THE police are constantly upgrading the services provided through social networking sites in a bid to better serve the public, a spokesman said on Saturday.
Andreas Angelides said an effort was being made to have a constant flow of information that is of interest to the public through Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.
The service has also created a smart phone app that is currently being used by 5,300 people in 31 countries.
Its presence on social networking sites also gave people a chance to provide feedback and information concerning offences.

By Alan Baldwin

LEWIS Hamilton put Mercedes on pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday with a fourth successive win beckoning on Sunday.
Championship-leading team-mate Nico Rosberg, who is four points clear of Hamilton, qualified second with Australian Daniel Ricciardo starting third for champions Red Bull.
Hamilton, celebrating his fourth pole of the season and 35th of his career with a time 0.168 seconds quicker than the German, will take the overall lead in the standings if he wins at the Circuit de Catalunya.

“It’s been a tough day,” Hamilton told BBC Sport. “Nico has been driving really well so I didn’t know whether I’d be able to get it. But right at the end I managed to get absolutely everything out of the car.”

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, winner in front of his home fans last year, qualified seventh with Red Bull’s quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel lining up in 10th place after stopping on track in the final phase of the session.

By Mike Collett

Manager Manuel Pellegrini expects Manchester City to be crowned English champions for the second time in three seasons with his side needing only a point from their final home game against West Ham United on Sunday afternoon (5pm).

City will win the Premier League unless Sam Allardyce’s West Ham pull off a major upset at the Etihad Stadium and Liverpool beat Newcastle United at Anfield.
City, who beat Aston Villa 4-0 on Wednesday, head into the final match of the season with 83 points, two ahead of Liverpool whose collapse at Crystal Palace on Monday when they blew a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3, left their title hopes in tatters.

“Of course, I expect to win the title now because we are top of the table,” Pellegrini said. “Winning the next game means we can win the title…
“We are not thinking of drawing. We are thinking of trying to play. As we did so far during the whole season here at the Etihad.”
The only way Liverpool can end their 24-year-wait for the title now is if City lose to West Ham and Liverpool win. If City draw and Liverpool win, City would win the title on goal difference.

City have beaten West Ham three times this season, winning 3-1 at Upton Park in the league and routing the Londoners 9-0 on aggregate in the Capital One (League) Cup semi-finals, so an upset looks unlikely.

Sergio Aguero, who scored the goal that won City the league in 2012, will be fit Pellegrini said in his final press conference ahead of the game.
The Argentine striker has bagged 17 league goals in an injury-hit season, and had looked a doubt for the finale after limping off in the 3-2 victory over Everton last weekend with a groin problem.

Pellegrini, however, confirmed he had no injury concerns, including Aguero, who grabbed a stoppage-time goal against Queens Park Rangers in 2012 which handed his team the Premier League trophy and sent the Etihad Stadium into raptures.
“The whole squad is fit,” Pellegrini said.
“It is very important because for a manager if you have your whole squad and can choose between all your players it is the most important thing.”

Should City secure a second Premier League crown in three seasons, it would be Pellegrini’s first league title since he won the Clausura with River Plate in Argentina in 2003 and a maiden success in Europe.

It would be well-deserved after he managed to re-motivate City’s illustrious talents after the disappointment of a trophyless season under former manager Roberto Mancini.
He also resisted the repeated verbal hand-grenades thrown his way by Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho in his frequent efforts to throw him off kilter.
The Chilean, who has become known for his calm, emotionless exterior, said it would be business as usual against West Ham.
“It is a very important weekend because it is the last game,” he said.
“Every team must play every game to win. It doesn’t matter in which conditions they are playing, every team must want to win.”

The only other outstanding issues to be decided are whether Tottenham or Manchester United take the final Europa League place and the final confirmation of Norwich City’s relegation.

Norwich, who battled to a 0-0 draw at Chelsea last Sunday, have 33 points, three behind West Bromwich Albion but with a hugely inferior goal difference they look sure to go down.
Outgoing champions United and big-spending Tottenham have had to lower their ambitions after disappointing seasons.

Both teams would have been confident of challenging for Champions League places, but they changed managers during the campaign and are now eyeing the dubious consolation of a Europa League spot.

Tottenham, in sixth, go into their final match against Aston Villa at White Hart Lane knowing a point would ensure they take the Europa League spot in what could well be Tim Sherwood’s last match in charge.

United, who beat FA Cup finalists Hull City 3-1 in their last home match of the season, travel to Southampton in what is almost certain to be interim manager Ryan Giggs’ last game in charge with Louis van Gaal expected to be named as the manager following last month’s departure of David Moyes.

Only if United won and Spurs lost would United take sixth place thanks to a superior goal difference.
If United fail to do that their 24-year run of European football since English clubs were allowed to compete again after the end of the ban imposed following the Heysel Stadium disaster, will come to an end.

The last time United failed to qualify for Europe before the ban was imposed in 1985 was in 1981 when they finished eighth in the league.
There is little to play for apart from pride and prize money in the other games.

Chelsea travel to bottom club Cardiff who are returning to the Championship after their first season in the top flight since 1962 found them short of class.

Fulham, also doomed after 13 years in the top flight, host the season’s most improved team Crystal Palace, who were deep in relegation trouble when coach Tony Pulis arrived in November but have now climbed to 11th.

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre

Supporters of Thailand’s beleaguered government gathered on Saturday on the outskirts of Bangkok, saying they were determined to safeguard democracy as rival anti-government protesters pressed their campaign in the city.

Thailand’s politicians have been unable to forge a compromise over a nearly decade-long split between the royalist establishment and a populist former telecommunications tycoon, whose sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was ousted as prime minister on Wednesday.

Her sacking by the Constitutional Court for nepotism followed six months of sometimes violent anti-government protests that have unnerved investors, frightened away tourists and dented growth in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy.

Yingluck’s supporters have derided her removal as a “judicial coup”. Her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted in a military coup in 2006.
“This is a dictatorship that masquerades as a democracy,” Sombat Thammasuk, 44, a “red shirt” supporter of Thaksin and Yingluck, said at the rally.
A government security official said about 50,000 people had joined the rally and more were expected. They gathered under a sweltering sun and many said they were prepared to stay for days to press for an election.

“Although it is hot out here our anger is hotter, we are boiling with anger. I am ready to give this fight everything I’ve got,” said Sombat

A day after Yingluck was thrown out of office she was indicted by an anti-corruption agency for negligence over a rice subsidy scheme that ran up huge losses. The upper house Senate is expected to impeach her for that, which would result in a five-year ban from politics.

But Yingluck’s Puea Thai party still runs a caretaker government and is hoping to organise a July 20 election that it would probably win.
Anti-government protesters want the government out, the election postponed and reforms to end Thaksin’s influence.

Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy premier in a government run by the pro-establishmentDemocrat Party, called his supporters out onto Bangkok’s streets on Friday for what he says will be a final push to get the government out.

He then wants to install a “people’s council” to oversee reforms aimed at excluding Thaksin from politics.
“The caretaker government is unlawful, which means at this stage, Thailand has no real government,” Suthep told reporters at a rally.
He called on the upper house Senate, the judiciary and Election Commission to appoint a neutral prime minister.

Suthep’s supporters held rallies and blocked some roads on Saturday but there were no reports of violence. Both the pro- and anti-government camps have armed activists within their ranks and the rival protests this weekend, even though they are far apart, have raised fears of trouble.

