news-cy.com

10/09/2023

Cassandra News Partnership is pleased to announce that
www.news-cy.com is returning
The bitch'n is coming back...

15/04/2021

It's not news ... but Bottle Bank in Paphos near the harbour want your opinions on "proper beer"...

Should we have some pride in ourselves?

Running this facebook thing for Bottle Bank in Paphos is always thirsty work - and involves a lot of thinking. As we are sure you know if you are in Cyprus, Bottle Bank Paphos is thankfully now reopened. Obviously, we have no idea when we will be able to see our friends from the UK... But back to the topic at hand.
We were discussing with Chris and Nina the best way of getting to come down to harbour to Bottle Bank, as thankfully we're not just a tourist bar, but like all small businesses we've been hit pretty hard this year by the restrictions.

I have suggested that we should get some " " like , or a good , if people are interested.

Sadly, being , we will probably have to start by using cans or bottles... but having just had one with my dinner, I can confirm that it is still got the true .

So, if you are an , living in Paphos, we want to know:

1. Do you prefer to drink IPA, Bitter or are you happy with the normal lagers which we have here in Cyprus?
2. Would you be likely to visit Bottle Bank if we served a good IPA or UK style ?
3. What price do you think sounds fair for a pint of UK Bitter or IPA served properly, in a friendly pub, here in Cyprus?
4. If we ordered a slab of 24 bottles of IPA or UK Bitter as an experiment, what day next week could you come down to help us "taste test" them (ok, let's not be fancy... sit around and drink them)

We would love to hear your thoughts!

09/04/2021

I am sorry to announced that today, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has died at age 99, peacefully this morning, at Windsor Castle.

Philip, born to the Greek royal family, whilst somewhat "gaff prone" in our modern age of political correctness, knew his duty, and has supported the Queen and the Commonwealth throughout his life as Royal Consort, as well as being extremely active in promoting environmental and social causes.

Protocol requires National flags across all Commonwealth nations be flown at half mast. Comment is being sort from Cyprus PIO.

24/03/2021

Update from news-cyprus.com via facebook whilst we get our main website back online after being hacked (clearly people don't like everything which we say). So this is going to be a bit of a long post... it might be a bit ranty...

** According to the EU, out of 69.5 million doses delivered, 18.5 Million of them have not been given out **

The UK and Israeli Governments acted fast, and made arrangements to vaccinate their people, and then got onto the job (more on that further in this post). Here in Cyprus, we decided to allow the EU to manage everything instead, and look how well that is going.

Reports are coming in that the EU are proposing export restrictions on sending vaccines to the UK and Israel (and other countries too) because they are doing too well. At the same time a quarter of the doses delivered to the EU are sat on a shelf, and have not been given to people, and our Governments spend their time arguing about this vaccine or that vaccine is safe enough to use, whilst insisting that even if they are not using it, that nobody else should have it.

And whilst our politicians in Europe are acting like children, let's all pretend that we don't buy some of the chemicals we need to make vaccines in the EU from the UK, and whilst we are at it, ignore the fact the UK and Israel both paid a lot more of the development costs up front for the vaccines which we in Europe are now using, as their Governments didn't just agree to "pre-order" in case a vaccine was approved, but instead paid for the development of the vaccines whether they worked or not. They took the risk and got on with the job whilst we did very little, other than talking about how bad things were in Israel and the UK.

*Update on UK travellers coming to Cyprus*

We have just been reading the latest UK Government announcements, and it is frankly shocking that they are not "front page" in all the press, as they should be the only thing on social media here in .

The UK has announced that it will be an offence, punishable with a £5,000 fine per person, for those in the UK to travel "on holiday" outside the UK, starting from Monday. This restriction will be in place at least until July 2021, and may well be extended further than that.

In reality, this means that those resting their hopes for the local economy on hundreds of thousands of "vaccinated UK citizens" all flocking to Cyprus, are misplaced. And lets be clear, there is no way that the UK Government will be minded to be a "good friend and neighbour" and seeing our economic plight, encourage and enable "holiday travel" of its citizens to Europe. It's not a vote winner.

*UK public opinion doesn't look good for us either... because of the !*

In the UK, according to public opinion polls, the view of those living in "blighty" about the EU, is increasingly hostile by the day. Recent polls have been showing an rapid increase in the intention of UK consumers to actively boycott EU goods and services with some polls showing over 30% of consumers stating that they are electing to refuse to buy products from the EU, and instead are "buying British" - even if doing so is more expensive.

This research into "buying intention" is not just words, as it is being further evidenced in actual sales data, with the pattern being evident from the content of supermarket baskets right across the UK, and all the way to car showrooms where, irrespective of the fact that most car "brands" make their range of cars at plants around the world, a large number of the perceived "European" car makers (Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Dacia, Fiat, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Renault, SEAT & Volkswagen) are showing worse UK figures for January and February 2021, than the sales figures of companies who have either heavily promoted that their are manufacturing vehicles in the UK (such as Nissan) or who are perceived as "UK brands".

