strict age limits and clauses depending on a woman’s condition have been enforced. A doctor in the UK giving treatment is also legally respon-

sible to think of the wellbeing of the child.

In Cyprus, however, it is left to the doctor’s discretion as to whether a given fertility procedure or treatment should go ahead.

“It’s an ethical issue of course with no clear cut right or wrong, but one that must be thought out very carefully,” points out Mavrides. “Extreme cases are easy to decipher: if a 70-year-old for example wants to have a baby I’d hope that most doctors would say a clear cut ‘no’.”

But age can be a tricky thing, he says.

What about a 45-year-old woman who strictly speaking is not too old but has terminal cancer? Then, on the contrary, you could get a 53-year-old who is super fit, totally healthy and really wants to have a baby. Should a doctor say no because of her age? Or you might get a youthful 30-year old who is actually a drug addict.

What is right and what is wrong?

“One thing is for sure,” Mavrides says.

“You simply have to consider the overall health of the patient in every single case.”

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.

TOURIST arrivals were up by 0.8 per cent in October compared with October last year, recording an increase for the sixth month in a row, Cyprus Statistical Service data show.

According to the data, tourist arrivals reached 2,326,116 in the period between January and October, compared to 2,234,011 in the same period last year, recording an increase of 4.1 per cent.

In total, 46,690 Russian tourists arrived in Cyprus in October 2012 compared to 32,995 the previous year, recording an increase of 41.5 per cent.

In contrast, tourist arrivals from Britain fell with tourist arrivals in October 2012 at 107,046 compared to 113,205 in October last year, a drop of 5.4 per cent.

8 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Home

It’s time to focus on the start-ups An entrepreneurial ecosystem would enable sustainable economic growth

By Poly Pantelides

Y

OU need money, brains, and a platform to foster innovative businesses in Cyprus, says economist and entrepreneur Marina Theodotou.

In a recently published study - presented this week at KPMG’s offices in Nicosia - Theodotou looks at how Cyprus can create an entrepreneurial ecosystem by learning and liaising with world-class experts, and she suggests ways to implement changes to enable sustainable economic growth.

And this is what you do with money and brains to create a platform: use Cyprus’ resources, learn from the best elsewhere in the world, and change things to encourage enterprise (not the starship that boldly goes but the kind that creates jobs and cash flow into markets). And in 2020 the head of a Cypriot start-up company, or recently founded innovative business, might just participate at the prestigious Nasdaq stock market’s opening bell ceremony.

The Nasdaq opening ceremony is a choreographed event used to generate exposure for growing companies or celebrate milestones, such as a first listing at a foreign stock exchange for Cyprus. No Cypriot born-and-bred

company is listed on any foreign exchange.

Nonetheless, auditors KPMG and financial services company Cyproman believe that Cyprus is ready for growth and innovation via an ‘entrepreneurial ecosystem’. They sponsored Theodotou to author a study - Cyprus Entrepreneurship Ecosystem: A Roadmap for Economic Growth - presented on Thursday at KPMG offices.

Theodotou focused on world class performers Israel, Denmark, Estonia and Ireland which have all encouraged growth and entrepreneurship in different ways. She looked at the key elements and stakeholders necessary to set up an ecosystem, including financing, the media and universities. The recommendations include launching a pilot entrepreneurship programme in Nicosia and passing a tax break law to encourage investment. “Implement, implement, implement,” she said.

Theodotou, who founded strategic consultancy Curveball, implements the actions she preaches.

She has been fostering entrepreneurship in Cyprus and has been liaising with Israel, which has the world’s largest number of start-ups per capita with the exception of the US. Last time the Sunday Mail talked to Theodotou, about half a year ago, she was among a group planning to create an entrepreneurial

At the forefront of change: Marina Theodotou and Alexandros Charalambides ecosystem.

Among them was environmental scientist with the Cyprus University of Technology, Alexandros Charalambides, and lawyer and accountant Eloiza Savvidou who have created a business accelerator, a hands-on programme to help start-ups grow into viable and profitable businesses. The programme, ChrysalisLEAP, is due to start guiding and financing start-ups early next year.

And in September, the first ‘hackathon’ took place on the island that brought together computer programmers, software developers and designers from ten different countries, Theodotou said referring to ongoing efforts to network and encourage creativity in Cyprus.

At the study’s presentation this week, Karin Rubinstein, CEO of Israel Advanced Technology Industries, Israel’s largest umbrella group promoting life science and high tech industries, advised people to “start with small goals for the next few months”.

ChrysalisLEAP is doing exactly that by looking at financing new companies that have innovative ideas by early next year.

The thought is to reduce bureaucracy and encourage innovation in the fields of energy and environment.

Farther into the future, the 2020 Nasdaq opening ceremony target is a goal and a dream. “Can we do it?” is the cheeky question Theodotou asks. It is cheeky because Cyprus is capable of creating and nurturing excellent business, but is low on innovation.

Take high technology patent applications, a good gauge for technological development.

There were 4,765 applications filed in the whole of the EU in 2009 but only one came from Cyprus, according to the latest data from the European Commission’s statistical services, eurostat.

“Intellectual property rights, in particular patents, provide a link between innovation, inventions and the marketplace,” the European Commission says on the eurostat website.

But in 2010, when the EU counted over 54,000 patent applications, Cyprus had contributed just 10.

And yet, Cyprus has implemented a new in-

The presentation was attended by businesspeople, academics and the mayor of Nicosia

tellectual property (IP) regime to stimulate growth, KPMG has said. The regime offers a tax exemption of 80 per cent on royalty income and capital gains when the IP rights are sold, transferred or licensed to third parties.

Cyprus protects new inventions and it offers a low corporate tax rate, double tax treaties, among others.

Cyprus may be business-friendly but as it awaits a bailout from its international lenders, no mention of growth can ignore the financial crisis.

“Cyprus is a country which boasts exceptionally well educated youth, a robust tax regime, a highly experienced professional services sector, as well as rich reserves of renewable energy sources,” said Cyproman services’ general manager, Costas Christoforou.

But he added that the current debt crisis is magnifying and inhibiting innovation and sustainable growth.

This is because of limitations such as “inadequate capital markets, high unemployment (hence the hundreds of unemployed youth with strong academic qualifications), low competitiveness, high government debt, lack of liquidity within the banking sector and inefficiencies of the public sector,” Christoforou said.

But all of this can be overcome, though there is much to be done including introducing legal and regulatory changes to create tax incentives for investing in start-ups.

“A country’s future hinges on its ability to manage and nurture… its most valuable resource,” Christoforou said.

“For us the study is the first important step in assessing the current situation of entrepreneurial activity in Cyprus and we hope it becomes a catalyst to innovative thinking outside the barriers of our small country,” said KPMG’s head of transactions and recruiting in Cyprus, Christophoros Anayiotos.

In a room filled with businesspeople and entrepreneurs, academics and the one politician who showed up, the mayor of Nicosia Constantinos Yiorkadjis, it was obvious that the makings of an ecosystem - people and innovative thinkers - were all present.

9 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

World

Israeli air strikes hit Hamas headquarters

Petraeus: Benghazi a ‘terror’ attack

Egypt pursues efforts to secure ceasefire as Gaza crisis escalates

FORMER CIA Director David Petraeus told Congress that he and the spy agency had sought to make clear from the outset that September’s deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, involved an al Qaeda affiliate, lawmakers said.

Petraeus told lawmakers that “there were extremists in the group” that launched the attack on the diplomatic mission, describing them as affiliates of al Qaeda and other groups, said Representative C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee.

“The fact is that he clarified it,” Ruppersberger said.

Petraeus appeared behind closed doors before the House and Senate intelligence panels the week after quitting his CIA post because of an extra-marital affair. He made no public remarks.

Another lawmaker, Republican Representative Peter King, said Petraeus’ account in the closed-door session differed from the assessment the CIA chief gave to Congress two months ago, just days after the September 11 attack that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

“He also stated that he thought all along he made it clear that there were significant terrorist involvement, and that is not my recollection of what he told us on September 14,” King said.

Petraeus admitted last week to an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.

Lawmakers said a somber Petraeus told them his resignation had nothing to do with issues related to Benghazi or any reluctance to testify before Congress.

“The general did not address any specifics of the affair, of that issue,” Democratic Representative Jim Langevin said. “What he did say in his opening statement was that he regrets the circumstances that led to his resignation.”

The assault on the U.S. mission and nearby CIA annex in Benghazi has turned into a flash point between Democratic President Barack Obama and Republicans.

Republicans accuse the White House and in particular the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, of misleading the public just after the attack by suggesting the assault was a spontaneous act instead of a planned terrorist operation.

The Obama administration denies misleading anyone and says it discussed information about the Benghazi tragedy as it came in.

Some Republicans have suggested the administration initially wanted to avoid the idea that it had failed to prevent a terrorist attack, which might have dampened the president’s re-election chances on November 6.

Obama, who won a second term, has denied that implication.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Jeffrey Heller ISRAELI aircraft bombed Hamas government buildings in Gaza yesterday, including the prime minister’s office, after Israel’s cabinet authorised the mobilisation of up to 75,000 reservists in preparation for a possible ground invasion.

Palestinian militants in Gaza kept up cross-border salvoes, firing a rocket at Israel’s biggest city Tel Aviv for the third straight day.

Police said it was destroyed in mid-air by an Iron Dome anti-missile battery deployed hours earlier, and no one was injured.

Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that runs the Gaza Strip, said Israeli missiles wrecked the office building of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh - where he had met on Friday with the Egyptian prime minister - and struck a police headquarters.

In the Israeli Mediterranean port of Ashdod, a rocket ripped into several balconies.

Police said five people were hurt.

With Israeli tanks and artillery positioned along the Gaza border and no end in sight to hostilities now in their fourth day, Tunisia’s foreign minister travelled to the enclave in a show of Arab solidarity.

Officials in Gaza said 41 Palestinians, nearly half of them civilians including eight children and a pregnant woman, had been killed since Israel began its air strikes. Three Israeli civilians were killed by a rocket on Thursday.

In Cairo, a presidential

An explosion and smoke are seen after Israeli strikes in Gaza City yesterday. Israeli aircraft pounded Hamas government buildings in Gaza, including the building housing the prime minister’s office source said Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi would hold four-way talks with the Qatari emir, the prime minister of Turkey and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal in the Egyptian capital later yesterday to discuss the Gaza crisis.

Egypt has been working to reinstate calm between Israel and Hamas after an informal ceasefire brokered by Cairo unravelled over the past few weeks. Meshaal, who lives in exile, has already held a round of talks with Egyptian security officials.

Israel uncorked its massive

air campaign on Wednesday with the declared goal of deterring Hamas from launching rockets that have plagued its southern communities for years. The salvoes recently intensified, and are now displaying greater range.

The operation has drawn Western support for what U.S. and European leaders have called Israel’s right to self-defence, along with appeals to both sides to avoid civilian casualties.

Hamas, shunned by the West over its refusal to recognise Israel, says its cross-

border attacks have come in response to Israeli strikes against Palestinian fighters in Gaza.

“We have not limited ourselves in means or in time,” Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Israel’s Channel One television.

“We hope that it will end as soon as possible, but that will be only after all the objectives have been achieved.”

Hamas says it is committed to continued confrontation with Israel and is eager not to seem any less resolute than smaller, more radical groups

that have emerged in Gaza in recent years.

The Islamist movement has ruled Gaza since 2007. Israel pulled settlers out of Gaza in 2005 but maintains a blockade of the tiny, densely populated coastal territory.

At a late night session on Friday, Israel’s cabinet decided to more than double the current reserve troop quota set for the Gaza offensive to 75,000, political sources said.

The move did not necessarily mean all would be called up or that an invasion would follow.

Train ploughs into school bus in Egypt, 50 killed

By Edmund Blair FIFTY people, mostly children, were killed when a train slammed into a school bus as it crossed tracks in a city south of Cairo yesterday, state media and officials said.

All but two of the dead were children, aged around four to eight, said a senior security official in Assiut, near the site. One woman and the bus driver also died, he added.

The bus was broken in half by the force of the crash.

Blood was spattered on the front of the engine and school bags and text books, some bloodstained, were strewn around.

Witnesses said barriers at the rail crossing were open when the train hit the bus.

Transport Minister Mohamed Rashad and the head of the railways authority resigned, and President Mohamed Mursi said those responsible would be held to account.

Egypt’s roads and railways have a poor safety record and Egyptians have long com-

plained that successive governments have failed to enforce even basic safeguards, leading to a string of deadly crashes.

State media reported that as well as 50 dead, 15 or more people were injured. A medical source said as many as 28 were injured, 27 of them children.

“They told us the barriers were open when the bus crossed the tracks and the train collided with it,” said Mohamed Samir, a doctor at Assiut hospital where the injured were taken, citing witness accounts.

Assiut Governor Yahya Keshk also said the crossing was open. “The crossing worker was asleep. He has been detained,” he told state television.

The doctor said the bodies of many of those killed were severely mutilated, illustrating the force of the crash, which took place in the city of Manfalut, near Assiut, about 300 km south of the capital.

“I saw the train collide with the bus and push it about 1

km along the track,” said Ahmed Youssef, a driver.

Officials said the level of destruction and mutilation made it difficult to count and identify the bodies.

Victims’ families protested at the crash site, the state news agency reported. Officials sought to reassure them the case would be investigated and they would receive help, it said.

Earlier this month, at least three Egyptians were killed and more than 30 injured in a train crash in Fayoum, another city south of Cairo. In July, 15 people were injured in Giza, close to the capital, when a train derailed.

Egypt’s worst train disaster was in 2002 when a fire ripped through seven carriages of an overcrowded passenger train, killing at least 360 people.

Many more have been killed in rail accidents since then despite pledges from successive governments to improve safety. Accidents involving multiple deaths are also common on Egypt’s poor road network.

Relatives of the victims gather next to the blood-stained train

By Susan Cornwell and Tabassum Zakaria

10 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

World

Hindu nationalist Bal Thakeray dies One of India’s most polarising and influential politicians

By Henry Foy and Shilpa Jamkhandikar BAL Keshav Thackeray, one of India’s most polarising politicians and leader of an influential right-wing Hindu nationalist party that has dominated politics in the country’s richest city for two decades, has died aged 86.

Thackeray died of cardiorespiratory arrest yesterday at his home, one of his doctors, Jalil Parker, said. He had been ill for some time and was rumoured to have died earlier this week.

A religious zealot whose grip over Mumbai often resembled that of a mob boss, Thackeray was president and founder of the hardline Shiv Sena (Shiva’s Army) party, built around his fiery rhetoric on religion, immigration and communalism.

A hero of Mumbai’s Hindu working class, he was heralded as a staunch defender of regional heritage by his supporters and despised as a hot-headed bigot by oth-

ers. He devoted his public life to championing the rights of Mumbai’s “sons of the soil”.

Thackeray, a former political cartoonist, waged a 50-year campaign against immigrants from outside the state. He accused immigrants of taking jobs away from residents of Mumbai, endearing him to large numbers of young working class men.

“Only Marathis have the first right over Mumbai,” Thackeray wrote in his party’s newspaper last year, referring to natives of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is capital. The party newspaper is called Saamna, which means “confrontation” in the Marathi language.

His rise to power in Mumbai, a city of about 20 million people, underscored the strong pull of religion and regionalism in modern India, a constitutionally secular country prone to clashes over its many faiths and traditions.

Always seen in oversized tinted sunglasses, even when indoors, with a necklace of beads over orange robes typically worn by religious figures, Thackeray held a strong grip on Mumbai through his army of loyal supporters, whose rallies and protests often turned violent and forced the city to a halt.

Thackeray often referred to Indian Muslims as “antinationals” and called for Hindu suicide squads to counter what he saw as a rise in Islamic terrorism. He was also fiercely critical of Pakistan, decrying efforts by New Delhi to reach out to its nuclear-armed rival.

“Having peace talks with Pakistan, which is behind the blasts in India, is a farce,” Thackeray wrote in Saamna in July, referring to bomb attacks in Mumbai in 2008. “Playing cricket with them is treason,” he added.

A government inquiry into riots in Mumbai in 1992 and 1993 said “there is no doubt that the Shiv Sena and Shiv

Sainiks took the lead in organising attacks on Muslims and their properties under the guidance of several leaders of the Shiv Sena”.

Thackeray was never charged in connection with the riots, in which about 600 Muslims were killed.

His political influence and huge following saw him courted by big business and some of India’s most famous film stars. Amitabh Bachchan, the biggest name in Bollywood, Mumbai’s film industry, fought through crowds outside his house to visit Thackeray this week when the politician’s health deteriorated.

Thackeray’s views have been condemned by many mainstream politicians, but his party is the fourthlargest in Maharashtra’s state legislature, and his face adorns hundreds of billboards across Mumbai.

His death could spark a power struggle in the Shiv Sena, denting its support with its vote base in Maharashtra.

An onlooker is seen behind a poster bearing a portrait of Bal Thackeray, erected near his residence in Mumbai

11 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

World

Death is put on display London show investigates inevitable

By Mike Collett-White

C

ELEBRATING death is an odd concept for an exhibition, but a new show in London on the topic that many people would rather avoid is at times beautiful, macabre, harrowing, comforting and funny.

Death: A Self-Portrait opened at the Wellcome Collection, which specialises in scientific and medical themes, on Thursday and runs until February 24 next year.

It contains around 300 paintings, puppets, models, drawings and artefacts from the collection of Richard Harris, an American antique print dealer who just over a decade ago decided to dedicate his time to assembling works of art related to death.

He has around 2,000 items in total, most of them in storage, and would love to display the collection around the world to help people come to terms with their ultimate fate.

“My real aim is to have this show all over the world,” the 75-year-old said at a preview of the exhibition on Wednesday. “All the world needs to continue to promote the discussion and dialogue about this just to make it ...something that is not taboo and something that we cringe about and close our eyes and our minds to,” Harris told reporters.

With a broad smile and jaunty manner perhaps at odds with his chosen obsession, he

added: “Like it or not, we’re not going to live forever.”

Curator Kate Forde organised the exhibition around five themes, and sought to make the show feel as personal as possible rather than being a spectacle. By placing artefacts from Japan and Nepal close to those from the United States and Mexico, the exhibition underlines how different cultures deal with death in radically different ways.

Mexico, with its Day of the Dead holiday, takes a more head-on approach than some cultures who seek to avoid the subject.

“It’s an acknowledgement that death is there, it is a part of life and there is a way still of connecting with the dead and that can be joyous as well as full of grief and sorrow,” Forde said of the tradition.

Among the most disturbing works on display are 51 prints by German artist Otto Dix based on his time fighting as a machine-gunner on the Western Front during World War One. Unflinching in their portrayal of agony, death, fear and rape, they are inspired both

by Goya and Callot, whose works hang alongside them in the “Violent Death” section.

In “Commemoration” sits a “tau tau”, an Indonesian “grave guardian”, or wooden model of the deceased placed next to the graves of prominent members of the Toraja ethnic group.

The oldest item on display is the Nuremberg Chronicle, an illustrated adaptation of

Visitor walks past untitled family portraits at the Wellcome Collection in London the Bible and world history from 1493, left open at an image of skeletons leaping and dancing frenetically beside an open grave.

The show also features contemporary works, including a 2009 giant “chandelier” by British artist Jodie Carey which comprises some 3,000 plaster-cast bones.

Harris said he was not obsessed by death, and did not know the value of his collection which includes works by prominent artists as Dix and Albrecht Duerer.

“As long as we don’t go to the poor house,” he joked.

He continues to collect - his latest pur-

chase was a 1969 Chevrolet car decorated with Day of the Dead motifs. Next year, the Wellcome Collection will undergo a 17.5 million pound ($28 million) redevelopment after its exhibitions, talks and library attracted nearly half a million people over the last year compared with the 100,000 it had expected. Forde put the success down to the combination of science, medicine and art.

“I definitely think there’s a hunger to look at science in that rounded way,” she said.

The development is scheduled for completion in 2014.

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12 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Opinion Misinformation over bailout echoes 2004 referendum A POLITICAL atmosphere reminiscent of the period preceding the 2004 referendum on the Annan plan has developed since the arrival of the troika. The troika has taken on the role that Alvaro de Soto’s UN team had in 2004 as the callous foreigners who came here with the sole objective of causing maximum harm to the Greek Cypriots while championing the interests of the Turkish side. The Turks are not part of the equation this time which may explain why public anger is less intense, but the government has been working hard to take it to referendum levels.

Like the Papadopoulos government during the referendum, the Christofias government is selectively leaking information from the negotiations, calculated to rouse opposition to a bailout. Every day another item of alarmist news relating to the bailout is distorted and packaged for media use, as part of the government’s anti-bailout campaign. There is the obligatory, ultra-negative spin, the thinking behind the proposal is never explained and it is presented out of

context. Nobody does propaganda and misinformation better than AKEL, and with the troika not remotely interested in engaging in a communications war (it does not care if we do not want to sign a bailout) our communist rulers are free to manipulate public opinion as they please.

Opposition parties are reluctant to challenge the official message for fear of being labelled enemies of the people by AKEL’s spokesmen who accuse anyone that supports the immediate signing of a bailout of siding with the evil troika. The ‘us and them’ mentality that prevailed during the referendum is being cultivated again and opposition politicians are falling into line.

Nobody is asking the obvious question: can they trust anything that is said by the government and party of the worst president in the country’s history?

Unfortunately, it is very easy to turn politicians, in a country in which populism is the only political currency, against a bailout. Most of them agree with the government’s red lines and repeat the misinfor-

Cyprus Mail

mation being disseminated by the presidential palace. Everyone, for instance, repeats the idiotic idea that the bailout should focus on growth because austerity measures did not work in other countries.

But there would be no growth and job creation without drastically improving the economy’s competitiveness, which is what many of the troika’s measures are aimed at. And what growth can there be, after the collapse of the banks, which will be inevitable if a bailout is not signed in the next couple of weeks?

There is also the breast-beating over the proposed privatisation of semi-governmental organisations without a single rational argument to back keeping them under public ownership. The latest ‘outrage’ is the claim that the troika wants ‘to get its hands on our natural gas reserves’. A non-issue, considering we will not have revenue from natural gas for at least another six to eight years (if we do have any

revenue). Nobody has pointed this out, preferring to repeat the myth the troika want to steal our hydrocarbon revenues.

This crude demonisation of the troika (it is now publicly being referred to as a ‘loan shark’) is unrelenting, and stepped up every day. Yesterday, it was reported that proposals regarding the pensions system could never be accepted.

Again, there was no information about why the troika made the ‘unacceptable proposals’ and what it was trying to achieve. It was bad because our completely untrustworthy government, which lies as a matter of routine, on a daily basis, said so.

