By Patroclos

SOME PEOPLE, like our hot-headed prez, actively court trouble while others, like Governor Crystal, seem to attract it without making any effort.

So it was not surprising that Crystal somehow managed to be in trouble again last Monday, when the administrator of legacy Laiki Andri Antoniadou decided to quit her post shooting at the governor and the Central Bank board, which since last summer is also the Resolution Authority, overseeing the bank’s winding down.

The resignation letter implied that the Authority, which had decided to change the law office representing Laiki, was not committed to bringing Andreas Vgenopoulos to justice and that Crystal was a liar. Antoniadou claimed that the governor’s daughter was still working at her dad’s law office which represented the Greek bankster, “despite public assurances to the contrary.”

The governor’s not very convincing response was that her daughter had left her dad’s law office and was working at another office that just happened to be in the same building. Antoniadou also found it peculiar that Vgen’s lawyer, Andreas Georghadjis had known of Crystal’s decision to get rid of the law firm representing Laiki – Andreas Neocleous and Co – more than a week before the administrator had been informed.

As Walter Scott wrote, “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive.” Not that anyone has been deceiving us, but we thought it would raise our establishment’s standard by randomly using clever literary quotes. There is more trouble ahead for Crystal on Tuesday when she is due to appear before a House committee to answer charges of conflict of interest. Andri will also be there so it should be a fun-day for all.

TROUBLE is unavoidable when rival law firms compete for a piece of the action and representing legacy Laiki involves a lot of action and plenty of cash. So it was no big surprise that the Resolution Authority’s peculiar decision to get rid of Andreas Neocleous & Co and replace it by Chrysses Demetriades & Co would cause a major row.

Chrys Dem had been in charge of legacy Laiki, but was subsequently sidelined by Professor Panicos who brought in the office of his good buddy Andreas Neocleous, through the back door, to handle all the big Laiki cases. It was peculiar that Crystal and the Authority decided to terminate the services of Neocleous just when he had managed to serve summonses for contempt of court to the slippery Vgen and two of his sidekicks.

Andri pointed this out in her letter, while Neoclous told the Cyprus Mail, earlier in the week, that his office’s replacement was the work of Vgen, which seemed a bit far-fetched although not outside the realm of possibility, this being Kyproulla.

Maybe Chrys Dem has better relations with Crystal or perhaps she sought the advice of her estranged husband, via her daughter who happened to be in the same building, about which law firm he thought would do a better job. The big surprise is why the Nicos Anastasiades law office was not considered for the Laiki job as, like the other two, it is also Limassol-based and the prez has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Was Crystal being vengeful, penalising Nik’s daughters because he had publicly embarrassed her over her contract?

ONE THING seems increasingly likely – the grand plan to freeze Vgen’s assets in other countries will not be put into practice. Neocleous claimed this was because Crystal refused to sanction the expenditure for hiring law firms abroad to apply in their country’s court for the implementation of the asset freeze.

The failure to act legally gave Vgen all the time in the world to transfer his assets where they cannot be found. Any application submitted to a court abroad now will most probably find no assets to freeze. This will go down as just another tale of the bungling incompetence that has become Kyproulla’s trademark.

Credit to Crystal, who was constantly questioning and often blocking the expenditure on legal fees proposed by the Laiki administrator. She reportedly sent in the Auditor-general to investigate Andri’s spending decisions. A tight-fisted house-keeper not only in her looks, Crystal saved a few hundreds of thousands on legal fees and in so doing enabled Vgen to take his assets and run.

AT LEAST the two-day gathering of the eurozone’s grim and grey central bankers in Nicosia went without a hitch as far as Crystal was concerned. She was the perfect hostess and the men in grey were left Kyproulla with good impressions, or so they said according to our central bank mole.

They must have been very impressed with the idiotic idea of some bright spark to take down all the paintings that adorn the walls of the central bank building and hang them on the concrete walls of the covered passageway that leads to the conference centre. At night they had to be taken down because the passageway walls have gaps in them and were put back again the next morning.

We had to show off our Central Bank’s works of art, not to mention our villager insecurities.

WE ALSO showed off our militancy and brave opposition to austerity with a lame demonstration outside the conference centre, organised by our AKEL comrades who ordered all their satellite unions to send representatives. A few thousand people showed up including the village idiot who brought the Troika to Kyproulla.

A more effective protest took place in the evening when all the opposition party leaders turned down invitations to attend the Wednesday dinner given by the prez in honour of the ECB governing. As Junior, poetically said in explaining his decision to boycott the dinner, “the meeting place with the ECB is not a dinner table but a negotiating table to claim back the money stolen from us.”

The battle against the thieving Europeans was not restricted to the dinner boycott. In another act of defiance, opposition party leaders all decided to adopt Alexis Tsipras’ dress code and have been appearing in public in open-neck shirts. Like the feminists of old who burnt their bras, our would-be Tsiprases, burnt their ties.

THE BOYCOTT was applauded by the chief salesman of national dignity and Simerini columnist Costakis Antoniou, who accused ECB president Mario Draghi (or Drangi as one CyBC presenter insists on calling him) of “returning to the place where the big crime of the hair-cut of deposits took place, because the crime may have been decided in Brussels, but the big victim was Cyprus.”

He wrote of Draghi: “This man, who in co-operation with the other butchers of Europe, turned a people into lab animals, we hosted and honoured at the presidential palace; thankfully there was a show of basic dignity by AKEL, DIKO, EDEK…”

The would-be Tsiprases also kept referring to the “criminal decision” of the ECB while Junior went a step further, describing the haircut as a “pre-meditated crime”, but it did not cross his mind to go to court and have an arrest warrant issued against criminal. It was an ideal opportunity, given that Draghi was on the island and it would have been less complicated than Costakis’ suggestion for “the Cyprus government to set in motion European legal procedures against him.”