Jatuporn Prompan, leader of the ‘Red Shirt’ supporters of Thaksin and Yingluck, told reporters at the pro-government rally Suthep’s proposal was “impossible”.
“It is clear that Suthep thinks there is no government … that he is looking to the Senate to install a neutral prime minister. This is illegal,” Jatuporn said.
“If they install an interim prime minister we will escalate our fight for sure. We will not stand for it,” he told Reuters.

Thaksin lives in self-exile to avoid a jail term handed down in 2008 for corruption but has been a major influence over his sister’s government.
He won huge support in the north and northeast with pro-poor policies, rallied provincial power brokers to his party and was increasingly seen as a challenge to the Bangkok-based establishment.

He or his loyalists have won every election since 2001. But his enemies say he is corrupt and buys votes and they want to change electoral rules before new polls.
The army, which has staged numerous coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932, has stayed out of the turmoil but substantial violence would raise the possibility of military intervention.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 86, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, has stepped in to defuse previous crises but has not commented on this one since it blew up late last year.
One undercurrent of the crisis is deep anxiety over the issue of royal succession. The king spent the years from 2009 to 2013 in hospital.
Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn does not command the same devotion as his father.

By George Psyllides
A WAR of words between main opposition AKEL and Politis newspaper continued on Saturday over a libel suit filed by the party over reports that it had received €1.5 million from a company allegedly linked with a man many hold responsible for the collapse of the banking sector.
Using strong language on Saturday, Politis slammed AKEL’s action, saying “a libel suit is the last refuge of a …” but did not add the word scoundrel.
AKEL is demanding damages worth between €500,000 and €2 million, claiming an article in the paper “resulted in the loss of party officials, members, voters and supporters.”
In an editorial that started on its front page and carried on inside, Politis asks how much does AKEL value its supporters per head.
Politis said AKEL’s decision may constitute a pre-election stunt but “in reality it is nothing but an insult to the intelligence of the people it refers to. That party members and officials are so predisposed that they abandon it without second thought because of certain publications.”
Based on the wording of the lawsuit, AKEL proved what it has been trying to disprove for weeks: “That it operates with the logic and practices of a company and not a political party.”
“The effort by AKEL’s leadership to attribute the possible reduction in the party’s percentages on Politis’ reports constitutes a monument of political subterfuge and unacceptable opportunism.”
The party responded in kind.
“The last refuge of lying proves to be vulgarity,” the party said in a statement.
It reiterated that its influence in society were its officials, members and its people who were shaken by “Politis’ false publications”.
The party based its existence on its supporters, AKEL said, the same way Politis counted on its readers.
“Unless it (newspaper) is not worried of losing them due to the false and offensive reports it publishes. Unless it has other, stronger backing,” AKEL said.
Politis had reported that Focus Maritime had paid €500,000 directly to DISY in ten instalments of €50,000 each in January and February of 2008, and almost €1.5 million to AKEL – of which €1 million was paid through offshore Abendale Management Corporation in two equal instalments in September 2007, and €450,000 in June 2008 through the audit firm of Kyprianides, Nicolaou & Partners.
The newspaper said the transfers were made around the time of Cyprus’ 2008 presidential elections.
Both parties denied any wrongdoing although DISY later admitted to receiving €50,000 from Focus.
Focus is owned by Greek ship owner Michalis Zolotas who is in turn linked to Greek businessman Andreas Vgenopoulos, whom many here blame for the collapse of Laiki Bank.
Focus allegedly received large loans – some without adequate security – from Laiki during the time Vgenopoulos was at the helm of the bank.

A viability study for a tram network in Nicosia will be ready in six months, Communications Minister Marios Demetriades has said.
Officials have previously said that a tram system is crucial for the island’s capital that expects to see over 800,000 cars moving on its road’s every day by 2020.
“A study is being carried out, which will be ready in six months and it will show whether such a project is viable,” Demetriades told the Cyprus News Agency.
The minister stressed however that the state must be careful before embarking on such a project.
“We must be certain that the project will be viable and it will not burden taxpayers with substantial amounts,” the minister said.
Plans foresee initially introducing a two or three line system – but this is expected to be studied further – with terminals at the main bus station in Solomou Square, Nicosia General Hospital and the Makarios Stadium.

PREZ NIK was beaming on Tuesday, unable to contain his boundless joy, when he stepped out of his limo to be warmly greeted by the waiting Chancellor Merkel at the start of his four-day official visit to Germany.

The hospitable Huns gave our Nik, wearing a big smile of accomplishment and pride, the full head of state, red carpet treatment. Lined up to greet him were a military band and three sets of white-gloved, armed guards, in different coloured uniforms.
To say he enjoyed the pomp and ceremony would be an understatement, but diplomatic etiquette prevents us from being more explicit about his feelings at being welcomed just like president Obama would have been had he visited Berlin.
The warmth of the welcome extended to him by Frau Merkel must have been an ego boost, emphatic proof of the friendly relationship he always said he had with the Chancellor. In some of the footage broadcast of their joint news conference they gave the impression of two young love-birds as they coyly smiled at each other. One photograph, taken during the welcoming embrace, gave the impression that they were about to kiss on the lips.
It was that kind of meeting. Angela looking genuinely pleased to welcome Nik to her pad and keen to show him that the bail-in of depositors and memorandum her finance minister imposed on poor Kyproulla should be forgotten and not allowed to ruin their long and beautiful friendship. Obviously Nik agreed.

SEEING how much Nik enjoyed his official visit to Germany, it became apparent that, like his predecessor, he would not be in a big rush to solve the Cyprob. Being a head of state, even of Kyproulla, is obviously something he would like to enjoy for as long as possible so why rush into a settlement that would bring all this enjoyment to a premature end.
He still has three-and-a-half years of his term to run, in which time he could look forward to more official visits, countless more trips abroad, more meetings with world statesmen, many more European Council meetings and of course being the numero uno citizen of Kyproulla, which counts for a lot to every politician.
So why would he agree to a settlement and deprive himself of having the best fun he is likely to have in his life? All his grown-up life, he probably dreamt of becoming prez and he is now living the dream. What is the likelihood that he would want to sign a piece of paper ending the dream one, two or three years before the wake-up call?
This was why he always said that it would take a long time to reach an agreement and gets angry whenever the mischievous Turks say that there could be a settlement within months. But as we are constantly reminded by our prez and his negotiator, a very big distance separates the two sides, which would need a long time – maybe a whole presidential term – to cover. He may have to disappoint his friend Angela, who, at their joint news conference said “we want this process to be quick, fast and soon lead to success.”

THE SAME scenario was evident during comrade Tof’s presidency. He had a big opportunity to get a deal when he came to power in 2008 because Mehemt Ali Talat was the pseudo-president and he was very keen on a settlement.
But the comrade was in no rush, wanting to enjoy his presidency for a few years before signing its demise. So when Talat suggested they should meet more often than once a week so they could make headway, the comrade pooh-poohed the idea claiming he had other important things to do – like bankrupting the state and blowing up the odd power station.
There was no deal by the 2010 pseudo-elections, which Talat lost, and, catastrophically for the Greek Cypriots, Tof was able to serve the remainder of his term without worrying there could be a presidency-terminating deal with the hard-line Dervis Eroglu representing the Turks.
Interestingly, Tof wasted most of his meetings with Talat negotiating some lunatic formula that would allow him to be elected president of the federal state, but no time was left to agree the less important issues like territory, property and the virgin birth.

