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COFFEESHOP: WE’RE ALMOST FREE OF THE COMMIE YOKE INSIDE Cyprus PIMCO report not made public 2

World Accused plead not guilty to India rape, murder 9

Lifestyle How rich are stashing cash when facing divorce centre

Property What to do in the garden this month 23

Sport Chelsea crash to late defeat at Newcastle back

PAGE 17

Who will save the Karpas?

End of the road for one of last bastions of nature in Cyprus

G

REEK Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots are mobilising to try and stop the carving up of one of the last bastions of nature in Cyprus, the remote Karpas peninsula in the north, which is being destroyed for the sake of a road but no one is listening.

People on both sides have been left shocked and horrified at photos posted on social media during the week showing the extent of the destruction being visited on the last remaining wilderness in the north, and the second last on the island after the Akamas.

Reports suggest that the widening of the old country road leading from Rizokarpaso to Apostolos Andreas is being carried out to facilitate a techno music festival to take place at the unspoilt Golden Sands beach in September, which locals hope will attract up to 80,000 visitors, according to the organisers’ website.

The Karpas peninsula is home to a diverse range of species and wildlife now being destroyed by bulldozers and trucks, protesters say.

“The Karpasia SEPA (Special Environmental Protection Area) is under direct threat even though it is still unclear which agency

The remote wilderness of the Karpas peninsula is being carved up to create a wider road to Apostolos Andreas or authority is behind the project,” a statement from Greek Cypriot activists said.

An online petition has been set up under the title ‘Hands off Karpas’, which was sent to the ‘government’ in the north but without success, and the works are continuing.

Last Sunday, having heard of the Turkish Cypriot administration’s plans to ‘repair’ the old road from Rizokarpaso to Apostolos Andreas, a group of around fifty concerned Cypriots (mostly Turkish, some Greek) travelled to the area to see for themselves what they feared was taking place. Their anxieties were confirmed when they saw that rather than repairing

the road, huge mechanical diggers were now forging a brand new one designed to cut out the numerous meanders and twists of the old one.

“It is as if they put a ruler on a map and followed its line,” head of the Society for the Protection of the Karpas National Park Umut Akcil told the Sunday Mail. He added: “They have already torn down hundreds of carob, olive and juniper trees, and they have flattened two hillsides highlighted by [the EU’s] Natura 2000 project as important nesting sites for migratory birds”.

The Greek Cypriot group said the reasons behind the construction of the wider road are unclear. “Some say

it’s the work of the Turkish embassy... others claim the project is run by the municipality of Rizokarpaso ahead of the festival. The details are unclear and the only clear fact is the destruction of the Karpasia SEPA, happening as we speak,” they said.

“It seems that the local residents felt threatened by the activist presence against the development of the road, since they had been given promises about improvements to their quality of life and development for the area.”

It said locals were being seduced by the promise of more jobs and added income, and are unable to realise that protection of the

natural heritage they are surrounded by, is their best available tool for long-term and sustainable development through ecotourism.

“Instead, they were ready to verbally and physically abuse the activists, despite the presence of the police who flared up rather than calmed the situation,” said the group, Despite the protests, the work is continuing and activists say their greatest fear is that development will not stop with a mere road, despite warnings from the European Commission, which has funded environment assessments in the area.

Report by Simon Bahceli PAGES 4-5

2 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

Home Weather

Nicosia

19

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Paphos

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19

19

TODAY: Mainly clear and sunny, with a light dusting of snow possible over the mountains. Temperatures will reach 19C inland and along the coasts and 9C over higher ground.

OUTLOOK: Remaining relatively settled into the early part of the week

PIMCO report not made public Results will be published after the bailout is signed

By George Psyllides

YESTERDAY

Nicosia Larnaca Limassol Paphos Paralimni Prodromos

max/min temp 18 - 4 19 - 5 19 - 7 18 - 7 18 - 7 9-0

Humidity 41% 56% 53% 63% 55% 68%

SUNRISE: 06.44 am

SUNSET: 17.17 pm

Sunday Mail Established 1945. Number 21,445 NICOSIA 24 Vass. Voulgaroctonou, P.O. B ox 21144, 1502 Nicosia Tel: 22-818585, Fax: 22-676385 email: mail@cyprus-mail.com LIMASSOL 5A Nicolaou, Pentadromos Centre, Thessaloniki St, Tel: 25-761117, Fax: 25-761141 email: cyprusmail@cytanet.com.cy LARNACA Tel: 24-652243, Fax: 24-659982 PAPHOS 62 Apostolou Pavlou Avenue, Office 2, 8046 Paphos, Tel: 26 911383 Fax : 26 221049 email: paphos@cyprus-mail.com

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THE company tasked with assessing the recapitalisation needs of Cypriot banks ahead of a bailout delivered its final report yesterday but the results were not made public.

“The results will be published when the memorandum of understanding between the Republic of Cyprus and its international lenders is signed,” the Central Bank said in an announcement.

A final agreement is expected after the new government takes over, sometime in March. By that time, a detailed plan will be drafted that will define the banks’ needs, the announcement added. Investment managers PIMCO were hired to carry out due diligence on bank portfolios that would determine their needs ahead of a bailout sought

by Cyprus in June last year.

A preliminary estimate of a draft bailout deal said Cyprus could need up to €10 billion to plug holes in its banking sector, though this is a worst case scenario that island is trying to avoid.

On that basis, Cyprus’ total bailout, including fiscal requirements, could reach €17 billion to €17.5 billion, equivalent to the island’s annual economic output.

Cyprus fears that a bailout on that scale could push its debt to unsustainable levels and prompt additional austerity measures, including privatisations of public companies.

Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said yesterday that Cyprus would continue to push for PIMCO’s baseline scenario, which is reportedly between €6.0 and €7.0 billion.

“Selection of the adverse or

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The report is now in the hands of the Central Bank the baseline scenario is not a matter of methodology, it is a matter of will,” Stefanou said.

“And this is why we should focus on this, to try and convince those circles who insist on adverse scenarios.”

The government has offered an alternative solution to those who insist on implementing the worst-case scenario so that banks can be prepared for any eventuality, Stefanou said.

President Demetris Christofias has asked the EU to provide the funds foreseen in the baseline scenario and if conditions worsen, additional financing can be sourced directly from the European Stability Mechanism (EMS), which will be up and running

by then. Direct recapitalisation will not burden the public debt.

PIMCO’s terms of reference involved an asset review of five Cyprus-based banks and a stress test to determine the capital needs of each. It also covered a representative sample of co-operative credit institutions.

Its report was handed over to a steering committee comprising representatives from the European Commission, the European Central Bank, the European Stability Mechanism, the International Monetary Fund, the European Banking Authority, the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank, and the cooperative bank supervisory service.

Group sought after man shot POLICE were yesterday seeking a group of individuals – thought to be foreign EU nationals – suspected of shooting and slightly injuring a 29-year-old Nicosia man after a squabble on Friday night.

Police said the man was driving home near Anthoupolis at around 10.20pm when at some point he noticed a group of people blocking the road. The man got out of his car and asked them to move but they refused and when he turned around to return to his car, the 29-year-old claimed he was shot in the back.

He went home and then to hospital where he was examined by a state pathologist who found a superficial wound caused by small pellets. The type of weapon used was not immediately known

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3 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013

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Ambulance upgrade hit by crisis Some 50 trained rescuers sit idle as project falters

By George Psyllides IT APPEARS that those hoping to see a new ambulance service being rolled out early this year will have to wait, as the long-awaited and muchneeded upgrade has fallen victim to the economic crisis plaguing the island.

Despite training the personnel and procuring the equipment, the finance ministry appears unwilling or unable to release the necessary funds, around €250,000 per year, to get the programme running.

The state trained 49 rescuers, although the plan was to initially hire 24 to staff four new ambulance stations around Cyprus – Klirou, Peyia, Limassol town centre and Oroklini.

AKEL MP Irini Charalambidou has submitted a question to the finance minister, asking why the long delay in making the new service operational.

“The reorganisation of the ambulance service and the immediate operation of the four stations will result in rescuing human lives,” Charalambidou said.

There has been no official response yet. The health ministry wants the service running as soon as possible.

Yiannakis Leontiou, the head of the ambulance service, told the Sunday Mail that the health ministry planned to ask the cabinet to approve the positions, hopefully next week This could provide a ray of hope for the 49 rescuers who have been in limbo since their graduation in October last year.

Many are now unemployed since they were forced to quit their jobs to be able to attend the intensive one year course, which according to Leontiou, normally takes 18 months.

The rescuers acknowledge been told there was no guarantee they would get a job after graduation, but why would a state spend some €200,000 training them and equipping the stations if it did not plan to hire them?

There were also statements made by officials that at least 24 would be hired to staff the four stations.

The rest were expected to either be absorbed by the

Despite training personnel and procuring equipment, the finance ministry appears unwilling or unable to release funds private sector or replace current ambulance drivers as they retired. This would have been made possible through legislation making it compulsory for anyone offering an ambulance service to have specialised staff aboard.

Crews in state ambulances currently consist of a nurse and a driver – who

undergoes basic training.

That bill is still pending, though Leontiou said it was almost ready. Michalis Savva, one of the rescuers, found it hard to believe that a state could not raise the money to get such a vital service up and running.

“We are all very disappointed, indignant.

We don’t know what to do,”

Savva said. He said this was not just about them getting a job. “It is necessary to have the stations, for the people, not us.”

The delay also meant that Cypriot rescuers would have to face potential competition from other EU nationals – mainly Greece -- if and when the positions eventually open.

Until now, Cypriot rescuers were somewhat protected because of a clause that would require any foreign EU national to acquire a local driving licence.

That however is either no longer in force or will soon be abolished, as Cyprus had to harmonise with EU rules on the exchange of driving licenses in the EU.

4 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

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Online tool designed to One of the last bastions of nature in Cyprus, the help undecided voters

By Stefanos Evripidou STILL WONDERING who to vote for in this month’s presidential election, or whether to vote at all?

Having a hard time deciding which candidate represents your positions on key issues?

The Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK) has come up with a new online tool which helps Cypriot voters find out which presidential candidate is closer to their positions.

The ‘Choose4Cyprus’ website, found at www.choose4Cyprus.com, is described as “an interactive, entertaining and informative online application that enables voters to discover the degree of proximity of their political positions with the positions of the presidential candidates”.

The application has already registered 4,000 users since it went online on Wednesday.

TEPAK chose to develop the tool to provide access to comprehensive and clear information regarding the positions of presidential candidates on key economic and socio-political issues in Cyprus.

The new “electronic voting advice application” provides this capability in an interactive, entertaining and informative manner. The ‘Choose4Cyprus’ website is a joint academic initiative carried out by researchers from TEPAK’s Department of Communication and Internet

Studies, the University of Zurich’s Centre for Democracy Aarau, and the Department of Public Administration at the University of Twente.

A number of graduate and undergraduate students at TEPAK were also involved in the design and implementation of the application.

A TEPAK announcement stresses that the application is strictly academic and is not connected with any political party or movement.

The operating mechanism of Choose4Cyprus is simple: before the election, the policy positions of the presidential candidates are encoded on a range of issues (questions) by a group of academic researchers. Users of the application are used to fill out the same questionnaire and express their preferences. The system then compares the candidates’ answers to those users.

The end result is a ranking of candidates based on the degree of proximity between them and the users.

The results appear in multiple graphs. The selection of the questions is the result of long discussions and analyses among political scientists, social psychologists and sociologists. The encoding of the positions of the candidates is based on the responses of the candidates themselves, in combination with an expert survey. The collection and processing of (anonymous) data will only be used for academic research purposes.

Global cuisine at cost price THE HIGHER Hotel Institute, Cyprus, yesterday announced the re-opening of its Student Training Restaurant as from February 13. The restaurant will be open to the public for lunch from 1.30pm until 3pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and charges are set at cost price. Places are limited and you are advised to reserve a table in advance.

The restaurant is operated by students under the supervision of their instructors and offers a superb variety of culinary delights for the public to experience, featuring Scandinavian, French, Chinese, Japanese, Southeast Asian, Indian, Mexican, Barbecue, ‘healthy’ SPA and Vegetarian cuisine, carefully cooked and presented. Lenten dishes will be offered during the Lenten fast starting on March 18 and ending on April 18, 2013.

For reservations please contact the institute at the following numbers: 22404816 or 22404800.

A disastrous folly

By Simon Bahceli Bulldozers and diggers are carving up the Karpas to create a road

W

HEN a family of nature-loving Germans took me on my first trip to the tip of the Karpas peninsula in the late 1980s, it took a whole day to get there.

Having left Kyrenia early one September morning, and stopping only for mittagsessen und pipi on the way, our ropey Volkswagen bus didn’t reach the beach that everyone now calls Golden Sands until late afternoon.

We parked on the edge of a dune and ran, our faces beaming ecstatic smiles, down the slope to be met by nothing but a vast expanse of sand and sea as far as the aqua blue horizon. We were totally and utterly alone with only nature to keep us company. The stars I saw that night were the brightest and most numerous I’d ever witnessed.

Apart from a ragged shepherd with a donkey, the last people we had seen were in the village of Rizokarpaso (or Dipkarpaz, as the Turks have called it since 1974). Beyond the village, on the road to the monastery of Apostolos Andreas, which lies a few kilometres short of the island’s most eastern tip, I remember being racked with joy at finding myself in a landscape so miraculously unspoilt. Carob and olive trees laden with their fruits dotted gently rolling, maquiscovered hills that led step-bystep, terrace-by-terrace down to the sparkling Mediterranean. Even the road we drove on, which was barely more than a metre wide, seemed to speak of journeys made by men, women and beasts long since dead.

We had to drive slowly; we had to avoid potholes; we had to be careful. But we didn’t mind, because these were the

things that slowed down the destruction we’d already seen devour once-loved places like Kyrenia, Famagusta and Bellapais.

Today the journey that used to take a day can be completed in just a couple of hours on fast, wide roads that shrink the journey from Nicosia, and it’s only once you’ve left the last village of Rizokarpaso, heading towards the tip, the sea and Syria, that you can still imagine you are in a Cyprus before the advent of tarmac, concrete and the car.

Last Sunday, having heard of the Turkish Cypriot ad-

ministration’s plans to repair that old road from Rizokarpaso and Apostolos Andreas, a group of around fifty concerned Cypriots (mostly Turkish, some Greek) travelled to the area to see for themselves what they feared was taking place. Their anxieties were confirmed when they saw that rather than repairing the road, huge mechanical diggers were now forging a brand new one designed to cut out the numerous meanders and twists of the old one.

“It is as if they put a ruler on a map and followed its line,” head of the Society for the

Protection of the Karpas National Park Umut Akcil told the Sunday Mail. He added: “They have already torn down hundreds of carob, olive and juniper trees, and they have flattened two hillsides highlighted by [the EU’s] Natura 2000 project as important nesting sites for migratory birds”.

Akcil says he has learnt that the Turkish Cypriot administration is planning to build a ten-metre wide road between Rizokarpaso and Apostolos Andreas, and that it will be built in three phases. The first phase, which is already underway, takes the road a few kilometres out of the village as far as the Blue Sea Hotel, which lies at the boundary of one section of the national park deemed more sensitive to development than the areas including and surrounding the village of Rizokarpaso.

The second and third phases will take it all the way to Apostolos Andreas, a distance of around 15km.

Last week’s mini protest may have bought one minor success for the demonstrators. The road-builders, under instruction from the north’s ‘environmental department’ now say they will limit the width of the highway to six, rather than ten metres. Akcil is of course not satisfied with this supposed compromise, as the width of the road is not the only issue at stake. Moreover, in light of earlier statements that the environment would not be harmed, he has no reason to believe them.

Sadly for Akcil, many of the residents of Rizokarpaso don’t support him or others who put the interests of the environment before those of land developers, road-building companies, and, ultimately,

5 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013

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Karpas peninsula will be changed beyond recognition - all because of a road

‘The road we drove on, which was barely more than a metre wide, seemed to speak of journeys made by men, women and beasts long since dead’ job-hungry villagers. A group of them - prompted by loudspeaker announcements by the local mayor and Imam that “looters, Greek-sympathisers and infidels” had descended on the village to interfere with their road - turned up to scupper the demonstration.

They passionately informed the environmentalists that the existing road caused accidents, damaged their tyres and wore out their cars. Plus, they highlighted the fact that if the road was better, more people would come to enjoy the beaches and spend money in the shops and cafés and restaurants. In short, they want the road because they imagine the road would bring them an income.

One cannot really blame them for not seeing the benefits that living in a real national park might bring. Officially, there is no national park in Karpas – not even if one recognised the ‘TRNC’ – since the existence of the area as a national park has never been declared by the administration. All that exists are yellowing proposals for a national park that no ‘government’ has ever had the political will or guts to implement.

Moreover, local residents, who are all Turkish mainlanders (apart from a handful of aging and enclaved Greek Cypriots) generally oppose the idea because they see it simply as something that would restrict their development and their incomes.

Among the most defiant of the speakers on Sunday was ‘mayor’ of Dipkarpaz Mehmet Demirci, who arrived at the demonstration to announce that the road was “an urgent

The unspoilt Golden Sands beach: a festival attraction necessity” because of “a major festival” that would be taking place this summer in the Karpas. This festival, he boasted, to the horror of the protesters, “will do a great service for Turkish Cyprus by putting the TRNC on the map”.

The festival referred to by Demirci is the unfortunate brainchild of Turkish Cypriot businessman Hilmi Ekrem.

Ekrem told the Sunday Mail that the ill-conceived event plans to bring around 30,000 techno music lovers to a place inside the park area this September.

A visit to the silkroute-festval.com website is yet more disturbing than what Ekrem told me on the phone, as it brags that the festival will host up to 80,000 people. It

also gives the impression that the three-day festival will take place on Golden Sands Beach, which it won’t apparently.

Ekrem says it will be staged in a field. “The beach will only be used for swimming,” he says, as if that made everything okay.

The website includes a countdown to the festival date, and as I write I can see the sane people of Cyprus have just 206 days, eleven hours, six minutes and 52 seconds to stop this disastrous folly from taking place.

Unsurprisingly, Ekrem says he has the sanction of the authorities for his festival. He denies however that the road project has anything do to him. “Turkey is building it,” he says blithely. If anyone is

in any doubt about the value of the Karpas peninsula to the ecological wellbeing of Cyprus, they should go and see for themselves. There are more wild flora and fauna in a square metre of Karpas than in square kilometres of other parts of our sadly degraded island. Failing that, one should look at data compiled by environmentalists working in Cyprus and the EU, which, incidentally, spent €5 million ascertaining what species needed protection in the Karpas, and making proposals for their maintenance and preservation.

Now those very species are being destroyed. Biologist Hasan Sarpten, in a letter to a Turkish Cypriot paper entitled “Goodbye Karpas” on Thursday, sought to remind readers of the area’s value and uniqueness, telling them that of the 1,410 species known to live in Cyprus, 75 per cent of them live in the Karpas.

And of the 47 endemic Cypriot plant types, 24 of them can only be found there. Twelve of the 16 reptiles under protection in Cyprus are there, as are 147 of the 215 bird types found on the island. Moreover, of the 238 types of fauna found in Cyprus, 166 of them thrive in the Karpas. Monk seals, of which there are only 400-500 left living in the Mediterranean, visit the Karpas coast regularly, and the green turtles’ third most important nesting site in the Mediterranean is in the Karpas. His list goes on and on and on and ends with the warning that “in a short time, the last bastion of nature in Cyprus will be changed beyond recognition - all because of a road”.

How much the road is being widened is a topic of debate with figures varying

Hundreds of trees have already been torn down

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6 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

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No longer in the dark THOC surtitles are lighting the way for non-Greek speaking theatre lovers

By Poly Pantelides WOULD you like to go to the theatre more often but find it’s all Greek to you? Non-Greek speakers and the hearing impaired can now enjoy the Cyprus theatre organisation’s (THOC) Greek-language productions featuring ‘surtitles’ projected above the theatre stage.

The surtitles are in English and Greek and are still only available for specific productions and on set dates. There are two theatre productions this coming week that fit the bill.

Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind is a play dealing with the sexual and spiritual awakening of teenagers and their conflict with parents, religion and teachers. Paphos’ Markidio theatre will use surtitles on Tuesday and the new THOC theatre will offer them on Friday and Saturday.

If teenage angst is too much, perhaps the quirky musical Kali-Kantzar and Company will be on also on Friday and Saturday. The play’s premise is an unexpected noise heard

by a patrol in the city’s New State Theatre. The noise comes with a bunch of strange creatures. “Sudden occupation? Why? By whom? For what reason?”

Surtitles are commonly used during operas to help people follow the plot, and have previously been used in Cyprus by the international theatre institute, said THOC director George G Papageorgiou.

“With a new theatre, we wanted to put in a very conscious effort to reach more and more people such as nonnative speakers of Greek,” said Papageorgiou.

“Large portions of our population are non-Greek speakers but we are openly inviting them to visit our theatre,” he said.

THOC moved to a new building last year and they are keen to welcome visitors to Cyprus as well as the thousands of non-Cypriots who live permanently on the island. They started using surtitles in September, although the move has not been widely publicised.

“I think people are not yet aware of this,” Papageorgiou

New green centre opens

The quirky musical Kali-Kantzar will have surtitles said. Money permitting, more productions may feature surtitles, perhaps permanently, but Cyprus is not there yet.

For example, a private institution funds surtitles in Israel, but THOC does not even own the kind of projector neces-

sary for surtitles but rents it out on specific dates and hires a technician to operate it, Papageorgiou said. Businesses are welcome to sponsor the scheme, he added.

Last week, THOC featured Andrew Bergman’s Social Se-

curity with surtitles, a satire on high society, featuring a controlling and invasive woman who disrupts a couple’s isolated life in Manhattan, “without children or parents”.

Call THOC at 22-864300 for more information.

Radical changes promised to facilitate mobility Health and well being in focus THE interior ministry is preparing a bill deThe bill stipulates that every plan submitted signed to minimise risks to people with dis- for approval would be in line with the technical at upcoming Paphos festival abilities or reduced mobility when accessing provisions regarding accessibility and safety. roads and buildings, the government said yesterday.

“The objective is to ensure that every road and structure will be planned and constructed so as its use will not entail unacceptable dangers,” Interior Minister Eleni Mavrou said.

She stressed that it was not just people with disabilities who had accessibility problems – there were also those who will possibly experience reduced mobility at some stage in their life like the elderly, pregnant women and small children.

Mavrou said her ministry was also looking into ways of providing incentives to owners of existing buildings to implement the provisions of the new bill.

Access to the natural and built-up environment was high in the ministry’s effort to afford people with disabilities a dignified living and unobstructed movement, the minister said.

“The state must see to it that the infrastructure and the services on offer must be accessible to all citizens without exception, in the highest degree possible,” Mavrou said.

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THE FORTHCOMING Paphos health and well being festival will see numerous exhibitors, lecturers and practitioners come together to promote alternative health and beauty issues.

A full programme of free lectures, workshops and fitness classes will be available as well as 40 stands showcasing projects and services.

The event is being organised by Paphos based company, ‘In any Event,’ who have taken over organising the popular festival for the past two years. This year, for the first time, it will be held at the Aloe hotel in Kato Paphos on Sunday February 17.

Anita Hopkins of ‘In any Event’ said: “ This year we have a wider range of participants, from sports clubs to holistic medicine, plastic surgeons and dental hygiene. Last year around 600 people attended” She added: “With the two euro entry fee, people will be given free raffle tickets and there will be an option to buy more. Some of the proceeds will go towards helping two local charities; The Paphos cancer patients support group and the Archangel Michael hospice.”

The event aims to promote health and well being as well as beauty and fitness. Lectures, workshops and classes will take place in three separate locations at the Aloe hotel and a timetable of events is available at the ‘In any event’ website.

The festival will be open from 10am to 6pm. For information: Anita Hopkins 99 387 311 or www.in-any-event.biz

JOURNALIST WANTED Do you have a nose for news, are passionate about writing and like a challenge?

The Cyprus Mail is seeking a full-time journalist. Fluency in English and Greek is a must.

Experience would be an advantage but not a prerequisite. However a strong desire for a career in journalism would be preferable.

This is not a job for the fainthearted. If you think you have what it takes please email stefanos@cyprus-mail.com

THE ENVIRONMENTAL Information Centre in the village of Episkopi, some 12km from Paphos, opened its doors for the first time yesterday.

According to head of the Episkopi local council Andreas Charalambous, the centre includes a reception hall, exhibition hall, a screening room, environmental education room and a workshop while the centre’s exterior will host a botanical garden.

The exhibition hall contains various photographs, stuffed animals and birds, audiovisual presentations of the natural environment, butterfly and insect collections, and wood and other geological exhibits.

Inside the screening room, visitors can watch a film production on local flora and fauna, vegetation, traditional buildings and other important elements of the region.

Wages stolen in Limassol THE owner of an industrial unit in Limassol reported to police that thieves broke into the company’s offices and stole €30,000 that was intended to pay the workers’ salaries for January.

The 62-year-old woman told police that the unit, located in Ypsonas, had been burgled between 6.30pm and 9.45pm on Friday.

Critical after church fall A 69-YEAR-OLD woman was in critical conditions yesterday after suffering head injuries when she fell down the steps of a church in Nicosia.

Police said the incident happened at around 6pm Friday at a church in Anthoupoli.

The woman was rushed to hospital where she was put on a ventilator.

Domestic help arrested PAPHOS police arrested a Filipina domestic worker yesterday after the owner of the house reported the theft of €50,000 worth of jewellery and a computer.

The 42-year-old Peyia permanent resident told police that the theft took place last Thursday between 3.30pm and 9.30pm. The woman said her home had been burgled.

7 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013

Home

Sisters Penny and Maria Vlachou with a couple of their organic snails

A gourmet trend arrives in Cyprus Award-winning precooked snails now available

By Maria-Christina Doulami THOSE little creatures carrying their homes along with them, snails, contribute to our lives in many more ways than you could ever think of.

They are used in pharmaceutical products, cosmetics and even in cancer research. But perhaps most importantly, snails are a significant food source with a high nutritional value.

Two sisters from Greece have succeeded in establishing an export-led business from scratch, which is now also conquering Cyprus much faster than at a snail’s pace.

The idea for an innovative organic snail farm was conceived when Penny and Maria Vlachou realised the demand for snails was very high and yet only 10 per cent of it was being covered. Snails are often seen as a delicacy, a type of gourmet food, and yet it is in climates like that of Greece and Cyprus where they thrive.

It was therefore the perfect set-up to start an entrepreneurial project that quickly gained pace and is now exporting all over Europe and is considering steady expansion to third countries such as China and Canada.

“Since antiquity snails have occupied an important place in human nutrition and belong to the Meditery ranean culinary d tradition,” said Maria. She explained thatt h snails are a rich source of calci-um, iron, phos-3 phorus, Omega-3 d fatty acids and d proteins.

And research has shown that due to the favourable climate

Launching in Cyprus

in Greece, the snails grown there are richer in Omega-3 fatty acids.

