By George Psyllides

The alleged ‘favour’ to deputy attorney-general Rikkos Erotokritou in the Laiki case concerns €600,000 deposited in Laiki by a company owned by him.

Another company belonging to Erotokritou, a private lawyer at the time, owed the same amount to Laiki.

When deposits were seized in March 2013, Erotokritou said, he was left with the debt.

“As a depositor whose deposits were seized, I, as thousands of others, immediately filed a lawsuit against Laiki Bank and all those considered responsible for its demise, demanding compensation for the €600,000,” he said.

After his appointment in the state legal service, he filed a second suit asking for his debt to be offset by the seized deposits.

The Resolution Authority rejected his request, arguing that they were two separate companies, despite the owner being the same person.

“That is why the case went to court,” he said.

On the day of the hearing, the Neocleous law firm “did not show up because it did not follow, and had not recorded the dates of the two suits correctly, thinking I had one lawsuit and not two.”

The court issued a decision anyway, in Erotokritou’s favour, to offset the loan with the seized deposits.

At a later stage Neocleous “discovered the mistake” and filed an application asking for the decision to be set aside.

The court agreed, ruling that a new trial should be held.

“My lawyers have filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against this decision,” Erotokritou said. The case is still pending.

The deputy attorney-general sought to clarify that Kiliaris meant a favour when he spoke of a bribe – “in the sense that they did me a favour by not appearing in court that day.”

“I received no favour and I do not accept favours from anyone,” Erotokritou said.

But AKEL MP Irini Charalambidou appeared unconvinced by Erotokritou’s explanation.

On her Facebook page she posted four questions for him. She said the matter was not only legal but also ethical.

“Mr Erotokritou and Mr Neocleous know each other very well,” the MP said, questioning the claim that the law firm had failed to record the correct court date.

And the application to set aside the decision was filed four months later, and after MPs had been briefed about the matter “and we had voiced our concerns.”

“Personally I had contacted the (Laiki) administrator who told me she knew nothing,” Charalambidou said.

The opposition MP also questioned whether Erotkritou had considered the repercussions for the state if he eventually wins his case.

“Should we assume that the personal interest surpasses the interests of the state? Is it ethical for a state official to behave this way?”

By Constantinos Psillides

The 49-year-old Larnaca high-school teacher who allegedly harassed a 13-year-old girl has been suspended pending the conclusion of the criminal investigation, according to education ministry permanent secretary Aigli Pantelaki.

Following a news conference on Thursday, Pantelaki said the ministry had acted swiftly and decisively.

“The minute we were informed that police had launched an investigation against the teacher, we notified the education commission and asked that the suspect be suspended until the investigation is concluded. The ministry takes matters of this nature very seriously. Acts like these sully the good name of our educators,” said Pantelaki.

Addressing accusations that the suspect was reported for sexual harassment in the past but was still allowed to teach at a different school in a different town, Pantelaki said the ministry was looking into the matter.

The schoolgirl, 13, who lodged the official complaint with police claimed the abuse started in September, at the start of the school year, and went on until Tuesday this week when she filed her complaint.

The 49-year-old who was teaching in Larnaca was remanded in custody on Wednesday for eight days. Reports said he had been reported for similar acts in the past when he taught in Nicosia but no other information was given.

An official with the education ministry told the Cyprus Mail that the ministry lacked an effective protocol to work cases of this nature and that the case was far more complicated than appeared.

“Cases like this one are rarely clear-cut, black and white. Sometimes people exaggerate, misunderstand or even flat out lie. Or, in some cases, the victims are too afraid or ashamed to come forward. It is never simple,” said the official, blaming the lack of proper procedure as the reason the teacher was allowed go back in a classroom.

“What we need is a proper procedure, a protocol outlining exactly what needs to be done, by whom and when. So as everyone involved is protected,” the source said.

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About 100 workers were feared trapped on Thursday when a cement factory collapsed in Bangladesh, a police official told Reuters.

Four people were confirmed dead. Rescuers also pulled about 40 survivors from the debris after the factory, run by a subsidiary of the Bangladesh army, collapsed in the port town of Mongla, 335 km southwest of the capital, Dhaka.

“There were about 150 people, including workers, inside the factory building when it collapsed,” said Belayet Hossain, the officer in charge of the Mongla Port police station near the factory.

Soldiers and sailors were helping firemen to search for survivors, another official said.