THE LATE Ethnarch Tassos experienced this dilemma in its starkest form. He was expected to step down, just a year after realising his life-long ambition to become president and make way for a presidential council envisaged by the A-plan.
Only the naïve foreigners at the EU and the UN believed this was a possibility. But there was not a chance in a billion for Tassos, who was never a big supporter of a settlement, to sign the end of his presidency after spending a fortune to make his come true.
He did not bother to negotiate the plan and did not seek any improvements because he wanted it to be rejected. This way he was able to patriotically campaign against the plan rather than in favour of keeping his presidency, which may have been deemed a bit selfish.
But despite the evidence, the UN, the US and the EU continue to labour under the illusion that a Greek Cypriot president would give up his presidency, a year or two into his term, for a settlement. Not even Angela could persuade Nik to make such a sacrifice.

GOOD AND bad news for the comrades at AKEL. The bad news is that opinion polls are showing the party strength well below 20 per cent with a little over two weeks to go to the European elections. The good news is that comrade Tof has come out of retirement to help the party’s election campaign.
Things must be desperate for the commies to seek the help of the village idiot, whom everyone blames for the collapse of economy. He kicked off his contribution to the campaign with an interview to Tass new agency last weekend accusing the EU of “victimising” Kyproulla with the hair-cut, offering also an explanation for what happened.
“It is disappointing because in the whole of the Union the neo-liberal forces have prevailed and are taking revenge on the workers – especially after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the community of socialist states – putting all the burdens of the biggest economic crisis on the ordinary people.”

ON THURSDAY he attended an election gathering in Kolossi, urging people to vote for AKEL which was the “only hope of an exit from the deadlocks the Right had put the people in.”
The report in commie mouthpiece Haravghi, was under the headline ‘Some must say mea culpa to the people’, and featured a picture of the village idiot. I was naïve enough to think that this was a breakthrough as I assumed that the comrade had apologised for the pain and misery his incompetent presidency had caused people. I realised that I was completely wrong when I read the whole report.
Referring to the state of the economy, Tof said “those who, through their actions and annihilating opposition, caused the scorched earth in this country must say mea culpa to pensioners, wage-earners, of whom thousands are unemployed, teachers for destroying educational reform and small businesses for having to close down.”
He did not stop there. “Instead of engaging in populism they must say sorry to the young generation that is plagued by unemployment and an uncertain future.”
I am not going to make any unpleasant remark because I think the guy needs professional help and AKEL is being very cruel exploiting his illness for electoral gain.

COMMIE despair manifested itself in another way on Friday. The party sued Politis for libel, claiming the paper’s reports alleging the paper had received €1.5 million in funding from the Vgenopoulos-linked company Maritime Focus were false and had caused it “to lose party workers, members, supporters and voters.”
The range of compensation the party was seeking ranged from €500,000 to €2 million, which makes it a bit difficult to put a specific price on the head of every party worker, member, supporter and voter that left the party fold. Personally I do not think Akelites are worth more than €2 a head, so if 10,000 walked out the compensation should not be more than 20 grand. Claiming they are worth a minimum of €50 a head is daylight robbery, as at that price not even Lillikas’ party would buy them.
The judge would also have to consider that some people abandoned the party for other reasons – because Tof is no longer leader, party chief Andros is dim and dull, the party cannot engage in rusfeti now that it is not in power, Marxism-Leninism is no longer fashionable, being an Akelite is uncool and restricts your dating options.
I can’t wait for the show trial.

Time to get serious: Demetris Syllouris addressing the House plenum on Tuesday

CHAIRMAN of the House ethics committee Demetris Syllouris carried on entertaining us all week with his daily appearances on the morning radio shows to inform us about his ludicrous lists, always repeating his catch-phrase, “I think, we need to get serious.”
But he seemed incapable of practising what he preached. Although his committee had decided not to release any lists and the serious Syllouris agreed, on Wednesday he released a list with names of people and companies that had supposedly transferred money out of the country during the bank lockdown.
The list turned out to be a total farce and Syllouris was made to look a complete fool as one company after the other issued statements explaining they were conducting normal business.
One letter, sent to Syllouris by Wellgoods Cypressa concluded thus: “It is clear that your whole behaviour is governed by the usual, modest, bunk criteria that you have all accustomed us to.”

I FEAR I am developing a perverse liking for the unlikeable Lillikas. The guy is such a crude, old school demagogue you cannot help but admire his phoniness. A few weeks ago his party was issuing fiery statements urging Syllouris’ committee to release all the lists of people who had transferred money out of Cyprus because they owed it the people. There should be no cover-ups, the Lillikas alliance banged on.
On Thursday, his party issued a statement castigating Syllouris for releasing the list of money transfers, saying it was wrong to do such a thing. I think Yiorkos is developing into cult political figure that deserves our respect.

MAYBE I missed something, but I still haven’t worked out what benefit we would glean from the government’s decision to raise €100 million from a private bond placement. I will leave aside the celebrations over being able to borrow money at 6.5 per cent interest.
What is more interesting is how the government would be using this money. It was said that the money would be deposited in commercial banks to provide them with much-needed liquidity. But the interest the government would collect would be, at most, three per cent which makes the whole exercise seem a bit stupid.
As Syllouris would say, “I think we need to get serious.”

EVERY time the representatives of the Troika arrive in Cyprus we hear the same litany of complaints from our wise politicians and union bosses about austerity measures, neo-liberal policies and lack of funds for development. We always hear the same cliché that ‘austerity does not work’ and that ‘we need a development policy to create jobs’. What they fail to mention is that we also need money to undertake development projects and the fact is that we do not have money. International lenders gave our indebted state €10 billion in loans to avoid bankruptcy not to finance development projects.
But deputies have still not come to terms with this reality. This is why they all come up with statements like the one made on Thursday by EDEK’s Nicos Nicolaides after a meeting with the Troika. “The memorandum could have improved some numbers, theoretically, related to the Cyprus economy, but it has not helped Cyprus take any substantial step for an exit from the crisis,” he said. Most deputies have been promoting the myth that the purpose of the memorandum was to kick-start our economy, knowing full well this was never the case.
The reality is that the Troika is not here to help us make a quick “exit from the crisis.” It is here to make us put our dysfunctional economy on a sound and healthy basis, so there would be growth and we will be in a position to repay the €10 billion we were given by the international lenders to avoid bankruptcy. We will exit the crisis when the economy is healthy again, but our politicians pretend they cannot understand this.
Nor do they seem able to understand that unless the issue of the NPLs is effectively tackled by the banks the door to recovery will not open. This point was highlighted by the Troika technocrats at Thursday’s meeting with the House finance committee at which they stressed the need for lifting all legal obstacles to foreclosures. They, reportedly, also voiced strong opposition to the AKEL-EDEK bill, aimed at protecting the primary residence, as it would encourage borrowers not to repay their loans and exacerbate the NPL problem.
But there has been little progress on the NPLs because the businessmen, who stand to lose the most, still wield great influence over the politicians who have managed to reduce this to an issue about protection of primary residence, which it is not. The Troika had always made it clear that primary residences could be given a reasonable grace period before they were subject to foreclosures. The government has been dragging its feet over the drafting of legislation that would enable banks to deal with NPLs. It is as if nobody apart from the Troika sees the direct connection between bank loan recoveries and bank liquidity, deluding themselves that banks would become liquid again by some miracle. Yet the truth is that unless the NPLs are drastically reduced there will be no exit from the crisis.
As we have said on many occasions, the country is much better off heeding the advice of the international lenders than that of our politicians who are primarily responsible for the mess we are in. In fact, we would go as far as to say that these supposedly heartless technocrats that are only interested in numbers have tried to do more for the poorest members of our society than our so-called caring politicians. If we do have a national health scheme offering universal care by next year it would be thanks to the persistence of Troika technocrats, who also ended the scandal of free healthcare for public employees.
The introduction of the state’s ‘minimum guaranteed income’ for all citizens from this July – a necessity in times of rising poverty and deprivation – was also a Troika suggestion, the only condition being that additional funds needed would have to come from the state budget and not from more borrowing. These major policy initiatives supporting the most vulnerable members of our society have been undertaken by the government on the suggestion and (in the case of the national health scheme) persistence of the neo-liberal Troika.
We may even have a modern, viable state that looks after all its citizens – not just public employees – as well as functioning banks by the end of the financial assistance programme. The Troika may have been accused of acting like a colonial power, but it seems to be doing more good to the country than our political parties have ever done.