The organic farm in Corinth began in 2007, starting with only three hectares. The success enjoyed, however, has resulted in it expanding its practices throughout Greece, collaborating with 168 families and managing a total of 1,650 hectares. The snails are grown exclusively on the farms, under strict agricultural and veterinary guidelines, and are certified as organic.

“The meat of snails is tender and has a neutral taste,” Maria said, “which means it can be cooked in endless variations”.

Snails can form part of traditional mezedes, such as snail stew; plain with olive oil, tomato and herbs; with risotto; or as part of gourmet dishes, such as w with truffle oil and porcini c cream; souvlaki, or even t tempura.

It can be served w with other fish and meat dishes, or on its own, c o o k e d or simply pre -boiled.

Snails are even suitable for lent.

Fe r e i k o s Helix, the name of the

company, derives from the ancient Greek word ‘fereoikos’, which literally translated means “I carry my own house”, a word that characterises the snail.

“The lengthy process required for cleaning and preparing the snails inspired us to create a series of products that are pre-boiled with or without shells so that this delicious healthy dish can be enjoyed by all without the hassle,” said Maria. Thus since April 2011, the range of Fereikos Gefsis includes high quality snail products, cleaned and precooked, while the sisters said that from May 2013 the company will launch convenient ready-to cookmeals (in cooperation with the famous chef Ettore Bottrini).

“People nowadays want quality food, they are searching for authentic and organic products, that are though, easy to prepare,” said Maria.

Seventy per cent of the company’s production is exported abroad, with Lordos Hospitality Group partnering Fereikos for distribution in Cyprus.

The products are sold in various-sized bottles and cans, and original recipes can be tasted at Limoncello Deli-Bar at the Ayios Antonios Municipal Market in Nicosia.

8 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

World

France’s President Francois Hollande (left) flanked by Mali’s interim president Dioncounda Traore (right), wave as Hollande arrives at the airport of Timbuktu yesterday (AFP)

Jubilant Malian visit for Hollande Given enthusiastic welcome in Timbuktu

By David Lewis FRENCH President Francois Hollande flew to Mali yesterday to support French troops fighting Islamist rebels in the Sahel nation, and he visited the famed ancient city of Timbuktu that was recaptured from al Qaeda-allied fighters six days ago.

Hollande, accompanied by his ministers for defence, foreign affairs and development, was greeted by a group of dancers and singers at Timbuktu airport and then went on to visit the Grand Mosque in the UNESCO World Heritage Site city.

Heavily-armed French soldiers in armoured vehicles and Malian troops ringed the ancient mosque, built from mud bricks and wooden beams.

French and Malian flags fluttered from telephone poles.

Local people chanted “Vive

La France” and praised Hollande for France’s military intervention in its former West African colony, which after three weeks has pushed Islamist fighters occupying the north into more remote desert and mountains.

“I’m so proud of Francois Hollande, we have got our old lives back,” Khalifa Cisse, the muzzein or crier who calls the faithful to daily prayer at the mosque, told Reuters, wearing a flowing white robe and cap and a red, white and blue scarf.

The international community has greeted the liberation of Timbuktu with relief as the sharia-observing radical Islamist occupiers had smashed traditional ancient Sufi mausoleums in this seat of Islamic learning, calling them idolatrous.

They had also destroyed up to 2,000 of some 300,000 priceless ancient manuscripts held

in the city. Curators say the bulk of the scholarly texts are however secure and safe.

During his one-day visit to Mali, which will also take him to the southern capital Bamako, Hollande was expected to outline the next steps of the French military operation.

Hollande has said that the French campaign, which has 3,500 soldiers on Malian soil backed by warplanes, helicopters and armoured vehicles, wants to hand over to a larger UN-backed African force which is still being deployed.

Sustained French airstrikes have forced fighters from the Islamist militant alliance that was occupying northern Mali to retreat into the remote Adrar des Ifoghas mountains near the Algerian border. The rebels are also believed to be holding there seven French hostages previously seized in the Sahel.

Abuse video fires Egyptian fury AFTER eight days of protests that killed nearly 60 people, a video of one demonstrator stripped naked, dragged across the ground and beaten with truncheons by helmeted riot police has fired Egyptians to a new level of outrage.

Hamada Saber, a middle-aged man, lay in a police hospital yesterday, the morning after he was shown on television naked, covered in soot and thrashed by half a dozen policemen who had pulled him to an armoured vehicle near the presidential palace.

President Mohamed Mursi’s office promised an investigation of the incident, which followed the deadliest wave of bloodshed of his seven-month rule. His opponents say it proves that he has chosen to order a brutal crackdown like that carried out by Hosni Mubarak

against the uprising that toppled him in 2011.

“Mursi has been stripped bare and has lost his legitimacy. Done,” tweeted Ahmed Maher, founder of the April 6 youth movement that helped launch the anti-Mubarak protests.

Another protester was shot dead on Friday and more than 100 were injured, many seriously, after running battles between police and demonstrators who attacked the palace with petrol bombs.

That unrest followed eight days of violence that saw dozens of protesters shot dead in the Suez Canal city of Port Said, and Mursi respond by declaring a curfew and state of emergency there and in two other cities.

But none of the bloodshed has quite resonated like the images of police abusing a man at their feet.

Iran unveils ‘new homemade fighter jet’ IRAN unveiled what it said was a new, domestically built fighter jet yesterday, local media reported.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at a ceremony in Tehran that the Qaher 313 demonstrated Iran’s growing self-reliance

in the field of military technology.

Iran’s functional air force has been limited to perhaps as few as a few dozen strike aircraft, either Russian or ageing US models acquired before the 1979 Iranian revolution. The Is-

lamic Republic, under an international arms embargo, has long struggled to find spare parts and some military experts say the fleet is outdated.

Tensions in the region have simmered over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

9 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013

World

India gang rape charges denied

WORLD TODAY Early Spring forecast PUNXSUTAWNEY Phil, America’s most famous groundhog, emerged from his burrow yesterday to the glare of cameras and the cheers of thousands of spectators and offered his annual weather prognostication: An early spring is coming.

Each year thousands of fans from as far away as Australia and Russia attend the wildly popular event in this tiny western Pennsylvania town, depicted in the 1993 comedy Groundhog Dog starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell.

According to legend, if the rodent emerges from his hole and sees his shadow, six more weeks of freezing temperatures and snow are on the way.

This year, however, Phil did not see his shadow, meaning an early spring should be expected.

Rajoy denial SPANISH Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy strongly denied yesterday allegations in the media that he and other leaders of his centreright People’s Party had for years received payments out of a secret slush fund.

“I need only two words: it’s false,” Rajoy said in a televised address after an extraordinary meeting of party leaders to discuss the allegations.

Rajoy welcomed a full investigation into the affair and said that the party would be fully transparent and that he would publish on the internet all of his tax declarations to clear up the scandal.

Ball arrests NINE protesters have been arrested for civil disorder in demonstrations against a right-wing ball in Vienna’s imperial Hofburg Palace, Austrian police said yesterday.

More than 2,500 joined protests against the Academics’ Ball on Friday night which was hosted by Austria’s far-right Freedom Party and has in the past attracted right-wing icons such as France’s Marine le Pen.

Court charges accused men with 13 crimes

By Annie Banerji

Activists demonstrate as they boycott India’s Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on January 26, 2013, after the gang rape and murder of a student in December

FIVE men pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges they raped and murdered an Indian trainee physiotherapist, in a case that led to a shake-up of laws against sexual crimes after protests about a rising number of attacks on women.

Police say the gang lured the 23-year-old woman onto a bus in New Delhi, where they repeatedly raped and assaulted her with a metal bar before throwing her bleeding onto a highway. She died of internal injuries two weeks after the December 16 attack.

A Reuters witness saw the men file into the court room with their faces covered, where lawyers in the case said they were read 13 charges including murder, which carries a maximum penalty of death.

They left after 15 minutes.

“After the judge read out

the charges, the five pleaded not guilty and walked out” said A.P. Singh, a lawyer defending two of the accused, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur.

STRONG EVIDENCE Singh said the prosecution will call three witnesses to the next hearing on Tuesday, which is the formal start of the trial.

The prosecution says it has strong evidence against the five men, including blood stained clothing, DNA matches, mobile phone records, confessions and eye-witness statements.

Singh says Sharma was never on the bus and Thakur was hiding beneath a seat and never took part in the crime.

The other men - brothers Ram and Mukesh Singh and Pawan Kumar - are represented by two other lawyers.

Mukesh Singh has replaced

a lawyer who claimed his client was tortured in police custody, and no longer claims mistreatment.

A sixth person police say was part of the gang that attacked the woman and her friend is a juvenile and will be tried separately.

The brutality of the attack was shocking even to a nation inured to a rising wave of sexual crimes against women.

Thousands of young protesters took to the streets in the weeks that followed. In response to the public outcry, on Friday the cabinet fast-tracked new, tougher penalties for sex crimes.

Under the new rules, due to be signed into law by the president in coming days, gang rape that leads to death will be punishable by death, while minimum penalties will be raised to 20 years for gang rape and rape of a minor. The laws must later be ratified by parliament.

New ‘Spiderman’ feat Mexico oil HQ blast ‘was an accident’ THE daredevil climber nicknamed “Spider-Man” is famous for scaling some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers without a safety line.

Now Alain Robert has his sights set on a slightly less imposing edifice that nonetheless offers its own challenges - and plenty of symbolism.

The 50-year-old Frenchman is in Havana on a mission to conquer the 27-story former Hilton Hotel that was taken over after the 1959 Cuban Revolution and redubbed the “Habana Libre”, or “Free Havana”. Fidel Castro briefly set up his personal offices there after his triumphant march into the capital.

“This hotel has great meaning for me. It’s impressive not for its height, which is not great, but because it’s a building that symbolises the Cuban Revolution,” Robert said.

“I consider this hotel to have been a challenge for Castro and I love the idea that now it’s my turn to attempt the challenge.”

At 413ft, a fall from the Habana Libre would still be deadly. But the building is dwarfed by other giants Robert has climbed unaided

Robert is in Havana to scale the former Hilton Hotel - Chicago’s Willis (nee Sears) Tower, New York’s Empire State Building, Taiwan’s Taipei 101 and Malaysia’s Petronas Towers - all of which were the tallest in the world at some point.

“This is a different type of building with a unique structure, a little deteriorated in some places,” Robert said.

“That’s the challenge for me, because really it’s not very tall.”

Robert has been sizing up the hotel in recent days and securing permission from island authorities for the climb. He has gained permission and and intends to make the attempt on Monday.

A BLAST at the headquarters of Mexico’s state-owned oil company which crushed to death at least 33 people beneath tons of rubble and injured 121 is being treated as an accident, the head of Petroleos Mexicanos said.

As hundreds of emergency workers dug through the rubble in Mexico City, the company’s worst disaster in a decade was fuelling debate about the state of Pemex, a vital source of government revenue that is suffering from decades of underinvestment and has been hit by a recent series of accidents that have tarnished its otherwise improving safety record.

Until now, virtually all the accidents had hit its petroleum infrastructure, not its office buildings.

“It seems like, from what one can observe, from what the experts are seeing, that it was an accident”,” Pemex director general Emilio Lozoya said. “However no line of investigation will be discounted.”

Less than 24 hours after the accident, early signs pointed to a problem in an area with electrical and air conditioning equipment, according to a government official.

Pemex said in a tweet in the first minutes

after the accident it had evacuated the building because of a problem with the electrical system.

A spokesman said the floors hit by the explosion housed administrative offices.

Pemex and interior secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said on their Twitter accounts that the death toll had risen to 33.

Mexico City mayor Miguel Angel Mancera declared three days of mourning, with flags at half-mast and black bunting hung on public buildings.

Lozoya said the priority remained rescue and recovery, plus attending the families of those who died and the injured, which include 52 people who remain in hospital.

Attorney general Jesus Murillo said rescue crews had searched most of the area damaged by the blast, but survivors or more victims could still be found in the most unstable parts, which have not yet been fully checked.

The explosion was the worst in more than a decade for Pemex. Last September, an enormous blast killed 30 workers at a pipeline facility in northern Mexico. Murillo said experts had “not found any indication of fire”.

10 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

World

Tea and tutus on menu at Barbie themed cafe

Anita Ekberg in the lasting scene from La Dolce Vita

Facelift for symbol of the dolce vita Rome’s Trevi Fountain restoration to be funded by Fendi

By Philip Pullella Fendi’s Lagerfeld launching the plan this week ANITA Ekberg, who famously waded in Rome’s Trevi Fountain with Marcello Mastroianni in the 1960 classic film La Dolce Vita, would probably say “It’s about time, darling!”

The fountain, arguably the world’s most recognisable, is about to get the most thorough face-lift since it was completed in 1762 and the restoration was presented this week by a man who also uses the word darling a lot: fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.

Lagerfeld is artistic director of Fendi, the Italian luxury fashion house which is picking up the tab for €2.2 million restoration.

“I think its a great idea and a great project. This fountain is a symbol of Rome like the Colosseum and St Peter’s and I am happy that we can all help,” said Lagerfeld, wearing a black, high-neck jacket, black lace gloves and black sunglasses.

The 20-month restoration will clean the fountain, which covers the entire facade of Rome’s Palazzo Poli with its allegorical statues of Tritons guiding the shell chariot of the god Oceanus illustrating the theme of the taming of the waters.

The restoration will remove calcium deposits, clean the statues, check the strength of steel supporting them, apply new waterproofing to the large basin, fix leaks, install new pumps and electric works and add new barriers to keep pigeons away.

But tourists need not worry.

Only one third of the monument will be covered by scaffolding at any time.

The last restoration was about 25 years ago but officials said new techniques developed since then would make it the most thorough cleaning in the fountain’s 251-year history.

“There is no tourist in the world who does not dream of standing before the Trevi Fountain at least once in their life,” said Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno.

Tourists will still be able to toss coins in the basin - a tradition said to ensure that they will return to the Eternal City.

About a million euros worth of coins are thrown into the basin by tourists each year.

All the money goes to a charity that helps the city’s needy.

Rome-based Fendi, known for its extravagant furs and

chic baguette clutches worn by movie star Sarah Jessica Parker and pop singer Rihanna, is the latest luxury goods company helping Italy keep up its cultural heritage sites.

Luxury shoemaker and leather goods company Tod’s is sponsoring a major restoration of the Colosseum.

In tough economic times, Mayor Alemanno said, the city appreciated all the help it could get to keep up the capital’s vast cultural heritage. He called the Fendi family the “new patrons” of the arts, likening them to the Medici family of Renaissance Tuscany.

“This is not to shirk our duties over to the private sector but the state needs a new patronage to help Italian culture,” he said.

In exchange, Fendi will get only a small sign about the size of a coffee table book telling tourists that it was the sole sponsor. The sign will stay up for four years after the project is completed.

“It seemed right to thank this city, which since 1925 offered inspiration, creativity, aesthetic fervour and culture, a home where our brand has prospered and grown from a Roman fashion house into a global fashion label,” said Pietro Beccari, president and CEO of Fendi.

TEA, tutus and an overdose of pink are prominent on the menu at a just-opened Taipei cafe dedicated to all things Barbie.

Aficionados of the world’s most famous doll can now gather to feast on light meals and an array of desserts adorned with the Barbie logo while seated at pink tables on chairs decorated with pink corsets and frothy tutus - pink, of course.

“Every little girl has a Barbie in childhood,” said Henry Chiu, president of Sinlaku Taiwan Co Ltd and the owner of the cafe. “Barbie is a dream for a little girl. We want to make girls’ dreams come true and build a fantasy world for them.”

The store opened in the Taiwanese capital on Wednesday after years of preparation and an investment of more than 50 million Taiwan dollars ($1.7 million) - the first such cafe authorised by Barbie-maker Mattel Inc. Fans were quick with their praise.

“I feel like a Barbie doll in a fairy tale world, I feel like a princess,” said Shiao Yu, a 30-year-old housewife on a visit to the cafe. “It’s very dreamy.”

Jessica Ho, an office worker in Taipei who has a fiveyear-old daughter, gave her thumbs-up to the Barbie Cafe.

“My child and I both love Barbie and this lovely and cute place is like a dream come true for us. I will take her here to celebrate her next birthday,” she said.

A typical repast, offered at lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, costs 300 Taiwan dollars ($10) and gives at least a nod to health-consciousness.

“The menu is designed to show the calories of each dish,” said He Chia-ling, 28, who works in marketing. “So office ladies like us can eat and still be fit and healthy like Barbie.”

Taiwan has a long history with Barbie as it used to be a manufacturing centre for the dolls until Mattel relocated its production lines to China and elsewhere to lower costs in the late 1980s.

Thailand in Vogue with launch of local edition

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre SQUEALS of delight erupted from two Thai women dressed in elegant designer labels as they scanned a rack of fashion magazines at a highend Bangkok shopping mall, then pounced on the object of their quest: a copy of the Thai edition of Vogue.

“It’s here, it’s here,” shouted Athitiya Santisuk, 31, to her friend as they eagerly turned the glossy pages.

The fashion bible’s launch in Thailand last week heralded a new era for budding fashionistas and a growing middle class whose tastes are becoming more discerning as the Thai fashion industry grows more international.

“Vogue has become an indicator of economic development and the sophistication of a nation. Thailand’s luxury industry is mature and this is a barometer of an emerging, affluent middle class,” Kullawit Laosuksri, its editor-in-chief, said.

The Thai edition, published by Conde Nast International with a Thai company, is chock full of advertising, just like its overseas cousins - including those promoting skin whitening products, a reflection of Thailand’s obsession with light skin.

Among the articles are a photo spread of Thailand’s Queen Sirikit in her younger days and several fashion shoots using Bangkok as a backdrop. The cover features Si

Tanwiboon, a Thai-Chinese model who has graced catwalks at Jean Paul Gaultier and Louis Vuitton.

But the magazine’s presence in Thailand raises questions over the country’s income gap and the stark difference between the lifestyle of many of Bangkok’s urbanites and some 66 per cent of the population who live in slums on the city’s periphery or in rural areas far from modern, multi-storey shopping malls.

The number of Thai millionaires is expected to swell by 35 per cent between 2010 - 2015, says the Swissbased Julius Baer private-banking group, and that wealth is partly what has helped fuel the appetite for luxury shopping malls in the city.

Editor-in-chief Kullawit said he wants the magazine to inspire Thai women and “give them new ideas like how to mix high-end brands with pieces that are readily available in Thailand’s flea markets”.

Yet the products advertised in Vogue remain beyond the reach of the vast majority of Thai citizens, many of whom make only some 300 baht ($10) a day.

Analysts gave the magazine mixed reviews but said its arrival brought more positives than negatives.

But the reception from online fashionistas was cool.

“Boring. I thought Vogue was supposed to be international in its outlook. It looks like other Thai magazines,” said Gaga91.

The finishing touches being point on a Barbie cake at the new cafe

11 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013

News Review Second time lucky: the final election ballot after the Guinness World Records logo was taken off

Dodgy cash and ballot papers Nothing to hide CYPRUS is ready to agree to any probe regarding its compliance with anti-money-laundering regulations, finance minister Vassos Shiarly said on Monday.

But to date authorities have received no official request for such an investigation, he added. He was responding to a Financial Times report claiming Cyprus and its EU bailout lenders were in talks to hire outside investigators to probe the island’s banking system for signs of money laundering.

Suitcase body POLICE arrested two people on Monday in relation to the gruesome murder of a Bangladeshi man, 25, after his stabbed and dismembered body was found stuffed into a suitcase in the boot of a red Honda Civic. The car, belonging to the victim, was in a car park on Eschylou Street, near Plato’s bar, around 150 metres from the flat where he was living. It had been there for over two days. The victim had bled to death after being stabbed in the neck, state pathologist Sophoclis Sophocleous said.

Cyprus issue THE three main contenders for the presidential elections on February 17 on Monday took on the Cyprus problem for the second live televised debate. The scene was set even before the debate started. All three candidates arrived making statements on the 2004 Annan plan and referendum on the proposed solution, overwhelmingly rejected by Greek Cypriots and supported by Turkish Cypriots. Just like on the first debate aired on January 14 on the economy, four journalists – one each from TV channels Sigma, Mega, CyBC and Ant1 – posed questions to candidates on a strict time limit.

AG offer THE SUPREME Court will reconvene on March 7 to continue hearing the case of the district judges’ appeal, after an offer on Monday by the Attorneygeneral to broker a deal satisfying both sides. The judges are challenging two items of legislation passed in late 2011 as part of an austerity package that included reductions to the salaries of state officials, among others. They wish to be exempted from the cuts.

Petros Clerides proposed that in his capacity as Attorney-general he would sound out the executive and legislative branches of government, to see whether they would agree to amend the two laws passed in December 2011.

Norway help NORWAY WILL pay near one million euros to strengthen Cyprus’ anti-money laundering capabilities. A contract has been signed between the Planning Bureau and the Unit for Combat-

ing Money Laundering (MOKAS) for the financing of a project aiming to strengthen MOKAS’ capacities and improve its efficiency to detect money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

The project will be implemented by MOKAS and cost a total €1,100,882.

Norway will provide the majority of funds, 85 per cent, amounting to €935.750, while MOKAS will provide the remaining €165.132.

‘No’ to plan PILOTS at ailing state carrier Cyprus Airways (CY) disagreed Monday with a restructuring proposal that includes a bigger contribution for their members, on the grounds the plan was not viable.

CY’s other unions have agreed to staggered wage cuts starting at 7.0 per cent for up to €1,000 a month and reaching 20.5 per cent for over €6,000 a month.

It is understood that the majority of high earners – the pilots - earn closer to €9,000 and €10,000 a month, and that about half of those impacted earn up to €2,500.

Scores of angry people who say they were misled into investing into high yield bonds pushed their way into the Bank of Cyprus (BoC) headquarters in Nicosia

Election ballots OVER half a million ballot papers for next month’s presidential elections have had to be reprinted after the existing ones were ruled invalid as they feature the unauthorised logo of Guinness World Records. Some 575,000 ballots were binned, with the cost of print-

QUOTES OF THE WEEK “We have nothing to hide and we are very clear when it comes to money-laundering issues and to sharing information for tax ax purposes” Finance Minister er Vassos Shiarly “Someone from another party must have been n annoyed that I was allowed to use such a famous logo” Presidential candidate Anreas Efstratiou “Now Live… the e solution of the Cyprus problem. m.

Episode 2567” A Facebook user er watching Monday’s TV debate e “President Putin n assured me thatt the Russian Federation tion is ready to contribute ribute with the European an Union in the financing ancing of Cyprus” President Demetris etris Christofias (right) ght)

“We can’t continue behaving as if nothing is going on” OEV boss Michalis Pilikos “The public needs to make sure they pay p their road tax within the allotted period without rel relying on last minute minut extensions” Head of the Road Hea Transport DepartTra ment, me Sotiris Kolletas Ko “If we can’t pay that th then we go bust and then b we’re not just junk status we’re basket-case status, It takes a very, very long time to get back ti from fro default status” Economist Fiona Econ Mullen “I am no n lawyer. We didn’t understand the u bank’s laws and no explanation was given. explan Another Anothe bank now wants to t repossess my daughter’s daughte home and I can’t help hel her” Investor Nikos Ioannou

ing new ones estimated at €40,000.

According to sources at the interior ministry, an anonymous call was made asking whether candidate Andreas Efstratiou’s use of the Guinness logo on the presidential election ballot papers was legal. Turned out it was not.

Budget cut NICOSIA municipality will get €400,000 less from the government than expected in 2013, which may overthrow plans for a balanced budget, Nicosia mayor Constantinos Yiorkadjis said on Tuesday. The state and parliament had already reduced Nicosia municipality’s budget by €4.0 million, but the budget was further reduced by €400,000 for 2013, Yiorkadjis said during a news conference. As it stands, the budget allows for a surplus of €2,360, the difference between the (originally) expected income of €32,159,981 and the anticipated expenses of €32,157,621. Last year closed with an estimated deficit of €3.3 million.

Finances covered THE government said on Tuesday it was on track to cover the state’s financing needs for the next three months pending finalisation of a bailout that was not expected before March, when the new administration takes over. “At the end of each month we can evaluate our needs again, depending on how the previous month went, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said.

“And as the finance minister said, we are on track regarding the obligations we have and our financing needs for April,” Stefanou added.

Racketeering POLICE are looking into possible racketeering being carried out at the expense of licensed distributors of beverages, the force’s spokesman confirmed on Tuesday. Police spokesman Andreas Angelides said they were investigating two such cases after receiving complaints from distributors of alcoholic beverages and soft drinks. The story was first reported by daily Alithia. The paper said a number of established distributors were getting SMS messages warning them to stop supplying this or that establishment otherwise their own premises would be firebombed – or worse.

TC Honey HONEY made by Turkish Cypriot beekeepers will soon be included on the list of products traded across the buffer zone, according to a statement by the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce (KKTO). Based on a 2007 amendment to the Green Line Regulation - enacted nine years ago to enable the trade of products from the north to the government-controlled areas - honey and fish were included in the list of products allowed to cross the divide.

According to KKTO, the trade of fish

across the Green Line began soon after the 2007 amendment. Honey, however, could not since the pesticides used during production fell foul of EU regulations.

Russia aid RUSSIA is prepared to contribute towards Cyprus’ bailout, along with the European Union, President Demetris Christofias said on Wednesday as reports also suggested that German objections had weakened. The island’s predicament was the subject of a phone call between Christofias and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who expressed his country’s readiness to chip in, along with international lenders.

‘Fiscal cliff’ CYPRUS IS heading towards its own ‘fiscal cliff’, needing to find around €2.1 billion in maturing debts by July, or else face default, one economist said on Wednesday. Speaking at a seminar on the eurozone debt crisis with special reference to Cyprus, economist Fiona Mullen said Cyprus faces a “hard deadline” on June 3 when it needs to find over €1.4 billion in maturing Eurobonds and a further €714m by July 4 for maturing government-registered stocks.

Angry investors SCORES of angry people who say they were misled into investing into high yield bonds – some losing their life savings when banks stopped paying interest – on Thursday pushed their way into the Bank of Cyprus (BoC) headquarters in Nicosia. Earlier the demonstrators had protested outside the finance ministry and the central bank, which is next door to the BoC HQ. Dozens of police officers were monitoring the protest from the start but the demonstrators managed to enter the lobby of the BoC where they got into an argument with bank security, damaging furniture. A three-person group was eventually allowed upstairs to talk with the Bank of Cyprus chairman, Andreas Artemis.

Historic chance RESTORATION WORK on the dilapidated monastery of Apostolos Andreas in the Karpas peninsular will finally begin after an agreement was signed on Thursday between the Church of Cyprus and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The monastery will be restored according to a study prepared by the University of Patra in Greece. The work will be in three phases with the first phase estimated to cost €2.5 million. According to an announcement by the bicommunal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage and the UNDP, two protocols were signed by UNDP with the Church on the one hand and the Turkish Cypriot EVKAF Administration on the other.

