By Angelos Anastasiou

Companies within Russia’s energy industry should take advantage of Cyprus’ existing and potential opportunities relating to natural gas infrastructural projects, Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis said on Friday.

Lakkotrypis was speaking on President Nicos Anastasiades’ behalf at the Russian-Cypriot Business and Investment Forum, which was held in Limassol.

In his speech, the energy minister noted that Cyprus was at a critical juncture with regard to both its economic recovery and the strengthening of its cooperation with Russia.

He referred to Anastasiades’ recent visit to Moscow, which “reaffirmed the political, commercial, cultural, and religious ties between the two countries and their people”, and offered a brief overview of the current economic climate on the island.

“Two years after the 2013 decisions, Cyprus has turned the page, and its economy is on the way to a full recovery,” he said.

“The financial sector has been restructured and recapitalised, and our financial institutions have passed the stress-tests. Fiscal deficits have been addressed and important reform is underway.”

Lakkotrypis added that the country’s progress has been acknowledged by its foreign creditors, and reflected in its sovereign 10-year bond yields, which stood on Thursday at 3.95 per cent, a four-year low, compared with 16.4 per cent from two years ago.

The Forum, Lakkotrypis said, came at a time when Cyprus was preparing to announce the monetisation of its Aphrodite natural gas field, which “marks the first time that Cyprus will move from the research stage to the stage of exploiting its natural resources”.

“Using its exceptionally good long-term relations with neighbouring countries, geostrategic location, friendly business environment, stable investment climate, and its favourable tax system, Cyprus is well on the way to becoming a regional energy hub, by attracting companies from every step of the hydrocarbon exploitation chain,” he said.

In this context, the minister argued, Cyprus could be a valuable partner to the Russian energy industry with regard to taking advantage of existing, as well as potential, opportunities in creating natural gas pipelines and infrastructure.

Russian ambassador Stanislav Osadchiy noted that negotiations between Russia and Cyprus’ leaders in Moscow were very successful and reaffirmed their goal of further strengthening their relations.

“One of the areas of cooperation is economic activity and the development of this cooperation,” he said.

Russian deputy minister for economic development Nikolay Podguzov expressed the belief that the Forum would create new business opportunities for companies from both countries.

He argued that the investment sector was an important pillar in the cooperation between the two states, noting that total Cypriot investments in Russia add up to over $200 billion, while Russian investments in Cyprus total almost $170 billion.

Podguzov thanked the government of Cyprus for its stance on European Union sanctions against Russia, which he described as “a means not conducive to fruitful cooperation”.

By Maria Gregoriou

LARNACA, Limassol, Paphos and Nicosia are gearing up to being at the centre of an upcoming festival which will pattern public spaces with temporary inflatable installations and host a number of artistic events and activities.

The aim of such an event? To activate urban spaces and transform them into lively and creative hubs which encourage citizen participation and provide a place where communities can come together.

The festival, under the name FouskoPolis (Inflated City), is organised by the NGO Urban Gorillas with the Architecture Research Centre (ARC) of the University of Nicosia, Dendros Ltd and Plastique Fantastique Berlin.

As a result, inflatable installations will be at Larnaca Castle Tuesday to Wednesday, at Limassol Castle Friday to Saturday, at Paphos Castle from March 31 until April 1 and in Nicosia at the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation on April 4. They have been created after the Urban Gorillas put out an open call at the start of the year.

The NGO has shown us city slickers some very unique inflatable installations in the past, but this is their most ambitious project to date.

All those engaged in putting the festival together invite the public and passersby to get involved and experience their city from a new perspective. The festival will also include lots of free entertainment.

As described by the Urban Gorillas Creative Director Veronika Antoniou, “through our successful open call we have built a colourful programme of artistic and community activities within and around the inflatables in each location, and look forward to the public’s interaction and responses to the work.”

The programme of activities includes a diverse range of actions from dance performances and installations to interactive games, drumming, storytelling, a skateboarding event, yoga and even musical workshops for the under-fives and infants.

There will be photography on display, projections, screenings and a series of urban furniture installations as well as workshops, roundtable discussions, and a chance to experience the food and culture of a host of minority groups living in Cyprus from all over the Middle East, Far East and Africa.

Antoniou expressed the NGO’s excitement at reaching the stage where planning becomes a hands-on reality.

“This has been a truly grassroots effort all the way, starting from workshops last autumn to design and build the inflatables, to now stepping out into underutilised public spaces and engaging the wider public, which is at the heart of what this project is all about.

“With the installations and actions being temporary and ephemeral, we hope to reach as many people as possible in each location, and leave positive energy behind after departing from each site.”

To view a full programme of events and times, visit the event’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/442946719193644/.

FouskoPolis Festival
A festival with temporary architectural inflatable installations, artistic events and activities.
March 24-25: Larnaca Castle
March 27-28: Limassol Castle
March 31 until April 1: Paphos Castle
April 4: Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, Nicosia
Different times. Free. Email: communications.urban.gorillas@gmail.com

The health services on Friday recalled raisins that could cause an allergic reaction.

On the raisins, packed in small plastic bags, labelled Edesmata Chr. Chrysanthou (Kakopetria) with expiration date February 28, 2016, sulphur dioxide was found that could cause an allergic reaction.

The health ministry said it was recalling the product since the ingredients were not printed on the label.