By Elias Hazou
LARNACA: tourist hub or oil rig service centre catering to Cyprus’ new hydro-carbons industry? A little of both perhaps, if that’s at all possible.
Officially the aim was to turn Larnaca marina and port into the largest passenger terminal in Cyprus. But a consortium set up to develop the project was hampered by lack of funding in the wake of the financial crisis. In the meantime oil field service companies have received permits to set up shop at the port, sparking strong reaction from residents and the business community.
In 2012 the Zenon consortium signed an agreement with the government for the development of Larnaca’s existing port and marina worth a reported €700m. The project would be executed over a three-phase development spanning nine years in total.
Once completed, the new port would become the main passenger port of Cyprus able to accommodate large cruise ships and have the potential to serve commercial vessels. The project would feature parks, restaurants, recreation space, shops and other public areas. Artist’s impressions depict piers and curvy mega-buildings, bringing Dubai to mind.
Then the project hit a snag, as local banks set to bankroll the project pulled back in the wake of the credit squeeze. The Zenon consortium is now seeking financing elsewhere for the initial marina component of the project.
To complicate matters, authorities in the last few months gave at least two energy companies – Noble Energy and ENI – permits to set up base right smack in the port, situated next to the marina, and which happens to be an integral component of the grandiose tourism development plans.
Also on Friday, the government concluded a deal with US oilservices giant Halliburton to use Cyprus as a base for operations in the region. The government assures Larnaca the energy companies won’t be there forever, but locals aren’t sold: they fret about their health, their pockets and the town’s future as a tourist destination.
“I think there’s quite a bit of misunderstanding and even misinformation over the affair, but there’s a sense this is now changing,” Communications and Works Minister Marios Demetriades told the Sunday Mail. On May 23 Demetriades is holding a meeting with stakeholders, including the Larnaca mayor and reps of the Zenon consortium to discuss the whole issue.

Mud plants, part of the oil service industry that has moved to Larnaca port

The permits given at Larnaca port are for storage space. So far Noble Energy, which has moved its shore base from Limassol to Larnaca, has brought in some pipes to the site, but little else.
Demetriades said that if Noble Energy wants to install a mud plant on the site it must first submit an environmental impact study.
Taking no chances, Larnaca municipality meanwhile is commissioning its own environmental study for the seafront and has already put out feelers for interested contractors.
Also operating out of the port is the Maltese outfit Medserv, acting as subcontractors for Italian oil company ENI, which plans to carry out exploratory drilling in one of their offshore licences in the second half of the year.
Medserv’s permit, granted in September of last year, expires in August 2016, as does that given to Noble Energy.
The permits to the oil companies (actually, to their subcontractors) were issued by the communications ministry and the Ports Authority. Local authorities were kept out of the loop, and they aren’t happy about it.
Lately there’ve been some clues that the friction may be easing off. Speaking to the Mail, Larnaca mayor Andreas Louroutziatis said the municipality is not dead set against the installation of oil field services and logistics facilities, provided however that these are on a short-term basis and involve “mild operations”.
“Our primary concern is for the safety and health of our residents,” he said.
Louroutziatis evaded a question as to how far local authorities would still object should they get guarantees that the oil field services facilities at the port are dismantled by 2016 – around the time that the first phase of the Larnaca tourist development is forecast to start.
“Yes, I’ve heard that argument,” he commented.
The mayor confirmed that about a month ago he and municipal councillors travelled, on the municipality’s dime, to Ravenna, Italy, where they were given a tour of the facilities of oil service giant, Halliburton. They wanted a first-hand look at what it is that oil companies do and were accompanied by Larnaca district’s political party bosses, MPs and officials from the town’s chamber of commerce.
But Chrysis Prentzas, former chairman of the Ports Authority, wonders what the officials got out of the trip. For one thing, he observes, Halliburton’s operations at Ravenna are on a massive scale.
“There’s no comparison whatsoever to what’s going to happen at Larnaca,” he said. “If they wanted to get a feel for Noble’s operations in Larnaca, all they had to do is drive out to Limassol and check out Noble’s mud plant there.”
Prentzas, himself hailing from Larnaca, has previously gone on record suggesting Larnaca could support the energy companies’ activities in a nearby area, still reaping the financial benefits, without abandoning the prospect of a passenger port.
“The way I look at it, the Zenon consortium is holding Larnaca port hostage, in anticipation that economic conditions will someday improve,” he told the Mail.
“Do we really want to give Noble and the others a hard time, if it’s for no good reason? At the drop of a hat they’ll just pack up and move their shore base to Israel.”
Meanwhile the new deadline for the Zenon group to find investors is fast approaching – next week – but the group says it’s confident of getting a new extension from the government.
Dinos Lefkaritis is chairman of the Larnaca Tourism Development and Promotion Company, which has been very vocal against any industrial activity at the port.
Lefkaritis, also an executive at Petrolina – part of the Zenon consortium – said talks with potential investors from the Middle East (including Egypt) are ongoing.
“Things are progressing,” he said, but did not elaborate.

