A JET2 flight departing from Paphos airport on Thursday had to make an emergency landing en route to the U.K. after losing cabin pressure, the Daily Mail reported.

Nobody on board was injured, although oxygen masks were deployed due to the pressure loss. The aircraft’s destination was Newcastle.

After the incident, the aircraft diverted to Sofia airport. According to passenger accounts quoted by the Daily Mail, the aircraft dropped “thousands of feet in minutes.”

Passengers boarded a replacement flight to Newcastle the following morning.

A Jet 2 spokesman was reported as saying: “Flight LS516 from Paphos to Newcastle diverted to Sofia airport as a precautionary measure due to a technical issue. The aircraft landed safely and passengers returned to Newcastle on a replacement aircraft early this morning.”

“We would like to apologise to passengers for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

AN elderly woman from Derynia was swindled by two women on Thursday claiming they would bring her money from the government in the form of welfare aid.

According to the police, the 87-year-old reported that two women visited her at her home at around 2pm and told her they were from the government and that they were bringing her €6,000 aid.

They asked her to bring them a €50 note in order to check its serial numbers.

The 87-year-old went into her bedroom to take €50 from her wallet. One of the women distracted her by talking to her and the other managed to take the old woman’s wallet containing €2000 in cash and three gold coins.

The women are aged 35-40, one is blond and the other has dark curly hair. One spoke with a Greek accent and the other in Cypriot, police said.

The two women’s description is the same with the women who swindled another elderly woman also in the Famagusta area a few days ago.

Police spokesperson Andreas Angelides said that there seems to be a connection between the two incidents.

By Constantinos Psillides

IN A comedy of errors, the Cyprus Football Federation’s (CFA) disciplinary committee – acting as an appeals board — unanimously cancelled on Friday night the CFA council’s decision to repeat the May 17 championship final between AEL and APOEL, awarding the match to the Nicosia club with a 0-3 score.

The CFA had decided on May 22 that the championship match — which was interrupted at the 51st minute by an AEL fan shooting a fire cracker at the APOEL bench and injuring a player — should be repeated on a neutral ground with no fans.

APOEL had contested the CFA decision, pointing out that according to the rules and regulations of CFA they should be awarded the game with a 0-3 score because the referee stated on the match report that the game was interrupted by AEL fans.

Despite their protests, APOEL went against AEL on May 31 and won by 1-0, thus winning the championship.

The disciplinary board’s decision vindicates APOEL but has no real impact on the championship, which wouldn’t be the case if AEL had won the repeat game.

The two clubs have not yet reacted to the disciplinary board’s decision.

LIMASSOL CID is investigating the case of the alleged theft of 688 World Cup tickets reported on Wednesday.

A 26-year-old ticket dealer from the UK had reported to police that the tickets worth around £120,000 (€148,000) were stolen from his car after it was broken into in Limassol.

According to the alleged victim, the incident happened just after noon when he parked his car to visit a shop leaving a laptop and a briefcase with the tickets inside. The thieves smashed the car window and took the valuables.

Limassol police spokesman Ioannis Soteriades said they are investigating the 26-year-old’s allegations in cooperation with Interpol to find out if the tickets were indeed in his possession and were not already sold elsewhere.

The 26-year-old, who could not provide the police with ticket serial numbers, claimed to be an online ticket agent and travelled from the UK to allegedly deliver the tickets to a company in Cyprus.

By Evie Andreou

Cypriots are spoiled for choice this long weekend since the island’s municipalities antagonise each other with the organisation of Festivals of the flood or Kataklysmos, not realising that the sudden turn in weather could literally flood their plans.

Traditionally, the main festival hosted by Larnaca but the last few years other towns have organised their own.

The Kataklysmos festival in Larnaca will last for six days this year, having started on Friday and will take place mainly along the seafront Athinon Avenue.

The festival, which will begin with a parade and a fireworks show, includes competitions of folk poetry, dancing and singing, short plays and children’s theatrical sketches, a shadow theatre, music concerts with  famous Cypriots and Greek singers, a chess tournament, a beach volley tournament and water sports.

Under the title ‘Fish Flood in Zygi’ the festival will take place at the fishing shelter on Sunday.

Organised by the Larnaca development agency in cooperation with the Zygi community council, the festival offers fresh fish sampling, the presentation of traditional Cypriot food like halloumi, honey and soudjoukkos, traditional products and artefacts and a rich music and dance programme from the music group ‘Anatoli’.

It starts at 5pm and the entrance is free.

The organisers of the festival in Famagusta is being organised for the second year by the ‘Ammochostos Initiative’ and ‘Ammochostos our town’.

This year’s festival theme is ‘We are together’ and aims to revive old customs of the festival which was also attended by Turkish Cypriots before 1974.

The programme begins with a liturgy at Ayios Georgios Exorinos. The Constantia and Ammochostos Bishopric announced that anyone interested in participating in the liturgy could contact their offices.

There will also be modern and folk dances, sports, poetry reading, a concert as well as a tour within the city walls by archaeologist Anna Marangou. The main festivities will begin at 2.30pm at the Glossa beach.

Apart from the Kataklysmos festivities, Ayia Napa will also host a fish festival in an attempt to revive an older fish event that was celebrated every August. Both events will take place on Sunday and on Monday and parking in municipal areas will be free until Monday.

Paphos and Polis Chrysochous are also hosting Flood festivals which start on Saturday and end on Monday.

In Paphos, the festivities will take place in the mediaeval castle square with a children’s song contest, Cretan, Georgian and Pontus folklore dances and concerts.

In Polis, the festivities will be at Latsi harbour. Polis Chrysochous’ mayor Angelos Georgiou invited locals and tourists to choose his town for this year’s festivities.

The festival will present local folklore groups. There will also be water sports and a swimming contest, a limericks contest and several concerts with Greek and foreign singers.

THE establishment of the Fiscal Council, approved by parliament on Thursday, after much moaning by deputies over the lack of consultation between the executive and legislature, was a welcome development. The Council will introduce some much-needed discipline in the management of public finances, something unheard of in Cyprus, where governments had been accustomed to mindlessly squandering the taxpayer’s money.