“There are more bodies inside the debris. We’re trying to recover the living people first,” said district administration official Mohammad Abdus Samad.

Bangladesh has a poor record for building safety.

A complex of shops and small factories collapsed in 2013 killing more than 1,130 people, most of them garment workers.

The collapse of Rana Plaza, built on swampy ground outside the capital, Dhaka, ranked among the world’s worst industrial accidents and sparked a global outcry for improved safety in the world’s second-largest exporter of ready-made garments.

Representatives of foreign embassies and businessmen were among those who turned out on Tuesday evening for the launch of ‘Bi-communal Brown’ café, a weekly meeting point in Old Nicosia for Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot entrepreneurs.

According to a statement following the event, the commitment of those who attended the first networking session to strengthen the socioeconomic ties between the two communities was evident.

The idea for the meeting point came from easyJet founder and philanthropist Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou who runs the Stelios Business Awards every year, handing out thousands in grants to bi-communal ventures.

B-communal Brown is located at the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation in Nicosia’s old town and aims to give Greek and Turkish Cypriots more opportunities to get together to discuss their ideas or find a business partner.

“The important first networking meeting was attended by representatives of the British High Commission and diplomats from the Finnish embassies, Sweden and the United States, who characterised the Bi-Communal Brown as a great place, where young people and entrepreneurs from both communities will coexist and share ideas and experiences,” said a statement from the organisers.

“The aim of Sir Stelios is to bring businessmen from both communities close and to strengthen the climate of trust and cooperation.”

The operation of the café is part of the annual Stelios Awards process, which will be awarded in October. This is the 7th annual programme.

Bi-Communal Brown is open from 5pm to 6pm every Tuesday from 5pm to 6pm until the awards are launched. The building of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation is located at the Corner of Electric & Eptanisou 57 in Old Nicosia.

Since 2009 the Stelios Awards have been given to 40 bi-communal groups with cash handouts worth €1.2 million. This year, Sir Stelios is offering for the first time the amount of €300,000, rewarding a total of 30 business groups comprising Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, with the amount of €10,000 each to kickstart their businesses.

For information and registration for the 2015 awards visit: www.stelios.com .

By Ed Cropley and David Lewis

Nigeria has brought in hundreds of mercenaries from South Africa and the former Soviet Union to give its offensive against Boko Haram a shot in the arm before a March 28 election, according to regional security, defence and diplomatic sources.

Rumours about the use of foreign “soldiers of fortune” against the Islamist militant group gained substance this month when pictures surfaced on Twitter showing armoured vehicles rumbling along a street in what was said to be Maiduguri, the regional capital of Nigeria’s Boko Haram-hit northeast.

In one photo that appeared on Twitter on March 6, a white man in a khaki tee-shirt and body armour is shown beside a heavy-calibre machine gun on top of one of the sand-coloured vehicles as the column drives through the streets at dusk.

A Reuters reporter with knowledge of Maiduguri was able to verify the location of the photo as the Bama road, leading southeast out of the city, near the University of Maiduguri.

Election campaign posters of Borno state governor Kashim Shettima hanging from street lights indicate it was taken recently. The lights, notable for their ornate ironwork, were only installed last year.

In confirming the presence of hundreds of foreign military contractors on the ground, including recently in the city of Maiduguri, security and diplomatic sources put the total much higher than the hundred or so previously reported.

Nigerian government spokesman Mike Omeri declined to comment, referring questions to military spokesman Chris Olukolade, who also declined to respond to multiple requests for comment.

In an interview with Voice of America late on Wednesday, President Goodluck Jonathan said two companies were providing “trainers and technicians” to help Nigerian forces. He did not name the firms, or the nationalities, or give numbers.

But a West African security source and a South African defence source said the foreign troops were linked to the bosses of former South African private military firm Executive Outcomes.

Executive Outcomes was best-known for its involvement in Angola’s 1975-2002 civil war and against Revolutionary United Front rebels in an internal conflict in Sierra Leone in 1995. It disbanded in 1998, under pressure from the post-apartheid government in Pretoria to curtail mercenary activities.

The West African security source said several hundred foreigners were involved in running major offensive operations against Boko Haram, and were being paid around $400 a day in cash.

Their impact on the fighting so far could not be quantified, but the general run of the campaign has seen the tide turn somewhat against Boko Haram in recent weeks.