US AMBASSADOR John Koenig landed himself in a spot of bother last weekend after he tweeted “What do people in #Cyprus think about the week in Russia as seen from here? Anastasiades visit and statements, # Nemtsov assassination.”

It was an invitation for hacks, academics and politicians to take the moral high ground have a go at him, the worse being “not politically correct messages on behalf of the ambassador.” I would consider it a compliment if someone accused me of making not politically correct comments, but I am no ambassador.

Koenig seemed to enjoy the role of punching-bag and kept responding to his critics, even suggesting that our saintly protector Putin could be linked to Nemtsov’s murder.

The next day all the Tsiprases had a go at Koenig but Archbishop Chrys stole their thunder by demanding the ambassador was kicked out of the country. Phil, under the headline “Relations of rage with Koenig” said the ambassador had made himself “undesirable” and according to its sources the “president has no intention of seeing him from now on.”

The truth is that Nik has not been on speaking terms with Koenig – and refuses to see him -for the last couple of months, because he felt the ambassador had deceived him with regard to the Barbaros. He had asked Washington to recall him, but his request was turned down.

This was why hot-headed Nik ignored the Archbishop’s demand to boot him out and Phil reliably reported on Tuesday that Nicosia had no intention to ask for his recall.

Nik did not want to be snubbed by Washington again, as this time everyone would know about it.

MARINOS Sizopoulos, who also follows the Tsipras dress code, comfortably won the EDEK leadership contest last Sunday and the first thing he did the next day was to meet the honorary chairmen for life and beyond, Dr Faustus.

The new leadership, he said, “has a debt to honour, in the best possible way the ideological and national legacies passed down by Vassos Lyssarides and the first members in 1969.” Edekites who feared Sizopoulos would have changed things need not worry, the historic leader’s hot air legacy will be preserved.

The big question is whether Sizopoulos, a dermatologist by profession owns a Ferrari. This is the rumour our establishment has heard, but so far has been unable to establish whether it was correct.

A GROUP of Cypriot and Greek MEPs took the Mayor of Kyrenia Glafcos Kariolou, who was visiting Brussels, for dinner to Cypriot tavern Ambelis. Why they took a guy that lives in Cyprus to a Cypriot restaurant is a question for another time.

Kariolou, formerly a bash patriot, lost membership to this exclusive club after recently suggesting that Greek Cypriots should return to their homes in Kyrenia under Turkish Cypriot administration. While the group were chatting about his suggestion over dinner, Sigmalive’s bash-patriotic columnist and MEP aide, the colossally self-regarding Yiannos Charalambides entered the restaurant with a companion.

Charalambides is one of those guys who takes himself way too seriously and under his name in his column always mentions the fact that he is “a Doctor of International Relations and Political Analyst.”

The two men sat at a table close to the MEPs and when the doctor of international relations saw that Kariolou was among the company he banged his hands on the table and said: “Traitors, your are eating with this traitor,” pointing to the Kyrenia mayor.

The MEPs ignored him and a couple of minutes later, he banged his hands on the table again and loudly announced, “My family does not forgive such traitors,” before getting up and leaving the restaurant. Interestingly, among the traitors having dinner with Kariolou was our freedom-fighter MEP Dr Eleni Theocharous, whose parliamentary aide, Dr Charalambides happens to be.

Dr Charalambides was not drunk at the time. His outburst was perfectly normal behaviour for him, we were informed.

CYPRIOT politicians have always preferred to deal with the past rather than the future. This is because it is much easier to engage in endless debates about the mistakes that had been made two, five or 20 years ago and what might have been if we had made different choices. It is a mindless and pointless activity – as they never seem to learn anything from it – but it is far less demanding than coming up with constructive proposals for the future and properly thought out plans for tackling problems facing the country.

The Cyprus problem has always been the perfect excuse for this sterile political activity, politicians always looking into the past – the supposed tactical errors, unnecessary concessions, mistaken compromises – but never daring to produce a convincing proposition for the future. All the opposition parties have been stressing the need for a “new strategy”, but not one has given a half-convincing account of what this should involve, what the objectives would be and how they would be achieved. However, they know for certain that the Anastasiades-Eroglu joint declaration of last year was a grave error.

We are now witnessing the same delving in the past in relation to the economy. The hot topic of debate is the haircut of deposits which was decided by the Eurogroup two years ago with the parties and the government rowing over who knew about it in advance, whose idea it was and why it had been accepted. Correspondence with the ECB and official statements from the period are being cited as each side tries to score cheap points. Even former president Demetris Christofias has joined the fun, declaring that there would not have been a haircut of deposits if he had been president. We can believe that, as the only remedy he knew for fixing the economy’s problems was to borrow more money.

This futile debate was given a boost by the arrival in Cyprus of the ECB governing council last week. The leaders of the opposition parties boycotted the official dinner, hosted by President Anastasiades, for the members of the governing council, in order to register their disapproval for ECB’s decision on Cyprus two years ago. They also fired salvos at ECB President Mario Draghi for the “criminal decision” of the haircut or as one party leader put it, the “premeditated crime” against Cyprus. When Draghi said at Thursday’s news conference that the foreclosures law had to be passed for Cyprus to be eligible to participate in quantitative easing programme, he was accused of blackmailing us.

Is the haircut of two years ago the most pressing problem facing the economy and would it make the slightest bit of difference to unemployment figures, the lack of investment or the record number of NPLs if we established who had known about it and when? Would treating Draghi, with the animosity usually reserved for UN envoys who do not tell us what we want to hear, boost confidence and pull our economy out of the slump it has been in for years? What we need are concrete and creative proposals to push the economy out of the malaise it is in; a plan that is realistic and would help rebuild public confidence.

