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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?
Law
to allow for the building of a crematorium in place soon?
DEATH
COMES to us all in the finish - besides birth it's one of
the only certainties of life! Today, while it is still a
sombre occasion, a funeral is more often the celebration of
a life than of the death itself.
Here in Cyprus there is only
one form of dealing with a body and that is a burial. There
are no facilities for what is more popular in some other EU
countries - cremation. But that could be all about to change
as Government officials have said that there is a
possibility of offering this service within a year.
Nobody
is quite sure why the legislation to build the island's
first crematorium has dragged on so long as it was first
drafted and presented to parliament eight years ago by the
current MEP Marios Matsakis.
While
the legislation is still not yet in place, government
officials are predicting that a crematorium could be up and
running by next summer.
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
"I cannot give a
timeline due to several unknown parameters but my best
estimate would be that we may see a crematorium built on the
island in a year's time."
A recent petition
with over 4,000 signatures asking for the building of a
crematorium - many of the signatures from young Cypriots -
is still on the table. As the island only allows for burial,
those wishing to be cremated have to be embalmed and sent to
a country that allows for cremation.
This applies to
Expats, many of whom are used to this type of burial, which
is commonplace in the UK, and have probably stated their
desire for cremation in their wills.
Is
12-month timeline too ambitious?
But many feel
that the 12-month timeline is far too ambitious and are
fearful that opposition from the Greek Orthodox Church and
from the government can still slow down the process. Also
the cost of building a crematorium is fairly high,
considered to be near four million for land, building and
all the equipment, even if a license was granted.
Keith McCready is the
businessman who wants to build the first crematorium in the
Paphos District near to the Paphos International Airport and
he has said that it could be 'up and running' in 18 months
time if the government gave the green light by issuing the
appropriate licence.
He also reckoned that
a full cremation service with ashes in a memorial garden
could be done for under CYP500. To embalm a body, put it in
a lead container and ship it to another country, for
instance the UK, is around CYP2,500, with the costs of
storage, removal and final service to be added on. If the
ashes are then sent back to Cyprus, that's an additional
cost.
Cremation has been
commonplace in many countries for centuries. The funeral
pyre was actually most popular in ancient Greece and has
always been practised in India. They have even found burial
vessels associated with cremation from the 11th
century BC at Kourion on the island.
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.
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