The company that packs and distributes the raisins has been notified and asked to withdraw the product from the market.

All those consumers that have already purchased the product are urged to return it to the point of sale, the health services said.

By George Psyllides

A Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) board member resigned on Friday saying the supervisor was dysfunctional and it had lost its credibility. He also spoke of political meddling and vested interests.

Stavros Zenios asked for the resignation of Central Bank Governor Chrystalla Georghadji and also blamed the president, the finance minister, and parliament, for the poor state of affairs at the supervisor.

“It is impossible for me to speak in public of renewal, modernisation, and transparency, and continue to serve an unreliable institution,” he said during a news conference.

“We have reached a dead end; at the moment I do not see a solution to the dead end,” he said, adding that those responsible must show courage and institutional changes must be brought about to strengthen the CBC.

Zenios, a professor at the University of Cyprus, is one of five non executive board members.

His resignation follows last week’s fracas over conflict of interest allegations concerning the CBC Governor whose estranged husband, a lawyer, was handling a case against the Resolution Authority (CBC).

Political parties and President Nicos Anastasiades have asked for her resignation but Chrystalla Georghadji refused to go. Parties also called for the board to step down.

Anastasiades has initiated legal procedures for her removal.

CBC executive Stelios Kiliarias has also tendered his resignation.

“Unfortunately, when the governor is doubted because of conflict of interest and clumsy management, it is extremely difficult for the Bank to do its job and win the trust of society and the state,” Zenios said. “The board indicated the dysfunction caused by the conflict of interest. Unfortunately, we were not heeded.”

Zenios said the Resolution Authority could not convene without the governor because of conflict of interest.

He said his resignation was also related with the involvement in the whole affair of law firms, and political and state officials.

Zenios also rejected criticism from the finance minister who charged the Resolution Authority with delays, forgetting that he participated in the Resolution Authority for months before the CBC board took over,

He said he was sad to resign from a position the president put him in.

“He is faced with a difficult situation caused by people he had trusted,” Zenios said. “The choices however, were clearly his. I am very sorry because under the circumstances I cannot be useful to the president of the country.”

Zenios said he had also proposed switching to a collegial form of management with an executive committee and full independence of the members.

The country cannot afford strikes especially when they are not justified, Communications, Works and Transport Minister Marios Demetriades said on Friday, after meeting the Limassol licensed porters who downed tools earlier in the week protesting the government’s refusal to allow more people in the profession.

After a three-day strike, the porters agreed to go back to work on Friday, while the porters’ association was invited to the ministry to discuss their grievances.

During the strike up to 2,000 containers had piled up at the port, and after pressure, porters had agreed to only load and unload sensitive cargo like fresh and frozen foodstuff.

“Work differences are being resolved at the negotiations table and not with strikes,” Demetriades said.

The bone of contention between the government and the porters was however, the compensation offered in exchange of their licences, since by the end of the year the port’s services are to be privatised.

The head of the Limassol porters’ association Nicos Constantinou had said members had debts accumulated from the purchase of the machinery used for loading and unloading cargo and that the government’s decision to recall their licences was putting them out of business.

“Next week there will be a new meeting for the final settlement of the issue, so that the government can smoothly proceed with the procurement process for the commercial activities of the Limassol port, a development which will add significant economic value to our country,” Demetriades said.

The strike angered both the Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEB) and the Chamber of Commerce (KEVE) arguing that it would cause a huge blow in the economy.

By Andria Kades

Designating halloumi as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product will benefit everyone on the island, Agriculture Minister Nicos Kouyialis said on Friday.

A PDO is designed to protect the names of regional foods and to ensure that only products originating in that region can be traded.

The product will be called halloumi / hellim and will be produced by both Greek and Turkish Cypriots in order to protect the country from foreign imitators. “We are securing a market that benefits everyone,” Kouyialis told Cyprus News Agency (CNA).

An announcement from the EU is expected shortly as the application is currently being translated to all European languages.

Regarding food safety controls, the minister said it is likely an independent organisation with an international presence will be hired that will conduct all tests throughout the island and ensure equal treatment for all producers.

He specified that France and Italy followed the same method and have 75 per cent of all PDO’s. “Whatever rules apply for France, Italy, Germany and all other EU countries that have PDO or PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) will apply for Cyprus. EU regulations cannot be implemented differently in Cyprus.”

Cyprus filed an application to the European Commission to grant halloumi a certificate of PDO in July. The Turkish Cypriots complained last year that they were not consulted on the process, filing five cases at the Supreme Court fearing that their producers would be disadvantaged.

Meanwhile the PDO application was also delayed as Greek Cypriot producers protested against a ministerial decision that halloumi should contain 51 per cent goat’s milk, citing it as unrealistic. Pressure on authorities mounted after a Briton of Cypriot descent received money from the EU to produce halloumi cheese in the UK.

Cyprus’ first theology school will open in September, Archbishop Chrysostomos said on Friday, assuring that despite the church’s financial woes his plan would go ahead.

The green light for the school was given by the Holy Synod, which met on Thursday.

Speaking to CyBC radio on Friday, the Archbishop said the school would accept students from all Orthodox patriarchies in the area, including the Patriarchy of Antioch in Syria and the Patriarchy of Alexandria in Egypt.