And it is not good enough to say that money should be spent on development projects (this is like saying we need a new strategy in the Cyprus issue), because we need to know where the money would come from. Perhaps we should cut the state payroll by another 10 per cent and use the money to fund business start-up schemes. The parties should come up with practical steps for funding development projects, attracting foreign investment, pressure the government into cutting red tape and offering worthwhile incentives to foreign companies, while the government should develop schemes for encouraging and helping entrepreneurship among the young.

There is so much that needs to be done and we could all help by setting our sights on the future, thinking constructively, setting short- and medium-term objectives, developing a strategy to achieve them. Endless public rows about the haircut, which belongs in the past and constant negativity about the adjustment programme that we have agreed to implement will only prolong the low confidence and recession. Austerity and economic stagnation that the parties are constantly complaining cannot be overcome by delving in the past. We need a real plan and action if we want a future.

By Alexia Evripidou

Today is International Woman’s Day while next Sunday, March 15, marks the second anniversary of the start of Cyprus’ traumatic bailout crisis.

The Sunday Mail has combined the two anniversaries by speaking to three women about their successes and struggles, and discovering how their resilience has helped them to grow post crisis.

NEARLY two years ago people were left in turmoil following the closure of Cyprus’ second biggest bank and the seizure of uninsured deposits to recapitalise the largest lender, the Bank of Cyprus (BoC), as part of a 10 billion euro bailout package.

Today, people are trying to move forward with their lives, and these three women have found ways to continue and expand, using their transferable skills to create new opportunities during a high risk economic period.

In the unanimous words of all three of them “I had no choice.”

Maria Hadjimichael an IT specialist of 30 years, can today be found in her shop Worry Beads on the corner 33, Alexander the Great Street, Nicosia, crafting handmade jewellery with semi-precious stones.

Maria Hadjimichael

Maria began her career in 1984 as a computer scientist, a time when personal computers were just being introduced into people’s homes. Unfortunately for Maria, the crisis came early, beginning in 2008 due to her company’s involvement in the international financial markets. Cuts were made but when 2013 hit, the company crumbled along with its main customer, Laiki Bank. In February 2014 Maria found herself jobless after a lifetime of work with computers.

A month later, she’d dusted herself off and opened up shop. The redundancy was mixed with relief and fear. She was happy to be out of the perpetual uncertainty of fighting inevitable recession, and fear over how she was going to pay the mounting debts and mortgage. However, her love for art and creating propelled her to seek options that now enable Maria to make a living out of what was once just a hobby.

It all began with an interest in the humble Greek komboloi (worry beads) which expanded into making one-off original jewellery pieces and komboloi. She decided to share the shop’s premises and costs with fellow craftswoman Zea Choutry who specialises in handmade fun knitwear. Both lost their jobs and turned their ‘luck’ around during the thick of the recession by taking a risk and following their passions.

“I was not worried about this decision because it’s something that I love. It was a natural choice,” said Maria.

It’s not been an easy journey. “People didn’t really realise what had happened at first. There was a day not so long after the bail out where I made €400 in a day during a bazaar. But last August I made just €40.” Revenue has dropped drastically.

However, with the help of her market stalls, she’s managed to financially break even this year, which is an achievement for any new company, especially in a troubled economy.

“Business is going up, albeit gradually.”

Maria’s confidence is reassuringly unshakeable.

“I don’t expect a stone to improve my well being, that needs to come from inside, maybe it helps but I don’t rely on the stone, I rely on myself.”

Women’s Day means little to her.

“It’s a matter of personality, not of gender. If you are polite, straight and honest, people have confidence in you and can therefore negotiate solutions.”

Unlike Maria who moved from science to art, single mum Agni Sacca began her career as a musician but has turned to science to make ends meet.

Part-time dental assistant, permanent musician and fulltime mother Agni, is a classically trained pianist from Belgium’s Royal Conservatory of Brussels where she was awarded Belgium’s equivalent of a bachelors and masters degree in classical piano performance, one of the highest awards in central Europe.

She found her calling early in life, inspired by her aunt’s music school next door, where the young Agni requested piano lessons at the tender age of five and never looked back. Her love of rhythm and learning introduced her to world instruments, specifically the Djembe, an instrument that was to open many doors during the harder times of 2013.

Agni Sacca

Agni threw herself into private teaching jobs, working with music and children whilst resourcing performance work wherever she could. The year 2009 led her happily down the aisle, but 2011 introduced her to the harsh realities of life as a working single mother with a baby daughter, now four years old.

She was forced to find stable work as a dental assistant, since teaching music and performing was sporadic work at the best of times, and certainly after 2013. Determined to succeed, Agni expanded her skill set and learnt to play Greek music, therefore enabling her to branch out into restaurants, bars, hotels and private functions which helped a little.

In the wake of the bailout, music teachers were among the worst hit.

“Even though we do have a culture of learning here, it’s one of the first things that people dropped,” said Agni. “Students stopped their lessons or asked for discounts.”

Agni once again found herself having to expand. Unperturbed, she applied for musical workshops in schools, got a piano performance job in a Protaras hotel during the summer, and turned to promoting her drumming workshops – juggling work, life, music and bringing up her child as well as studying psychotherapy on the Benenzon model.

Demand for Agni’s drumming classes and workshops have been rising. “Rhythm is a basic instinct. Our archaic memory brings back what we need in our lives, which is a better manageability of our daily rhythms. It’s to do with catharsis and releases of stresses and tensions that you can get more easily with Djembe than with piano,” she explained.