The plan for the new marina

For his part Alecos Michaelides, permanent secretary at the communications ministry, said there was “a fair chance” of the government granting Zenon a further extension.
And he again dismissed the notion that oil and gas companies would operate permanently out of Larnaca port.
The facilities would “definitely not” remain in Larnaca, particularly if the marina project goes ahead.
The official pointed out that in any case the first phase of the Zenon development project does not involve the port, but rather the adjacent marina and the immediate surrounding land.
Earlier, Michaelides told the media that the government included a clause in most of the permits issued that stipulates that if the marina development commences then the energy companies will move their operation elsewhere.
But he refrained from saying where the facilities might then be relocated.
“If on the other hand the marina doesn’t happen, then we shall see,” he added.
Michaelides reiterated that hosting Noble and ENI at Larnaca port is a temporary arrangement.
“Even if an investor for the marina development comes forth tomorrow, the infrastructure to accommodate large cruise ships won’t be needed until after 2016.”
Asked hypothetically whether full-blown industrial activity and the Zenon project can somehow coexist at Larnaca port, Michaelides delivered an emphatic “No.”
“Operational aspects aside, spatially there’s an overlap,” he said.
There are a variety of technical reasons why oil companies chose Larnaca, said Constantinos Hadjistassou, an energy researcher with the Kios centre, University of Cyprus.
The water depth – around 12 metres – is more than sufficient for support vessels to wade into the harbour. Also, the port at Larnaca is nowhere near as congested as Limassol’s.
Hadjistassou explained that because drilling platforms are weight-sensitive, most of the gear – risers, pipelines, fuel, inspection equipment – has to be stored on land.
Whereas space in Limassol is sparse, Larnaca has a great deal of real estate should the oil companies expand their activities.
Hadjistassou says oil companies are obligated to enforce strict safeguards, including safely disposing ashore cuttings collected during drilling.
The locals are up in arms because they were presented with a fait accompli. And they’re wary of politicians, who have for years pledged to take existing oil storage tanks away from Larnaca.
“I think they’ve developed a fixation at being treated as the poor relation, so any mention of industrial activity triggers a kneejerk reaction,” said Hadjistassou.
He comprehends the residents’ concerns – though he says these are exaggerated and perhaps misguided. For instance, there’s a misconception that the activity at the port – even once Noble sets up its mud plant used in the extraction of oil and gas – is tantamount to heavy industry.
But he acknowledges it’s a tough subject:
“Sure, people are worried about their health…they suspect the oil companies will come in, destroy the seafront and then pack up and leave. Then again, you can’t keep the port idle forever on the mere promise of a grand tourist development that may or may not materialise.”
Gas expert Charles Ellinas believes that small-scale hydrocarbon operations at the harbour are not incompatible with passenger activities.
“Noble and ENI will for the most part conduct logistical operations out of there…it won’t make a huge difference for the town I don’t think.”
Ellinas, formerly executive chairman of the Cyprus National Hydrocarbons Company, noted that the existing infrastructure at Larnaca port cannot support heavy industry for the oil companies, which in the long run would need to be moved to the Vassilikos area most likely.
He, too, acknowledged the need for public consultation with residents.
Citing another reason why Noble Energy shifted its shore base to Larnaca, Ellinas explained there is no quay at Limassol port from which to load the drilling mud onto a ship. The ship then transports the mud to the drilling rig out to sea. Instead, in Limassol the US company had to use a floating platform to transfer the mud onto vessels, which was risky. By contrast Larnaca does have such a jetty.

Former environment commissioner Charalambos Theopemptou

Former Environment Commissioner Charalambos Theopemptou, now a lecturer at TEPAK, highlighted the total lack of public consultation.
“Two things are happening at the same time. First, not everyone has all the facts. Second, there’s a lot of anger among the people in Larnaca – and who can blame them – precisely because no one bothered asking them if they wanted the energy companies in their backyard.
“The whole thing got off to a bad start, and now everyone suspects everyone else,” he said.
He was alluding to the recently created Facebook group “Larnaca in Danger” where activists are campaigning to have the permits issued to oil companies rescinded.
A reading of the online posts quickly conveys the sense that some people are deeply distrustful of their local leaders. The feelings appear to be mutual – municipality politicians feel the criticism leveled against them is partisan-driven.
Theopemptou is big on gathering accurate information and following consultation procedures.
“Right now there’s a lot of confusion. What we need is a structured, honest dialogue between the public and all the stakeholders. People need to see for example official documentation, a piece of paper, confirming that these oil facilities are indeed temporary. Otherwise we can talk until the cows come home.
“Do we know whether there’s going to be one mud plant, two? These are all questions that call for swift answers.”
Theopemptou was non-committal when asked whether the gas activities can coexist with the planned tourism developments.
“Maybe…I don’t know,” he said. “But consider this: say the industrial activity is limited. Even still, picture the smoke and noise pollution at the end of Stratigou Timagiou Avenue on the seafront, right next to the hotels. It won’t be pretty.”
Health and environmental risks
Research done at Limassol port, partly overlapping with the time Noble Energy’s mud plant was operational there, has yielded some interesting finds, though on their own these aren’t conclusive on the question at hand.
Two years ago the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK) and the University of Cyprus’ Oceanography Centre launched an EU-funded programme monitoring marine pollution at all the island’s ports.
Dubbed PREMARPOL, the programme involved deploying sensors in the sea and tracking pollutants over a period of two years. The mud plant at Limassol port was not specifically the target of the investigations.
Costas Costa, the programme supervisor, told the Mail there did not appear to be any significant marine pollution from the mud plant.
The measurements did discover slightly increased levels of hydrocarbons in the water – “nothing worrying” he says – which could be attributed to the increased ship traffic in the area.
Nevertheless Costa, associate professor at the department of environmental management of the school of geotechnical sciences and environmental management at TEPAK, is quick to stress the importance of air pollution measurements as well.
“Particulate emissions as well as dust from mixing and transporting the mud are certainly a potential health concern. Other research has found that relatively limited exposure to these particles can lead to respiratory problems, or asthma after long-term exposure. Prolonged exposure to high concentrations can cause pulmonary oedema (fluid in the lungs) in extreme cases.”
Despite this, Costa points out that all potential safety hazards can be managed when a mud plant is designed with the right specifications.

By Andreas Vou

Petros Chrysochos is showing that the future of Cypriot tennis is bright after winning his first professional tournament last week, becoming only the third player from the island to have done so.

The 18-year-old traveled to Egypt to compete in the ITF Futures Tournament and came away with the $10,000 (€7,100) prize after defeating Turkey’s Cem Ilkel in straight sets in the final.

Chrysochos pulled off an efficient performance, winning 6-3, 6-3 against a competitive opponent who was ranked No.53 in the junior standings.
The Larnaca native outplayed Ilkel in almost every department, including four aces and dispatching five out of his six break points (83%) compared to the Turk’s two out of eight (25%) which proved to be the telling difference between the two players.

By claiming the Futures trophy, Chrysochos has followed in the footsteps of Photos Kallias and Marcos Baghdatis and is now intent on taking his career to the next level in the coming years.

Much is expected of the promising teenager who, in 2012, was named European junior player of the year – a prize which has previously been claimed by current elites of the game such as Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.

Later that year, he won the Davis Cup against Benin representing Cyprus with the legendary Baghdatis and others in a best of five match-up, while also managing a third-place finish in the Junior Masters.

Chrysochos is earning a reputation for his ability to read the game with acute accuracy while also demonstrating tactical knowledge usually found in an established professional.
His quick sense of judgment gives him the advantage of being able to adjust to mix up his game depending on how a particular match is going. Occasionally, he likes to try the drop shot like Baghdatis has pulled off countless times throughout his career.

His latest win has earned him 18 points in the ATP world rankings which is expected to push him up to around 850th place in the standings, while he is 40th in his age group.
Chrysochos continues to maintain a full school programme along with his busy training schedule at the Herodotou Academy with his excellent coach Charalambos Vassiliou.

As when any promising youngster emerges on the island, high hopes are held of a prosperous career. Chrysochos evidently possesses quality in abundance and it is now up to the powers that be in the relevant government bodies to provide the necessary support for him to go all the way.

New York City police have been recruiting immigrants, most of them Muslims, in the years following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to act as informants eavesdropping in cafes, restaurants and mosques, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

Citing documents it had obtained and interviews with former and senior police officials, the newspaper said the department had sought to enlist the help of immigrants such as a food cart vendor from Afghanistan, an Egyptian-born limousine driver and an accounting student from Pakistan, most of whom were arrested for minor infractions.