“The Archbishop of Moscow promised me that once the school is up and running he will send two students each year,” he said.

Asked to comment on the church’s financial troubles and whether it would affect the school, the Archbishops said: “We might have some financial troubles but the school will open as scheduled.”

The school will open in an area next to the Archbishopric in Nicosia.

THE GOVERNMENT has overturned a decision banning dolphinariums after a business proposal for Paralimni, it was reported on Friday.
In 1999 former President Glafcos Clerides issued a ban on importing cetaceans and creating dolphinaria – the only EU member state to do so.
Under the new system, the Minister of Agriculture Nicos Kouyialis will be able to examine applications on a case-by-case basis.
“We are completely opposed to this, especially taking into consideration the history of the matter,” Green Party spokeswoman Eleni Chrysostomou said, referring to a dolphinarium that operated in Ayia Napa during the 1990s past and was closed down after campaigns against the terrible conditions.
“Animals should not be used for profit. After the last dolphinarium closed down the government said they were committed to protecting animals. Why change now?” leader of Cyprus Voice for Animals Mary Anastasi said, answering her own question with the word “profit”.

By John Irish and Lesley Wroughton

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday talks with Iran had made genuine progress and the time had come to make hard decisions in reaching a deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was quoted by state news agency IRNA as saying there was “nothing that cannot be resolved” between the parties, who seek a deal by the end of June.

“In this round of talks, shared points of view emerged in some of the areas where there had been a difference of opinion, which can be a foundation for a final agreement,” Rouhani said.

Speaking after week-long negotiations with Iran in the Swiss city of Lausanne, Kerry said he would meet European counterparts in London to try to resolve remaining sticking points. He said talks will resume next week to see whether a deal was possible.

“We are not rushing … but we recognise that fundamental decisions have to be made now and they don’t get any easier as time goes by,” Kerry said. “It is time to make hard decisions.

The West suspects Iran of seeking the ability to produce nuclear weapons and the United Nations has imposed stringent economic sanctions on Tehran; Iran says its programme is intended only for peaceful purposes, such as medical technology and nuclear energy, and wants the swift lifting of sanctions.

The talks, called to solve a dispute that has at times threatened to push the Middle East to the brink of war, are set to resume on Thursday. Israel, which views the Iranian nuclear programme as an existential threat, views them with suspicion, fearing a deal allowing Tehran to retain nuclear potential.

“We have not yet reached the finish line but make no mistake we have the opportunity to try to get this right,” Kerry said. “It is a matter of political will and tough decision making.

Kerry said the P5+1 group – the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russi and China – would coordinate to reach an understanding on the major issues. As talks between Kerry and his Iranian counterpart broke on Friday after a week of negotiations, the sides appeared deadlocked over sensitive atomic research and lifting of sanctions.

“The stakes are high and the issues are complicated, highly technical, and all inter-related,” Kerry said.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said his country wanted an agreement that was sufficiently robust to guarantee Tehran could not acquire an atomic bomb.

REGIONAL DANGERS

France has been demanding more stringent restrictions on the Iranians under any deal than the other Western delegations and at one point during the talks Fabius phoned his team to ensure it made no more concessions, officials said.

US officials privately bristle at France’s outspoken criticism of aspects of the talks and against Washington’s strategy. Officials have expressed concerns that the French might block a deal.

“France wants an agreement, but a robust one that really guarantees that Iran can have access to civilian nuclear power, but not the atomic bomb,” Fabius told Europe 1 radio on Saturday.

While the talks have made progress over the past year, differences are still wide enough to potentially prevent a final deal by the end of June.

There was no breakthrough this week. Disagreements arose among the powers, with France insisting on a longer period of restrictions on Iran’s nuclear work. It also opposed the idea of suspending some UN sanctions relatively quickly if a deal is struck.

“If the accord is not sufficiently solid then regional countries would say it’s not serious enough, so we are also going to get the nuclear weapon, and that would lead to an extremely dangerous nuclear proliferation,” Fabius said.

By Daren Butler

Jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan said on Saturday his militant group’s three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state had become “unsustainable” but stopped short of declaring an immediate end to its armed struggle.

In a message relayed by Kurdish politicians to tens of thousands gathered in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) urged his militant group to hold a congress on laying down its weapons.

“This struggle of our 40-year-old movement, which has been filled with pain, has not gone to waste but at the same time has become unsustainable,” Ocalan said in the message, read out at a rally to mark the Kurdish “Newroz” New Year celebrations.

President Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister, launched talks with Ocalan in late 2012 to end an insurgency that has killed 40,000 people, ravaged the region’s economy and tarnished Turkey’s image abroad. Progress has been faltering since then, but Kurdish faith in Ocalan remains undiminished.

“History and our people are demanding from us a democratic solution and peace in line with the spirit of the age,” he said, calling for the congress to determine the PKK’s “political and social strategy in harmony with the spirit of the new period”.

Young men in green guerrilla outfits and women in brightly coloured dresses danced as patriotic Kurdish songs played over a sound system. Organizers claimed a million people attended, but there were no official figures from local authorities.

Large screens each side of a stage showed Ocalan’s face while many waved the flags of his militant group, deemed a terrorist organisation by Ankara, the United States and the European Union.

The mere display of Kurdish insignia, let alone an image of Ocalan, could have brought arrest and imprisonment less than a decade ago. It still enrages many nationalists.