“The miseries that we may think are just in Cyprus are actually happening all over the world; everyone is struggling. The crisis brought all that to our realities here; that we’re all going through the same thing.” That, along with creating a happy life for her girl and leading by example, is what spurs her on.

Determination and a strong survival instinct is a theme that comes up several times amongst all three women.

Coffee shop owner and mother of two thirty-somethings, Jeanette Krzentz runs Ean kai Efoson, on Ippogratous 28 in Laiki Yitonia old Nicosia. It’s a traditional Cypriot coffee shop which also offers organic tea, homemade snacks and Cypriot breakfasts. While she puts in the longest hours, her children also help and sometimes her 74-year-old mother.

Sitting in the cozy coffee shop, the walls adorned with vintage shop signs and other memorabilia, Jeanette talks about finding herself a single mum with two young mouths to feed at the age of 30. This meant she’d work any job she could to ensure her family was cared for.

Her main line of business was as a tour guide of the island. Just like so many, in 2013 business fell like a rock. “As a freelance tour guide, I once used to work a full seven day week including night tours. This month I only did two tours.”

Jeanette’s 80 per cent drop in income and her strong mothering instincts drove her to take a gamble and open her coffee shop a year into the crisis in 2014. “I did it for my children who were jobless. I take the risks because I believe in me,” she said.

Finding funding was tough. Unable to secure funds from the banks, she turned to friends and relatives for loans, which they happily offered. As a woman of her word with a determined drive to repay debts, people trusted her and knew she would pay them back.

“I don’t owe any money to the banks. I once asked a bank for a €1000 overdraft. They offered me €3000 which I refused to accept,” Jeanette announced proudly. “That’s how many people got into trouble by taking more than they needed.”

She told the story of the 340 Syrian refugees who were rescued from a fishing trawler off the coast last September. They were eventually housed in a camp near Kokkinotrimithia outside Nicosia, but just a day or so after they were rescued some found their way to Jeanette’s café. Touched by their plight, she offered them complimentary coffee.

“When you see that there are others with a worse life than you, you can’t complain,” she said.

Since the camp closed down just over a month ago, some of them have come to live in Nicosia and have become loyal and regular customers.

“They are now trying to support us, can you imagine? We didn’t do it for business, it was from the heart.”

Worry Beads: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.725896130764141.1073741830.389793814374376&type=1&stream_ref=10

Agni Sacca will be performing at the end of the month at the Green Urban Lab event: https://www.facebook.com/events/336765743175127/

Ean Kai Efoson: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kafenio-Ean-Kai-Efoson/196353657203908

In the period of 2013 – 2015 the Ministry of Agriculture has managed to save approximately €80 million by ordering smaller quantities of water from desalination plants in relation to the three previous years, data acquired by CNA shows.

The savings are a direct result of a political decision taken two years ago by Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Nikos Kougialis to buy less water from desalination plants despite low levels of water in the dams.

According to the data the government paid about €188 million, of which 63 million in 2010, €75 million in 2011 and €50 million in 2012.

Since 2013 the government buys water from desalination plants of a value of 36 million euro per year. In the years 2013 – 2014 the water bought was of a total value of €72 million.

According to official data on the levels of water in dams in the 12 months between October 2012 and September 2013, the total water quantities in dams came to 94 million cubic metres, while in the period between October 2013 and September 2014 it came to merely 12.33 million cubic metres.

The quantities of water in the dams from October 2014 until today comes to about 90 million cubic metres.

Asked by CNA to comment on the data Kougialis said that “the decision taken at the time was right, despite the fact that the budget for water purchase was higher.”

At the same time he pointed out that the government should take into consideration the needs there are, dam levels and the state`s finances.

He said that in the three years 2013 – 2015 a lesser quantity of water will be bought by desalination plants and therefore the state will save approximately €80 million in relation to the previous three years.

He expressed the point of view that the money saved “could be used in other sectors of the economy or event to enhance the state social policy or the agricultural policy”.

CNA

Unknown attackers fired dozens of rockets towards a U.N. base on the outskirts of the north Malian town of Kidal early on Sunday, killing at least three people, a witness and security sources said.

The witness counted more than 40 weapons fired in the direction of the base. At least one shell fell on a nearby camp for Tuareg nomads, killing two people and injuring several children, he said.

Security sources said a U.N. peacekeeper was killed and several were injured in the attack which took place shortly before dawn.

U.N. and French troops inside the Kidal base returned fire and calm has now returned, they said.

A spokeswoman for the U.N mission to Mali known as MINUSMA declined to give an immediate comment. A French army spokesman could not be reached for immediate comment.

The incident comes a day after a rare attack in a restaurant of Mali’s capital Bamako which killed five people, including two foreigners, highlighting continued volatility in Mali two years after France helped retake territory from al Qaeda-linked militants.

British police arrested a man on Sunday after he was seen walking on the roof of Britain’s parliament buildings for several hours overnight.

A police statement said they had arrested the man on suspicion of trespass and criminal damage at 0501 GMT, having been made aware of his presence on top of the Palace of Westminster at 2115 GMT on Saturday night.

“At this stage it is too early to ascertain the reason as to why the man was trespassing on the roof,” the statement said, adding that police negotiators had attended the scene.

House of Representatives President Yiannakis Omirou has called for a change in Cyprus` foreign policy vis-à-vis the Cyprus problem.

Addressing an EDEK ball in London Omirou said Cyprus` European partners subdued reactions and a stance ranging from washing their hands of the matter like Pontius Pilate to being in favour of Turkey`s illegal behaviour even on the part of the UN General Secretariat “require the immediate and urgent differentiation of strategy and moves.”

