- 'honour killings' : Canadian Muslims issue fatwa against 'honour killing'
- Breivik : Norway mass killer decries ‘cultural destruction’
- bailout : Greece lets another deadline slip in bailout poker
- Genocide : Turkey summons Swiss envoy over genocide denial remarks
- NFL : Giants' defence comes up big in Super Bowl win
- Baghdatis : Baghdatis captures first career doubles title
- air travel : CYAir flights to London’s Heathrow resume
- football : Freddy on the spot to send Omonia clear
- crisis : Barely a glimmer of hope for jobless
- unemployment : Our View: All roads lead back to public service payroll
NewsFeatures
Envoys we love to hate
IT’S BEEN a long-time brewing but parliament finally passed a resolution censuring UN Special Adviser Alexander Downer on Thursday, around seven weeks before he drafts a crucial report on the status of the peace process. That report will decide whether the two leaders go to an international conference for the “end-game” or the UN Good Offices pack up their bags and leave –assuming they can of course. Being branded an “undesirable” does not necessarily get you a ticket home. DIKO, EDEK, the Greens and EVROKO tried to pass amendments declaring Downer a persona non grata but cooler heads prevailed among the two main parties DISY and AKEL. ... 6 comments
Joblessness: Living day to day
THE NICOSIA District Labour Office has become inundated with people signing up for unemployment benefit, and for those already in the system, to pick up their cheques.“This is the first time in my life that I haven’t been doing anything,” said 23-year-old Joseph Nigoghosian, who said that he has been working since he was 15. His last job was as a panel beater. He has been unemployed since September.Speaking about the emotional difficulties that come with being out of work for five months, Nigoghosian described it as ‘very, very difficult’. The frustration and hopelessness was evident in his voice... 5 comments
Joblessness; Tough year ahead for jobs market
VISIT THE capital’s unemployment office on any given morning and the picture is a dire one as people from all walks of life patiently queue up to sign on for benefits. There are young twentysomethings who have barely seen a glimmer of hope despite their years spent specialising in a their desired subject, there are middle aged professionals who’ve been made redundant for lesser paid recruits, and then there are all the working class labourers who are unfortunate enough to be suffering the brunt of a shrinking industry... 2 comments
A game of high stakes: jockeying for positions in gas bonanza
A RAFT of legislative proposals relating to hydrocarbons has sprung up in the wake of Noble’s announcement of a gas bonanza off the island’s southern shores.Pending before the House Commerce Committee, there are currently not one, not two, but three items of legislation.What the bills do have in common is that they are vying to become part of the legal framework governing natural gas, significantly, before the government issues a call for interest for the second offshore licensing round. The race is on, as the call for interest is a matter of weeks, if comments by officials are to be believed... 3 comments
‘The Alps’ on your doorstep
IT’S minus 1, snow is pelting down and no-one is in sight as I hurtle down the slopes for my last run of the day.I glide to a halt, remove my skis, hook them together and trudge back to the station; for a moment, the thick snowfall and cold weight on my shoulder conjures memories of the Alps.I am, in fact, on the Troodos Mountain, where the snow has been falling thick and fast since the slopes opened on Boxing Day.“This year it is snowing continuously - we had just five or six days of sunshine since December 26th” ski station manager Lambros Lambrou tells me over a hot chocolate in the Sun Valley slope cafe. ... 2 comments
Author presents new ideas on resolving the Cyprus conflict
THOSE looking for a new read on the Cyprus conflict might be interested in Resolving the Cyprus Conflict, presented this week at the University of Nicosia.The book’s self proclaimed aim is to advocate for an approach “that brings people together with different interests, outlooks and objectives, with a view to enhancing mutual trust and more effective forms of communication, cooperation and interaction,” its author says in his preface.Michalis Michael, the deputy director at the Centre for Dialogue in Australia’s La Trobe University, presented his book on Monday with guest speakers AKEL MEP Takis Hadjigeorgiou, DISY MP Christos Stylianides and the head of Nicosia university Nicos Peristianis... Read on
Three lots of everything
OVER the past 15 years there has been a whopping 75 per cent increase in the birth of twins and triplets, the vast majority of them a result of fertility treatment as women in Cyprus follow the western trend of having babies increasingly later in life.A mere 15 years ago it was women between the ages of 20 and 24 who gave birth to the most children. Today the number of births in this age bracket has dramatically declined, while the 25 to 29-year-old age bracket and the 30 to 34-year-olds are now almost on par in terms of birth figures. Women over the age of 35 are also fast catching up.Whilst twins are relatively common, the odds of conceiving ‘spontaneous’ triplets au natural is a mere 1 in 8,100. ... Read on
Limassol old town defies recession
FRIDAY and Saturday nights in Larnaca, Nicosia and especially Paphos have become increasingly grim as bars, clubs and restaurants struggle to survive and attract ever-more cash-conscious punters.Not so in Limassol where new bars, cafes, clubs and restaurants are popping up all over the place, mostly in the maze of intertwining streets in the old town. Limassolians rub shoulders with locals from other towns, Russian residents and tourists as they all jostle for space in packed venues, chatting, soaking up the music and enjoying the party atmosphere.Just as Limassol has remained relatively unscathed from the plummeting property market in the last two years so has it emerged as a party town where money still flows even amid the economic crisis... 2 comments
Law change necessary to ensure alimony payments
THE LEGAL Services are rushing to amend legislation after a Supreme Court ruling barred imprisonment orders from being automatically issued if former spouses failed to pay alimony.Up until now, if someone failed to pay alimony, the child’s legal guardian would go to the family court and sign a declaration, stating the money had not been paid. An imprisonment order would be automatically issued and dispatched to the district police stations, which would then serve the order. The former spouse would be given the chance to pay up the amount owed, but if they couldn’t, this would mean automatic imprisonment for up to a year... 7 comments
The total failure of Denktash
RAUF Denktash has left an indelible mark on the history of the Republic. Together with Archbishop Makarios, he shaped the political realities of our country such as they are today.The son of a judge, Denktash graduated from the English School before going on to study law in England. Eloquent, sharp, hard-working and goal-oriented, it was he who transformed the Muslim population of Cyprus into a Turkish population... 25 comments