Through the managed control of the flow of information from the negotiations to the public and the negative spin put on everything, the government is quite clearly preparing the ground for the irresponsible demagogue Christofias to utter a ‘resounding no’. He will then claim he is expressing the will of the people, the people he and his party had manipulated into believing that agreeing to a bailout would

be catastrophic. Of course none of these political crooks - which include Lillikas, Omirou, Malas and a host of deputies from opposition parties - dare tell the public what will happen if we do not sign a bailout.

Failure to sign will lead to the annihilation of the economy, as the banks will collapse. Those who are able will take their deposits abroad, we will be obliged to leave the eurozone and living standards will fall to pre-1974 levels. Nothing and nobody will be spared. This is never mentioned by anyone, for fear of being labelled ‘supporters of the troika,’ and ‘enemies of the working people’ by AKEL’s henchmen.

It is imperative for politicians, officials, journalists who care about this country to speak up now, warning people of the looming catastrophe. If they do not, they will be accomplices in the crime being perpetrated against the Cypriot people by Christofias and AKEL who have resolved to lead the country to oblivion rather than accept the political cost of signing a bailout.

Letters to the Editor

Airport debacle Hydrocarbon opportunity must needs explanation not be squandered by politicians AS a long-time visitor and property owner in Paphos, I was overjoyed when the old airport was closed and replaced by a state of the art new version.

Unfortunately, I recently had the displeasure of departing Paphos under sorry circumstances.

Instead of the gate being displayed for the flight, we were all left to guess which one would be used. Then, an hour and 20 minutes before the flight was due to depart, ground crew suddenly announced we were boarding at gate 3. Cue the stampede.

Soon, the speediest were called and shown through the doors, but strangely no tickets were taken and no coaches were waiting.

I then found out the ‘new system’ was to load everyone into a ‘cage’ next to the

runway, with six seats for 150 passengers.

About 15 minutes later, the plane landed, and unloaded and ‘turned around’ less than 50m away from us - in a cage open to the elements.

We finally boarded the plane after standing outside without seating for approximately 40 minutes.

Two possible explanations for this treatment were offered by passengers. Firstly, it enabled airport staff to go home early as we were the day’s last flight; secondly, it saved money on coach drivers.

A proper explanation would be nice from the airport managers, as to why we were treated this way at such a modern and expensive airport.

Denis Box Solihull, UK

AS a Cypriot living abroad for the past decade or so (UK and now Norway), I have been following with interest the recent developments with regards to the potential realisation of hydrocarbon reserves, discovered within the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Furthermore, as a professional involved in providing advice to oil and gas companies on a variety of issues for the last eight years, I can claim to have a better understanding of the complex nature of oil and gas projects and the challenges involving these.

As such, it is disappointing to see all the information that has so far been reported to the press contains very little actual detail, either to the actual company selection process for the exploration rights of the various blocks with the Cyprus EEZ, or the concepts considered for development.

Indeed, the vast majority of information that has found its way into

mainstream media is extremely vague, most of which is aimed at creating fanfare and the illusion of guaranteed vast profits in the near future.

If the continuous warmongering from the side of Turkey is added to the equation, then the real fear in my mind is that another great opportunity will be destined to go unfulfilled, along with its many other predecessors, primarily because of the amateurism and incompetence of people who happen to find themselves in charge.

In my view, some questions have not been adequately answered. For example: 1. What will be the role of the Cypriot government in any potential realisation of the projects? A shareholder, an operator perhaps?

2. What say does the Cypriot government have in the planning, concept selection and definition of the selected concept? What studies have been undertaken for defining the

concept?

3. What is the basis for the construction of a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) liquefaction plant in Cyprus as one of the preferred options?

Is this really the most financially viable and attractive option?

It is worth noting that the execution schedule for start-up within 2019 (as recently reported in newspapers) is very optimistic at best.

Given that presidential elections are due in early 2013, I hope that our politicians realise that the boat of (another) fantastic opportunity for the whole of our country, currently under its biggest crisis since 1974, is about to sail.

Can the politicians – for once – ignore short-term political and personal gains and ensure that the decisions are taken by appropriately qualified people? Is this too much for the people of a country to ask for?

Stavros C. Yiannoukas Oslo, Norway

President errs Cypriots must rise to the occasion to avoid bailout’s consequences RECENTLY visiting Ukraine President Victor Yanukovych has been misled by his ambassador if he thinks President Demetris Christofias will have any influence in easing his country into the European Union.

An essential qualification for membership is free and fair elections.

Imprisoning the leaders of the opposition, Yulia Tymoshenko and Yuriy Lutsenko, is not likely to recommend Ukraine for EU membership, no matter how cuddly the relationship between its president and President Christofias of Cyprus.

Maurice Sokel, Paphos

IT seems we are in a great rush to off-load our debts due to our extravagant and bad housekeeping way of life, which culminated in a need for a bailout. These repayments will now be conveniently passed onto our children, grandchildren and to those yet to be born.

We must limit the damage by volunteering to help our country. All those lucky enough to be still employed, must not sit back thinking

‘I’m all right Jack’, but must take a cut in wages, and/or work extra hours for their employers for free.

By such, or similar actions, the participants may prevent themselves and others being laid off, to join the banner-waving crowds demanding from our government what it does not have to give.

Those recently retired who are happy about returning to their employer at very low pay, should be

gratefully invited back.

Surely this is the crucial time for us Cypriots to be an example to the world, by proudly being the pathfinders; shunning colossal handouts with dictated conditions that would enslave our future generations to be the drones providing honey for their inherited creditors.

Meanwhile, every country has its share of illegal tax dodgers who are fearful of exposing themselves

to heavy fines.

An amnesty promising a reduced payment with no penalties would give them the opportunity to get back on the straight and narrow as registered tax payers, to start filling the empty government coffers with money that would never otherwise have been declared.

A Dinou, Nicosia

Allowing pupils a voice in school management a bad idea Give EAC credit where credit is due DISCIPLINE and behaviour are of paramount importance not just at school, but throughout our working lives. Children should not be involved in deciding what they learn, wear and who to listen to.

I know of very few educational systems in the world that allow this, with the exception of having student councils and a prefect

system - that is where it begins and ends.

But children being consulted in an organised manner is not appropriate as they are not adults, and the sooner this is understood the speedier their preparation for the real world.

Andy Manic, Commenting via the Cyprus Mail website

THE EAC needs to be improved from the top down.

However, a few years ago we were in a hotel in Droushia, when a storm cut the power. At 1 am, in the pouring rain, EAC engineers walked through rough fields looking for the fault. Praises to them for performing this thankless task.

Michael Herbert, Commenting via the Cyprus Mail website

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13 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

Opinion Syria’s fractious, cumbersome new government-in-exile won’t end the war

Syria’s future is shadowing Lebanon’s past S

YRIA now has a new government-in-exile that allegedly unites all the groups seeking the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad’s murderous regime. But if this is the best that they can do, Assad will still be in power next year, and perhaps for a long time afterwards.

It took a week of haggling in Qatar to bring all the fractious Syrian rebel groups together, and it wouldn’t have happened at all without great pressure from the Gulf Arab countries and the United States. Basically, the Syrian rebels were told that if they wanted more money and arms, they had to create a united front.

So they did, kind of, but the fragility and underlying disunity of the new government-in-exile is implicit in its cumbersome name: the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces. It’s really just a loose and probably temporary collaboration between different sectarian and ethnic groups whose ultimate goals are widely divergent.

This new body has already been recognised by the Gulf states as “the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people”, in the words of Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim. France, Syria’s former colonial ruler, has done the same, and other Western countries may follow suit (although probably not the United States).

But it won’t end the war.

It is a real civil war now; the days of the non-violent Syrian democratic movement that tried to emulate the peaceful revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia are long past.

Moreover, it is a civil war whose ultimate outcome is unclear. It is

Comment Gwynne Dyer by no means certain that Assad and the Baathist regime he leads will finally be defeated.

The Syrian government has all the heavy weapons, but it does not have enough troops to establish permanent military control over every rural area in a country of 24 million people. However, it does have the strength to smash any attempts to create a rival authority with the powers of a real government in those rural areas, and it still holds most of the cities: the front line in Aleppo has scarcely moved since last summer.

How has Assad managed to hang on so long when other Arab dictators fell so quickly in the early days of the “Arab spring”? Partly it is the fact that he’s not a oneman regime.

The Baath Party which he leads is an organisation with almost half a century’s experience of power, and plenty of patronage to distribute to its allies. It began almost as an Arab Communist party (without the atheism), and although its economics are now neo-liberal, it retains its Communist-style political discipline. Moreover, the Alawite minority who populate its higher offices know that they have to hang together, or else they will hang separately.

The other thing Assad has going for him is the highly fragmented character of Syrian society. Seventy per cent of the population are Sunni Muslims, but the other

30 per cent include Shias, Alawites (a Shia heresy), Druze (an even more divergent sect with Islamic roots) and Christians. All of them are nervous about Sunni Muslim domination in a post-Assad Syria, and the presence of various foreign jihadis on the battlefield only deepens their anxiety.

Moreover, the main suppliers of arms and money to the insurgents are Sunni Muslim countries in the Arabian peninsula, like Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, that are not know for being tolerant of nonSunni minorities. This has persuaded most non-Sunni Syrians that they are under attack - and thirty per cent of Syria’s population, with a big, well-equipped army and air force, can probably fight 70 per cent of the population with only light weapons to a standstill.

In fact, the Syrian battlefield, after only a year of serious fighting, is already coming to resemble the Lebanese battlefield after the first year of the civil war there. Large tracts of the countryside are under the military control of the religious or ethnic group that makes up the local majority, while the front lines in the big cities have effectively congealed into semipermanent boundaries.

In Lebanon, the level of fighting dropped a lot after that first year, apart from the period of the Israeli invasion and occupation in 198283, but the country continued to be chopped up into local fiefdoms until the Taif accord in 1989 led to the end of the fighting.

There are obviously differences between the Lebanese and Syrian cases, but they are not big enough to justify any confidence that Syria’s future will be different from

A country collapsed: Syrian refugees try to cross the border fence from the northern Syrian town of Ras al-Ain into Turkey during an air strike on Ras al-Ain, in the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar Lebanon’s past. Assad will continue to have access to arms and money from Iran and Russia, and there will be no large-scale military intervention from outside to tilt the balance decisively one way or the other.

A split in the Baath Party or a military coup could open the way to national reconciliation if it happened relatively soon, but

that is not likely. Apart from that, the only thing that might really change all these calculations and break the stalemate is an Israeli attack on Iran and a general Middle Eastern conflagration. That is not a price anybody wants to pay.

Gwynne Dyer is an independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries

Beggars have no rights to sovereignty or dignity Comment Loucas Charalambous ALL THE TIME the troika was avoiding announcing an arrival date, our political demagogues were wondering why it was taking so long, worrying about the delay and stressing whether a bailout agreement would be ready for the November 12 Euro Group meeting.

They were praying and lighting candles in church in the hope that Divine help would speed up the arrival of the troika. A desperate President Christofias contacted EU leaders and the top brass of the European Commission imploring them to push the troika to come to Cyprus as soon as possible. “What have things come to, we are in discussions regarding inviting the troika to come,” said

Christofias after a meeting with the party leaders.

The troika eventually arrived, but the November 12 deadline had been missed. But as soon as its representatives set foot on the island, the demagoguery and defiant posturing commenced. Even at this hour, with everything collapsing, our political jesters - the very people who brought us here - refuse to act responsibly.

We have reached the limits of humiliation and ridicule. What else could you say when we pseudo-proud Cypriots, who until recently were loaded with money are today begging Romanians, Bulgarians, Lithuanian and Slovenians that live on monthly wages between 300 and 500 euro, to lend us money so we do not starve. What have things come to indeed?

But even faced with the chaos they created, our politicians

carrying on singing the same tune. They have now become the champions of resistance against the troika. “Some must declare whether they are with the troika or society,” says AKEL presidential candidate Stavros Malas wherever he goes, showing that he is just another demagogue like all the others.

Personally, I would like to declare that I am on the troika’s side, Mr Malas. And I believe that one troika is not enough.

You lot need 10 troikas to come to your senses.

Then we have Christofias, Kyprianou, Omirou and Lillikas getting stressed out because, as they say, our national sovereignty would be threatened if we allow our budget to be decided by the troika. And they draw red lines, trumpeting that they would never agree to the “mutilation of our national

sovereignty”.

And they make out that they have nothing to do with the chaotic mess we are in today.

When they were voting in the House for the ‘restructuring of the public service’, the superprivileges of the public employees and the squandering of the taxpayer’s money on scandalous allowances and welfare benefits of hundreds of millions did they not think they were leading us to bankruptcy?

All of a sudden they remembered our national sovereignty? But now we have become beggars and we have our politicians to thank for this. And beggars have neither national sovereignty nor national dignity. They sit on the pavement and open their hand asking for spare change from passers-by.

This is what we have become.

AKEL deputy Bambos Papageorgiou stole the show of po-

litical lunacy of the past week.

“When your man is in the ring fighting, you cannot be pulling his shorts,” he said, commenting on opposition criticism of the president. As you have gathered, our man in the ring is Christofias who is fighting against our enemy (the troika) and we are not helping his fight strategy by pulling at his pants.

But in what ring has Papageorgiou seen Christofias? The only rings Christofias climbs into are the armoured Mercedes, the private jet we lease for him and the comfy chair in the presidential palace office.

And has he got on any shorts for us to pull?

Has Papageorgiou not realised that after all those fights Christofias has taken part in, in the ring of the presidential palace, he has no shorts, nor a bottom to put inside them.

14 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Opinion

The only cure for bad journalism is to take more risks BBC executives may have been complicit, but this was a journalistic rather than a bureaucratic failure Comment Sarah Sands

S

OME people have described the Titus Andronicus scenes at the BBC as “navel-gazing”.

On the contrary, it encompasses British public life. The Tories regard the Newsnight affair as evidence of the BBC liberal conspiracy. Were not judgements put aside in eagerness to believe the worst of a rich friend of Margaret Thatcher?

The Left see a Murdoch-led, antiLeveson assault on the last bastion of public service. All politicians are relieved to watch the storm cloud move west across London.

Downfalls are bespoke. It was bad luck for the cerebral new director-general to carry the can for a deceased peroxide pervert in light entertainment but Newsnight is Entwistle’s own patch.

He said he could not follow every

programme made by the BBC but Newsnight is not a bad place to start for someone championing high-end news, drama and documentaries.

One of many anomalies in this story is Newsnight turning out to be the BBC’s equivalent of the News of the World - a journalistic cesspit that needs to be closed down. Newsnight! A hydra-headed inquiry is under way but I bet the fault lies, as it usually does, in unchallenged assumptions, a lack of clarity and the partial involvement of too many people.

Furthermore, it was a clear case of what driving instructors call over-compensation.

A few weeks ago, the Newsnight team was accused of timidity and cowardice for questioning the veracity of witnesses against an alleged paedophile, Jimmy Savile.

This time, the team did not question the veracity of a witness against an alleged paedophile.

I query the mantra that journal-

ists at the BBC have been crushed by bureaucrats.

John Humphrys did not sound too fearful interviewing his boss on Saturday morning. Jeremy Paxman has been on a rampage against management. Hang on!

Executives may have been complicit, but this was a journalistic rather than a bureaucratic failure.

A healthy contempt for the boss class is endemic in most organisations but it needs to be accompanied by regimental discipline and loyalty. Sergeants watch the backs of commanding officers.

Nobody at the BBC seemed to give the fresh-faced D-G a second thought.

Entwistle’s astonishing ignorance of events within his own organisation is not peculiar to the BBC. James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks say they were unaware of the scandal at News International.

Neither am I surprised that Entwistle was “out” rather than watching TV. Most sensible people

Bad luck: former BBC director general George Entwistle will choose a party over a night in.

That is why iPlayer exists.

Former D-G Greg Dyke once told me television journalists were not hard to manage. All they cared about was programmes.

Talk budgets, strategy, franchises, buildings, and their eyes glazed over. After the storm has passed, the outcome should be more journalism - with all its risks - rather than less.

Reader’s letter: editor’s choice

Volunteering in a vacuum WITH great interest I have just read Elias Hazou’s article, Academics question point of EU funding for peace, (Sunday Mail, October 28). In the article he focuses on a report, written by Dr Kate Flynn and Dr Tony King, “Reconciliation and peace economics in Cyprus”.

I have recently studied the report and it’s informative, useful, interesting and - frightening. But not surprising. Among other things, Flynn and King question the effectiveness of all the reconciliation and development programmes, funded by the EU and others.

As a museum curator and archaeologist, I worked with Cypriot antiquities for 30 years in Sweden. I have also visited Cyprus several times, lecturing and presenting my books. I have also written articles in Swedish newspapers about the Cyprus Problem and the destruction of our common cultural heritage in the occupied areas.

Earlier this year I felt that I had the time and opportunity to make a more mani-

fest contribution to Cyprus and perhaps do some work for the many bicommunal groups in Cyprus.

I made an application to a bicommunal organisation, funded by USAID (United States Agency for International Development). The application was extensive; they wanted to know exactly what I wanted to do, at what time I could work, my qualifications etc. From the beginning I told my contact that I’m rather old, but that I have extensive experience as a museum curator, including knowledge about climatic conditions in museums and store-rooms and conservation. I also know many languages, including fluent Greek. We corresponded for several months and my contact promised to find a project for me. I was very optimistic when I arrived in Lefkosia in September, eager to start working.

But when I arrived at their office nothing was prepared.

Two young persons were very friendly and spoke excellent English, but there

was nothing for me to do and they hadn’t prepared anything. I was told to try to find EU funds and make applications for money. If I could find money for a project, I was told, then I could start working as an advisor. It was quite obvious that they didn’t have the slightest idea about anything related to the national heritage, for example museums or restoration. In my application I had, however, also mentioned that I would also be happy to work with environmental problems or the peace process. I was told that it was difficult to find something for me since I had already finished my academic career and didn’t need any practice.

I understand this, but why didn’t anybody tell me this from the beginning? On their website they are still looking for volunteers. I felt humiliated, stupid and left after a few days.

Since I had decided to stay for a month, doing my own research as well, I spent some time at the comfort-

H4C hosts worthy events but fails to attract the people who really should be there

able and pleasant Home for Cooperation (H4C), in the UN buffer zone, Lefkosia.

I listened to lectures and met friends at H4C, where the staff is always friendly and helpful. After the lectures and discussions, there were often abundant buffets and refreshments. What do these enormous expenses have to do with reconciliation? Different NGOs often organise fairs, festivals and parties, where lots of material is distributed – T-shirts, books, pens, pamphlets etc.

In what way does all this have any influence on the

peace process?

A more obvious and serious problem is the complete absence of listeners who really should be there - ordinary Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Where are they?

Instead we always met the same faces - foreign diplomats and businessmen, students, a few intellectuals.

A Turkish Cypriot friend of mine has one theory about the absence of the Greek Cypriots, at least. According to her, they refuse any contact with Turkish Cypriots and anything which has to do with the UN, since the

Greek Cypriots consider the UN to be ”bought” by Turkey.

A quotation from Dr Kate Flynn and Dr Tony King’s report: ”There is notable societal mistrust both within as well as between communities. There is suspicion about political leadership and the direction of the talks.”

Marie-Louise Winbladh, archaeologist, author, researcher, 1971-2001 curator of the Cyprus Collections in Stockholm, http://cypernochkreta.dinstudio.se.

15 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

Opinion uotes of the week “He showed the leadership qualities of Winnie the Pooh.”

Former Tory Cabinet minister David Mellor on George Entwistle (below), the former BBC director-general

Reality is riding the wave and it’s bad news for those who aren’t Cody Maverick

“The music industry is a vicious business. It chews women up and spits them out.”

Singer Tori Amos

The Cyprus Dream, a tattered umbrella

“That politician bird” Entertainer Brian Conley’s description of MP Nadine Dorries, a fellow contestant in I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

When we sign a bailout agreement, the pampered lives of civil

servants will start to shred, like the portrait of Dorian Gray

Y

OU SAY six billion, I say 12.

Which is it?

You’d have thought that the troika and AKEL would have arrived at a similar amount to bail Cyprus out, but when the disparity is so great, even a dunce might question the validity of either.

To make ends meet, a single parent mother of two works mornings at a firm of accountants. She teaches English three afternoons a week at a language school then serves table at a Nicosia downtown restaurant five nights a week.

She is my local Mata Hari, a mine of information, chatty, classy and charming in fact, if I was thirty years younger and single…but let’s not go into that right now!

Last week, a customer at the downtown restaurant did. He’d been arguing with his male companion in German and suddenly caught Mata’s eye when she was serving them coffee.

“Are all Cypriots liars?” he asked her.

She was stunned.

“In particular politicians and civil servants?” he continued. “I can’t get a straight answer from any of them!”

“Are you with the troika?” she asked.

He nodded. “The Cyprus economy is in a much worse state than they think.

Worse than Greece even. Either they are lying through their teeth or they’ve no idea how bad things really are.”

“Probably the latter,” she said.

“Well, they’re in for a big surprise, ‘cos there’s no way they’ll get out of this mess with just six billion.”

“Do you mean our untouchables?”

“Yes, your government civil servants, SGOs, bankers and the Church!”

“But our government seeks a package offering growth.”

“And just what did they do with that growth this past 10 years when they had it?”

Do you number among the sacred untouchables? Do you live under the umbrella of the Cyprus Dream due to who you know and not what you know? Is your job eternally secure, your pay, holidays, bonuses and pension? Are you obese with happiness? Do you drive a luxury car and live in a splendid house, financed by easily obtainable loans from a bank, the Church, civil service or an SGO? Do you believe that untouchables are entitled to special treatment

Comment Hermes Solomon in healthcare, far beyond that meted out to the ordinary citizen at any public health facility? Do you expect to live longer, consume more and worry less than those living outside the protection of your umbrella? If so, read on and try to understand what is about to happen to your umbrella.

On the day the troika finally agree the terms of any loan with our government, the fabric of your umbrella will start to shred, rather like the portrait of Dorian Gray.

Oh yes! Ye, who have been blessed with an undeserved lifestyle for as long as anyone can remember, must accept that your employment contract is no longer worth the paper it was written on.

Gone will be your thirteen month salary, your unearned bonuses, CoLA, paid overtime, cheap loans and free private healthcare.

Your six weeks’ sick leave on full pay will be reduced to three.

You will in future contribute substantially towards your retirement pension and healthcare like the rest of us.

You will submit willingly to being transferred between government departments.

You will no longer sip frappe or consume ‘name day’ fattening patisseries at your desk while refusing to answer the office telephone, or when you occasionally do, deal with a citizen’s enquiries uncivilly.