He proposed stern representations on the part of Cyprus to the EU and the UN and of immediately approaching traditional friends and allies of Cyprus such as Russia, France and China. He called for abandoning “illusions for a change of position of our so called friends whose actions consistently undermine our national rights.”

The House of Representatives President added that a multilevel cooperation front in the wider region with friendly countries such as Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and the Arabic world in general who are at odds with Turkey, should be forged.

“We need to make use of our country`s European membership”, he said, pointing out that Turkey has been violating clear obligations set out by the European Council which concern both the EU and Cyprus.

“We should veto any other attempt of progress in Turkey`s accession course”, he noted.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third.

Last October Turkey issued a NavTex and dispatched its seismic vessel Barbaros into Cyprus’ EEZ. President Anastasiades decided to suspend his participation in the talks, citing the infringement of the country’s sovereignty.

CNA

By Angelos Anastasiou

Despite the critical breakthrough made in the saga of the as-yet dormant foreclosures legislation on Friday, when the cabinet approved the fifth and final bill comprising the insolvency framework, Finance Minister Harris Georgiades’ optimism that both bills will be voted by the House may yet prove misplaced as opposition parties continue to voice reservations – or outright rejection – with regard to their provisions.

On Saturday, Georgiades said the insolvency framework, now complete, will be the key that unlocks implementation of tougher legislation on foreclosures, which has been blocked by opposition parties since last December. Blocking foreclosures has halted Cyprus’ economic adjustment programme since, and pushed back the release of the next tranche of bailout money to the cash-strapped island until foreclosures are given the go-ahead.

“I will inform the Eurogroup [on Monday] that both insolvency and foreclosure bills have been sent to the House, and that most are at an advanced review stage,” he said.

“I believe that the issue will be resolved in the coming weeks.”

Georgiades argued that bringing the adjustment programme back on track would automatically render Cyprus eligible for participation – probably in April – in the European Central Bank’s quantitative easing programme, which started on Monday. Such participation, he added, would be critical in bringing the country a step closer to the restoration of its financial credibility, eventually eliminating its dependence on the European Support Mechanism and the International Monetary Fund.

But for all of Georgiades’ optimism, it may not be in the bag just yet. More often than not, settling controversial bills in the House comes down to DIKO’s votes. Formerly junior partners in a government coalition with ruling DISY until they pulled out last year over President Nicos Anastasiades’ handling of the Cyprus problem, DIKO has traditionally commanded much more political leverage than its electoral size would normally allow, using that power to its advantage, and this time is no different.

An economic liberal, DIKO leader Nicolas Papadopoulos supported strict adherence to Cyprus’ economic adjustment programme since the country found itself on the verge of bankruptcy in March 2013. But by mid-2014 he veered to the left, joining ranks with communist AKEL and socialist EDEK against the programme – or “memorandum”. The three opposition parties repeatedly blocked implementation of foreclosure legislation – the only prerequisite by international creditors in order to finalise the country’s fifth progress review and release the next loan tranche – thus derailing the entire programme.

But of the three, DIKO is the only party that has spoken out in favour of the finalised insolvency framework. Both AKEL and EDEK, as well as the single-seater parties Citizens’ Alliance, EVROKO, and the Greens, have either trashed it outright, or called for significant amendments that are a no-go with Cyprus’ lenders. Besides those of the ruling party, DIKO’s votes are the only ones the government can hope for.

“The framework needs to be voted as soon as possible,” Papadopoulos said, but added that it “includes some clauses that may need to be re-examined”.

The House Finance committee is scheduled to convene on Wednesday, but DIKO MP and committee vice-chairman Angelos Votsis has suggested the discussion may be brought forward to Tuesday, in light of the matter’s urgency.

By Amlan Chakraborty

England were knocked out of the World Cup by a spirited Bangladesh who grabbed a quarter-final spot following their narrow 15-run victory in a tight Pool A match in Adelaide on Monday.

Put into bat, Mahmudullah struck Bangladesh’s first World Cup century and starred in two key partnerships to lift Bangladesh to 275 for seven.
Three-time finalists England made a mess of their chase on an Adelaide Oval track that held no demons and folded for 260 in the penultimate over.
Bangladesh looked a bundle of nerves towards the end but Rubel Hossain (4-53) claimed two wickets in the 49th over to trigger wild celebrations.

Morgan said he was ‘gutted’ after England’s premature exit and confessed he was clueless about what the future holds for the team.
England’s woeful form on 50-over cricket’s biggest stage appeared intertwined with the miserable form of their captain.
England handed the one-day captaincy to Morgan in December in place of Alastair Cook and England’s only World Cup win came against Scotland while they lost heavily to hosts Australia and New Zealand and former champions Sri Lanka.

Asked what went wrong, the solemn-looking 28-year-old struggled to offer any explanation.
“I can’t at the moment,” he said at the presentation ceremony after his team’s 15-run defeat.
“I’m gutted at the moment. We struggled and fought our way since we arrived here.
“With short boundaries and the way the wicket played, it was certainly well within our reach,” he said.

“Our expectations are a lot higher than we performed, so that’s extremely disappointing, to be knocked out this early,” said Morgan.
Asked where does the team go from here, Morgan said: “To be honest, I have no idea what happens from here. I’m still surprised that we are knocked out so early.”

He insisted there was no problem with squad composition.
“We picked guys who can play a brand of cricket that, if we perform, we could win this World Cup. Again ultimately we have not performed.”

His counterpart Mashrafe Mortaza was naturally ecstatic.
“We’re proud. The wicket was pretty good, we had to bowl well. Our start was not that good but in the middle we bowled really well and put the pressure back on England,” he said.