From now on, the government would have to submit its annual budget for approval to the Council which would evaluate budget forecasts, set spending limits for each ministry, monitor the management of the public debt and appraise fiscal risks. It would also monitor the finances of local authorities and semi-governmental organisations. In short, the Council would make sure that the state would be living within its means by supervising government budget plans.

This would be an effective way of exercising control over the president and the Council of Ministers that had the power to bankrupt the state and did so. The legislature which had this responsibility – by not approving or reducing spending stipulated in the state budget – failed spectacularly in performing this role, as we know only too well. For years the Christofias government was overspending without the legislature doing anything to stop this. The Fiscal Council, as an independent body, will have the power to cut spending and impose fines on state officials who fail to comply with its directives.

It was no surprise that Akel voted against the bill establishing the Council, which it branded a “domestic troika” that would continue the “neo-liberal policies, harsh austerity measures and cuts” beyond 2016 when Cyprus would be out of the assistance programme. It defies belief that the party, whose president bankrupted the state through his criminal squandering of the taxpayer’s money, would object to the establishment of a council that would ensure this would not happen again.

The “neo-liberalism” Akel is so strongly opposed to is nothing more than the introduction of much-need fiscal discipline – preventing the state from living beyond its means ever again.

We should again thank the Troika for forcing us to adopt this measure by making the release of the fifth bailout tranche conditional on its approval. Cyprus would have eventually set up the Fiscal Council, but the Troika’s intervention always speeds up the decision-making process.

The government should be commended for the person it put in charge of the Council, Demetris Georgiades, as he has no party connections and could be described as a hard-nosed, neo-liberal who will make sure the state will live and operate within its means.

By Stefanos Evripidou

SOLVING the Cyprus problem is a test for the EU and Turkey to see whether they can work together to solve global crises, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said in a speech in Warsaw.

Arinc was quoted yesterday by Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris as saying the EU and Turkey could work together to produce permanent solutions to global crises, adding that the Cyprus issue is one of these global tests.

He went on to suggest that the EU rewarded the Greek Cypriots’ negative stance in the 2004 Annan plan referendum by letting Cyprus join the EU, and use its membership to block Turkey’s accession negotiations.

Cyprus is not only a political problem, but for Turkey and the EU it is also an issue that should be solved urgently due to their energy policies, said Arinc.

Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, who is due to discuss the Cyprus problem with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul today, also commented on the peace process.

“The Greek Cypriots condemned us to live without a country for 11 years.

Fortunately, after the peace operation of 1974 we have a state. Certainly, we continue negotiations with the thought of a solution,” he said, adding that negotiations have been ongoing since 1968.

He accused the Greek Cypriot side of not wanting a solution, making agreement impossible.

Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots showed they wanted a solution by accepting the Annan plan ten years ago. “The Greek Cypriots are still sitting at the negotiating table with their ‘no’,” said Eroglu who also campaigned against the Annan plan ten years ago.

Turkish Cypriot politician Ferdi Sabit Soyer of the Republican Turkish Party, was quoted by Kibris Postasi yesterday as saying that it appeared the peace talks have reached an impasse once again.

The Greek Cypriots are saying the concessions they give in the peace talks will depend on the territory the Turkish Cypriots are willing to concede, while the Turkish Cypriot side argues that the territory they will give depends on the concessions Greek Cypriots make.

The latest meeting between the two leaders last Monday appeared to reach a snag over the issue. President Nicos Anastasiades reportedly wants to see Eroglu’s positions on all chapters put on the table before the two sides can enter into a give-and-take, including on the key issue of territory that will make up the boundaries of a future Greek Cypriot constituent state.

This in turn will determine how many displaced persons can return under Greek Cypriot administration, and thereby impact upon negotiations regarding property and the right to return.

Turkish Cypriot negotiator Kudret Ozersay has said he is ready to discuss the issue of a future map of Cyprus and the property issue if the Greek Cypriots agree to a road map that leads to a referendum.

In statements to Kibris Postasi, Ozersay argued: “If we see that we are heading towards a solution, we will discuss the map as well. Discussing the map in an environment in which everything leaks to the Greek Cypriot press, even the jokes said in the negotiations, the coffees we drink and the cigarettes we smoke, will cause a freeze on life in the north.”

Meanwhile, the leaders of two biggest parties on the island, AKEL and DISY, yesterday met to discuss a wide range of issues.

Speaking after the meeting, AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou said his party does not agree with the “contradictory” handling of the Cyprus problem by the government “which allows Mr Eroglu to play his communications games unhindered”.

However, a solution remains a priority for the opposition party, he said, adding: “We are ready to support every action aimed in the right direction of the liberation and reunification of our country.”

For his part, DISY leader Averof Neophytou welcomed “the responsible stance” of AKEL on the Cyprus problem, despite certain differences over tactics followed in the peace process.

AKEL and minority government partner EVROKO are the only parties giving the president support in the peace talks.

The remaining parties, EDEK, DIKO, Greens and Citizens’ Alliance, have been vocally critical of Anastasiades’ efforts, and the agreement with Eroglu last February on a joint declaration, outlining the main tenets of a solution.

DIKO spokeswoman Christiana Erotocritou yesterday complained that the cross meetings of the negotiators to Ankara and Athens has opened the floodgates, with Ozersay going to the US, Brussels, Paris and now London on Monday on the invite of the UK Foreign Office.

“From the moment Athens opened its door to the Turkish Cypriot negotiator, the doors of the whole world opened to the pseudostate.”

She called on the president to examine ways to break free from the joint declaration at the next national council meeting.

By Alison Williams

Even though Romania’s Simona Halep is the higher seed, at four, Maria Sharapova is the household name, the face on the billboards and is playing in her third successive French Open final.

Halep has not dropped a set on the way to challenging for the Suzanne Lenglen Cup, and the 1,650,000 euro ($2.25 million)cheque, having never gone further than the quarter-finals of a grand slam before.

“I have nothing to lose. I will keep this in my mind always. I will try to hit very relaxed,” the 22-year-old told reporters after beating Germany’s Andrea Petkovic in the semis.