This isn't to do with BREXIT import restrictions or additional costs on import, as cars from the EU "sold on the lot" today, are likely to have been imported to the UK during the end of last year. There is a lot of evidence which shows that importers of EU products to the UK "stockpiled" products, at the end of the year, to avoid any risk of being hit with tariffs if a deal was not agreed.

This is all about consumer behaviour, so whilst car sales in the UK are down across the board (as one would expect) compared to January and February 2020, when one looks on a like for like "segment by segment" basis, EU car sales are down by more than UK brands or "other" car segments.

*We are the merchants of our own failure*

It is time Cyprus wakes up, and realises that continuing to allow the EU to try to punish the UK for BREXIT is contrary to our national interest. Antagonising the UK, the major source income for our economy, is not something which benefits anyone on our Island, especially given that the daily security of those in the ROC, in a great part, depends in fact on the continued presence of the British troops in the SBA, and that it is the UK tourism £ which pays our existence.

If the EU decides to continue down the path it is going and start a vaccine war, it won't make the citizens of the UK and Israel think any better of us.

*Tell me it's not true! Time to face some facts!*

So let us now face facts, we are doing a rotten job on COVID vaccination, and our rules for allowing people coming from overseas to come to Cyprus are frankly, crazy and seem extremely discriminatory.

Israel and the UK are judged by the Cypriot Government to be on the "Grey" list, which means that travel from those countries requires special permission. People travelling from grey list countries have strict rules about quarantine, with mandatory self-isolation or mandatory quarantine for a period of 14 days, or 10 days with a test at the end.

This is a lot longer than the 3 days for countries in the Red list...

But this really makes very little sense. The UK and Israel are both doing a much better job of vaccinations than the EU, and both are doing much better than us when you look at their infection rates (irrespective of their Governments are going to allow their people to visit).

Whether we want to believe the stories from our politicians about their vaccines not being "safe" (which is why the EU is sitting on a great big pile of them, and not using them, whilst complaining that Israel and the UK are not giving us their vaccines) ... the rate of cases in these countries per 100,000 people is less than it is here.

*Just how bad are things around the world in cases per 100,000 over 7 days?*

- 57 (grey list)
- 91 (grey list)
- 297 (here)
- 797 (on the red list - so they can actually come here with only 3 days quarantine)

So to summarise:
1. UK makers are not coming, as the UK government is making it an offence to go on holiday.
2. Things are much worse here in Cyprus than in the UK or Israel.
3. If UK and holiday makers could come, they would be disgusted (and therefore probably wouldn't want to come) if they knew that we had less onerous restrictions on countries where things are up to 17 times worse than they are in their countries!
4. Things here are not going to get better quickly, either economically or health wise, as we only do about 2000 vaccines per day at the moment (UK is doing 600,000 every day and has given at least 1 shot to 53% of adults, and Israel has already given enough vaccines to give 1 shot to the entire population).

So let's all pat ourselves on the back... say what a good job our nation is doing and blame the British (and the Israeli's) for not coming to save our economy.

But please, let's blame them quietly and hope they don't realise that we have been discriminating against them or what we as a nation have been saying about them for the past year.

All we can hope that their Government and people don't hold grudges about our Government supporting nobodies, who blame those nations who are doing a good job for their citizens for EU mistakes.

And whilst we are at it, we can pray their Governments are stupid enough that they allow their citizens to come and visit our Island paradise, because things here are (objectively) much worse than there, we are doing a really bad job, but whatever the facts, we really *do* need all those Israeli's and British to still decide to come , to save our economy and whilst they are at it, maybe teach us how to vaccinate the nation.

17/12/2020

Editor, commentator, jazz singer, digital marketing consultant.

14/12/2020

Deeyah Khan, a music producer and documentary filmmaker, talks on kaleid'HER'scope about her first documentary 'Banaz: A Love Story' and the need for women's stories to be heard.

10/12/2020

Ο Όμιλος εταιρειών Λεπτός ανακοινώνει μία σημαντική εξέλιξη για τον τομέα ανάπτυξης γης και κατασ...

10/12/2020

Το μέτρο για τον εκκλησιασμό είναι υπερβολικό και η Κυβέρνηση θα πρέπει να αναθεωρήσει την απόφασ...

11/11/2020

Dear readers, our website has been hacked and we are dealing with this issue at the moment.

23/10/2020

Reported in CNA (Cyprus News Agency)Face masks must be worn outside at all times, the Cabinet decided on Thursday. Moreover, stricter measures apply in all

27/09/2020

Boris Johnson reintroduces work from home guidance as curfew is placed on pubs and restaurants

In the battle against coronavirus, PM Boris Johnson has announced a raft of new Covid-19 rules for England that could last up to six months.

Shop staff will now have to wear face masks and weddings will be limited to 15 people.

