A SIMPLE majority in the 56-member House of Representatives would be required for approval of the government bill on the deposits haircut, assuming the twice-postponed vote is held today.However the numbers simply do not add up to a majority. Three parties AKEL (19 seats), EDEK (5) and the single-seat Greens decided on Sunday that they would vote against the haircut. This leaves President Anastasiadesrelying on his party DISY (20 seats) and his government’s coalition partner DIKO (8).  Even if he ensures that all DISY members would back the bill the support of the eight members of DIKO that would give the government a fighting chance of passing it, is far from certain. At least three DIKO deputies had indicated they would not back the bill. ... 7 comments

THE lack of proper protection for some environmentally sensitive areas results in people taking advantage by using wetlands on the island for various water sport activities, conservationists said yesterday.Greens MP Giorgos Perdikis has called on the government to invest in protecting and safeguarding Cyprus’ nature reserves. This comes after Larnaca Municipality received a number of complaints from residents near the Salt Lake that people were kitesurfing on the wetlands site.“Plans are in place to solve the problem with the creation of an Environmental Information Centre next to the Salt Lake,” environmental officer at Larnaca municipality, Costas Kokkinos said. ... 17 comments

ENVIRONMENTALISTS yesterday said marine life could have been harmed after a tanker supplying fuel oil to a terminal in the occupied village of Gastria in the Karpas peninsula, spilled at least one tonne of petroleum in the area on Wednesday evening but only reported it yesterday. Gastria, known as Kalecik in the north, lies north of Bogazi on Famagusta bay, a busy area with two existing fuel terminals and plans for a third. Environmentalists and locals are already vocal against building an oil terminal with storage capacity of one million cubic metres, further north near the village of Eptakomi, known in the north as Yedikonuk. ... 2 comments

INSTITUTIONALISING the job of environment commissioner will improve the way environmental issues are being handled in Cyprus, the Green Party said yesterday.President-elect Nicos Anastasiades has chosen to appoint the Green Party head Ioanna Panayiotou as environment commissioner. She will be replacing Charalambos Theopemptou. The Greens said yesterday Anastasiades had committed to upgrading the institution of the environment commissioner, and is due to forward legislation to parliament to strengthen the position , and  its staff.“Institutionalising the commissioner with legislation will propel forward the way environmental issues are being handled in our country,” said Greens spokeswoman Eleni Chrysostomou. ... 3 comments

AFTER A full day of comings and goings by politicians and businessmen to the DISY offices in Nicosia yesterday, President-elect Nicos Anastasiades said that by today, the names of his new cabinet would be announced.Speaking after a number of meetings with potential cabinet members, Anastasiades said that consultations with other parties to form a government of national unity had gone well. The President-elect, who will be sworn in by parliament tomorrow, making him the 7th President of the Cyprus Republic, said he was in constant dialogue with DIKO, EVROKO and the Greens. “And I must say I’m fully satisfied with the consultations so far,” he added. ... 5 comments