“I know that it will be very tough to manage the emotions, but I will try my best at that moment.”

Sharapova has four grand slam titles, including the 2012 French crown, and has been number one in the world, yet she missed the second half of last season with a shoulder injury and has been pushed to three sets in each of her last three matches in Paris.

“I’m very proud, because I worked hard to get myself injury free, and I had to work through some tough losses in the beginning of the season that I didn’t want to accept,” the 27-year-old told reporters after beating up-and coming-Canadian Eugenie Bouchard in the last four.

“I worked through them, I worked hard, and I’m in this position giving myself a chance.”

Of course, saying she has a chance is just modesty.

French Open finalists, Simona Halep and Maria Sharapova

Having shaken off her own description of herself as a “cow on ice” unable to master the balance and timing needed to slide for points on the red dirt, the Russian has an 18-1 win-loss record on the surface this year.

She has long shown her fighting spirit ahead of what may be a battle of guts against guile with Halep. The last time she lost in three sets on the slow surface was in the third round of the French Open in 2010 against Justine Henin.

She is 3-0 up in the head-to-head over the Romanian, including recovering from a woeful start last month to overwhelm rising talent Halep 1-6 6-2 6-3 in the Madrid Open final and claim her 31st career title.

But Halep, who will rise to number three in the world when the new rankings are released on Monday, has proven over the rounds in Paris that she can adapt to the challenges with an array of shots, not just her prowling baseline style.

She has already spoken about having several match plans to get this far. She may well need them if she is to emulate her adviser and compatriot Virginia Ruzici who won the title in 1978.

“I don’t know how I have to play to beat Maria,” Halep said. “But I have to take that revenge. I will fight for this one.”

By Richard Balmforth

Petro Poroshenko took the oath on Saturday as Ukraine’s president, buoyed by Western support but facing an immediate crisis in relations with Russia as a separatist uprising seethes in the east of his country.

“I pledge with all my strength to protect the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,” the 48-year old confectionery billionaire said at his swearing-in ceremony before parliament.

Poroshenko was elected on May 25, three months after his pro-Moscow predecessor Viktor Yanukovich was toppled by street protests and fled to Russia. Within weeks, Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, provoking the deepest crisis in relations with the West since the Cold War.

Since Poroshenko’s election, government forces have begun an intensified campaign against separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine who want to split with Kiev and become part of Russia.

The rebels have fought back, turning parts of the east into a war zone. On Friday they shot down a Ukrainian army plane and killed a member of the interior ministry’s special forces in the separatist stronghold of Slaviansk, where residents said shelling continued all day.

On the eve of his inauguration, Poroshenko held a brief meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in France, where both were attending World War Two commemorations.

French officials said the two shook hands and agreed that detailed talks on a ceasefire between Kiev government forces and the pro-Russian separatists would begin within a few days.

Russia denounced the overthrow of Yanukovich and has accused the Ukrainian authorities of worsening the crisis in the east by resorting to military force instead of dialogue. It denies accusations by Kiev and Western governments that it is actively supporting the rebels.

Putin told travelling reporters he welcomed proposals set out by Poroshenko for ending the conflict. However he declined to say what they were and said Ukraine must halt what he called “punitive” military operations against pro-Russian separatists.

The two countries are also at odds over the pricing of Russian gas, with Moscow threatening to cut off supplies as early as next week unless Ukraine settles its debt, the amount of which is disputed.

Poroshenko has promised to bridge the east-west divide that has split the country and thrust it into a battle for its very survival.

Western governments and Russia, locked in a geopolitical fight over Ukraine’s future, will be watching for clues on how he intends to handle the eastern rebellions.

Poroshenko says he wants closer relations with Europe, and won support and encouragement for his policies to stabilise Ukraine when he met U.S. President Barack Obama and European leaders in Poland and France this week.

Three men were remanded in custody for seven days by the Nicosia District Court on Saturday, following a search of their car that yielded 7,500 pills believed to be ecstasy.
According to Drug Squad (YKAN) head Stelios Sergides, agents acted on a tip-off which said that three men riding in a car from Larnaca to Nicosia had in their possession a large number of ecstasy pills. The agents spotted the car near the Rizoelia roundabout in Larnaca and followed it to Strovolos in Nicosia.
The car was pulled over by YKAN agents who found two travel bags containing 7,500 ecstasy pills in the trunk. The three men, a 46-year old Romanian national, his 24-year old son and a 29-year old Cypriot were placed under arrest.
Following a search in their residences, police found a pistol in the house of the 24-year old. According to Sergides, further investigation revealed that the 46-year old came to Cyprus from Amsterdam, via the Ercan Airport in Tympou.
All three deny any charges. Sergides added that the investigation will continue to determine whether they had any accomplices.
The Drug Squad head said that the 24-year old and the 29-year old have committed a number of other offences.

A 19-year old man from Paphos was remanded for four days in custody by the Paphos District Court on Saturday, after a 19-year old girl reported he had kidnapped and beaten her.
According to the police report, the woman claimed the man abducted her while she was trying to enter her house at 1:30am on June 5. She told police officers that the man parked his car near her house, ran towards her when she tried to enter and forced her to his car.
The woman then reported that the man drove her to his house, beat her and locked her in a room until midnight. He then proceeded to drive her and abandon her in a hotel parking lot in Paphos.
Following the woman’s report, the 19-year old man was located and put under arrest.
The woman was admitted to the Paphos General Hospital where it was discovered that she had been beaten.
The man admitted to beating the woman but denied that he had forced her into his car or that he abducted her.

