Latest news:

Rivers will flow freely

Construction of building in riverbeds and streams, which causes flooding during winter, is to be outlawed.
The parliamentary environmental committee discussed the problem of building in riverbeds and related problems caused by preventing the usual flow of water, at a meeting in Nicosia.
The president of the committee, Andres Facontis, underlined that the problem is prevalent in the district of Paphos.
The main cause of concern is the improper registration of river tributaries and streams, many of which do not show up at all on government plans. This means that in many cases, permission has been granted for construction and development to go ahead on ravines and in riverbeds. This has caused major problems during the winter when rainfall is at a maximum. The committee will now attempt to register all of the waterways in Paphos however small, in an attempt to prevent further problems.
Building in these conditions has created untold problem and caused misery for many homeowners who end up with severe flooding of their properties during the winter months.


Paphos dam to re-open

Renovation work to take place in an old Paphos dam has been given the go ahead. The minister of the interior, Neoclis Silikiotis, has announced that renovations of the dam, which operated for three decades, will commence next year. The dam is situated north of the village of Ayia Marinouthda and work on the project will be completed by 2012.
Silikiotis confirmed that he signed an agreement for the works on May 5TH 2009 along with all the necessary documents to ensure engineers overseeing the work would also provide after care of the ambitious project.
The contract duration is for a 32-month period, in which time an 8-month study will be taken, prior to upgrading work getting underway. The project is being realised by the allocation of funds from the European Union.


Peyia to get mainline sewerage

SABBA-Paphos sewerage board- has finally given the approval for Peyia to be included in the Paphos sewerage system, and the ministry of the interior has now approved the move.
Peyia councillor Linda Leblanc said, ‘The council of Peyia fully support this move, although It does mean that a sewerage tax will be implemented in Peyia, and figures as to cost are not yet available.
The first phase will be the coastal area and pipes will be laid in September 2010. Then upper Peyia will follow and eventually the system will stretch further out. The EU states that by 2012 all coastal areas of 1000 residents and over must have a coastal sewerage treatment facility. Residents have expressed their concerns about the cost of the project. 5,000 permanent residents in Peyia are using septic tanks, and as the soil is chalky, clay or bedrock, there is no proper seepage for the sewerage.


Friedreich’s ataxia disease under spotlight

The government implemented a programme concerned with the prevention of Friedreich’s ataxia, a debilitating nervous system disease, for which there is no cure. There is a concentration of carriers in Paphos. Friedreich’s ataxia is inherited and causes damage to the nervous system, muscle weakness, speech problems and heart disease. There are an estimated one hundred carriers in Paphos and fifteen sufferers. The ministry of health and the institute of neurology will run the scheme, which will see Paphos couples receiving blood tests before they marry.


Pig farm looks set to stay-for now

The pig farm in Marathounda village in Paphos looks set to continue operating despite a court order and pleas by locals to close it down. Local Paphos deputy Antonis Antoniou said, ‘it stays until it goes.’
His comments came following a meeting in Nicosia between the parliamentary committee for the environment, the owners of the pig farm and representatives of the affected Paphos communities.
Residents have long complained about the foul stench being emitted from the farm, which they say is at times unbearable.
But, confusingly the farm is operating with a proper building permit and planning permission has already been granted for the creation of a biological unit, which would limit the pollution of the area.
The pig farmers are asking for compensation of €3 million to move the farm,
George Perdikis said the Greens believe the continued operation of the farm,’ is an injustice towards the communities,’ and ‘we demand the immediate removal of the pig farm to another area.’


Roads in Paphos causing misery

Numerous main roads in Paphos are either closed to traffic, full of potholes or the site of major road works and diversions, much to the annoyance of motorists and local officials. The problems have been made worse by torrential rain and storms. Many of the road works are a result of major upgrades to the town’s sewerage system. Local councilor Polis Polydorou, who is also a member of SABBA, the sewerage board committee responsible for the works, said “I have personally raised the issue of the problems with the roads at the last meeting of the committee, and stressed that there is a serious problem with finishing the road after works,” he said. A large part of the problem, said Polydorou, is that contractors are not filling the holes in the roads properly. “Or if they do, they are leaving them open for excessive amounts of time first.” There are four different major contractors undertaking phase two of the extensive sewerage project, and they in turn have employed numerous sub contractors. The work will cost an estimated €120 million.

Supporters strip off for charity.

Staff and volunteers of PAWS dog shelter in Paphos have ‘bared all’ for a charity fund raising calendar. All the proceeds from the calendar will go towards the upkeep of the one hundred and sixty canine residents. One such animal is ‘Bambi’, a display of whom is being used to highlight the plight of many animals who arrive at the shelter in dire need of medical attention, food and water, and love and care. The calendars are priced at €6 and all of the proceeds will go towards to the shelter. PAWS moved to the new site in Achaelia in Paphos, on December 5th 2007.
 

News bites

Evgenios Neofitou, the general secretary of Man and the Environment, has accused private vessels of dumping their rubbish in the sea and called on the government to take action. He suggested that the council of Ministers should appoint a ministerial committee to solve the problem. He pointed out that they would be able to prevent vessels from dumping rubbish in ports, marinas and mooring areas.

A 53-year-old Cypriot man, who died suddenly in Paphos, whilst a spectator at a football match was buried in Episkopi village. Andreas Klytou was watching the match between Paphos and Doxa at the Pafiakos stadium when he was taken ill during the second half. He became unconscious and was rushed to Paphos general hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. They believe Klytou suffered a ruptured aorta. The victim was a respected employee of Paphos municipality, and had also worked in local media. Mayor of Paphos Savvas Vergas expressed his sorrow and condolences for Klytous’ family. He also underlined the need for medical equipment to be in place at the stadium.

The general secretary of the farmers union, Andreas Miltiadous, has warned that grape production could be severely affected unless wineries offer better deals to grape growers. Miltiadous added that the situation is so bad that’s its not worth producers while to cultivate and deliver grapes to wine factories, as prices given are so poor.
He stressed that he has pointed out to wineries many times in the past, that if they wish to have large quantities of grapes, then they must discuss prices, which would encourage growers to grow and deliver their product. He added that even though grapes have been successfully grown, despite an outbreak of Peronosperos disease and other economic factors, that there’s a real danger many of the grapes will not be cut and delivered, as prices are so low.

George Michalides, the president of Paphos municipalities’ committee for foreign relations and tourism, has been speaking of the strong ties being formed between Paphos municipality and the municipality of Hania in Crete. The mayors of the two towns came together, and Michalides said that previous meetings between them had helped forge a bond over the last few years. He pointed out that this had been facilitated by talks with the Greek foreign minister Dora Bakoyianis who is also from Hania.
The first part of the towns’ twinning will take place on December 1st,a date that is symbolic, as it’s connected with the liberation of Crete and its union with Greece. In June next year, the second part of the official twinning will include a special ceremony, underlining the common issues between the new partners.

The mayor of Paphos Savvas Vergas, the mayor of Yeroskipou Tassos Kousapos, and the president of the Institute of Cyprus visited the old colonial district governors’ house in Paphos, to inspect work underway there. The house will be used as a department for EKETA, the research centre for science and technology in archaeology. The house will be preserved, but upgrading work such as the creation of a basement lecture hall will take place. One of the lecturers of the Institute of Cyprus, Lucas Kalispries, mentioned that work on the project is in the second phase and will move quickly. This stage of the project will involve repairing the interior and exterior walls of the building, whilst preserving the house as a whole. He assured that whatever work would be carried out would satisfy the needs of EKETA. Seminars, public information forums and summer educational lessons are all planned for the upgraded venue.

As delays to the commencement of work on the new Paphos to Polis highway continue, member of parliament, Antonis Facontis, has again assured that it is an aim of the current government to begin construction of the road as soon as possible, but without being hit by excessively high costs. Facontis pointed out that whatever delays have been observed so far, are due to economic differences with the Kiniras consortium that had been chosen as the company to build the highway. They have been demanding an extra €200 million euros citing the economic crisis and rising prices as the reasons behind the additional costs.

Yiangos Andreaou the secretary of the Paphos taxi drivers association has admitted that they have been hard hit by the economic crisis in the last few months. He added that drivers believe a further two taxi ranks should be created in central Paphos, which would encourage business and make drivers more visible to the public.

Michalis Efthimiou, the Muktah of Killi village in Paphos, has been elected as President of the pancyprian association of community leaders. Efthimiou said that at this is the first time that a Paphos Muktah has held the position, and that it would help to push forward solution to various problems being faced by local communities. He said he aims to modernise the laws relating to local communities, as well as obtaining funds to help villages become self sufficient in areas such as, designing and executing various construction projects, thus avoiding unnecessary delays. He concluded by thanking the members of the community association for their support.

Peyia councilor, Stelios Konnikos, has expressed his concerns over two accident hotspots in the municipality, underlining that more must be done to ensure the road network is safe. The councilor pointed out that the Coral Bay to Saint Georges road, and Michalaki Kyprianou Avenue are both still posing a danger to drivers. Konnikos said that although the Saint George’s road has recently had two small roundabouts and wide raised road bumps installed, that the situation is only temporary. These measure have been put in place until the restructuring of the road network of the area will commence. He added that work on widening Michalaki Kyprianou Avenue had ground to a halt, after local landowners raised objections, and made a formal complaint. Konnikos said that this has now left wide open ditches at the side of the road, which pose a threat to passing traffic.