Detectives working for a unit known as the Citywide Debriefing Team conducted 220 such interviews in the first quarter of this year, the Times said, citing police officials, and conducted many hundreds of interviews in other years.

Police officials described the interviews to the Times as voluntary, but the paper said several Muslim immigrants it spoke to felt shaken by the encounters.

John Miller, the deputy commissioner in charge of the Intelligence Division, said the debriefing team emerged from an urgent need for counter terrorism sources following the Sept. 11 attacks, the Times said.

“We were looking for people who could provide visibility into the world of terrorism,” the Times quoted him as saying. “You don’t get information without talking to people.”

Miller said the historic technique of debriefing prisoners, now being applied to counter terrorism, had been effective.

But the newspaper said many Muslim immigrants had said they felt as though they had little choice but to cooperate.

In one example, Bayjan Abrahimi, a food cart vendor from Afghanistan arrested in 2009 in a parking ticket dispute, said detectives asked him “about Al Qaeda, do you know these people?”, the Times said. They also asked about his mosque, the nationalities of other Muslims who prayed there and about a brother who drove a taxi in Afghanistan.

Finally they asked if he would be willing to gather information at mosques and possibly travel to Afghanistan, to which, frightened, he said he agreed.

After his release, Abrahimi told the Times he never heard from the detectives again, but remained shaken by the matter.

A factory wall collapsed in heavy rain in eastern China on Sunday, killing 18 people working inside, Xinhua news agency said.

About 40 workers for a renewable energy company in the scenic coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province, were in the factory at the time, Xinhua said, without explaining what the factory made. Three were taken to hospital with injuries.

China, the world’s second-largest economy, has a poor record on workplace safety with coal mine disasters a common occurrence.

In June 2013, a fire at a poultry slaughterhouse in the northeastern Jilin province killed 120 people.

In November, an oil pipeline explosion in Qingdao killed 62 people.

By Toby Davis

Manchester City clinched a second Premier League title in three seasons with a 2-0 win over West Ham United on Sunday that sent their Etihad Stadium into raptures and condemned Liverpool to second place.

Blue and white ticker tape rained down and fans poured on to the pitch at the final whistle as City, who only needed a draw to win the trophy, finished two points clear of Liverpool whose campaign ended with a 2-1 win over Newcastle United.

Samir Nasri calmed City nerves by drilling them ahead in 39th minute and captain Vincent Kompany’s neat finish four minutes after halftime put the hosts in cruise control, rounding off a superb debut season for manager Manuel Pellegrini.

“It’s an amazing feeling. My second title in three years. It was an amazing league the whole year,” Frenchman Nasri told Sky Sports.
“There are no words to explain my feelings now.”

For Chilean Pellegrini it was a first league title since he won the Clausura with River Plate in Argentina in 2003 and a maiden success in Europe.
“I’m just so happy for the manager as well because it’s his first title in Europe, it’s amazing,” Nasri added.

The atmosphere at Anfield was muted as an own goal from Martin Skrtel put Newcastle ahead in the first half, but goals from Daniel Agger and Daniel Sturridge ensured they ended with victory against opponents who had Shola Ameobi and Paul Dummett sent off.

Chelsea had to settle for third spot after coming from a goal down to win 2-1 at Cardiff City, ending a trophyless first season back in England for manager Jose Mourinho.

Tottenham Hotspur comfortably beat Aston Villa 3-0 to finish sixth and clinch a place in next season’s Europa League, meaning deposed champions Manchester United, who drew their final match of a terrible season 1-1 against Southampton, will not play in Europe next season for the first time in 24 years.

Norwich City’s relegation was confirmed with a 2-0 home defeat by Arsenal and they will join Cardiff and Fulham in the Championship next season.

Lewis Hamilton won the Spanish Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday to chalk up his fourth victory in a row and wrest the Formula One championship lead from ‘gutted’ German team mate Nico Rosberg.

In what was also the fourth successive Mercedes one-two, and fifth win in five races for the dominant constructor, Hamilton took the chequered flag a mere 0.6 of a second ahead of his rival.

In a nail-biting finish to what had been a largely uneventful race, Rosberg piled pressure on Hamilton by slashing the Briton’s lead over the last six laps and looming ominously in his mirrors.

Hamilton, who now has 100 points to Rosberg’s 97 after his 26th career victory and leads the standings for the first time since 2012 when he was at McLaren, sounded increasingly anxious in radio traffic but held on for his first win in Spain.

“I wasn’t fast enough really today, Nico was quicker,” the 2008 champion said during the podium interview. “Fortunately I was able to keep him behind.”

Rosberg, who declared himself “a bit gutted” to finish second again and whose subdued body language alongside Hamilton on the podium more than backed that up, felt he would have got past with one more lap.

“Lewis did a great job the whole weekend, just that little bit ahead,” added the German ruefully.

Daniel Ricciardo was third for champions Red Bull in the first podium finish of his F1 career after being stripped of his second-place for a fuel irregularity in his home season-opener in Melbourne in March.

“We did not have the pace on Mercedes… it is really nice to be on the podium and I am sure I will get to keep it this time,” said the smiling Australian, who had started third.

“A lonely third was not a bad result in the end”.

VETTEL FOURTH

Quadruple world champion team mate Sebastian Vettel, who started 15th after a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change, ended a weekend of setbacks with a strong fourth place.

The 26-year-old German had arrived at the first European race of the season with a different chassis to the previous four grands prix, in which he had made just one podium appearance, but Red Bull remained an age away from Mercedes.

Ricciardo, as the best of the rest, crossed the line a massive 48.3 seconds behind Rosberg with Mercedes again in a class of their own and lapping all but four cars.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was one of those passed by Hamilton, finishing seventh and just behind Spanish team mate Fernando Alonso – last year’s winner – in sixth.

Finland’s Valtteri Bottas took fifth place for Williams, while Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa sank from ninth at the start to 13th at the finish.

Frenchman Romain Grosjean handed Lotus their first points of the season with eighth place, ahead of Force India’s Mexican Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg in ninth and 10th respectively.

Only two drivers retired, Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne and Caterham’s Kamui Kobayashi, in a 66 lap race that testified to the surprising reliability of the cars in the new V6 hybrid turbo era.

Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, who crashed in qualifying and started last for Lotus, was handed a five second stop/go penalty for causing a collision with Caterham’s Marcus Ericsson.

Pro-Moscow rebels pressed ahead with a referendum on self-rule in east Ukraine on Sunday and fighting flared anew in a conflict that could dismember the country and pitch Russia and the West into a new Cold War.

With voting still going on, one separatist leader said the region would form its own state bodies and military after the referendum, formalising a split that began with the armed takeover of state buildings in a dozen eastern towns last month.

Another said the vote would not change the region’s status, but simply show that the East wanted to decide its own fate, whether in Ukraine, on its own or as part of Russia.

A near festive atmosphere at makeshift polling stations in some areas belied the potentially grave implications of the event. In others, clashes broke out between separatists and troops, over ballot papers and control of a television tower.

Zhenya Denyesh, a 20-year-old student, was second to vote at a concrete three-storey university building in the rebel stronghold of Slaviansk. “I wanted to come as early as I could,” he said. “We all want to live in our own country.”

Asked what he thought would follow the vote, organised by rebels in a matter of weeks, he said: “It will still be war.”

In the southeastern port of Mariupol, scene of fierce fighting last week, there were only eight polling centres for a population of half a million. Queues grew to hundreds of metres in bright sunshine, with spirits high as one centre overflowed and ballot boxes were brought onto the street.