“Kurds are using this day, Newroz, as an occasion to challenge the state,” Devlet Bahceli, leader of the nationalist MHP opposition, told a party congress, accusing the AKP and the PKK of “digging a pit for Turkey”.

“Those traitors who are throwing Turkey’s future to the fire will be burned in that fire … Don’t test our patience and our love of this nation.”

The peace efforts have also revealed tensions between Erdogan, who seeks executive powers as president but does not constitutionally have them, and the government.

In unusually direct criticism, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc accused Erdogan of being “emotional” and of meddling in government business after he said he did not agree with the establishment of a committee to monitor the peace process, a step agreed with Kurdish politicians.

“It is the government which is running the country,” he told reporters. “The president speaking like this, to the point of criticising our government, may wear out the government.”

ELECTIONS

At a “Newroz” event two years ago, Ocalan, jailed since 1999 on an island near Istanbul, declared a ceasefire and said it was “time for guns to fall silent”.

His fighters began withdrawing to Iraq two months later under a deal envisaging increased rights for Kurds, who make up around 20 percent of Turkey’s 78 million population.

The PKK halted withdrawal in September 2013, blaming government footdragging. The ceasefire has largely held but distrust runs deep, exacerbated by the perception among Kurds in Turkey that Ankara has done too little to support their brethren fighting against Islamic State militants in neighbouring Syria.

Tensions are also running high ahead of a June parliamentary election.

The PKK took up arms to carve out an independent Kurdish homeland in the southeast in 1984. Their now scaled-back demands include autonomy for local governments, Kurdish-language education and the overhaul of security-related laws.

By Evie Andreou
FOR RURAL areas, generating income is always a challenge, but a new project aims to promote regional local produce to boost sustainable development and profit.
Yioula Papakyriacou, director of the non-governmental-organisation Troodos Network of Thematic Centres, is spearheading a pilot project in the wine-producing villages which she believes can help boost community interaction, personal advancement and become profitable.
Steering away from the traditional grape juice products, like palouze and soudjoukko, villagers – mostly women – have participated in workshops on the healing properties of wine and were also taught how to make other products like soap made of wine.
“We might be the only country that manufactured wine soap; several participants have expressed the interest to do this on a professional level,” Papakyriacou said.
Based on the Triple Bottom Line sustainability framework (TBL), a business framework that incorporates three dimensions of performance – social, environmental and financial – the NGO undertook the training of people living in wine producing areas and elsewhere on how to sustainably make good use of their local products to generate income, a process which also helps strengthen community bonds.
Wine soap workshops were implemented as a way of getting people together and giving them another skill, which can be developed into a micro business.
“The acquisition of new skills also leads to a higher self-esteem and self-appreciation, as it empowers people, Papakyriacou said.
Learning new ways of promoting ones skills is also a way of attracting tourism in the area, she said.
The NGO have also organised a series of wine and gastronomy tours throughout the region so that visitors could taste the local delicacies and wines and walk around the village, visiting local businesses like coffee shops and restaurants.
Papakyriacou said that the NGO has a permanent workshop in Vouni which people can visit and learn more about the various workshops they organise.
In addition to wine, the NGO is planning workshops on the utilisation of roses, lavender and hazelnuts.
Staying true to the TBL philosophy, the NGO has also started the implementation of the three year Use Wine programme launched last October in Limassol, where ten partners from eight EU countries (Cyprus, France, UK, Portugal, Austria, Poland, Romania and Spain) have joined forces to deliver a sustainability proposition to the wine industry.
The idea is to train local wine producers to combine production with sustainability. According to the questionnaires the NGO received from local businesses, wine producers in Cyprus fall behind when it comes to environment friendly practices, but help is on the way.
“Through this project we are going to train wine producers to use various methods of generating energy like photovoltaics,” Papakyriacou said.
She added that workshops are expected to begin in October.

By Philip Pullella

Pope Francis called on members of organised crime to turn away from violence and exploitation and stop the “tears of the mothers of Naples” after he visited one of the city’s most violent and drug-infested neighbourhoods on Saturday.

Francis, on a day-long trip to the southern city, also spoke out against political corruption in a morning address to a crowd in the notorious Scampia neighbourhood, a stronghold of clans of the Camorra, the Naples version of the Sicilian mafia.

He was speaking in the shadow of a dilapidated sail boat-shaped housing project known as Le Vele, so dangerous that even police are sometimes afraid to enter, residents say.

He urged residents of the blighted area, which has often been the battleground of Camorra clans fighting each other for control of drug trafficking and extortion rackets, not too let criminals rob them of their hope.

Later at a Mass in the city centre, Francis urged Neapolitans to “react firmly to organisations that exploit and corrupt young people, that exploit the poor and the weak with cynical drug trafficking and other crimes”.

He added: “To the criminals and all their accomplices, I, today, humbly and as a brother, repeat: convert yourselves to love and justice. It is possible to return to honesty. The tears of the mothers of Naples are asking this of you.”

Since his election two years ago, Francis – who renounced the spacious papal apartments used by his predecessors and lives in a small apartment in a Vatican guest house – has made the defence of the poor and weakest members of society a key plank of his papacy.

He has also said members of organised crime excommunicate themselves from the Church and that it would welcome them back if they repent.