A lavish wedding took place in Paphos at the Almyra hotel. The identity of the couple remained shrouded in mystery, but its believed they were a Swedish Duchess and the son of the H and M clothing line mogul. The Annabelle and the Almyra hotels, owned by the Thanos Hotels Group, catered for about 300 guests who arrived from across the world. A private security company closely guarded both hotels and kept the throngs of Paparazzi photographers at bay. Eighteen containers of wedding supplies arrived on the island on Tuesday. Paphos mayor Savvas Vergas conducted the ceremony. The partying went on for three days.

Paphos will hold the 2011 Atlantic World Bowls Championship, securing the town as one of the top bowls destinations in Europe.
“We were approached by the world bowls association who had been very impressed with our greens and the facilities in Paphos,” said Norris Forster PR executive officer for Bowls Cyprus. The seventh European Bowling Union team championships, which takes place every two years were recently held in Paphos. Union officials were in the coastal town during this period, and Forster said they were very impressed by the venue and the commendable views of the players."
The event will be in 2011, as the governing body, work on schedules two years in advance. Bowlers in Cyprus are also determined to take the national team further, by competing in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India


Police Report

Counterfeit money was again discovered in Paphos and police are warning consumers and business owners to check notes are not forgeries. A 56 year old British tourist and his 21 year old daughter were caught passing a €50 note to a small supermarket owner on the Tombs of the Kings road. The goods purchased amounted to €32.80 and the duo paid using a fake note, which was detected by a verification machine.
Members of Paphos CID also found another forgery in the mans’ possession. The duo, when questioned, claimed that the money belonged to a third foreign national, who had recently visited Turkey and Barcelona, and that the notes were change from payments made previously in two shops with larger value notes. Meanwhile, a hotel receptionist reported that a forged €50 note had been used in a Paphos hotel. Police are also investigating this incident.


A car belonging to a British permanent resident of Paphos was purposefully set alight in the early hours of the morning. The BMW belonging to the man was parked outside his home in the Universal area of Paphos. The car was valued at €19,000 and has been destroyed. According to the police, the vehicle was sprayed with petrol and then set alight. The fire services swiftly attended the scene an extinguished the blaze.


A resident of Paphos village has reported that two of his hunting dogs with a total value of €15,000 have been stolen from their metal cage at home. The incident took place overnight and the dogs are both pointers. Anyone with information relating to the incident should contact Peyia police station immediately.

A shoplifter was arrested in a Paphos supermarket, after a security guard spotted the 41-year-old Paphos man removing toiletries from their boxes, and stuffing them up his shirt. The guard stopped the man as he attempted to leave the premises, and the police were called. The culprit screamed and shouted, but police were able to arrest him. A search of the mans’ home revealed a further 147 items, which the suspect could not account for.


Dumping in central Paphos blocks riverbed

The dry riverbed of Limnaria, which runs from Konia roundabout down to the Debenhams store, is almost completely backed up with rubbish. Local councillor Vassos Demitriou has stressed that court action should be taken against the irresponsible people who are illegally dumping and fly tipping here. He said the general picture of the surrounding area is a ‘disaster’.

In the dry riverbed construction and demolition waste as well as various other rubbish has drastically reduced the width of the river. The once deep river runs down from Konia at 80meter across, but is only 5 meters in width in some areas due to the amount of rubbish.

Demetriou pointed out that this area should be a place where people could enjoy walks as well as an area for children to play in, but he added that it is now an ecological disaster. He underlined that he hoped measures would be taken to correct the illegal actions so as to allow the free running of water in the river.

Tyre re-cycling initiative

A long-awaited tyre-recycling programme is yet to gain finance, but Environment Commissioner Charalambous Theopemtou remains determined to see it implemented. "The first thing I did as commissioner was to ensure that vehicle tyres are collected separately and the second was to implement a system for them to be recycled,” he told the Paphos Post. There is a huge problem in Cyprus with people throwing tyres down ravines, into fields and leaving them at waste dumps. Thousands of tyres blight the landscape, and some people have been known to set fires to piles of them, which then give off thick plumes of toxic smoke. Many landfill sites, such as the dump in Marathounda in Paphos, are part of a scheme financed by the Interior Ministry and now they need to transport tyres to the recycling factory or the cement factory where they can be recycled. A regular collection and transportation scheme now needs to take place. Theopemptou and the authorities are considering levying a €0.80 surcharge on tyres, which are being imported into Cyprus. “These fees would help generate an income, which could in turn be used for the recycling programme,” he said.
Unwanted used tyres in Cyprus have been creating problems for many years. There are about 500,000 tyres thrown around the countryside every year.


New zoning and opening hours on the cards for Kato Paphos

Christos Athinodourou, a member of the board of the port authority in Paphos, has underlined the need to specify if the harbour area in Kato Paphos is designated as a tourist area or not. He pointed out that shop owners in the area are paying high rents and added that the ministry of commerce should solve the problem, and not leave it up to the businessmen of the area. He outlined that the position of the port authority, in the area as the leading authority should be cleared up. Meanwhile, mayor of Paphos Savvas Vergas said that the local authority is in favour of implementing a universal tourist timetable of opening hours. He stressed that this would not only cover the harbour area, but the wider tourist area of Kato Paphos. Vergas said that this area receives visitors throughout the day, and therefore its necessary to have a specific schedule of closing hours to offer the best possible service for local and overseas visitors, as well as supporting the shop owners. The mayor concluded that the local authority and the port authority would take the same stance to excerpt pressure on the relevant ministry to ensure the necessary changes take place.



Bar street needs a facelift

Visitors to Ayiou Antoniou Street-Bar Street- in Kato Paphos have been lamenting on what a dump the street has become. Bar and club owners of the area are aware of the dire situation and have been concerned to know how to move forward. Following a summer season fraught with problems, Costas Arsinas, the President of the Bar and club owners of the street said that they had taken matters into their own hands. “We decided to take action, as we need the backing of the authorities to solve the problems we’re facing. We are inviting the mayor of Paphos, the police, the Cyprus tourism organisation, the district office and the tourism department of the chamber of commerce to meet with us, and listen to our suggestions. We have many ideas on how to improve matters," he said. Arsinas believes that constant negative publicity has had a severely adverse effect on his business. But that the situation can still be turned around and the street can be as it was before, popular, vibrant and alive. Paphos’ bar street runs parallel to the newly upgraded seafront road, which has just undergone a multi million-euro upgrade.
 

Polis road to go ahead

The ministry of transport has confirmed they will push through final plans for the Paphos to Polis Chrysochous road, after the proposed project has been hampered by a series of delays. The announcement was made following a meeting between the Minister of transport and works, Nicos Nicolaides, and SEKO, the association of political parties. The Paphos president of SEKO is local mayor Savvas Vergas, who had strongly critisised the lengthy wait for the contractor, prior to the meeting, threatening the possibility of direct action if further delays, or a halt to the project, went ahead. SEKO had made an appeal to the ministry to push for the project to begin. Nicolaides assured that the road would go ahead, as it would be "of a great benefit not only to Paphos but also for the whole of Cyprus."

The proposed contractor increasing the original price for the completed project has hampered the plan. The minister noted that either the first contractor or a second company, who would be asked to give a price for the job, would undertake the project. Nicolaides underlined that if an economic solution cannot be found, then the government would find ways in which to obtain funds to enable the project to commence.
 

Explosions destroy area of natural beauty.

Rocks being blasted out of a Turkish Cypriot village in Paphos are being used to form wave breakers in Latsi, according to Androlikou campaigner Yiannis Taliotis. He confirmed that he had been given the information by one of the owners of the mining company responsible for the blasts.“ One of the owners of the quarry company called me and confirmed that rocks are being blasted apart to form the wave barriers, which are being erected in the sea off the Latsi coastline. I told him it’s not right to destroy a natural beauty spot and then throw these rocks in the sea,” he said.

The campaigner was told by the miner that “there is no alternative and development must go on”. The Cyprus Mining Authorities have recently given extension of mining rights to four companies in the proposed Akamas National Park in the village of Androlikou. The government last month had suspended this quarrying and Taliotis has expressed his dismay at the resumption of blasting. This area is well inside the Natura 2000 project and is listed as “an area of outstanding natural beauty”.

This village is unique, as it is the only place in the republic where the majority of the local council is Turkish Cypriot. Taliotis believes the daily explosions and heavy excavations to be illegal as the village is Turkish Cypriot owned. Taliotis is now asking people to sign a petition to stop this action. If you would like to add your support call 99-553277.
 

Dumping in Peyia

Angry and frustrated residents of Peyia voiced their concerns over continued dumping of building waste down a ravine, which has a riverbed at the bottom. Francoise Debieuvre, is a 73-year-old permanent resident who had a traditional stone house built in Peyia, a number of years ago.

He said, "they are dumping here daily now and I have identified three different trucks. I think all the large developers and private building companies from the surrounding areas are using this site."