12 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

Opinion We are entering a new era of industrial relations THE RECESSION could not have left industrial relations unaffected. Unions have gone on the warpath after the announcement of a universal pay freeze by employers’ organisations and the many years of industrial peace appear to be over. Unrest had been simmering, with construction workers on an indefinite strike and unions considering a general strike, but the employers’ announcement was seen as a declaration of war.

The decision, made jointly by the Employers’ Federation and the Chamber of Commerce, was announced just a couple of days before the first wages of 2013 were due to be paid.

This resulted in a small number of businesses that had agreed to give very small pay rises this year to change their plans, incurring the wrath of the unions, which felt obliged to react. They saw the employers’ announcement as a provocation they could not accept because it would be a direct admission of their weakness.

Both big unions of the private

sector, PEO and SEK, issued announcements slamming the employers’ organisations for undermining industrial relations and threatening industrial peace with their unilateral action, which they felt was a violation of collective agreements.

They warned that if OEV adhered to its decision it would be exclusively responsible for the industrial unrest that would be caused. Labour minister Sotiroulla Charalambous, whose pro-union bias is no secret, also joined the fray calling employers to respect the industrial relations code.

The timing of the KEVE/OEV announcement was wrong, coming two days before wages were due to be paid, but it was, in reality, an irrelevance. Struggling businesses were not waiting for them to issue an announcement to reduce their labour costs.

They had done this a long time ago with the consent of the unions which have shown a commendable readiness to agree to

SundayMail pay cuts in order to protect jobs.

OEV’s decision, which may affect a tiny number of businesses, was a belated attempt to show its members that it was defending their interests, something many of them had doubts about.

The truth is that the deregulation of industrial relations has already begun. The system that had served workers so well for the last two decades is falling apart because it can no longer be sustained.

Annual pay-rises two and three times higher than productivity increases inevitably took their toll on businesses and the economy and are being corrected by the market.

This is what we are witnessing at present and no amount of social dialogue or labour ministry mediation can stop the trend.

We are entering a new era of in-

dustrial relations in which unions, drastically weakened by soaring unemployment, will no longer be able to impose their wishes on impoverished businesses struggling for survival.

The collective agreements that governed work conditions and pay in every sector of the economy will eventually be phased out, diminishing the influence of both unions and employers’ organisations.

Each company will now negotiate terms directly with its workers according to its economic capabilities instead of accepting across-sector, collective agreements, which were based on what the biggest companies in the sector were willing to pay, thus turning the screw on their smaller competitors.

This is the way things need to be done and the market is already taking care of it. The practice of representatives of unions and OEV sitting together in an office and agreeing distorted wages that did not reflect mar-

ket conditions cannot continue.

The labour shortage that pushed wages sky-high and wrecked competitiveness is a thing of the past -unemployment hit a new high in December, reaching 14.7 per cent.

Falling demand and excess supply of labour are pushing wages down in what is a market correction.

The correction has been taking place for the last couple of years and was not triggered by OEV’s announcement.

Unions may have made a fuss about it, but the truth is that they have adapted to the new market conditions in order to save jobs, agreeing to pay-cuts, changes of working hours and reduction of benefits. Before long they will also come to terms with the fact that the obsolete and rigid system of industrial relations, which fixed wages at unjustifiably high levels through collective agreements, has been emphatically defeated by market forces.

The benefits to the economy will be evident in the not too distant future.

Letters to the Editor Cyprus problem starts and ends with the people I have been following, in your newspaper, the debates on the Cyprus problem and, I believe, no one is mentioning the elephant in the room.

The ‘Cyprus problem’ starts and ends with the people themselves. There will be no miraculous solution brought from outside.

The people must decide to work together for the benefit of The Republic of Cyprus, not Greece or Turkey.

The outdated concepts of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots must be subsumed by the culture of a Cypriot nationality.

It will be difficult and take a generation or two but constantly harking back to a ‘golden age’ of Greek/ Turkish nationality that never really existed is doing nobody any favours.

We hear the statement that Archbishop Makarios would have been in favour

of the Annan plan had he been still alive.

I am old enough to remember the Archbishop, and to believe that he would have been in favour of partition after fighting most of his life for the Republic is, I believe, severely mistaken.

He was, above all, a political realist and if you look at a map you will see that Cyprus is too far from Greece, physically and culturally and too close to Turkey to be part of Greece.

As an “expat” I chose to live in Cyprus, not Greece or Turkey, because the people of Cyprus, generally, are warm, friendly and welcoming, so please, forget petty squabbles about a mythological, historical, nationality and get together with what you have.

Michael F. Roberts, Peyia

Wind farms are an ecological disaster already happpening Last Spring you published a number of articles which you had independently commissioned and, also, several related letters from me about wind farms.

Summarising all the information collated it was plain that no really useful purpose was served by these behemoths save generating huge profits for land owners and manufacturers.

The entire wind farm edifice has at last been exposed as a scandalous scam and the former minister here who wasted the Cyprus renewable energy budget was deservedly criticised.

The new generation of turbines are now taller than Big Ben yet are likely to last less than 15 years and the decommissioning costs are never

spoken about, but are horrendous. So the technical nonsense surrounding these ultra expensive devices has been well covered. But the environmental damage involved has been little commented upon.

It is worth passing on a few thoughts. In their lifetime, relatively short as they are, the turbines unarguably and terrifyingly devastate ever increasing populations of rare and beautiful birds - and millions of bats.

This to the extent that if you believe in climate change here is a new wildlife threat which completely dwarfs the climate issue. Species extinction is a serious matter around the world.

We are losing up to 40 a day.

Yet environmentalists are urging us to adopt technologies

that are hastening this process and among the most destructive of these is wind power. Because wind farms tend to be built on uplands where there are good thermals, the blades kill a disproportionate number of soaring birds.

And although as yet we have none here, offshore farms pose a real and growing threat to seabirds and migratory birds.

They see them as perching sites - too late.

There is a suggestion that birds will soon adapt to avoid turbine blades but your ability to learn something when you have been whacked on the head by an object travelling at 200 mph is limited.

As for bats, unfortunately they reproduce very slowly, normally live a long time, but are easy to wipe out. In Ger-

many, turbines kill more than 200,000 bats a year. In the US and Canada the annual death toll is around three million.

Here in Cyprus, no studies have been carried out on fatalities, so it is difficult if not impossible to be critical and contributive, but you may be sure no wind farm operator and nobody within the government will wish to discuss this aspect of these wasteful and damaging units.

But worldwide there is now overwhelming evidence not only of the economic futility of turbine operation, but of the terrible environmental hurt and shameful sadness associated with this ecological disaster.

Clive Turner, Paphos

If there’s a crisis, why do ‘struggling It is polarised thinking The kindness of strangers businesses’ ignore potential custom? that has hurt humanity

My mother passed away recently. This is such a commonplace and unremarkable phrase, said by many as we ourselves grow older day by day.

What is remarkable however, is the wonderful care and compassion shown to her by the Doctors, Nurses and Care Staff of The Friends’ Hospice within the Evangelismos Hospital here in Paphos.

The words ‘thank you’ are wholly inadequate to express the depth of gratitude that I feel for the way that they made sure that my mother’s last days were pain free and comfortable.

Nothing ever seemed to be too much trouble to them, and they always made us feel welcome and included when we were with my mother, no matter what time of day or night we turned up.

The Friends’ Hospice of the Evangelismos is funded entirely by charitable donations and I would find it hard to suggest a more worthwhile cause.

Once again, I would like to say “thank you” to a group of very special people, carrying out a difficult but much needed role within our community, with such compassion, kindness and care.

Anne Hanley, Paphos

I write to inform your readers of what I have found to be a worrying trend in disappointing customer service.

Recently I made an enquiry for the purchase and delivery of a large amount of Bentonite - cat litter - from one of the top Cypriot raw material manufacturers in Nicosia (Pelitico).

It was not an enormous order; one metric tonne per month but it was a regular monthly order and one that would provide a consistent and steady revenue stream for the company during these difficult times.

However, despite regular and repeated telephone calls, made over a period of five days, I am no closer to speaking to anyone to discuss my requirement, let alone placing

an order. When I eventually managed to speak to someone in senior management, I again repeated my requirement but to this day I have still not received any sort of acknowledgement or follow up from the company.

I have since sourced my requirement from an Italian supplier.

However, when I reflected on the obstacles to placing an in-country order, I decided to document my experience in an email complaint to the managing director, and although it was sent to him on January 25. I have not even received the good manners of an acknowledgement or reply.

Bill Taylor, Pads or Paws, Limassol

At its simplest level, it’s in the Bible: us or them. Abel and Cain, Jacob and Esau, good guy and bad guy. We learn to personify ethos, division, ideology.

Adversarial thinking did not begin with shouting arguments on television, nor did our two-party political system arrive out of thin air. The two-some, with all its coupling and duplicity and pairing and opposing, feeds our passion about the ‘Western mind’.

Aristotelian logic cannot think in threes, it is always about the binary concept: 0 or 1, pros and cons, yes or no, easy or difficult; in our computer algorithms, in the opposites of our mindful thinking, in choicedecisions.

This is a fact that has hurt humanity. It is a major distraction from revealing and accepting the uniqueness of individuality, the purposefulness of ideology, the applicability of public policy. Human existence, political belief, persuasion, beauty and truth cannot be reduced to bipolarity. Thinking in opposites was never meant to be our approach to life. We got it wrong.

Dr Adonis Stylianou, Paphos

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13 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013

Opinion Innovative entrepreneurship: why Israel’s is a success story and Cyprus’ is one of failure

A completely different mentality Comment Theodore Panayotou

T

HE TWINS of innovation and entrepreneurship, expressed in innovative enterprise are the only tools that could sustainably get us out of the economic recession and set us on the road to recovery and growth.

Technological and business innovation is the ultimate source of productivity growth and competitiveness.

Israel has a fraction of the resources per capita we have and fewer than almost any other country in the world and yet it has managed to become the start-up nation of the world. It thrives in the midst of economic crisis, while we wander about aimlessly unable to even pay people’s wages.

Israel with its technological sophistication and business acumen has managed not only to survive in an area surrounded by enemies that threatened it’s very existence, but also to become the envy of even the developed countries of Europe and America.

In per capita terms, Israel has more start-ups than any other country in the world and attracts 30 times more venture capital than the whole of Europe, in addition to the number of companies it has listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange, the second largest in the world.

The Israelis attribute their tremendous technological, business and economic success to the lack of natural resources and to the outside threat. Cyprus is facing similar threats to its national survival but we do not see similar dedication and effort to raise our international competitiveness through research, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Now that we both have discovered natural gas, we celebrate madly, while the Israelis are worried that the discovery might undermine what they have achieved through hard work, research, innovation and entrepreneurship.

They fear that it may lead them to new adventures. Could it kill the incentive for continued progress and distort the economy? Could it bring easy riches, complacency and corruption as happened with their Arab neighbors.

They are debating ways to handle this double-edged sword in order to make it more of a blessing than a curse. They are not prepared to sacrifice even 10 per cent of their research, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship at the altar of the natural gas. If anything, they plan to invest much of their gas revenues in redoubling their research and technological innovation efforts.

Thus, in Israel necessity and adversity gave birth to creativity and entrepreneurial culture, but not so in Cyprus, despite the proximity and similarities of the two countries. Why did Israel do it while we did not?

The reasons are many but almost all have to do with the different mentality and culture which has developed in the two nations since gaining their statehood, basically the past half century.

In Israel, an insatiable questioning of authority and an anti-hierarchical ethos dominates political and economic life. In Cyprus the ‘deification’ of power and hierarchy dominates all aspects of life. In Israel, a man is defined by what he can do and how well he does it. In Cyprus a man is defined by title or position, and based on who you know rather than what you know.

In Israel, the teacher acquires appreciation for the student and the manager for the employee. In Cyprus, it’s the opposite: the student owes respect and allegiance to the teacher, the employee to the manager, and the soldier to the officer regardless of ability, competence and performance. The Israelis from infancy are trained to challenge the obvious, to ask questions, and to debate and criticise everything, to think creatively and to innovate.

In Cyprus, children are trained to accept what the grownups (parents and teachers) say and not to question it.

When I teach in Israel 80 per cent of the students ask questions; they challenge everything, I say. In Cyprus, if you’re lucky 20 per cent rarely asks questions and hardly anyone challenges the teacher. Our centralised education system is investing in routine, extrinsic incentives, standardisation and conformity, while in Israel it promotes diversity, intrinsic motivation and spontaneous creativity and imagination, just those skills required by the connected and globalized international economy.

In Israel, if you’re the manager,

‘Start-up nation’ the Israel Pavilion for Shanghai World Expo 2010 your authority will be constantly challenged: why should you be the manager of me and not me the manager of you? Therefore, you must constantly prove by your decisions and actions that you deserve the position you hold. Even army officers are challenged by their soldiers.

Blind obedience is not required; actually it is frowned upon.

In Cyprus the opposite happens.

Many of the officers in the security forces, and the managers of the wider public sector and even the private sector, have obtained their position by political favour and connection or based on the number of years of service and not through their own merit.

It is then not surprising that they impose their authority by discipline rather than earn it with their performance. Their subordinates know that the only way to climb the ladder is to follow their example, buttering

up their superiors and investing in personal and party connections and not in performance and creativity.

In contrast to the usual practice in Cyprus, in Israel subordinates do not run to their superiors to solve problems, but they assume the risk and the responsibility to invent imaginative solutions in real time and on the go. Textbook answers are discouraged and imaginative solutions are sought. Thus, most innovations are bottom-up, not top-down.

In Israel, military service has become an incubator of innovative companies (startups). Those who haven’t served in the army have a hard time finding work in government and business because they are considered to be “problematic” and immature, having lost the opportunity of technological training and operational experience offered by military service. In Cyprus, military service is considered a necessary evil

and a waste of time since neither technological training nor professional development of soldiers takes place, while exemption from service can be achieved with the right connections.

Another important factor in creating innovative enterprises in Israel is the willingness to take risks and an accepting attitude towards failure which entices failed entrepreneurs to use their experience and try again instead of stigmatising and marginalising them. Without tolerating a large number of failures it is impossible to achieve real innovation.

But the failures should be “smart failures”. We must distinguish between a well-planned experiment and Russian roulette. Risks undertaken intelligently and not recklessly result in useful lessons even if the enterprise fails.

Studies have shown that entrepreneurs who failed in their previous company are twice as likely to succeed the next time around compared to those who are starting their first business, and almost the same chance with those who succeeded the first time. Whether they succeed or fail, entrepreneurs make their contribution to the economy. If they succeed, they create new valuable products and services; if they fail, they keep the established entrepreneurs under constant pressure to innovate.

Unfortunately, in Cyprus failure is stigmatised and the unsuccessful businessman is marginalised. The bankruptcy law is unforgiving and works proactively as a deterrent against any attempt at innovation and entrepreneurship. When profit from success is demonised and failure stigmatised, it is not surprising that high-risk, high-return innovative entrepreneurship is rare in Cyprus while in Israel it is commonplace and produces miracles.

Dr Theodore Panayotou is Professor and Director of the Cyprus International Institute of Management (CIIM). He served as Professor of Economics and the Environment at Harvard University and consultant to the UN and to governments in the U.S., China, Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Cyprus.

He has published and was recognized for his contribution to the Intergovernmental Committee on Climate Change , which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer Comment Loucas Charalambous ALL COMMENTS written or heard about last Monday’s televised election debate were directed at the presidential candidates.

They were accused of wasting the time dealing with the past while saying nothing about the future and what they had to offer.

I think this criticism should not have been directed at the candidates but the journalists. In this country if there some people worse than the politicians it is the journalists. In everything that has happened, or not happened, in the last 50 years, journalists are the accomplices of the politicians.

That Cyprus has been ruled, for all these years, by demagogues

who had brought about all today’s problems is, to some extent, owed to the journalists we have. To put it more simply, if we had journalists who did their job properly, we would not have our most useless and incompetent politicians in power. If we had good journalists, our politicians would not be able to engage, relentlessly in demagoguery at no personal cost for themselves but huge cost for the country.

With regard to the televised farce of last Monday the responsibility belonged to the four journalists who were asking the questions. The candidates were merely answering what the journalists were asking. As the saying goes, ‘ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer.’ You just cannot make stupid questions and expect intelligent answers.

If I counted correctly, in the two-and-half hours of the debate, the word ‘Annan’ was mentioned 90 times. One of the four journalists made a total of 24 questions and I think the Annan plan was mentioned in all of them. Some said it was a debate about the Annan plan, and I would add that it was the most idiotic debate there could have been on the subject.

The journalist with the record number of ‘Annan’ mentions, was constantly challenging Nicos Anastasiades to apologise for the positive stance he took in the referendum for the plan.

This is the depressingly low level of journalism, but also of political culture, in this strange country.

This is how journalists and many politicians see politics.

Whoever disagrees with them is

obliged to apologise to the people. But as the political game in Cyprus is played in this miserable way, why was there not one journalist willing to ask Anastasiades’ rivals the reverse.

For example, he could have asked Giorgos Lillikas why he did not apologise to the people, for urging the rejection of the Annan plan.

By rejecting the plan, 40,000 Turkish soldiers remained in Cyprus instead of the 600 stipulated by the plan. Why did he surrender Famagusta, Morphou and dozens of villages, which would have all been returned to the Greek Cypriots, to Turkey?

Why did he give up the properties of the Greek Cypriots in the north with the result they were now being sold at cut-rates by desperate owners to Turkey?

Need I also mention that by re-

jecting the plan he brought another 100,000 Turkish settlers to the north to add to the 41,000 that would have stayed if the plan was accepted?

If there was any rationality to asking Anastasiades to apologise because he had the courage to go against the demagoguery of the time and stick to his political beliefs, there would also be rationality in asking Lillikas and the rest of the opponents of a settlement to answer all the above questions and explain their support for no solution, which in effect is support for permanent partition.

For this to happen though, we needed journalists who understood what the mission of journalism was and had some respect for the profession, not these self-regarding, know-italls.

14 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

Opinion

The long, the short and the tall of it Only the ordinary voter can bring about change.

He knows the corrupt will continue swimming on troika memoranda loans while he sinks

S

EVERAL Saturdays ago, I accompanied my wife and a couple of her lady friends on an early morning shopping spree. While they scoured Marks and Spencer’s lingerie dept. for bargains, I stood outside on the pavement of Makarios Avenue, leaning against a lamp-post in the sunshine, reading a newspaper.

A gleaming black limousine, hazard lights blinking and engine purring, was parked opposite on double yellows, adjacent to a ‘select forecourt café’ and first floor sushi restaurant, the chauffeur standing tall to attention beside a nearside open passenger door.

I glanced at the registration number – no corps diplomatic, Church or govt. official flag flying – innocuous, and I returned to reading.

A while later, two immaculately attired ‘gentlemen’, exited the café and stood by the car, chatting like a couple of swells. One was short, dapper and dartingly agile and the other long and elegantly obsequious – the tall chauffeur waiting patiently for the short to climb aboard.

Ahead of doing so, the short glanced (un simple coup d’oeil) up and down the Avenue as if to confirm anonymity. But there was nobody about and he rested his gaze inquiringly on me, whereupon, I do declare, I stared brazenly back until I sensed anxiety cloud his penetrating gaze. Did I look like an industrial spy, assassin or Inland Revenue investigator, sunglasses and hat projected pointedly at him above my open held daily?

Of course, I’d recognized him immediately, and as soon as he realized I had, he climbed into the limousine and it purred off at a royal pace up the Avenue, suggesting its illustrious occupant owned everything in sight.

Well, he does, almost, even being a major shareholder of the Cyprus Development Bank, which is situated near the crossroads of the Avenue with Grivas Dighenis.

His many operations are market leaders in retail, distribution & logistics, automotive, telecommunications, real estate and infrastruc-

Comment Hermes Solomon ture. His main holding and investment company, Cyprus Trading Corporation Plc. is listed on the Cyprus Stock Exchange and controls a portfolio of companies, each one specializing in a specific industry; listed also are Woolworth (Cyprus) Properties Plc., ITTL Trade Tourist & Leisure Park Plc., Cyprus Limni Resorts and Golf Courses Plc. and Ermes Department Stores Plc. The Group’s vision of the future is/was “to maintain market leadership in Cyprus, and through existing and new strategic alliances and partnerships, create the right framework for continuous, profitable growth,” this vision now seriously tarnished by a worldwide economic crisis that any fool expected and nobody in Cyprus, it seems, predicted, or evasive action might have been taken long ago to avoid closure of one of the Group’s Makarios Avenue stores on the 9th of February and the other shortly after. In fact, how short sighted to have opened so many similar stores successively in the first place then build innumerable shopping Malls. It’s as if he purposefully chose to cut his nose to spite his face.

Was it these impending Avenue store closures that made the short stare at me anxiously? Did my glare make him feel threatened, uneasy, self-conscious, guilty; complicit in this loan economy’s fatal downfall? Surely, his Group, and many others not quite as big, cannot escape taking their fair share of the blame for the island’s economic collapse, having kept their heads down and clear of media disdain thus far.

After all, did we really need a new international airport in Larnaca, and another in Paphos? Do we really need to develop the Polis Chrysochous coastline with yet more empty motorways, hotels and concrete palaces? Did we really need an elevated concrete plaque the size of two football pitches to replace a public park in Nicosia town centre - and a new cathedral in that slum dog of an old town??

How about dishing the ‘dirty water’ first - there’s plenty of it mushrooming now throughout the island?

Yes, we need jobs, but sustainable jobs, not those that make huge profits for a handful of ‘captains of industry’ who then discard ‘crew’ like How many do empty ice cream cartons.

What were we thinking when the USA’s Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac went horribly broke five years ago – that our developers, bankers and construction industry wouldn’t…eventually, and as badly? How ironic that construction workers chose last week to strike indefinitely, now of all times as new-builds sit empty along with most of the old!

It was men like the short who led the Cyprus economy into the abyss and who now, like our short president, is closing down and getting out! Certain hoteliers-come-property-developers should not hide behind menial charitable donations then avoid paying taxes, IPT, electricity and water bills – no names, no pack drill.

The long and short of it is that we expect men like the short to come to the country’s aid - not scupper and scarper, escaping accountability like our corrupt bankers, a certain food chain retailer, bankrupt developers and ‘bent’ lawyers – those true whores of the

we need to change a lightbulb?

Republic, who between them have creamed off before pissing off, all of them having made their fortunes by exploiting this island-wide cartel of artfully interwoven incalculable corruption ably aided and abetted by a complicit judiciary! Had the republic’s population been twice what it is today, the short’s megalomania might have been sustainable.

But at a mere 890,000, how many civil servants do we need to change a light bulb – one to be paid for changing it and another five to be paid for watching? Only the ordinary voter can bring about drastic change. He knows that the corrupt will continue swimming on troika memoranda loans while he sinks.

You, who have a vote at the forthcoming presidential elections, have a voice and a right to punish failure. Your country needs you, just this once, to think carefully before casting your vote, if at all after last Monday evening’s evasive and pointless Cyprob TV debate!

The casino debate in Cyprus: to have or not to have?

Comment Anna Farmaki COUNTLESS are the times the Cyprus tourism authorities and other experts have argued in favour of a casino development in Cyprus. Yet, all of these propositions have been met with criticism and scepticism.

It has been debated that cultural and religious values will be threatened by such a development on the island and ethical dilemmas seem to be at the centre of discussions.

Concerns have been raised over the potential increase in crime and the financial burden to be borne by gamblers. Given the Cypriots’ tendency to gamble these concerns are justified to some extent. But what about the economic benefits such a development can yield to the island?

The advantages a casino development can bring to Cyprus’ economy are tremendous. Employment opportunities will be created whereas the increase in tourist arrivals will bring considerable revenue. The casino tax revenues are another potential source of income for the govern-

ment.

Research has indicated that casino development can provide benefits to tourism if developed properly. Gambling has been used as an economic development tool in places like Atlantic City, Macau and Monte Carlo with revenues accounting for up to 50% of the economy in some cases.

In turn, through casino development these destinations have become large diversified cities, offering many facilities including restaurants, night clubs, hotels and shops. As casino resorts have matured, evolved and been placed into the luxury segment, non-gaming aspects of these operations have taken on individual significance.

As a result, cities embracing the concept of casinos have been revitalised and are considered today popular entertainment hubs. Indeed, casino development can support other entertainment options by providing an attraction. Las Vegas is a testament of casinos’ powerful ability to support complimentary businesses and encourage economic development in fields related to tourism.

Similarly, recent research found that gamblers are interested in special tourism products such as wine tours

and cultural festivals therefore it could be argued that gambling tourism provides benefits to non-casino investors.

Despite these claims, not every destination has been successful in yielding the benefits from casino development. This has been particularly evident in destinations where revenues were leaked outside or where casinos have failed to act as attractions, supporting related tourist facilities like restaurants and shops.

Hence, the difference between success and failure lies in the planning and management process.

The question thus is not whether a casino should be developed in Cyprus. The concern should revolve around this factor. An important realisation among economists is that the existence of a casino in a destination does not create money, it merely transfers it. If the money available is not spent on gambling it will be spent on another activity. The real benefit of gambling to a destination is when this money is transferred from outside, either through tourists, or through locals who used to travel abroad to gamble.

Therefore, Cyprus could target gamblers arriving to Cyprus for a

short break or tourists already staying on the island but looking for a different activity, not to mention the locals who travel elsewhere for gambling.

Two factors that seem to influence the success of casino development are the type of casino developed and the size of the region. Specifically, it appears that casino developments are more successful in small places whereas land-based, resort casinos yield more positive results than any other type of casino. Indeed, when gamblers stay in large resort complexes with plenty entertainment facilities, the average length of stay in the casino-resort is increased.

On the other hand, if licences are given for several small casinos to be developed, the results might be negative in the long-run. In addition, the management of a casino needs to be placed in competent hands. A high degree of skills are required when managing a casino-resort including general business sense, knowledge of regulations and gaming laws and of hospitality and casino operations.

Such is the complex nature of a casino-resort that universities now offer degrees in casino management.

The underlying issue is that casinos

are a sub-sector of the tourism industry and just like any other industry it involves a producer and a consumer.

Currently, there is great demand for such a product. Hence, the Cyprus tourism authorities need to consider carefully the potential market of gamblers they want to target before the development stage.

A casino could support the quality image Cyprus is trying to build by targeting high-spenders and complement existing products. Whether it is considered an attraction site or a complementary activity, a casino resort in Cyprus could yield considerable economic benefits. Benefits that could be multiplied across the industry and could, at the end of the day, outnumber the potential costs involved in such a project. Hopefully, the Cyprus government will change legislation to allow the tourism authorities to ‘defrost’ the casino plan that has been put in the freezer, before it is too late and competing destinations reap the advantages.

Dr Anna Farmaki is Course Leader, BA (Hons) Hospitality and Tourism Management School of Business and Management at UCLan Cyprus

15 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013

Opinion From a ‘free for all’ to some very complex rules

To drive or not to drive?

uotes of the week “If you are a young woman on her own, trying to walk back home through a park early in the morning in a tight short skirt and high shoes, and there’s a predator - if you are blind drunk, wearing those clothes, how able are you to get away?”