In Scampia, where drugs are sold openly and youth unemployment is more than 40 per cent, Francis listened to a Filipino immigrant woman and an unemployed Italian man tell of their difficulties and a magistrate speak of “juvenile delinquency, desperation and death” in Naples.

The pope defended immigrants, saying they could not be considered “second-class human beings”. He called for just wages for workers, and railed against corruption in public life.

“How much corruption there is in the world! I hope you have the courage … to clean up the city and clean up society so that there is no longer that stink of corruption,” he said.

Francis was speaking a day after Italy’s transport minister, Maurizio Lupi, stepped down over a graft inquiry involving public works contracts. Lupi has denied any wrongdoing.

The pope also drew cheers from the crowd when he said “May the Madonna accompany you” in the Neapolitan dialect.

By Constantinos Psillides
A ROUND-TABLE discussion on tackling trafficking held at the EU Representation offices in Nicosia this week took a turn for the unexpected, after DISY MP Rikkos Mappourides admitted he had paid for sex and argued in favour of legalising prostitution.
“Let him who is without sin cast the first stone. All or almost all men have at some point in their lives paid for sexual services,” said the DISY MP according to press reports on Saturday. “My personal experience as a customer is that people should be very careful so as to make sure that the conditions under which the service is offered doesn’t constitute exploitation. The only way to battle sex trafficking is to regulate prostitution.”
He added that effective legislation is also needed to punish people who pay for sex while fully knowing that the women are victims of trafficking.
Mappourides’ comments draw the ire of the rest of the panel members. Josie Christodoulou, head of the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies said that she was “saddened” by Mappourides’ suggestion to legalise prostitution. Regarding a comment the MP made on women providing “sexual companionship”, Christodoulou responded that this was romanticising a form of violence.
“It is our belief that it is the clients, not the women that should be held accountable. Under no circumstance is the person paying for sexual services on an equal footing with the woman. The client is always is always in a place of authority and he can use, take advantage of or even rape these women,” said Christodoulou.
Regulating prostitution in Cyprus has always been a major headache for authorities. For years prostitution was legal. What was illegal was profiting from it. The outdated legislation was amended in 2014 to introduce a clause stipulating that the client could also be charged, “if he has reasonable suspicion that the woman was a victim of trafficking.”
The vague legislation has been criticised for its lack of effectiveness, with the police arguing that making such a case is extremely difficult.

FINANCE Minister Harris Georgiades said on Saturday he was hopeful of a final settlement regarding the foreclosures law, saying that April 2 should be the date for a new beginning.
On Thursday, the parliament plenum unanimously suspended a law on foreclosures of mortgaged property until April 2.
The foreclosures legislation is a crucial requirement of the island’s €10 billion bailout.
Five bills make up the insolvency legal framework, aimed at providing a safety net to vulnerable borrowers. That was the fourth suspension of the law, which has meant Cyprus` consolidation programme has been frozen since last September.
Invited to comment on MPs’ allegations that the delay in passing the insolvency framework is due to the continuous revision on the relevant bills by the government, Georgiades said he did not wish to get into that debate.
“I want to maintain a positive perspective that this issue will be regulated in a positive way in the next few weeks and I don’t wish to take part in a public blame game around this sensitive issue,” he said.
Asked whether April 2 could be considered a date for a new start, Georgiades replied that he hoped so.

Results from the Cyprus Football Championship on Saturday, March 21:

APOEL 2-2 Apollon
Ermis 0-4 AEK
Othellos 0-2 New Salamina

With Saturday’s results, Apollon and APOEL remain first and second respectively, with Apollon at the top of the table with 52 points, one point behind defending champions.

By Ed Osmond

Ireland ruthlessly wore down Scotland in a commanding 40-10 victory at Murrayfield on Saturday that lifted them above Wales at the top of the Six Nations standings on points difference.

Ireland will win the title for the second year in a row unless England beat France by 26 points in the final match of the tournament at Twickenham later on Saturday.

“It just feels really awkward, you win in Murrayfield with a 30-point differential and nobody is celebrating,” Ireland coach Joe Schmidt told Irish television.

“We’ve got the dinner now and I’m going to try to switch away from it and not watch it, and someone will let me know and I’ll be either delighted or broken.

“It’s a bizarre feeling. To go back to back would be incredible but I think it would be merited by this group. Right here right now, we’d be desperate to get the right result coming up this evening.

“We just wanted to keep building, we wanted to stay dynamic and hopefully the points will look after themselves. I think the players did incredibly well.

“Some of the frustrations from last week came out today in the energy that was displayed and in some of the accuracy that was demonstrated as well.”

Ireland captain Paul O’Connell crashed over from close range to score an early try and flanker Sean O’Brien surged across the line to put the visitors 17-3 ahead.

But Scotland regrouped and flyhalf Finn Russell scampered over in the left corner to reduce the deficit to 20-10 at halftime.

Ireland dominated possession and were rewarded when centre Jared Payne scythed through the Scottish defence to touch down with Scotland in chaos.

Scottish hopes took another hit when prop Geoff Cross was sent to the sin-bin but Ireland flyhalf Jonny Sexton missed two straightforward penalties.

Sexton re-adjusted his radar, however, to extend the Irish lead to 33-10 and man-of-the-match O’Brien burrowed over from close range seven minutes from time.