Debieuvre has written to the mayor or Peyia, Neofitos Akourshiotis to complain, but has yet to receive a response. According to the Frenchman the tipping has been steadily getting worse.

Residents are concerned with the legality of the dumping, as it may hinder the flow of water in the area, especially with dry riverbeds. These may become blocked with waste creating a problem during winter months. A couple of years ago two people died in Paphos when their car was swept away by a torrent of water, which had built up due to rubbish in the river beds and waterways.

The environmental Commissioner for Cyprus, Charalambous Theopemtou said, "in order to have a legal site, a permit from Paphos district office would be required. I find this peculiar as the site is obviously so close to residents. I can’t see how the district officer would give his permission in this instance."

The Paphos district office confirmed they would look into the case to see what permits, if any had been granted.

Yeroskipou refuse Primetel cable system

Yeroskipou municipality has finally refused to grant a building permit to communications provider Primetel after a six-month wait. Telecoms and communications provider PrimeTel in co-operation with Reliance Globalcom, had already proceeded with the landing of the submarine ‘Hawk’ fibre optics cable system. The ‘HAWK’ cable system is part of the world’s biggest submarine fibre optics cable system network around the globe.

Theodoros Loucaides, the outside plant network manager of PrimeTel, said," we have received communication stating that the local council has rejected approval for building permission for plot number 50 in Yeroskipou," they don’t try and justify this decision, and do not give any reasons."

The mayor of Yeroskipou said in a brief press statement that the municipality had decided to reject the application, following an outcry from local residents concerned over health fears, and the adverse affect a landing station may have on the price of land.

There are only 3 areas designated suitable for landing stations by the government of Cyprus for the installation of sea cables in Cyprus. The one for the Paphos region is in Yeroskipou.

Loucaides said,” the technical department of the municipality has informed the local council that there is no base for this rejection, and advice from two legal sources, the municipality lawyer and an independent lawyer, were favourable to us, and yet they are still rejecting the application."

Primetel stressed that although they understood the concerns of the locals, numerous environmental studies undertaken all over the world have concluded this type of landing station is not dangerous to human health. According to PrimeTel the system is fibre optic and transmits light through glass, which is not harmful. The project is part of a wider global programme.
 

April 2009 Articles:

Take More Care of Your Dogs - Say Police

DOG OWNERS have been called on by the Police to abide by the Law and take better care of their dogs as there has been a worrying increase in the number of stray dogs.

The police have released a statement reminding dog owners of the provisions in the law on dogs, which state that it is against the law for an owner to abandon their do and that they are obliged to take adequate measure to prevent their dog(s) from escaping.

It is also against the law for a dog-owner or carer to allow the dog to walk freely in a public place without a lead. Owners are also obliged to register their dogs, obtain and update their medical treatment and get their dog’s microchipped.

The police have also warned owners that non-compliance with he laws on dogs can mean penalties can mean heavy fins or even imprisonment.


Is anyone out there listening?

TOURISM HAS once again become a focus of attention for the Cyprus government. They have been criticised at a conference of tourist specialists for not listening top what the industry is saying.

"There is some effort and attention and action by the government but it is not co-ordinated action. The point is that the effort should be efficient. Are the resources such as advertising being invested in the right areas to make any difference to industry operators."? This was the question posed by Ioannis Pantelides, who is Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Hospitality Management at London Metropolitan University at the conference.

A warning also came from Savvas Adamides, Director of the College of Tourism and Hotel Management in Cyprus.
"The global crisis may be a wake-up call but it doesn’t mean that we have to accept defeat. His is the time the golden opportunities and do really well," he added.

"I am sure we will not succeed in maintaining the number of tourists that come to Cyprus for a number of reasons but mainly because the government is not talking the right action at the right time."

Take more old cars off the road say DISY

THE WITHDRAWAL Scheme for old cars should be expanded. That is the view of opposition party DISY, who called on the government to expand the state's old car withdrawal scheme and also repeated its call to totally scrap road tax.

Lefteris Christoforou, who is Chairman of the House Commerce Committee, said he was expecting that the response from the Communications Ministry on DISY's proposals would include a policy to deal with the crisis that was affecting the motoring industry.

The Committee had met to discus the significance of withdrawing old cars from the islands' roads both from environmental and financial viewpoints. The system ends this month (April).

"We feel that this measure should continue and indeed be reinforced further, especially taking the European Union’s proposal at a recent summit, which called for members to speed up the process of withdrawing cars with offered incentives. This would benefit the state’s economy and car owners," said Christoforou.
 

Do we ever learn?

SO WHAT have we learned in two millennia? Evidently not a lot if this quote is anything to go by.

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest (the nation) becomes bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown in March 2009? NO...Cicero, Rome 55 BC.

Bank Governor Says 'Be Prepared'

THE GOVERNOR of the Central Bank and ECB Member, Athanasios Orpanides, could be forgiven for stating the obvious when he warned that Cyprus should be prepared for any eventuality in the current financial crisis.

Speaking at a discussion organised by the Cyprus University of Technology and the Association of Social Reform, he said: "In our country the consequences of the crisis seem relatively limited and our banking system remains sound. The uncertainty, however, is too great and we cannot rule out a further significant deterioration in domestic economic activity.

"Therefore it would be wise to be prepared for any eventuality."

Now talk about hedging your bets!

Some Goods Should Be Cheaper - Not Dearer, Says Minister!

"THERE IS no excuse for rip-off prices. Not only should products not be expensive – they should be cheaper." That was the message from Commerce Minister, Antonis Paschalides, in a speech to mark World Consumer Rights Day last month.

He also stated that in some cases consumers were being charged prices that were as much as 10% over what they should be. He promised that his ministry would take firm action to combat profiteering by retailers, although pointing out that this was difficult in a free market.

"The only legal provisions currently available for controlling prices relate to fuel and gas. However, we are seriously examining the issue and have asked for the law to be amended so that the ministry can issue ordinances for basic goods," said Pasechalides.

He said he was not happy with the fact that milk on Cyprus was the dearest in Europe and promised that the government would - "show its teeth" - on this issue, first of all by framing an amendment to the law to raise the levels of statuary fines as a deterrent.

He said that the current level of complaints against retailers showed that consumers in Cyprus were learning to insist more on their rights, something that the European Commission took very seriously.

All Doom & Gloom for Property and Car Sales

BOTH CAR and property sales plunged in the first two months of this year.

Property sales slumped despite the government's economic stimulation package. Figures from the Land Registry Office indicated that the construction and real estate sector is in stagnation despite the banks offer of cheaper loans. According to title deeds submitted by the Land Registry Department property sales in February plunged 65%, which follows huge drops in the previous three months.

The total registration of new motor vehicles declined by nearly 24% in the first two months of this year.
 

January 2009 Articles:

Is Cyprus safe from the crisis?
It seems that everyone is affected by the ‘Credit Crunch’

By Chris Mills

IT’S BEEN dubbed the Credit Crunch and the alarm bells are ringing out all over the world as recession looms in every corner. The ordinary individual is baffled as the financial experts fight over soaring interest rates and bail-out proposals that run into billions but the reality is that we are all having to tighten our belts.

Cyprus a Safe Haven?

AT FIRST the message was that Cyprus was something of a safe haven and could weather the storm that raged around it. But this proved to be a mixture of government hype and media speculation with the reality being that no one is safe from this global recession and the credit crunch will inevitably affect the island’s economy in some ways - maybe not as bad as others.

The government has had to bailout banking with a €1.4 billion booster in treasury notes for the banking sector's liquidity problem that may not benefit the consumer at all.

It has benefits in that the government will be able to service its debt at a lower rate of interest, as it would be more expensive to borrow from abroad, and the commercial banks will get their money back taking out a loan from the European Central Bank (ECB) at 2.5% interest rate, using the notes as collateral with the ECB.

At last the Finance Minister, Chariaos Stavrakis, has finally agreed that Cyprus will be affected by the current global crisis but as most people had realised this, it came as no great secret.

The global crisis has had a big effect on the island's ex-pat communities, especially in the Paphos District, where the largest majority of ex-pats live.

Those that I have talked to have all made the same complaint. It's not just a case of protecting investments it is when you come to exchange the money made from those investments (interest) or from pensions that the crunch comes.

"It really begins to bite then," said a couple from Mandria. "When you have no other source of income you have to make what little you have stretch even farther. The way things are going it’s almost certain that we will have to return to the UK next year out of sheer necessity"

Another couple I spoke to said that, while their investments were safe, having secured them on a fixed rate of interest for five years, it was again when they came to withdraw money that they realised just how much the amount had been cut back by the sterling-Euro crisis.

This message is repeated by many other ex-pats who are just not getting the same returns for their money that they did two months ago even.

And a friend of mine from Coral Bay told me then when he went back to the UK for a short visit in December, he noticed just how much better food prices were in his local ASDA than in his local supermarket here.
"Food prices are better in the UK than Cyprus," he added.

UK Pound nosedives against the Euro

The pound is still heading downwards. It has already dropped over 13% against the €uro as the Bank of England cut interest rates as a bid to stave off a deep and prolonged recession.

It means that the €uro is becoming favourite in the money markets, which causes hardship for those holidaymakers wishing to come here

The pound (sterling) has tumbled to new lows against the €uro, even in some instances falling below parity levels to 90 cents.