On the eastern outskirts, a little over an hour after polls opened, soldiers from Kiev seized what they said were falsified ballot papers, marked with Yes votes, and detained two men.

They refused to hand the men over to policemen who came to take them away, saying they did not trust them. Instead they waited for state security officers to interview and arrest them.

On the edge of Slaviansk, fighting broke out around a television tower shortly before people began making their way through barricades of felled trees, tyres and machinery for a vote Western leaders say is being orchestrated by Moscow.

The West has threatened more sanctions against Russia in the key areas of energy, financial services and engineering if it continues what they regard as efforts to destabilise Ukraine. Some modest measures may come as soon as Monday, limited by the Europe Union’s reluctance to upset trade ties with Russia.

Moscow denies any role in the fighting or any ambitions to absorb the mainly Russian-speaking east, an industrial hub, into the Russian Federation following its annexation of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea after a referendum in March.

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry called the referendum a criminal farce, its ballot papers “soaked in blood”. One official said that two thirds of the territory had declined to participate.

Ballot papers in the referendum in the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, which has declared itself a “People’s Republic”, were printed without security provision, voter registration was patchy and there was confusion over what the vote was for.

Engineer Sergei, 33, voting in the industrial centre of Mariupol, said he would answer “Yes” to the question printed in Russian and Ukrainian on the ballot: “Do you support the act of state self-rule of the Donetsk People’s Republic?”

“We’re all for the independence of the Donetsk republic,” he said. “It means leaving behind that fascist, pro-American government (in Kiev), which brought no one any good.”

AUTONOMY, INDEPENDENCE, ANNEXATION

But in the same queue of voters, 54-year-old Irina, saw a “Yes” vote as endorsement of autonomy within Ukraine.

“I want Donetsk to have its own powers, some kind of autonomy, separate from Kiev. I’m not against a united Ukraine, but not under those people we did not choose, who seized power and are going to ruin the country,” she said.

Others see the vote as a nod to absorption by Russia.

Annexation is favoured by the more prominent rebels, but the ambiguity may reflect their fears an explicit call for full “independence” might not have garnered the support they seek and could leave them in an exposed position towards Kiev.

The present government came to power when President Viktor Yanokovich was toppled in February after mass protests in Kiev.

Pro-Western activists were angered by his decision to discard a cooperation accord with the European Union in favour of closer ties with Moscow. They also accused him of corruption penetrating all areas of the Ukrainian state.

Voting is due to end in the hastily arranged referendum in 53 locations at 10 p.m. (1900 GMT) and the rebels hope to have the ballots counted by Monday afternoon, although its outcome will not be widely recognised internationally or by Kiev.

With several hours of polling to go, Russian news agencies were already reporting a turnout of more than 75 percent, although a separatist spokesman in Luhansk said troops had prevented the movement of ballot papers in several areas.

One way or another it is likely to show a large “yes” vote, and one leading separatist said Ukrainian troops would be declared illegal occupiers once results were announced.

“It is necessary to form state bodies and military authorities as soon as possible,” Denis Pushilin, a leader of the self-styled Donetsk republic said, according to Interfax news agency.

Roman Lyagin, head of the rebel central electoral commission, struck a less radical tone to reporters in Donetsk.

“With the announcement of the results the status of the Donetsk region does not change in absolute terms. We do not cease to be a part of Ukraine, we do not become a part of Russia,” he said, although he left those options open.

“We want only to declare to the world that we want changes … We want to decide the fate of our region ourselves,”

Moscow has massed troops on the border and Kiev fears they may be called in as peacekeepers. Serhiy Pashinsky, head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, said a column of armoured vehicles on the Russian side of the border bore the colours of U.N. peacekeeping forces. He offered no evidence or detail.

“We warn the Kremlin that appearance of these forces on the territory of Ukraine would be assessed as military aggression and we would react as we would in the case of military aggression,” he told reporters.

“INTO THE ABYSS”

Ukrainian leader Oleksander Turchinov has urged eastern political leaders to join a “Round Table” discussion on devolution of powers in Ukraine. But he says he would not negotiate with “terrorists”, a formulation meant to exclude most of the more prominent rebel leaders.

Pashinsky said Ukrainian forces had “destroyed” a separatist base and checkpoints in a broad operation around Slaviansk and nearby Kramatorsk in retaliation for attacks on their posts.

“This is not a referendum. This is a desultory attempt by killers and terrorists to cover their activity,” he said.

The rebels in the east and the Kremlin say the pro-European Kiev government that replaced Yanukovich lacks legitimacy.

Kiev aims to banish such questions by holding a presidential election on May 25 and the United States and European Union have threatened Russia with sweeping sanctions if it disrupts it.

Turchinov, who has ruled the referendum illegal and dismissed the allegations that the Kiev authorities are neo-fascists, said on Saturday any move to secession would be “a step into the abyss” and economic ruin.

The Metinvest company partially owned by Rinat Akhmetov, one of Ukraine’s wealthiest businessmen with interests in the coal and steel industry in the east, said it was deploying a volunteer militia in Mariupol with workers from steel plants.

Akhmetov has presented himself as neutral in the conflict and Metinvest urged Kiev to refrain from sending troops into the city if his militia maintained order with police.

Would-be robbers shot a security guard in the leg during an attempt to rob a cash transport company outside a Limassol supermarket, police said.

His condition was not life threatening. Initial reports suggested he had been shot with an airgun but police later said that the two perpetrators had been armed with a pistol.

The incident happened outside a supermarket in Yermasoyia just before 12pm, while the pair tried to snatch a bag full of cash, which the two security guards had just collected.

Two masked men, one wielding a pistol, appeared on the scene and demanded the money in Greek, police said.

The security guards resisted, resulting in one getting shot in the right thigh and the would-be robbers fleeing empty handed.

Limassol CID chief Ioannis Soteriades said the perpetrators also fired a shot in the air. They abandoned the scene on foot, police said.

It was not immediately clear if they had a vehicle waiting for them somewhere nearby.

THE LOUIS Group announced on Monday its subsidiary LGS Handling has struck a deal to provide ground handling services to Russia’s Globus airline.

Globus inaugurated regular flights to Cyprus on April 25. It carries out daily flights from Moscow to Larnaca and also has three flights to Paphos.

The group also announced that Louis Aviation has been chosen by Globus to handle its cargo.

“These agreements are especially important and carry multiple and substantive benefits for Cyprus’ economy at a time when tourism is proven once more to be the country’s main industry and tourist traffic from Russia shows the fastest increase,” CEO Louis Loizou said.

By James Mackenzie

A boat carrying hundreds of migrants has sunk south off the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italian authorities said on Monday, a day after dozens were drowned off the Libyan coast.

An Italian navy spokesman said vessels from the Mare Nostrum task force, set up after hundreds of people drowned in migrant boat disasters last year, were on their way to the scene in the waters between Sicily and Libya.

A navy spokesman said the boat was estimated to be carrying around 200 people although some Italian media reports said it may have been carrying twice that number.

No further details were immediately available.

Italy has struggled for decades with a steady stream of migrants travelling in small, unsafe boats from North Africa to the tiny island of Lampedusa, midway between Tunisia and Sicily.

The flow has intensified since the Arab Spring upheavals of 2011 and the civil war in Syria, with well over 25,000 arriving in the first few months of this year. Libyan Navy spokesman Col. Ayoub Qassem said numbers leaving had increased in the past few days but authorities did not know why.