You will arrive for work at the appropriate time and leave at the appropriate time - in other words, you will clock in and clock out like any ordinary factory worker, section and department heads included!

All departments will undergo a work and method study evaluation, which will seek to considerably reduce the number of staff to the minimum number required to operate departments efficiently; those chosen to remain will be fully computer conversant and adequately bi-lingual,

notably in English and Greek. Section leaders and department heads who still operate old colonial office practices with files stashed on shelves, will be offered early retirement on greatly reduced pensions.

Any individual or group of individuals found to be fomenting discord against troika austerity measures within their department, the civil service in general, the banks or an SGO will be fired on the spot.

Those who stubbornly remain at their desks, glued to their mobiles masticating, will be reminded of the effect each selfish act has upon their soul, each sin displayed as a disfigurement of their income followed by a definable facial ageing due to the anxiety and stress of persistently pretending to work when, in reality, wasting time and space.

Oh, by the way, I’ve just worked out why civil servants don’t answer their office telephones. It’s because their family and friends ring their mobile numbers.

On notification of these troika-imposed loan conditions, many untouchables will take to the streets in search of sympathisers, but will find none. Others will take early retirement then rush in search of one of the few jobs remaining in the private sector, where they might at least be productive.

The Cyprus Dream is over, washed up, gone, dead and buried. Reality is riding the wave and God save the souls of those untouchables who can’t surf as well as the penguin, Cody Maverick did in the cartoon, Surfs Up! Your white knight union bosses are powerless to stop this oncoming tidal wave of change - they will be swept up in its wake and tossed lifeless onto the barren shore of the unemployed.

Russian or troika loan, the outcome will be the same - complete and absolute control of the economy, ergo the people, ergo you, the untouchables!

If the government is correct in its request for six billion euros then every man, woman and child of the Republic will be indebted to the tune of 6,666 euros each. If on the other hand, the troika is right at 12 billion euros, then… oh, you work it out! I’m just sick of hearing vast numbers bandied about as though they were supposed to mean something, even though debts/loans must be repaid, gas or no gas!

“Lots of people nowadays are too greedy.

People think ‘I must have a cup-cake.’ What do you mean, you must? You’ll get fat, you fool.”

Actress Joanna Lumley

“There has been a real shift in sexual attitudes. It used to be the men who complained they weren’t getting enough nooky in the bedroom, but now it is the women who are calling their husbands boring after reading Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Amanda McAlister, a leading matrimonial lawyer

“Liven up meals with condiments like salt” Pippa Middleton (below) makes a startling discovery in her book Celebrate, which is trailing in the best-seller race

“We can put a robot on Mars but we can’t stop our noses running. It’s ridiculous.”

Ozzy Osbourne, on cures for the common cold “I am showing my naked a.. for Hurricane Sandy victims” Madonna, who bared her backside during a show in New York, urging people to throw money on to the stage

“You can’t drop it in the bath.”

Best-selling novelist Jilly Cooper (above) explaining why she doesn’t have a Kindle “In Africa I worked on a lot of missing bottoms because the hippos had just bitten them off.”

Dr Tim Evans, the Queen’s GP, recalling his work in Zimbabwe

“I am completely fed up with the fact that this man is still at large in our country” British PM David Cameron on Abu Qatada, the hate preacher, who has won his appeal against his removal to Jordan to face charges there “Well, no, I don’t think a woman would want to jump around on the top of trains” Dame Stella Rimington, former director-general of MI5, when asked whether the next James Bond should be female

16 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

News Review Delving into gas

Students demonstrating against the anniversary of the unilateral declaration of indeoendence in the north on Thursday

CYPRUS’ potential lenders turned their eye on Monday to what could be a future cash cow for the island - the natural gas reserves still lying untapped off the coast.

A troika team held successive meetings, first with Energy Service director Solon Kassinis, and then with officials from the Natural Gas Public Company (DEFA), the Electricity Authority (EAC) and the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority (CERA).

They homed in on government plans to export natural gas to European and/or Asian markets, on the prospects for collaboration with neighbouring nations, the capacity of the LNG storage terminal to be built on the island, and on the short-term benefit to the economy from the signature bonuses for the four offshore licences awarded recently.

Cabinet bonuses PRESIDENT DEMETRIS Christofias and his cabinet will receive one-off bonuses at the end of their five-year term totalling close to €1.2 million, a popular daily reported on Monday According to Phileleftheros, when the president’s five-year term ends in March 2013, Christofias will receive a bonus of around €360,000, and a pension of

Go

Troika talks, president struggle €83,000, among other payments owed by the state.

The old guard of cabinet ministers Neoclis Sylikiotis, Sotiroulla Charalambous and Loucas Louca, as well as government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou and Undersecretary to the President Titos Christofides will receive a bonus of €95,000 each at the end of their time in government plus annual pensions of €22,000 for those who’ve reached the age of 60.

Pensioner jailed THE LIMASSOL Assizes court on Monday sentenced a 74-year-old man to ten years’ imprisonment for shooting dead his neighbour following an argument, killing the victim in front of his wife and teenage son.

The court found the man guilty of manslaughter.

The neighbours - both living in a Limassol apartment block - argued on July 6 after the victim’s son told his father the neighbour had reprimanded him for stomping over his air conditioning compressor.

Card use increase CYPRUS’ residents used their cards more for paying bills and less for shopping between September and October, the island’s main clearing agency JCC transactions said on Monday.

Users swiped €173.5 million over October, JCC said but there was a decrease in card use at department and household stores, and for clothes, shoes and accessories. Card use at restaurants, bars and catering sectors was also reduced, JCC said.

The majority of card use - 30.46 per cent - was in supermarkets, followed by petrol stations where 11.8 per cent of card transactions took place during October.

Domestic tourism DOMESTIC tourism has risen by 31 per cent, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) said this week.

The CTO said the increase was largely down to its programme ‘Cyprus, Small Escapes, Big Experiences’ which aims at increasing the number of locals vacationing on the island and increasing the number of seasonal holidaymakers.

The last ‘Small Escapes’ programme which ended in June showed a 31 per cent rise in participants compared to last year, CTO officials told a press conference

Eighty per cent of people polled said they thought the economic situation worse than a year ago

90 power cuts THE Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) has promised to look into ways of at least informing customers of major power supply faults after residents of a number of Paphos villages experienced around 90 power cuts in a month.

The villagers reached desperation point after 89 power cuts between October 9 and November 11.

Acting EAC spokesman Yiannis Tsouloftas confirmed the number of cuts and put them down to technical problem that had been very difficult to detect, “connected with the overhead line which supplies these villages”.

Racy Ryanair PAPHOS IS being put firmly on the map of low-cost airline destinations thanks to the scantily clad cabin crew of budget airline Ryanair.

This year’s edition of the now famous Ryanair Charity Calendar - featuring the airline’s more presentable cabin crew wearing as few garments as you’re allowed to take on a Ryanair flight without extra cost - was shot entirely on location in Paphos.

Last June, over 20 cabin crew models arrived in Paphos with photographers to shoot next year’s calendar, the proceeds of which will go to Polish charity TVN Foundation.

Paternity testing THE MIGRATION Department is violating the human right to family life and privacy by forcing families with a foreign mother to undergo paternity testing at their own expense to prove the father is a Cypriot national, according to the Ombudswoman’s Office.

Following a series of complaints made in 2011 concerning the practices of the migration department when dealing with families containing a foreign mother and Cypriot father, Ombudswoman Eliza Savvidou launched an investigation into the matter.

The result is the damning report against the department issued on October 31, 2012, which Savvidou said effectively violates human rights.

President poll AN enormous 85 per cent of Cypriots polled by CyBC this week said Cyprus

QUOTES OF THE WEEK “I am content to remain with the memories of my win” Zofia Klepacka (right), Polish bronze Olympic medallist who sold her medal to help a fouryear-old girl suffering from cystic fibrosis “It is an honour for me to be involved in a production which is essentially about the life of a modern hero in Russia” Composer George Kallis who is composing the score for a film about astronaut Yuri Gagarin “In our perception, the substance, the contents of the agreement is the most decisive parameter since it will define the future of the country and the people in the coming years” President Demetris Christofias on a future bailout agreement “Collection should be done with care and with respect to nature and the mushroom that is being harnessed” Forest department press release

“It is our responsibility to teach history to the younger generations, so that they won’t ever have to live through the horror off such periods and be forced d to fight for things which we today take for granted” President Demetris Christotofias on Remembrance Day y “We are told we pay the highest ghest prices for electricity in the EU so we should not have to endure this from this monopoly. It appears that we are paying Rolls Royce prices and getting a Reliant Robin in return” Simou resident Nick Newton on endless power cuts to the village “He described me as not serious when I said we would drill for gas by the end of last year. In the end, we did drill and we found the gas.

Yet I never heard him talk about this, because he is too much of a coward to retract those statements” Energy chief Solon Kassinis during his ongoing spat with AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou

“The broader implications of these challenges would eventually accelerate the speculations that Cyprus, and not Greece, may be the first country to exit the eurozone as soon as markets realise the risks to the country debt dynamics” Report by Merill Lynch “Woe betide if we accept the troika’s positions. The banks will fall apart and when they do, nothing will be left standing in this country and the people will indeed go hungry” Archbishop Chrysostomos

is heading in the wrong direction, while 79 per cent said they were not impressed with President Demetris Christofias’ handling of his duties.

In the survey, carried out between October 26 and November 7, 1,205 people were questioned. Eighty per cent of them said they thought the economic situation worse than a year ago. Only five per cent said they were able to live comfortably with their current income, while the vast majority found it ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ to cope.

Stabbing trial THREE teenage British tourists will face manslaughter charges when they go on trial early next year for allegedly killing a young British soldier during a nightclub brawl in Ayia Napa.

Mohamed Abdulkadir Osman, 19, and two 17-year-old suspects who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in court on Thursday when it was decided the case will go to trial at Larnaca criminal court on January 24.

Cash question AS BAILOUT talks with international lenders dragged on, the government on Th Thursday sought to downplay speculatio tion that the state would soon be unable to meet its financial obligations.

R Responding to reporters’ questions on wh whether the state could run out of cash ne next month, government spokesman St Stefanos Stefanou insisted there were wa ways of ensuring the state could continue making payments.

Commenting on the overall progress of negotiations with the visiting troika mission he said a great deal of ground h has been covered but admitted many di difficult issues were pending.

CY woes UNIONS OF troubled national carrier Cyprus Airways (CY) are mulling over a restructuring plan that reportedly provides for over 400 layoffs with the big question being whether they will get a special compensation package and if so, who will cover the estimated €27m cost.

CY management met the unions on Tuesday to hand over a restructuring plan drafted by Air France-KLM. Reports said the plan calls for cutting personnel by 407 to 623, bringing salaries down to the levels of the competition and introducing working hours to suit the needs of the airline in the current competitive environment.

17 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

Coffeeshop

Just take a second and imagine our lives without a hated bailout WHILE the government has stepped up its hate campaigning against the nasty neo-liberal loan sharks of the troika, there are reports that our EU partners have set an expiry date for our economy. It might last a few days after the expiry date, like fresh milk does, but the souring will not be avoided.

It has been reported that our Professor Panicos was informed that if the re-capitalisation of our banks was not completed by midJanuary, the liquidity tap could be turned off. And when our banks cannot go for funding to the Emergency Liquidity Assistance, from which they have drawn several billions so far, they will have to close down.

For the re-capitalisation to be completed we have to sign a bailout before January, something that is looking increasingly unlikely under the government of clueless Akelite cretins who are currently waging a merciless media war against the only people who can save us from destitution and abject poverty - the troikans.

TERRIFIED of the consequences of not signing a bailout and aware that our European partners were not joking, Governor Panicos broke ranks with AKEL refusing to play the anti-bailout tune. Since Monday he has been publicly calling for the immediate signing of memorandum of understanding with the troika. On Friday he was quoted as saying by Phil that “the strength of the economy is at breaking point”.

On Friday evening, the AKEL defector met the DISY Fuhrer to warn him about the impending catastrophe. The Fuhrer agreed with the Professor that, under the circumstances, a bailout must be signed.

He is the only party boss who had the guts to say this, the rest of our lily-livered leaders embracing the comrade’s anti-bailout rhetoric for fear of being accused by AKEL’s intimidators of being on the side of the terrible troikans.

WIND-BAG leader of EDEK, Yiannakis Omirou gave a recital in the hollow defiance he specialises in yesterday, warning that “the information seeing the light of publicity create the picture that Cypriot society is under siege and that there is an attempt to return us to the economic middle ages.”

He had got one over comrade Tof in the hyperbole stakes. On Friday night, speaking at the Educational Club of Engomi (he loves to go to these AKEL-controlled neighbourhood joints and play the great leader to ignorant old age pensioners) he said he would never allow “the country and conditions of life of our people to return back(sic) to the decades of the ‘40s and ‘30s.”

And there was the hollow defiance that all half-wit politicians love to resort to. “I promise you that we will fight till the end to successfully defend these conquests of the workers.” The “conquests and rights of the workers are the target of many, who come for abroad, exploiting the world economic crisis of capitalism.”

Has anybody exploited the world crisis of capitalism more than the comrade? He has used it to hide his incompetence and ignorance of how to run an economy and

on our natural gas he said, not knowing if this was actually the case or another morsel of misinformation for the AKEL propaganda office.

But when will there be funds from natural gas? In about six years, at the earliest. Of course there is also the small question of whether we would find adequate amounts of gas to make its extraction a viable enterprise; the steady fall of the world price of gas is not good news for us. So Lillikas might refuse to sign, over a non-issue.

Of course he has another good reason for not signing a bailout if the gas theft fell through - it would cede our national sovereignty. But as our politicians have proved, throughout the years, incapable of running our economy prudently, it would be a good thing to allow foreigners to take over.

They would not be wasting the taxpayer’s money to buy votes and pay themselves big fat salaries and pensions like our wise politicians have been doing ever since the establishment of the Republic. Ceding our sovereignty would protect us from cheap demagogues like Lillikas, Malas, Omirou etc.

his fear of taking an unpopular decision. The crisis of capitalism is to blame that we are broke, not because we have a total incompetent in charge that chose to do absolutely nothing while the country was collapsing.

Note: the people who target the workers are “from abroad” as AKEL always blames evil foreigners for our woes.

OUR WISE leaders know what will happen if we agreed to a bailout, but we would expect them to enlighten us about what would happen if we did not, and told the troika to go to hell. If signing would lead the economy to the middle ages, as Omirou has warned, not signing would take it to the stone age, which has its advantages as there would be no use for politicians.

Let’s take a look at the scenario of not agreeing to a bailout, a decision that was taken at the AKEL central committee meeting in early October. There would be a collapse of the banking system, which might not even last until the mid-January deadline. Only one bank has to close its doors to spark a collapse, as people would run to withdraw their money from the banks that were still open.

The billions of Russian deposits would be transferred abroad in no time and then the rest of the banks would not have the capital to operate either. They might not close down immediately, but they will have to call in all their loans to have capital adequacy to stay in operation, which would mean no business would be able to operate. By March there would be people ready to kill for a loaf of bread to feed their children.

But at least the workers’ conquests and rights would have been preserved and the pension system would have been saved from the troika’s clutches.

PEOPLE who have money in the banks would have nothing to worry about, because the state passed a law guaranteeing bank deposits of up to 100 grand per person. This meant that if a bank closed down, the state would give the money to the depositor.

Although an excellent arrangement that protects people, it becomes a bit problematic when you consider that the state is penniless and without a troika bailout it would not be able to pay Christofias’ per diem allowance when he goes abroad in December.

At present having decided not to sign the bailout, the comrade is desperately looking for money to pay the public parasites’ wages this month and next. He has been trying to get his hands on any cash

Praxoulla Antoniadou singing with superannuated singer Dakis on a Greek TV talent show. Having failed to make an impact as a singer she decided to stand for election as president CyTA and the Port Authority have in the bank which would further reduce bank liquidity and then he probably will raid the workers’ provident funds, if he is allowed to do so.

The state’s bankruptcy is also helping boost private sector unemployment, as companies that have done work for the state are unpaid for months and laying off staff to survive. But otherwise, the government will fight till the bitter end to preserve workers’ conquests and rights.

IF ANYONE has spotted similarities with the period leading up to 2004 referendum it is because there are. The government has been leaking maximum negative information, relating to the talks with the troika, to the media in order to create the anti-bailout climate that will allow the cowardly comrade to utter ‘the no that would cement the yes to bankruptcy’.

The latest has been about the Social Insurance Fund and the troika’s suggestion that the €7 billion owed to the fund by the state should be written off. There was also hairpulling regarding the suggestion that the state stops contributing to the fund (4.5 per cent on wages) for each worker. Nobody knows the details of these proposals or the reason behind them because the government’s leaks only what suits its anti-bailout designs.

We can only speculate that the troika, quite rightly, wants to rationalise the pension system, which pays the lowest pensions to those who contribute towards them all their working life and the highest

to those who contributed nothing - public parasites and politicians.

Would it be a bad thing if public parasites’ pension were lowered to levels paid to private sector workers?

At present, the 4.5 per cent paid by the state for private sector workers is used to boost the pensions of non-contributing parasites. It is these scams the troika’s proposals would end, but this is not given any publicity.

PAPHITE presidential candidate Yiorkos Lillikas is turning into the Tsipras of Kyproulla, vehemently opposing every governmentdistorted proposal by the troika, leaked by the government and making empty promises about a future of hope and development.

He always was a cheap demagogue and opportunist. Now he is having sleepless nights because his rival candidates are competing over who “will break the morale and resistances of the Cypriot people”.

Lillikas offered people “prospects of development and hope”, through rejection of the bailout.

He has not yet revealed who would finance the development, given that the banks would either have closed down or have no money to lend, after we bravely reject our only hope of avoiding bankruptcy.

TSIPRAS the Second has also said he would not sign a bailout - if the three candidates were asked to do so - in the event that it had a provision for putting all the proceeds from natural gas in a fund for the repayment of the state’s loans.

The troika wants to get its hands

YOU HAVE to admire the greed of the departed Bank of Cyprus CEO Andreas Eliades. The man whose greed and delusions of grandeur singlehandedly destroyed the strongest and most financially sound company in Kyproulla has reportedly sued the B of C, demanding €3.5 million from the pension fund that he claims he was entitled to.

The guy has a nerve. He helped destroy the bank and the economy, not to mention that he impoverished the bank’s shareholders, but he is still demanding €3.5 million.

Maybe his lawyer would argue in court that Eliades’ is entitled to his millions because the retirement bonus was a worker’s conquest that must be respected.

SPEAKING of greed, we have to take our hats off to our permanent representative at the UN Nicos Emiliou, who has succeeded in using the Cyprus Republic as his family business.

First he had a diplomatic passport issued for his partner so she could go on an official trip with him, although she was not eligible.

Then he demanded that the taxpayer picked up the 20 thousand buck bill for his partner’s son’s school fees in the Big Apple; he protested when his demand was turned down. Before this, the taxpayer was paying his own son’s school fees abroad, in violation of ministry rules. As Emiliou was based in Nicosia he was not entitled to have school fees abroad paid by the government.

Now we hear that the perm rep’s ex-wife was given a job as a clerical worker at the Republic’s Brussels office. I hope that putting his ex on the state payroll was not a way of getting out of paying her alimony.

We have crossed the 100 days mark. The comrade now has only 98 days left in office, but before anyone starts celebrating, they should remember that it will only take one word - a no - and just a couple of days for him to wreak the economic chaos and destruction from which we would need a couple of decades to recover.

18 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

World in pictures

Hobby shepherd Wolfgang Grensens goes for a walk with his lamb Wally and his three Australian shepherd dogs Kyrgyz couples take part in a mass wedding ceremony in Bishkek

(AFP)

Hostesses in front of Tiananmen gate on Tiananmen Square before the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress in Beijing (AFP)

Daniel Lawlor from Los Angeles, California, poses after winning first place in the Freestyle Moustache category at the third annual National Beard and Moustache Championships in Las Vegas (AFP)

Riot police officers protect themselves from a projectile at the end of a demonstration organised by Spain’s ‘indignant’ protesters (AFP)

Indian Sikh devotees offer prayers as they stand in the holy water tank at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Diwali

A warped house, inspired by drawings of Polish illustrator Jan Szancer, on the main street of Sopot, a Baltic sea resort

An aerial view of the Somerset House ice rink in central London. The rink is open until January 6 (AFP)

A man looks at his mobile phone by a sculpture of a banker at the National Bank of Greece (AFP)

19 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

Lifestyle

As the fanged film franchise of Twilight comes to an end and the Twihards grow up and start tyy Sha reading Fifty Shades, may the undead rest in peace, says stake-weary David Sexton

“I

T H I N K I need a break from vampires,” Stephenie Meyer confesses on her o website. And so do ave we all. Vampires have become little more than n pest a common or garden rs. Still, over the past few years. we’re on for one last hurrah for the vampires before they vanish for ever: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 is currently showing in cinemas around the island.

It’s one great big farewell parade. In Breaking Dawn Part 1, Edward, the caring veggie vampire, and Bella, the warm-blood babe, got married and then on honeymoon finally shagged, smashing up the furniture in their enthusiasm but forgetting to use any form of contraception. Bella immediately became pregnant with a voracious, superhumanly fast-developing baby. She only survived giving birth to it by finally becoming a vampire herself.

In Part 2 she discovers what fun it can be. Now she’s special too! The Cullen vampire family adore her and, as a “newborn”, she’s the strongest of them all. She can zip through the forest and bound up cliffs, while appreciating nature as never before. The baby, unbelievably cute, can communicate her thoughts just by stroking a cheek, and no gruelling childcare is needed because she grows up almost instantly.

DOTING Jacob, the doting werewolf wolf Bella keeps as a spare, has y, so “imprinted” on the baby, h inhe’s still around in both bsocarnations, being an absolute brick, getting his shirt lens off on cue. And the Cullens have given Bella and Edamy ward the keys to a dreamy age, little woodland cottage, mini-break heaven, complete with a crackling log fire, grandfather clock, boaton tanical prints, a Sheraton sidechair and a double bed. ep,” “Vampires don’t sleep,” observes Bella. “It’s not dmeant for sleep,” says Edd, ward meaningfully. And, slightly wastefully rip-y ping off her dress, they set to it, quite safely this time, both from the contraceptive point of s view (female vampires rish don’t menstruate, perish qual the thought) and as equal partners in superhuman speed, strength and endurance at last, so Edward no longer has to worry about breaking her apart accidentally.

We don’t see much but can guess how splendidly it’s gone. “You really were holding back before!” Bella compliments him afterwards.

Then a thought strikes her.