Tory MP Robert Graham has advice for bingedrinking teenage girls

A letter from London Alexia Saoulli

S

OMETIMES it’s the little things in life that give you a wee lift. When I was living back home, I couldn’t understand women who don’t drive. I mean how can you not drive?

“She’s scared of it,” a former colleague of mine once told me. He was talking about his mother.

I remember thinking she must be totally bonkers. I even, I’m ashamed to admit, judged her for it. I think the word pathetic likely came to mind. I mean how could anyone be scared of driving? It’s the easiest thing in the world. You get behind the wheel and you go.

That is until I moved to London.

Suddenly the roads seemed so big and, for fear of sounding pathetic, scary. I started envisioning all sorts of scenarios where I’d take the wrong turning and face being honked at from all directions by a multitude of angry drivers competing for the same few square metres of space on the road. Drivers, I might add, who follow the Highway Code and don’t just pull out and block oncoming traffic so that they can get into the opposite lane.

Instead they patiently wait for someone to actually stop and let them out. Drivers who know that those crisscross yellow lines at junctions are not simply a bit of colour to brighten up the tarmac but that they mean you MUST NOT enter the box until your exit road or lane is clear.

Drivers who know that you don’t nip into the fast lane on the far left, because that’s the bus lane. And just because London licensed taxis, motorcycles, mopeds, scooters, tricycles, bicycles and dial a ride vehicles can too, does not mean you can sneak in with your second-hand Vauxhall Corsa and skip the queue.

Trust me on this. Although they don’t have officers lying in wait to haul you over, they do have cameras. Everywhere. And boy, are those things effective; especially if you haven’t paid your congestion charge.

And for those of you who don’t know what that is, that’s a £15 charge just to drive into a chunk of Central London including among others Green Park, the West End, Soho, Marylebone, the City

of Westminster, Blackfriars, Fleet Street, Clerkenwell, and Moorgate. Or in Cypriot speak: where Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and Leicester Square are located. Failing to pay on time – and you have until midnight on the next charging day on which you enter the congestion charge zone to submit your payment – will result in a Penalty Charge Notice in the post, courtesy of Transport for London, for £120. The good news is you get a 50 per cent discount if you pay it within 14 days, instead of 28. This charge is also only applicable between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday, so that means one can drive in after 6pm during the week, at weekends and on public holidays. Woopidoo.

All these complicated rules. I’m exhausted just thinking about them. It’s no wonder I was terrified of getting behind the wheel.

In “my country”, as I’ve taken to calling Cyprus, it’s a free for all. A lot of shouting, hand waving, finger flicking and cutting people off. Heck, we even drink drive and can get away with it if we take the back roads. If we do get caught, we dare to argue the toss with the policeman that it was only a few drinks at our brother-in-law’s sister’s second son’s Christening, and

‘A lot more cars, a lot more law abiding, a lot less honking, and a lot more indicating, but still pretty much the same process’

“There’s a new clientele.

In the past a woman might have bought four to five dresses. Now those women buy 30. It’s a new wealth. The former rich are feeling poor. Don’t ask me where the money comes from. As long as they spend it and make everybody work, everything is OK with me.”

Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld (below)

“We made and spent at least ten million dollars. The thing is that we heard that the planet was going to end in 2012. We thought ‘we have got to spend this money before the asteroid hits’. But the world didn’t end” US reality TV star Spencer Pratt and his wife Heidi Montag

London: where junction boxes actually mean something that it won’t happen again.

Promise.

Of course now that the state coffers are empty, I’ve heard there’s no question of talking your way out of a fine. So strapped are the cops for cash, that they even camp out in back roads waiting to catch unsuspecting drunk drivers.

I know this because when I was home at Christmas my beautician gave me a stark warning over a bikini wax. She even told me that a friend of a friend had told her that traffic police have been set targets for how many fines they have to collect and that they have become quite ruthless in trying to achieve those targets.

“They even fined someone the other day for not wearing a seatbelt in the backseat. Can you believe it?

Seriously Alexia mou, you have to be careful. These are desperate times and they are taking desperate measures,” she said with a steely look in her eye, as I tried to stifle a yelp when she yanked off yet another strip of wax.

So, when I got here, I was faced with the question of to drive or not to drive in London? Most people would say not to drive, as the traffic is horrendous and street parking a nightmare. But I come from a culture where driving to Zorpa, which is only a three minute walk from home, is par for the course, so I de-

cided to drive. Or at least I decided to get a car and to think about driving.

After about a month of walking to and from Waitrose and Sainsbury’s (about a 12 minute walk from home) and lugging back shopping, I decided I’d had enough. I was going to take the plunge. I was a 36-year-old, confident woman of the world and a competent driver. Who cares if I was from a country with some of the worst drivers in the world? I could take on these London roads, with all their rules and regulations. Besides it was only up the road and I’d walked it enough times to get the lay of the land. So I waited for my boyfriend to go out to work (I didn’t want any witnesses), got dressed for my mission (coat, gloves, hat), took a deep breath and set off.

And do you know what?

It was as easy as pie. Once I was behind the wheel and on the roads I found that it wasn’t too different to driving at home. A lot more cars, a lot more law abiding, a lot less honking, and a lot more indicating, but still pretty much the same process. I felt a deep thrill inside me and an inner woop for joy.

I was doing it. I was driving in London. Sound pretty pathetic to you? Well it felt bloody brilliant to me. Like I said before, sometimes it’s the little things in life that give you a wee lift and I’ve been driving ever since.

“It is all very well for them to shout like a bunch of discombobulated monkeys, bouncing up and down on the bench opposite. The reality is that their housing benefit record left many, many, many thousands of families unable to find housing.”

UK Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith (below) attacks Labour’s welfare reforms during Commons exchanges

“It seemed like an outlandish idea to take someone who grew up in south-east London and make him President of the United States. I am not an American citizen, so I don’t have the right to be president.”

Actor Daniel Day-Lewis who plays Abraham Lincoln in the Oscarnominated film “Aren’t we lucky to have found a line of work that doesn’t require growing up?”

Veteran actor and dancer Dick Van Dyke, 87, after receiving a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors’ Guild “Ageing isn’t easy for anybody. Nobody wants to look in the mirror and see themselves getting closer to the end of their life.”

Actress Julianne Moore

“Like all English royals who ever lived, Kate Middleton is only as handsome as nature made her - no more, no less. The fact that she has wrinkles under her eyes, that her nose flattens crudely into her forehead, that her chin lacks refinement, that she can only produce a wry smile and that she is decidedly less than ‘stunning’ has nothing to do with the catastrophic failure of Paul Emsley’s official portrait of her.”

Celebrated US art critic Joseph McKenzie

16 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

World in pictures

Participants dressed as Vikings in the annual Up Helly Aa festival in Lerwick, Shetland Islands

(AFP)

The giant Mother Motherland statue rises at the memorial on Mamayev Hill in the Russian city of Volgograd, which will be known as Stalingrad again (AFP)

Around 200 Clown Doctors or Giggle Doctors of the children care foundation Theodora gather in Bern (AFP)

Newly initiated Naga Sadhus perform rituals on the bank of the Ganga River during the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad.

During Kumbh Mela, the diksha – ritual of initiation by a guru - for new members takes place (AFP) Models appear before judges during the Indian Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) model auditions in Mumbai (AFP)

Bahraini Shiite Muslim women gather for a demonstration against the death of a child in the village of Daih. His relatives claim he died after inhaling poisonous tear gas police used during a riot (AFP)

Statues of Israeli soldiers standing guard next to a sign for tourists showing the different distances to Jerusalem, Baghdad, Damascus and other locations, at an army post in Mount Bental in the Golan Heights (AFP) Left: Models present creations by Lina during the first day of the International Flamenco Fashion Show in Seville (AFP)

Members of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in Paris as France’s parliament examined a draft legislation on samesex marriage (AFP)

17 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013

Coffeeshop

Almost free of the commie yoke ONLY TWO weeks away from elections that will peacefully free us from the communist yoke and allow us to view the future with a little less pessimism, our establishment feels it should take a superficial look at the candidates and help its customers decide, at least, whom not to vote for.

Before writing anything, Patroclos did the test prepared by TEPAK (the state technical university), which processes your answers on a set of election issues and informs you which candidate’s positions you are closest to, as this was easier than reading up all the campaign bumph prepared by them.

It was a cute test (www.choose4cyprus.com) that informed me that my right-wing, neo-liberal, anti-communist beliefs had only 8 per cent compatibility with Malas’ positions, 14 per cent with Lillikas’ and 42 per cent with the Fuhrer’s. The big surprise was that 36.8 per cent of my views were compatible with the LASOK candidate’s, Lakis Ioannou, which got me a bit worried because I always thought he was a bit of a fruitcake; obviously he is not.

I mention the results of the test in order to warn customers that there may be a bit of bias in the negative write-ups of the candidates, but at least our establishment does not take money to present their election promises in prominent positions like other publications do – this is not for ethical reasons, but because nobody has offered to pay us.

LILLIKAS, for instance, has been paying for a box on the bottom right hand corner of Phil’s front page. The box has been a front-page fixture in every edition since January 12, with the exception of Sunday’s, and informs the paper’s readers of all the super-miracles the rags-to-riches village boy will perform when he becomes president.

For the first couple of weeks, this was presented as a news-story and only when the reader turned to the inside page to read more about the miracle was he informed that it was a ‘paid briefing’. Why did the paper not call this gimmick by its proper name, ‘advertisement’? Lillikas was paying for space in the paper to say what he wanted and sell his candidacy to Phil’s customers, just like suppliers of beer, cars etc do, so why was this not an advertisement?

I bet it was the super-smart Yiorkos’ idea to label the advertisement a ‘paid briefing’, because he does have a talent for misleading people, and Phil was not going to turn down the opportunity to make a bit of dosh in these very difficult times for newspapers.

IN THE END, Yiorkos’ idea worked out a treat for Phil, because the Fuhrer also decided to have a ‘paid briefing’ on its front page. He took the top left hand corner from January 25, even though his ‘briefings’ do not feature miracles on the scale of the Panayia miracle-worker, nor his picture. Since Nice Nik booked space, Phil has decided to have the ‘paid briefing’ label on the front page as well. Yiorkos has also been using Simerini’s front page for his ‘paidbriefing’, occupying the top-lefthand corner of the paper.

Unlike the millionaire candidates, the poor, indebted Malas, has had to rely on the ‘unpaid briefings’ on the front page of Haravghi, which are unlikely to attract any undecided voters.

I am surprised the commies have not yet made an issue about the unfair advantage the millionaire candidates have over Malas.

And there is no Andreas Vgenopoulos around now to contribute to the campaign fund of the AKEL candidate as he reportedly had done five years ago.

GOING through Lillikas’ paid briefings for newspaper readers, I cannot hide my admiration for the miracles he plans to perform.

Apart from cashing in on the natural gas and disengaging from the memorandum in 2013, within a year of his election the national health scheme would be in operation, the taxpayer would not pay for the banks’ needs, he would ensure small businesses would pay less interest on their bank loans and have the repayment period extended, create jobs for the young, bring transparency everywhere and eliminate corruption, modernise SGOs, give power to the citizens and introduce all-day school.

And on the seventh day he will not rest; neither would the Almighty if he had the Cyprob to solve. Yiorkos will work on a solution that would rid us of all Turkish occupation troops, ensure all refugees returned to their homes (including those who did not want to return) and all Turkish settlers returned to Anatolia.

There will be more extensive coverage and unpaid briefings of the elections next Sunday, when we hope to offer our customers a clearer idea of who not to vote for.

IN NORMAL countries rioting mobs are usually made of the poor and dispossessed. But last Thursday in Kyproulla we saw a mob of investors storming the Bank of Cyprus headquarters in Nicosia to protest because they were no longer being paid interest on the high-yield bonds they had purchased a couple of years ago.

The investor mob, who have been staging protests for months now, claiming they had been cheated by the B of C and Laiki that had sold them convertible bonds on the promise of yields of 6 and 7 per cent, gave a security staff at the HQ a big fright and police had to restore order.

Their demand was that the bonds they invested in should not be turned into bank shares, which are almost worthless nowadays.

Members of the mob, with bonds worth hundreds of thousands of euro to their name, claimed in front of the cameras they had been ruined financially. One of the leaders of the investors – a man with long hair who loves appearing before the cameras – undermined this campaign for public pity, when he told journalists that if the B of C did not make a satisfactory proposal, it would lose many millions, because the bond holders would move their deposits to other banks.

LAST WEDENSDAY, the front page of Phil reported that Cypriot bankers suffered their “first strong shock” after meeting PIMCO and realising that the analysis of their books featured “unpleasant surprises”. According to the paper’s information, “the banking institution that ‘cried’ after seeing the audit carried out by PIMCO was the Bank of Cyprus.”

It did not say who wiped the banking institution’s tears, but added that PIMCO, while refusing to explain the methodology it used, in-

We would like to report an incident of mass child abuse to the Commissioner for the Protection of Children’s Rights Leda Koursoumba. AKEL has been recruiting kids under 10 and making them chant commie slogans. I thought only in North Korea did the communist party take children and formed the weeping bank of some of the assumptions it had made. But where did the paper get its information from? The previous evening B of C chairman Andreas Artemis met Central Bank Governor Professor Panicos and expressed his strong objections to the methodology used

by PIMCO to calculate the bank’s financial needs. Artemis did not speak to Phil about the meeting so who leaked the info about the bank’s tears to the paper? Professor Panicos will no doubt report the leak to the Attorney-General and demand a police investigation.

STAYING on the subject of leaks, I am very surprised there has been no leak about the findings of the investigation by Alvarez and Marsal, which was called in by Professor Panicos to find out who was responsible for the problems of the banks so they could be brought to justice. While the report has been delivered there have been no leaks.

We can only deduce it did not find the former Governor of the Central Bank guilty of any major wrongdoing, which was the main objective of the investigation, not having seen anything about it in the press.

There would be no leaks about the man who sank Laiki, Andreas Vgenopoulos, if there were allegations of wrongdoing in the A&M report, because he is under the high protection of comrade Tof and Akel.

PROFESSOR Panicos, finally realising that his eagerness to punish the banks, by supporting the tough methodology and extreme assumptions used by PIMCO to calculate their financial assistance needs, has caused insurmountable problems for the economy has embarked on an arse-covering operation.

Maximising the financial needs of the banks and making our public debt unviable may have pleased his comrade benefactors at AKEL, but could jeopardise his career prospects under the new government. So now, efforts would supposedly be made to lower the amount needed by the banks.

Yesterday the Central Bank announced that the PIMCO report,

brainwash them, but I was wrong. A video on You Tube (screen grab above) shows that this totalitarian practice also takes place in EU member-states and I hope Ms Koursoumba will do something to protect these poor kids. She can see the video for herself at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV9AFyg-978

which would have been released today, would be made public when the memorandum is signed, presumably so that Panicos could try to bring the re-capitalisation figure down.

The Phil web-site yesterday reported that while PIMCO put the figure at €10b, the Central Bank believed it should be €6.5b. Professor Panicos will no doubt report the leak to the Attorney-General, even though it shows him in a positive light, and demand a police investigation.

COMRADE Tof may have become accustomed to being snubbed and ignored by fellow leaders when attending meetings in Brussels, but he is obviously not willing to tolerate any such shows of disrespect in his own backyard. This explains why the Chief of Protocol at the foreign ministry, Nearchos Palas, wrote to the president of the Honorary Consular Corps Cyprus, to register the government’s displeasure for the poor turnout of honorary consuls at a reception at the presidential palace on January 8.

The reception, given by the President and the First Lady for the diplomatic and honorary consular corps, is an annual fixture and held at the beginning of the year. In his letter, Palas noted that of 121 honorary consuls only 26 attended, which constituted 21.4 per cent of the corps.

The Chief of Protocol expressed “displeasure for the low attendance rate” and wrote that the “issue would be raised with the Diplomatic Office of the President of the Republic.” He concluded his letter as follows: “I consider it unacceptable for Honorary Consuls of foreign countries in Cyprus to receive an invitation from the Head of State and not respond.”

Palas must release the names of the consuls who snubbed Tof, so we can send them a ‘thank-you’ note.

THE ABOVE was attached to a letter sent by the President of the Honorary Consuls Corps, Panayiotis Antoniades, to all members. Antoniades also said the low attendance rate was “unacceptable” and never before had there been such a low number of consuls at the reception.

“We all have to respect the Presi-

dent, irrespective of our personal political beliefs, in order for the Consular Corps to be respected and continue(sic) to be invited to such events,” wrote Antoniades. It was all a matter of respect, according to Antoniades, who added: “I urge all honorary consuls to attend these events out of respect to the countries that entrusted us to represent them, out of respect towards the President of the Republic and in order to increase the status(sic) and respect of the Honorary Consular Corps to the level that it deserves.”

A little respect for the English language would also help increase the status of the Corps to the level that it deserves.

I KNOW that state visits are arranged months in advance, but Tof the Terrible’s official visit to Serbia during the week could not have been more badly timed. As if it were not bad enough having all of Europe making money-laundering allegations against Kyproulla the comrade went on an official visit to of all places Serbia, the country that under his fellow commie Milosevic, helped us acquire our money-laundering reputation. Even on the rare occasions he does not mean to cause harm to the country, he still does.

LABOUR minister Sotiroulla ‘Pourekka’ Charalambous on Friday thought it appropriate to boast about the huge amounts of money the government wasted on social benefits and led the state to bankruptcy. Social benefits increased by 42 per cent since 2007, she said, proudly adding that from December 2009 to today, the state had spent €308 million on welfare benefits to pensioners. This spending reduced the number of pensioners living below the poverty line, a proud Pourekka said. She avoided mentioning that the state’s bankruptcy achieved by the caring commies dramatically increased the number of non-pensioners living below the poverty line.

ONLY 14 days left for the elections and 25 days before Tof starts life as a pensioner living above the poverty line.

18 SUNDAY MAIL

Reportage

The ex-husband, his ca and how to hide a big s As Scot Young is jailed in the UK for failing to disclose his assets, and Boris Berezovsky’s ex freezes £200 million of his fortune, Rosamund Urwin on the cunning ways the rich can conceal their wealth when a relationship hits the rocks OBIN Williams rather charmlessly quipped that the word “divorce” was derived from the Latin for “to rip out a man’s genitals through his wallet”. Sometimes, though, that wallet isn’t easy to prise open. And it might even have a secret compartment where mysteriously missing money is stashed.

London, the divorce capital of the world, is witness to many a bitter dispute over the size of a fortune. When the 51-year-old oil baron Michael Prest and his wife Yasmin divorced, court documents showed that Prest claimed he was £48 million in debt, while his estranged spouse estimated his wealth at “tens if not hundreds of millions of pounds”.

In March, that case will be back in the spotlight when Yasmin Prest goes to the Supreme Court to challenge a ruling. Last year, the High Court ordered that a number of properties held in the names of businesses Michael Prest controlled should be transferred to his ex-wife. The

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companies challenged this, and won - a ruling that lawyers warn could help the rich dodge hefty payouts to their ex spouses in the future.

Last week, an even more acrimonious divorce saga opened a new unedifying chapter, with the imprisonment of one of its protagonists. The marriage of the property tycoon Scot Young, 51, and his wife Michelle, 48, broke down in 2006. The ensuing battle has made Kramer vs Kramer look like a rom-com and Mills vs McCartney seem like a dignified, swift way to see off a marriage.

For the past four years the pair have been locked in a legal fight over maintenance payments Scot was ordered to pay to Michelle and their two teenage daughters. He is supposed by this stage to have handed them close to £1 million - but he hasn’t coughed up a penny. Young claims his £400 million fortune evaporated when a property deal collapsed and that he is now bankrupt.

Michelle alleges he is hiding assets and enjoying a lifestyle

Happier days: Paul McCartney and Heather Mills before their acrimonious divorce

“consistent with considerable wealth” with his model girlfriend Noelle Reno. Last Thursday, Scot Young was jailed for six months after the judge, Mr Justice Moor, accused him of “flagrant and deliberate” contempt of court for failing to disclose details of his assets to his ex wife’s lawyers.

Meanwhile, Young’s oligarch friend Boris Berezovsky faces accusations from his ex-girlfriend that he owes her millions. Yelena Gorbunova had won an order freezing up to £200 million of his assets, it emerged from a judgment made public last week when it was conditionally lifted.

She claims Berezovsky promised her money from the sale of his Wentworth Park estate in Surrey but that he used the funds to pay off debts.

In a divorce, each spouse must give an honest account of all their assets in what is called a Form E disclosure a fair settlement can only be reached if you know what you are divvying up. However, a number of husbands (and a few wives) seem to be from the Groucho Marx school believing “paying alimony is like feeding hay to a dead horse”. Consequently they are tempted to understate their wealth.

“A minority of people have always done this - but my gut feeling is that we are seeing more of it,” says Nigel Shepherd, a partner in law firm Mills & Reeve. “It is amazing how many rich people suddenly become poor when they get divorced, or how many have had their worst ever year in business.”

Jeffrey Nedas, a chartered accountant who specialises in forensic accounting in matrimonial disputes, dubs this SADS (“sudden asset deficiency syndrome”) and its sister condition, SIDS (“sudden income deficiency syndrome”).

So how do they hide their wealth? “They can move money into accounts that people don’t know about,” says Nedas. “They can buy a painting and it can disappear.

They can put a transaction into someone else’s name.

A profitable business can have bad years: with the art of creative accounting, suddenly there are write-offs or investments that were never mentioned before.”

Michelle alleges he is hiding assets and enjoying a lifestyle ‘consistent with considerable wealth’ with his model girlfriend Noelle Reno

Wronged: Michelle Young, who has not received a penny of the £1 million owed her in maintainence payments

David Rosen, a solicitor and partner at Darlingtons, chips in with a few more: “You can use false business transactions - paying off a debt that was never a debt to a friend’s company, while that friend holds the money on trust.

Or ghost invoicing - paying for things that aren’t real. Or false litigation claims, where your friend or colleague pretends to be in a dispute with you. Or paying rent that isn’t

real rent. It’s money-laundering, effectively.”

A popular method is to hide wealth overseas - especially using companies in countries that don’t demand that the names of directors and shareholders are on public record. It has never been easier to move assets around the world: all that is needed is a phone call or the click of a mouse.

But technology has also made it easier to investigate.

Forensic investigators and accountants such as Nedas are paid to look for gaps in the story. Most simply, that means a reported income and lifestyle gap: do the clothes the husband wears and the holidays he goes on match his means?

“If the husband’s Form E tells a totally different story he says the money’s gone but his lifestyle suggests otherwise - then you have to start

19 • February 3, 2013 Nasty: Vivian Imerman and Lisa Tchenguiz and (below) Nice: Bernie and Slavica Ecclestone

ash stash

Breaking up is so very hard to do: the UK’s biggest and bitterest divorces ... and how to part on civilised terms SCOT YOUNG VS MICHELLE YOUNG Claim to fame: Probably the most vicious and most public divorce case of recent years. Young has become one of the first men to be jailed in Britain for failing to reveal details of assets in a divorce case.

He was once a fixer for billionaires and oligarchs. He says he is broke; his estranged wife Michelle’s lawyers say he still enjoys a champagne lifestyle.

Settlement: Young is supposed to pay his ex-wife £27,500 a month in maintenance.

He owes her almost £1 million.

MICHAEL PREST VS YASMIN PREST Claim to fame: Michael Prest, an oil entrepreneur, was criticised by a judge for treating court proceedings “as a game”.

He claimed to be £48 million in debt. The Prests have paid lawyers almost £3 million since their split in 2008 and the dispute will be back in the spotlight in March when Yasmin challenges a ruling in the Supreme Court.

Settlement: £17.5 million, but Michael Prest succeeded in having that cut to £8.5 million.

How the other half live: Scot Young with his girlfriend Noelle Reno

they seem. Other times you find a Walter Mitty situation, where a family has been living beyond its means.”

When the couple go to court, they have to provide bank and credit card statements, which lawyers and accountants will comb through. Sometimes – when money has simply been transferred from one bank account to another - scrutinising the paperwork is enough to reveal an account that hasn’t been declared.

Information can also be called in from third parties, forcing a credit card

Rom com?

Kramer vs Kramer

the forensic process,” says Nedas. “You start with a questionnaire - a quite lengthy legal document - and couple that with public domain research.”

Nedas adds that if the spouse owns a business, he will go to see it - “a site visit tells you a lot” - and scrutinise the firm’s accounts. “The process is a bit like peeling an onion - as you unroll it, you sometimes find things aren’t quite what

company to pass on spending details, for example. Then there are the more aggressive methods: court orders which enable lawyers to turn up at someone’s door and copy the data from any laptops, tablets or smartphones. Where irregularities are found, an injunction can be used to freeze all assets and accounts.

Of course, these are the options within the law. “Lots of people in desperation will resort to tapping phones and all act sorts of illegal activiRos ties,” says Rosen. th “Although they necess won’t necessartha ily say that’s g how they got inform the information.”

It can be a dirty gam game, the divor vorce

LISA TCHENGUIZ VS VIVIAN IMERMAN Claim to fame: The divorce between Tchenguiz – the younger sister of the property entrepreneur brothers – and the former Del Monte tycoon is often described as the most expensive in Britain. In 2010, Imerman was accused in court of deliberately “wiping out” his money to prevent his wife from sharing it.

Expected settlement: Tchenguiz wants £100 million.

SLAVICA ECCLESTONE VS BERNIE ECCLESTONE Claim to fame: The 5ft 4in Formula 1 boss’ 24-year marriage to former model Slavica ended in a hearing lasting just 58 seconds.

Settlement: An estimated £750 million, around a quarter of Bernie’s wealth.

Bernie called it an “amicable split”, although his taking up with a woman 46 years younger than him hasn’t gone down well with his daughters.

20 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

Feature

The 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka orphaned London teenagers Paul and Rob Forkan and their four siblings. Yet nine years later, they own a successful flip flop business and tell Jasmine Gardner for the first time how surviving the catastrophe has left them utterly fearless

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NDURING this year’s disaster movie, The Impossible, is a marathon of flinches for anyone. Naomi Watts has been nominated for an Oscar for her gritty depiction of a mother whose family is torn apart in the Indian Ocean tsunami of Boxing Day 2004. Rob and Paul Forkan watched the film last Tuesday night. For these founders of London-based flip flop company Gandys, the experience was all the more acute because, says 25-year-old Rob, “We were in it”.

The boys were not in Thailand, where the film was set, but in Sri Lanka. Having left the UK with their parents and younger two siblings four years earlier to travel the world, this is where they had ended up for Christmas.

One of their older sisters, Jo, had also been visiting but returned to the UK on Christmas Day. The eldest of the clan, Marie, had stayed at home. There was no warning of the disaster coming to wash the holidays away.

“You could see houses and walls getting smashed down.