Asked if he was tense when Tamim Iqbal dropped Chris Woakes in the 48th over which could have cost them the match, Mortaza said: “Tamim felt really bad, he is our best fielder. It happens in cricket. End of the day, we ended up being on the winning side and we are happy.”

By Bejay Browne

Paphos municipality came under attack again on Sunday night when a makeshift bomb was detonated at the adjacent municipality gardens for the second time in less than a week

According to police the incident occurred at around 8pm on Sunday evening and caused no injuries or damage to buildings or the park.

Paphos police spokesman Nicos Tsiappis confirmed that the incident was being investigated and may be connected to the explosion of a low grade device in a similar area at 28th of October park on Thursday night and a further explosion a couple of months ago.

“It seems as if these incidents are more of a warning and to make trouble. The cases are similar and it seems possible that one person is responsible.”

Tsiappis said that as yet police don’t have a suspect but added that no further information was available as the scene is being examined.

Municipality workers appeared undeterred by the explosions and one employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the incidents are intended to ‘create noise’ rather than to maim or injure.

“I would be scared if I considered these incidents as serious but they are small explosions and shouldn’t even be called bombs.”

The employee said that the ‘bomb’ was in fact made from the small portable gas canister used to make Cyprus coffee.

“These devices are being set off during the hours when no-one is there. I believe that if they wanted to cause harm to the people, they would have done so by now.”

However, Paphos police are taking measures to prevent further damage, and ensure the safety of the mayor and employees, said Tsiappis. These include stepping up a police presence in the area of the town hall and municipal garden.

“There will be an increase in police patrols and we are also co-operating with the municipality.”

The employee said: “The mayor is doing a very good job so far and I hope that it continues. He is very busy trying to straighten everything out and I’m sure he will continue to do so.”

Paphos mayor Phedonas Phedonos won a recent by-election and promised to clean up the town and improve its tarnished image after former mayor, Savvas Vergas, admitted a raft of charges connected to the construction of the town’s sewerage system (SAPA) and  was handed a six-year prison sentence on charges of corruption and money laundering. Vergas is also on trial for allegedly sending threatening text messages to witnesses in a case involving a prominent land developer in Paphos.

Phedonos succeeded Vergas in the by-election, shortly after the former mayor resigned his post. On Friday he said he would not be deterred from cleaning up the municipality, following the explosion of a device behind the town hall on Thursday night.

Both Phedonos and the municipal secretary Themis Filippides were in their offices at the time of Sunday’s explosion preparing work for the week ahead.

By Karolin Schaps

The world’s biggest dog show was thrust into a murder mystery fit for an Agatha Christie novel when a champion Irish setter died after its owner said it had been fed steak laced with poison.

The death of three-year-old Jagger rocked Britain’s Crufts show, held annually since the reign of Queen Victoria, and unnerved a dog-showing world that some fear may have just become too competitive.

“An autopsy has revealed he was poisoned,” Dee Milligan-Bott, an experienced Irish setter kennel owner who has officiated at Crufts, said of her dog, whose pedigree name is Thendara Satisfaction.

Milligan-Bott said the autopsy showed Jagger had been fed steak laced with several types of poison that led to a painful death for the dog on its return to Belgium.

“The timings from the autopsy make it clear the only place this could have been given to Jagger was while on his bench at Crufts,” added Milligan-Bott, who said the police had been informed.

However, police in her home town of Tongeren in the east of Belgium, said they had not received a complaint.

Kennel owners flock to a cavernous conference centre outside Birmingham for Crufts, preparing their pedigree dogs for judgement against 21,500 others in a series of competitions that culminate in Best in Show.

A Scottish terrier from Russia won that title on Sunday, two days after Jagger’s death.

The show was founded by Charles Cruft, who worked for a dog biscuit manufacturer. Winners, which emerge from categories such as toy dogs, gun dogs, hounds and terriers, often have striking names. A poodle called Afterglow Maverick Sabre, also known as Ricky, won Best in Show last year.

The Kennel Club, which organises Crufts, issued a statement of condolence.

“The Kennel Club is deeply shocked and saddened to hear that Jagger the Irish Setter died some 26 hours after leaving Crufts,” Kennel Club Secretary Caroline Kisko said.

“We have spoken to his owners and our heartfelt sympathies go out to them. We understand that the toxicology report is due next week and until that time we cannot know the cause of this tragic incident,” Kisko said.

A Kennel Club spokeswoman said it was unclear where the alleged incident happened and that until the toxicology report was received it was difficult to speculate.

Despite that, some British newspapers suggested that another similar-looking setter, called Pot Noodle, may have been the intended victim.

In any case, the tabloid Sun reported, “police are following all leads”.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday at 0800 GMT in Brussels to discuss European Union financial support for poorest Greeks, Greek and EU officials said on Monday.

A Greek government official said: “On Friday, the prime minister will meet Jean Claude Juncker in Brussels … They will discuss how Greece could use EU funds to tackle the humanitarian crisis.”

Tsipras will be in Paris on Thursday for meetings at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Juncker, a former prime minister of Luxembourg and former head of the Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers, has been trying to mediate between the new Athens government and its international creditors, notably Germany and other EU states.

Some diplomats have said that the involvement of the Commission, the executive arm of the EU, has irked the Berlin government and other creditors anxious to hold Greece to the terms of bailout loans. The Eurogroup is meeting again later on Monday, with Greece’s funding needs on the agenda.

By Stephanie Nebehay

A United Nations human rights investigator recommended an international strategy on Monday to press North Korea to clarify the fate of hundreds of foreign nationals allegedly abducted over decades, mainly from Japan and South Korea.