“We don’t get tired, we don’t have to rest or catch our breath – how are we ever going to stop?” Perhaps they’re not, Edward suggests, mentioning another vampire couple who went at it so hard it was “a solid decade” before you could safely get within five miles of them. Cor! Or: dream on.

This blissful prospect is interrupted by the threat of an attack by the ancient Volturi coven (led by Michael Sheen, just like Tony Blair

but worse) enraged that the Cullens seem to have created an infant vampire strictly forbidden since minivampires can’t keep a secret and are prone to tantrums.

To counter the Volturi menace, the Cullens gather up sympathetic vampires from all round the world in a perfect model of preternatural multiculturalism that even includes a pair of particularly help-

ful and colourfully dressed Neanderthal lady vampires, as well as more trad types from Transylvania.

An almighty battle ensues, an outrageous stroke of having your cake and eating it too from the film’s creators, it turns out. Then all’s well again, with Edward and Bella canoodling in a flowery meadow and revisiting their own wn glori iously gloriously romantic c history y in a sort off showre eel. showreel.

“Nobody ’s ev ver “Nobody’s ever loved an nybody as anybody

much as I love you,” whispers Bella. “With one exception,” returns Edward, ever the gent.

And that’s vampires over, vampires done and dusted, back in the box. Because though they may be immortal, vampires have now been completely superannuated by their own bastard offspring, a much muckier crew. The Twilig Twilight books are adolescen adolescent female fantasy in w which the looming attra attraction and threat of ma male sexuality is favour favourably presented as a girl’s free choice betwee between adoring supernaturals, a cultivated vampire on the one hand and a chunky werewo werewolf on the othe other, both

Happily ever after: Edward, Bella and Jacob (Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner)

of whom so dote on her that, despite being ferocious beasts, they treat her with courtly restraint and co-operate together on her behalf. So she can hover indefinitely.

We have here no sex before marriage writ large and gone mad. The happy family life that emerges in this final film after Bella and Edward marry is even more fantastical and chaste, a prim Mormon lady’s dream of how faithful and well-behaved vampires could be.

Stephenie Meyer doesn’t do sex with any detail or realism whatsoever, on the page or on the screen (though there’s a hilarious answer on her own FAQs page, where she worries with weird specificity about how vampires could manage it, claiming that “the normal reactions of arousal are still present in vampires, made possible by venom-related fluids that cause tissues to react similarly as they do to an influx of blood”).

Into this yawning gap, fanfiction rushed. EL James’s Fifty Shades of Grey was originally Twilight fanfic posted online for free (“Master of the Universe” by

...BUT DON’T WORRY, HERE COME THE HEMSWORTHS

By Rosamund Urwin As much as the Twilight series is an ode to abstinence, the cameras loved to linger on Taylor Lautner’s abs and Robert Pattinson’s cheekbones. So as the vampirathon finally wraps up, who will replace Edward Cullen and Jacob Black in teenage girls’ affections and on their bedroom walls?

Step forward the aesthetically blessed Hemsworth brothers. Because 2013 is all about The Muscles from Melbourne (Chris) and his younger brother Liam.

Chris has already had such success with Thor and Snow White and the Huntsman that the world has forgotten he once played the ultimate bland boy, Kim Hyde, in Aussie soap Home and Away. But next year the 29-year-old will get a role that needs much more than his brawn, playing Formula 1 driver James Hunt in the biopic Rush. While Hunt the Shunt was

perpetually papped with a cigarette in his mouth, a champagne bottle to his lips or a beautiful woman on his arm (often all three at once), Hemsworth – rather endearingly - is usually snapped with his baby daughter in his arms. After Rush, he will star in the second Thor film, The Dark World, followed by the brilliantly named Spielberg vehicle Robopocalypse.

His brother, meanwhile, 22-year-old fiancé of Miley Cyrus and a Neighbours graduate, will again fight for Katniss’ heart in the second Hunger Games film (seriously - how is she struggling to choose?), followed by Empire State with Emma Roberts and Paranoia with Harrison Ford. And don’t worry, there’s more Hemsworth magic to go around - older brother Luke once lit up the small screen in Neighbours.

From hammy soaps to the Hollywood superleague, the Hemsworths will be the blockbuster boys of 2013. And women across the world will give thanks.

Poster boys: brothers Liam (left) and Chris Hemsworth

“Snowqueen’s Ice Dragon”).

Although EL James cannily revised it, changing the names, it remains essentially a porn rewrite of Twilight, made urgent by being put in the first person present tense so that the reader can as simply as possible fantasise that everything that is happening to Ana is actually happening to her. But it has also been brought into a version of the real world, Christian being just ludicrously masterful in every way, not actually supernatural, while all that suppressed sexual threat has been spelled out in grubby, hard S&M sessions.

It’s a real step down in authorship, when that seemed hardly possible. Salman Rushdie said of Fifty Shades that he had never read anything so badly written that got published before - “It made Twilight look like War and Peace.”

If this surge towards sexual explicitness in fantasy reading (doubtless originally facilitated by the privacy e-readers offered but quickly going more public too) is irreversible, then vampires are over, strictly confined henceforth to Young Adult fiction in future, unless they want to mess with nipple clamps and butt plugs too. Interestingly, Stephenie Meyer has been diplomatic and generous about FSOG overtaking her creation. “I haven’t read it.

I mean, that’s really not my genre, not my thing. I’ve heard about it… Good on her, she’s doing well. That’s great!”

Kristen Stewart though (who, by the way, does lots of great enraged vampire faces in Breaking Dawn 2, drawn up lips and hugely furrowed brow - do try it next time they ignore you in the queue for lunch) has not been so liberal. “When I see people reading the book on planes and stuff, I’m just creeped out. Like, you’re basically reading porn right now! Please get that blanket off your lap!” Too late, too late.

20

SUNDAY MAIL •

Reportage

Danish men are… creative and amazing cooks and now Having a baby without a boyfriend has never been simpler, and the easiest place to obtain the finest samples? Denmark.

Alex Clark on the rise of the Borgen baby WOULDN’T say I’m the most avid online shopper, but I’m no slouch.

In the recent past I’ve bagged two excellently cut swimming costumes and a Mary Portas dress with an impressive discount. Suffice to say, I understand a dropdown menu when I see one.

But I’ve never done anything like this. On the screen in front of me I’ve made selections according to various criteria such as race, ethnicity, height, weight and eye colour.

I have opted for an ‘extended’ rather than ‘basic’ profile, which means that I want as much information as possible about the provenance of my purchase. In the ‘quality’ box, I am offered differing levels of motility - the technical term

I

for the number of sperm in a sample that will swim in an efficient forward movement, and consequently have a better chance of fertilising an egg.

I am on the website of Cryos International, a Danish sperm bank based in Aarhus. When it started up 25 years ago, its managing director Ole Schou tells me, he used to cycle around putting up notices in student haunts to elicit donors. Now, Cryos has a waiting list of 500-plus men wishing to contribute. It’s not the money, he insists; sperm donors receive 250 Danish krone per visit, around €30 (the EUT issue and Cell Directive restricts payment to compensation for expenses and inconvenience).

Schou puts his plentiful supply down to three things: simple altruism, fostered by the importance the Danish place on serving one’s community; a comparative lack of legal restrictions in the country; and the absence of taboo. “It’s not so dangerous to go into a sperm bank and mastur, he says matter of factly. bate,” gue that would be really “I guess cu in some places in the difficult world world.”

But the queue of donors certainly isn’t due to a lack of dem demand.

Cryos - along with man other sperm banks many - is experiencing a boom. s A shortage of sperm elsewh where, combined with differi fering rules about donor an anonymity from country to country, mean that De Denmark, which can offer both anonymous and no non-anonymous sperm an n can deliver it directly and to individuals across the EU rather than simply to lic licensed clinics, is an incre creasingly popular destina nation for women seeking to become pregnant. That inc includes heterosexual couples lesbian couples and ples,

single women of any sexual orientation. But Cryos’ largest growth market is single women, who by 2015 it forecasts might have risen from the current 30 to 40 per cent of their clients to as many as half.

Pottering around on the website, I can see the attraction. It takes me only a few minutes to come up with a list of possible donors. Clicking on the first on the list, I am confronted by a huge amount of information, from his occupation (a sociology student/taxi driver), to his blood group, to the impression he made on the clinic’s staff. “He is really nice-looking, with beautiful brown eyes,” they write. And, perhaps most importantly, I learn that there is plenty of his sperm available, and that I can buy it for €200 per 0.5 millilitres. If I were to opt for an anonymous donor about whom I received only the most basic information and who could provide sperm of the lowest motility, that price would drop to €40. If I went for maximum information and highest quality, it would rise to €440. All these different permutations and prices are tabulated with absolute clarity. I don’t even need a login.

Schou sees even more refinement in the future. One day he hopes that technology will make it possible for women to “have a dance or eat a dinner with candlelight or have a walk in the woods with their donor”; he sends me a promotional photograph that shows a group of ecstatic women wearing virtual technology headsets. Surely, I say, that would mean that the sperm bank was performing a rather different function than it currently does. Yes, he agrees, “like a genetic dating club”.

And he has a rationale ready.

Women who conceive naturally make use of their individual selection mechanism to pick a

Brainy: Borgen’s Michael Birkkjær

Beautiful: model Mathias Lauridsen

Baby daddy: Ole Schou

mate, why not replicate that for women having their children via sperm donation? “Females are the gatekeepers,” he says. “They are choosing the genes for their child. That is the future for us.”

Schou is a persuasive spokesman for his industry. He describes being humbled to the point of tears by the letters he receives from those whose treatments have been successful, and argues that overregulation only drives people towards the ‘grey market’ or ‘the milkman or postman’. But he is also running a business.

What of the women who find themselves deciding to have a child by donor insemination?

Can it really be a matter of point and click?

The answer, of course, is no.

Every woman I speak to has a different story. I hear from women who have had intrauterine insemination (IUI), women who have had IVF treatment and women who have used donor eggs as well as donor sperm; women who have travelled across Europe and women who have stayed close to home. They are united by their desire to have a child - and sometimes more than one. But none of them, at any point, makes me think that what they’re doing is as easy as shopping. Rather, I come away moved by the extent to

which they’ve planned their journeys.

Joanna and Debbie are a lesbian couple from London who have always wanted to have a family. They plan to have a child each, with Debbie, who at 34 is marginally older, taking the lead. They decided to travel to Copenhagen partly because of an off-putting experience in the UK. Scandinavians, Joanna says, are such happy, giving people. They also wanted to take advantage of the European Sperm Bank’s bigger donor pool, and to choose an anonymous donor because, Joanna says, “We don’t see the donor being part of it at all.” Debbie is currently undergoing intrauterine insemination, which means that the couple monitor her ovulation and then ‘dash’ to the airport, often ringing the clinic en route. It’s stressful, they say, but will be worth it in the end.

Many women, of course, undertake the journey - both literal and metaphorical - alone.

There’s Caroline, who at 37 had “an epiphany”. She realised that she wanted more than anything to be a mother, but as an “extremely independent” person has always been happier single. “I could see a child in the picture,” she explains. “I just couldn’t see a partner.” Her second attempt at IUI was successful, and

she now has a 15-month-old son. She had a basic level of information about the donor sperm and that, she says, was quite deliberate: “I made a decision not to make a decision.

Consumerism was the last road I wanted to take.”

It’s a view echoed by Annabel, who has a baby daughter.

She imported her sperm from

She imported her sp because the choice clinic was limited to find a donor wit characteristi Denmark because the choice of donors at her UK clinic was limited and she was keen to find a donor with similar physical characteristics to herself.

“It was difficult to make that final choice, as many of the donors have similar features - some have extended profiles, which may include baby photos, a voice message and a family tree. I chose someone who was tall and probably very Scandinavian-looking,

21 November 18, 2012

e, brawny, brainy, beautiful w you can buy their sperm Here he comes the sperm bullitt

Daddy cool: sperm samples being frozen in liquid nitrogen

but after much deliberation I chose not to go with an extended profile. I didn’t feel it was right to have the additional information since I wasn’t quite sure what I would do with it. The donor will not be a part of my child’s life and I thought that having this information might create expectations that he would be.”

perm from Denmark of donors at her UK and she was keen th similar physical cs to herself Many of the women I speak to are members of the Donor Conception Network, a group founded nearly 20 years ago in response to what was then the standard medical advice to parents of donor-conceived children not to tell them about their reproductive history. The network is strongly in favour of openness, and supports both parents and children through that, and other processes.

Brawny: Viggo Mortensen

Melanie is a 41-year-old IT manager who decided to have IVF after she suffered a miscarriage. Her relationship with the father had already broken up and although they briefly got back together, she decided it was “morally wrong” simply to see him as father material. She travelled to the Czech Republic, where reproductive technology is not only advanced but, she explains, eminently more

affordable than in the UK. Having tried a sperm-only insemination unsuccessfully, she opted for a donor embryo to give her the best chance of success, but what she had to accept was that the treatment she received was via anonymous donors. “I think if I was in the UK and I could afford it, and if I could have a bit more choice, then I would be pleased with that,” she told me. “But I don’t have that op-

tion, so I’m making the best of the situation I’ve got. And I do have some faith that, as humans, we can’t control everything we’ve got, even if we have our own child.” When I speak to Melanie, she is waiting to find out whether or not she is pregnant. A few days later she emails to say she is, and I find myself flooded with relief on her behalf.

It’s not surprising that emotions run high; the stakes are enormous. I speak to Eleanor, now the mother of a two-yearold. Yet a few years ago things were quite different: “The idea of not being a mum was inconceivable. Literally, if I woke up one day and was told that it was over for me, that I couldn’t do it, that to me was akin to the end of my life,” she remembers. Before she embarked on her treatment, she’d looked around to see what her options were. She recalls finding a “very dodgy, horrible” website, filled with men offering sperm, but only through “natural insemination”.

But even in the technologically advanced future that Ole Schou hints at things do not

always go smoothly; in fact, technology can sometimes be our enemy. During my research I was told of a single woman in her mid-thirties who went to a clinic to choose some sperm; Scandinavian sperm, in fact, because she is a big fan of Borgen and, specifically, its hunky star Mikael Birkkjær. Eventually, she chose a donor called Lars, paid and was then offered the option of listening to a voice recording in which he talked about his motivations for donating his sperm. When she

heard his voice, she totally lost her nerve; he sounded so grown-up, so male, and she didn’t like what he was saying either, it was all about material gain. She was put off the whole process. But it wasn’t as easy as that: to listen to his voice she’d had to download it on to her Mac. Now, whenever she puts her iTunes on to shuffle, his voice comes up.

She says it’s unbelievable how frequently it recurs, but she can’t work out how to get him off her computer. She has not used the sperm.

Pots of gold sperm sample transportation containers

22 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Property Where does the ruling leave those who have yet to build?

LEGAL ISSUES WITH GEORGE COUCOUNIS

Acquiring property through a trust

Legal action against the interior ministry?

By Antonis Loizou FRICS A RECENT decision by the ministry of interior to restrict the development of individual homes in agricultural areas caused an uproar in the real estate market. The decision, which is quite correct in its concept, restricts single house development in agricultural areas but allows them in cases which are deserving based on “planning” and “social” criteria.

We wrote to the minister asking what are these criteria and to give the overall parameters for people/investors/owners to know and not to fall into an unknown trap where they stand to lose a considerable amount of money. This is crucial since a plot of land which six months ago had development rights and now has not, has lost a considerable amount of value.

The decision, based on pure planning parameters is correct, but then such a modification cannot be changed from one day to another. People have paid thousands of euros to acquire agricultural land with the aim of building a home in future, they have mortgaged the land for €X in value and now what is it worth, X÷10? If this is the situation owners who have taken out a loan on their property as a security, where does the financier/ security stands? The Cooperative movement has approximately 50 per cent of its security in this type of property and

the banks approximately 30 per cent. So where will the financiers stand in terms of their balance sheet? Will more billions be required to cover the banks?

A decision of this nature and at this time could not be worse. A similar decision taken in the UK in the 1950s set up a compensation fund so that investors were not left in the cold. Alas, here in Cyprus, decisions which are taken based on well meaning parameters, do not take into account side effects, which, at this point in time could be disastrous.

The actual decisions are public information which is now hidden from the public - it is wrong in law and we are now determined to undertake legal action against the ministry. We have sent a letter to the Ministry from our lawyers and we await a reply. A similar stand was taken by the Cyprus Technical Chamber. It is our opinion that wrongdoings by civil servants/ministers etc should be subject to personal payment of damages to the affected parties. The recent case in Italy where the geological department did not foresee correctly an earthquake imposed a seven year jail sentence on certain civil servants. It is an example to note.

Although as an office we own no such land, we have taken it upon ourselves to raise the issue with Cypriot MPs, it is a disastrous decision which not only causes damages to the people and the economy but, equally important, opens a door to corruption since if no one knows what the meaning of “social” and “planning”

WHAT YOU GET FOR

parameters are, it will depend on each and every planning officer to decide accordingly.

So what do we expect out of all this fuss? A lot of heartache, money spent on legal action and feelings of resentment in the government. We feel however that we have a duty of care to the real estate market being the largest and longest established office in Cyprus, with a public spirit in mind. If we manage to establish a wrongdoing on the side of the ministry of interior what will happen? Excluding the prison option we would like to: secure several billions in compensation to land owners (theoretical but scary to those in government) demotion of the town planning director and those in the Ministry who took such a proposal to the minister immediate resignation of the Minister of Interior liquidation of the assets of those who took the decision (Minister of Interior, director etc), which must go towards the compensation.

This will be a long, drawn-out battle but even if this government is not with us when the court decision is given it will set an example to any other in power and the civil servants to follow.

Antonis Loizou & Associates Ltd – Real Estate Valuers & Estate Agents, www.aloizou.com.cy, ala-HQ@aloizou. com.cy

€125,000

How much: €125,000 What you get: This two-bedroom flat is part of a small, luxurious development in Peyia in the Paphos district. It has excellent sea views and is close to the village square.

From: www.buysellcyprus.com, Tel: 26 200000

PEOPLE living together, either spouses or partners, share their life and through their work or money, they may acquire property, deposits, business, stocks or other assets, independently of whose name they are registered in. They do so by trusting each other, believing that the property belongs to both of them. This relation in cases the co-habitation is terminated justifies the person where whose name the property wholly or partly was not registered to legally ask his share. The person in whose name the property is registered is holding it in trust for the other and therefore, he is called “trustee” and the other is called “beneficiary”. In the event the trustee refuses to give the other person the property, wholly or partly, the law of equity intervenes to restore the injustice against the beneficiary and does not allow him to be unlawfully enriched with an asset not belonging to him.

IMPLIED Nowadays, the creation of trust is common and it is not limited to married couples or partners. With regard to spouses, there are two main categories of trusts, those created by the acts of the parties called expressed or implied and those arising from the operation of law, called constructive or resulting. A constructive trust does not depend on the intention of the parties but it arises by operation of the law for justice to be done according to the demands of a particular case. The principle is that no person can be allowed to hold a property which should have been held or enjoyed by another.

The evolution of the law aimed mainly at protecting the wife and the partner, acknowledging that both are entitled to have a property of their own. The existence of a trust between them depends on their intention at the time of the acquisition

of the property or whenever spouses or couples in co-habitation have made a joint contribution to the acquisition of the property for common use. According to case law, a trust is deemed to arise upon the coincidence of two things: (a) the pooling of resources and/or the exertion of efforts for the acquisition of immovable property, provided the contribution made by each is substantial, and (b) the existence of such a relationship as to justify the attribution of a common intention to enjoy the use of the property together.

During the past years when the property market was doing well, many people appear to have the legal ownership of a property; however, the property was not acquired by them but with the money and for the benefit of another. Moreover, some couples living together purchased a house or an apartment and their relationship they terminated. The issue is that equity requires a fair apportionment according to the contribution of each to the acquisition of the property; whereas, if the apportionment is difficult to define, reference is made to the principle that equality is equity.

With regard to married couples getting a divorce, the law provides that each is entitled to his contribution in the making or the increase of the marital property. There is a presumption that the contribution of one spouse in the increase of the property of the other is 1/3, unless lower or higher contribution is proved. Regarding the increase in value of the property of the spouses, what they acquired by gift, inheritance or through any other act of donation is are not taken into account.

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

compiled by Peter Stevenson

How much: €120,000 What you get: This two-bedroom terraced house is part of a project of 15 maisonettes in a quiet and convenient location in the village of Dherynia.

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

How much: €125,000 What you get: This charming village house is located on the edge of Limassol. There are two courtyards and a roof terrace with magnificent views of the Troodos mountains.

From: www.cyprusprop.com, Tel: 99 537985

23 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

Property Fashion designer John Rocha fell in love with an old pub, turning it into a shop and an apartment filled with natural materials and simple shapes finds Amira Hashish

T

HIRTY-five years after graduating from the Croydon School of Art, John Rocha, one of Britain’s less conventional fashion figures, has a prolific portfolio that includes womenswear, interiors, accessories and architecture. His upbringing, on a council estate in Hong Kong, was a world away from his life today. Before he moved to London, aged just 17, to train as a psychiatric nurse - until discovering “you could make a living out of design” - he shared a two-bedroom flat with his seven siblings, parents and his grandmother, a dressmaker.

Now Rocha, 58, divides his time between homes in London, Dublin and the South of France and today he’s showing me around the recently completed one-bedroom apartment off Piccadilly, that he shares with Odette, his “lovely” Irish business partner and wife of 28 years.

When the couple are away, the duplex - which sits above Rocha’s eponymous three-storey lifestyle boutique - “comes in handy” for his son and two daughters, one of whom has followed in her father’s footsteps to set up the flourishing Simone Rocha label.

Sitting in the L-shaped living room, he cuts a distinctive figure in a black linen suit, his trademark long hair draped over a crisp white shirt. “This building was originally a pub,” he says. “As soon as it came on the market, I knew it was perfect. It was built after the Great Fire of London so is about 400 years old, but it was so run down that we had to demolish the interior, even gutting the basement. We just kept the façade.

“I wanted to pull all the things I do together,” he explains. “The same design principles run through all areas of my work. The common link is the use of natural materials, simple shapes and a calming effect.”

And calm it is. A Zen-like quality running through each space makes it hard to believe we’re in central London. Rocha worked closely on the flat with an architect from his Dublin headquarters. “I love coming up with the ideas but my architect handles the practical side

It is so calm, a zen-like quality runs through it Tribal style: beaded boxes and handcarved wooden mask from Kenyan markets

Eye-catching: John Rocha relaxes in one of a pair of African beaded chairs from the Ivory Coast, which he found on a trip to New York

Contemporary: in the dining area is a modern sculpture

by Xiang Jing

Height of fashion: his 6ft-tall wooden bird sculpture of things, making sure that the building doesn’t collapse,” he says.