The financial experts are advising expats to keep their savings in sterling for now; buy goods and services in sterling and use Internet shopping to buy in sterling - as three ways to beat the currency crunch.

At least if you still have a home in the UK, you always have something to go back to.

It is also predicted that retail prices will fall in Cyprus, although it may take some time. The advice here is to choose a retailer with the ability to offer value for money. Other than that, spend cautiously and look for bargains...prices are bound to fall!

Slowdown in construction and tourism

Already representatives of the island's two main industries - construction and tourism - have complained about soaring bank rates, a loan freeze and the fact that many ex-pats are selling their properties and quitting the country.

The banks have stopped lending and many ex-Pats, who bought their second homes here, are selling up in order to stave off their financial problems in their own country, which means that demand for new housing has been drastically reduced. It also means that the number of available properties has increased and it is likely that many of the new properties will remain empty for some time to come.

These facts all goes to prove just how worried real estate professionals have become, although it is even more worrying for developers, who reaped something of a golden harvest for the last few years.

Developers are not planning new projects for the next few years as they have enough problems selling properties on their current projects.

Some would say that they will be a monument to developers' greed!

There are some who believe that the current situation can have benefits in the long run. The sky high prices will stabilise and give some control over development. The better professionals will survive and be able to continue and make the market a better place for those to come.

If the alarm bells were ringing out for the construction industry they were positively clanging for the tourism sector.

There has been nothing but doom and gloom predicted for this year's influx of tourists with predictions that the numbers could be slashed by over 20% from last year.

Said one hotelier: "The only change on the horizon is an even bleaker outlook for 2009."

It is simply a case that tour operators will decide which destinations to go for in the summer of this year and the key will be cost, which means that Cyprus tourism would face a bleak future. The problem again lies with the British market, which has slumped dramatically due to the collapse of sterling; this makes anyone in the eurozone a very doubtful prospect.

But then the number of tourists to the island has been steadily dropping since 2001 so it's not entirely surprising.
Ever the eternal optimist I find that it’s best to remember that the sun shines for 320 days at least in Cyprus and the UK has just experienced its coldest December for decades!
 

Halved road safety budget causes uproar!

THE GOVERNMENT has been called on to explain why it has almost halved its road safety budget for 2009 when it is nowhere near meeting the EU goal of reducing road deaths of the island by 50% for 2010.

Members of the House Communications Committee were said to be appalled when they heard that the funds had been reduced.

"In an area where the state should be paying special emphasis, it is economising," said Committee chairman, Zacharias Koulias (DIKO).

Finance Ministry spokeswoman, Anna Aristotelous, stated that the Communications Ministry had applied for over €8m for road safety of which €6.5m has been approved.

According to statistics the worst year on the roads was 2004 when there were 121 fatal accidents hat resulted in the deaths of 133 people. In 2007 there were 89 deaths from 88 accidents, while up to the end of November 2008 there were 72 fatal accidents resulting in 75 deaths.

The Health Ministry has announced plans to upgrade the Cyrus ambulance service with 10 new vehicles in a bid to help achieve the EU's vision of a 50% decrease in road fatalities by the end of 2010.

"Apart from policing and precautionary measures we need to improve our system, especially with regard to patients' care and their quick transportation to hospital, said Health Minister, Christos Patsalides.
 

November 2008 Articles:

'Tales of the Unexpected' - Aircraft crash delays start of first trial at the new Paphos airport

I WAS once told that you should always expect the unexpected but I'm sure that Hermes did not imagine in their planning of the trial runs at the new Paphos International Airport that a light aircraft would crash on the runway seconds before takeoff and just a few minutes before the start of the first new airport trial.

The aftermath of the crash of the Cessna 150 luckily saw the two people aboard only suffer broken bones but there was an hours delay before the other 99 people plus myself were allowed to continue on our 'journeys'.

There were 100 people for the first trial run and I was interested journalistically to see how it would all run.
Having picked up our baggage (two per person) from in front of the airport we were ready to begin when the announcements were made regarding the crash and apologies made for our wait. As we were all free agents with nothing much else to do the banter was light-hearted and nobody quite seemed to mind the delay.

What would have happened if this was after the airport opened, might have been a different matter.

Three Destinations

There were three different destinations chosen with tickets from one of them in the pack handed out at the beginning. I was to fly to London (Gatwick) - the other two destinations being Amman and Glasgow.

We march into the departure hall to find our checking points - mine happened to be at the very end - and we queued as normal with our baggage.

Obviously, it was a bit slow at the start but it warmed up very quickly and I was soon at the front dropping my bags on the belt weigher prior to the bags disappearing for loading on the imaginary plane.

I should imagine, although I didn't time it precisely, that we were an hour before facing the ordeal of the security check. This was a normal thorough operation with the usual unsmiling operators quickly examining your hand-baggage etc; (I made the mistake once of jesting with a security officer at Gatwick when flying over to Cyprus and was punished by having to go through it all again. So now I don't smile either!)

Then it was on to the departure lounge past the unfinished shops, which hopefully will add a little warmth and colour to the rather dull vast buildings. The departure lounge was full of the usual uncomfortable metal-seats, although ergonomically designed for your body, here we were given a sandwich pack, which contained two sandwiches, and apple, a bag of crisps and a bottle of water.

PA System problems

The PA System reminded me of the average British Rail station with the announcers sounding like they had blocked noses or adenoids problems. Barely distinguishable but was thankfully in English.

Then it was onto a bus, quick circuit of part of the runway and into arrivals, passports in hand. This seemed a simple operation and I was looked on by the young Cypriot with no real suspicion that I might not be who I was.

Then the usual push and shove to get a pole position of the baggage reclaim before picking up two cases somewhat similar (they might even have been the same) and through Customs to the outside world again.

I have often wondered why I feel so furtive faced with the 'Nothing to Declare' sign even when I do genuinely have nothing to declare.

I had no real complaints - except for an improvement in the PA System, which seem endemic with establishments of travel and the new airport is certainly a big improvement on the old one - now looking slightly decadent.

The exercises that concluded on Monday October 27 with the return of all those who had taken part in the three previous trials as part of staff training programmes, which Hermes Airports hope will ensure smooth travel experiences for passengers using the new airport when it opens November.

All those taking part in one trial and on the final day are being offered EUR50's worth of shopping coupons from Debenhams and Super Home Centre and in addition each participant will also be entered for a draw for EUR5,000, held on the final rehearsal day.

Whatever the outcome, I will always be able to repeat the immortal words of the Welsh comedian, Max Boyce, - "I was there."
 

Smoking Ban Law in Cyprus needs better implementation - says EU

THE EUROPEAN Union's ban on smoking is being flouted regularly in Cyprus and the EU's Health Commissioner has order the government’s Health Minster to tighten the law up.

The EU’s Health Commissioner, Androulla Vassiliou has expressed her disapproval regarding the failure of Cyprus to implement the ban properly.

The government’s Health Minister, Christos Patsalides examined the current law’s shortcomings and sent a letter to the Justice Minister, Kypros Chrysostomides asking for a stricter implementation of the law for no smoking in public areas.

The current fines for breaking the ban are €34 fine in nightclubs and €85 on public vehicles, which Patsalides says are inadequate and do not act as a deterrent.

The 2002-2004 Protection of Health (smoking) unified Laws prohibit smoking in all public places, including nightclubs, cafes and restaurants, in all government buildings, public transport and in private cars carrying passengers under the age of 16.

Each individual bar, nightclub or restaurant has the right to designate a well-ventilated smoking area.
Of the nearly 21,400 checks carry out by the police on nightclubs since the beginning of the year, 1,066 were reported for not implementing the law’s provisions.

Leftover money to fund Paphos-Polis highway!

MONEY LEFT over from projects that were budgeted for but didn't go ahead last year will be used to help fund the construction of the Paphos to Polis Chrysochous highway, which will start in mid-2009.

This was revealed when the Communications Minister, Nikos Nikolaides, presented his ministry's 2009 budget to the House Finance Committee. He told deputies that he planned to use EUR40m to fund expropriations next year.

His procedure, he said, would be complete by the middle of next year, when the road’s long awaited construction will finally begin.

Said Nikolaides: "The favoured investor has been chosen and from September 9 this year, negotiations began to achieve and sign an agreement by the beginning of 2009. He added that the whole construction would cost an estimated 275 million.

The main highway will be 30.5 kilometres long and will include byroads for Polis Chrysochous to Pomos and Latchi as well as a connection to Mesogi around eight metres long.

The Communications budget also provides for - an upgrade of the construction of connecting roads between a number of communities including Ayios Nicolaos and Mandria.
 

Accident Death Toll Close to Last Year's Total

WITH THE deaths of two men taking the total toll on the island this year to 66 since the beginning of the year, the number is now dangerously close to last year’s total at the same time.

There had been a slight fall in the number of fatalities but the latest figures again highlight how badly Cyprus compares with other EU countries.

The main problem is, as the latest accidents indicate, that speeding, dangerous driving and not wearing seatbelts cause the majority of accidents. It seems that despite yearly awareness campaigns and increased police clampdowns on speeding and drinking drivers, nothing seems to make any great impact on road deaths.