Hundreds were drowned in two separate disasters last year that prompted the government to step up air and marine patrols of the seas south of Sicily.

On Sunday, a least 40 people died and 51 others were rescued after a boat carrying mostly sub-Saharan African migrants sank off Libya’s coast east of Tripoli.

By Evie Andreou

IN A heavily emotional atmosphere on Sunday, the first liturgy in more than 50 years took place at the Armenian church of Virgin Mary (Sourp Azdvadzadzin) in northern Nicosia.

The event was addressed by the House representative of the Armenian community group Vartkes Mahdessian.

The liturgy was carried out by Armenian Archbishop Varoujan Hergelian who also re-consecrated the church as it had not been used for such a long time said Alexander Michael Hadjilyra, Mahdessian’s spokesman.

Also present at the liturgy were state officials, representatives of other religious communities of the island and members of foreign diplomatic missions in Cyprus as well as a large number of Armenian Cypriots who came from all over the island and from abroad.

“The church was full. People had to stand outside too,” said Hadjilyra.

Upon arrival everyone was given candles and a booklet with the church’s history.

“Everyone kept their candles lit during the liturgy. It was wonderful, I’m so happy,” said Anahid Eskidjian, who sang in the choir on Sunday and is also a member of the Women’s Church Committee.

Like many of the congregation, Eskidjian was once a resident of the area which, until it was abandoned during the intercommunal unrest in 1964, had been the main residential quarter of the Armenian community.

To commemorate and celebrate the day, members of the Armenian Church Committee offered everyone attending sweets, incense, olive branches and a photo of the church with the date of the liturgy.

The event gave the opportunity to many former residents of the quarter to visit their homes, meet with old school friends and neighbours and reminisce.

“It was a re-union indeed! After the liturgy, despite the rain, people stood and talked, reminding each other incidents of their childhood. It was a wonderful day,” said Eskidjian whose home was opposite the church.

“Many people had not come back here since 1964, so it was also an opportunity to go see their homes,” said Hadjilyra.

The service has also sparked hope that more will follow.

“We hope that more liturgies will be carried out in the near future and that it is not a one time thing,” said Hadjilyra.

It was a great opportunity for Armenian Cypriots to travel from abroad as next Sunday the annual pilgrimage to the Armenian Monastery of Saint Magar (Ayios Makarios) in the Pentadaktylos Mountain will take place.

The monastery which is known as Magaravank or Armenomonastiro, sits in Plataniotissa forest and is an 11th century Coptic monastery dedicated to Saint Magar. It came under the Armenian Orthodox Church in 1425 and it was inhabited by monks until 1800. Armenian families lived in the vicinity until the 1920s.

The monastery’s estate which was the Armenian Prelature’s most important source of income was used as a weekend resort by Armenian Cypriot families, and a camping site by scouts and students. The monastery’s site was abandoned in 1974.

The pilgrimage, which is also an important event of the Armenian Cypriot community, was revived in May 2007 on the initiative of House representative Mahdessian under the supervision of the UNFICYP. From 2009 onward it has been taking place at the beginning of May each year.

By Elias Hazou

THE NATURAL Gas Public Company (DEFA) said on Monday it had no connection to media reports claiming the partners in the Leviathan gas field have offered to sell Cyprus natural gas at a price that is 2.5 times higher than that in Israel.

In a statement, DEFA said it was “compelled to comment” on the reports, and stressed that the financial proposals submitted to it “have not been opened and remain closed in a secure place”.

A day earlier, Israeli website Globes wrote that Leviathan partners Delek and Ratio, bidding in the tender published by DEFA, are offering gas at $15 per million thermal units (BTU), compared with $6 per million BTU in current Israeli gas supply contracts.

Citing its sources, Globes said there are two main reasons for the high price: the cost of laying a pipeline to Cyprus and because Cyprus is paying $20 or more per million BTU for alternative fuels.

The website named also three other bidders in the Cypriot tender: the Dutch Vitol Group; State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR); and Greek M&M Gas Co SA.

Sources told Globes that Vitol Group was the only bidder currently able to promise supplying LNG during the relevant period, but at a higher cost than Israeli natural gas. However, it also said that Delek and Ratio’s offer was the “favourite” bid.

The Leviathan partners announced last month on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange that they put in a bid to sell gas to Cyprus via a pipeline.

Due to confidentiality agreements, DEFA will not name the bidders or disclose any other details. It’s understood that at this time DEFA is examining the technical proposals, after which it will open the sealed dossiers containing the second component of the bids – the financial offers.

Assuming the Globes report is accurate, the financial bid from Delek and Ratio is very close to that made by Itera during a previous tender last year. Itera’s final, all-in price was understood to be $15.5 per million BTU. Despite being the lowest bid, DEFA had rejected Itera’s offer on the grounds that it did not lower electricity generation costs and shortly later terminated that tender.

Under the current tender, DEFA is not bound to accept any proposal made to it. As DEFA itself states, the evaluation “will assess the likelihood of a reduction in overall generation costs”.

Reports in the local press have suggested that Cyprus would accept a price of between $11 and $12 per million BTU – far off from the $15 supposedly now being offered by the Leviathan partners.

Gas expert Charles Ellinas said the Israeli companies may be quoting $15 as a starting point, but that the price could drop subsequently during the course of final negotiations with DEFA.

“Being shrewd operators, Delek will of course be looking to maximise their profits,” said Ellinas.

Other sources tell the Mail that Delek have a better lock than anyone else on what price range the Cypriots would go for. First, the Israelis are aware of Itera’s price in the last tender. Secondly, Delek was involved in a proposal last year for a spar platform to pipe gas ashore from the Aphrodite well at $12 per million BTU, which is considered the breakeven point from the Cypriot standpoint.

Moreover, the Israelis are more than likely aware they have a leg up over the competition. If the price of Israeli gas is $6, and the cost of a pipeline to Cyprus adds another $3 or $4 per million BTU, then Delek’s final cost would be in the region of $9 to $11. This figure does not include the profit margin.

Speaking at an energy conference in Cyprus last week, an independent Israeli consultant estimated that laying a pipeline to Cyprus would boost the price of natural gas by $2.50 per million BTU, and that the final price would be $10-18 per million BTU.

Under their offer, Delek would pipe the gas straight to the electricity utility’s flange at Vassilikos, and do not need to built infrastructures other than the pipeline.

By contrast, the other bidders have to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the market. LNG in southwest Europe is currently going for around $14 per million BTU. Already that would give Delek the edge. On top of that, the other bidders would need to build an FSRU( floating storage and regasification unit), further increasing their expenditures and thus the price they would quote to DEFA.

The Cypriot tender aims to secure so-called “interim” supplies of gas for domestic power generation. The island nation is reliant on heavy fuel oil imports to power its grid, and is seeking to cut its energy bill by switching to the cheaper natural gas. The tender is for the supply of 0.7-0.95 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas in 2017-25 (at the latest).

However Globes also reports that the Leviathan gas field, from which gas would be piped to Cyprus, is now not expected to start deliveries before late 2017 or early 2018 – later than the delivery deadline of June 30, 2017 set by DEFA.

Initially Leviathan was expected to start deliveries in general in 2016, but the field’s operators Noble Energy have pushed back the date by a year to late 2017.

Noble Energy said recently their objective was and remains to develop the gas field in the fourth quarter of 2017.