His favourite space is the open-plan living and dining area, which leads to a narrow galley kitchen and balcony. The building is on a

corner and the living room has restored Georgian windows on two sides. Rocha relaxes in the comfort of one of a pair of fabulous beaded African chairs he stumbled across in a New York flea market. He is a die-hard fan

of markets, hence the joyful jumble of items that give this apartment its spirit.

Beaded boxes, bones and hand-carved wooden masks are decorative discoveries from Nairobi. And a 6ft-tall bird sculpture that greets

visitors on the stairs is from Les Puces market in Paris.

Paul Smith’s Mayfair shop is also a source of vintage pieces, including the Fifties dining chairs.

Rocha is an avid collector of contemporary art. On the

coffee table are wacky wire rabbit sculptures by Benedetta Mori Ubaldini, while Hella Jongerius’ glazed plaster pots brighten up a side table. And The End, a sculpture of two Chinese girls by “cool” young artist Xiang Jing, is super funky.

“Though my interiors come from different parts of the world and from different periods, when they get together they become interesting. I don’t like everything ultra-modern,” he says. It is fitting that he has designed a number of the furnishings himself, such as a black lacquered coffee table, linen covered sofa, the 10-seater glass dining table and green glass console tables.

Upstairs, he has made the walnut beds and handpainted velvet bed throws.

The bold objects and bright fabrics contradict the deliberately plain backdrop. “I have stuck to a simple stone bathroom - sometimes less is more - and used clean, white walls and American walnut flooring throughout the property,” explains Rocha. “White reflects the light and is a great backdrop for art. If you have a plain background, it makes the pieces more exciting.

“It is like fashion - if you mix too many strong colours you tend to take away from the personality.” And personality always comes before looks for this designer. “Very often people have a wonderful home in a location that they think is cool but that they are quite alien to. In an ideal world, home should be close to the shops, galleries and parks you love to visit.”

With a wealth of successful business ventures under his belt, I can only assume that the self-made entrepreneur has a generous budget, but he insists that if he wasn’t as privileged it wouldn’t really matter. He would be perfectly happy to downgrade and spend most of his time relaxing with his family or fishing with friends. And you know what? I believe him.

Residing in a handsome flat in one of the most desirable areas in the world, Rocha is refreshingly humble and acutely aware of how both halves live. His is a real-life rags-to-riches story - and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer man.

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ally solid.

Unlike regular paint, UniSeal will expand and contract with surface movement, thus providing maximum protection against cracking and water damage. The exterior and interior coating is available in a superb range of colours and comes with a 10-year guarantee.

UniSeal offers a fully qualified British installation team, with the best materials to end painting concerns once and for all! Homeowners can rest assured that their homes will be well protected and well decorated with UniSeal. UniSeal also specialises in damp proofing and roof protective sealants.

For FREE advice and a FREE survey of your property, call FREEPHONE: 80000016, info@unisealcyprus.com, www. unisealcyprus.com

Your home could look as smart

24 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Business & Jobs

The troika, EU and state sovereignty Tampering with Cyprus’ econ model as business centre risks long-term recession and stagnation Comment

T

Costas Apostolides

he negotiations with the troika this past week, and the noises coming out of Germany about Russian companies and funds here, have suddenly caused people in Cyprus to understand the important issues on which a stand must be made. Furthermore, the threatening sounds from the German press, encouraged by the German minister of finance, raise issues of state sovereignty over and above the economic considerations.

Cyprus is in danger of having its ability to manage its own economic affairs taken away from it entirely. Its economic model, based on development as a business centre for Eastern Europe (Russia, Ukraine, Armenia), the Middle East and North Africa, would be dismantled, and the island left without a credible model for development. Something that would mean economic stagnation for years to come.

One of the problems is that economies based on services, construction and real estate, do not function like industrial states, especially when they are small.

Cyprus is not dependent on agriculture and industry, which contrib-

ute only 11 per cent to the economy.

Construction alone is another 11 per cent. The remaining sectors are all services, led by real estate and banking, public administration, tourism, education, health and other services.

Exports of domestically produced Cyprus goods are only €781 million or 5 per cent GDP (at €18 billion). Consequently, the impact of exports on the economy is limited, unlike major industrial countries where a change in competitiveness, or in exchange rate, has affected exports.

CORPORATION TAX Most services are built on quality and are developed over time, and price factors do not have immediate impact upon them.

Businesses choose to register in Cyprus because of the low corporation tax (10 per cent) combined with quality accounting and legal services, good company administration, developed financial services, a wonderful climate and a good location. Cost considerations are important for businesses, but they are part of the package, and being in the European Union and in the Mediterranean offsets cost factors.

Over and above, Cyprus rents and staff costs are still competitive.

The strength of the island’s economy and confidence in its banking system have also been important factors for its growth as a business centre. Yet both have now been shaken by the international financial

crisis and events in Greece, as well as the failure to deal with the negative effects of the crisis on state revenues. Remarkably, up until the October monetary statistics, deposits in Cyprus banks by local residents, residents in the EU and those from third countries (mainly Russia and Ukraine) have actually increased to around €71 billion.

Despite the economic problems, the sectors that grew in 2011, both in GDP and employment, were the arts, tourism, communication, professional services, education, health and domestic workers. By contrast, manufacturing, construction and transport fell in both terms. It is the services sectors which are keeping the economy at its present level.

There is much talk about changing this service-oriented model, but any radical change will take years to take hold and make an impact, and there are no guarantees of success.

ALPHA BANK It is Cyprus’ service sectors which are maintaining the economy at its present level notable success in the development

EURO EXCHANGEofRATES generic pharmaceuticals.

ISRAELI MODEL For years there has been talk of development through technical innovation on the Israeli model (industrial incubators, research grants, technical universities), and though some interesting projects arose (notably “engino” toys) the effort has not had much impact.

Cyprus does not have the military industrial complex of Israel, the strong technical universities or the financial infrastructure for this model, nor does it have an industrial tradition. Nevertheless, there has been

Currencies USD GBP CHF JPY AUD CAD SEK

In the services, there are successes and innovation; Cyprus is an international ship management centre, business centre and, more recently, a foreign exchange trading centre (FXPRO in Limassol is a Cyprus/ Russian Company). 09-Νοε-2012 16-Νοε-2012 Given the strength of services in Cyprus, mostly in Limassol and Nicosia, the criticism from Germany relating to the low corporation tax, citizenship for Russian businessman and the large deposits by Russians, represent a threat to both the economy and sovereignty of Cyprus.

Yet there is no issue with Russian oligarchs living in London and owning Premier league football clubs, or

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

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

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

of German politicians working for Russian companies. Nor is it mentioned that the funds from Russia to Cyprus tend to move from there to Switzerland, London, New York and Frankfurt, and that Cyprus is the route through which investments in Russia take place.

Governing of the corporation tax or 02-Νοε-2012 Cyprus’ development as a business centre must be resisted and rejected, because it will cause long-term recession or stagnation, and restrict the options for growth and development - which would take control of the economy out of our hands. n Costas Apostolides is chairman of EMS Economic Management Ltd (costas.a@highwaycommunications.com)

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

Europeans need hope instead of endless calls to sacrifice

I

n a recent interview, French President François Hollande made the crucial point that there are limits to the level of sacrifice that can be demanded of the citizens of southern Europe’s financially distressed countries.

To avoid turning Greece, Portugal, and Spain into collective “correctional houses”, Hollande reasoned, people need hope beyond the everreceding horizon of spending cuts and austerity measures.

Prosperity was supposed to legitimise the European Union. After the period of rapid

Comment Michael Marder

ALPHA BANK

economic growth ended, Europe’s leaders came to rely, instead, on the threat of an evil that is greater than austerity: further destabilisation of debtor countries, leading to default, expulsion from the eurozone, and economic, social and political collapse.

But the rhetoric of fear is losing sway, because the “new deal” taking shape

EURO EXCHANGE RATES

Currencies USD GBP CHF JPY AUD CAD SEK

16-Nov-2012

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

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

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

across southern Europe offers more repression and less protection, thus violating the social contract’s fundamental tenets. Indeed, while European citizens are being asked to sacrifice their standard of living – and even their livelihoods – for the sake of the “national economy”, transnational corporations are thriving.

The conditions imposed by the “troika” – the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund – amount to an indefinite delay in addressing the needs of

those asked to sacrifice and their citizens with renewed in repairing tattered social hope. The legitimacy of “postsafety nets. Yet national gov- national” Europe – based ernments continue to imple- on the EU’s obligation, enment policies that exacerbate shrined in the Lisbon Treaty, injustice. For example, Portu- to promote “the well-being of gal’s 2013 budget reduces the its people” – is at stake. number of tax brackets from eight to five – a move that will n Michael Marder, a research devastate the middle class. professor at the University of Sacrifice used to involve the Basque Country, Vitoriaransoming the body – its Gasteiz, is the author of The pleasures, basic needs and Event of the Thing: Derrida’s even vitality – for the sake of Post-Deconstructive Realism the spirit. While the discourse and Groundless Existence: of sacrifice persists, the logic The Political Ontology of Carl LIBOR RATES( LONDON INTERBANK DEPOSIT RATES) that has shored it up for mil- Schmitt. lennia has been abandoned.

Europe’s leaders must imbue © Project Syndicate 2012

Note: Selling FCY - Buying FCY opening rates.

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

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

USD 0,18 0,21 0,26 0,31 0,52 0,86

EUR 0,02 0,06 0,09 0,13 0,25 0,50

GBP 0,49 0,50 0,51 0,52 0,68 1,04

CHF 0,00 0,01 0,01 0,03 0,12 0,31

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

libor RATES (London Interbank Borrowing Rates) AS AT 19/11/2012

Note: Selling FCY - Buying FCY opening rates.

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

19/11/2012

CAD 1,01 1,06 1,15 1,23 1,52 1,95

AUD 3,21 3,32 3,39 3,46 3,62 3,96

25 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

Business & Jobs

Bonds - an investment opportunity Investment Bill Blevins Bill Blevins is Financial Correspondent at Blevins Franks International.

Arguably, the most important aspect of portfolio planning is your asset allocation – how much of your investment capital is allocated to equities, to bonds, to property, to cash etc.

Before you buy or sell investments you need to have established the most appropriate asset allocation for your personal circumstances and objectives.

Bonds play an integral part in many investment portfolios, and could prove very beneficial for you. As a diversification measure they can help reduce overall risk, and, importantly for many people, they also provide a regular income.

In addition, bonds also have the potential to generate capital growth over the longer-term.

Bonds are an asset class known as fixed interest securities.

With the way bonds work, the rate of interest they pay holds up even when capital values fall.

Your income stream is therefore unlikely to be impacted by events like the ongoing eurozone crisis.

Bonds, by their nature, generate a natural income, so you can receive regular income without having to touch your capital.

If you do not need income, with a bond fund you can go ahead and reinvest the income in the fund as additional shares.

Asset allocation can account for around 80 to 90 per cent of

Bonds, as a diversification measure, can help reduce overall risk and provide a regular income portfolio performance according to academics.

To establish how much capital to allocate to bonds you should seek professional advice from an experienced wealth manager such as Blevins Franks.

Bonds issued by governments are known as gilts in the UK and Treasuries in the US, both of which are issued in the local currency. Government bonds issued in a foreign currency are known as sovereign bonds.

Corporate bonds are a major source of capital and financing for many companies.

The issuers are grouped by credit rating. Those which have a lower, ‘non-investment grade’ rating are known as ‘high yield

bonds’ since they typically pay a higher rate of interest and can be a very attractive investment opportunity.

High yield bonds can be categorised into two categories – ‘fallen angels’ and ‘rising stars’.

Rising stars are relatively new companies which do not yet have the history, or track record, of paying back debt to be classified as investment grade.

Fallen angels were once investment grade but have been downgraded because their financial strength is not as strong as what it previously was, therefore affecting their credit-worthiness.

An article in the Financial Times of September 28 highlighted how the difficult corpo-

rate environment in the euro crisis and subsequent rating downgrades is resulting in an unprecedented number of companies becoming fallen angels.

This could prove very beneficial for the European high yield market, since it would inject new money and liquidity and create fresh market opportunities for fund managers.

This therefore actually provides an opportunity for investors.

The European high yield bond market has been one of the star performers of 2012, with the major index posting strong double digit returns year to date to the beginning of October, in both euro and sterling terms.

Bonds are best bought through

a professionally-managed fund, which invests in a wide range of bonds depending on its mandate, providing you with a high level of diversification and the expertise of a recognised fund manager.

Although bond interest is fixed, their capital values can rise and fall over their term.

Fund mangers actively buy and sell bonds and can make significant gains on some bonds if they buy them when values have fallen and hold them to maturity. n To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www.blevinsfranks.com

LSE chief casts doubt over timing of LCH agreement The London Stock Exchange may not complete its 600-million-euro ($767.5 million) purchase of European clearing house LCH.Clearnet this year as expected, its chief executive has warned.

Announcing flat profits of 217.2 million pounds in the first half, Xavier Rolet refused to say the takeover of LCH would complete this year despite the group having earlier said it expected this to happen.

“We are in conversations with LCH and the authorities and we’ll have to see what they decide. I can’t speculate on the outcome or the timeline,” Rolet said on a phone call.

The LSE wants LCH because the clearing house would reposition the British exchange to move aggressively into derivatives ahead of regulatory plans to overhaul this market.

Clearing houses, which sit between trading firms, insuring them against losses in the event of a counterparty default, have taken on greater importance since the collapse of Lehman Brothers four years ago.

Regulators want to force more trading through such vehicles to help guarantee

Roulet said the LSE was in conversations with LCH smoothly functioning markets even at times of stress.

The LCH deal was agreed by shareholders of both sides in April, leaving it only needing regulatory approval to go through, something the LSE has said it expected to happen in the fourth quarter of 2012.

But the terms of the acquisition were called into question by analysts in September when the European Commission proposed rules for clearing houses that would, if passed, leave LCH needing to

boost its regulatory capital by more than 300 million euros.

The aim of this would be to bolster LCH’s own position, but it could also eat into the returns it generates.

“The group is in discussions with LCH.Clearnet regarding ... the measures LCH.Clearnet is exploring to ensure it can continue to deliver an acceptable return on its capital,” the LSE said in a statement on Friday.

Analysts believe Rolet could look for more drastic costcuts at LCH and a change to the profit-sharing agreements with shareholders, in a bid to claw back the money the LSE will need to put up as capital if the deal goes through.

Rolet said on Friday the LSE would update the market on the outcome of these talks “in due course”.

“Regulatory changes in clearing means the LSE needs to look at the LCH.Clearnet deal in light of higher clearing house capital requirements,” said Richard Perrott, an analyst at Berenberg Bank.

Analysts say the extra capital requirements on LCH, which the clearing house estimated at between 300 million euros and 375 million, may hold the LSE deal up but it will go through.

THE FALCON SCHOOL VACANCY

We are seeking a Secretary to join our Administrative Team.

The successful candidate will Be fluent in English and Greek Have excellent communication skills Be computer literate (MS Office) Be organized and approachable Be willing to learn new skills (including using the School’s computerized Information Management System Assist in the general, day to day running of a busy School Please contact us via email ( falconschool@cytanet.com.cy ), attaching a copy of your CV, to arrange an interview.

Interviews will take place at the School during the week beginning 26/11/2012. www.falconschool.ac.cy

26 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Business & Jobs ‘Tighter scrutiny for the Greek banks on state aid’ GREEK banks set to receive state aid under a recapitalisation scheme will face tighter scrutiny of their credit policies and restructuring plans, a senior banker with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Monitors will be placed at each bank to oversee credit policies at the behest of the so-called troika of the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund lenders, said the banker, who declined to be named.

“The supervision by monitoring trustees has been demanded by the troika and the EU Competition Commission,” the banker told Reuters on Friday.

“The monitoring trustees will not only be looking at new credit, they will also have a say on how lenders are managing their entire loan book and their followup on existing loans.”

They will also oversee any lending to top management, board members and staff, the banker said.

FRAMEWORK This past Monday, Athens unveiled a long-awaited framework with which to recapitalise its banks, whose capital base was nearly wiped out after huge losses from a sovereign debt swap and rising loan impairments because of a deep recession.

Under the plan, banks will have to issue new shares to achieve at least a 6 per cent core Tier 1 capital adequacy ratio and convertible bonds or socalled CoCos to boost it up to 9 per cent.

The private sector will have to take up at least 10 per cent of the new shares to be issued to keep lenders privately run.

The remainder will be taken up by a bank support fund, the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund (HFSF), that is funded from the country’s bailout and has already injected 18.5 billion euros into the four biggest of the country’s banks.

The HFSF, which will provide most of the new capital by buying most of the new shares and all of the convertible bonds banks will be issuing, will thus become their biggest shareholder.

Greece and its international lenders have earmarked 50 billion euros from the country’s second, 130-billion-euro bailout to recapitalise the country’s banking sector.

Woes of banking sector: the underlying reasons The failure of corporate governance and excessive risks are just some of the causes of the banking crisis Comment George Theocharides N THIS short article, my aim is to highlight the problems faced by our banking sector and the underlying reasons which, in my opinion, led us to this situation.

As we are all aware, our banking sector is facing considerable challenges with our two largest Cypriot banks seeking state aid to achieve the desired Core Tier 1 capital ratio, set by the European Banking Authority (EBA).

The main problems started late last year with the infamous Greek PSI (Private Sector Involvement) and the overnight loss of about €4 billion from the sector and our economy. Furthermore, the banks’ huge exposure to the Greek economy (estimated at around €25 billion) as well as to the real estate sector here in Cyprus, led to a substantial climb in their non-performing loans following the rapid deterioration in the economies of both countries. One could also argue that the expansion in foreign markets (mainly the Balkans and Eastern Europe), although profitable in the boom years, proved risky and expensive for them in the late recession years.

As a result of all these problems faced by the banks, they have continuously been downgraded by the credit rating agencies, which automatically implies loss of confidence from investors and increase in the cost of borrowing.

The reasons for the banks’ or sovereign downgrades (as expressed in the rating agencies’ reports) is not, however, solely a result of the banking crisis, but also due to the fiscal problems faced by our government and the structural problems that our economy is facing and which need to be resolved.

But why did the banking sector end up in this unfortunate situation? What are the underlying reasons? One factor is certainly a rather “loose” regulatory supervision that allowed individual banks, as well as the overall banking sector, to increase to such a large extent that it dwarfs the GDP of the country (approximately eight times its size), and take excessive risks without properly diversifying their portfolio.

Unfortunately, as pointed out many times in the recent past, we created institutions that are “too big to fail” but also “too big to save”! It’s ironic

I

Too big to fail or too big to save?

Bank of Cyprus and Popular Bank that people kept praising the regulatory authorities for protecting the banking sector from toxic products (asset/mortgage-backed securities, collateralised debt obligations (CDO), credit default swaps or CDS) at the height of the global banking crisis of 2007-2009, products that led to the collapse of banking and insurance giants all over the globe, such as Lehman Brothers, AIG, or Bear Sterns. Then, in a few years, we find out that the simplest of the securities and “supposedly” the least risky - sovereign bonds - were to prove so fatal that they brought our banking sector to its knees.

Another underlying reason for the crisis is certainly the excessive risks that banks have taken, either in the form of cheap credit given out to real estate developers without properly assessing the risks involved, or the overexposure to the Greek economy and Greek government debt, without properly diversifying their investment portfolio.

Buying risky securities (even from the secondary market) is acceptable given that the organisation properly assessed the risk and hedged the exposure (using credit default swaps was certainly one way). Here of course is the classic example of moral hazard, i.e. bank executives taking risky investments knowing that in case of a negative outcome the burden would not fall on their shoulders. Obviously in case of a positive outcome, they would be the ones to reap the rewards with big bonuses.

One could also argue that the lack of proper and effective corporate governance practices was also a prime determinant for the crisis.

Good corporate governance practices can create shareholder value through transparent disclosure of the organisation’s activities to its shareholders, holding directors accountable, and creating an effective two-way communication between the board and the shareholders.

There are internal and external mechanisms that organisations can utilise to achieve these objectives.

Internal mechanisms include the establishment of independent board of directors with non-executive directors and the establishment of

specialist committees (audit, risk, and compensation).

External mechanisms can include legal duties imposed on directors, listing rules of exchanges that have to be adhered to, honest reporting of financial performance, and external audit of financial and other statements. Unfortunately corporate governance has failed in this situation, and this should prove an important and useful lesson not only for the two main banks, but for a number of other organisations in Cyprus.

Finally, the global financial crisis

that started from the US in 2007 and eventually spread to Europe in the form of a sovereign debt crisis is certainly a major underlying reason behind our country’s problems. This highlights the impact of globalisation and how contagion effects can propagate financial crises from one region or country to another.

Dr George Theocharides is an associate professor of finance at Cyprus International Institute of Management and director of the MSc programme in finance and banking

27 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

ADVERTISER helps you find what you’re looking for

Advertiser Only

€14 (plus VAT)

a week for classifieds (up to 40 words)

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

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

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Travel Express and we can pay the fare. For further info please contact 99 55 95 94.

Thank you! *****************************

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

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.

HEALTH & FITNESS ***************************** 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. *****************************

PETS

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

MISCELLANEOUS ***************************** ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS - CYPRUS

Is drink costing you more than just money? AA could be the answer.

Meeting at the following locations/days. Call to speak to an AA member.

Ayia Napa Monday 97798043 Larnaca Tuesday (Polish spk) 96616589 Thursday 24645523 / 99259264

***************************** FOR SALE A BLACK ENGLISH COCKER GIRL 5.5 months old, with an excellent pedigree, fully vaccinated, microchiped, lovely natured, free from eye cataract, kidney failure and hips dysplasia.Living with a family with kids,other dogs and a cat( 350 euros). Also an adult black cocker male 3.5 years old, very handsome, fully vaccinated is given for free to the right home. For information and photos look at www. costopa.net or call 99884578 Anna ( Nicosia) *****************************

Limassol Tuesday / Wednesday / Friday / Saturday 25368265 / 99559322 Nicosia Wednesday/Sunday 99013596 Paphos Tuesday / Thursday / Saturday 99916331 / 99399240

Nicosia - tel: 22 818583 fax: 22 676385 ***************************** FOR SALE 2 BLACK ENGLISH COCKER GIRLS almost 4 months old, with an excellent pedigree, fully vaccinated, microchip with registration number, lovely natured, DNA tested parents.Living with a family with kids, other dogs and a cat.( 350-500 euros).