"Cyprus, unfortunately, is very much deprived of the proper road safety standards of other European countries," says Communications Minister, Nikos Nicolaides.

(Editor's note: Many would also argue that it is due to a poor standard of driving, particularly among the younger drivers, and also a lack of concentrated police presence. To enforce the Law requires Law Enforcement.)
 

October 2008 Articles:

Handed Over - On Time - and not a day over!

A proud boast - but will it all work on the day?

The construction of the new Pafos International Airport and all its installations and systems has been completed - on time and on budget - and was handed over to Hermes at the beginning of September and the launch day set for November 17. By then it should be working like clockwork. The big question is - WILL IT?

What you don’t expect to go wrong - often does!

TRUE - there are still a few teething problems to iron out but with equipment and construction at around 126 million Euros you might expect that a few hitches will occur before the day despite every effort to ensure that it all goes right on the day.

All the systems have been checked and verified by the constructing company Bouygues Batiment International of France, its associates and all the various sub-contractors working on the project, and a lot of time will be spent from handing over day to when it opens training all the personnel who will work the new installations and sophisticated technical equipment.

The new building, which has an area of 18,500 sq.m, has 24 check-in counters, systems that supply information to the travelling public, three conveyor belts, four security arcades, a VIP room, specially equipped room for businessmen and closed circuit television and 800 parking spaces outside.

 It will employ around 1,800 people and should service some 2.7 million people annually.

The underlying architectural theme of the airport that makes it pleasing to the eye is the well-known Cyprus goddess, Aphrodite, with wall mosaics giving it an artistic touch.

"We want passengers to feel that they are in Cyprus by promoting the heritage of the country which is so rich," said Michel Hochet, managing director of the Cyprus branch of Bouygues Batiment International, the French company responsible for the project.

"Everything from beginning to end, from the first design to the build was to reflect our concept," added the art curator, Yiannis Toumazis.

"From the colours we have used to the materials, we wanted to reflect Cyprus and its history."

The whole area from check-in counters, the stone floor and the local pebble mosaics, provide a pleasing appearance and contrast to the present terminal. The sculpture of the goddess Aphrodite at the entrance and the space that portrays the history of Cyprus all add a certain ambience to keep passengers in the right mood.

You get the feeling that every effort has been made to provide comfort while being functional and it certainly has a Cypriot feel about it.

I toured a Paphos beach and talked to some of the holidaymakers here about what they hoped from the new airport.

"I just want to be able to get through and away as quickly as possible when I go home with the minimum of delay. If there is a delay I like to have somewhere comfortable to sit and wait," a holidaymaker from Essex told me.

"Information about what’s going on is very important," said a Manchester lady. "If there are delays and something is going wrong you need to be told, so that you can prepare and relax. Nothing is worse than not knowing what’s going on."

"I just want to see a few smiling faces. Pretty girls always make me feel happier," said one teenage boy from Bristol.

At least when Paphos has been tried and tested the information gathered can be passed on to official of the building at Larnaca Airport, which is scheduled to open on time in November 2009.

Dummy runs for the new Paphos Airport first scheduled for last month will take place this month. Passengers will be used to give a real test of the airport’s readiness to begin operation for business.

* ONE difference that has already emerged between the two airports is the shuttle service that has been operated so successfully at Larnaca airport. There now seems little chance that this will be operated at Paphos. The explanation would appear to be that Paphos Airport is so close to the town itself that the service it is deemed unnecessary. The most likely reason is the vehement protest by the airport’s taxi-drivers, who were angry over the perceived competition for their services.
 

Collapsed airline – The mess that gets left behind

THE COLLAPSE of an airline company is nothing new - it seems to happen at regular intervals. The collapse of an airline catches the headlines but it the mess that it leaves behind that causes the heartaches.

Although a pretty comprehensive rescue package was mounted from the UK to all points that the XL airline reached, the collapse left stranded passengers in many locations. The after-effects were that it would also have an impact on the island’s already beleaguered hotel industry.

XL was the UK’s third-largest package holiday group and XL Airways operated eight flights per week to both Larnaca and Paphos airports from Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Heathrow. In all, they were bringing around 2,000 passengers to Cyprus each week.

Around 80,000 passengers were stranded in various locations abroad and aviation authorities faced a daunting task in flying them back home with around 450 flights needed to complete the task.

Many thousands, not covered by protected packages, had to find their own way home.

The backlash was the fact that some €200,000 would be lost to Cyprus hotels in lost bookings.

Paphos polluters must clear up or be fined

"OH! WHAT a circus. Oh! What a MESS!" Seems to be the cry from Paphos residents as they survey the once very pretty municipality.

Sure, there have been improvements in recent times but renovations, road works and the continuing construction of the concrete jungle haven’t improved its overall appearance. However, the main problem that remains is the continuing indiscriminate tipping and littering.

 A Paphos councillor said: "It's a general problem here in Paphos but there is a law which we, as councillors, voted in. This allows for people fly tipping or littering to be fined.

"Unfortunately, to date this hasn’t been exercised properly by local authority employees," he added.

Many would agree that Paphos is a cleaner place but it still needs to be improved and one way to do that would be to enforce more penalties for dumping rubbish. And, they cannot keep relying on volunteers to clear up the rubbish, as happened recently.

The main problem is the dumping of old cars, tyres and household goods, which isn't helped by the fact that Paphos, and indeed Cyprus in general, has no proper recycling processes.

The other problem is the many building sites that abound in the area. There is a huge amount of building work in progress at the moment and many of the sites are left with rubbish that needs to be cleared away and dumped on a landfill site.

Questions must be asked when the various councils of the district meet and action must be taken.
 

August 2008 Articles:

Is Cyprus still the island paradise to be living on or are ex-Pats better off going back to the UK?

DESPITE ALL the brochure talk of Cyprus still being one of Europe's top property spots and places to live is it really still continuing to grow in popularity for overseas buyers or are we seeing a backlash to the dramatic price rises in just about every commodity here since the advent of the Euro?

Yet all as most ex-Pats know, it's not so much the Euro but the dramatic drop in the value of sterling that is affecting them here.

An Island Paradise where the sun and the Mediterranean meet

SOME OF the ex-Pats that thought Cyprus was the place where they wanted to 'end their days' are considering whether or not to pack up and return to the UK. Some have already done just that even after being here for several years!

But is it the lure of wanting to be 'back home' or just that Cyprus has now become expensive?

There is no doubt that prices have risen over he last decade and those rises have accelerated sharply in the last year. Recent surveys have revealed that prices of 'essential' goods have increased by nearly eight percent in the last 12 months.

Let's be clear about one thing - in many ways Cyprus is no longer a cheap place to live. However, it could be argued that it is still cheaper than the UK and what ex-Pats are suffering from now is the oncoming of a recession in the UK.

Their investments have lost value due to the drop in sterling (one man told he had lost £20,000 on his investments in the last six months) and their pensions have a lower value due to the exchange rate of sterling again the Euro.
The advice I received when I came to Cyrus four years ago was to make sure that my financial position was secure not just then, but for the future. If you have the cash resources to offset any future price rises, you should be OK, my financial adviser told me.

The move into the Eurozone at the beginning of the year has been largely welcomed by all except those with money still invested in the UK. The big drop in value of Sterling has meant that the conversion rate from the English pound to the Cyprus Euro has dramatically dropped.

Is a return to the UK a good move?

So for those who want to return - what are they returning to?
A very unpopular government, which seems to be lumbering from one crisis to another, and an opposition that has no real ideas but is riding high on the government's unpopularity. Those returning will face higher domestic fuel bills and petrol charges. If you think that petrol is getting dear over here (and the good news is that the two biggest petrol companies on the island EKO and Petrolina have both announced cuts in both diesel and unleaded) than try buying the commodity in the UK.

Most importantly, can they afford the ubiquitous Council Tax charges again?
Another couple I met told me that they were giving Cyprus a 12-month trial and then they would decide whether or not to stay or go home.

"It's very much a case that our money back home is worth less but prices here keep increasing. We are very much caught in a trap," they told me.
One lady told me that she was only returning because she missed her family and particularly hr grandchildren.
"They can't afford to come here because the air-fares are so pricey so I am, in some ways, reluctantly returning to the UK, although my husband is not so sure that we are doing the right thing," she said.

Crime rate here is still low compared to UK
Cyprus has always boasted a low crime rate and when I first came here 16 years ago it was almost unheard of but, while there is an increase - particularly in the worrying area of juvenile crime, it is nothing compared to what goes on in the UK.

True, we make joke about Cypriot drivers with their constant breaking of traffic laws - speeding, shooting lights at red, not using seat-belts, using mobile-phones while driving, and motor-cyclists without safety-helmets but at least he motorway roads are clear and you can drive from Paphos to Ayia Napa –- a distance of around 170 kilometres - in under two hours.

I have always said that to enforce the law, you need law enforcement – and Cyprus just doesn’t seem to have a big enough police force. The problem is that booking a few speeding motorists will not change the attitudes of most islanders.

The motoring laws only apply to other people.