Scotland fullback Stuart Hogg failed to ground the ball over the line under heavy pressure from Jamie Heaslip and although Ian Madigan missed a late penalty to extend the lead, Ireland were left to celebrate their record victory at Murrayfield.

Scotland’s fifth successive defeat in the tournament left them bottom of the Six Nations standings after another depressing campaign.

By Michael Hann

Manchester City kept their slim title hopes alive thanks to a 3-0 win against 10-man West Bromwich Albion but Arsenal remain hot on their heels after a 2-1 victory against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday.

Much-maligned after their Champions League exit in Barcelona on Wednesday and a league defeat by Burnley last week, City were helped by a bizarre refereeing decision in the second minute in which West Brom’s Gareth McAuley was sent off instead of Craig Dawson in a case of mistaken identity.

Wilfried Bony, who had been hauled down by Dawson, later scored his first goal for City for whom Fernando and David Silva were also on target to give Manuel Pellegrini victory in his 100th game in charge of the club.

Second-placed City have 61 points from 30 matches, three behind leaders Chelsea, who have a two games in hand over their title rivals and play Hull City on Sunday.

“I think it was a very good performance,” Pellegrini told BT Sport. “Today we were very concentrated defensively to not allow them to score and after that we created a lot of chances.

“I think that the only thing we must do is try and win the next game.”

IN-FORM ARSENAL

Arsenal, knocked out of the Champions League by AS Monaco on Tuesday, remain one-point behind City, however, after victory against Newcastle at St James’ Park means the Gunners have now won their last six league matches.

Olivier Giroud struck twice in four minutes in the first half but they spent much of the second half on the backfoot after Moussa Sissoko pulled a goal back for Newcastle.

“We started well, on the front foot, we put the pace we wanted to into the game,” Giroud told BBC Sport. “The problem in the second half was we didn’t play, I don’t know why.

“It was a tough game but it is a really important win. Even though we are disappointed with the Champions League exit, we want to fight on until the end of the season.”

KANE TREBLE

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane celebrated his first senior England call up with a hat-trick as Spurs beat bottom side Leicester City 4-3 in a thrilling match at White Hart Lane.

Kane scored twice in the opening 13 minutes to give Spurs a two-goal advantage but goals from Jamie Vardy and Wes Morgan drew the visitors level.

Leicester striker David Nugent conceded a penalty that Kane converted before Jeff Schlupp scored an own goal. Nugent set up a nervy finish with a late consolation.

Sixth-placed Southampton stay above Spurs on goal difference after their 2-0 win at St Mary’s against struggling Burnley who remain in the bottom three.

Crystal Palace came from a goal down to beat Stoke City 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium, while Aston Villa’s recent resurgence came to end with a 1-0 home defeat against Swansea City.

New Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat takes his struggling side to West Ham United later on Saturday.

By Loucas Charalambous

FOR THE LAST two years the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) has been at the centre of many crazy and bizarre goings-on that, admittedly, do not come as a surprise in a country where all sense of measure has been lost and irrationality reigns supreme.

The question is whether ordinary citizens of this foolish state are in a position to properly evaluate the goings-on. Have they understood the facts and separated reality from the myths and demagoguery so they can identify who is actually responsible for the mess that is the CBC?

From March 2013 to March 2014, one of the main issues occupying our politicians, the media and public opinion were the actions of the then CBC governor, Panicos Demetriades. For a whole year all of Cyprus, with President Anastasiades at the forefront was talking about Demetriades and his real or imaginary responsibilities for the collapse of the banks.

Demetriades finally left his post on 11 April, 2014, collecting all the salaries and benefits he would have received until the end of his contract which had another three years to run, and Anastasiades appointed in his place the then Auditor-General Chrystalla Georghadji with the brief to sort out the mess. He also appointed – unconstitutionally, according to the former attorney-general Alecos Markides – two executive directors on a monthly salary of €10,000 each, supposedly to help the new governor ‘restore’ the prestige of the CBC.

Seven months later, in November 2014, there was a new political storm with Georghadji at the centre of it. I refer to the notorious issue of her contract. She had claimed that Anastasiades was aware of the higher salary (compared to what her predecessor was being paid) included in the contract, while he denied having any knowledge of the matter and publicly accused her of lying. The contract was subsequently changed, Anastasiades sacked one his senior associates at the presidential palace and the matter was considered closed.

A month had barely passed when an even bigger public row erupted, again with Georghadji at its centre.

This time the issue was the conflict of interest stemming from the participation of the governor’s daughter in the law office that represented, former Laiki boss Andreas Vgenopoulos. This issue was kept alive for months by the political parties, even though the daughter had left the law office in the meantime.

The blaze developed into an uncontrollable fire when one of the CBC’s executive directors – Stelios Kiliaris – added a few tonnes of petrol inside the legislature with his gossip-type revelations about the ‘red list’ of deputies’ NPLs and the alleged bribery of the deputy Attorney-General Rikkos Erotokritou by the law office representing legacy Laiki bank. The battle became a fully-fledged war as deputies, political parties, other members of the CBC board, journalists and lawyers joined in the exchanges.