Separately, a South African defence contractor confirmed to Reuters that ex-Executive Outcomes leaders were involved in the deployment, which comes after the six-week postponement of elections in mid-February due to the threat from Boko Haram.

One Abuja-based diplomat said the South Africans were backed by soldiers and hardware from the former Soviet Union in an alliance against Boko Haram, which has killed thousands of people in its six-year campaign to establish an Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria.

“It’s an incoherent mix of people, helicopters and random kit from all sorts of different sources, but there is an element of internal cohesion from the Nigerian army,” the diplomat said.

“It appears to be a desperate ploy to get some sort of tactical success up there in six weeks for the electoral boost,” the diplomat added. The numbers of soldiers involved were in the “low hundreds”, the diplomat added.

“NO BUSINESS TO BE THERE”

John Stupart, editor of African Defence Review, identified the troop carriers as Reva III, manufactured by a Pretoria-based company called Integrated Convoy Protection.

After reports of South African military trainers first surfaced in the Afrikaans-language Beeld newspaper in January, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapise-Nqakula made clear her displeasure, saying any deployment would be illegal under 1998 anti-mercenary laws.

“They are mercenaries, whether they are training, skilling the Nigerian defence force, or scouting for them. The point is they have no business to be there,” she was quoted as saying in domestic media this month.

South Africa bans its nationals from participating directly in hostilities for private gain. Georgia, seen as a major source of mercenaries, has laws before parliament criminalising participation in a broad range of foreign military activities.

Reuters was unable to reach the former bosses of Executive Outcomes through military contacts in South Africa.

The appearance of foreign private soldiers comes four months after Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States said Washington was not helping the struggle against Boko Haram, and had failed to share intelligence and sell Nigeria the weapons it needed.

The presence of mercenaries from South Africa and the former Soviet Union adds to the broad array of forces lining up against Boko Haram, which has emerged in the last few years as sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest security threat.

Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin have committed troops to an 8,700-strong regional force. This week, Chad and Niger launched a joint military offensive deep into Nigerian territory.

U.S. and European special forces have just completed three weeks of war games with regional counterparts near Lake Chad, one of boundaries of a Boko Haram sphere of influence thought at one time to be the size of Belgium.

A 35-year-old permanent resident from Syria was arrested Thursday for having 39 cars registered under his name that he would send to Turkey via the occupied areas, some of which were believed to have reached jihadists in Syria.

According to police, in his confession, the suspect said he worked on behalf of a compatriot in Syria and that he sent three pickups and one jeep, oblivious as to whether they reached jihadists, head of Limassol CID Ioannis Sotiriades told Cyprus News Agency.

The Syrian claimed that for each of the cars he would receive €250 while the rest of the vehicles, which have not been found, were sold on to Egyptians as spare parts.

Police are continuing their investigations and the suspect is expected to be taken to the district court on Friday for a detention order.

In January online Islamic State videos showed pickup trucks with Cypriot registration plates in Syria.

In July 2013 a police source at a main checkpoint told the Mail that they had observed an increasing number of double cabins crossing north but not returning to the government-controlled areas.

By Carl Ford

The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects Americans “against unreasonable searches and seizures of either self or property by government officials.” When the government oversteps its authority, those responsible must be held accountable for their actions. With few exceptions, however, government surveillance focuses on protecting life, property, and the American way. Private surveillance, on the other hand, is governed by no laws, and is conducted for self-interest and profit.

In volume, stealth, and intrusiveness, the private sector far surpasses anything the government has attempted or even contemplated doing. Yet, while Americans regularly read or hear about the National Security Agency (N.S.A.) and Central Intelligence Agency’s (C.I.A.) intrusion into their lives, not many seem to be accusing private companies like Walmart or the Ford Motor Company of spying on people. It comes down to whether Americans trust companies like Verizon, Target, and Google to respect their privacy more than they trust the U.S. government.

The intelligence community’s focus is on foreign threats and activities overseas. The C.I.A. and N.S.A. operate under strict rules and regulations, including a ban against collecting information on Americans. The current policy states that “signals intelligence shall be collected exclusively where there is a foreign intelligence or counterintelligence purpose to support national and departmental missions and not for any other purposes.”

The private sector, on the other hand, focuses on the bottom line, and operates unfettered. Google a resort in Mexico, and see how ads for that destination continue to pop up every time you open your Internet browser. And that is only the tip of the iceberg. You can’t imagine all the things going on behind the scenes that you aren’t able to see.