There is no doubt that there is more freedom here than in the UK. The 'big brother' state has yet to make an impact over here. Life is so much easier and more relaxed.

We all know about the beauty of the island. The forests of the Troodos, the lovely beaches at Ayia Napa, the wild life and flowers and the fruit trees. And there is a lot more that makes this island the paradise it is.

In Cyprus you have an excellent variety of fresh food - good fish and meat, good vegetables and a wide variety of fruit. If you stick to a healthy diet, which includes olive oil and lemon juice dressing, according to many, you will live longer!

I have had four very happy years here and hopefully will enjoy many more on this island where the sun shines most of the time. I personally, have no desire to return to the cold, wet land of my birth. There is nothing there that I can’t get here and I feel that there is much more here than I can get there.

Don’t become what the Aussies love to call us - 'whinging poms- - believe you me this beautiful island is still the place to be - you are far better off here!
 

Police to get tough on teenage crime and the reasons for crime


A RECENT spate of incidents involving youth crime has sparked off a debate on how to deal with the problem of the rise in juvenile offenders.

In the last two years the number of juvenile offenders has risen dramatically and, although figures dropped last year from 2006, they are still well above what they were three years ago.

It has also been noted that in the past two years there has been a steady increase in the number of girls involved in juvenile crime.

Among the more serious offences were; grievous bodily harm, burglary, arson and malicious damage, firearms and drugs, while minor offences included disturbing the peace, property damage and conspiracies to commit crimes.

A group of seven academics have submitted a report to the Education Ministry suggesting ways to combat the rise in crime amongst young people in the short and long term but even they admit that it is a complex issue.

"Such a complex social problem has to be tackled on many fronts at the same time," said Professor Andreas Kapardis, who was commissioned to write the report. Kapardis pointed out that one of the main issues was the lack of respect displayed by young people to those in authority.

"They no longer see a priest, teacher or police-officer and even parents to some extent, as role models," he added.

The recent spate of teenage vandalism has seen thefts, abuse and beatings causing in some cases a lot of damage. Three teenagers were arrested in Paphos for a series of break-ins and arsonists set fire to the town's new youth centre just weeks before it was due to be opened.

Nearly 60 extra police officers are to be deployed in the Paphos district to try and stem this rising tide of crime. Police Chief Iacovos Papacostas, who visited the area in July, said that 47 special police will be sent to Paphos to reinforce security at Paphos Airport and the General Hospital, while 30 officers would be sent to the town station after they had finished their training at the Police Academy.

It has also been announced that Kato Paphos is to get a new police station to meet the needs and problems of the area. It is hoped that the police will then be able to deal more effectively with such things as timeshare and holiday club touting, thefts from hotels and apartments and bag snatching in the streets.

Motorists watch out - those dreaded speed cameras may soon be back!

IF MOTORISTS in Cyprus thought that they had seen and heard the last of traffic cameras then they must think again.

A new traffic camera system is expected to be in operation within the first six months of 2009 after the green light was given for tenders to be submitted. The government intend to install 440 cameras (400 fixed and 40 mobile) in three stages over the next five years.

The Director of the Police Traffic Unit, Theodoros Achilleos, said that fixed cameras will be put at junctions where it is proven that accidents take place, while mobile ones will be used at areas classed as 'high risks'.
During the 10 months that the traffic-cameras were in action under the previous system, accidents were reduced by 70%. The old system was deactivated last September due to a dispute with the supplier over technical problems.

British tourism on the slide and next year it could be a lot worse!

TOURIST ARRIVALS from the UK have always amounted to over half of the total visitors to the island and this market has for a long time been the mainstay of the Cyprus Tourist industry.

The British market may have reached saturation point now and has dipped considerably over the last five years but it still managed to account for 55% of tourists last year. To a degree it has held it's own this year because many people will have booked their holidays before global prices began to spiral out of control.

But the future for next year looks bleak as the credit crunch hits the UK with as much as £250 being added to the price of some package holidays.

The British market, which has seen a downturn of 3.7% this year, is unlikely to recover for next year as both flights and hotel prices increase.

Only Ayia Napa seems to have escaped the downturn with Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos down and Polis occupancy numbers falling to a third of the average - its worst year in living memory.

The entry of Cyprus into the eurozone has done little to lure British holidaymakers as the exchange rate between the Euro and sterling is very unfavourable for UK holidaymakers.

There are some in the industry who believe that Cyprus should wean itself off the UK market and look more to other areas such as Russia and Scandinavia.

The roadworks outside several Paphos hotels have not improved matters with hoteliers complaining that it has lost them business. They say that works in the harbour areas may have cost them up to 10% of arrivals.
Paphos Mayor, Savvas Vergas, has said that the work is on target and the seafront will open again on September 15.

Water farce as Kourris Dam nears empty

WHAT A FARCE the pumping of water from Greece seems to be turning out to be.

At first it was expected that the Greek water would be flowing before the weekend of July 19 but by the following Wednesday it still hadn’t begun to flow and Limassol Water Board called a crisis meeting with the Agriculture Minister.

"If the Greek water doesn’t begin to flow by the beginning of August, the Kourris Dam will not be able to supply the urban area of Limassol as the dam's resources will have run out," said Socrates Metaxas, Director of the Limassol Water Board.

 There are 50,000 tons of the precious liquid in a tanker anchored off Limassol and only 2m tons left in the Kourris Dam. Kourris is the island’s biggest dam with a capacity of 115m tons.

Yet the island has a long history of water shortages and this isn’t the worst drought that it has had to survive. Based on historical evidence around 306 AD the island was almost deserted through lack of water. Islanders have had to find various means to deal with water shortages over the years, mainly from drilling wells, and when there was British rule in 1878 the Royal Corps of Engineers repaired many irrigation works.

However, the British policy of drilling boreholes led to a serious depletion of water supplies in the main water-bearing areas of Famagusta, Morphou and Akrotiri.

The impact of climate change also means that snow in summer on the Troodos is a thing of the past, yet another factor in the troubled history of water supplies on the island.

So it appears that water cuts could be here to stay unless new giant drills can go deep enough to find more supplies. And, as if to compound the problem, temperatures in June were two degrees above the normal with a high of 41 degrees C - seven percent above the summer average.
 

July 2008 Articles:

CTO Chief urges all Cypriots to SMILE…to save tourism!
…And he wants more action from the Government

By Chris Mills

"Light up your face with gladness; Hide every trace of sadness - Smile, what’s the use of crying; You'll find that life is still worthwhile...If you just smile."

THOSE WORDS from the song 'Smile', which had actor/comedian Charlie Chaplin as one of its three lyric writers, appears to have inspired Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) chairman Panos Englezos to wax lyrical.

He told delegates at the Cyprus Hotel Association's AGM that all Cypriots should be nice to visitors because the island was in danger of losing its traditional hospitality.

"We as a people have to go back to our genuineness. We must show more respect to our visitors. We are all responsible through profiteering, a lack of consciousness and awareness and a bad environment."

The fact that the majority of hotels workers are no longer Cypriots but lower-paid workers from Eastern Europe wasn’t mentioned nor were many of the other causes of the decline in tourism from its near 25% contribution to GPD to the present 12%.

Tourism globally rose by six percent last year. In Cyprus it was below one percent. The biggest loss came from the British market that declined 15%.

The plain truth is that Cyprus has lost its edge competitively. It has become an expensive destination with high airfares, higher hotel-bills and higher restaurant charges. In fact, higher prices all round.

Hotel Association chairman, Haris Loizides, has told the President Demetris Christofias, that they are looking forward to a new chapter from his government.

"We will be making proposals - not demands. But we have lost time and now it is the time for decisions. We have lost a lot of time discussing what should be done. The government now needs to simplify procedures and find ways out of all the bureaucratic traps.

"Occupancy has dropped to 42 percent in the winter leading to many hotels suspending their operations, although indications for 2008 look more positive."

The fact that many private villas were being rented out illegally doesn’t help, he added.
Although there are more hotels being built in Paphos its position as the number one holiday destination on the island has dropped behind Ayia Napa and Protaras.

One senior hotelier has said that the poor road infrastructure, dirty open spaces, messy building sites and work in the harbour have all contributed to the decline. Numbers are also very low in Polis prompting calls for the proposed road from Paphos to Polis to be constructed urgently.

The news that the government has set aside a budget of €12m over the next three years to promote winter tourism has been welcomed by the CTO and the Institute of Travel & Tourism (ITT) has placed itself fully behind the efforts to bring Cyprus back as an up-market destination.

However, fuel price hikes have added to the ticket prices for Cyprus Airways with fuel cost now the airlines largest expense ahead of labour costs.

"Since the beginning of this year we have paid out an extra €25m on fuel costs,” said CY spokesman Kyriacos Kyriacou. "We have had no alternative but to pass these costs on to passengers. And the fuel costs keep on going up."
 

New Marina for Paphos - Is about to happen?

A LEAKED email from a UK financial services consultants to its clients suggesting that buying property in the Peyia area will pay dividends now that the contract to build the new Paphos 1000 yacht marina has been awarded, is causing some speculation.

In fact, owners of land surrounding the site for the new marina have seen its value triple since the decision to build the new marina was taken.