I have no intention of entering this ludicrous war. All I can say, with some certainty, is that all this would not have happened – or at least the scale would have been greatly limited – if the politicians had not become mixed up in the dispute. I wonder what would have happened in any serious state if its politicians and parliament became so heavily involved in the affairs of the banking sector. At this rate, before long, deputies, who are behaving as if they were the bankers, will demand that banks are run by the legislature.

There is another issue that nobody has touched. All the protagonists – not in the legislature – of this sordid affair were appointed by the president – Georghadji, Kiliaris, Erotokritou and the members of the CBC board. If all or some are inadequate or incompetent, the responsibility is the president’s.

A president who is unable to select capable people for important state posts, with chaotic results for the country, is himself unsuitable for his job. Consequently, a big step for getting out of this unprecedented mess would be for the incompetent president to submit his resignation.

By Bejay Browne

PAPHOS’ YEAR in the cultural sun as European Capital of Culture in 2017 is set to shine brightly, an expert in the programme said this week.

“Paphos, slightly unexpectedly, but with the involvement of the locals, won the title and is now revealing itself after a tough time. It’s a small city of great potential,” said Neil Peterson, who was part of the team that ensured Liverpool’s nomination in 2008 and was brought in to give advice ahead of Paphos’ winning bid in 2013.

“The city’s assets can be developed and reconnected both physically and spiritually. I believe it can be one of the most interesting and successful capitals of culture, particularly given its natural assets, including the climate and the seaside.”

Peterson, whose successes include the ‘08 Volunteer Programme’ which has become the benchmark for European Capital of Culture volunteer programmes, now works for candidate cities and on programme development for successful cities. Current clients include Leicester (UK City of Culture candidate city), Ravenna (Italy 2019 European Capital of Culture candidate city) and Pilsen (2015 European Capital of Culture).

“I have been helping out with the bid in a number of ways, including how to connect with the tourism aspects and am currently in Paphos helping with advice on engaging volunteers,” he said.

Following his guest spot as the speaker of the ‘Dialogue with the volunteers of Pafos 2017’ this week, Peterson said that Paphos, as an existing tourist destination, must take advantage of its winning bid and connect local communities to the title.

With its tourist infrastructure already in place, Paphos should see that the Culture Capital title presents even more opportunities to encourage visitors to return. Cultural tourism is massive in Europe, he said.

“Now is the time to get the message across to the key tour operators that Paphos is not just a good and consistent destination, but also European capital of culture, this will make a difference. The season can be extended and the local tourism board should use Paphos as the ‘attack brand’ to reenergise Cyprus tourism as a whole.”

Peterson said he expects the tourist season will be extended as many cultural tourists will want to visit in the quieter periods.

But there are hurdles ahead.

“Like all European capital of cultures there are a tricky couple of years between winning the bid and really getting going but I’m quite taken by the amount of enthusiasm that is starting to build and some of the programme ideas which are emerging from the team,” he said.

“The title is quite a fluid beast and is different every year. After winning the bid it can be a roller-coaster ride, with people questioning why is all this money being spent on expensive salaries and we’re not seeing anything. You just have to go through that process. In fact you can guarantee there will be a real coming together of people, and when Europe turns its attention to Paphos in 2017, people are going to be very proud of the city.”

He emphasised the importance of volunteers and people power, saying that one of the differences between Paphos’ winning bid and Nicosia’s, for example, was the enthusiasm of the volunteers.

“There were a lot of active volunteers who were very pro the Paphos project and this is very important.

There is a general growth in event volunteering over the last decade or so; the Olympic Games is a good example of that,” he said.

Peterson added that volunteers most often become the ‘human face’ of the events, allowing visitors to connect with local people. Paphos’ ‘Welcome programme’ would also give residents the chance to rediscover Paphos and further spread the word.

Budget limitations are not necessarily a hindrance to the town’s success, as it can foster creativity. Peterson pointed to the concept of an ‘Open air factory’ – possible in Paphos’ warm climate – which found favour with the judges.

“The ability to deliver events in the open air makes staging costs lower here and I can see visitors will get quite a lot of programme for the money. There are some really exciting things being planned, it looks like a good mix,” he said.

He also noted that Paphos old town has real potential which is starting to emerge, with good quality restaurants and cool cafes and bars.

“It’s important for people to get behind the city and not be negative, they must get involved and support the title, and everyone needs to come together.”

By Alexia Evripidou

THERAPISTS HAVE long counselled physical exercise rather than prescription drugs as the first port of call in coping with stress, anxiety, anger and depression.

While they probably don’t have the 250-year-old self-defence tradition of Wing Chun Kung Fu in mind, perhaps they should.

According to its disciples, Wing Chun Kung Fu’s focus on channeling difficult energies into developing body, mind and spirit makes it an ideal remedy to a host of psychological afflictions far too many of us are far too familiar with.

Based on Chinese martial art, Wing Chun was originally developed for survival, self-defence and self-preservation rather than aesthetics, sport or exhibition. The aim of Wing Chun Kung Fu (WCKF) however is to develop physical, mental and spiritual awareness. It prides itself on its simple techniques that can be learnt within five to seven years by any one, irrespective of sex, age or fitness levels.

“In fact though, you never actually stop learning, it’s a life style,” says Sifu (master) and owner of Wing Chun Kung Fu Nicosia school, Nektarios Efthymiou.