Government surveillance, of course, increases when a known terrorist or other enemy of the United States contacts an American citizen. Following 9/11, N.S.A. analysts were given limited access to the bad guys’ communication links to the United States. Even then, however, the privacy of American citizens remained a top priority. Going forward, if a known terrorist communicates with an American citizen, I suspect most Americans would feel more comfortable knowing someone is watching their back.

Having spent more than 40 years as an intelligence officer, I know first-hand that the U.S. intelligence community has made its share of mistakes (being dead wrong about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and condoning torture spring readily to mind). And I continue to believe in the necessity of strict congressional oversight and restrictions, which separate the U.S. intelligence community from other intelligence organizations like the K.G.B. This oversight is critical for an intelligence community serving a democratic country.

It is true that the U.S. intelligence community has at times been overzealous in protecting against terrorist threats and others who could do the United States harm, but not because it was seeking to pry into the private affairs of American citizens.

For me, the N.S.A. and Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) “bulk” collection and storage programs fall into the overzealous category. I am aware of the argument that “more is better,” but when weighed against privacy rights and the questionable predictive value of these materials, these arguments don’t make sense.

As in other areas, we the Intelligence Community tends to overstate our its capability to predict future events. I suspect the efforts to stop or disrupt terrorist attacks are on par with law enforcement’s (rather poor) record on stopping premeditated murders, kidnappings, and the spread of illegal drugs.

For me, the larger problem is the massive effort by private companies to collect every bit of data they can about me: my health, what I buy, what I eat, where I shop, who I talk to, and on and on. All of this is done not only without my permission, but also without my knowledge – and it is legal.

Of course, I don’t want the government snooping around in my private affairs any more than you do. Yet, if it is in the nation’s security interest and my privacy remains protected, access to my metadata doesn’t seem like too much for my government to ask of me.

Carl Ford has 40 years of experience doing U.S. intelligence work, including working in the Pentagon under then-Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney during the first Gulf War (1991) and was later appointed Head of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) in the United States State Department (2001-2003).

This article first appeared in TheMarkNews

By Maria Gregoriou

This week is Awareness and Prevention Week for kidney disease and Alpha Bank Cyprus is supporting the Cyprus Kidney Association by being one of the main sponsors behind the events planned for the week.

The awareness week coincides with International Kidney Day, which has been designated as the second Thursday in March.

But offering information about the disease is not the only thing that the week’s sponsor aims for. This weekend volunteers will be visiting malls, supermarkets and other areas in all major cities collecting funds to go towards supporting the Cyprus Kidney Association.

Volunteers will be giving out tickets costing €2, but if you wish you don’t have to limit yourself to that amount, you can give donations through the Alpha Bank account 202-105-007645-4.

Fundraising
Weekend collection of funds for Awareness and Prevention Week on kidney disease. March 14-15. In all major cities. All day event. Tel: 22-491295

By Iacovos Constantinou

League leaders APOEL will meet local rivals Omonia for the second time in the space of a couple of weeks while Apollon face their bogey team this season AEK Larnaca. The third game is between Anorthosis and Ermis.

In the bottom group Othellos Athienou are at home to fellow strugglers Doxa while Ayia Napa travel to Limassol to face indifferent, but superior AEL. Nea Salamina entertain Ethnikos Achnas in the final group B game.

APOEL will want to (at least) maintain their one point lead at the top but they will have to be at their best if they are to overcome Omonia who cannot afford to drop any more points.

APOEL’s keeper Pardo is expected to miss the game as he has not yet recovered from his shoulder injury and will join the long term injured trio of Manduca, Aloneftis and Vinicius. However German coach Fink welcomes back Efraim and Charalambides who were both unavailable for their mid-week cup game.

Omonia have not scored more than one goal in their last four games and their coach Kaiafas may make some changes up front with Maltese international Skembri vying for a place in the starting eleven. Fofana will face a late fitness test while top scorer Pote and Rubio are still a few weeks away from a return.

Following their surprising loss to Ermis Aradippou last week Apollon will be seeking to get back on track against AEK.

Their charismatic striker and captain Gaston Sangoy is available after serving his six match suspension and along with Guie and Paboulis they will form a formidable front three that on their day can rip apart the best of defences.

Apollon’s coach Ioan Andone though will have to find solutions at the back as Adrande and Vassiliou joined defender Robert in the treatment room.