The EUR70million+ contract has been awarded to a consortium headed by the Leptos Group and includes - Cybarco, JNP Avax, Francoudi and Stephano, Athena and KAT - and the winning group will have to pay the government an annual rent of €4 for the next 19 years.

The announcement of the award was made by government Commerce Minister Antonis Patsalides for the project in Potima, Paphos.

Competition for the project was said to be 'stiff' with four consortiums concerned and work will start immediately and must be completed in three years.

The Marina will have moorings for 1000 boats, slipways and a boatyard. There will also be further leisure facilities, including a restaurant, bar and parking.


Water from Greece will ease pressure on island supplies

By Chris Mills
PRESSURE on the very depleted water stocks on the island may soon be eased with the final preparations for bringing water from Greece being close to completion after some complex infrastructural logistics.

Construction workers have been working round the clock to lay pipes along the dry Yermasoyia riverbed to be eventually connected to the Yermasoyia Dam - part of the Limassol Water Board reservoirs.

The water will arrive at Yermasoyia in tankers that have sailed from Elefsina in Greece. The six tankers being used had previously carried foodstuff and agricultural products but have now been specially adapted to carry water.

The EUR35 million contract was signed on April 21 between the Water Development Board and Ocean Tankers Holding Public Company Ltd. It provides for six tankers carrying 50,000 sq.mtrs of water every day.
The estimated total of water transported over a period of six months is said to be eight million sq.mtrs. The current shortage of water on the island is said to be 16 million sq.mtrs

The project has involved the co-ordinated efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture; Athens Pireas Water Company (who will check the water quality before it leaves Greece), the State Lab, Port Authority and Ocean Tankers.
Besides the imported water from Greece, the island’s two desalination plants will be upgraded to increase production capacity and new desalination projects, including a portable one, are also being implemented.
Water cuts have been introduced in all areas but there are fears that more leaks can occur when water is switched back on, especially during hot weather.

The cuts imposed by the government haven’t pleased the Mayor of Paphos, Savvas Vergas. He had resisted turning ff supplies in the firm belief that Paphos could get by on its own underground water supplies and three dams in the area.

Said Vergas: "We cut supplies from our dams but continued with uninterrupted supplies from the underground sources."

Others were worried about the effect that a cut in supplies would have on the already diminished tourist trade.
 

Overseas Promotions Campaign Increased by CTO

IN A BID to encourage tourists to the island, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) has increased its promotion and advertising campaign budget abroad with more focused strategies.

Said the CTO's director general, Phoebe Katsouri: "For this year we have an increased budget which is being allocated in a more focussed way in the hope of bringing tangible results."

She explained that they were organising nationwide campaigns in 14 countries and using such international media as Euronews and CNN. The CTO is also the only sponsor of BBC World’s prestigious tourism programme - 'Fast Track' , which gives Cyprus extensive cover internationally.

"We hope that with our expertise we have achieved better cooperation agreements and campaigns that are being staged now, which will be repeated in the autumn, will be in time for the winter tourism," she added.

The CTO had also, she stated, achieved effective cooperation agreements with tour operators and travel agents abroad.

*AIR TRAFFIC in and out Cyprus increased by 12% in 2007 and is expected to rise by roughly the same amount during 2008. This is according to forecasts by Eurocontrol, the EU's organisation for the safety of air navigation. They also predict that after a period of stagnation, growth of air traffic in Cyprus would average five per cent over the next five years.
 

Are Improvements in Harbour Going to prove counter-productive?

Is summer the right time to upset tourists?

IT WAS ALWAYS a source of great amusement to some and annoyance to others in the UK when, three weeks after a road had been dug up for new telephone cables and had carefully been tarmaced over again afterwards, along came the workers from the local sewerage to dig it all up again and make a further mess, writes Chris Mills.
Crazy - you would say - why didn’t they do it all at once! But it was yet another example of town hall departments simply not working together.

For any town in England - cue Cyprus and Paphos. The old harbour of Paphos - one of its great tourist attractions with its medieval fort and many restaurants – has been in a mess for some time now but you would have thought that come the tourist season work would be suspended for a while - especially in view of the diminishing number of tourists and the need to impress those that are here.

But work on phase two of the seafront project began on May 19 and will continue for the next six months.
Hotel owners in the area - such as the Almyra, Annabel and Alexander the Great - are naturally up in arms because they say it is ruining their summer business.

Paphos Municipality's consultant civil engineer, Diofantos Hadjimitsis, said: "It is a problem as the work follows the coastline and will affect the hotels in the area. Apart from creating a new look for the coastline in front of these hotels, this phase includes an extra construction of three vertical walkways and we admit it will cause some disruption to some hotels."

"Disruption could cause end of Paphos Tourist industry"

This area has seen a great deal of upgrading work in the last few months which Paphos mayor Savvas Vergas thinks was necessary and will be completed by April 2009.

"The work will only cause disruption for two winters and one summer," he commented.
Although the hotel owners agree that the work is necessary, they find it difficult to believe that they’re had to be one in June and will not be finished until next year.

With tourist arrivals for May three percent down, particularly British numbers that have dropped sharply, it seems foolish to put visitors off even more by turning the area into a building site.
Said Natasha Michaelides, the communications manager of the Thanos group of hotels who own both the prestigious Almyra and Annabel hotels:

"Some tour operators are already fed up with Paphos because of the previous work and if they have to start paying compensation to disgruntled customers, they will soon drop the venue. People want, among other things, good quality pavements and beaches. Once the word gets round about the present state, they will not come.
"I think carry on this construction work during the summer will cause far more damage than having to pay out more money. It could be the end of the tourist industry for Paphos."

Spend, spend, spend - it seems the only way to be in Cyprus!

By Chris Mills

LET'S FACE IT - Cyrus isn’t a cheap place anymore. Cheaper than the UK in many respects still, yet prices for many things keep rising - and now we are told that higher prices are here to stay.
So I suppose we better get used to it.

Prices have been creeping upwards for the past few years but have certainly accelerated this year - dearer petrol, dearer food, dearer utility costs and it can’t be blamed on the change to the Euro.

OK! Many will point to world prices - especially that of crude oil that has reached nearly $1.50 per barrel - this pushes up the cost of everything - and wheat prices that push up the cost of that most essential of foods - bread.
There will be profiteers who will take advantage of this but in the main, the extra prices can be justified if not appreciated.

Many older folk, like myself will remember, sunny Jim Callaghan when British prime minister in the mid-70s saying during a currency crisis - "Crisis, what crisis?" - and it appears that this is also the Cypriot view of the current situation.

They have now got used to a certain 'well-off' style of life and intend to keep it up. Cypriot households are €17 billion in debt, which is the highest figure ever, while at the same time inflation stands at nearly five percent.
You would think that now was the time for cutbacks.

But no, petrol sales are five percent up, holiday sales are five percent up, while food prices have risen six percent, electricity 13 percent, petrol 16 percent and even the cost of having a meal in a restaurant is nearly eight percent dearer.

It appears that the locals may watch what is happening in the rest of Europe - demonstrations against higher prices and belt-tightening all round - but with little overall interest and all that just seems to be accepted.
As long as the banks are lading out money, just get deeper into debt and don’t worry. It is when the banks start to call in the loans that the worry will start. And there are always the good old pieces of plastic – the credit card. Between January and May this year nearly €760 million was spent on Cypriot credit cards – a rise of 25% over the same period last year.

Perhaps my old Granny was right - 'Neither borrower or lender be!'

Louis Tourist Agency step in to aid Road Safety

THERE HAVE been 36 deaths of the roads of Cyprus this year and now a leading tourism organisation – the Louis Group – has announced a road safety plan to try and reduce the number of death

They have decided to name 2008 as the 'Year for Road Safety Awareness' as part of its corporate social responsibility policy. The action plan will be part of the EU’s European Road Safety Charter, which Louis has signed.

Louis will print leaflets to be handed out to all passengers checking in for their return flights home along with their boarding-passes. (Louis Tourist Agency deals with more than 30 airlines in both Larnaca and Paphos airports.)

* THE BIGGEST tragedy is the number of motorcyclists killed - most not wearing crash helmets. Yet daily on the roads you will see motor-cyclist riding along with no helmets, many off them over the handlebars or strapped to the back of the bike – not on their heads where they should be and the police seemingly do nothing about it.

Protect the Grass Snake or face action says EU

LET'S FACE it - snakes - have never had a particularly good press.

Often portrayed as deadly, dangerous, slimy and crafty creatures they have never had the love and affection that other animals get. And now Cyprus is in trouble with the European Commission (EU) for not giving one of its eight species - the grass snake - adequate protection.

The EU has now given the island two months to take action on protecting the snake - the most endangered of the eight species to be found here or face court action.

The Commission had warned Cyprus that it had not followed European directives regarding the protection of Natrix natrix cypriaca, which is classed as an endemic species, on this matter when told and must now act or face the consequences.

The main interest centres around Paralimni Lakes, which is the most important habitat of the snake and is a designated Protected Habitat area. The north side of the lake has undergone lot of development in recent times.
Latest figures estimate that the remaining number of the species may only be around 50 and this may have been reduced still further in the last four years. The species was first recognised in Cyprus in 1787.


Call for Smoking Ban to be implemented properly!