When Ewan McGregor [who plays the father in The Impossible] goes looking [for his children] and sees a football pitch of people,” Rob can’t seem to find the strength to say “dead people” - “we had to go and do all of that stuff,” he says.

NORMAL “It was about 8.30am on a normal, warm tropical morning,” remembers Rob. The Forkan brothers, then aged 17 and 15, were in their accommodation, a hut just 30 metres from the beach in Weligama, a small village near Galle on the south-west coast of Sri Lanka. Their parents Sandra and Kevin were in another room with the boys’ younger brother and sister, Matty and Rosie, then 12 and eight.

The first wave flooded the boys’ room. “The water was so powerful that it came in one door and took the basin out,” says Paul, now 23. “Everything had been smashed apart,” explains Rob. “It was like Titanic, with the water coming up to the ceiling and you were trying to get out. We stood on a brick wall for two seconds and managed to grab the roof. Just after we got off it we saw the brick wall go flying.”

Rob spotted his brother Matty in a tree and as the water levelled, began to swim towards him. “The force of the water was like a plughole. Just as I got there, it started pulling back out.”

And it wasn’t until the end of the day that they were reunited with Rosie, their little sister. “She was found in a tree by a load of surfers,” Rob explains.

Although each had wounds - Rosie’s arm was gashed open - the four children survived. Yet their parents, having carried Rosie and Matty outside, were swept away by the second wave. Along with their elder sisters Jo and Marie, who were back in the UK, the six siblings were now

Lanka in more detail.

“I knew my dad had been killed,” he writes, “but had to lie to keep my brothers and sister motivated and to get them to safety as they were in such a fragile state... having to tell them that Mum and Dad would meet us back in England.”

It was three months before their parents’ deaths were officially confirmed.

They were taken along to see The Impossible by Dominic List, founder of IT company Comtact, who is an investor in Gandys. It might not have been List’s best call - he phoned them the following day to say: “I feel so guilty. I had no idea what it was like” - but the three men share the same philanthropic business ideals. “He does loads of charity work and gives his staff days off to volunteer,” says Paul. It’s quite clear that the company is no ‘get-rich’ project. “The main driving force at the moment is that we want to open our own children’s home,” says Rob. Even before the tsunami, the pair had felt a connection to this cause. Their parents had quit their fashion business in Croydon four years earlier and taken their four youngest children out of school to travel. Much of that time was spent in Goa. “It’s where our good memories are,” they both say in unison.

Flood brothers: Rob (white flip flops) and Paul Forkan

An impossible feat Ewan McGregor in The Impossible

The family: Jo, Marie, Rob, Sandra and Kevin,in front are Paul, Rosie and Matty orphaned.

Having taken his brothers and sister to a temple in the mountains, Rob paired up with a Sri Lankan boy of his age. “He said, ‘I’ve lost my mum and she was all I had’. We got on bikes and rode around every hospital and every town looking.”

In those football pitches of bodies Rob would “cautiously walk up and down, waiting to find a white person”.

More than 35,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka, one of the most severely affected areas, though the tsunami killed more than 220,000 in total, about 7,000 of them tourists. It was three days before Rob managed to call his sister, Marie. “She didn’t believe it was me,” he says. He’d managed to find his father’s mobile on the ground and removed the sim card, waiting for a

useable phone.

“You pick up stuff that you think could be useful.

Like the lad in the film, I remember picking up Coke bottles thinking, ‘I could do with that’.” And, like the movie’s characters, they experienced extremes of generosity and meanness.

The Forkans recognised a German woman in the crowds. “She was a nurse and she wasn’t helping anyone. There were loads of people injured and she just sat there, distraught, even though she was trained to deal with that sort of thing. She pulled out two Toblerones that she had found and started eating and didn’t share with anyone. Even now when I think about it, it makes me angry,” says Rob. Another man, however, “had just three pounds left and bought all of us as

much food as he could in McDonald’s,” says Paul.

The man’s wife “put alcohol on our wounds and scraped out the dirt” - this an improvement to the man at a temple “wanting to stitch us back up with the same needle everyone else was using”.

Around the table in their Clapham office - a flat in a converted school building - the Forkan brothers are finding it hard to vocalise what happened to them that day. The big brother, little brother relationship prevails, with Paul offering only intermittent additions to Rob’s sentences.

“We don’t like to share it or put it on anyone else,” explains Rob. “We don’t really talk to friends or family about it.” In fact, they don’t even speak to each other about it. It took the four children a week to hitch-

hike to the country’s only airport in Colombo, where the British Embassy took over. “The railway and the roads had been wiped out.

It’s probably like getting from here to Manchester with no money, no roads, no clothes, no shoes.”

On landing back in the UK “a lady in a suit and four guys with guns came on board... we got whisked away in blacked-out cars.”

Under protection of the state, their story was never told to the papers. “We weren’t allowed to use our phones,” says Paul. Police officers manned the doors of their eldest sister Marie’s house in Fleet, Hampshire, who aged just 22 became the younger children’s carer. Finding it a little easier to write than to talk, Rob sends me an email two days after our interview, explaining their escape from Sri

PERIPATETIC As a result of their peripatetic upbringing, Paul has no formal qualifications and Rob has just one GCSE. “When we started out everyone said, ‘Flip flops in England, you must be crazy,’” laughs Rob. But they have secured deals to be sold at House of Fraser, Asos and Sole Trader among others and have a meeting with the largest fashion retailer in the US next month. The business is forecast to turn over £1.2 million next year. Working hard is also a necessity so that there is no time to dwell on the past.

“Even at my old company I would play football pretty much every night, play squash, go out, socialise,” says Rob. “You try and forget. You put it to the back of your mind because if you sit around and have nothing to do, then you think about it. We keep ourselves really busy. That distracts you.”

The current distraction is squaring up to Havaianas, the master of the flip flop industry. “It’s like taking on Nike if you started a trainer brand,” says Rob. “When you hitchhike for 200 miles with no food and no money, seeing what we’ve seen... Now you can put us in a room with any business people because we really don’t care,” says Rob. Paul shares this sentiment.

“There’s no fear,” he says.

As Havaianas sell more than 200 million pairs of flip flops a year, turning over £1.4 billion of sales annually, it looks impossible to match, let alone beat, yet it doesn’t faze them.

“When you’ve done what we’ve done, nothing is impossible.”

21 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013

Business & Jobs

Returning to Blighty?

Make sure you plan ahead in good time IF YOU are a British expatriate planning to return to the UK, in order to lower your UK tax liabilities it is important to seek advice and start planning before you leave Cyprus and become resident in the UK. Part 1 discussed income and capital gains tax, this week I look at UK inheritance tax, life assurance policies and when your UK residence starts.

UK Inheritance tax UK inheritance tax is based on domicile, not residence and so many expatriates remain liable because of their UK domicile. Domicile is all about intention. To establish a domicile of choice in another country you must intend to live there permanently or indefinitely - ie have no intention of ever returning to the UK. If you do return, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) can argue that you never lost your UK domicile of origin as you could not have had an intention of never returning to the UK. If you have any structures set up on the basis that you had a domicile of choice outside the UK, you need to seek advice to establish the best way forward.

Whether or not you are a UK domicile, it may be possible to lower your inheritance tax liability with careful planning and professional advice.

Life assurance policies Approved single premium life assurance policies, where you can hold your choice of investment assets, provide tax advantages in many European countries. Taxation

in the UK is also favourable.

If you are non-UK resident and later return to the UK, you might be able to take advantage of ‘time apportionment relief’. This is a unique tax break which only applies to life assurance policies, whereby you would only be liable to tax on the portion of the gain that relates to UK residence. This can be more advantageous than capital gains tax where you are assessed on the whole gain if you are UK resident when you dispose of the asset even though you were non-UK resident for much of the time you held the asset.

When will your UK residence start?

UK tax law does not currently have split tax years, so the strict legal treatment is that you are resident for the entire UK tax year of arrival.

However an Extra Statutory Concession can permit split year treatment for certain types of income and capital gains. Under the new Statutory Residence Test, due to apply from April 6, the split year treatment will become statutory.

It is possible to be UK resident at the same time as being resident in another country.

If you buy or rent property for your use in the UK before you leave Cyprus, to use as a base while visiting the UK while planning your return, HMRC could decide that your residence started earlier than you believe it did.

Unfortunately you cannot ask HMRC for a ruling. It will not normally engage in such correspondence other than to confirm you will be

Investment Bill Blevins Bill Blevins is managing director of Blevins Franks International. Tel: 26-912315 tested. It can investigate your tax returns several years after you start filing them and disagree with your start date at that point.

This system does not provide any certainty, so you need to take professional tax advice.

Since carrying out the necessary arrangements may take time it is never too early to start planning for a return to the UK. Contact an international tax and wealth management advisory firm like Blevins Franks to find out what options would be available to you. Blevins Franks is highly experienced in advising British people moving from the UK to Cyprus and vice versa on their tax planning and wealth management.

The tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual should take personalised advice.

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

Vacancy Marine & Safety Superintendent Unicom manages a fleet in excess of 90 vessels, including tankers, gas carriers, dry cargo ships and OSVs As Marine & Safety Superintendent you will be part of a team and possess a thorough knowledge of applicable regulations, auditing standards and industry best practices.

The Superintendent will be responsible for: promoting safe and environmentally efficient operations coordinating, conducting and following up external and internal audits onboard and ashore, including oil major inspections. ensuring high navigational standards and practices conducting and leading incident investigation the ongoing development of our SMS The Superintendent will communicate effectively with colleagues and clients alike and provide emergency support to the vessel and the company in the event of an incident.

Successful candidates will have had seagoing experience in a senior rank on tankers / gas carriers. Other relevant experience may be considered. Previous experience in a similar role will be of benefit.

The ability to write concise reports in English are necessary. As a self motivated and highly organised individual, the Superintendent will be able to work under pressure and demonstrate initiative, excellent problem solving, communication and management skills.

The appointment is immediately available and based in Cyprus and will require regular international travel.

We offer a competitive salary commensurate with experience including, performance bonus, travel allowance, life and medical insurance and other benefits.

Preferred candidates will have the right to live and work in the European Economic Area (EAA).

Applications should be sent by email to the following address not later than 28th February 2013 HSSE Manager Unicom Management Services (Cyprus) Ltd e-mail: d.sharp@scf-group.com

“Safety Comes First”

22 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

Business & Jobs

The European debt crisis and the options for Cyprus A bailout, in combination with restructuring, seems to be a possible way out of the current situation HE eurozone debt crisis first involved Ireland, then Portugal, and reached an unprecedented level in Greece three years ago, before raising the daunting prospect of two of the largest EU states, Spain and Italy, also facing downgrading and unmanageable debt at levels that may not be supportable. As a result of the Greek crisis, the contagion spread to Cyprus, while the eurozone and the EU struggle to put together a policy and mechanisms to control the situation.

So it was timely that the European University Cyprus (EUC) organised a workshop this week to discuss the crisis and options for getting out of current difficulties. The debate’s panel included two renowned international legal experts from the US: Lee Buchheit of Clearly, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton LLB; and Dr Mitu Gulati, Professor of Law at Duke University, both of whom were involved in the Greek debt restructuring. Fiona Mullen of Sapienta Economics presented the Cyprus case, and Dr Alexander Apostolides of EUC moderated. The subject was The Eurozone debt crisis: the options now, with special reference to Cyprus, and for the first time the emphasis was on the options facing Cyprus and the EU, and how the current problems of dealing with

T

Comment Costas Apostolides debt could be resolved. An approach that contrasts strongly with the government position that there is only one option, a bailout using EU member state and ECB funds that must be negotiated, signed and funds provided as soon as possible because Cyprus is excluded from raising funds in the financial markets.

Mullen presented the emerging situation in Cyprus with emphasis on the timeline, stating that the way forward has to be agreed with the troika, and within the EU, by June 3 when a €1.3b Eurobond issue has to be repaid. She estimated that the requirements for Cyprus debt repayments, and the funds for recapitalisation of the banks arising primarily from the Greek crisis may result in overall assistance requirements of around €18b, which could take the debt to GDP ratio from the current 84 per cent (the present EU average) to around 135 per cent.

If this requirement were to be lowered by about €3b, by scaling back estimates or through privatisation and other asset sales, the debt could be manageable at around 120 per

Lemesos

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This is an International School with an established reputation for high levels of discipline, academic excellence and diverse extra-curricular activities.

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cent. Significantly, almost half of Cyprus sovereign debt is held by local population and institutions, 16 per cent by Russian loans and bond holders, over seven per cent by the European Central Bank and the rest by foreign holders of bonds.

Gulati examined the possibility of restructuring Cyprus debt, focusing on the legal provisions of the bond issue.

He said initially he thought a Greek style haircut was legally difficult to repeat in Cyprus because payments are due within a short time frame, and because they are under English law. The problem being how do you persuade creditors they should take a huge loss on their investment voluntarily, and concurrently design a deal to successfully fight litigation by hardliners who will challenge any decisions taken?

PROVISION Like most bonds, Cyprus bonds have a provision that if 75 per cent of creditors agree on restructuring the remaining 25 per cent have to accept that. But large lenders can, if they buy 26 per cent of the bond issue, block the deal.

Furthermore a hard line position that the country will not pay up is no longer possible because of claims on sovereign assets which may be set by the courts.

One approach is to examine the wording of the bond contracts, and gain leverage to persuade creditors. This is feasible if the state has assets that can be used to secure the loan to gain agreement on restructuring such as an extension of the repayment period and collateral would also be used to bargain on the rate of interest to be paid. It was demonstrated that there are exploitable loopholes which appear to be to the advantage of the Cyprus government. Mention was made of Cyprus’ gas reserves in this respect, but the Cyprus government also holds gold, valuable land and state corporations. Restructuring could also be achieved by the provision that all payments by the borrower (Cyprus) are subject to fiscal and other laws applicable in Cyprus. This again can be used to persuade creditors that it is in their interests to reach a restructuring agreement. Furthermore there is a provision in the Cyprus bonds that property necessary for the smooth running of the Republic cannot be challenged, which is unusual, but would be a way to challenge litigation in the courts aiming at taking over embassies and other assets.

Having established that the bonds issued by Cyprus may in fact include legal provisions that strengthen

the case of the government if challenged, Buchheitthen presented the history of sovereign debt focusing on the problems of over 20 states in Latin America in the 1980s.

The aim being that there are precedents in dealing with such situations, where initially the emphasis was that the problems are temporary and that with growth they would become manageable.

But where things did not go well the losses were with the lenders, and not with the states and their taxpayers.

The EU however, took a different line in the cases of Ireland and Portugal, and member states provided the assistance at the cost of tax payers, so that the liabilities (bonds) migrated from the lenders to the tax payers.

There were three reasons for this: 1 The dread of contagion in Europe with Spain and Italy in mind, which could face the need for horrendously huge bail outs.

2 In the case of Greece much of the debt was held by northern European banks which would face a problem on their balance sheets and would require recapitalisation.

3 The ECB dread that a default by a member state of the eurozone would blacken the reputation of the euro and possibly threaten the monetary union itself.

The events in Greece, however, showed that if debt management was not sustainable the cost would fall on German tax payers and that led to a hardening of the German position, with the October 2013 elections very much in mind. Thus the policy of massive austerity was adopted, which caused the economies of all the affected countries to contract, unemployment to reach unprecedented levels and public sector revenues to suffer. The way out is through growth, which is difficult in a highly competitive international climate because not all states can increase exports at the same time because statistically world exports must equal imports. Consequently the crisis is often assumed to be short term on the assumption of a return to competitiveness, but the risk is that it may be extended into the future. This view seems to be upheld by the fact that the eurozone and world crisis is already six years old, and heading for triple dip recession in some states in 2013.

Buchheit stated there are five options in descending order of their attractiveness to the debtor country: Option 1: To “jolly” the markets (stage of Spain and Italy), that is announce voluntary fiscal adjustment programmes with the aim of restoring a sound financial

A demonstrater shouts at a police officer during a protest in Athens this week against austerity measures

footing in the hope that the markets will remain open to them at reasonable interest rates.

Option 2: Massage the yields, which involves active official state intervention or ECB purchases of bonds to keep market rates low. Something that would increase the euros in international markets and affect the value of the currency.

Alternatively the state could offer asset backed bonds, allowing them to be accepted by the market. Historically the track record is not considered good.

Option 3: Full bailout where the debtor state is unable to pay its maturing loans, which means that it seeks a full bailout of the amounts required, basically the Germans and eurozone partners’ citizens paying the cost, or risking their money with loans.

Option 4: ‘Reprofiling’ the debt, through debt restructuring which may include a moratorium on payments, extending the repayment period or reducing the interest rates. In such cases the lenders pay part of the cost either in terms of current

prices or through loss of net present value.

Option 5: Full Greek style restructuring including a haircut loss for lenders.

A lively debate followed concluding that a haircut makes no sense in Cyprus with so much of the loans in local financial institutions and the public at large. It was stated that the advantage is that Cyprus does not require much support in total funds, and the reciprocal disadvantage is that in relative terms its requirements are very substantial for a small economy. From the presentations and discussions, my assessment is that a bailout, in combination with restructuring, seems to be the way out.

But further consideration is necessary to specify the nature of the loan restructuring and the terms and time line of the bailout. The good news is that both approaches seem possible, and with assets including natural gas in place, the process could be viable.

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

23 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013 Plants such as wallflower need to be started off in the autumn to flower in spring

Property

Plan now for the warmer months

THINGSTODOINTHE GARDENTHISMONTH Although February can be a cold and rainy month there are lots of jobs to do when there is a break in the weather.

Pruning is one of those and bougainvillea (right) should be on the top of your list.

Prepare for the tussle by wearing long sleeves, sturdy gloves and eye protection for the whippy branches with the nasty thorns hidden away, or they may deal you a nasty cut or graze as you cut out the dead or dying stems. Prune the tips of the vertical branches and take the horizontal branches back to two or three growths.

It’s your last chance to sit back and relax before some serious gardening needs doing

A

BOUT this time of the year in the northern hemisphere seed and plant catalogues start to drop through letterboxes everywhere and within the pages there is always something you wish you could grow in your garden and much time is spent gazing at pictures of new and unusual plants. While it is still cold outside and the ground is usually wet and cold as well, you can legitimately linger indoors and plan your garden for the coming warmer months.

In countries other than Cyprus it is possible to order pre-packed pluglets and have them delivered or posted to your door ready to be hardened off and planted outside once the weather warms up. I am not sure how much longer this is going to be an option anywhere, with the rising cost of postage and uncertain delivery dates. However it does

GARDENING with

Patricia Jordan take the hit and miss out of gardening, but maybe you like the element of surprise when a forgotten seedling or bulb can suddenly appear after some years hidden under the earth.

Annual seeds (those which grow, flower and make seed in one season) are very tiny and are usually sown where you want them to grow.

They do not like to be moved once they are above ground, although you can thin them out if there are too close

together. They tend to be grown in drifts for effect.

Perennial seeds are bigger and have harder shells. Consequently they need longer to germinate and benefit from some sun to help them do that. Once the two first leaves appear then they are usually pricked out into trays. The roots will probably be about 2-3 centimetres already – any longer and it becomes difficult to prick out successfully. If they are left in the seed pots for any length of time then they quickly become leggy and may damp off.

Some plants, like wallflowers and honesty, have to be

started off in the autumn before you hope to have flowers the next spring. These are called biennial plants. They generally have some antifreeze properties in their genes so as to be able to get through the winter. Lots of plants can withstand extremes of temperatures and you only have to look at irises to see that happen. Here our winters tend to be mild but in North America I saw the spear-like leaves peeping through drifts of snow at Christmas time. Later on they will need to be baked in the sun to make the flowers for the next season. Isn’t nature wonderful?

PLANTOFTHEMONTH Plumeria obtusa Plumeria, more commonly known as Frangipani, is closely related to the oleander family. The plants originally came from many tropical regions where they may not always have a complete leaf shed in autumn. The branches are widely-spaced and thick, with long leathery leaves in clusters near the branch tips. Take great care when handling the leaves as they have an irritant sap.

To have prolific flowering and encourage extra branches to form with even more flowers, fertilise the tree with a high phosphorus fertiliser (middle number on the box or bottle). The best tree to buy is one that already has a lot of branches, denoting that it has already shown its potential as a bloomer.

Plumeria are easily propagated from stem cuttings taken in the winter season, which is also when any pruning should be done.

Cuttings, about 20-25cm long, should be left to dry out and then placed in coarse, well-drained soil as they may rot off if it is too wet. Watering should be infrequent but deep and the soil should dry out before watering again. Reduce watering in autumn and stop during winter.

Limassol Marina welcomes its first residents LIMASSOL Marina has welcomed its first residents. The delivery of the 94 luxury apartments and penthouses at Nereids Residences marks the beginning of the project’s first operational year.

“We have delivered on time and we feel very proud to be among the bestselling developments in Europe, having achieved sales in excess of €86 million.

We are very pleased to have attracted a good balance of high calibre local and international buyers and we are confident of the positive impact this will have on local businesses and the Cyprus economy as a whole,” commented General

Manager of Limassol Marina Ltd Takis Palekythritis.

With 90 per cent of the project’s marine works and 50 per cent of the residential development and infrastructure already completed, 2013 will mark a new era for Cyprus. Construction of the unique Peninsula and Island Villas, with direct access to the beach or their own private berths, is progressing well. The first yachts are expected to arrive in March, apartments at Thetis Residences are due for delivery in June and the commercial area will be ready to open its doors to the public this summer.

Many shrubs and climbers like plumbago and tecomaria flower on new growth so cut back the old stems to near the base and before long new shoots will start to appear.

Always feed after pruning with an all round fertiliser.

Banksia roses only ever need the dead and dying branches removed and then a feed of rose fertiliser. Damascena roses make a lot of old wood during the summer so try to take out about a third each year. Cut the remaining stems down to about 60cm and feed. Hybrid Tea roses should be pruned to an outward facing shoot. Remove inward facing shoots as they will clutter up the centre of the bush and you don’t want that.

Olive trees need some gentle cutting – enough to let the swallows fly through the tree should be sufficient.

Now that a lot of the citrus fruit has been picked it’s time to check out the trees in case they need pruning too. The main thing about any fruit trees is to grow them to a

height at which you can maintain them. Each season they put on a lot of growth but if they grow too high then you will not be able to crop the fruits easily. The same maxim applies to all fruit trees not just citrus - remove any dead or dying branches and reduce last year’s growth by a half to two thirds. February is the time to feed all the fruit and nut trees. Use 20.10.10 - 900g for mature trees and 300g for young trees. Spread the fertiliser around the base of the tree but not immediately in the area of the trunk, as there are no fibrous roots there to pick up the feed.

Any rain will water it in for you.

Hedges too have had a growth spurt and may look untidy, so get out your garden shears and trim back the new growth. Check over hibiscus (below) hedges before any dormant scale insects start to emerge and deal with them before they become rampant as the weather starts to warm up. Spray underneath the bushes as well, if the insects were around last year.

Our lavender par terre gets it annual cut this month which can take two weeks to complete. The par terre soon recovers and while the first shoots are green, they soon assume the lovely silver tinge which insulate insulates them from the heat of the sun. It requires no w water at all apart from wha what fal falls on it n naturally rally.

24 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

Property Regulations covering golf courses should be looked at: the proposed Club House at the Tersefanou site

LEGAL ISSUES WITH GEORGE COUCOUNIS

Life-interest right and developing a property

If I was the incoming interior minister…

By Antonis Loizou FRICS THIS is a theoretical approach on our part and not a wishful thinking, but with the pending change of government we hope that real estate matters will get better (they cannot get worse, we suspect), treated with increased care and attention by those in government.

Our first job, would be, to implant into the minds of civil servants that they are there to help and interpret the laws and regulations on a rather “loose” basis for the benefit of the citizens, so that applicants/buyers and others are helped and not exploited. This is most important since our experience so far is quite the opposite.

Push through the Building Amnesty by changing the procedure both for the amnesty as such, as well as the procedure for the title issue. As the system is at the moment, exactly the same time consuming procedures are still adopted, but with the exemption with the illegalities taken place. Short and summary procedures to be undertaken by the supervising/private practice architects and engineers. Similarly the titles could be written/prepared by qualified engineers and save matters regarding serious omissions and building issues, the rest to be provided with some sort of a “temporary title” to be corrected in future (but nevertheless it is a title which can be sold, mortgaged etc).

Push through the common expenses law which regulates the cohabitation of numerous owners in a single project. A pending issue for the last eight years.

Set a time limit for replies by civil service/authorities. Non reply within the time limits to count in favour of the

applicant.

Put a halt on the building density transfer from Natura areas, since it destroys the local planning plans.

Limit the minimum Natura areas which places such a big financial burden on the country, something which we cannot afford. As an example the Paralimni Lake of around 600 donums is classed as Natura to protect a certain water snake which lives there. We think it is more correct to fence a 200 donum area and move the snakes there fully protected and if need be feed etc. As matters stand at present, this decision will cost the Government around €60m and another €100m for Akamas.

Put an end to the setting of minimum sizes of residential units, something which increases the cost of housing by approximately 30 per cent (and as such the government must provide handouts, subsidies and use government land to reduce the housing cost for the lower income groups).

Encourage increased building height in seaside areas, thus preserving the environment and provide increased seaside views.

A complete rethink on golf courses.

Basic requirement will be to retain the 400 donums required for public green to be used for sports uses in one-two places in the project – or this to be located with other suitable areas by the developer. The developer to construct the sport installations and maintain the same for five years before passing on to the local authority.

A rethink on the withdrawal of the tourist (old age) bed/projects which now encourage their illegal conversion.

At the same time to encourage hotel conversion into 4-5 star rating giving

WHAT YOU GET FOR

generous building density additions and interest rate subsidy for a period of seven years since new upgraded hotels are urgently needed while the tourist trade is improving.

The annual property tax and the owners’ municipal taxes to be charged individually and not as a whole, blocking the procedures for transfers and so that sales are not hampered.

Use the private sector in all stages of real estate development/procedures subject to spot checks by the local authorities/Lands Office.

Financially support the Cyprus Investment Authority whose income and added expenses will come from a fee charged to those who actual benefit – a sort of success fee.

Enter into negotiations with banks and other financiers regarding interest rate charges, especially on delayed payments, so that already distressed people are not penalised – pushing them under, much earlier than otherwise.

Encourage development in agricultural areas within the peripheral areas of towns, in order to increase supply and lower prices. This scheme to be based on cost plus preset so that the benefits pass on to the people not only to the developer and others.

What we are worried is that none of the three main presidential candidates has touched upon such down to earth matters, restricting themselves instead to the political situation and the state of the economy – as important as these matters are, life goes on and we must also cater for everyday living.

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

THE life-interest right to reside in a house kept by the registered owner for himself or his spouse when transferring the property to a close relative is valid so long as it is registered in the Land Registry records.