By Constantinos Psillides
Cyprus could return to the international markets as early as the end of June, 18 months earlier than it was originally expected, Finance Minister Harris Georgiades said on Saturday.
“This is a very positive development for us. It’s a clear sign of trust towards our economy. Our liquidity will increase and we will be able to pull ourselves up,” Georgiades said, adding that the troika of lenders (European Commission, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund) has already green lighted this move.
Cyprus was shut out of international markets in May 2011 because of its oversized banks’ exposure to the Greek economy, and the lack of action to close fiscal gaps.
The administration sought an international bailout around two years later after burning through a €2.5 billion loan from Russia.
The island was granted a €10 billion bailout in March 2013 with an adjustment period of three years.
It did not expect to attempt a return to international markets before 2016 or late 2015.
Returning to the international markets is another step of good news. On May 30 the government decided to lift the last of domestic capital controls imposed right after the Eurogroup haircut while on May 15 the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBDR) agreed to finance Cyprus. The island will benefit from EBRD operations until 2020 supporting the privatisation programme and assisting with corporate restructuring.
Also, last month Cyprus’s 10-year bonds were trading at an interest rate below the symbolically important 7.0 per cent threshold, the lowest since June 2011.
Combined with the positive troika evaluation of the adjustment programme, the Finance Ministry, according to Georgiades, decided to risk the island’s re-entry to international markets.
The Finance Ministry aims at securing at least €500 million.
While Georgiades hails this as a very positive development, he had no illusions about the island’s financial situation. “This is not a magic solution. We cannot just wave our magic wand and then everything would be alright again. There is still a lot that we need to do,” he concluded.

PRESIDENT of the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEV) Christos Michaelides has urged those who can pay their loans, to do so without any further delay.
He also called on the banks to accelerate the restructuring process of viable loans and do whatever they can to recover debts from whoever fails to repay their loans.
In an interview with the Cyprus News Agency, Michaelides said the problem of non performing loans (NPLs) would have been smaller had Cyprus adopted the same definition as in other European countries.
“Lending is perhaps the biggest problem faced by the banking sector, in particular the NPLs,” he said.
“We have repeatedly stressed that those who can repay their loans, must do so without any further delay. The banks must move at a faster pace regarding the restructuring of viable loans and do whatever they can to collect from debtors who fail to repay their loans. It is important to hold an honest dialogue between the banks and the enterprises as the banks’ ultimate goal is not to close down businesses but render them viable so as to recover the debts”.
“The problem would not have been so big, if the definition of the NPLs was not the one we have today. Had we applied the same definition as the majority of European countries, things would have been much better, both for the banks and the borrowers,” he notes.
He stressed that economic recovery and the solving of social problems created by the economic crisis will eventually start from the businesses and therefore high priority should be given in ensuring their sustainability, creating new businesses and formulating an environment for business development.
He said OEV is focusing its efforts on three pillars: 1. Restarting the economy and creating conditions for growth, jobs and prosperity, 2. Reconstructing the forces of the economy, focusing on private initiative, along with redesigning Cyprus’ economic model, attracting investments, accelerating privatisations and consolidating the banking system, 3. Promoting innovative practices, incentives and effective measures for the enterprises to survive and develop.
“Strengthening entrepreneurship, helping Cypriot businesses to take over projects abroad and attracting investments, particularly foreign ones, will boost liquidity and alleviate problems caused by the economic crisis. To revive entrepreneurship we believe that the state’s contribution must be significant to support businesses by reducing bureaucracy and provide incentives for innovative and imaginative practices,” he said.
He said by facilitating Cypriot businesses to take over construction, projects or parts of them, abroad, will generate significant revenue for the economy and many job positions for Cypriots and he called on the Ministry of Commerce to provide practical contribution toward that direction.
“We believe that the gradual loosening and lifting of restrictive measures (on capital flows) and the continuous upgrades of the economy’s creditworthiness will contribute positively towards enhancing Cyprus’ credibility, which is very important for investors. We hope that the government’s efforts to attract investors will soon yield results,” he added.
Michaelides stressed that external funding is necessary to support investments, including the upgrading and expansion of infrastructure to support private sector initiatives in fields such as renewable energy, natural gas and various forms of tourism.
“Many companies face serious financial problems and use all their forces to remain in the market,” he said, noting that it “is very important to utilise in a proper manner the European Bank on Reconstruction and Development, which will allocate funds to the private sector”.

By Crispin Kyalangalilwa

Up to 37 people including women and children were killed in Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern province of South Kivu on Saturday morning in an attack that the regional governor blamed on a dispute over cattle.

The victims, who included several pregnant women, had been shot, stabbed or burned inside their homes. A Reuters cameraman on the scene counted 37 bodies, some of them lying inside a village church.

“It is Congolese who have carried out these attacks. It was about a dispute over cows,” South Kivu governor Marcellin Cishambo told Reuters. “The problem is that everyone in this area carries a weapon.”

He gave a lower estimate of 27 for the number of dead.

South Kivu, a mountainous region rich in minerals including gold, is home to members of tribe who fled neighbouring Burundi after the end of a civil war in 2005.

Some locals from the Congolese Bafuliru tribe blamed rebels from Burundi’s National Liberation Forces(FNL) for the attacks.

The Congolese government has said it plans to target foreign rebels operating in its eastern region after the defeat of the M23 rebel group late last year.

Maria Sharapova claimed her second French Open title when she floored Romanian fourth seed Simona Halep 6-4 6-7(5) 6-4 after a marathon encounter in Saturday’s final.

The seventh seed from Russia claimed her fifth grand slam title after Wimbledon 2004, the 2006 US Open, the 2008 Australian Open and her first Roland Garros title two years ago.

Halep, who had not lost a set entering the final, put up a great fight but bowed out after three hours and two minutes – the longest women’s final in Paris since 1996.

Sharapova wrapped it up on her first match point when Halep could not return one of her opponent’s sizzling forehands.

“This is the toughest grand slam final I have ever played. I respect Simona a lot, I thought she played an unbelievable match today,” Sharapova said with smudged mascara under her eyes.

“I can’t believe it, seven or eight years ago I would not have thought that I would win more Roland Garros than any other grand slam.

“To think I won it twice… I’m so emotional now I can’t talk.”

The wily Romanian had forced a decider just as Sharapova seemed to have ended her resistance.

The Russian, however, had won the last 19 three-set matches she had played on clay since losing to Justine Henin in the third round at Roland Garros in 2010 and made it 20 with a characteristically gutsy display.

Simona Halep proved more than a match for Sharapova

Halep, hoping to become the second Romanian woman to win a grand slam title after her manager Virginia Ruzici won at Roland Garros in 1978, broke in the first game of the match when Sharapova sent a backhand long despite having an open court at her disposal.