Two top judges have made a CALL for the full implementation of the current Anti-Smoking Law and a total ban on smoking in public areas.

In an open letter, Supreme Court judges, Takis Eliades and Demetris Hadjihambis, have said that the law banning smoking in public places was passed by the House in June 2002 but was not being implemented.

"According to the provisions of the law, smoking is banned in areas that include restaurants, cinemas, theatres, hospitals, private clinics, doctor's offices, dentists, concert halls, galleries, government or semi-government offices, banks, factories and other places where foodstuff is prepared or sold, common areas of government buildings, closed sports centres, airports, ports, vehicles of private use and cars of public use in which there are passengers under 16," the judges have said.

The law also states that in areas where smoking is banned, smoking can only be allowed in designated areas that have been specifically set aside and which have adequate ventilation systems.

Also at the workplace, employers can only allow smoking in designated areas.
According to the two judges, for smoking in recreation centres such as restaurants, cafeterias, bars, coffee shops, disco and dance centres, there must be a specially regulated area for smokers and nobody should smoke in no-smoking areas.

They added by saying that owners of recreational centres have flouted the law by putting up signs saying - 'Smoking Permitted' - claiming that they were obeying the law! Also, no police action was being taken to 'warn or arrest smokers'.

The judge's conclusion was that a total ban on smoking should be implemented in all public areas.
Other countries in the EU such as France, Italy and the UK, where there were many keen smokers, had implemented such laws with quite severe penalties for non-compliance.

The judges were also concerned that not enough was being done to warn smokers of the dangers of smoking. Official statistics for Cyprus show that 650 people die every year as a result of smoking, compared with around 90 in road accidents and 17 from drug related causes.

There were also the dangers of passive smoking to be taken into consideration because non-smokers inhale double the amount of nicotine that smokers do.

* GO INTO any taverna or bar in Paphos and you will find many smokers just puffing away merrily ignoring signs with little attempt by managements to point out the non-smoking ban. Among the worst are some ex-Pats who, along with fellow Cypriots, seem to think that the law doesn’t apply to them!

Progress on target for the new Paphos air terminal

PAPHOS International Airport at present handles over 1.5 million passengers per year but in November this year when it opens its new terminal and runway extension it will eventually be able to handle 2.7 million per year.
The plans to expand both Paphos and Larnaca airports were first put forward in 1988 and the upgraded project master plan prepared in 1993. The new terminal and runway extension, which is based on those original plans, will be able to handle two million passengers in the first phase and a further 0.7 million after the second and be able to handle even the largest aircraft like the Airbus A321.

Passenger growth is expected to be around 3.5-4%.

The concession for the new airport has been given to Hermes Airports for a period of 25 years.

 Work is approaching completion with construction scheduled to be finished by the end of June when the testing phase will begin. The Paphos Airport will have 20,000 sq.m of floor space, 24 check-in desks (currently 16), six security-screening positions, three baggage reclaim carousels and an 800-space (currently 150) car park.
The airport runway is being extended from its current 2,700m to 3,100m allowing it to handle even the largest aircraft.

Outside a four-lane highway is to be constructed to link the airport to the town of Paphos 10 kilometres away.
Cost for work at both Paphos and Larnaca is estimated at EUR645m.

Action on Animal Cruelty

CRUELTY TO animals is something that most people don’t want to tolerate and this island has in the past come in for its fair share of criticism on the way it treats its animals.

"Whether its dogs, cats, horses or donkeys, we repeatedly see examples of mistreatment," says Stella Stylianou, who is secretary of Cyprus Voice for Animals (CVA).

It appears that the biggest problem, according to the CVA’s President Mary Anastasi is 'ignorance'.

"A lot of people don’t know how to treat animals or how they should be kept. They don't necessarly mean to harm the animal but it gets harmed because they don’t know any better," she added.

But the organisation has now had a meeting with government officials, representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Interior & Justice, the Police and others, which was chaired by the Agriculture Ministries Permanent Secretary, Panicos Pouros.

The two women said afterwards that the outcome had been extremely positive.
"It looks very promising. For the first time everyone involved showed a will to try and solve the problems" said Anastasi.

One of the first suggestions is the setting up of dog pounds for stray dogs. Animal welfare organisations have also been asking for the construction of more sanctuaries and increased grants.

"The Law is strict but nobody seems to be enforcing it," added Anastasi.

Rise in Car Registrations

CAR REGISTRATIONS in the first quarter of the year increased by 4.3% over the same period last year. The total registration of motor vehicles from January to March this year increased to 17,024 from 16,325 in 2007.
Ironically, the sales of used cars outnumbered the sales of new cars. Private saloon car sales rose 3% from 12,262 in January 2007 to 12,625 this January. Out of the total of private saloon cars over 53% were second-hand, while nearly 47% were new.
Vehicles for commercial use increased by 5.3%, light good vehicles by 2.2% and heavy goods vehicles by 16%.
Registration was also up for motorbikes and mopeds. They increased by nearly 5% compared with registration up to January 2007.

Don’t they know there's a water shortage?

THE CONTROVERSY over the watering and the setting-up of private desalination plants for golf courses runs on. And, getting the blame for setting this up is the Cabinet of the former President - Tassos Papadopoulos.

It appears that his cabinet bypassed a ruling by the Building Relaxations Council and went ahead with the moves. This was in violation of a decision of the Council and effectively stripped it of its powers provided by town-planning laws for the approval of private desalination units for watering golf courses.

And it couldn’t have happened at a worse time with the island going through a severe shortage of water, as well as the financial burden of increasing oil prices, electricity prices and the delay in importing natural gas.

Because desalinisation plants are Category B industrial developments, applicants can only get permission to build through town planning and an exemption from the Relaxations Council (an independent body made up of people in the development business which approves exceptions to local development plans under a strict criteria).

The Relaxation opposed applications in 2007 but at the same time the Cabinet approved a proposal by the Agriculture Ministry to exempt businessmen who wished to build desalination plants for golf course from having to go through the Council.

This was at a time when the Government was offering generous incentives for the creation of golf courses as a means to improve tourism.
 

June 2008 Articles:

Could cremation happen in Cyprus?

The Interior Ministry's permanent secretary, Lazaros Savides, is quoted as saying that Law Commissioner, Leda Koursoumba, was gathering the information and canvassing different ministries for their views. He said that his ministry and the Church had answered in favour of the proposal

The thoughts of many people here is that the Republic of Cyprus should allow people to have their bodies disposed of in the way that they choose and that steps must be taken now to amend the law so that permission is granted for cremations to take place.

Record-breaker dies in tragic crash

A PAPHOS man who flew in a micro-light aircraft from St. Albans in the UK to Cyprus in record time in 2006 to raise money for children's charities was tragically killed when the power-glider he was piloting crashed in the Ayios Efrem area, near to Lemonas village.

David Armstrong (71), who lived in Tala, had taken off from Paphos International Airport at around 9.45am in the morning but 10 minutes later contacted the control-tower to report severe turbulence.

He then reported shortly afterwards that he had engine trouble but the control-tower then lost contact and he came down around 10.30 am.

According to witnesses he had tried to land the micro-light glider in a field but it came down erratically, first striking a tree and then plummeting down an embankment. Residents nearby arrived quickly at the scene and an ambulance and fire engine were also dispatched but he was already dead as a result of massive injuries.

His funeral was held at the Ayia Kyriaki Church with burial at Mesa Chorio.

Armstrong hit the headlines in 2006 when, along with co-pilot Jason Madhavani, they finished an eight-day, 2,700km journey from St. Albans to Paphos in 42 flying hours, which was believed to be a world record.

The Cyprus Air Accidents Committee is investigating the circumstances of the crash and has reported that the micro-light-s engine was new and the pilot experienced.

Heart Attacks and drinking warm water....

IT HAS BEEN found advisable to drink warm water after meals to help prevent heart attacks. This makes sense as the Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals so maybe it is time to adopt their drinking habits whilst eating!!!

It is also applicable to those who like to drink cold water. While it is nice to have a cold drink after a meal, cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer so it is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

A serious note about heart attacks:

You should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be where the left arm is hurting also be aware of intense pain in the jaw. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms.

It is a fact that 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. So it pays to be careful and be aware. The more you know, the better chance that you could survive.

Tigers need new sponsor

PAPHOS TIGERS - the town's rugby club - are looking for a new sponsor.

Last year's sponsor - Chillingtons - has decided to withdraw leaving the Tigers the summer to find both a sponsor and settle on a ground.

At the first meeting of the new committee, hopes were expressed that the Tigers could win back the league title and with the Colts now providing a strong backing the new season could be faced with some enthusiasm.

If you would like to be next season's sponsor for the Tigers contact secretary Ron James on - tisron@cytanet.com.cy - he will be delighted to hear from you.

Square Pub takes to the round board

THE SQUARE PUB in Timi has taken to Darts.

They have now put in a board and oche for regular sessions on Tuesday nights. This has already attracted a group of local Brits, who hope to put out a team in the second division of the Paphos Darts League for the next winter season.

The Pub played its first friendly fixture against Seahorse and, while they were completely overwhelmed by a much more experienced team, it gave all a chance to get together.