This can be effected at the time of the transfer through a relevant declaration either under article 11 (1) (a) or 11 (1) (g) of the Immovable Property Law. In the first instance, the right is limited only to the use of the house and not the land where the house is built. However, in the second instance, this right is reserved in a manner affecting the whole immovable property as it is registered on the title deed and is extended over the land as a whole. The ascertainment of the said right is important because it is relevant to the right of development of the remaining part of the property.

PERMIT When the life-interest right to use a house is given according to article 11 (1) (a), it does not preclude the registered owner of the property where the house is built to submit an application to the appropriate authorities to secure a town planning and building permit for erecting another house or building in the remaining part of the property. This is so because the granting of the life-interest right does not create an easement over the land and it does not presuppose the existence of a servient property to a dominant property. There is no need for the beneficiary to sign the relevant application, it can only be submitted by the registered owner together with the title deed and if the property is mortgaged, the consent of the mortgage creditor is required. On the other hand, when the life-interest right to use and enjoy a house with the rest of the property is given in accordance with article 11 (1) (g) of the law, the issue is different, since it affects the whole

property as described on the title deed. It is up to the grantor who may be a parent, grandparent or other close relative, to reserve and define the extent of the life-interest right of himself or his spouse when transferring his house to a child, grandchild or other relative and what such a right covers.

The issue was examined by the Supreme Court recently, whereby a dispute arose between the beneficiary of the life-interest right in a house and the registered owner of the property as a whole, who applied to obtain a building permit to build another house in the remaining part of the land. The beneficiary raised an objection to the relevant authority not to issue the permit because of the life-interest right, but the authority, a municipality, finally decided and issued the building permit to the registered owner. The beneficiary filed a recourse before the Supreme Court accompanied by an application claiming the issue of an interim order restraining the registered owner from building another house. The court stated the issue is regulated by the provisions of Regulation 5 (1) (a) of the Streets and Buildings Law, Cap.96, stating that the application for the issue of a building permit must only be signed by the registered owner, accompanied with the title deed and where the property is mortgaged, with the written consent of the mortgage creditor. The arguments of the beneficiary with regard to his life-interest right did not prove any violation of the procedure provided in the law. Hence his application was dismissed, since no manifested illegality was observed and no irreparable damage was to be caused to him.

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

€950,000 compiled by Peter Stevenson

How much: €950,000 What you get: This modern, four-bedroom house in Limassol with spacious living and dining area comes with two bathrooms and a maid’s room with a shower.

From: www.chris-michael.com.cy Tel: 25 313135

How much: €950,000 What you get: This three-bedroom villa is situated in the Phanos area of Protaras in an elevated position, close to the beach and all amenities and comes with a private pool.

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

How much: €949,900 What you get: This four-bedroom bungalow in Marathounta in Paphos comes with a private pool, three bathrooms, a fireplace and is situated in a quiet area of town.

From: www.buysellcyprus.com Tel: 80000222

25 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013

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

MISCELLANEOUS WE WOULD LIKE to inform all who are interested that our company. C. Malathouras & Son Ltd., company registration number 39136, from Larnaca is intending to submit an application to the Licensing Authority for a grant for a transport “B” licence for a lorry vehicle of “Refrigerator with Lift” type, with Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) 7500KG, to serve our company in the exporting of fruit and vegetables. The vechicle will be used to transport perishables from 10, Pindou Street in Larnaca to Larnaca Airport. The transport will be done without extra charges. Whatever objections may exist must be submitted in writing within 20 days of the publishing of this notice with sufficient reason to the District Office of the Road Transport Department. **************************** ARE YOU INTERESTED in gaining new skills to have a better relationship with your 3-6 year-old child? Do you want your child to behave better? The University of Cyprus, in collaboration with a visiting expert in childhood behaviour problems, is seeking an English-speaking family to participate in a weekly training seminar for graduate students. The one-hour training will be held in Nicosia every Tuesday or Thursday between February and May. It will be provided at no cost to you. Interested families can email PreschoolParenting@gmail.com or call 96887996. All communication will be kept confidential. **************************** STAGE ONE THEATRE, Paphos AUDITIONS at 7pm on 4 & 5 February for the comedy PARTY PIECE. Director: Carol Harvey. Performances: 7-11 May. Three couples M/F & a mother. Call Peter 99984035 for further information. Auditionees must advise their intention to audition in advance. **************************** ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS CYPRUS Is drink costing you more than just money? AA could be the answer.

Meeting at the following locations/days. Call to speak to an AA member.

Ayia Napa Monday 97798043 Larnaca Tuesday (Polish spk) 96616589 Thursday 24645523 / 99259264 Limassol Tuesday / Wednesday / Friday / Saturday 25368265 / 99559322 Nicosia Wednesday/Sunday 99013596 Paphos Tuesday / Thursday / Saturday 99916331 / 99399240

Details of meetings are available on www.aa-europe.net ****************************

LESSONS **************************** PRIVATE TUITION Experienced, UK-qualified teacher offers full-time or part-time private home tuition in Maths, English, the Sciences, I.C.T., Geography, History, Business Studies and Economics, from KS3 to iGCSE, AS and A2 levels. 9 years experience in Cyprus; references available.

Telephone 99318796 ****************************

SERVICES *************************** ` 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 **************************** CHIMNEY SWEEP, when did you last have your chimney swept or log burner cleaned?

Build-up of soot can cause respiratory problems and fires. All areas, call Dave, a professional sweep, now on 99819137. Also available for weddings. www.paphosluckychimneysweep.com **************************** SWIFT SERVICE AND REPAIRS air-cons, commercial and domestic fridges and freezers, ice machines, cool rooms, supply and fit air-cons VRV S. Call Nik on 99579602 Limassol **************************** PROFESSIONAL UPHOLSTERY CLEANING, also carpets, rugs and mattresses.

Special offers now available.

For a quote call Rickys Cleaning Services on 99131044 (all areas) rickyscleaningservices@gmail.com **************************** UPHOLSTERY, RUG, BLINDS + CURTAIN Cleaning Rugs from 20€ - Carpets from 38€ Fabric Suites from 85€ - Leather Suites from 95€ - Mattresses from 25€. Curtains, Roman blinds, Vertical Blinds need to be surveyed. Collection Service available. For a free quotation call Mark on 70006766 All areas **************************** DO YOU WANT A SHINY LOOKING FLOOR? Full repair & restoration of chipped, scratched, dull and stained, Marble, Terrazzo, Stone & Ceramic tiled floors and surfaces.

Professional cleaning, repair & sealing of internal/external ceramic tiles & grout lines. For

Nicosia - tel: 22 818583 fax: 22 676385 a free professional consultation & demonstration contact Mark at Premier on 70006766 All areas **************************** 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

PERSONAL **************************** MALE BIKER (mid 40s) moving from Lyme Regis Dorset to Limassol during February, wishes to find female companion. Must be adventurous and have a love of biking. Replies please to: “hombre” at dorsethombre@outlook.com ****************************

PETS **************************** LOST DOG Desperately looking for our DOG – lost in Fasoula Area His name is BUDDY German-Shephard / Labrador mix. Reward €500.00. Please call Angelos 99 656279 or 25 816060 **************************** SWEET YORKSHIRE TERRIER, JESSIE, female, short grey fur, no collar, lost on 16/1 midday in Germasogeia, near Pizza Express. Family pet,chipped. REWARD. Please contact 99622782 ASAP with any information. **************************** TAG 87, a very handsome young male wirehaired pointer cross around 1,5 years old. Friendly, attentive and athletic. 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 on 99520511 mon-frid 10-2pm. **************************** TAG 144, a gorgeous female spaniel. Only around 1.5-2 years old. Very friendly and playful. Very good with other dogs and children. 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 on 99520511 Mon-Frid 10-2pm. **************************** TAG 174, a young female (probably a hound x lab cross) only around a year old. Friendly, loving and playful. This is a medium sized but heavy-built, strong dog best suited to families with older children. At the Nicosia Dog Shelter, many more dogs and puppies like this one are looking for forever homes ! To provide a tempo-

Limassol - tel: 25 761117 fax: 25 761141

rary foster home or to adopt contact on 99520511 mon-frid 10-2pm. ****************************

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES **************************** CHEF WITH A MINIMUM OF 5 YEARS EXPERIENCE REQUIRED. Must have a good knowledge of Cypriot cuisine and the ability to create daily specials from fresh, seasonal produce. Must be a team player. English required, Greek useful. Jessica Demetriou: 99284591 ****************************

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

FOR SALE BUSINESS/ PROPERTY/LAND **************************** 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 ****************************

Paphos - tel: 26 911383 fax: 26221049 40. Potential for further expansion. Easily converted to residential dwelling.Viewing highly recommended. Greatly reduced to Euro 160.000. Details ring Tel: 99864097 – Paphos Area

**************************** FOR SALE LAND in Anthoupoli (half plot) 288 sq.metres. for information 99621554. ****************************

FOR SALE MOTOR VEHICLES **************************** 2004 PORSCHE CAYENNE TURBO, tiptronic, seats & carpets etc like new due to one owner, no children, 108000km, metallic gold color. New tyres.

Price: 27 000.00. Got to be seen to be appreciated.Call 99494450 **************************** NISSAN JUKE for sale. Owner emigrating, 1 year old, metallic grey,7 yr guarantee from Nissan. Automatic,15.000km. €14.800 ono Contact: Maria 99 371874 or 99 461625 – Paphos Area **************************** FOR SALE TOYOTA LAND CRUISER/PRADO white 1998, exceptional condition inside and out. Many extras.

Any inspection welcome. €8850 ono. Tel: 99680747 **************************** BLACK HONDA CBR1100XX SUPERBLACKBIRD registered new in June 2011 as new condition with 12000 km. Any inspection welcome. €8950.

Call Philip 99680747 ****************************

PROPERTIES WANTED

**************************** “WWW.CYPRUS101.COM” We have many clients asking for properties up to 200,000 euros. If you have a property to sell in the Paphos area with title deeds (or AX umber) please contact us via our website www.cyprus101.com or telephone Diane on 99455068.

For automatic updates on new listings and price changes use our Listings Notifier or join us on www.facebook.com/cyprus101”

Larnaca - tel: 24 652243 fax: 24 659982

classified contents Employment Opportunities pg 25 Employment Miscellaneous 25 Pets 25 Lessons 25 Health & Fitness 25 Personal 25 Services 25 For Sale Miscellaneous -For Sale Land/ Property Business 25 For Sale Motor vehicles 25 Wanted -To Let Nicosia 25 To Let Limassol 28 To Let Larnaca 28 To Let Paphos 28 To Let Protaras, Ayia Napa, Paralimni -For Sale Nicosia -For Sale Limassol -For Sale Larnaca -For Sale Paphos 29 For Sale Ayia Napa -For Sale Famagusta Protaras 29 For Sale Athens -Property& Home Services display ads --

abbreviations bdrm c/h a/c s/pool f/f apt pm pw sw nw st rd p/s c/l swb r/cass e/w

bedroom central heating air conditioning swimming pool fully furnished apartment per month per week south west north west street road power steering central locking short wheel base radio cassette electric windows

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

PROPERTY TO LET ‘PROPERTY BUSINESS FOR SALE’. ‘Unique Opportunity to purchase FREEHOLD stonebuilt village property currently operating as a Cafe, with fully equipped kitchen.Seating for

NICOSIA **************************** FOR RENT 2 bedroom apartment of real luxury at Da-

Please note tel nos. that begin with: 22 = Nicosia 23 = Paralimni/Protaras 24 = Larnaca 25 = Limassol 26 = Paphos

26 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser TO LET NICOSIA soupois, situated near Alfa Mega supermarket and the Areteion Hospital. All appliances, also c/h, a/c, sw/heater. Water booster, Sat TV, parking, store room and more. Tel: 99699750. ****************************** MAKEDONITISSA, 12 Ay Paraskevis, Engomi with panoramic view. 3 bedroom upper house & ground floor house with garden,2 bathroom , 2 toilets , fully a/c and a/h,new w / m , d / w, h o b , o v e n , f r i d g e freezer, fully fitted kitchen, fully furnished ,storage, parking.

Rent €750 pm. Tel 99660115 or 99688655. Email victorkaris@ cytanet.com.cy ****************************** LUXURIOUS APARTMENT FOR RENT a luxurious one floor apartment situated in central Nicosia in a area of exceptional Beauty at 3 Museum Street, is available to let. It has been recently renovated and consists of 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, big dining and sitting rooms, kitchen and a huge veranda.

Approximate covered area 250 sq m. Tel: 99622370. ******************************

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

LUXURY 6 BEDROOM HOUSE IN A QUIET AREA IN LATSIA. The house has been constructed with the most modern building materials and one can enjoy all comforts of modern life. The house has 3 storage rooms 3 kitchens, 2 covered garage, housekeeper’s room, study room, en-suite bathroom – master bedroom, walk in closet, Jacuzzi, c/h, a/c, and fireplace.

Rent €5.000pm. Call 99609239 or 99424106. ****************************** 2 BEDROOM flat, fully furnished.

Fully A/C, small block, 3rd floor. Covered parking. Central heating. Near Hilton hotel off Makarios Avenue. €480pm. Tel 99444336 ****************************** STROVOLOS 4 bdrm., house, c/h, a/c from €1000 now €800, Mak/

ssa f/f house, pool, 4 bdrm., 4wc, 2 shower €1700, Kornos villa, pool, mature garden €4000 (2) penthouse luxury Acropolis 1 bdrm, f/f, centre €450. For info www.markidesestates.com Markides 22378898, 99464764, Reg. No. 487, E16 ****************************** FLATS/HOUSES FOR RENT studio Acropolis €300, 1bdrm P/ssa €450, Aglantzia €350, Str/los €350, Acropolis €350 2bdrm Lycavito furnished €530, Acropolis €550, Ag. Dometios €500, 3bdrm Nikis av. €550 Str/ los G/F €660, Tymbos independent €800, Ag. Omologites colonial listed building swimming pool maids room €2,500.

PROPERTY FINDER LTD. 99474839 99646822 A.M.627 A.A.108/E ****************************** STUDIO flat in Pallouriotissa (next to McDonald) furnished €280.

For info call 99606984. ****************************** TO LET spacious 2 bdrm apartment in a small building in Strovolos area near ARETAIEION hospital (dead-end) with independent petrol heating, 3 a/c, water pressure system, satel-

lite. Directly available. TEL.: 96275151 ****************************** 2 BDRM flat (almost new, 4 years old) at Lycavitos with good area near University of Cyprus with fully equipment kitchen, a/c in all rooms. For info call 96530532. ****************************** 2 ROOMS €125 each, near McDonald’s Engomi only Philippine girls. Call 99663927. ****************************** FOR RENT 3 B/R apartment fully furnished close to Central Bank.

3 W.C., fully air-conditioned extra storeroom, owned covered parking. Excellent condition. Information: Tel. 99621554 ****************************** 3 BEDROOMS flat on second floor in a block of six flats, in a nice position at Strovolos area, fully a/c, c/h, covered parking place for one car, recently painted. Rent €650pm. (furnished if required). Tel: 97773358.

space, central heating, full a/c, big sitting and dining area, separate big kitchen with family room and all the electrical appliances, blinds and curtains on all windows, aluminum shutters, big garden with grass, 3 wc, covered parking, in a quiet area – Strovolos €1000 (H4ST10051-R), (photos in the website) 2. 3 bedr luxury terraced house, 210sq.m,central heating, full a/c, marble floor in the sitting areas and solid parquet floor on stairs and bedrooms,4 wc,3 bathrooms, 2 en suite, big verandas, electrical appliances in the kitchen,3 covered parking spaces, roof garden access, in a quiet neighbourhood on Mon Parnas hill – Engomi €800 (photos in the website).

3. 2 bedr fully renovated semi detached house 120 sq. m, a/c for hot and cold, small yard, FULLY FURNSIHED or not, double glazed windows with aluminum shutters, in a quiet area off Nikis behind Burger King - ACROPOLIS €600 (H2ACS0001-R), (photos in the website).

4. 3 bedr luxury semi-detached

house with character, 200sq.m, central heating, full ac, sitting and dining room with fireplace, big kitchen with cooker and oven, dishwasher and refrigerator, nice mature garden with flowers, trees and small garden with grass, covered parking, 3wc, 2 bathrooms in a quiet neighbourhood. Available middle of January. Agios Andreas - €1200 - H3AAD0001-R (photos on website).

5. 3 bedr luxury detached house, 200sq.m, central heating, full a/c, 3wc, blinds and curtains, open plan kitchen with cooker, oven and dishwasher, veranda with bbq, good size garden, covered parking, storage room, alarm system, in a quiet area – Archangellos €1100 (photos in the website).

6. 4 bedrs and sitting room upstairs luxury detached house,380sq.m, central heating, full a/c, marble and parquet floor, big sitting and dining areas, office space, BIG bedrooms (2 en suite) big verandas around the house, 2 covered parking,3 bathrooms,4 wc in a quiet area off Eleonon street, near Pizza Hut – Strovolos

****************************** LUXURY HOUSES: 1. 4 bedr luxury detached house built in 3/4 of a plot, office

TO LET NICOSIA TO LET 3 bedroom house situated on a dead end street next to a small quiet park near Falcon School. Has an En-suite master room, large study room, central heating, a/c and fire place in the living room.

For enquiries tel 99660758

P.Car Basics All the services you are looking for can be found here in a comprehensive car service.

Receive and return your car to work or your home, thus saving valuable time from your daily life We undertake Service, Body & Paint, resiliently small change, counting steering MOT, battery change, cleaning & maintenance, Polish-compound wax Teflon. All our drivers are experienced with road safety. Call now on 7000 62 00

27 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013

Advertiser

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

€1500 (H4ST10041-R), (photos in the website) 7. 3 bedr detached ground floor house with separate maid’s room, with very big garden with grass(200sq.m) and covered patio with bbq and bar, central heating, full a/c, 180sq.m, FULLY FURNISHED or NOT, 2 covered parking, storage room, in a very quiet neighborhood opposite Acropolis park - Acropolis - €1000 - H3ACS0004-R (photos on website).

8. 4 bedr very big luxury semi detached house 350sq.m, with big separate basement 80sq.m with 2 rooms, sitting room, kitchen and bathroom. Consists of big sitting and dining areas upstairs, big kitchen with big family room and breakfast area, big bedrooms, 3 showers, 1 bathroom, central heating, full a/c, black out blinds on all windows, cooker and oven in the kitchen, covered parking and patio with bbq in a very quiet neighbourhood close to Makarios foorball stadium. Available END of February - Makedonitissa €1500.

9. 4 bedr new luxury detached house build in a big plot of land, central heating, full a/c, 2 bedrs with en suite shower, 4 wc, bathroom with jacuzzi, big open space sitting and dining areas, 330sq.m, big swimming pool 5x10, big garden with grass, big covered patio with bbq area, roller blinds and curtains on all the windows, electrical appliances in kitchen, covered parking, in a quiet neighbourhood off Tseriou avenue. AVAILABLE end of February –Strovolos €1800 (photos in the website).

10. 4 bedr semi detached house with central heating, 4 a/c, 3 wc,

2 bathrooms, 180sq.m, electrical appliances, small yard, bbq area, off Kostantinoupoleos street near French ambassador residence.- STROVOLOS €700 (H4ST10043-R), (photos in the website).

11. 4 bedr new luxury finished detached house with central heating independent, full a/c, 3wc, 2 bathrooms, big kitchen with cooker oven, dishwasher and big family room, aluminum shutters in all the house, separate big sitting and dining room with parquet floor, 2 covered parking, alarm system, big covered patio, SWIMMING POOL, in a newly built area near Falcon school – Strovolos €2000 (photos in the website).

12. 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 all the house, 3 wc, 2 bathrooms, 2 covered parking

in a quiet area on the borders of Strovolos and Lakatamia – €1600 (H4LAK0002-R) (photos in the website) 13. 3 bedr ground floor house with big separate 80sq,m room with shower and wc for multi use, central heating independent, full a/c, 2wc, 2 shower,1 bathroom, fully furnished, small garden, bbq area, parking, on a small building in a very quiet area near Agios Vasilios church. Strovolos - €900 - H4ST10028-R (photos on website).

14. 3 bedr +office space +attic room +separate big maid’s/ playroom in the basement semi detached house, recently renovated with big sitting and dining areas with marble floor, big kitchen with cooker and oven and family room, central heating, 3 bathrooms, 4 wc, 6 a/c units, covered parking, behind Hilton Park near the park – Engomi €1700 (H4ENG0003-R), (photos in the website) 15. 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, 6wc, 2 covered parking, yard with tiles and SWIMMING POOL, bbq area in a very quiet neighbourhood near CYBC ( RIK) station and near a neighborhood park – Platy Aglantzias €2500 (H4AGZ0005R),(photos in the website) For many more properties with photos visit our website at www.landtouristestates.com which is updated daily. LANDTOURIST ESTATES LTD 22422225/96-422225/96422226, www.landtouristestates.com

all the bedrooms with en suite shower/bathroom, 4wc, big kitchen with all the electrical appliances, blinds on all windows, big covered veranda, covered parking, big storage room, on a small 3 storey building in a quiet neighborhood – Agios Andreas- € 1300 – A3AAD0005-R (photos on website).

2. 1 bedr spacious fully luxury renovated apartment,60sq.m, big sitting and dining room, big bedroom, fully newly modern furnished with LCD TV 32’, covered veranda, covered parking, storage heaters, full a/c, near Cyta, Laiki and Hellenic Bank headquarters – Dasoupolis €550 (photos in the website).

3.

2 bedr penthouse apartment,100sq.m + 80sq.m veranda with flowers and bbq, big sitting and dining room with

big 60” TV, storage heaters, full a/v, 2 wc, en suite bathroom/ jacuzzi, roman blinds, cooker, oven, microwave, washing machine and refrigerator in the kitchen, covered parking, near Metro supermarket – Aglantzia €600 (photos in the website).

4. 2 bedr spacious apartments with separate kitchen, a/c for hot and cold, NICELY FURNISHED, hot water all day, common swimming pool, in a quiet area off Nikis Avenue near the centre. PRICE INCLUDES COMMON EXPENSES, swimming pool and hot water.– Agioi Omologites €450 (A2AOM0010-R) (photos in the website) 5. 2 bedr new modern luxury finished apartment with parquet floor, central heating independent, 2 a/c, modern kitchen with

English-Painter & Decorator Fully Qualified 30 years’ Experience SUMMER OFFER 30% OFF ALL AREAS • External & Internal painting • Damp Damage Repairs • Sprite Repairs • Free Estimates + very clean work • All areas. All types of woodwork stained and preserved • All work guaranteed

Tel. Tony on 99176557

***************************** LUXURY FLATS: 1. 3 bedr luxury finished spacious floor apartment with very big sitting and dining areas with family room with fire place, solid parquet floor all throught, central heating independent, full a/c,

SELEC Fencing & Decking Specialist For all your Garden and Security Fencing ♦ Quality approved workmanship ♦ 15 years experience + guaranteed work ♦ English workers ♦ also garden gates ♦ sheds ♦ chain link fencing ♦ free estimates ♦ all types of fencing & decking

Roofing flat & tired roofing repairs and construction Tel. SELEC fencing 99176557

28 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET NICOSIA

TO LET LARNACA

TO LET PAPHOS

all fitted expensive electrical appliances, blinds on the windows, big covered veranda, FULLY NICELY FURNISHED, covered parking in a quiet neighborhood off Kallipoleos street – Lykavitos €650 (photos in the website).

6. 2 bedr new luxury apartment, modern nicely furnished, storage heaters, 2 a/c, 100sq.m, big covered verandah with nice view, covered parking off Digenis Akritas street near Debenhams shop, walking distance to the centre. PRICE INCLUDES COMMON EXPENSES. – Lykavitos €450 (A1LYK0020-R) (photos in the website) 7.

1 bedr cozy luxury apartment,60sq.m,parquet floor, nicely furnished ,all fitted electrical appliances(cooker, oven, microwave, washing machine, dishwasher, fridge),roman blinds, provisions for home cinema, big covered verandah, storage heaters, 2 a/c ,covered parking in Dasoupolis near Alpha Mega supermarket and Areteion hospital. – Dasoupoli €500 (A1DAS0009-R) (photos in the website) 8. 2 bedr spacious renovated apartment 100sq.m with separate big kitchen, air condition for hot and cold in all the rooms, covered veranda, nicely newly fully furnished , off Kyriakou Matsi street very close to the centre on foot– Agioi Omologites €550 (A2AOM0003-R) (photos in the website) 9. New top quality 2 bedr apartment, 93sq.m+20sq.m veranda, on a small modern building with 6 flats only. Central heating independent, full a/c, 2 bathrooms, 2wc, fully fitted kitchen

with all the electrical appliances, water pressure system roller blinds and shutters on windows, big sitting and dining room, big bedrooms, covered parking and storage room, in a quiet neibourhood near Akropolis park. AVAILABLE middle of February – Acropolis €800 A2ACS0002-R (photos in the website) .

10. 2 bedr luxury spacious apartment, 85sq.m, big sitting room, big fully equipped kitchen, nicely modern furnished, storage heaters, full a/c, big bedrooms, covered veranda with nice view,covered parking, off Prodromou streeet. – Engomi €600 (A2ENG0017-R)(photos in the website) 11. 2 bedr luxury spacious apartment on a small modern building with central heating independent(with petrol), full a/c, solid parquet floor, big bedrooms, big sitting room with open plan kitchen, big covered veranda, FULLY MODERN FURNISHED, covered parking off Makarios Avenue in a quiet area near the centre - Nicosia €800 (A2NIC0030-R) (photos in the website) 12. New top quality 2 bedr apartment, 93sq.m+20sq.m veranda, on a small modern building with 6 flats only. Central heating independent, full a/c, 2 bathrooms, 2wc, fully fitted kitchen with all the electrical appliances, water pressure system roller blinds and shutters on windows, big sitting and dining room, big bedrooms, covered parking and storage room, in a quiet neighbourhood near Akropolis park. AVAILABLE middle of February.– Acropolis €800 (A2ACS0002-R)(photos

in the website) 13. 3 bedr luxury apartment with central heating independent, full a/c, 2 bathrooms, parquet floor, big sitting and dining area, big covered veranda, covered parking, storage room, blinds, shutters in the bedrooms, big kitchen with all expensive electrical appliances, off Makarios avenue near the centre – Nicosia Centre- € 800 – A3NIC0025-R (photos on website).

14. 3 bedr spacious luxury finished apartment 150sq.m+30sq.m covered veranda, central heating independent with petrol,full wall a/c units, solid parquet floor, expensive electrical appliances in the kitchen, 3wc, curtains and blinds on windows, 3 COVERED PARKING,storage room, near Pizza Hut in Strovolos €1100 (photos in the website).

15.