Sharapova unsettled Halep with her crosscourt shots but the Romanian held on for 2-0.

The Russian bombarded Halep with powerful forehands and managed to break back for 2-2 on her fourth chance when Halep’s crosscourt backhand went wide.

Sharapova’s third double fault gave Halep another break point, which the Russian saved with another forehand winner down the line before holding for 3-2 after four deuces.

The Russian broke for 4-2, went to 5-2 and then lost two games before taking the set on her opponent’s serve when Halep fired a crosscourt forehand wide.

Sharapova won the first game of the second set to love and broke in the second with the contest seemingly heading for a swift conclusion.

Halep would not give up, however, and broke back by forcing Sharapova to net a backhand as the crowd roared “Simona, Simona”.

They exchanged four breaks in a row as the set went into a tiebreak and the clock ticked past the two-hour mark. Halep went 5-3 down but then scored four points in a row to send the match into a deciding set.

Sharapova saw off two break points in a hotly contested fourth game and went on to break Halep’s serve screaming “Davai!” (come on), only to double fault yet again as the Romanian levelled for 4-4.

In a third set where the serve counted for little, Sharapova broke to love to move one service game from the title and fell to her knees in celebration as Halep sent a looping backhand wide.

“It’s my first grand slam page, emotionally it’s difficult,” said Halep, last year’s most improved player.

“I hope there will be many more but this one will be special for me all my life. Congrats Maria you’re a great champion.”

By Bejay Browne

AS WORLD CUP fever grips the globe Paphos bars are determined to pull in the punters with promotions or special events to coincide with the month long event which starts on June 12.

The ever popular Linekers bar in Kato Paphos opened its doors to the public for the first game of the World Cup in 2010. Four years later; they say the sports bar is the best place to watch the competition.

During the World Cup, customers will be offered a discount card which is valid for a year and entitles them to pay 30 per cent less on all drinks. During half time – there will be a variety of football based games and quizzes held, with tens of prizes up for grabs, including cash.

Linekers boasts eighteen 52 inch plasma HD screens as well as two projector screens and will show all of the matches with live commentary in English. Where games carry on into the early hours, they will provide ‘disco headsets’ so that footy fans can keep listening to the live commentary and the bar can comply with licensing stipulations.

“We have hundreds of headsets and we have just ordered more to ensure we don’t run out. As we’re a sports bar and set up as such, the walls are full of sports memorabilia and we welcome a mixed crowd including families, the bar is for everyone,” said venue manager Frankie Barbados.

In addition to all the usual World Cup decorations, a piece of artificial turf has been laid down outside the front of the bar (on Ayiou Antoniou street, known locally as Bar Street), complete with English style pub garden benches to enhance the world cup flavour, says Barbados.

The Frog and Toad in Coral Bay in Paphos is owned by football fanatic Pete Thomson who is already hanging out bunting and England flags ahead of the opening ceremony.

“I’m a massive Arsenal fan and like most people love the World Cup. We will hold a number of special events at the bar throughout the cup and will show most games.”

The bar has six flat screened TVs which will show live matches in their entirety.
The football fan said that for England’s first game on Saturday June 14 a special programme will include live music from Davey Woodford from 8-11pm, followed by a barbecue before the England VS Italy game at 1am.

Three matches are scheduled to take place daily but the Frog and Toad will only show the earlier games at 7pm and 10pm, with the exception of the England match.

The New Horizon Pub in Chlorokas is another popular place to watch sports in Paphos and is promising a number of special offers during the World Cup season, including memorabilia gifts.

Manager Stephanos Manolis says that much of the pub’s decoration will be Budweiser branded and will include, beer mats, posters and other paraphernalia.

“As Budweiser is an official sponsor we will be offering World Cup gifts such as T-shirts, caps and beach bags to customers who take the special offer of 5 Budweiser’s for 15 euros.”

The pub has a total of 12 TV screens which can be clearly viewed from both inside and outside said Manolis.
“We will show most of the matches live. This includes major games which are broadcast at 1am, such as, Greece, England and Russia.”

A number of other popular Paphos bars and pubs will be showing the ‘main’ matches including, O’ Neills Irish Pub, The First and Last, Hector’s Bar, Pit Stop Pub and Snack Bar and DT’s Sunset Bar.

By Angelos Anastasiou

CONSUMER RIGHTS in the EU will receive a much needed boost next Friday when the directive on consumer rights comes into full effect across the union.

The directive primarily affects shoppers making online purchases. It does not cover purchases consumers make in shops or business outlets, but it will include direct selling such as one-on-one product presentations to potential customers at their home or at their work.

Consumer expenditure accounts for 56 per cent of EU GDP, which translates into enormous potential for European consumers to drive economic growth. But despite a staggering €352 billion in e-commerce across the EU in 2013 – a figure projected to rise to €578 billion by 2018 – a mere 11 per cent of online consumers shop across borders, and only 25 per cent of retailers sell across borders.

According to research presented by Walter Devenuto, head of the European Multi-Channel and Online Trade Association, returns policies and the risk of no delivery rank amongst the most important reasons consumers cite for avoiding e-commerce, while differing consumer laws across jurisdictions were the single most important reason cited by traders.

But while the new directive aims to address such concerns, Viviane Reding, vice-president of the European Commission and the EU’s Justice Commissioner, warned that strengthening consumer rights EU-wide, introducing common rules and empowering consumers to make better-informed shopping decisions will count for very little if consumers and vendors remain unaware. In Cyprus, only nine per cent of consumers state they are confident in knowing their rights as consumers in general, while 44 per cent said they believed they don’t have the right to return goods four days after purchase.

“These rights are only useful if people – both consumers and businesses – are aware of them,” Reding said. “This is why we have decided to launch the Consumer Rights campaign.”

The campaign was officially kicked off in Cyprus on May 28. It is scheduled to last for four weeks and aims to educate the public at large malls and commercial streets, as well as social networks.
Consumer Commissioner Neven Mimica explained the importance of cross-border trade, describing it as a “win-win situation”.