AEK are the only team this season to have done the double over the Limassol team scoring eight goals in the process and will be looking to take advantage of the Limassol team’s makeshift defence.

Danish coach Christiansen has no injury concerns but will be without his influential midfielder Tomas.
Anorthosis seem to have lost their way in recent weeks finding the net just once in their last six (league and cup) games and that against relegation candidates Doxa. On the other hand Ermis impressed with their performance against Apollon last week and are back in contention for third place.

In the bottom group Othellos, Doxa and Ayia Napa are favourites for the drop with the first two involved in a six pointer on Sunday.

Ayia Napa face AEL in Limassol and they will be happy if they can get anything out of the game.

Nea Salamina have been extremely unlucky in recent games and I believe that they will be able to defeat Ethnikos Achnas and move a step closer to safety.

Group A games: Saturday, March 13 at 4pm
Group B games: Sunday, March 14 at 4pm

By George Psyllides

President Nicos Anastasiades will hold separate weekend meetings with a number of state officials including the auditor-general, the attorney-general the Central Bank (CBC) governor and the board in a bid to resolve the political crisis arising from allegations concerning the island’s top banker.

At the same time the attorney-general has ordered a criminal investigation into claims that his deputy had been bribed during the trial of a private lawsuit against the Resolution Authority.

The Presidential Palace announced that Anastasiades would be having separate meetings with the attorney-general, the auditor-general, and the House Ethics Committee deputy chairman on Saturday.

These will be followed by a meeting with all the party leaders on Sunday morning. Anastasides will see CBC Governor Chrystalla Georghadji in the afternoon, followed by the CBC board.

The meetings come in the wake of a fracas that broke out on Thursday after CBC executive Stelios Kiliaris claimed in parliament that the governor had said during a meeting at the bank that deputy attorney-general Rikkos Erotokritou had been ‘bribed’ during a private case he brought against the Resolution Authority, made up of the CBC board.

Erotokritou had sued the authority before his appointment, over €600,000 he had deposited in Laiki Bank, which were lost after the lender folded as part of the island’s bailout.

Erotokritou sued, asking for that amount to offset a loan of the same amount he had but under a different company.

The law firm representing the Resolution Authority, Neocleous and Co. missed the court date – the alleged bribe — and the judge ruled in Erotokritou’s favour. The firm went back few months later and requested the decision to be set aside. The request was granted.

Erotokritou denied any wrongdoing and challenged Georghadji to prove her allegation or resign.

After studying the minutes of the House Ethics Committee meeting, Attorney-general Costas Clerides decided there was enough to order a probe into the affair.

In light of the investigation, Clerides urged discussion of the matter to cease.

The probe will be carried out by an independent investigator.

On Friday, Kiliaris insisted he was telling the truth and urged the other board members to speak up.

He sought to clarify that by saying this, the governor was not targeting Erotokritou. She wanted to emphasise “how … dirty Mr. Neocleous’ firm is to convince us to get rid of this miasma,” he told a morning news show.

Kiliaris said the CBC could not be left in the hands of Georghadji alone, suggesting she was not qualified to run the supervisor.

“The CBC is not doing anything right despite the fact that it plays the most important role in restarting the economy and the recovery of the banking system.”

Former Paphos mayor Savvas Vergas, sentenced to jail for six years on corruption charges, was treated in hospital on Friday after he was punched in the face by another inmate.

Vergas, held in special facility outside the Central Prison, reportedly got into an argument with the inmate in the morning.

He underwent a check up at Nicosia general hospital and was taken back to the facility.

In February, the Paphos Criminal Court jailed Vergas and former sewerage board head, Eftychios Malekides, for six years for receiving bribes and money laundering, offences committed during the construction of the town’s sewerage system between 1999 and 2014.

Vergas admitted to receiving €520,000 in bribes and Malekides pleaded guilty to receiving €498,000. Both have returned immovable property and cash in a bid for leniency.

The pair had been receiving kickbacks from construction companies in return for contracts.

Between 2007 and 2013, 16 cyclists died on the island’s roads while many more were seriously injured, according to road safety NGO “REACTION Youth for Prevention”.

Cycling in Cyprus has greatly increased over the past few years, partly due to the economic recession, the organisation said. However without the correct infrastructure and without measures that are not taken, there are significant risks, REACTION president and Youth European Forum vice-president Marios Stavrou said.