Marzuki Darusman, an independent expert, laid out the strategy in a report to the UN Human Rights Council saying that the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague was “competent for prosecuting these perpetrators”.

“The strategy aims at eventually shedding light on all cases of abductions and enforced disappearances allegedly committed by agents from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” Darusman, Indonesia’s former attorney-general, said on Monday.

“Achieving closure and accountability for the abductions … is the ultimate goal of this strategy,” he said in the 19-page report, due for debate next week at the 47-member state forum.

A UN commission of inquiry, in a major report a year ago, found that since 1950 North Korea had engaged in the “systematic abduction” of foreign nationals “on a large scale and as a matter of state policy”. Darusman was part of the investigation that called these and other abuses crimes against humanity.

In the report presented on Monday, he said that agents from North Korea had abducted “hundreds of nationals from South Korea, Japan and other countries between the 1960s and 1980s”. Since the 1990s, North Korea is believed to have abducted several people from China, including nationals of China, South Korea and a former Japanese national, Darusman said.

Japan’s national police agency is looking into 881 possible abduction cases blamed on North Korea over the years, he said.

“In addition to victims from Japan and the Republic of Korea, the Commission of Inquiry recorded cases of abductions and enforced disappearances of nationals of Lebanon, Malaysia, Romania, Singapore, and Thailand, and possibly others,” he said.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong, addressing the Geneva forum last week, again rejected the findings of last year’s UN inquiry as being “politically motivated” and “based on lies” by a few defectors whom he called criminals.

By David Lewis

Troops from Chad and Niger have freed two towns in northern Nigeria previously held by Boko Haram militants, the first gains made in a joint offensive launched at the weekend, Niger military sources said on Monday.

About 30 Nigerien and Chadian soldiers were injured in fighting over Malam Fatouri and Damasak, a day after thousands of troops crossed the border to retake areas held by the Sunni Islamist group, whose insurgency has forced Nigeria to delay an election and neighbours to mobilise their armies.

“We have kicked the enemy out of these areas and they are now under our control,” one of the military sources said.

Damasak, the town furthest into Nigeria, is 10 km south of the Niger border, where Niger and Chadian troops have been massing in recent weeks ahead of the offensive.

The source said that about 300 Boko Haram militants had been killed in fighting. There was no official confirmation of the toll and it was not possible to verify the figure.

“We had permission from Nigeria for this action,” the source said. There was no immediate comment from Nigeria, which has launched its own offensive against the militants, whose gains forced Nigeria to delay elections that were due in February.

Boko Haram’s 6-year insurgency, who aims to carve out a caliphate in Nigeria’s northeast, has killed thousands. The group has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, which rules a self-declared caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria, according to an audio clip posted online on Saturday.

Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin have this year mobilised forces to help Nigeria defeat the group after it seized swathes of territory and mounting cross-border attacks.

Nigeria and its neighbours have been working to pull together plans and rules of engagement for a regional force of 8,700 troops but cooperation between the region’s armies has been strained at times.

Cave explorers in Israel have uncovered a small trove of coins and jewellery from the time of Alexander the Great that archaeologists believe was hidden by refugees during an ancient war.

The 2,300-year-old treasure was the first of its kind to be found from the period of the conquerer, said Eitan Klein of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Just last month, scuba divers off Israel’s coast came upon an even larger find – about 2,000 gold coins from the 11th century that archaeologists hope will shed light on Muslim rule during that time.

Hikers discovered the latest horde in a narrow crevice of a stalactite cave in the Galilee region. It included two silver coins minted during Alexander’s reign and several pieces of silver jewellery, including rings, bracelets and earrings.

“The valuables might have been hidden in the cave by local residents who fled there during the period of governmental unrest stemming from the death of Alexander,” the Antiquities Authority said in a statement.

“Presumably the cache was hidden in the hope of better days.”

Alexander the Great, ruler of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia, led a military campaign throughout the Middle East and parts of Asia. He died in Babylonia, the present day Iraq, in 323 B.C.

By Andria Kades
THE mayors of Ayia Napa and Paralimni have said they are optimistic that tourists from Germany, Switzerland and Holland will offset declining arrivals from Russia.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency after attending the International Tourism Conference in Berlin last week, they said the messages they have received are encouraging.
“There is a 25 per cent increase in bookings made from the German market. Scandinavian visitors are expected to remain at the same levels as last year while there is increasing movement from Switzerland, Belgium and countries from northern Europe generally,” said Ayia Napa Mayor Yiannis Karousos.
He added that the Dutch market had opened up following direct flights to Larnaca which is expected to benefit Ayia Napa and Paralimni. Interest was also shown from British markets.
Hotels have already begun to allocate rooms for tourists from countries other than Russia – a positive sign that has already reaped results, Karousous said. The changes taking place in the Famagusta district such as renovating hotels, creating artificial reefs and sculpture parks and implementing recycling and other environmental projects are being recognised by foreign tourism agencies, he said.
Agreements were signed between the commerce ministry, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and travel agencies in Berlin.
High hopes have also been expressed for the exhibition that will be held next week in Russia.
“In our area, all inclusive deals in the past two years come up to just 30 per cent. Our aim is to convince tourists to leave hotels and visit sights, restaurants, beaches and other points of interest. It is something we seem to have achieved since most people now prefer bed and breakfast and half board arrangements,” Karousous explained.
In Paralimni, several hotels have an occupancy rate as high as 70 per cent for the beginning of April, said the town’s mayor, Theodoros Pirillis.
“Our tourism should not depend on one particular country but align different hotel rooms towards different markets,” he said.
He cited examples in which certain hotels would only host tourists from one particular ethnicity, causing “unfortunate situations” with visitors from other countries.
Efforts are being exerted to attract tourists from the Middle East, while so far Lebanon and Israel have the largest prospects for expanding the market from the region.
“Everyone’s goal should be to expand the tourism period to nine months and not at the current level of six months but infrastructure projects need to be undertaken,” Pirillis said.