Cyprus harmonised itself with the directive fully in November 2013.

The comprehensive directive homogenises differing consumer protection rules across EU member states, which have thus far incurred additional costs to traders and lowered consumer confidence. Further, it expands the consumer’s right of withdrawal – that is, returning a product or refusing a service previously agreed to – from 7 to 14 calendar days after the product was received, with full reimbursement including costs of delivery.

“If the seller wants you to pay the cost of the return, they should make this clear before you purchased the item – otherwise you don’t need to pay,” Mimica said. “For bulky items that normally cannot be sent by post, they should give you an estimation of the cost of return in advance.”

The directive also bans pre-ticked boxes on websites, and simplifies the process of reimbursement for cancelled transactions through a ‘model withdrawal form.’

“Consumers can be more confident when making purchases, including online purchases, anywhere in the EU,” Reding explained. “Being able to shop around means consumers will have access to a wider choice of products at more competitive prices.”

“The new rules also forbid surcharges for the use of credit cards – from now on traders will only be allowed to charge what it actually costs them. The directive also outlaws any hidden charges and ‘cost traps’. With this directive, we are making sure consumers are not ripped-off when shopping online.”

Boosting consumer confidence is a noble pursuit, but what can you do if a trader refuses to comply with the directive’s clauses?

“When it comes to problems with products or services purchased from another EU country, you can seek assistance through a European Consumer Centre [ECC],” said Mimica. “The ECC-Network covers all EU Member States, Norway and Iceland and offers free consumer advice and support when buying goods or services from a trader based in another country covered by the network.”

The Cyprus ECC was founded in 2005 and is co-funded by the European Union and Cyprus. Its mandate is to handle consumer complaints relating to international trade within the EU, advise consumers on their rights and courses of action available to them, and to liaise with any ECCs in other countries in order to help consumers resolve the issue.

In 2013, the Cyprus ECC dealt with 152 complaints, 97 of which were submitted by locals and 55 by other EU nationals.

Giorgos Markopouliotis, the head of European Commission representation in Cyprus, described the EU consumer protection policies one of the Union’s “success stories”, and stressed its focus on ensuring that the 500 million of European consumers enjoy a high level of safety while their rights are respected.

“It’s important that consumers are aware of their rights,” he said. “If only nine per cent of consumers know what their rights are, then only nine per cent will practise them.”

European Consumer Centre Cyprus http://www.ecccyprus.org/index.php/el/

By Bejay Browne

TWO businessmen who have been granted a permit to oversee the first licensed beach in the Paphos area of Kissonerga are seeking to allay public fears that the beach is dangerous for swimmers.

Potima bay is a few kilometres further north of a deadly stretch of coastline, commonly known as Venus Beach, which has claimed 13 lives in the last decade. The latest victim drowned there just last weekend, leading to calls for further measures to ensure swimmers’ safety. A red flag and big notices in five languages warn swimmers of its strong currents and rip tides.

The mukhtar of Kissonerga, Giorgos Stylianou, said that Potima Bay should not be confused with the other beach.
“The safety of the area for swimmers was foremost in our minds. Many locals were told not to swim at Potima when they were growing up, but a recent study by experts found that it is suitable for swimming,” he said.

Last year the area was classified as a recognised bathing beach, following a study which was submitted to the government by the Paphos district office on behalf of Kissonerga community council.

Maria Aristodemou of the Paphos district office explained that officials examined all the relevant studies and also visited the site to make further investigations.

“The district officer decided that the area is as safe as any other beach in Cyprus to swim and approved the application,” she said.

All of the relevant paperwork was then sent to the ministry of communication and works in Nicosia which approved and granted the necessary permits.

“The currents, swell, coastline and winds were all studied to see if it could be a proper organised beach. It was found that it could be a suitable community beach,” said Stylianou. “We insisted on a lifeguard as a means of rescue and to ensure the safety of the swimmers.”

But a number of officials and local residents still have concerns about the safety of the waters for bathers. Among them is Green party member and Peyia councillor Linda Leblanc who has lived in Paphos for 25 years.

“My concern is for public safety and I really hope that there are no problems here. I’m especially concerned for tourists visiting the island who may be unaware of the need to take more care bathing here. They will see an organised beach and assume it’s safe.”

Although a lifeguard is now in place at Potima Bay, Leblanc questioned what will happen outside lifeguard’s working hours. Currently, the standard summer working hours are from 11am to 5.30pm off season and 11am to 6.30pm during the high season of July, August and September.

Businessmen Nikos Konikkos, who is also head of Peyia municipality beaches committee, and Andreas Antoniou have teamed up for the project which has cost them around 200,0000 euros. They both say they wouldn’t have invested in the project if the sea wasn’t safe to bathe.

Konikkos who owns four other businesses in the area said: “As locals we know this beach well and as it’s an open bay, it can be rough in winter and sometimes in spring or autumn. At other times it’s very calm. There are only a few days every now and then, like every beach, where the waters are choppy. The problems lie further up the coastline.”

Antoniou said that, as an extra precaution, all of the guests at the beach will be informed about the phenomena and given advice about what to do if they get into trouble.

“We are printing some leaflets which will be placed on all of the sun beds and will tell people how to react; we will give advice to swimmers. Obviously, there will also be a lifeguard in place,” he said.

Red flags will also be flown at times when swimming is deemed unsafe. The local authorities will also replace two signs highlighting possible dangers.

Faded signs will be replaced

“When you enter the sea here, there is a sharp drop and it quickly becomes quite deep, but I want to stress that no-one has ever drowned here, unlike some other beaches in Paphos,” said Antoniou.

Stylianou said that the work at the beach is part of a wider improvement and development plan for Kissonerga. He said that when the present council took over office they realised the village was facing serious financial problems.

Konikkos and Antoniou say they see their latest business as a long term investment. They have signed a three year rolling contract to rent the space at a cost of 41,000 euros a year, and put down a 10,000 euro guarantee.

According to Leblanc, two further public beaches in Kissonerga have been approved; close to the Cynthiana Hotel and the Queens Bay hotel.