Also for sale a 6 months old golden boy, purebred without pedigree great for a family pet for €250. For information look at www.costopa.net or call 99884578/22383983 Anna (Nicosia)

mix, around 4 years old looking for a loving family. She is looking for a forever home!

At the Nicosia Dog Shelter, many more dogs and puppies like this one are looking for forever homes ! To provide a temporary foster home or to adopt contact Elena on 99520511 mon-frid 10-2pm. *****************************

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

BEAUTIFUL AND SWEET FEMALE DOG, medium size, looking for a loving home. She is very lovable and she will definitely be your best friend. At the Nicosia Dog Shelter, many more dogs and puppies like this one are looking for forever homes ! To provide a temporary foster home or to adopt contact Elena on 99520511 mon-frid 10-2pm. *****************************

VERY HANDSOME MALE GSD mix, medium sized, around 3 years old. Good temperament. A kind dog. He is miserable at the shelter. 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. *****************************

Details of meetings are available on www.aa-europe. net ***************************** 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 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/

Limassol - tel: 25 761117 fax: 25 761141

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.

YURA

FEMALE,

Labrador

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

PERSONAL MAN aged 59 years good looking, American resident, future stay in Cyprus,financially independent would like to meet women aged 40 to 50 years for a serious relationship. Serious proposal accepted by divorced or widowed. Tel 001917 3800371, Loucas Eracleous, 89 - 01 - 118 Street, Richmond Hill, NY 11418 ***************************** AUSTRIAN INGENEUR, 50 years, searching for a nice women. Mobile:004917365562 or 00491726293462

Paphos - tel: 26 911383 fax: 26221049

SERVICES 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!!! ***************************** DO YOU WANT A SHINY LOOKING FLOOR? Full repair & restoration of chipped, scratched, dull and stained, Marble, Terrazzo, Stone & Ceramic tiled floors and surfaces.

Professional cleaning, repair & sealing of internal/external ceramic tiles & grout lines. For a free professional consultation & demonstration contact Mark at Premier on 70006766 or 96333961 All areas ***************************** K.D.FLYSCREENS LTD We manufacture top quality sliding screens, opening doors and roller systems. We also do repairs. For a FREE QUOTE please contact Phone: 99119582 Website: www.kdflyscreens.com ***************************** WE UNDERTAKE REFURBISHING of houses or holiday homes, construction of pergolas, undertaking of plumbing, house painting, garden work.

For information call JIMMYS: 96587137, MELIS: 96547879 *****************************

FOR SALE MISCELLANEOUS *****************************

LESSONS ***************************** 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. *****************************

PORTABLE SEWING MACHINE. The Swiss Bernina 900 Nova is a simple-to-operate 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) ***************************** CLOTHES STOCKS AND SHOP FITTINGS FOR SALE. Excellent women’s brands for

Larnaca - tel: 24 652243 fax: 24 659982

classified contents Employment Opportunities pg 27 Employment Miscellaneous 27 Pets 27 Lessons 27 Health & Fitness 27 Personal 27 Services 28 For Sale Miscellaneous 28 For Sale Land/ Property Business 28 For Sale Motor vehicles -Wanted 28 To Let Nicosia 28 To Let Limassol 30 To Let Larnaca 31 To Let Paphos 31 To Let Protaras, Ayia Napa, Paralimni -To Let Athens -Land For Sale Bulgaria -For Sale Nicosia 33 For Sale Limassol 33 For Sale Larnaca -For Sale Paphos 33 For Sale Ayia Napa 33 For Sale Famagusta Protaras -For Sale Athens -Property& Home Services display ads 34

abbreviations bdrm c/h a/c s/pool f/f apt pm pw sw nw st rd p/s c/l swb r/cass e/w

bedroom central heating air conditioning swimming pool fully furnished apartment per month per week south west north west street road power steering central locking short wheel base radio cassette electric windows

Please note tel nos. that begin with: 22 = Nicosia 23 = Paralimni/Protaras 24 = Larnaca 25 = Limassol 26 = Paphos

28 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser FOR SALE MISCELLANEOUS sale including Italian, Spanish and French clothes and shoes.

Also women’s dummies and modern wall fittings (clothes rails.) Selling at very low prices for clearance. Tel: 99-168943

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 LimassolLarnaca, 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/listinglim-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 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 B.P./LAND 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-paf-0007 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, electricity and telephones are readily available. Suitable for immediate development. Ideal for various health facilities and resorts, holiday centres, commercial and shopping centres, entertainment enterprises etc.

Information: Tel. 22 674338, 99621554 FOR SALE LAND in Anthoupoli (half plot) 288 sq.metres. for information 99621554.

FOR SALE B.P./LAND

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.

PROPERTY TO LET NICOSIA LUXURIOUS APARTMENT FOR RENT A luxurious one floor apartment situated in central Nicosia in an area of exceptional Beauty at 3 Museum Street, is available to let. It has been recently renovated and consists of four bedrooms, two bathrooms, big dining and sitting rooms, kitchen and a huge veranda. Approximate covered area 250 sqm. Monthly rent €1400.00 o.n.o. Tel: 99622370. ***************************** TO LET SPACIOUS AND COMFORTABLE 3 BEDROOM APARTMENT, 125sq.m, with modern design in a quiet neighbourhood in Strovolos near Agia Sofia church, spacious sitting room, one bedroom with en suite WC and two

TO LET NICOSIA other WC, kitchen with oven & fridge, central heating, A/C. €580. Tel. 99336834 FOR RENT flat in Agios Omologites Nicosia. Consists of 3 bedrooms, fireplace and garage.

No common expenses. Tel 99651156 €500 p.m.

NEW LUXURIOUS spacious (130m²), 2 bedrs flat, 2 balconies, 2 WC, indep. CH, solar system, A/C, granite floors, shutters, Italian kitchen and appliances, storeroom, covered parking in small quiet building (4 flats) in Ay. Dhometios 1.5km from Alfa-Mega Engomi. €560 p.m. Same building, very large ONE bedr flat (75m²) with similar amenities €460 p.m. TEL:99 544141 FLATS / HOUSES FOR RENT: studio Aglantzia €350, 1bdrm Ag. Andreas furnished €425, Hilton €400, Strovolos €350, Acropolis €380, Kennedy furnished €400, 2bdrm Ag. Dometios €400, Lykavitos €550, Kennedy €400, Acropo-

TO LET NICOSIA lis rear house €300, 3bdrm m/ssa with garden €500, Str/ los €400, Acropolis €550, 4 bdrm new house Dasoupolis €1,200, Acropolis g/f €800.

21 PROPERTY FINDER A.M. 627 A.A.108 / E 99474839, 99646822 ***************************** 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

TO LET NICOSIA appliances, modern fittings, light and bright. Furnished 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

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

29 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

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

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 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.

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).

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

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).

Advertiser 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 separate bedroom in the basement

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

TO LET NICOSIA 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).

TO LET NICOSIA 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).

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).

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

14. 4 bedrs new luxury detached house, all the bedrooms very big and all with big bathroom/ shower, sitting room upstairs, attic room with shower and wc, office space/maid’ s room with shower and wc, central heating, full AC, 450sq.m, big sitting and dining areas, big kitchen with sitting area and fitted cooker and oven, 6 wc,

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 conditions, solar heater, covered parking – Acropolis €630 (A3ACS0040-R), (photos in the website).

For many more properties with photos visit our website at www.landtouristestates.com which is updated daily. LANDTOURIST ESTATES LTD 22-422225/96422225/96422226, www.landtouristestates.com

30 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser TO LET NICOSIA 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 appliances 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

TO LET NICOSIA (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 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

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

with sky decoder, 2 covered parking and storage room, close to American embassy and other amenities – ENGOMI €1600 (A3ENG0025-R), (photos in the website).

separate kitchen with cooker and oven, blinds, covered parking near Agios Antonios market CLOSE TO THE UNIVERSITY. Lykavitos €510 (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).

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).

11. 3 bedr luxury spacious ground floor apartment with separate entrance, big verandas and garden, big sitting and dining room, central heating independent, full a/c, 2wc, very big master bedroom, electrical appliances in the kitchen, aluminum shutters on windows, parquet laminate floor all the flat, covered parking, storage room, in a very quiet neighbourhood in a dead end street, off Athalasas Avenue behind Stephanis near English School €720 (A3ST10030-R), (photos in the website).

12. A2LYK0006-R, 2 bedr penthouse apartment with big veranda 60sq.m, storage heaters, full a/c, 2 bathrooms (one en suite), big sitting room, big

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).

15. 2 bedrs new luxury apartment, sitting room open plan with kitchen which includes cooker, oven, refrigerator and washing machine, 2 wc, central heating, full AC, blinds on the windows, very big covered verandas, covered parking and storage room in a dead end off Athalassas avenue near Laiki popular bank and Hellenic bank headquarters. - DASOUPOLI €550

(A2DAS0006-R), (photos in the website).

For many more properties with photos visit our website at w w w. l a n d t o u r i s t e s t a t e s . com which is updated daily. LANDTOURIST ESTATES LTD 22-422225 / 96-422225 / 96422226 www.landtouristestates.com ***************************** 2 BDRM flat in the centre of Nicosia. Rent €450. For information call 99453663, 99663927.

LIMASSOL NEW STONE HOUSE BUNGALOW IN KOUKA VILLAGE LIMASSOL. 1 bedroom, f/furnished, c/h, a/c, fire place, nice garden, parking available, pan-

TO LET LIMASSOL oramic view of mountains, perfect for retired couples. €400 pm (negotiable) 9963324799548226 FOR RENT in Limassol furnished studio with small veranda, a/c (hot/cold), in the tourist area, opposite the sea, in “Lordos Beach Garden”, 2nd floor. Rent €250/month. Information tel: 25378504, 99524364 ***************************** GROUND FLOOR HOUSE in good area Kapsalos , 3 bedrooms, large fitted kitchen, sitting room, 2 large verandas, 5 A/C, bathroom, 2 W/C. Rent €580pm. Tel 99324941 or 25388805 ***************************** 2 BEDROOM COTTAGE FOR RENT IN LANIA VILLAGE in a quiet and peaceful area, fully furnished, storage heaters,

LUXURIOUS APARTMENT FOR RENT A luxurious one floor apartment situated in central Nicosia in an area of exceptional Beauty at 3 Museum Street, is available to let. It has been recently renovated and consists of four bedrooms, two bathrooms, big dining and sitting rooms, kitchen and a huge veranda.

Approximate covered area 250 sqm. Monthly rent €1400.00 o.n.o. Tel: 99622370.

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We have loads of other suggestions – call us and we’ll find your perfect holiday! www.centurycyprus.com

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70 000 970

31 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

TO LET LIMASSOL a/c, rent €300 per month. Minimum contract 1 year. Info mob 99548855 ***************************** FOR RENT new ground floor terrace studios for rent in Kouka village (20 minutes from Limassol) in a quiet and peaceful area fully furnished €180 per month minimum contract 1 year. For info mob 99548855

FLAT TO LET 280 sq in Limassol opposite Debenhams ApollonBank of Cyprus and Laiki Bank.

4 bedroom, 3 wc, c/h and fitted kitchen suitable for business offices. Tel 994034450 99207216 FOR RENT one bdrm furnished

Advertiser

TO LET LIMASSOL flat, 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/listing-LIM0103 ***************************** BRAND NEW OFFICE FOR RENT on busy shopping street in Limassol 170sqm, raised flooring, ready to be occupied.

Price €3000/month tel. 99 330

TO LET LIMASSOL 908 www.cyprusre.com/listinglim-0155. ***************************** BRAND NEW SHOP FOR RENT on busy shopping street in Limassol 190sqm basement, 150sqm shop area + 75sqm upper floor ready to be occupied. Price € 6000/month tel.

99 330 908 ***************************** FOR RENT 2 bedroom flat 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 floor, 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 € 1400/month negotiable tel. 99 330 908 www.cyprusre.com/ listing-LIM-0103 *****************************

LARNACA ***************************** FOR RENT very spacious 3 bedroom ground floor apartment in Livadia, Larnaca. Includes:

12 months car insurance for the price of 10 Benefit from this fantastic discount through The Daily Mail & Mail on Sunday

Offering readers great value Motor insurance in Cyprus UK & Cyprus PLATED CARS GUARANTEED FOR LIFE PROTECTED BONUS*

PLUS 2 more exclusive offers to Daily Mail & Mail on Sunday readers:

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TO LET LARNACA parking, large garden, full airconditioning and heating, storage room and much more.

Can rent either unfurnished or with new furniture. Reasonably priced. Will rent fast! Call 97774512. ***************************** FOR RENT spacious 3 bedroom apartment with balcony situated in centre of town, semi furnished. Please call 99311152 ***************************** FOR RENT 2 bed, 2 bath, new built apartment, in a quiet scenic location In Alethriko, Larnaca 5 min. to Larnaka, 5 min. to the beach Fully furnished, A/C, communal pool, under covered parking, Long term rent, €350.00 per month For more info pls call 99639378 ***************************** PROTEA APTS LARNACA Residential and holiday apts for rent monthly or weekly 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 first floor flat in central location near Metro supermarket, A/C, private parking, intercom system, en-suite bathroom, small block. Phone: 99354789

TO LET LARNACA FULLY FURNISHED one bedroom flat near Larco hotel Larnaca. Price €370. Tel: 99202543 ***************************** 1. K.S.L LETTINGS – APARTMENT FOR RENT Fully Furnished 1st floor 2 bedroom apartment. High quality furnishings throughout. 400 Euros per calendar month. Pyla.

Quote TLL1088. Tel. (00357) 24815104

2. K.S.L LETTINGS – Properties Required for waiting Long Term Tenants. We desperately require 2/3 & 4 bedroom villa’s with private swimming pools for waiting tenants in the Larnaca District. Please call us for a free valuation. Tel.(00357) 24815104 3. K.S.L LETTINGS – LARGEST RANGE OF PROPERTIES. OVER 200 RENTAL PROPERTIES IN THE LARNACA DISTRICT AT THE MOST COMPETITIVE RATES! FLEXIBLE CONTRACTS AVAILABLE. Tel. (00357) 24815104 4. www.KSLlettings.com – Villa For Rent Simply Stunning!

Fully furnished 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom Villa with a good sized rear garden & private pool, located in the 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 up-

TO LET LARNACA dated daily. LANDLORDS ADVERTISE YOUR PROPERTY FOR FREE AND GET WORLD WIDE ADVERTISING – NO TENANT NO FEE! *****************************

PAPHOS TO LET top floor 3 bedroom flat with great view, unfurnished in Yeroskipou with covered parking 360 euro ono Tel 99768738 FOR RENT KATO PAPHOS spacious 2 bed F/F garden apartment. Enclosed garden with 2 covered patios next to green area, cul-de-sac setting. AC, SAT TV, comm. pool, bath/ shower. Superb location with private covered parking and entrance. Quiet yet close to all amenities. €400 p/m. Contact 26 911540 or 99955302. **************************** FOR RENT IN TALA 3 bedroom ground floor stone house, long term rent, semi furnished, available immediately. Rent negotiable. Call Thimioula 26652409

(a) € 380/mnth Universal area and (b)€290/mnth Acropolis Heights, Chlorakas. Both are 2-bed houses, beautiful locations, in Cul-de-sacs, 10 years old, 90 sq. mts, Furnished. Open-plan lounge/ kitchen, front car-port, garden, (a) is on 2-floors, 2 W.Cs/ bath and part air-conditioned (b) Is on 1 floor, 1 W.C/bath.

Call 99-632388. ***************************** 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 €320 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 €250 P/M 4. Tsada Lovely spacious f/f 5 bedroom villa central heating, private pool, double garage, fantastic views. €1600 P/M or nearest offer.

Now available at DT property lettings Many other properties available. Please call : Tel 2683543 or 97675123

12 months home insurance for the price of 10

***************************** PEYIA, available now for rent in a most sought after location next to the municipal park, 1 & 2 bedroom apartments with magnificent sea and mountain views, furnished or unfurnished, off street parking, quiet area, for viewing, ring: 99 887251 / 99 025173

15% discount on Travel Insurance

A DELIGHTFUL AND SPACIOUS 2 bedroom apartment, F/F, top floor, 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

Fast, friendly response. Get your quote TODAY!

Simply call one of our telephone numbers listed below and speak to one of our English speaking team:

Cyprus (00-357) 268 19175 or e-mail us via: www.abbeygateinsure.com/cyprus

The way insurance should be.

Abbeygate is the trading title of Wyedean Insurance Services Ltd who are authorised and regulated in the UK by the FSA. This company is wholly independent of the Daily Mail & Mail on Sunday, divisions of Associated Newspapers Ltd. Associated Newspapers Ltd are not a party to, or involved in, any insurance arrangements.

Abbeygate CYPRUS 1

***************************** PAPHOS - Very large 3 Bedroom Apt , Fully Furnished to a

32 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser TO LET PAPHOS 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 Town-House, U/F, Enclosed Rear Garden. €350.

TREMITHOUSA - 2 Bed room, Bungalow, Situated on a corner plot, Open- Fireplace, Quiet location, pets welcome, €320.

KATO PAPHOS - 1 bedroom Town-House, Newly fitted kitchen, Enclosed Rear Garden, D/S Cloakroom €200.

FULLY FURNISHED PROPERTIES WANTED. MORE PROPETIES AVAILABLE. FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 99862922 ***************************** FLOWRON PROPERTY RENTALS, YOUR NUMBER ONE CHOICE FOR RENTAL PROPERTIES. LOOKING FOR A RELIABLE AND EFFICIENT. PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY, CALL THE EXPERTS TODAY!!

Timi 3 bed modern villa with wood burner, Ac, offered fully furnished.

Spacious living areas with 2 sitting areas, big kitchen,3 upstairs bedrooms, master on suite shower, famSmall private ily bathroom, pool, off street parking. Quite location not far from the village amenities. Paphos Town. Ref: 722 price 600

TO LET PAPHOS KISSONERGRA A bed luxury villa on its own private grounds, with fantastic views of the sea, private pool, Modern Furnishings, quality appliances, downstairs bedroom, large kitchen, upstairs bedroom with ***** en suite, family bathroom. Ref 0000 Price 950 ANARITA A 3 bed villa offered furnished , with private pool, in nice quiet cul-de-sac, off street parking, AC. quality kitchen, 3 bedrooms upstairs. Ref 855 price 600 SECRET VALLEY A very large 3 bed modern furnished villa, with gardens, private pool, quiet location. Property has large living areas, full Ac, central heating . Modern style furniture not far from the Golf Area . Ref 1171 Price 900 Mandria A modern unfurnished 4 bed Villa with private pool.

Downstairs bedroom with shower , sitting room with log burner, 3 bedrooms upstairs, master bed with en suite shower room. Property has private fence and pets are welcome.

Ref 1174 price 770 YEROSKIPOU 2 bed furnished apartment with communal pool, gym, under cover parking on modern new complex . Apartment is furnished, with bathroom, modern kitchen and blinds + AC Ref: 1164 price 350 EMBA A 4 bed fully furnished villa on its private grounds, with private pool, additional court yard, off street parking, electric

TO LET PAPHOS garage, AC, nice location and views. Ref: 1010 Price 900 MANDRIA 3 bed private villa, with central heating, quality AC units, fire place, part furnished, spacious living areas, downstairs study area, a real with granite kitchen, double cooker feature white goods, nice furniture, very large master bedroom with on suite, family bathroom, off street parking and private pool. Property fully fenced off and gated. Ref 999 Price 950 Please call for a free viewing on Office 26600450 Mobile: 97614070 many more properties on our website at www.flowron.com - www. paphospropertycyprus.com LANDLORDS IF YOU HAVE A PROPERTY FOR RENT, PLEASE CALL US!!!!!! Your Vision is our Mission ***************************** 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. Chlorakas Large 4 bed detached villa, secluded position, large private pool, a/c, and parking. Unfurnished. Very nice well worth seeing. €900 pcm open to offers.

4. Peyia Unfurnished 2 bed 2

TO LET PAPHOS 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 CALL EITHER 96 545 174 OR E-MAIL ON info@unique-consultancy. eu LANDLORDS; WE NEED YOUR PROPERTIES NOW. PLEASE CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY IF YOU HAVE A PROPERTY FOR RENT. ***************************** 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 LEAD-

TO LET PAPHOS ING PROPERTY RENTAL AGENCY IN PAPHOS OFFICE: 26271858 (00357) IF YOU HAVE A PROPERTY TO RENT WE ARE THE RENTAL AGENCY TO CONTACT OFFERING FULL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT & RENT COLLECTION SERVICE 1.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 ensuite, separate kitchen, downstairs guest wc. Enclosed garden offering private pool & off street parking. Available unfurnished though can include kitchen appliances. Pets allowed at owners discretion. website reference number: rtl_501 3.TALA €575 unfurnished modern 3 bedroom detached villa offering total privacy & breathtaking sea views. Includes underfloor heating plus real fire.

Master with ensuite. storage room. shutters & flyscreens.

Covered veranda, garden with mature plants, private pool offering sea views. Off street

TO LET PAPHOS parking. A beautiful home. website reference number: rtl_530 4. PEYIA €700 price includes pool cleaning. If you are looking for a villa with breathtaking views & privacy than this property is for you. this modern detached 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom villa is furnished with modern furniture, including satellite tv. 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 ensuite. Fully enclosed low maintenance garden offering private pool. Available unfurnished to include white goods, blackout blinds, curtains, ceiling fans & log burner for those winter months. Immaculate condition. Pets allowed at owners discretion. website reference number: rtl_633 offers considered.

6. CHLORAKA €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 7. KATO PAPHOS €800 large 4 bedroom detached villa

33 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

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 residentIal 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 en-suite shower room.

Family bathroom. Large patio areas with enclosed gardens and lovely sea views. Covered parking and security gates..

Comm swimming pool, and landscaped gardens. Euros 425.00 a month. 2 bed apartment same complex Euros 400.00 a month.

2 MESOGI 3 bed 3 bath furnished apartment in handy

TO LET PAPHOS location close to the shopping areas. Large open plan living area and dining area..

Fully fitted dining/kitchen with appliances . Guest WC. Utilty room. 3 double bedrooms one with en-suite.

Family bathroom. Balcony & and parking. Euros 500.00 a month. Suit non-drivers!

3. TOMB OF THE KINGS – 3 bed fully furnished apartment in established block. Own entrance via stairway. Open plan living area. Dining kitchen. 3 bedrooms and family bathroom. A/C, sat TV. Internet available. Large balcony area. Parking. Euros 350.00 per month 4. KISSONEGA - 3 bed 2 bath unfurnished villa. Set in enclosed gardens the villa consists of open plan living area.

Full itted kitchen. Small utility area. Conservatory room.