During a presentation with organised groups of cyclists and the Cyprus Cycling Federation, it was decided that a list of suggestions would be submitted to all relevant bodies, some which, Stavrou said, should be implemented as laws.

Some examples include compulsory use of a helmet for people under 16,  fluorescent jacket and an increase in fines for vehicles and garbage bins or billboards that block cycle paths, to €150 and €200 respectively.

Cyclists are also required to follow the Highway Conduct Code and not cycle while under the influence of alcohol.

By Stelios Orphanides

The finance ministry said it further relaxed capital controls introduced following the March 2013 banking crisis.

By Michael Hann

Out of the FA Cup and with Champions League qualification hanging in the balance, Manchester United’s season reaches a pivotal stage in the Premier League on Sunday at home to Tottenham Hotspur.

United were knocked out of the Cup by Arsenal in the quarter-finals on Monday, a result which effectively ended their hopes of major silverware for the second season in a row.

Finishing in the top four and qualifying for Europe’s top tier competition is now considered essential but United’s 10-game run-in to the end of the season also includes matches against Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Fourth-placed United, who have 53 points from 28 matches, hold a slender two-point advantage over resurgent Liverpool, while Spurs are a further point back in sixth.

Tottenham have won at Old Trafford in the last two seasons having not previously tasted victory there since 1989 and they are unbeaten against United in their last five meetings.

The Manchester side can ill-afford another loss to Mauricio Pochettino’s team but, after defeat by Arsenal exposed their much-discussed flaws, manager Louis van Gaal knows his side must recover quickly with a top-four finish at stake.

“All the players are very disappointed and that’s logical,” the Dutchman said after the Arsenal defeat. “We have to see how we recover from that.

“I can’t say the motivation of the team was bad — it’s always good. We showed fantastic fighting spirit again.

“This is a big blow for us but we are sportsmen, so we have to recover.”

Champions Manchester City travel to relegation-threatened Burnley in Saturday’s late kick-off knowing they must not allow leaders Chelsea to extend their five-point lead at the top.

Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side host Southampton on the back of their surprise Champions League defeat on away goals by Paris St Germain at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

Third-placed Arsenal welcome London rivals West Ham United to the Emirates on Saturday hoping to give themselves a bit of breathing space from the teams battling it out for fourth.

Liverpool are the side to beat on current form, however, as Brendan Rodgers’s team are unbeaten in the league since mid-December and are ready to pounce if United falter.

They travel to ninth-placed Swansea City on Monday, hoping to record their third win of the season against the Welsh side after beating them at Anfield in the league and League Cup.

Over 600 families per week need support from food banks in Larnaca, city councillor Elia Elia said Friday after receiving a €2,000 donation from Hellenic Bank, Pancyprian Insurance and Hellenic Alico.

“The economic crisis continues, unemployment worsens and there are rising numbers of poor citizens. We appeal to all companies and organisations to offer what they can because even the smallest contribution will help people in need of support, especially these days coming up to Easter,” the councillor said according to the Cyprus News Agency.

He expressed his thanks to the organisations and said it was in great need of the help. District branch manager, Christakis Christoforou thanked all staff of Hellenic Group for their contributions and congratulated the councillor and volunteers who worked towards the success of the food bank.

By Maria Gregoriou

Some teachers have been known to say that the best part of their job is Christmas, Easter and Summer and (especially in Cyprus when the kids get nearly three months off in summer) it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why.

That is not to say that educators do not love their job, it is just that a small break away from children (no matter how adorable) is very much needed. So when these breaks do come around, it is the parents turn to spend some time with the children… but that doesn’t mean that the education process also has to take a break.

The ARTos Foundation in Nicosia has made a name for itself for offering parents a chance to enrol their children in workshops over the three major holiday periods of the year since 2005. As Easter is coming up, the foundation is once again offering a workshop entitled Easter Kids University – Collaboration for Making.

The series of workshops, which will be held from April 6-9 and is suitable for children from seven to 12-years-old, are aimed at promoting knowledge and experience that will help create strong personalities and creative and critical thinkers, who practice free will and are confident.

The four-day Easter Kids University is the second part of the foundation’s 2014-2015 series of three such sessions of workshops under the collective name Space Odyssey via exploration, philosophy, anthropology, collaboration and social innovation. This second instalment will guide children to explore collaboration, teamwork and creativity through exciting and innovative activities of science, design, theatre and bread-making.