3 bedrs luxury penthouse,165sq.m+80sq.m verandah with bbq, central heating ind, full AC, 3 wc, 2 bathrooms, solid parquet floor all the flat, big kitchen with dining area, fully MODERN FURNISHED, covered parking off Athalassa Avenue near Stephanis Electrinics and English school – Stovolos €800 (A3ST10013-R) (photos in the website) 16. 3 bedr new luxury ground floor apartment, with separate big TV room or guest room, 225sq.m, big kitchen with all the electrical appliances and breakfast area, 4 bathrooms, 4 wc, 2 bedrs with en suite bathroom, floor heating independent, full a/c, blinds on all the windows, marble and parquet floor, big veranda with bbq, small garden, closed 2 covered parking with remote

control, in a very quiet area very close to Junior school and 50 metres from the park. FULLY NICELY FURNISHED – Agioi Omologites €1200 (photos in the website).

For many more properties with photos visit our website at www.landtouristestates.com which is updated daily. LANDTOURIST ESTATES LTD 22422225 / 96-422225 / 96422226 www.landtouristestates.com

TLL341. Tel 24815926 2. Superior Real Estate Larnaca.

Stunning two bedroom fully furnished apartment in Oroklini.

Ref. TLL1574 Please call to arrange a viewing Tel. 24815926 3. www.SuperiorRealEstateLarnaca.com – LARGE RANGE OF RENTAL PROPERTIES. From studio apartments to 5 bedroom villas for rent, all properties have detailed descriptions, professional photographs. Interactive Virtual/Video Tours. Please visit our website. www.SuperiorRealEstateLarnaca.com 4. www.SuperiorRealEstateLarnaca.com. License No. 419.

LANDLORDS AVERTISE YOUR PROPERTY WITH US FOR FREE. Tel. 24815926 Email. info@superiorrealestatelarnaca.com ***************************** FLAT IN CENTRAL LARNACA, Stasinou St, f/f, a/c, one bedroom, Off street car parking.

Foinikoudes, Zenonos Kiteos shops 200 metres. Rent €350 p/m. Tel: 24 815104/9939 5954 FOR RENT 2 bed, 2 bath, new built apartment, in a quiet scenic location In Alethriko, Larnaca 5 min. to Larnaka, 5 min. to the beach Fully furnished, A/C, communal pool, under covered parking, Long term rent, €350.00 per month For more info pls call 99639378 FULLY FURNISHED one bedroom flat near Larco hotel Larnaca. Price €370. Tel: 99202543 *****************************

****************************** PEYIA, luxury villa, 3 double bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, fully or part furnished, private pool, quiet location, paved garden area, sea and mountain views.

Sky satellite, euro 650 ono, please call: 99771532 – no agents ****************************** FOR LONG TERM RENT: 2 bedroom modern apartment, recently renovated-fully furnished, Chloraka- Melanos, quiet neighbourhood, communal pool, 2 covered parking space, security burglar bars throughout, 2 balcony.

Sea view, central to shops.

Communal fees included.

380.00eur/month. Call Maria 99 371 874 **************************** PAPHOS RENTALS SECTION TALA - modern 2 and 3 bedroom apartments U/F, P/F and F/F, some with communal pool , A/C, separate storage and own parking €325 TREMITHOUSA - traditional spacious 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, and large mature enclosed garden, open fireplace, beautiful fitted kitchen, a/d, wonderful family home €400 EMPA - immaculate, spacious 2 bedroom, u/f, corner house, large kitchen, patio, quiet location, must be seen €300 TALA - Luxurious 3/4 bedroom villas, f/f to a very high standard, 2 bathrooms, 2 en-suites, own swimming pools, landscaped gardens with spectacular sea views, €700.

URGENTLY WANTED – Bungalows 2/3 Bedrooms MORE PROPETIES AVAILABLE FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 99862922 ***************************** MR RENT PAPHOS, THE LEADING PROPERTY RENTAL AGENCY IN PAPHOS OFFICE: 26271858 (00357) IF YOU HAVE A PROPERTY TO RENT WE ARE THE RENTAL AGENCY TO CONTACT OFFERING FULL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT & RENT COLLECTION SERVICE 1. UNIVERSAL AREA €450 spacious 2 bedroom townhouse situated in great central location, not on a complex, with enclosed garden & Jacuzzi hot tub. Fully furnished with good furniture. Private drive for off street parking. Also available 1, 2 & 3 bedroom modern apartments please see our website for further information.

2. PEYIA €450 brand new modern 2 bedroom townhouse situated on a quiet complex. Master with ensuite, family bathroom & downstairs guest wc. Fully

***************************** 2 BDRM flat in the centre of Nicosia. Rent €450. For information call 99453663, 99663927.

LIMASSOL TRADITIONAL VILLAGE STONE HOUSE IN APESHIA. Very quiet village, 20mins from Limassol. Road to heritage school/ Troodos. 2 bedrooms, office available top floor with veranda great view of mountains. Small courtyard with trees. Electric solar water. A/C-toilet in main bedroom. Semi/full furnished.

Fitted kitchen with electrical appliances, fireplace. Toilet/ shower. €550pm negotiable. Tel 96891800.

GROUND FLOOR HOUSE, furnished renovated this year.

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

Rent €590.00 Tel 99497576 99886775

LARNACA FOR RENT very spacious 3 bedroom ground floor apartment in Livadia, Larnaca. Includes: 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. ***************************** 1. Superior Real Estate Larnaca.

Town centre, fully furnished one bedroom apartment available for immediate occupation. Ref.

PAPHOS UNIVERSAL: 1bed ground floor apartment fully furnished, airconditioning, fridge, beds common swimming pool , leather sofas, €260 p/m. For more information phone 99400697 € 380 /MONTH UNIVERSAL AREA a 2-bed house, beautiful location, in cul-de-sac, 10 years old, 90 sq. mts, furnished, open-plan lounge/kitchen, front carport, garden, 2-floors, 2 w.cs/ bath and part air-conditioned.

Call 99-632388.’

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

For information call: 99496541

Deal of the Year!!

Get a Free Cruise from Limassol!!

PAY FOR 7 NTS GET 7 NTS FREE!!

SAIL 13TH MARCH FOR A TOTAL OF 14 NTS FOR ONLY ¤750PP!!

Visit Ashdod (Israel), Alexandria (Egypt), Alanya (Turkey), Port Said (Egypt), Heraklion (Crete), Pireaus (Athens), Mykonos, Kusadasi (Ephesus) & Rhodes

The offer is only applicable on these dates, prices are based on 2 sharing a cabin and includes gratuities, food, entertainment.

www.centurycyprus.com

info@centurycyprus.com

70 000 970

29 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013

Advertiser

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

furnished with modern furniture including fly screens & plasma TV. Enclosed rear garden.

Private undercover parking & storage space. Pets allowed at owners discretion. website reference number: RTL_658 3.MESOGI €700 modern detached 4 bedroom villa, master with ensuite. One bedroom on ground floor. Plus separate office or play room. Available unfurnished with gas central heating. Enclosed garden with private pool. Covered veranda with garden furniture. Pets allowed at owners discretion. website reference number: RTL_618 4.TALA €725 modern 3 bedroom detached villa located in a peaceful residential area between Tala & Kamaras offering sea & mountain views. Separate kitchen with top brand appliances inc dishwasher.

Includes central heating, flyscreens & sky satellite. Private pool & enclosed garden with storage. Available unfurnished or furnished. website reference number: RTL_566 5. PEYIA €750 modern detached 3 bedroom villa situated on private road. Available unfurnished though includes central heating throughout, pressurised water & security alarm system. Modern fitted kitchen & bathrooms. Roof terrace with sea views & private pool. website reference number: RTL_572 6. CHLORAKA €750 modern detached 4 bedroom 3 bathroom villa with ground floor bedroom & bathroom. Beautifully furnished with good quality modern furniture includes sky satellite, fly screens & feature fireplace with modern gas fire.

Private pool offering views of

the sea. Off street parking. Situated within walking distance of bus routes & shops. website reference number: RTL_611 7. MESOGI €1250 luxury detached 4 bedroom 5 bathroom villas. One bedroom & ensuite on ground floor. Spacious kitchen with separate utility room. Available unfurnished though includes gas central heating plus real fireplace in living area. Enclosed garden & private pool offering stunning views. Gated entrance with undercover parking. Situated on a private road. website reference number: RTL_628 8. CHLORAKA €2,200 substantial luxury 4 bedroom villa, spacious (350 sq meters), beau-

tifully designed with unique detail. Conservatory with views of landscaped gardens. Large modern fitted kitchen, living room with working fireplace.

Circular dining room with vaulted dome ceiling.

Stunning private pool area. Available unfurnished. website reference number: RTL_579 Tel: 97790883 office: 26271858 visit our website for many more properties www.mrrentpaphos.net email: info@mrrent-paphos.net

ing, a/c, communal pool. €330 pcm 2. TALA 2 bed fully furnished apartment. Stunning sea views, large balcony, well kept gardens, communal pool, and quiet area. €340 pcm 3. CHLORAKAS first floor 2 bed apartment, new kitchen and bathroom, very well furnished, two parking spaces, a/c, quiet area, easy access to town centre and a communal pool. €370 pcm 4. EMBA un-furnished 3 bed 2 bathroom villa, private gated parking, a/c, large kitchen with white goods, cul-de-sac. NO POOL. €445 pcm THIS IS JUST A SMALL SELC-

TION 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. ***************************** KILI – PAPHOS, 3 bedroom villa, with swimming pool and garden, unfurnished, gas central heating, large verandas, lovely mountain views, very quiet and tranquil area, €500 per month o.n.o. Call: 99479006 ***************************** PAPHOS / PEYIA VILLA, villa

FOR SALE PAPHOS CATERING EQUIPMENT: • 2 stand up freezers • industrial oven • chafing trays • thermo boxes • catering tables • tablecloths with frills • glassware, cutlery •

All in excellent condition at reduced prices

please call : 99622678

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

PLUS

UK & Cyprus PLATED CARS GUARANTEED FOR LIFE PROTECTED BONUS* (*subject to no changes on the policy)

2 more exclusive offers to Daily Mail & Mail on Sunday readers:

12 months home insurance for the price of 10 15% discount on Travel Insurance 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

***************************** LONG TERM RENTALS 1. GEROSKIPOU a large 2 bed apartment with large balcony facing the sea, covered park-

British High Commission announces the sale of a duty free diplomatic vehicle FOR SALE AT A RESERVED PRICE OF €5100 Toyota Hilux Double Cabin Pickup Truck.

Registered - November 2006. Reg No - KPB 040 Cubic Capacity - 2494cc. Miles/Kms 83470 Manual Gearbox.

Colour - Silver This is a tax free vehicle! Unless you are tax exempt, duty will be required to be paid before taking delivery.

The vehicle can be viewed by appointment by calling the following Tel No: 99221449 Closed bids (double sealed) including contact details, delivered to the address below, by 1230pm on the 20th February 2013.

Bids will be opened and the successful purchaser informed on the 21st February 2013.

Transport Manager (PSM), British High Commission, PO Box 21978, Nicosia 1587, Cyprus

30 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

Advertiser TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

TO LET PAPHOS

for rent in Peyia, 4 bedroom, 4 bathrooms, large sitting-dining area, fully airconditioned and heated, unfurnished, panoramic views, large parking, low rent contact: 99490953, 26815534 ***************************** FOR RENT A selection of 1 to 5 bedroom houses & apartments F/F & U/F Universal, Peyia, Tomb of the Kings, Tsada, Timi, Chlorakas & Kato Paphos Landlord & Owners please call 99329357 Or please view at are website www.cyprussands.com Fully Registered Company in Cyprus

views, pets welcome, offered unfurnished Ref 783 €700 CHLORAKA 4 bedroom large villa with quality fittings , furnished to a very high standard, downstairs bedroom, 3 upstairs, en suites, bathroom, private pool, decking, fantastic sea views, near Tombs of the Kings Ref: 806 €850 SECRET VALLEY 2 bed villas furnished or unfurnished with private pool, downstairs bedroom, kitchen , sitting/dining area, guest wc, upstairs large master bedroom with en suite bath, large veranda. Nice location with sea views and off street parking: Ref: 1198 €450 PEGEIA 4 bed villa unfurnished, 2 downstairs bedrooms, large sitting/dining area, Italian kitchen with white goods, 2 bedrooms upstairs with outside large veranda. Property is of a high standard with central heating, full AC, off street parking, private pool, stunning views, quiet location. Ref: 765 €900 Mesogi Large 3 bedroom apartment with full AC, bathroom, kitchen, separate utility room, clean and tidy building with without communal area, walking distance to all local amenities. Offered unfurnished Ref: 818 €400 Sea Caves 2 bedroom town house, furnished with central heating, fire place, nice sea views, walking distance to Paphos the sea Ref 819 €300 Please call for a free viewing on Office 26600450 Mobile: 97614070 many more properties on our website at www. flowron.com - Your Vision is our Mission LANDLORDS IF YOU HAVE A PROPERTY

FOR RENT, PLEASE CALL US!!!!!! ***************************** 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

ted dining/kitchen with appliances. Guest WC. 3 double bedrooms one with en-suite.

Family bathroom. Separate 1 bed apartment on lower level.

Perfect for dual living. Small garden & and parking. €550.00 a month.

3. GIOLOU – 5 bed unfurnished villa consisting of 3 bed, 2 bath main house (bungalow) with self contained 2 bed apartment with own entrance. Main house, open plan living area, beamed ceilings with feature fireplace. Dining space and kitchen. 3 bedrooms, master with en-suite and family bathroom. Covered balcony with sea and rural views, swimming pool and garden areas. Lower level apartment reached via the main house or separate entrance. Large open plan living area, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms. €850.00 per month 4. TALA – 3 bed 3 bath quality furnished villa. Set in enclosed gardens the villa consists of open plan living area with dining space. Fully fitted kitchen with all appliances, door to rear garden. Storage room. Ground floor bed room with adjacent shower. Stairs to two double bedrooms both en-suite, one with Jacuzzi tub. Small seating area with adjacent balcony.

Pool and off street parking.

Lnadscaped gardens €750.00 per month or close offers only 5. TRIMITHOUSA – 4 bed, 3.5 bath unfurnished villa set in quiet location. Open plan living area. Fully fitted kitchen.

Ground floor bedroom with ensuite shower. Guest WC. Stairs to 3 more bedrooms, one with en-suite and family bathroom.

Garden areas, large terraces and feature BBQ area and pergola. Private pool, garage.

Never been occupied. Available 1 Feb. €725.00 per month OVNO. 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. €375.00 a month or offers. 1 & 2 bed apartments available on Universal starting at €250per month.

7. LOWER PEYIA – 3 bed, 2.5 bath part furnished villa situated in quiet cul du sac. Open plan living and dining area with doors out the to pool and garden.. Very large breakfast fitted kitchen. Doors out to garden and pool. Separate guest WC. Stairs to 3 double bedrooms.

Master bedroom very large with en-suite shower. Family bathroom. Private pool, gardens, shutters. €550.00 per month or close offers only.

8. STROUMBI – 3 bed 2.5 bath large unfurnished villa in quiet village area. Spacious open plan living area with feature fireplace and dining space Good sized fitted kitchen and breakfast area. Guest WC with storage area.3 double bedrooms.

Master with en-suite bathroom.

Family bathroom. Enclosed gardens, pool and off street parking. Realistically priced €550.00 per month. OVNO FOR FULL LISTINGS OF APARTMENTS/TOWNHOUSES AND VILLA PLEASE CALL FOR DETAILS. ALL TYPES OF PROPERTY URGENTLY REQUIRED FOR LONG TERM RENTAL LANDLORDS/OWNERS PLEASE CALL. PLEASE

***************************** FLOWRON PROPERTY RENTALS: Offering a full range of property services, the company you can TRUST. Armou 2 bed Townhouse on a small complex of Townhouses in a lovely quiet and peaceful location, with small back garden, great views, communal pool, 2 bedrooms with en suites + guest WC. Pets welcome. Offered unfurnished Ref: 1204 €370 AYIA MARINOUDA a 3 bedroom villa with an additional loft room conversion with en suite. Property has a downstairs bedroom, sitting/dining area, separate utility area with granite work tops, 2 bedrooms on the top level master en suite. Central heating, AC, fly screens, private pool, enclosed and fenced garden. Ref: 1199 €900 Mesogi 4 bedroom villa with private pool, nice quality fixtures, granite work tops, separate utility room, downstairs bedroom with en suite, fireplace, ac, 3 upstairs bedroom master en suite, separate bath, nice

***************************** 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. €425.00 or near offer 2 EMBA 3 bed 2 bath unfurnished villa in handy location close to the shopping areas.

Property also has separate 1 bed apartment on the lower level. Large open plan living area and dining area. Fully fit-

FOR PAPHIAKOS ANIMAL WELFARE SOS HELPLINE, 24 HOUR MEDICAL EMERGENCY SERVICE CALL 99655581

PROPERTIES FOR RENT IN NICOSIA

CONTACT DETAILS FOR PAPHIAKOS.

Whole floor of approx. 400m2 available for rent on corner building in prominent position (Limassol Avenue & Costa Anaxagorou, Nicosia) Rent €3.500 pm/ono depending on size of organization & duration of contract

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.

300m2 inside area & outside balcony 200m2 (approx) on 2nd floor available for rent in Galaxias Building, centre of Nicosia Luxurious renovations Suitable for office or café/bar Rent €3.000 pm/ono Centrally located shop, off Makarios Avenue (Aphrodite Street), total area 100 sqm Rent €1.200 pm/ono CLARION BUSINESS CENTRE – off Makarios Avenue (Aphrodite Street, Nicosia) Fully serviced offices with luxurious renovations Suitable for foreign companies which require a Cyprus base Reasonable charges depending on size of offices and services required 3 bedroom fully furnished (140m2) apartment.

Hilton area (opposite BOC Head Office) with air condition.

Rent €750 pm/ono For further information please contact 22361313/22761660/22479302

TO LET PAPHOS CALL 97648440 or email:- inforentals@aol.com ***************************** REFURBISHED stone-built village house located in Kili Paphos. Consists of 3 large rooms 1 small. Traditional wood burnt fireplace, fully tiled secluded yard and garage. Tel: 99210610.

PROPERTY FOR SALE PAPHOS FLAT FOR SALE 1 bdrm at Peyia village with title deeds, fully furnished. €65.000. For information call 99526562.

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY IN LOFOS/ TALA, 2 three bedroom detached villas on large plot.

House 1 with studio flat & pool.

Both open plan with A/C, provision for C/H, BBQ, pergolas, gardens, private drives, sea/ mountain views, SEPARATE DEEDS. Available together or separately. Tel: 96718163/ 96366419 Price: €399,000 & €299,000

PROTARAS 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.

31 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

Compiled by Rosie Ogden

Motoring

EUROPE’S BEST-SELLING SUPERMINI IS BACK - IT’S BIGGER, SAFER AND MORE FUEL EFFICIENT

Pride of place in the Fiat showroom goes to the new third-genertation Panda, which importers CIC Automasters are hoping will attract cash-strapped motorists

Fiat Panda launched in new Nicosia showrooms F

IAT has moved: from rather cramped premises in the back streets of Nicosia, the Italian marque is now proudly displaying its wares in new premises on the dual carriageway in Strovolos that leads from the highway to the general hospital and Latsia.

Pride of place in the showroom goes to the new Panda, which importers CIC Automasters are hoping will attract cash-strapped motorists: the third generation Panda, Europe’s best-selling supermini, is bigger, roomier, safer and more fuel efficient than its predecessors.

With the continued popularity of downsizing, Fiat hopes the concept of a city car “with room for five” (though three of those five better not be oversized), and a range of economical engines, will appeal to drivers in Cyprus – most of whom probably do 90% of their motoring in town.

There are three engine options headed by Fiat’s award-winning TwinAir Turbo, which takes downsizing to a new level by combining a small capacity engine with a turbocharger. This improves performance and flexibility, particularly at very low revs where it’s far more responsive than a normally aspirated engine. This 875cc unit has the lowest carbon dioxide emissions of any quantity production petrol engine in the world, and won the International Engine of the Year award in 2011 thanks to its combination of power, flexibility and economy. It combines Fiat’s MultiAir

The Italian marque is now proudly displaying its wares in new premises in Strovolos (left) where customers can get up close and personal with the Panda technology with two cylinders and a turbocharger. It has 85hp and 67.3mpg economy (in the combined cycle), peak torque of 145Nm (up 15 per cent), and 99g/km of CO2 emissions (improved by 10 per cent).

There’s also a normally aspirated 1.2-litre FIRE engine delivering 69bhp that uses variable valve timing technology “to blend power with economy”. Consumption on this variant is 54.3mpg (combined cycle), while emissions are 120g/km, yet torque is still a healthy 102Nm at 3000rpm.

Then there’s the 1.3-litre MultiJet2 turbo diesel with 75 hp: this latest small turbo diesel engine has been described as ‘a masterpiece of technology in miniature’.

And it certainly has compact proportions, measuring 60cm in length by 70cm high and tipping the scales at 140kg.

But it’s big on performance, with a power output of 75hp at 4000rpm and torque of 190Nm at 1500rpm, making for excellent flexibility.

This second generation unit features faster injectors than its predecessor, so it is quieter, more economical and cheaper to run.

To boost economy, engines (apart from the 1.2-litre FIRE) are equipped with Fiat’s Start&Stop system.

Specifically designed for city driving, this switches the engine off when traffic requires the vehicle to stop, while keeping all functions such as lights, climate control and the sound system operating.

When it’s time to move off again, releasing the brake pedal or operating the clutch triggers the engine to fire up.

All cars with Start&Stop are fitted with a Gear Shift Indicator (GSI) too. This offers a discreet prompt to

drivers to change gear at the optimum point to minimise fuel consumption.

The TwinAir Turbo model also features an ECO button on the dashboard. Pushing this changes the engine electronics to a specific map that reduces torque to 100Nm and focuses on minimising consumption.

On the test drive we had the chance to try the manual 1.2 and the TwinAir in both manual and automatic variants.

I would opt for the manual without hesitation – I’m no fan of automatic transmissions but I thought this box was far from smooth, and switched back to the manual version at the earliest opportunity.

Bearing in mind that this is a city car, it handled beautifully on the motorway too, with plenty of power to take even some of the steeper hills in its stride. The TwinAir is

definitely superior to the 1.2, and has a few extra gadgets too, though the entry level variant is a good choice for pure town driving.

Not everyone will like the car’s rather boxy silhouette, but that’s partly to allow for more space for passengers and their luggage. Fiat says “most of the Panda’s growth in length is in the rear overhang to increase the new car’s boot space as well as offer more legroom to rear passengers, who will also benefit from a rear sliding seat option for the first time.

The new Panda is also 66mm wider, which means it can seat three passengers comfortably in the rear”. I might take issue with the “comfortably” – there really isn’t a great deal of space in the back, but there’s enough for the average town car user.

My big grouch is with the instrument binnacles: in all

the cars I tested I found it difficult to read the information as the glass covering them was reflecting back, and this was compounded on a sunny day by a reflection of the edge of the sun visor right across the middle of them.

On the plus side, the ride is excellent – so often baby cars are lacking when it comes to the suspension – and the body has been made more rigid than the outgoing model.

For a car this size the safety features are impressive: up to six airbags (four of which are standard), ABS anti-lock braking, optional ESP (Electronic Stability Program), and an active anti-whiplash head restraint system standard throughout the range.

On the road prices are €11,600 for the 1.2, and €12,400 for the TwinAir (€13,400 for the diesel) with manual transmission.

32 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport Brothers go head-to-head in Super Bowl like no other

Snowmobiler dies from injuries after horror crash at X Games

Clash has subplot fit for a Hollywood blockbuster

By Steve Keating

By Julian Linden

IN BRIEF

A National Football League (NFL) season where nothing seemed to follow the script has produced a classic Super Bowl encounter with a subplot fit for a Hollywood blockbuster.

Tonight’s game between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens will be the first time in the 47 years of the Super Bowl that two brothers will go head-to-head for the biggest prize in American Football, not on the field, but on the sidelines.

John Harbaugh is Baltimore’s head coach and his counterpart with San Francisco is younger brother Jim. Born just 15 months apart, the pair have been competing against each other all their lives but never with the stakes so high.

“Anybody who has a brother, especially one that’s close in age, gets it,” John told the massive media contingent assembled ahead of tonight’s game in New Orleans.

“You just grow up fighting for everything. You fight for the extra hotdog. You fight for girls. You fight for everything. We both got our girls, but we both want a victory this week.”

Their sibling rivalry has dominated the build up to a game that has been dubbed the Har-Bowl, and Jim, like his brother, was happy to join in the irreverent discussions about their childhood bat-

Sibling rivalry: San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh (right) and his brother, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, appear at their joint press conference ahead of the NFL’s Super Bowl tles.

With a bit of luck, the brothers might have squared off in last year’s Super Bowl but the Ravens and 49ers both lost in the their respective conference championships that determine which two franchises advance to the title decider.

The Ravens looked a forlorn hope of making it to the Super Bowl when they lost four of their last five regular season games but rediscovered their form when it mattered, surviving a double overtime nail biter against the Denver Broncos then upsetting the New England Patriots in the AFC decider.

Their amazing turnaround coincided with the return of their veteran linebacker Ray Lewis, who was named Most

Valuable Player when the Ravens won their only Super Bowl in the 2000 season.

While Lewis has been the inspiration, quarterback Joe Flacco has been the architect of Baltimore’s stunning turnaround.

STRONGEST ARMS Boasting one of the strongest arms in the game, he has been finding his targets in crucial moments, despite remaining one of the most underrated and understated quarterbacks in the NFL. No one is calling San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick boring. A fearless runner who kisses his heavily tattooed biceps whenever he passes for a touchdown

or rushes for one himself, Kaepernick is enjoying a meteoric rise.

Kaepernick is already being compared to Steve Young and Joe Montana, San Francisco’s Hall of Fame quarterbacks from the team’s golden era in the 1980s and early 1990s, adding to the burden of expectation on all his teammates.

The Niners won five Super Bowl titles in the period, just one short of the overall record held by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ominously, they have never lost a Super Bowl, but this will be their first appearance in 18 years.

Las Vegas bookmakers have installed San Francisco as slight favourites, although none of the odds makers are

predicting the 49ers will have it all their own way in the Big Easy, the nickname for New Orleans.

The city is hosting the Super Bowl for the 10th time but the first since the Louisiana Gulf Coast region was devastated in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, which caused more than 1,800 deaths and billions of dollars in property damage.

Tens of thousands of visiting NFL fans are expected to flock to the bars and clubs on Bourbon St. in the city’s historic French Quarter, while an estimated worldwide audience of more than 160 million people will watch on television as the greatest extravaganza in American sport becomes a real family affair.

Brooklyn Nets overcome Cubans set for WSB route road warrior Chicago Bulls into professional careers BROOK Lopez led the way with 20 points in three quarters as the Brooklyn Nets outlasted an under-strength Chicago Bulls 93-89 at home on Friday.

It took a final quarter comeback led by the bench for the Nets to prevail against the Bulls, who were without Carlos Boozer and All Star Joakim Noah because of injury.

The Nets improved to 28-19 as Joe Johnson and MarShon Brooks impressed with 13 points apiece. Brooks nailed nine of his in the final quarter when Andray Blatche scored all 11 of his points. Coming in as the best road team in the Eastern Conference, Chicago dropped to 28-18 after just their third loss in 11 games.