“There are sometimes large waves here, like many other beaches, but it’s generally not dangerous. Obviously there will be a few days – as with all beaches – when bathers shouldn’t go in the water,” Stylianou said.

There are currently 80 sun beds on the beach. This number will increase to 120 as the season continues. A small café will serve light lunches and dinners and the beach will operate from 8am- midnight on a daily basis throughout the summer. The pair has already received a number of event requests, including a wedding booking in September.

By Constantinos Psillides
CYPRUS Airways (CY) pilots are yet again up in arms following the last minute cancellation of a House committee session to look into the current state of the national carrier.

The meeting of the House Watchdog committee was slated for Tuesday. The pilots union (PASYPI) accuses the government and CY head Tony Antoniou of trying to “sell off every asset the company has in an effort to bankrupt it”.

Georgos Georgiou, DISY MP and chairman of the House Watchdog Committee, justified his decision to cancel the meeting, saying that it was in the best interests of the company. “I take full responsibility for cancelling the discussion. Taking into consideration current circumstances and that CY is in its death throes, I though it was best not have the discussion,” Georgiou said.

The Watchdog Committee was to discuss, among others, the sale of the company’s final time slot at Heathrow airport. PASYPI strongly disagrees with this decision, claiming that it would be a death blow for the company.

Following a general meeting on Tuesday, PASYPI members said that selling the time slot would be catastrophic, adding that they no longer trusted the board, considering its members “incompetent and dangerous”.

PASYPI made clear that the state and DISY would be held accountable if the company proceeds with selling the slot.

The pilots union and the board have been in open conflict since day one. The current board took the reins with the mandate of resuscitating the ailing company and proceeded with a numbers of restructuring plans and cutbacks, which PASYPI contested. The pilots union have filed a suit against the company, arguing that some of those cutbacks are illegal.

While the pilots maintain the company is one step away from annihilation, chairman Tony Antoniou tells a completely different story.

“We took a company that was dying, we brought it back to life and we are now in the best shape we ever were,” Antoniou told the Cyprus Mail, refusing to comment on the pilots’ comments. “This is a democracy. Anyone can speak his mind,” he noted.

Antoniou claimed that it’s the first time in CY history that the company doesn’t receive state funding. “We live off what we make. We are independent and self sufficient for the first time in our history”.

Antoniou claims that he has the arguments to back up his optimism for the future of the company. “Very soon we will release CY’s financial statements. Then everyone will see what the true state of the national carrier is.”

The CY chairman said when he looks at the numbers he smiles broadly.

Antoniou refused to comment on the sale of the Heathrow time slot. “You will have to excuse me. I am not at liberty to discuss this with anyone. I am bound by confidentiality clauses which forbid me to discuss any details,” he said and not without reason.

While CY was negotiating to sell the first Heathrow time slot to Qatar Airways three months ago, the media reported on a number of details including the cost of the time slot, which was estimated at €15m. Qatar Airways immediately reacted by withdrawing their interest, citing breach of confidentiality clauses. CY ended up selling the time slot to Middle East Airlines for €6.3m on March 7.

Finance Minister Harris Georgiades also responded to the pilots’ comments, asking them to buy the company if they want to call the shots. “The government fully supports the board, especially when it comes to the handling of the time slot. The company is burdened with the mistakes of the past.”

The ailing carrier is also faced with more turbulence since the European Commission decided to look into whether capital injections from the government constitute state aid, forbidden by EU competition rules.
The EC’s ruling, expected near the end of 2014, will decide whether CY will need to return any capital received from the government.

WELCOME back, Zacharias Koulias, not because we are short of a nut-case or 10 in the legislature but none of them have the mighty, moustachioed midget’s panache and style.

The zany Zach had not gone anywhere but belonging to no party after his expulsion from DIKO for his heroic stance not to vote for Garoyian in the election of House speaker he is rarely given the opportunity to display his great oratory. And the threat of a Cyprob settlement, which always gets his bash-patriotic juices flowing, does not exist.

But he found a worthy cause to promote this week, even though, for unknown reasons, he did not receive the publicity his compassionate initiative deserved. Once again he showed that unlike his colleagues he does not just churn out words but is a man of action.

On Thursday the mighty midget submitted a private bill that would protect the ‘primary car’ from repossession by the bank when the buyer defaulted on car loan repayments. As the cool Koulias explained “the car constitutes a necessary means of transport for a person and this is why its protection is necessary.”

His bill would protect the car used by a debtor for work and for his family’s (but not for his mistress’) transport for six months, after which, the bank would be able to take it and sell it. The big question is whether the bill has a provision protecting the primary car of a person that is single and unemployed and therefore does not need it to transport his family or go to work?

And if a family has three cars who will decide which one is the primary car? Would a Bentley or a Porsche qualify as a primary car protected by Zach’s law?

And what about the ‘primary Harley or Vespa someone might use to go to work and take his child to school on? Speaking of schools shouldn’t there be a law protecting the primary school as well?

ON THE SAME day this pioneering bill was submitted the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) announced the unprecedented fines it had imposed on former directors and senior executives of Laiki and Bank of Cyprus for failing to provide adequate information in their prospectuses about the purchase of Greek government bonds.

The total fines were in excess of seven million euro, the highest of €705,000 being imposed on Laiki’s Andreas Vgenopoulos who wasted no time in announcing that the decision was the “result of bias and hostility”, and said he would appeal the decision in court and sue the CySEC boss Demetra Kalogirou in a Greek court.

We hate it when bullies like Vgen attack and try to intimidate the Republic’s prettiest official, even if her decision underlined her ineffectiveness. Why had the fines been imposed more than 30 months after the haircut of the bonds and two years after it became obvious to everyone except CySEC that the two banks were under-capitalised and in big trouble?

Personally, I would forgive a woman with such a pretty face anything – even the fact that she was appointed to her post by AKEL – but there are less forgiving people who would claim that Demetra fined the bankers now for publicity and to cover up her inadequacy as a supervisor. I repeat this is not our establishment’s view.

Shameless populist Demetris Syllouris was quick to take the credit for the fines. He argued that it was thanks to his farce of an investigation that Demetra felt obliged to look into the bonds issue and fine the bankers, a couple of years too late. I would not be surprised if he was telling the truth.