THE Legal Services and police investigators looking into the 2013 collapse of Cyprus’ economy met on Monday to decide on action regarding the prosecution of five former Bank of Cyprus officials for misleading investors in 2012.
During the session, which started shortly after noon, the team of investigators updated Legal Services on evidence collected so far into both Bank of Cyprus and Laiki Bank.
Currently, investigations focus on the period of time from 2006, when HSBC sold its stake in Laiki Bank, to 2013, when the lender collapsed.
According to state radio, the purpose of the meeting was to determine the way forward so that more cases can make their way to court. Initial estimates suggest that Laiki-related cases will be forwarded to court shortly after Easter.
But in addition to investigations into Laiki Bank, more cases involving the Bank of Cyprus are being initiated, including the issuing of Convertible Enhanced Capital Securities (CECS), the purchase of Greek bonds, and the purchase of Russian-based Uniastrum Bank.
Five former Bank of Cyprus officials, as well as the bank itself, have been charged with misleading investors in 2012.
The five ex officials – former board chairmen Theodoros Aristodemou and Andreas Artemis, former chief executives Andreas Eliades and Yiannis Kypri, and former deputy managing director Yiannis Pehlivanides who was in charge of Greek operations – as well as the bank itself were brought up on charges by the auditor general, as a result of police investigations into the reasons for the collapse of Cyprus’ banking sector and economy in March 2013.
The trial is set to resume on March 18, when the defendants will be called on to plead either guilty or not guilty to the charges .

By Andria Kades

The harmonised deflation rate accelerated to 0.8 per cent in February compared to 0.7 per cent in January, mainly on reduced energy prices, the statistical service said.

By Zoran Milosavljevic

Few Manchester United fans thought life after Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford would be easy but fewer would have imagined the possibility of a second successive season without any silverware and devoid of Champions League football.

Monday’s 2-1 home defeat by Arsenal, which eliminated United from the FA Cup, means United face the longest trophyless run since the early days of Ferguson’s silverware-laden era.

Ferguson, who succeeded Ron Atkinson in 1986 after the latter lifted the FA Cup in 1985, barely kept his job during his first four barren years in charge but continued in the hot seat when he ended the drought by winning the competition in 1990.

Ferguson’s compatriot and successor David Moyes lasted less than a season and was sacked last year when it became clear United would miss out on any European competition, with Ryan Giggs briefly taking over the reigns before handing them over to Louis van Gaal.

Heavy spending by the Dutchman has resulted in little improvement as United continued to look a side vulnerable at the back, bereft of ideas in midfield and lacking firepower up front against opposition of any quality.

Having enjoyed consistent results which flattered their performances largely thanks to superb goalkeeping by David de Gea, United paid the price for the many chinks in their armour in Premier League defeats by Southampton and Swansea before the FA Cup fiasco.

Although in no immediate danger of following in Moyes’ footsteps through the exit door, van Gaal must be revisiting some of his transfer decisions although he put on a brave face in the wake of his reject Danny Welbeck putting his former club to the sword.

“It was a surprise that Wenger put him in the line-up in that position,” Van Gaal said after Welbeck, deemed surplus to requirements after misfiring Colombian Radamel Falcao was hauled in on loan from Monaco, struck an opportunist second-half winner.
“Also, a lot of times against the club who a player was playing for, he shall be very motivated. But I think we gave that goal particularly.”

Record signing Angel Di Maria has shown occasional flashes of brilliance like the inch-perfect cross for Wayne Rooney’s headed equaliser, but his first season in English football has so far been a torrid one with the Argentine looking like a fish out of water most of the time.

Struggling to cope with decent tackling and often going down like a sack of potatoes under any kind of challenge, Di Maria was booked for diving and then sent off for grabbing referee Michael Oliver’s shirt.

Even van Gaal had no excuse for the winger’s shocking act, often a common sight in Argentine league football but almost unfathomable in the Premier League.
“I know, of course, and also Angel Di Maria knows that he doesn’t have to touch the referee, so that is not so smart of him,” van Gaal said. “But to control emotion is not so easy in such a match.”

With Chelsea and Manchester City seemingly poised to fight it out for the Premier League title, United now have only a top-four finish to play for and with games against all their main rivals yet to come in the home straight, van Gaal will feel the heat.

Former United midfielder Roy Keane was confident the Dutchman would and should be given time to pick up the pieces and put them back together.
“They’ve got to give him a chance. He needs two or three years to rebuild the club,” Keane said

Two British permanent residents were remanded on Tuesday on suspicion of growing cannabis in Kathika, Paphos.

The pair, who were arrested on Monday evening, lived in one of two adjacent villas and had turned the other into a cannabis grow house. Police said they found approximately 80 cannabis plants up to 1.5 metres tall in one of the two premises.

Anti-drug squad YKAN said they found high-tech equipment in the house such as automatic irrigation, lighting and ventilation systems.
The husband, 50, who was remanded for eight days, admitted he took care of the indoor plantation for third parties that he was not identifying, police said. His wife, 50 was remanded for two days.

This was the third indoor drug bust by YKAN in the past few months. The last case was at a flat in the Yeroskipou area when a Greek-Cypriot was arrested, and 15 days ago in Simos village the largest-ever indoor grow house containing 350 cannabis plants was discovered. A British Cypriot, his Russian partner and her son that helped look after the plants were arrested in that instance.