Unlike other martial arts, Wing Chun is not a sport; it’s a street fighting system. It does not, however, require brute strength or a high level of fitness to learn or reap the benefits.

“I have children as young as five and adults over 60, everyone is equal here,” says 40-year-old Efthymiou whose school has over 100 active members.

“There are accountants, bankers and lawyers etc who spend all day in the office, coming here after work to exercise and forget their problems.”

Through training and sparring in a controlled and safe environment people can physicallly release the stresses of the day. Practitioners attend Efthymiou’s classes for different reasons: exercise, stress and anger management, self defence or just simple friendships.

Efthymiou works to toughen them up physically and mentally, so they can build up confidence, focus and calmness. With patience, perseverance, mental focus, listening skills and a good attitude (respect is paramount here), it’s said that every practitioner can learn to be devastatingly effective regardless of size, gender or age, whilst achieving self awareness and respect for the self and others.

Efthymiou’s road to Wing Chun came when he was 16 after an incident at a night club. He and a group of friends were attacked and some of them ended up in hospital. This spurred him on to learn self defence, specifically street fighting.

“I was never one who wanted to hit people, it was never my philosophy. However once I started Wing Chun, I realised I was doing it for me; to ground myself, irrespective if I would ever use it in reality or not,” he says. He’s now a gold belt, having successfully achieved all 10 belts and is currently training to become a Master.

Attending class every day of the working week became a way of life for Efthymiou. As well as fitness, it gave and still gives him confidence and perspective.

Efthymiou has gone on to open his school door to many angry and stressed individuals who, after throwing themselves into the martial art, no longer felt the aggressive urge to hurt others or themselves and learnt to manage their emotions.

The focus of the school is on discipline, respect and self confidence. Efthymiou also strongly encourages people to get involved not only for the mental benefits but for health reasons, “the exercise helps keep the doctors away”.

Wing Chun Kung Fu has long been associated with Bruce Lee

Avid Wing Chun practitioner and lawyer Elias Erakleous has attended Efthymiou’s school for eight years.
“Once I started, I became hooked,” he says. Erakleous makes time in his busy schedule to attend practise three to four times a week.

Classes are very intense. Focus is essential as kicks and punches are flying at you every single second you are sparring, not perhaps the easiest of challenges after a long stressful day at work.

Erakleous disagrees.

“You have to focus in order to block these attacks, which takes your mind away from anything that may have happened during the day. You have no choice; it relaxes you. You sweat, your body has worked and your mind has combined with your body to move it around. When you finish the class, you’re free from all your troubles.”

Erakleous’ most important learning though his training is the realistic danger of getting embroiled in physical combat with another. “Even someone seemingly weak can induce huge injuries.”

Erakleous explains how the focus required in learning to defend oneself in a controlled environment, makes people less hot headed and subsequently wanting to avoid conflicts in the ‘real world’.

“It helps people to think before they speak, control their temper, acknowledge dangerous situations and abstain from them, because you experience to a certain degree, what could happen. It’s kind of anger management I guess. It channels feelings,” he says.

Thirty-nine-year-old petrol station manager George Menelaou has been practising Wing Chun with Efthymiou for nine years. Following a car accident, he joined the school to improve his health. Like the others, he’s gained more than he had anticipated.

“Wing Chun is a combination of physical, mental and spiritual strength. To be able to stay calm in a difficult situation, you need mental and spiritual clarity. The more you learn, the more you want to learn,” he says.

It’s also helped Menelaou to grow physically stronger and escape the daily stresses of life. “It helps you shift perspective. Whereas once one might have suffered with impatience, the focus required with the intense one-on-one sparring contact forces the participants to focus on the present situation, leaving any other anxieties and worries at bay.”

Menelaou explains how he’s transferred the teachings of Wing Chun into daily life.

“You learn that with small steps and procedures, you can deal with bigger problems. Wing Chun is a simple system, with simple movements. A small woman can fend of a largely built and strong man using the simple steps. Taking small and deliberate steps to deal with life’s problems can give you confidence and a peace of mind.”

Wing Chun was devised by a nun during the Ching Dynasty who passed the teachings onto a young orphan girl named Wing Chun (meaning ‘hope for the future’). The practice was ultimately named after her. For many, Wing Chun is synonymous with the Hong Kong American martial artist and action film actor Bruce Lee. It’s suggested that the study of Wing Chun was the largest influence on Lee’s martial arts development. Lee began Wing Chun training in 1957 at 16 years old under teacher Yip Man. Man is known as being responsible for the global practice of Wing Chun. Man also taught William Cheung, now grandmaster of his lineage of Wing Chun, entitled Traditional Wing Chun (TWC). Cheung also heads the sanctioning body of TWC; the World Wing Chun Kung Fu Association.

Nektarios Efthymiou was taught and is still a student of one of the only three Wing Chun red belt masters in the world, Kypros Andreou. Andreou who brought WCKF to Cyprus in 1985 is also the founder of the Academy of Wing Chun in Cyprus, the only academy in Cyprus that is a branch of the WCKF association and teaches TWC, lead by the Grandmaster William Cheung. The academy was opened in 1985 by Andreou, who in 2000 encouraged the then 26-yearold Efthymiou to open his own branch of the academy. There are currently six schools in the Academy of Wing Chun Cyprus and its teachers often travel the world giving seminars on TWC.

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