Ground floor bed room with en-suite. Stairs to two double bedrooms and family bathroom. Pool and off street parking. Euros 600.00 per month 5. STROUMBI – 2 bed fully furnished stone bungalow set in quiet location. Open plan living area with working fireplace. Spacious dining kitchen. 2 double bedrooms and family bathroom with corner bath. Landscaped gardens, swimming pool and covered parking. Realistically priced Euros 500.00 per month or close offers only 6. UNIVERSAL AREA. 2 bed fully furnished apartment.

Living area, fitted kitchen. 2 double bedrooms and family bathroom. A/C, Enclosed garden area, comm. Pool and parking. Euros 375.00 a month or offers. 1 & 2 bed apartments available on Universal starting at 250 euros per month.

7. CORAL BAY - 3 bed, 3.5 bath furnished/unfurnished villa situated very near to the centre and within easy walking of beaches and restaurants.

Open plan living area with fully fitted kitchen. Doors out to garden and pool. Ground

Advertiser TO LET PAPHOS 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.

FOR SALE LIMASSOL minute drive to the beach and tourist area. 3 bedroom.

325sqm plot, 160sqm house.

Price € 385.000 tel. 99 330 908 www.cyprusre.com/listing-lim-0337 ****************************

NICOSIA **************************** 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

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

PROPERTY FOR SALE LIMASSOL **************************** BARGAIN PRICE DETACHED HOME FOR QUICK SALE with title deeds. Located on a quite cul de sac in Germasoyia within a short 2

AKOURSOS 2 bed/2 bath Detached bungalow, c/h, ac, fly screens, gardens and patios on three sides. In quiet culde-sac of 7 detached bungalows. Fantastic 360 degee sea and mountain views. €200.000 negotiable. Tel 26623256/99447925 **************************** LOFOS – TALA, 3 bedroom bungalow for sale, living room, kitchen, bathroom, shower room, central heating, air con, private pool, land-

CINDERELLA The ultimate Christmas pantomime – will be staged by ACT at the Russian Cultural Centre, Alasia Street, Nicosia on Saturday 1 December (3pm & 7.30pm), Sunday 2 December (3pm), Friday 7 December (7.30pm), Saturday 8 December (3pm & 7.30pm) and Sunday 9 December (3pm).

Tickets €12 adults (or €6 children aged 2-12 years on 1 & 2 December ONLY) available at the Russian Cultural Centre from 19 November between 4-6pm or from our Business Manager on 99 924363

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 SALE PAPHOS

FOR SALE PAPHOS

scaped gardens, lovely views.

Call: 99342913 – no agents

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 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. 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 mountains, half registration fees titll 31.12.12 reduced to €135.000 or rent €450 per month. Tel. 99621914. **************************** FOR SALE- PAPHOS

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.

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 GARDENS- Beautiful 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

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 E-mail: 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

For information call: 99496541

7. LOWER PEGIA- 3 Bedroom 2 Bathroom detached villa with totally enclosed gardens, workshop and storage units.

Master bedroom en-suite, 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.

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

34 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser FOR PAPHIAKOS ANIMAL WELFARE SOS HELPLINE, 24 HOUR MEDICAL EMERGENCY SERVICE - CALL 99655581 CONTACT DETAILS FOR PAPHIAKOS. Paphiakos & C.C.P. Animal Welfare Education/Information Centre, No. 12 Dedalos Building, 8049 Kato Paphos PO Box 61272 8132 Kato Paphos Web. www.cyprusanimalwelfare.com www.facebook/paphiakos Email info@cyprusanimalwelfare.com Larnaca Emergency Service - The contact point for animal emergencies in Larnaca is Maria at the Paphiakos Animal Welfare Charity Shop, telephone 24623494 or 99325897 STOP, SHOP AND GIVE TO THE ANIMALS! ALL DONATIONS ARE WELCOME AT OUR CHARITY SHOPS! PAPHIAKOS & C.C.P. ANIMAL WELFARE Registered Charity No 1529 Contact our shops and we can take your clutter The Charity Shops are located at: Shop No.1 Agapinoros Street, Kato Paphos Tel 26910325 Shop No.2 Ap Pavlou Avenue, Kato Paphos Tel 26942894 Shop No.3 Gr. Afxentiou Avensia Court 3 Larnaca 24623494 Shop No.4 9 Ayiou Ioanni Street 3061 Limassol 25561695 Peyia Information Centre & Shop & T Rooms 26622828 Polis Information Centre & Shop & T Rooms 99223572 Book Exchange Shop Trimithousa 99771763 Our shops are always happy to receive your unwanted goods!

NOW YOU CAN HELP BY COLLECTING YOUR ALUMINIUM CANS AND HANDING THEM IN AT ANY PAPHIAKOS CHARITY SHOP OR THE CLINIC. SAVE AN ANIMAL AND SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT!!

PAPHIAKOS CAR BOOT SALE EVERY SATURDAY at the Ambassador Restaurant and outside in the grounds at Paphiakos. Free parking. Sellers from 7am, buyers from 8am. For information & bookings please call MIKE on 96702600.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS FOR PAPHIAKOS CHARITY NO. 1529 WORLD ANIMAL DAY. On Thursday October 4th Paphiakos will be micro chipping pets for only €20 including all the paperwork. For further information telephone 26953496.

To celebrate World Animal Day on Thursday October 4th Paphiakos will be offering free spaying/neutering for all feral and unwanted animals as they do throughout the year. Contact 26953496 for further details.

PAPHIAKOS SHELTER OPEN DAY The Open Day will be held on Sunday October 7th between 10am and 3pm. It will be a Family Fun Day out with a lot of different activities. There is car parking, toilets and refreshments on site so enjoy and join in the celebration of animals and what they bring to our lives. Entrance is €2 CHARITY HAIR CUT. On Thursday 4th October 09.30-17.30 without an appointment Andri at Atlantic Bay Hotel (2nd Floor) will be charging €5 for a haircut with all proceeds going to Paphiakos. Telephone Suzanne on 99151996 or Andri on 99604783.

PAPHIAKOS CHRISTMAS BAZAAR. Saturday November 24th 9am – 3pm at the Crazy Spoon Restaurant. For further details contact 99151996. Stalls, Santa’s Grotto, Donkey Rides, Pirate Pat and many more.

CHEMISTS NICOSIA SUNDAY 18/11/2012 M. Paphiti, Strovolos & Ay Mamantos Ave, Kato Lakatameia. Tel: 22324114, 22323943 (H) K. Solomou, 49E Z Archangelou Ave, Strovolos. Tel: 22357047, 22354816 (H) L. Froso, 69 Larnaca Ave, Aglandjia. Tel: 22338941, 22338941 (H) M. Papadopoulou, 38C Them. Dervis St. Tel: 22676936, 22338998 I. Papaioakovou, 60 Democratic Ave, Strovolos. Tel: 22450644, 22876916 (H) LIMASSOL C. Petridou, 12 Omonias Ave. Tel: 25571632, 25752256 (H) M. Theocharidou 66B Gr. Digheni Tel: 25581456, 25584464 (H) Ch. Charalambides 18 P. Tsirou Tel: 25383878, 25332103 (H) LARNACA K. Panayiota, 20A L. Machairas St. Tel: 24651205, 24819102, (H) E. Vasiliki, Tel: 20 Stratigou Timayia Ave, Tel: 24660688, 24623060 PAPHOS A. Papoudas 25 Al. Ipsilanti Tel: 26811750, 26952138 (H) PARALIMNI M. Klepiniotou, 16 Agiou Georgiou, Tel: 23820422, 23822330 (H)

NICOSIA MONDAY 19/11/2012 K. Koukoullis, 8 Sofoulis Str. Tel: 22676077, 22672621 (H) R. Mavrogeni, 23A A. Avramides St, Dasoupolis. Tel: 22314088, 22430469 (H) V. Miou, 139B Strovolos Ave, Strovolos. Tel: 22428666, 22320026 S. Hadjiapostolou, 16 Prigkipa Karolou Ayios Dhometios, Tel: 22459270, 22779662 Kramvis S. Kleanthis, 12C-D, Tel: 22761699, 22516577 LIMASSOL D. Asprou 159B Leontiou A Tel: 25342050, 25728208 (H) G. Konstantinou 127A Melinas Mercouri K. Polemithia Tel: 25711505, 25391475 (H) P. Vassilopoulou, 6C John Kennedy, Tel: 25585840, 25563810 LARNACA M. Severis, P. Valdaserides St. Tel: 24639410, 24662497 (H) A. Kalaitzi, New Hospital Road. Tel: 24638387, 24639719 (H) PAPHOS S. Roidi, Ay. Anargiron 17, Tel: 26221300, 26931985.

PARALIMNI I. Pittatzis, 7 Ay. Georgiou St. Tel: 23822577, 23827058 (H)

DOCTORS ON DUTY NICOSIA Pathologist: Doros Polidorou, Tel: 99727817 Ophthalmologist: Antonis Glikeriou, Tel: 70000171 Gynaecologist: Michalis Egglezakis, Tel: 99680371 Paediatric Surgeon: Panicos Theodorou, Tel: 22469000, 99612311 Dentist: Victor Yiakoupiv, Tel: 22314678, 99609004 LIMASSOL Pathologist: Christos Christodoulou, Tel.: 99454612, 25338618 Surgeon: Christodoulos Christophides, Tel: 25750308 Neuro-Surgeon: Christos Kyriakides, Tel: 99696706 Paediatric: Despo Eleftheriou, Tel.: 25383822, 25339297 Paediatric Surgeon: Elka Christophi, Tel: 25762586, 99306678 Ophthalmologist: Andreas Elia, Tel: 25725134, 25353424, 99675811 Doctor: Lampros Theodosiou, Tel: 25581712, 99624372

35 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Compiled by Rosie Ogden

Rally legend Loeb bows out with another win

Motoring

‘MICRO COMMUTER PROTOTYPE’ TO BEGIN TESTING NEXT YEAR

THE man who has dominated the world of rallying for the last decade, Sebastien Loeb, is moving on to pastures new.

The Frenchman will compete on selected WRC events next year, but he plans to move into the FIA World Touring Car Championship in 2014.

“This marks the close of one chapter, but we’ve another ahead of us that is about to begin” he said after clinching his 76th WRC victory at the RallyRACC-Rally de Espana.

He took his record-breaking 9th consecutive world title in fine style, and finished the season 57 points clear of his closest rival, his Citroen team-mate Mikko Hirvonen.

Loeb’s departure from the WRC, at least in terms of competing for the title, means that next year – for the first time since Petter Solberg won the title back in 2003 – the stage is set for another driver to become World Rally Champion.

It will certainly be a long time before anyone comes close to breaking the records set by the French ace: not only has he won the world championship a record nine times in a row, he also holds several other WRC records, including most points, wins and podium finishes.

Honda wants to verify the potential of the vehicle in various uses including supporting everyday short-distance transportation for families with small children and for senior citizens, home delivery services, commuting and car sharing

Honda takes wraps off micro electric vehicle The French ace has won the world championship a record nine times in a row

It’s fun at the fair YOU have to hand it to the Pilakoutas Group, Cyprus agents for BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mini and Nissan: despite the prevailing doom and gloom they have come up with a novel marketing idea to brighten the festive season.

Billed as a ‘Christmas Spectacular’ they are organising a series of weekend events at the International Stare Fair in Makedonitissa, Nicosia, which kicked off last weekend and continues until 16 December.

Teaming up with other businesses and performers, they promise “events, promotions, surprises and more spectacular happenings every weekend”.

The backdrop, of course, is the cars, which are on offer at ‘special’ prices, and part of the proceeds from the events will be donated to the Group’s adopted charity, the Ayia Skepi Foundation, a therapeutic community helping adults to overcome dependence on drugs.

The first weekend was entitled ‘Sexy & Trendy’, and this weekend the theme is ‘Sport & Wild’.

As well as the cars, visitors can see an exhibition of paintings by acclaimed Greek artist Katerina Georganta, a demonstration by Zumba studio and enjoy a Flo Café coffee or relax at the wine bar run by La Maison Du Vin. Young visitors can explore ‘a magical world of toys’ from Hamleys.

Open from 3PM until 9pm, admission is free.

Models on the catwalk at Pilakoutas Group’s first Christmas Spectacular weekend

HONDA Motor Co has unveiled the ‘Micro Commuter Prototype’, a micro-sized short distance Electric Vehicle (EV) commuter.

It was developed taking into consideration the vehicle categories for microsized mobility products that are currently being discussed under the initiative of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in Japan, and bearing in mind the regulations for the L7-category in Europe (that’s one of the motorcycle categories and an EV in this category must weigh less than 400kg excluding the weight of the battery, and have output of less than 15kW).

Using vehicles based on this prototype model, Honda will begin demonstration testing in Japan in 2013 to verify the potential of the vehicle in various uses including supporting everyday short-distance transportation for families with small children and for senior citizens, home delivery services, commuting and car sharing.

This is a progression of the Micro Commuter Concept that was first introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show 2011, and this prototype model has a cabin space designed to seat one driver and two children, although by changing the rear seat, it is possible to seat one driver

and one adult passenger in the micro-sized body.

A ‘Variable Design Platform’ has been adopted which positions components like the battery, motor and control unit under the floor and in the rear space “to concentrate the vehicle’s driving functions into a compact space”.

This made it easier to develop and produce a body and interior that ‘accommodates various uses and meets customers’ needs better than existing vehicles’.

Other features include using the driver’s tablet device for the application of functions such as meter display, navigation, audio and back-

up camera display, and the ability to charge the battery of the tablet using solar cells mounted on the vehicle roof.

Honda is also continuing research into onboard solar cells to provide solar energy to assist the driving.

Through collaboration with the Honda Smart Home System (HSHS) that has already begun demonstration testing in the city of Saitama in Japan, Honda is planning to “verify the CO2 reduction effect from the optimised energy management in everyday life and the values this vehicle can provide for customers when it is used not only as an electric vehicle but also as a household battery”.

Ford begins production of new Fiesta FORD has started volume production of the new Ford Fiesta ahead of its debut early next year.

The ‘dynamically styled’ latest Fiesta features new smart technologies and a ‘breakthrough’ powertrain line-up.

“The new Fiesta has seven powertrain options – both diesel and petrol – that deliver fuel economy of less than 100 grams of CO2 per kilometre,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe.

Ford has sold more than 15 million Fiestas worldwide since the vehicle first went into production in 1976. Of those, almost 4 million have been sold in Britain, where

the car has been the nation’s favourite every year since 2008.

Alongside a bold new exterior and an interior optimised for ergonomics and comfort, the new Fiesta debuts Ford MyKey in Europe – a Ford-exclusive technology that allows parents to encourage safer driving and limit their teenager’s exposure to risk at the wheel.

The new Fiesta also features Ford’s voice-activated in-car connectivity system SYNC; Active City Stop that helps drivers avoid low speed collisions; and SYNC Emergency Assistance that directly connects vehicle occupants to local emergency services operators after an accident.

The new Fiesta has a bold new exterior and an interior optimised for ergonomics and comfort

36 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport Courts have made defence the new attack, says Federer Swiss: danger of styles becoming homogenised

By Martyn Herman

IN BRIEF

THE curtain came down on a stellar year for men’s tennis on Monday, one that saw four different winners of the grand slams and many unforgettable duels, but Roger Federer believes 2013 could be even better if court surfaces were made faster.

Not that long ago men’s tennis was dominated by big servers and natural volleyers such as Pete Sampras, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg and even the baseliners like Andre Agassi and Jim Courier had naturally aggressive styles.

Before that John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl all played frontfoot tennis with rallies usually decided after four or five strikes of the ball.

Nowadays, baseline exchanges of 20 plus strokes are commonplace, shots that used to be clean winners are coming back and matches are stretching longer and longer.

The year began with a near six-hour Australian Open final between Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal while een the U.S. Open final between vic Andy Murray and Djokovic was only slightly shorter. ngMore recently the Shangeen hai Masters final between ent Murray and Djokovic went to three and a half hours and ree that was only a best of three set contest.

Federer believes slowerr courts and balls, comd bined with improved e fitness levels, may have tipped the balance too far om in favour of those for whom

‘Just make quicker courts, then it’s hard to defend. Then attacking is more important’, says the 17-time grand slam champ no ball is unreachable.

Speaking after his 7-6 7-5 loss in the final of the ATP World Tour Finals to Djokovic in another epic, Federer said there was an easy fix to reward the risk-takers.

“Just make quicker courts, then it’s hard to defend.

Then attacking style is more important,” the 31-year-old Swiss, a free-hitting shotmaker whose defensive skills cannot be overlooked in his 17 grand slam titles, told reporters.

“It’s only on this type of slow courts that you can

defend the way we are all doing right now.

“I think it’s exciting, but no doubt about it, it’s tough.

What you don’t want is that you hit 15 great shots and at the end, it ends up in an error.

“I think sometimes quicker courts do help the cause.

I think it would help from time to time to move to somet something faster. That woul would help players learn different styles, to realise r that coming to the net is a good thing, not a bad thin thing.”

Wi the U.S. Open, With Au Australian Open an so many of the and M Masters Series

tournaments being played on medium-paced hardcourts, Federer said there was a danger of styles becoming homogenised, especially with Wimbledon’s grass now suiting baseliners.

“I’ve played on all different speeds. But I think some variety would be nice, some really slow stuff and then some really fast stuff, instead of trying to make everything sort of the same,” Federer said in London.

“You sort of protect the top guys really by doing that because you have the best possible chance to have them in the semis at this point. But should that be the goal? I’m not sure.”

World number one Novak Djokovic is the best in the business at getting back one more ball, often launching attacks from improbable positions

World number one Djokovic is the best in the business at getting back one more ball, often launching attacks from improbable positions.

His fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic agrees that the modern player’s priority is to be able to retrieve rather than strike loads of winners.

“You look at the game of tennis, in my opinion the point which improved or the level that increased in the last 10 years is not the offence, it’s the defence,” he said last week.

“Even the tall guys like Juan Martin Del Potro, Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are defending incredibly well.

“If you look at Sampras and Agassi, all these guys before, they used to be very aggressive, but couldn’t really defend.”

Legend Hagler warns Flintoff of boxing’s dangers MARVELOUS Marvin Hagler has warned Andrew Flintoff of the dangers he will face after switching to boxing from cricket.

Ex-England captain Flintoff makes his ring debut against American Richard Dawson in Manchester on November 30.

“You should do boxing first, and then cricket,” said former middleweight world champion Hagler.

“At least you’re not getting punched around anymore.

“I just say good luck to him, and keep your head down and your hands up.”

Hagler, who switched to acting after his retirement from the ring in 1988, added: “Changing from being a fighter to being an actor is a lot different from changing to being a fighter from a being a cricket player.

“But a lot of people have other dreams – they want to give being a fighter a shot. I’ve seen this happen with actors before, and fighters wanting to be actors.

That’s the way the world is, and everybody has to do what they want in life.”

The 58-year-old’s words of encouragement are in contrast to what many in British boxing circles have had to say about the star of England’s celebrated 2005 Ashes victory.

Much of the criticism has centred on the fact that Flintoff ’s late career change is the subject of a three-part television documentary.

Promoter Frank Warren dismissed it as “car crash television”, while the British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion David Price said Flintoff, 34, “could get hurt”.

Frank Maloney, the manager who led Lennox Lewis to the top, went even further, describing the decision to award the 34-year-old with a boxing licence as “a scandal”.

Second fatality in two days Unbeaten Frankel to command Lakers hint at ‘Showtime’ at Macau Grand Prix 125,000 pound fee at stud by torching the Suns THE Macau Grand Prix suffered a second fatal accident in two days when a Hong Kong-based touring car driver died in a crash during qualifying on the street circuit.

They said in a statement that the Chevrolet car, which slammed into barriers and caught fire, had to be cut to extricate driver Phillip Yau Wing Choi after the crash.

Portuguese rider Luis Carreira died in hospital on Thursday after crashing in qualifying for the motorcycle grand prix.

The Macau F3 Grand Prix has been a stepping stone for young drivers making their way to Formula One. Previous winners include F1 greats Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.

UNBEATEN Frankel, the highest rated racehorse in the world, will command a fee of £125,000 for his stallion services at stud.

Frankel, trained in England by Henry Cecil, was retired last month after accumulating almost £3 million in earnings from 14 victories.

The four-year-old will stand at owner Khalid Abdulla’s Banstead Manor stud, part of his Juddmonte Farms operation.

“The fee for Frankel reflects his merits as being perhaps the greatest racehorse we have ever witnessed,” said Juddmonte Farms’s general manager Philip Mitchell.

KOBE Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers gave their fans a taste of the ‘Showtime’ basketball promised by their new coach Mike D’Antoni with a rousing 114-102 home win over the Phoenix Suns.

Though D’Antoni was not courtside to take charge of his first game as he recovers from knee replacement surgery earlier this month, his players thrived with the up-tempo approach as they posted their highest score of the season.

Five-time NBA champion Bryant scored a game-high 31 points, centre Dwight Howard contributed 18 and Spanish forward Pau Gasol also recorded a double-double.

37 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

Sport Beaten Wales ‘can bounce back’

By Andrew Baldock

Pragyan Ojha took five for 45 but England captain Alastair Cook (right) was unbeaten on 74 as England were forced to follow on

England crumble to spinners ENGLAND rediscovered their fight but still face a mountainous task to salvage a first Test draw after collapsing to Indian spin on day three and having to follow on 330 runs behind yesterday in Ahmedabad.

Pragyan Ojha (five for 45) and Ravichandran Ashwin (three for 80) bowled England out for 191, yet neither of the Indian spinners could make any inroads in 28 more overs between them when the tourists tried again and succeeded to the tune of 111 for none.

Openers Alastair Cook (74) and Nick Compton (34) pulled together a partnership of significance at their second attempt, but it was still hard to argue with a consensus that they will probably lose an unequal struggle at some point over the next two days.

In reply to 521 for eight declared - England lost four

‘There’s no point crying - you have to move on’ wickets for 69 runs yesterday morning and then, despite Matt Prior’s 48, their last three by teatime. Prior responded to a critical situation with determination, interspersed with his instinct for counter-attacking strokeplay, but could not turn the tide.

Kevin Pietersen’s comeback innings following his successful ‘reintegration’ was fretful throughout. He could easily have been out twice before adding to his overnight six, while Ojha knocked out his middle-stump.

Ian Bell was up the wicket to Ojha but an attempted lofted drive only ended in a golden duck - caught at deep mid-off.

Cook crossed and survived the hat-trick ball but soon

afterwards Ashwin lured him into a drive and had him edging some spin low to slip, where Sehwag took a neat catch.