The Easter Kids University, just like the Christmas and Summer session, offer children a specially designed programme where children will have the opportunity to develop both the creative hemisphere and the logical hemisphere of the brain.

So if you have a curious and active child, why not sign them up for workshops led by educators and professionals from the fields of the arts and sciences before April 3.

Easter Kids University
A number of workshops for children. April 6-9. ARTos Foundation, 64 Ay. Omoloyites Avenue, Nicosia. 8.30am – 1pm. €100/ 80 for siblings. Tel: 22-445455

Former judge Panayiotis Kallis will conduct the investigation into bribery allegations concerning the deputy attorney-general, it was announced on Saturday.
The name of the investigator was announced by Attorney-general Costas Clerides.
“The timeframe, which will be very short, will be given tomorrow or Monday,” Clerides said.
Kallis had investigated the Helios airline crash that happened on August 14, 2005.
He will now look into claims that deputy attorney-general Rikkos Erotokritou had been ‘bribed’ during a private case he brought against the Resolution Authority.
Erotokritou had sued the authority before his appointment, after over €600,000 he had deposited in Laiki Bank were lost after the lender folded as part of the island’s bailout.
Erotokritou demanded the amount be used to offset a loan he had of the same amount but under a different company.
The law firm representing the Resolution Authority, Neocleous and Co, missed the court date – the alleged bribe — and the judge ruled in Erotokritou’s favour. The firm went back a few months later and requested the decision to be set aside. The request was granted.

Cyprus and Egypt have signed a memorandum of understanding to examine the transport of natural gas through an underwater pipeline.
The agreement was signed by the Cyprus hydrocarbon company and Egypt’s natural gas holding company at Sharm El Sheikh.
The two companies have agreed to look into technical solutions to transport natural gas from Cyprus’ offshore Block 12 to Egypt through an underwater pipeline.
“Without a doubt, the memorandum of understanding is an important step to strengthen the co-operation of Egypt and Cyprus in the area of oil and natural gas, which will further the friendly relations between the two countries,” an announcement said.

By Maria Greogiou

K-Cineplex Engomi, together with the Venezuelan Embassy of Cyprus, will be presenting a free screening of the 2012 Spanish film Azul no tran rosa (My Straight Son) on Tuesday at 7.30pm, preceded by a small reception during which you will also have a chance to meet the film’s writer and director Miguel Ferrari.

The storyline follows the father-son relationship between Diego (Guillermo Garcia), a young and successful photographer who lives in the glamorous (and shallow) world of fashion, and his estranged son Armando (Ignacio Montes).

Diego’s excessive life is turned around after his partner falls into a coma after a violent, homophobic attack. To add complication to tragedy, at the same time Diego must care for his son. Father and son have to adapt to each other’s life style. Diego enters into the world of his insecure teenage son, while Armando is introduced to his father’s homosexual world.

This intersection between lifestyles touches on controversial issues in Venezuelan society, such as homophobic violence, homosexuality, transsexuals and domestic violence. By focusing on an ordinary teenager who is thrust into a completely different setting, the film shows how we can overcome our differences and that, in reality, it all depends on how we look at things and the ties which connect us, rather than the differences that divide us.

So why did Ferrari decide to write such a script? When asked that very question by FourTwoNine magazine, the scriptwriter said “a few years ago, when the law for gay marriage was being approved in Spain, I was very surprised by the reactionary debates being generated by the most conservative parts of society. I researched this issue in Latin America and the stories about discrimination and crimes caused by homophobia were alarming, not only in Latin America but all over the world.

“I wanted to write a story about the right of any person to be and think differently. I wanted to talk about those people who are never spoken about because of all sorts of prejudices.”

Although this was the driving force behind the film, Ferrari says that it is not a gay film and it would be unfair to label it as such.

“I wanted My Straight Son to be much more than just a film about sexual diversity. I wanted it to speak about love, a feeling that is so human regardless of the sexual orientation or gender identity one has,” he added.

The film won the Goya Award for Best Spanish Language Foreign Film at the 28th Goya Awards in 2014, the first Venezuelan film to do so.

Azul no Tran Rosa
Screening of the Spanish-language film, with an appearance by the film’s writer and director Miguel Ferrari. March 17. K-Cineplex Engomi, Nicosia. 6.45pm reception, 7.30pm screening. Spanish with Greek subtitles. Free. Tel: 22-445332