YOU HAD to laugh seeing pictures in the papers of Prez Nik sitting and chatting in his office with Marios Garoyian. All papers carried reports about the meeting, during which Nik briefed the former DIKO leader about the Cyprob and the state of the economy. Since when does the prez invite individual deputies to brief them about anything?

If he was seeing the DIKO loser, who is still taking his state allowance for two secretaries he does not need or use, as a friend the meeting should have been treated as private and no photographers should have been there. But, I suspect Marios, who has gone back to being a nobody-deputy after being a party leader and House president, wanted to feel important and Nik did him the favour.

At least he arrived at the palace like someone important, in his state-provided, chauffeur-driven limo with his bodyguards. I doubt the issue that the taxpayer would be paying for a limo, bodyguards and secretaries for as long as Garoyian is alive came up at the meeting. Much more important issues needed to be discussed.

WHEN NIK was not wasting his time making Marios think he was still a somebody, he was tweeting that he had not attended the birthday bash thrown for his daughter by the billionaire Russian Dmitry Rybolovlev on his privately-owned island Scorpios.

Rybolovlev, who recently paid his former wife a divorce settlement of about €3b, was a BoC shareholder and a client of the Andreas Neocleous law office. He is also the owner of Monaco football club and last year bought Scorpios from the Onassis estate.

Some websites reported that our prez would be at the party, obliging him to tweet, “I am obliged to deny the reports alleging that I am in or heading to Scorpios. I am in Cyprus…”

The prez was invited to the billionaire’s bash, by one of Rybolovlev’s sidekicks, Andreas Hadjikyriakos, who had served as Nik’s advisor in the past, but decided not to accept the invitation as it would not have done his public standing any good.

It would have been Marie Antoinette behaviour, for the prez of a bankrupt, impoverished country to be partying with billionaire Russians flaunting their wealth. Some Cypriots attended the birthday bash, according to Greek TV reports, but no names were given. Perhaps Syllouris could carry out an investigation and make the names public.

THINGS had not turned out as planned for the new chairperson of Hellenic Bank Irena Georgiadou who, it appears will be receiving only a third of the 150 grand annual pay that she had been promised, at least at present.

The issue was clarified by the outgoing chairman Andreas Panayiotou, who explained the annual remuneration of the new chairperson would be the same as he had been receiving – €55,000. Hellenic’s big shareholder – Russian firm Wargaming – that chose Irena was not aware of the procedure for changing the chairperson’s remuneration.

The 150 grand had to be approved by the shareholders, but it was not on the agenda of the bank’s recent AGM that also chose the new board. Poor Irena will have to wait for the next AGM to get the money she was promised, assuming the shareholders would approve such a huge amount for a part-time job, for someone with zero banking experience.

WHAT she is lacking in experience she more than makes up for with an astonishing level of confidence. She told one TV presenter that the chairmanship of the bank was “tailor-made for me”, a boast you could swallow from someone with a successful track record in business, if not banking.

Irena was chosen, not because of her achievements in business but because she was a close associate of the finance minister, having served as his parliamentary assistant when he was a deputy and subsequently as his advisor at the finance ministry.

The foreign shareholders of Hellenic are more than likely to have chosen her because of her close ties with the finance minister and the under-secretary to the president, very useful officials for big bank shareholders to have access to.

Confused? John Hourican

OVER AT BANK of Cyprus the CEO and the board continue to pursue completely different objectives. In a report published in the Financial Times last week, John Hourican was quoted as saying that he was looking to sell the B of C’s Russian bank Uniastrum.

“The Bank of Cyprus has no role being a retail bank in Russia as it doesn’t really help us at our main Cyprus bank,” he was quoted as saying by the FT. A day later, the BoC issued an announcement refuting what the CEO had said and saying that no decision to sell Uniastrum had been taken by the board.

“The timing of any exit, by the group, from its Russian operations will be determined at a future date by the board of directors, after considering options that would enhance value for the group’s shareholders,” said the statement.

Will Hourican give up his search for a new owner for Uniastrum, or will he carry on regardless of what the board thinks? From what I hear even the FT was confused by the conflicting positions and sought clarifications from the bank.

OUR WARM congratulations to fellow neo-liberal Demetris Georgiades on his appointment as head of the fiscal council, the new body that will have the responsibility of supervising the state budget and ensuring there is no over-spending and unmanageable deficits.

The government’s appointment of Georgiades, who was the business writer at Politis, did not go down well with the AKEL, which expressed its displeasure through its spokesman Giorgos Loucaides. He said the “choice of Georgiades was problematic because he systematically belittled institutions and the House,” in his articles.

If AKEL does not approve if him, he must be the right man for the job.

Incidentally, Demetris, is no relation to the finance minister Haris, who is no relation the Hellenic Bank chairperson Irena. I am beginning to wonder whether I should change my surname to Georgiades in order to improve my chances of landing the recently vacated post of Commissioner for Public Sector Reform.

UNDER pressure from the media, the government finally issued regulations restricting Business Class travel to just 17 state officials, including the 11 members of the Council of Ministers. This meant party leaders and deputies will have to travel with the riff-raff when going abroad on official business. The new arrangement did not go down well with the Representatives of the people, but they should look on the bright side.

Travelling abroad in economy class will allow them to spend more quality time with the voters, which has to be a good thing.

THE PANCYPRIAN Council of Peace, a satellite AKEL organisation set up during the glory days of the Soviet Union held a march on Wednesday to show its “solidarity with the Ukrainian people who face the intervention of the imperialists”.

The demonstration was given broad coverage by Haravghi, its report under the headline “Fascism must not pass.” According to this ridiculous group, all the Ukraine’s problems were caused by the EU, US and NATO.

There was no mention in the Haravghi report about the annexation of Crimea, and neither was there any in the speech by the president of the Council of Peace.

Instead the Council “condemns the violation of international law by the crude intervention of the US and the EU as well as the strengthening of NATO in the Baltics and Poland.” You’d think it was the EU and US that annexed Crimea, hearing to these sad Stalinist relics.