Prior was dropped on three after clubbing a full-toss from Ashwin to Zaheer Khan on the square-leg boundary. Samit Patel had no such luck. He got past the initial spin threat but was then lbw to one perhaps sliding towards leg when India finally introduced frontline seamer Umesh Yadav.

Prior and Tim Bresnan closed out the session, and began the next with promise in a stand of 47. But Bresnan, understandably playing low in defence, was undone by rare extra bounce as Ojha picked up his fourth wicket caught at gully.

Stuart Broad announced himself by hitting Ojha over midwicket for four first ball; then when Ashwin returned, he took 13 of the 14 runs off his first over back, including a six over long-on from the crease.

But England’s first-innings resistance was short-lived, Broad lbw to one from Zaheer, and then Prior missing an inside-out drive at Ojha.

It seemed then that the tourists were on the fast track to defeat, until Cook and Compton revived hope that they could yet head for Mumbai next week 0-0 with three to play.

Prior is struggling to make sense of events fo far, but is pinning his hopes on the belief that England have learned the errors of their ways.

“We all know our first innings was a bit of a shocker,” he said.

“As a professional sportsman, you have to look forward - and the way Compo and Cookie went about their business was absolutely fantastic.

“To end up none down at close of play, we’ll take a huge amount from that.”

Whoever makes good on the start Cook and Compton have made, Prior believes it is still feasible to eke out a draw.

“In the second innings we seemed to be a lot calmer,” he said.

“There are no demons. Yes, it’s turning a bit and bouncing a bit - but you can bat out there.

“It’s certainly not a snakepit by any stretch of the imagination.

“There’s no point crying over spilt milk - you have to move on.”

Poulter sets up Scott showdown

By Ian Ransom

Poulter will bid to join Greg Norman as only the second player to successfully defend the Masters in its 33-year history

DEFENDING champion Ian Poulter trumped Adam Scott in a thrilling shootout at the Australian Masters yesterday to take a one-stroke lead over the local favourite into the final round.

The 36-year-old Briton, riding high after his Ryder Cup heroics in September, went toe-to-toe with playing partner Scott in a 17birdie rout of Melbourne’s Kingston Heath Golf Club to set up a mouthwatering finish today.

Trailing overnight leader Matthew Guyatt by five strokes, Poulter carded a sparkling eight-under 64 for a 13-under 203 total, signing off with a tap-in birdie on the 18th after landing a 163-yard nine-iron within a foot of the pin.

World number five Scott

faltered with bogeys on the 16th and 17th to gift Poulter the lead but rolled in a 20-foot putt on the last for birdie to keep up the pressure and spark thunderous cheers from an enthralled gallery.

“Collectively we’ve had 17 birdies which is a lot of birdies on that golf course, when at times, there was a nice breeze,” Poulter told reporters.

“It’s nice to play with someone who you know really, really well. You can feed off them, as much as they feed off you.

“I think that’s exactly what we did today. There was a great vibe on the course.

There were good shots being played, nice putts being holed and it’s always nice to be in a good two-ball like that.”

Daylight separates Poulter and Scott from the rest of the field with Guyatt slip-

ping down the leaderboard to be six strokes off the lead in third place after slumping to a three-over 75.

Poulter will bid to join Australian former world number one Greg Norman as only the second player to successfully defend the Masters in its 33-year history.

A formidable matchplay opponent, the world number 16 compiled a 4-0 record against United States to spark Europe’s Ryder Cup victory in Chicago and has been in top form since, clinching his second World Golf Championship title at Shenzhen earlier this month.

The prospect of another shootout today should entice the Englishman, who won last year’s tournament at nearby Victoria Golf Club after reeling in playing partner and local favourite Geoff Ogilvy.

PAT Lam believes Wales will be widely dismissed as no-hopers against world champions New Zealand next weekend.

But Samoan rugby hero Lam, captain when the South Sea Islanders defeated Wales in Cardiff 13 years ago and now their technical adviser, also feels it is a dangerous game to write off an underdog.

Lam proudly looked on on Friday night as Samoa toppled the reigning RBS 6 Nations champions 26-19 to avenge last year’s painfully narrow World Cup defeat in Hamilton.

If left Wales facing a probable autumn Test series whitewash, given pending appointments with New Zealand and Australia on the back of conceding 52 points to Argentina and Samoa, while scoring just one try.

They have not beaten the All Blacks since 1953, suffering 24 successive defeats.

While New Zealand remain the game’s dominant force, Wales are now clinging on to a place in world rugby’s top eight.

“No-one is going to give Wales a chance whatsoever next week, and rightly so, because New Zealand are number one and Wales have lost the last few games,” Lam said.

“But that is the challenge of rugby and sport. You are up against it, but you never write off any team.”

Lam’s stunning tale of success against Wales has now spanned more than 20 years.

He played when Western Samoa, as his country was then known, shocked Wales 16-13 in a 1991 World Cup fixture, then skippered Samoa eight years later to another spectacular global tournament success in Cardiff, scoring a try during an epic 38-31 win.

And 44-year-old former Newcastle and Northampton star Lam revealed how those past triumphs impacted on the class of 2012, who outscored their hosts 3-1 on tries and will not lack confidence for Saturday’s clash against France in Paris.

“This is really special for us,” he added.

“I talked to the boys about 1991 and how we opened the gate to international rugby for Samoan rugby back then, and to present the jerseys to the players on Thursday night was very emotional for me.

“I think everyone in the past talked about us taking Wales by surprise when we beat them.

“But they lost last week to Argentina, and there was no reason for them not to be up for it. It was an important game for them, so it is pretty special for us to win like we did.”

38 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport

O’Neill has high hopes for Johnson improvement

By Damian Spellman

West Ham take on Stoke at Upton Park tomorrow night, hoping to maintain their recent good form

Hammers defy the odds Promoted West Ham doing much better than expected WEST Ham can continue their remarkable run in the Premier League, when they clash with Stoke City at Upton Park tomorrow night.

Few favoured West Ham to take any points from a home clash with Manchester City and a trip to face Newcastle United. But the promoted side defied the odds with a scoreless draw against the champions followed by a 1-0 victory at St James’ Park.

Going into the weekend, West Ham are sixth in the English Premier League table with 18 points, above the likes of several European regulars.

Sam Allardyce’s men also boast one of the best defensive records in the top flight, having conceded only 11 goals.

“Everyone in the team defends,” Ivory Coast international Guy Demel told the West Ham website.

“Of course there is the back four and the keeper, but the whole team defends. When the first defender is the striker then everything works well.”

West Ham manager Allardyce has a decision to make on whether to bring James Collins back into his defence.

Collins was amongst the

Cyprus Handicrafts

substitutes for the 1-0 win at Newcastle but could now return to the starting lineup in place of James Tomkins, with full-back Guy Demel also pushing for a start.

Matthew Taylor has returned to training following a calf problem but Jack Collison (knee) and Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder) are out.

Stoke moved to 12th place following a gritty 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers last weekend.

Forward Kenwyne Jones hopes the result will lead to further goals in crucial clashes against West Ham,

Fulham and Newcastle.

“We need to put a few results together, mainly wins,” he told This is Staffordshire.

“I think we need to get at least seven points from the next three games. Hopefully that will take us even further up the table because if we stay in this mode of drawing games it will become a bit too much coming down to the business end of the season.

“Being 12th guarantees you nothing. We need to keep putting the results together so we can move further and further away from the pack below.”

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

CYPRUS HANDICRAFT SERVICE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, INDUSTRY AND TOURISM

SUNDERLAND boss Martin O’Neill is hoping summer signing Adam Johnson is finally up and running after opening his goalscoring account.

The 25-year-old winger has spent this week on Wearside after being left out of the England squad following a tough start to his career at the Stadium of Light.

Johnson returned early from international duty in September with a thigh injury which has hampered his efforts to establish himself at the club which invested £10 million in his services.

However, his strike at Everton last weekend, which ultimately counted for little other than his personal development after the Toffees staged a fightback to win 2-1, has lifted his mood and O’Neill is now looking for him to show more as he prepares for today’s Barclays Premier League trip to Fulham.

He said: “Scoring the goal was very, very important. I don’t care who you are, the very, very best players can lose confidence, but eventually, if you feel as if you have the talent, you should pull through.

“How you do that is either getting down to doing things more regularly in training there’s always a possibility of being able to resolve it then - but the confidence really comes from performing on the field.

“I have said this before and it’s almost as if it’s a recurring theme, but players who are confident and who can make things happen when they are confident, it’s a major boost to them when they feel as if they are capable of doing it.”

Sunderland head for Craven Cottage in the midst of a frustrating run of results which has left them just three points clear of the relegation zone.

They have won only one of their last 18 league games dating back to March, although the defeat at Everton was just their third of the current campaign.

A return of nine points from 10 games is significantly less than they might have hoped

for, but O’Neill, while recognising that their tally needs to start ticking over rather more quickly, insists there is no real cause for concern.

He said: “There are a group of teams gathered where there is not a great deal of points differential.

“But we can talk about it every single week here - we need to win some football matches and the sooner we do that, the better.

Sunderland will arrive in London to face a Fulham side which has registered creditable draws against Everton and Arsenal in its last two games, and for whom striker Dimitar Berbatov has proved a shrewd acquisition.

O’Neill said: “They are a good side - they have been a good side now for some time. They have a settled nucleus of the side, and then they have been able to bring in some really decent players.

“The loss of Clint Dempsey or Mousa Dembele this season, who have been major players for them, they seem to have covered it up reasonably well at this minute, and of course the addition of Berbatov has given them a goalscoring threat.

“He is playing very, very well.

He’s a top-quality player - he cost Manchester United £30 million a few season ago.

“He was unable to stay in the side long enough, but look at the competition Manchester United have there. The move away from Old Trafford looks as if it has re-invigorated him.”

O’Neill has injury concerns over Keiren Westwood, Phil Bardsley, Lee Cattermole and Steven Fletcher, but will be able to call upon winger James McClean, who hit the headlines once again at the weekend because of his decision not to wear a Remembrance Day poppy on his shirt at Everton.

O’Neill said: “James wasn’t aware until very late on that there was going to be a poppy worn. It was his choice not to do it, of course, and I have empathy with that knowing his background.

“It’s a choice. Does not wearing a poppy make him feel any differently about the situation? You would have to ask him that.”

Lefkosia: 186, Athalassa Avenue, Tel: 22305024 Lemesos: 25, Themidos Street, Tel: 25305118 Larnaka: 6, Cosma Lysioti Street, Tel: 24304327 Pafos: 64, Apostolou Pavlou Avenue Tel: 26306243

Adam Johnson (right) opened his Sunderland account against Everton last weekend

39 SUNDAY MAIL • November 18, 2012

Sport

Five-star Man City thrash sorry Villa Man City 5 Aston Villa 0

By Andy Hampson

Deadly duo: goal heroes Shane Long (left) and Peter Odemwingie celebrate a famous win over the European champions

Blues beaten as Baggies ruin Di Matteo’s return Long on a one-man mission to honour late grandmother West Brom 2 Chelsea 1

By John Curtis WEST Brom striker Peter Odemwingie made it a miserable return to the Hawthorns for Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo with a second-half winner to stun the Champions League holders yesterday.

The Nigerian international headed home a cross from Shane Long whose opening goal had been cancelled out by Eden

Hazard.

It condemned Di Matteo, who spent two years as Albion boss, and his side to a first away Barclays Premier League defeat of the campaign.

But his former club, managed by ex-Chelsea number two Steve Clarke, are dreaming of Europe after registering a sixth win in seven home games.

The Blues dominated for long periods territorially with Victor Moses and Daniel Sturridge causing problems.

But they found keeper Boaz Myhill, who was deputising for the injured Ben Foster, in inspired form

with several crucial saves.

Chelsea clearly missed the physical presence at the back of injured skipper John Terry who will be side-lined for three weeks with a knee injury.

Long and Odemwingie fully capitalised on the absence of the former England defender as they punished some slack defending.

Long appeared to be on a one-man mission to honour his grandmother, who died on Friday, with another superb performance.

The Republic of Ireland international revealed a Tshirt which said ‘RIP Nan’ after scoring the opening

Beckham’s team deny Aussie move

By Alastair Himmer DAVID Beckham’s representatives have shot down claims made by the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) that they were negotiating a move to the A-League for the former England captain.

According to FFA officials, the approach was made in relation to the 37-year-old LA Galaxy midfielder playing in the A-League during the current 2012-13 season.

“There are absolutely no plans to play in Australia,” Beckham’s management team said in a statement released to Sky Sports in England.

“David is completely focused on the MLS playoffs and winning another Championship with the Galaxy.”

That poured cold water on the FFA’s statement that they had been contacted by the player’s agent and begun negotiations with one of the sport’s iconic names.

“The approach from David Beckham’s people is another sign of how much the A-League has grown in stature on a global basis,” the FFA said.

“Beckham is a superstar on the world stage and he would be another massive signing for the A-League after the arrivals of Alessandro Del Piero, Emile Heskey and Shinji Ono.” Local media in Australia had reported that Beckham was interested in a 10-game deal at the conclusion of the Major League Soccer season.

Beckham’s Galaxy, reigning Major League Soccer champions, face the Seattle Sounders next week in the second leg of their Western Conference final after winning the home leg 3-0.

Beckham is out of contract at the end of the MLS season in December and has already been linked with the New York Red Bulls by American media, who speculate the move would allow his former popstar wife Victoria to pursue a fashion career.

Despite the FFA’s disclosure, three Australian clubs had already distanced themselves from the former Real Madrid, Manchester United and AC Milan midfielder.

“That’s great if he is coming,” Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou told local media.

“Would we be interested? Nah.”

SERGIO Aguero and Carlos Tevez each struck twice as Manchester City fired a warning to their critics with an emphatic win over Aston Villa.

The Barclays Premier League champions went ahead through David Silva at the Etihad Stadium and then clicked into gear after being awarded a controversial penalty early in the second half.

Aguero struck from the spot and added another while Tevez, who celebrated by pretending to drive after his Porsche was impounded by police, added his own penalty and a close-range finish.

Villa may rue the decision which led to City’s second, apparently given for handball against Andreas Weimann, but they were well beaten in the end.

The performance of City in the latter stages, particularly that of Aguero and Tevez, took the talk away from the absence of Mario Balotelli.

The Italian, who played in Italy’s friendly against

goal.

After the match, manager of the moment, West Brom boss Clarke told BBC Sport: “There is a feel good factor here. Our job is to keep our feet on the ground but if the supporters want to dream they can.

“I know Shane Long’s grandmother died and our thoughts go out to Shane who is going out to Ireland for the funeral.”

Sturridge, starting after Juan Mata and Oscar were dropped to the bench, should have made it 2-2 with three minutes left but screwed his shot across the face of goal.

Carlos Tevez scored twice for the rampant champions

Premier League standings Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Manchester City United Manchester United Chelsea Chelsea Arsenal West Brom City Manchester Everton Liverpool Arsenal Tottenham Hotspur West Ham Utd Everton Tottenham Stoke City Hotspur Fulham Bolton Wanderers Swansea West Brom Newcastle United Fulham Stoke City United Newcastle Liverpool Sunderland Wigan Athletic Aston Villa Norwich City Blackburn Rovers Sunderland Wolves Reading Birmingham Aston Villa Blackpool Southampton Wigan Athletic QPR West Ham United

France on Wednesday, did not even make the bench for his club side for a second successive week, although the striker was reportedly injured.

There was little quality about City’s opener when it arrived two minutes before the interval.

Villa failed to deal with a Semir Nasri corner but Tevez could not connect properly with a shot. The ball bobbled dangerously inside the goal area and Silva reacted quickest to tuck home from close range.

Edin Dzeko came off the bench in the second half and the Bosnian was soon in the action as City piled on the misery for the visitors.

Dzeko found Nasri and the Frenchman’s ball across the area was tapped in from six yards by Tevez, who repeated his earlier car celebration.

Villa were well beaten but City continued to press for a sixth and substitute Scott Sinclair twice narrowly missed the target in a strong finish.

Villa manager Paul Lambert on City’s first penalty, given by the linesman: “I’ve just watched it. That is never a handball, nowhere near it, it was an absolutely ridiculous decision and never a penalty in its life.”

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Playing Today Fulham v Sunderland 6pm Playing Tomorrow West Ham v Stoke 10pm

40 November 18, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport

England crumble to Indian spinners 37

Blues beaten as Baggies ruin Di Matteo’s 39 return

England crash to defeat to rejuvenated Aussies England 14 Australia 20

Australia’s Nick Cummings scored his side’s only try

AUSTRALIA showed their true colours yesterday when a week after being humiliated by France in Paris they earned a deserved 20-14 victory over England at Twickenham.

England led 9-6 with three Toby Flood penalties after 35 minutes but Nick Cummings then scored the opening try for Australia, only for Manu Tuilagi to reply to

give the hosts a fortunate 14-11 halftime lead.

Australia, hammered 33-6 last Saturday when their scrum was obliterated, came out fired up for the second half and with some clever chipped kicks and strong scrummaging allowed Berrick Barnes to land three penalties.

England, looking for a third successive victory over the Wallabies, piled on the pressure in the last 20 minutes but paid a heavy price for trying to run kickable penalties as great Australian defending kept them at bay.

After the game, England captain Chris Robshaw told BBC Sport: “We weren’t clinical enough and some great chances went begging.

We need to be clinical when you play the best teams - if you get one chance you have to take it.”

Asked about the decision to twice turn down kickable penalties in the second half, Robshaw said: “That’s a decision myself and other leaders have to have a look at. We scored a try once, got turned over another time and nearly scored as well.

We need to make sure if you

do go, you come away with some points.”

Elsewhere yesterday, Scotland suffered their fourth straight defeat at Murrayfield, a second-half fightback not sufficient to make up for a first-half bullying by South Africa as they lost 21-10 A typically bullish Springboks outfit led 14-3 at half-time, hooker Adriaan Strauss scoring the only try.

Strauss scored again after the break and while replacement scrum-half Henry Pyrgos crossed for the hosts, South Africa’s defence kept Scotland at bay.

Ruthless Arsenal gun down Spurs Adebayor goes from hero to zero Arsenal 5 Tottenham 2

By Paul Hirst

A

moment of madness from Emmanuel Adebayor sparked a spectacular Tottenham collapse as Arsenal romped to victory in yesterday’s entertaining north London derby at the Emirates Stadium.

Adebayor scored against his former employers to give Tottenham a tenth-minute lead, but he pressed the self-destruct button seven minutes later when he was given a straight red for a horrific sliding tackle on the excellent Santi Cazorla.

Tottenham struggled to cope with the numerical disadvantage thereafter and it only took a few minutes for Per Mertesacker to equalise.

Lukas Podolski’s strike, and Olivier Giroud’s fifth goal in his last five games gave Arsenal a comfortable two-goal cushion by halftime.

Tottenham fared slightly better in the second half, but their only reward came through a Gareth Bale consolation after Cazorla killed the contest.

To add insult to injury Theo Walcott grabbed a deserved goal in injury time to make the score the same as the 5-2 win that Arsenal used as a springboard for their Champions League assault last season.

Arsenal’s victory means they jump above Tottenham in the table, while Spurs have now suffered four successive defeats under Andre

Derby delight: Olivier Giroud scored just before half-time as Arsenal took advantage of their numerical superiority Villas-Boas, who will have questions to answer about why he decided to play Adebayor if there were doubts about whether the striker could keep a lid on his emotions.

It was clear from the off that Adebayor was pumped up for the clash. After being snubbed by his former team-mates in the tunnel, he tussled aggressively with Jack Wilshere for the ball inside the first minute.

The Togolese’s every touch was booed during an opening five minutes which was bereft of goal-mouth action, but packed with passion thanks to the white-hot atmosphere inside the Emirates.

William Gallas, whose status as a former Gunner also meant he was jeered constantly, thought he had giv-

en Spurs an early lead when he intercepted Tom Huddlestone’s shot and curled a shot past Wojciech Szczesny, but the Frenchman was correctly given offside.

One minute later Spurs did have the lead, however, through their controversial number ten. Szczesny palmed Jermain Defoe’s shot in to Adebayor’s path and he twisted his body to tap in to an empty net.

The striker, famed for running the whole length of the pitch to celebrate in front of Arsenal’s fans three years ago, hurdled the advertising boards and goaded the irate home support.

Such was the vitriol against Adebayor that some of the

re ejected home fans were use at the for hurling abuse 28-year-old. es la ate t r Seven minutes later w re the home fans we were bayor jeering Adebayor off after his awful a. foul on Cazorla. owing, Studs showing, ker prothe Spurs striker pelled himselff in to a high tackle on the Spaniard, who was in midd Webb air and Howard had no option but to send the playerr off. vitable The inevitable me afequaliser came s. Walter 23 minutes. cott latched on to ll and Wilshere’s ball rtecrossed for Merteho sacker, who

Bad boy: former Gunner Adebayor was sent off for a reckless challenge after opening the scoring

headed past Hugo Lloris after H Huddlestone went missin missing in the box.

Vi Villas-Boas checked hi his notepad for ins spiration, but he m must have known tthere was little he could do to stop A Arsenal from takin ing the lead.

C Cazorla bent a sw swirling drive just ov over Lloris’ bar as To Tottenham tried to ho hold on until the br break, but Huddlest stone then gifted the Gu Gunners the lead.

Th The midfielder, recall called to the Englan land squad this week, pok poked Mikel Arteta’s pas pass unwittingly in to th the path of Podolski and his shot deflected off Gallas

past Lloris.

Arsenal bagged their third in first-half injury time. Kyle Naughton knocked Cazorla down but he picked himself up and squared to Giroud, who beat Gallas to the ball and dispatched a closerange finish.

Lloris managed to keep the hosts out for 14 minutes of the second half before Arsenal hit on the break through Walcott and Podolski, who found Cazorla at the back post and he made no mistake from five yards.

Bale then restored a bit of pride for the away side with 20 minutes to go when he outpaced Mertesacker and drove past Szczesny through Laurent Koscielny’s legs.

As the clock ticked towards 90 minutes Tottenham started to throw more bodies forward, but they were left exposed at the back.

Defoe attempted a tenyard volley while unmarked at the back post but he missed the ball and Arsenal finished off the rout in injury time when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain took advantage of a Jan Vertonghen mistake to play in Walcott.

After the match, Walcott said he can now feel Arsenal’s confidence growing and believes the hammering showed their credentials.

Walcott told Sky Sports 2: “We showed people how good we are.

“It’ll give us tremendous spirit, and we’ve got a lot of players back to fitness and everybody’s very confident.”

The dismissal of Adebayor was undoubtedly crucial but Walcott backed referee Webb’s decision.

“I didn’t really see it but I think he did go in quite two-footed and the referee’s made that decision,” the England international added.