CUBAN boxers could soon be fighting under professional rules for the first time in more than 50 years after highlevel meetings between the Caribbean island’s authorities and the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

AIBA president Ching-Kuo Wu visited Cuba this week to discuss the cream of the country’s fighters joining the professional-style World Series of Boxing (WSB) and soon to be launched AIBA Pro Boxing (APB).

“They are very serious about it,” Wu said on Friday. “We have cleared the way for them and they are very happy and are very seriously considering joining subject to final approval by the Cuban authorities.”

FREESTYLE snowmobiler Caleb Moore has died from injuries sustained last week in a dramatic crash while competing at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, the first fatality in the event’s history. He was 25.

Moore was critically injured last Thursday when he was sent flying over the handlebars while attempting a backflip. He landed face first into the snow before his machine crashed on top of him.

The four-time X Games medalist from Texas was airlifted to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for bleeding around his heart, according to a report on ESPN, which founded and organises the X Games.

Moore is the first fatality in the 18-year history of the X Games, which features athletes competing in a number of extreme sports.

“We are deeply saddened by Caleb Moore’s passing and our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Moore family,” said ESPN in a statement.

“He will be remembered for his natural passion for life and his deep love for his family and friends, and he will always be an inspiration to everyone he touched in the action sports community.

ESPN added that there will be an investigation but noted that the trick was one Moore had attempted and landed cleanly many times before.

Caleb Moore is the first fatality in the event’s history

Russia to spend more than $50 billion on Sochi RUSSIA will spend more than $50 billion on preparation and staging the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said.

As of January 1, 2013, Russia had already spent nearly 1.136 trillion roubles ($37.85 billion), Kozak told reporters following a meeting of the state commission on Sochi in the government headquarters in Moscow.

The total expenditure will be 1.526 trillion roubles ($51.08 billion), he added.

The latest figure is almost five times more than the original estimate, which was done shortly after the Black Sea resort was awarded the 2014 Games in July 2007.

33 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013

Sport Gillespie: England deserve Ashes favourite tag

Leading the attack: Gillespie had particular praise for James Anderson (above), Finn, Bresnan, Broad and Swann

YORKSHIRE coach and former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie believes England will deservedly start as favourites for their defence of the Ashes later this year.

England retained the famous urn with an emphatic 3-1 win in the fivematch Test series on Australian soil in 2010/11, and have been tipped to dictate terms again when the famous rivalry resumes in July.

Gillespie, having been installed as Yorkshire’s first-team coach in 2011, has been able to assess the hosts’ preparations first hand, and believes English optimism is well-placed.

“They are incredibly confident over here but they deserve to start favourites, England, no doubt about it,” Gillespie told The Australian newspaper.

“I think potentially they could un-

derestimate our bowling. I’ve been speaking about it quite regularly over here and saying, ‘Don’t underestimate the strength of Australia’s pace bowling attack’.

‘PLANNING, RESEARCHING’ “But England won’t underestimate Australia. They’re too clever for that and I know the England management has already been doing a lot of research.

“They’ve been planning and researching for a long time. I’ve got no doubt they’ll be wary.”

Gillespie, who claimed 259 wickets in 71 Tests for Australia between 1996 and 2006, expects England’s well-established bowling attack to trouble a relatively inexperienced Australian batting line-up.

“England’s bowling is very good at the moment,” he said.

“Coming up against the Australian batting order, they will rightly feel they’re in the game. They feel they can put Australia under pressure and can have Michael Clarke coming in consistently very early, at two or three down for not very many.

“James Anderson is one of the best going around. He’ll lead the attack, (Steven) Finn is a very good bowler, (Tim) Bresnan is a very good bowler, (Stuart) Broad has had a bit of an up-and-down time but he’s also a very good bowler.

“Graeme Swann is one of the best spin bowlers in the world, if not the number one. Their batting is strong and they’ve got the best wicketkeeper-batsman in the world (Matt Prior) so they’re in a good place.”

Ireland inflict misery on Wales Grand Slam champions lose eighth straight game Wales 22 Ireland 30

By Justin Palmer IRELAND inflicted an eighth successive defeat on last season’s Six Nations champions and grand slam winners Wales, whose fall from grace continued with a 30-22 loss in the opening game of the tournament yesterday.

Wales were stunned by a 20-point salvo from Ireland in the opening 28 minutes that brought converted tries for wing Simon Zebo and prop Cian Healy.

Returning former Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll went over from a metre out, his 46th international try in 121 matches, early in the second half and although Wales countered with scores from Alex Cuthbert, Leigh Halfpenny and Craig Mitchell, their stirring fightback fell short.

No side has won back to back grand slams since France in the old Five Nations in 1997 and 1998.

Ireland had lost their last three to Wales, including the 2011 World Cup quarter-final, and set out energised and with a steely determination to atone.

The men in green struck with an opening try after 10 minutes, punching a

Wales were stunned by a 20-point salvo from Ireland in the opening 28 minutes as their fall from grace continued hole in the Welsh backline first from a swift attack that was only halted when right wing Craig Gilroy ran out of space.

The Irish won a lineout after a knock-on and from quick handling, O’Driscoll’s run took the attention of three defenders before the centre, who has hardly played since the World Cup because of injury, fed Zebo to scamper over.

Desperate Welsh defence on their own line prevented another try - Ireland settling for a penalty from

Jonny Sexton - but they soon threatened again.

With stony-faced coach Warren Gatland, now seconded to British and Irish Lions duty, looking on from the stands, the howls of derision from a stunned Millennium stadium crowd grew louder still when Dan Biggar’s clearance was charged down and caught by hooker Rory Best.

Ireland had numbers in support although it took some fine footballing skills from Zebo to flick up a pass behind him with his

left heel before gathering to maintain an attack fnished off by Healy.

Wales, low on confidence and dazed by Ireland’s aggressive running, finally got on the board with Halfpenny’s penalty and despite getting up a head of steam late in the half, their first persistent spell of pressure ended when they were penalised close to the Irish try line.

Another sloppy start led to a turnover and O’Driscoll’s score from close range soon after the

restart.

Wing Cuthbert stemmed the tide by bursting through to touch down and after Best was sin-binned, Halfpenny’s try in the corner kickstarted a spell of relentless pressure.

Ireland, reduced to 14 again with scrumhalf Conor Murray shown yellow, buckled and bent in the last 20 minutes in the face of a Welsh onslaught.

Replacement Mitchell barrelled over for another try but Ireland were by then home and dry.

Late eagle lifts Gallacher to three-stroke lead at Dubai Desert Classic

By Mark Garrod TWO days after matching his best ever European Tour round, Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher amazingly went one better in Dubai yesterday.

Holing a 40-yard bunker shot for eagle at the last gave the 38-year-old a

magical 62 and he goes into the final round of the Omega Desert Classic three strokes ahead of South African Richard Sterne.

Gallacher, nephew of former Ryder Cup captain Bernard, has won only once in more than 400 Tour events and that was nine years ago on home soil at St Andrews.

But he was joint runner-up with Lee Westwood in this event last February and might never have a better chance to lift another trophy.

Dane Thorbjorn Olesen is three shots back in third and then comes a further two-shot gap to England’s Tommy Fleetwood, Indian Jeev Milkha Singh and Chile’s Felipe Aguilar.

Gallacher’s round contained two eagles and the first of those at the long 13th was nearly an albatross. After a massive drive he needed just an eightiron and it hit the flag before stopping less than four feet away.

He had already notched six birdies by then and the spectacular finish was simply the icing on the cake.

Carroll on song as Real down CSKA THE royalty of club basketball produced a thriller worthy of their trophy cabinets as eight-times Euroleague winners Real Madrid beat six-times champions CSKA Moscow 86-78 thanks to a superb show from Jaycee Carroll.

The Spanish giants remained the only unbeaten team in the second group stage of the competition, featuring 16 teams divided into two pools of eight, after the 29-year-old American point guard landed 31 points in a game that went to overtime on Thursday.

Holders Olympiakos Piraeus kept alive their hopes of reaching the playoffs with an 82-71 home win over Fenerbahce Istanbul, 2010 champions Barcelona cruised to an 85-66 home defeat of Montepaschi Siena and Anadolu Efes Istanbul sprung a 78-73 upset at Unicaja Malaga on Friday.

CSKA playmaker Milos Teodosic missed a longrange shot on the buzzer in regulation time and Carroll stepped up in overtime to settle the rip-roaring encounter in front of 14,000 fans.

“We are learning how to play different kinds of games and the good thing is we were able to change our system in this very difficult match,” Carroll told the competition’s official website (www. euroleague.net).

“We couldn’t play fast the whole game but in overtime we were aggressive and at the same time we were clever enough to pass the ball around to create open shots.”

With four teams from each of the two pools advancing to the best-of-five quarter-final playoff series, Real are in the driving seat to progress while CSKA have work to do with a 4-2 record.

Last week the Russian champions were soundly beaten

by Unicaja Malaga, but their trophy-laden Italian coach Ettore Messina was confident CSKA would reach the May 10-12 Final Four in London’s O2 Arena and have another shot at Carroll and company.

34 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport Clarke wants events to spur side on

Manchester City, who meet Liverpool today, have been linked with a £40m swoop for Reds striker Luis Suarez, who has scored 22 goals this season

Mancini expects to close gap

By Andy Hampson MANCHESTER City boss Roberto Mancini believes his team can make big inroads into Manchester United’s Barclays Premier League lead in the coming month.

The champions ended January trailing their neighbours by seven points at the top of the table.

But in a month when United resume their Champions League challenge with a much-anticipated clash against Real Madrid, Mancini feels it could be time to strike.

United are at the Bernabeu on February 13, three days after a testing visit from Everton, and then host the Spanish giants on March 5.

Mancini said: “They are two important games for United so I think that February and March could be the time when it’s possible to decide this championship.”

Believes City will make inroads into United lead by the end of the month City dropped two points as they were held to a goalless draw at QPR in midweek but Mancini does not see any reason to worry.

He said: “This doesn’t change (anything).

“I think when we arrive at the end of February, the gap will be very, very small.

“In every championship, never one team won a title in January. We should fight until April.

“If they have seven, eight, nine points (lead) in April, it could be difficult, maybe. But in this moment we have a big chance.

“Every team during the season has two or three weeks when they don’t play well, when their performances

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go down and they don’t score.

“Even if you have fantastic strikers, like the situation we had last year, there were some moments when we scored three or four goals a game but then didn’t score for three or four games and we didn’t know why.

“It could be the same for them (United) now.”

City face the challenge of Liverpool and their in-form striker Luis Suarez at the Etihad Stadium today.

City were linked with a £40million swoop for Suarez, who has scored 22 goals this term, earlier in the season but Mancini did not want to get caught out on that subject at his pre-match press conference.

When asked about the Uruguayan,

Mancini said: “Suarez? He plays for Liverpool. He has quality and is strong.”

City will have to try to keep Suarez quiet without defensive linchpin and captain Vincent Kompany.

The Belgium international suffered another calf strain in last week’s FA Cup fourth-round win at Stoke and could be out until after the fifth round against Leeds in a fortnight.

City have admitted concern over the recurring nature of Kompany’s problem but he is not expected to need an operation.

Mancini said: “He has this problem. An injury to the calf is a bad injury.

“You can have this for a long time.

Vinny needs to work and have treatment but I’m not worried about an operation.

“He did this problem in March last year after five minutes against Sporting Lisbon. We need to manage him well.”

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DOCTORS ON DUTY NICOSIA Pathologist: Costas Schizas, Tel: 22311077, 99606611 Ophthalmologist: Antonis Glikeriou, Tel: 70000171 Urologist: Achilleas Corellis, Tel: 70007773, 99562642 Gynaecologist: Grigoris Solomou, Tel: 99468368 Paediatric Surgeon: Eliana Eliadou, Tel: 99384324 Dentist: Georgia Mavrommati, Tel: 22331258, 99797020 LIMASSOL Pathologist: Christos Christodoulou, Tel.: 99454612, 25338618 Surgeon: Marios Philippou, Tel.: 25382115.

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HEAD coach Steve Clarke has urged West Brom to use the ill-fated Peter Odemwingie saga as a “positive stimulus” to get their season back on track ahead of today’s home clash with Tottenham.

Striker Odemwingie has been left out of the squad to face Spurs following the collapse of his move to QPR after he turned up at Loftus Road on transfer deadline day anticipating the completion of the deal.

Clarke believes Odemwingie can eventually rebuild his career at The Hawthorns, but his immediate focus is on Albion ending a five-game run without a win in the Barclays Premier League.

He said: “We have lost a bit of edge. November was a good month for us, December was average and January has been a poor month for us so I’m glad it’s February and we can try and move on.

“The players have lost a bit of confidence, it happens when you lose games. Some of the performances have been okay but we haven’t got the results.

“It’s time for us as a group of players, me and my staff, to get together with the players and rally round.

“Maybe we can even use some of the events which have unfolded this week and try and use it as a positive stimulus to drive the group forward and get back to the form we were in earlier in the season.”

Clarke admitted: “It can be difficult sometimes to pick your form up straight away but we’ve got to find a way of getting results.

“The quicker we do that, the quicker we get to our first target of 40 points and then we can reassess and see how many points we can accumulate.

“We still have the possibility to make this a very good season for West Brom and that’s what we are going to endeavour to do over the next few weeks.”

Clarke worked alongside Spurs boss Andre VillasBoas at Chelsea and is delighted to see him rebuilding his reputation following his unsuccessful spell as manager at Stamford Bridge.

Clarke is hoping the travails of Odemwingie will prove a ‘positive influence’ today

35 SUNDAY MAIL • February 3, 2013

Sport

Fellaini rescues Everton as Aston Villa blow lead

Penalty miss ruins day for Harry’s big spenders

Belgian powerhouse scores twice in thrilling encounter

By Jim van Wijk

Everton 3 Aston Villa 3

By Carl Markham ASTON Villa threw away a two-goal lead as Marouane Fellaini’s second of the match deep into added time denied the visitors a much-needed Barclays Premier League win at Goodison Park.

For a long time it appeared Paul Lambert’s side would be celebrating their second surprise success on Merseyside, having beaten Liverpool in December.

But Fellaini scored his second of the afternoon to add to Victor Anichebe’s first-half strike and cancel out Christian Benteke’s double and a goal from Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Everton’s remarkable powers of recovery came to the fore again and they are second only to Manchester United having taken 21 points from losing positions this season, although the draw was not enough to take them back into the top four for the first time since December 22.

It was a huge blow to Villa, who since their last league success at Anfield seven weeks ago - which in itself was something of a surprise - have now picked up just three points.

Lambert’s side arrived in the north-west in much worse form than when they turned over Liverpool and, although they left with a point, they will be disappointed.

Everton had shown in the midweek 2-1 win over West Brom - another side in a poor run of form - that their defence was not entirely watertight, but conceding in the

Leaving it late: Marouane Fellaini scored deep into added time to deny Villa a famous win second minute lead was disappointing even for them.

John Heitinga, whose defending could best be described as haphazard, was completely culpable as Benteke went past him as if he were standing still which he may as well have been - to slide a shot across Tim Howard from Charles N’Zogbia’s pass.

Benteke continued to look threatening, however, and his shot from Agbonlahor’s cutback was deflected behind before Everton drew level thanks to their own powerhouse forward.

Anichebe was again preferred up front to Nikica Jelavic, and he repaid man-

ager David Moyes’ faith with a 21st-minute equaliser.

Both sides looked weak defensively and Heitinga, who has not enjoyed the best of seasons, was again involved in Villa’s second.

A corner was only partially cleared and Ashley Westwood’s right-wing cross saw Agbonlahor lose the Holland international and outjump Fellaini to head in at the far post.

Andreas Weimann was involved in Villa’s third goal, which saw him exchange passes with Matthew Lowton, allowing the right-back to curl in an inviting cross to which Benteke beat Heitinga to nod in at the near post and

Maverick Balotelli happy to escape English media, weather and food

By Brian Homewood MAVERICK striker Mario Balotelli said he was relieved to escape the English media, driving, weather and food when the new signing was officially presented by AC Milan (right).

“To be a player for Milan has always been my dream so I’m very happy,” he told a news conference. “But I prefer playing not talking.”

The 22-year-old explained that he was happy to be closer to his family and friends following his move from Manchester City which came after a series of fallouts with manager Roberto Mancini and some bizarre

incidents.

“Now I’m at Milan it’s very important above all because I am close to my family and friends. Manchester is not so far but it’s not close like Milan,” said Balotelli who this

week cost the Italian club a fee that media reports have put at 20 million euros.

The Italy forward mused on the positives and negatives of living in England.

“Good things, only when I get to Carrington to train, so my team mates, my manager, those are the good things.

The bad things?...everything else.”

Balotelli listed the bad as “the press first, the weather, the food and the way they drive” but said he would miss the Premier League.

“It is an amazing league and I think it’s the best, together with the crowd and the pitches,” he added. “I don’t know for the future if I could go back or not.”

take his Premier League tally into double figures.

With 20 minutes remaining, Fellaini cut in from the left and again utilised Anichebe’s strength to hold up the ball before taking the return pass to shoot past Brad Guzan with the help of a minor deflection.

Jelavic had one shot batted away by Guzan but the form guide appeared to be against the Toffees, who had not scored three in a league game since late September.

But Fellaini’s header in the third of six added minutes changed that, and the Belgium international could have won it even later but shot straight at the goalkeeper.

QPR 0 Norwich 0

NORWICH goalkeeper Mark Bunn saved a penalty as big spending QPR were held to a goalless draw at Loftus Road.

Deadline-day signings defender Christopher Samba, bought in a £12.5million deal from Anzhi Makhachkala, and midfielder Andros Townsend, on loan from Tottenham, both started, but it was Adel Taarabt who provided the main threat for the hosts.

However, when his big moment came from the penalty spot just before the hour, the Moroccan saw Bunn produce a superb save to help earn Norwich what could prove a useful point in their own quest to avoid the drop.

Norwich - looking to build on their midweek draw with Tottenham - created an early opening when Robert Snodgrass got down the right and cut the ball back into the six-yard box where Wes Hoolahan hooked it over the bar, but the flag was up for what looked a narrow offside call.

With £8million striker Loic Remy out through injury, Taarabt proved QPR’s most creative player and he drilled a low shot across goal and wide from the edge

At full stretch: Norwich keeper Mark Bunn saved Adel Taarabt’s second-half penalty

Premier League standings Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Manchester United Manchester City Chelsea Chelsea Arsenal Tottenham ManchesterHotspur City Everton Liverpool Arsenal Tottenham Hotspur Liverpool Everton Swansea Stoke City West BoltonBrom Wanderers Stoke City West Brom West Ham Utd Fulham Sunderland Newcastle United Fulham Sunderland Norwich City Aston Villa Newcastle United Blackburn Rovers Southampton Wolves Reading Birmingham Wigan Athletic Blackpool Aston WiganVilla Athletic QPR West Ham United

of the area on 10 minutes.

The Moroccan was again the instigator when his jinking run into the Norwich area put Jamie Mackie in on the angle, but his tight shot on the turn dragged the ball wide.

Norwich, meanwhile, were content to hit Grant Holt on the break, but the captain was often isolated and lacked support from midfield.

QPR made a change on 55 minutes when Bobby Zamora replaced Shaun Wright-Phillips.

The hosts were then awarded a penalty when Mackie latched onto a poor back pass from Javier Garrido and was tripped by Bunn, who was shown a yellow card.

Taarabt went to place the ball in the bottom left corner, but the keeper had guessed correctly and pulled off a fine save at full stretch.

Bunn then beat away a dipping 20-yard effort from Taarabt as QPR remained on the offensive.

Julio Cesar, though, was also in good form as he palmed out a 25-yard strike from Bradley Johnson as the match finally opened up.

There was not be a breakthrough though, with both sides having to settle for a point.

After the game, statisticians Opta revealed that QPR boss Harry Redknapp has been involved in more 0-0 draws than any other manager in Premier League history (62).

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2 11 7 7 10 6 8 12 7 8 14 8 15 10 7 4 10 12 10 6 15 8 11 7 11 10 12 6 10 9 7 8 15 6 9 9 15 11 12

3 4 2 8 5 7 6 9 3 12 6 8 7 10 7 16 10 15 7 15 11 10 14 10 15 9 14 12 17 11 19 12 13 14 18 12 14 12 17

59 74 45 67 51 69 41 55 40 59 49 51 42 50 34 46 34 52 24 53 28 45 28 51 36 42 25 45 33 43 33 44 32 36 29 53 23 36 18 41

A Pts 31 35 19 30 27 39 29 33 30 41 29 45 30 45 28 44 34 54 30 68 36 41 33 52 41 56 40 58 44 57 44 63 46 54 47 74 49 59 37 64

59 77 52 70 46 67 42 65 42 58 41 56 35 51 34 46 34 46 30 46 30 45 29 44 28 44 28 42 27 40 24 40 23 39 21 39 21 36 17 33

PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS QPR Norwich

0 0

Arsenal Stoke

1 0

Everton Aston Villa

3 3

Newcastle Chelsea

3 2

Reading Sunderland

2 1

West Ham Swansea

1 0

Wigan Southampton

2 2

Fulham Man United

L L

Playing Today West Brom v Tottenham 3.30pm Man City v Liverpool 6pm

36 February 3, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

Sport

Brothers go head-to-head in Super Bowl like no other 32

Fellaini rescues Everton as Villa blow two-goal 35 lead

Fired-up England brush off Scotland in opener England 38 Scotland 18

By Mitch Phillips ENGLAND hit the ground running as a performance full of energy, aggression and no little ambition brought tries for Chris Ashton, Billy Twelvetrees, Geoff Parling and Danny Care in a 38-18 Six Nations

victory over Scotland at Twickenham yesterday.

Any doubts that their oldest rivals would drag England back to earth after their stunning victory over New Zealand two months ago were dispelled with a fired-up start that earned them a 19-11 halftime lead via four penalties from the excellent Owen Farrell and Ashton’s try.

Scotland, without a win at Twickenham for 30 years, had scored the first try

through their debutant winger Sean Maitland and had their own moments of enterprise, but they were blown away in the second half as Twelvetrees, who enjoyed a fine debut at inside centre, and Parling finished off some impressive moves.

Scotland fullback Stuart Hogg scored a length-ofthe-field try 10 minutes from time after both teams ended the game flinging the ball around like Sevens players and were regularly

turned over, but England were on top and finished on a high with a stoppagetime score by replacement scrumhalf Care.

“It’s brilliant, especially to get back out at Twickenham. It’s what international rugby is all about and it’s why we love playing the game,” man of the match Farrell told BBC Sport after the game.

“We played with real pace and tempo and I thought the intensity was good.”

England haven’t lost to Scotland at Twickenham for 30 years

Chelsea crash to late defeat Sissoko double gives Newcastle precious win Newcastle 3 Chelsea 2

By Damian Spellman

M

OUSSA Sissoko paid off a sizeable part of his transfer fee with a superb double to hand Newcastle a precious victory over European champions Chelsea.

The France midfielder marked his home debut with a 68th-minute strike to level the game at 2-2 and then blasted home a brilliant winner to further boost Alan Pardew’s survival mission.

Chelsea looked to be on their way to a first victory in four attempts in all competitions when, after Frank Lampard had cancelled out Jonas Gutierrez’s first-half opener by scoring his 10th Barclays Premier League goal of the season for the 10th successive campaign, Juan Mata curled home a superb 61st-minute effort.

But a rejuvenated Newcastle refused to accept defeat and Sissoko snatched a dramatic win which was secured when Steven Taylor blocked Lampard’s goal-bound effort deep into injury-time.

It was meant to be striker Demba Ba’s day as he returned to St James’ Park, where he had given sterling service in his 18 months in a black and white shirt.

But having arrived to a less than harmonious welcome, with some Newcastle fans accusing him of chasing the money by heading for Stamford Bridge last month, he departed prematurely with a bloodied nose to more catcalls after just

The main man: Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko sent St James’ Park wild with two goals to down their illustrious opponents 42 minutes.

The Magpies followed him down the tunnel just a few minutes later with the advantage at the end of a thoroughly entertaining 45 minutes of football.

While Ba’s departure from Tyneside might have come as a major blow to Pardew, the early signs are that the recruitment drive launched in response was astutely conducted.

The confidence gained in Tuesday night’s 2-1 victory at Aston Villa with new boys Mathieu Debuchy, Sissoko and Yoan Gouffran in the team was in evidence as the home side set about their task with some relish.

Papiss Cisse, the man Pardew hopes will supply the goals which once came from Ba, saw a fifth-minute effort blocked by defender Gary Cahill, but then failed to test returning keeper

Stunned: the European champions haven’t won in four games Petr Cech adequately when played in by Sissoko after 20 minutes and then Yohan Cabaye 16 minutes later.

Cabaye and full-back Davide Santon both sent rasping volleys just off target in an end-to-end contest in

which the Magpies gave as good as they got.

However, Chelsea might have gone in front twice, Lampard blasting high over from Ashley Cole’s 15thminute pull-back, and then Ba forcing a 32nd-minute

save from Tim Krul before heading the rebound inches wide under pressure from Fabricio Coloccini, whose boot caused the damage which forced his exit.

The opening goal eventually arrived four minutes before the break and from an unusual source.

Newcastle’s final ball had at times been ordinary, but Santon produced a telling cross to allow Gutierrez to glance a deft header across Cech and into the bottom corner to send the home fans into raptures.

They were equally pleased to see the back of Ba seconds later but, as the whistle sounded, there was a general acceptance that they would need to produce a much better second-half display than they did at Villa Park if they were to hold on to their advantage.

Chelsea returned in de-

termined mood to pin the Magpies back into their own half, and as Pardew’s men retreated, Cisse found himself isolated in attack despite the best efforts of Sissoko and Gouffran.

They were back on terms within 10 minutes in stunning style when Lampard controlled Cole’s pass on his chest, took another touch and then lashed a dipping shot past the helpless Krul.

Things might have been worse for Newcastle on the hour when James Perch gifted the ball to Oscar and the visitors broke at pace for Mata to cross for Lampard, but he headed straight at Krul.

The Dutchman was not so fortunate seconds later, however, when Fernando Torres laid the ball back to Mata, who curled a superb left-foot shot over Krul and into the top corner.

John Terry only just managed to prevent Cisse from connecting with Santon’s 65th-minute cross in front of goal, but Krul had to backpedal hurriedly to keep out Branislav Ivanovic’s speculative effort from his own half a minute later.

However, the home side dragged themselves back into it with 22 minutes remaining when, after Cech had parried Gouffran’s effort, Sissoko steered the rebound home.

Cech had to be at his best to palm away Sissoko’s searing drive after he had run away from Cole down the right, and the former Toulouse midfielder tore the Blues open once again seven minutes from time before cutting inside Cahill, only to toe-poke his effort straight at Cech.

But the Czech Republic international could not deny the Frenchman in the final minutes when he exchanged passes with Santon before drilling a sweet drive past Cech to win it.