Boris Johnson reintroduces work from home guidance as curfew is placed on pubs and restaurantsIn the battle against coronavirus, PM Boris Johnson has annou

27/09/2020

Politicians have remained silent over the art teacher whose paintings have caused controversy because they do not want to lose votes, Archbishop Chrysostomos said on Sunday.

Speaking after leading the service at a church in Paphos, he also said the education ministry should take the matter more seriously as the man in question has “no place in education and he should go”.

Politicians have remained silent over the art teacher whose paintings have caused controversy because they do not want to lose votes, Archbishop Chrysostomos sa

21/09/2020

19/09/2020

Cheap excitement is overrated. I mean too much of coffee, horror movies and spontaneous shopping. I, personally, am keen to have a calm, quiet life, avoiding the rush of adrenaline and emotions.

But. The Lockdown has taught us that the opportunities are not just out there, like things on the shelf, always available. So we should be aware of the opportunity when it comes and go for it.

Cheap excitement is overrated. I mean too much of coffee, horror movies and spontaneous shopping. I, personally, am keen to have a calm, quiet life, avoiding th

19/09/2020

Reported on CNA

Cypriots endured one of the strictest lockdowns worldwide, requiring permission to leave the house along with a curfew but some are nostalgic for some aspects of the period between March and May.

The main positives Cypriots cite from the lockdown were the lack of noise at night, reduced traffic jams and not wasting as much money.

Reported on CNACypriots endured one of the strictest lockdowns worldwide, requiring permission to leave the house along with a curfew but some are nostalgic

19/09/2020

How many times have you been told we live in testing times this year? Now, late September, it is strictly true. Our Cult leaders, fearful that our boredom threshold has been reached and their fear-induced power is waining have initiated Project Fear 2.

How many times have you been told we live in testing times this year? Now, late September, it is strictly true. Our Cult leaders, fearful that our boredom thres

19/09/2020

One of the biggest parts of Cypriot economy is real estate, and short and long term rents out. The way this particular business plays out does change the quality of life on the island and affects the value of the investment.

This is a true story which took place in Paphos 2019, all names are changed.

One of the biggest parts of Cypriot economy is real estate, and short and long term rents out. The way this particular business plays out does change the qualit

19/09/2020

A 40-year-old policeman who has served a six month sentence for child po*******hy was recently released and went back to the service, Philenews reported on Thursday.

And the shocking reason behind his return to the force is that no disciplinary committee could be set up to look into the case because of the covid-19 pandemic, the report also said.

A 40-year-old policeman who has served a six month sentence for child po*******hy was recently released and went back to the service, Philenews reported on Thur

19/09/2020

The chief rabbi of Cyprus Arie Zeev Raskin has weighed up the kosher slaughter debate and the proposal to boost Cyprus’ economy with export of the meat to Israel.

A law amendment allowing the slaughter of goats and sheep according to Jewish dietary laws for meat exports to Israel was tabled to parliament for a vote.

The chief rabbi of Cyprus Arie Zeev Raskin has weighed up the kosher slaughter debate and the proposal to boost Cyprus’ economy with export of the meat to Isr

19/09/2020

Russia's sovereign wealth fund has agreed to supply 100 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik-V, to Indian drug company Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, the fund said on Wednesday, as Moscow speeds up plans to distribute its shot abroad.

Russia's sovereign wealth fund has agreed to supply 100 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik-V, to Indian drug company Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, t

19/09/2020

Women from Greece and Turkey have made a call for peace in the face of escalating tensions between the two countries in the Eastern Mediterraenan. Initiated by women's rights activist Gülseren Onanç, the joint declaration entitled "A Call for Peace" has been signed by 350 women.

Women from Greece and Turkey have made a call for peace in the face of escalating tensions between the two countries in the Eastern Mediterraenan. Initiate

19/09/2020

As time ticks down in the negotiations between Britain and the European Union, Boris Johnson may be about to throw a major spanner in the works by seeking to override parts of the Brexit withdrawal deal.

Parts

As time ticks down in the negotiations between Britain and the European Union, Boris Johnson may be about to throw a major spanner in the works by seeking to ov

19/09/2020

New Gesy system aims to upgrade Healthcare?

Director of Gesy operator HIO Andreas Papaconstantinou on Tuesday called on the deputy head of the Paphos general hospital’s cardiology clinic to resign after he criticised the general health scheme for not delivering what it had promised.

New Gesy system aims to upgrade Healthcare?Director of Gesy operator HIO Andreas Papaconstantinou on Tuesday called on the deputy head of the Paphos general

19/09/2020

Britain “can now move forward as one country”, putting an end to years of “argument and division” while “building a strong new relationship with the EU as friends and sovereign equals”.

Back in January, Boris Johnson was all smiles as he put pen to paper on the Brexit withdrawal agreement. But fast-forward nine months and that optimistic tone has aged like a glass of milk.

Britain “can now move forward as one country”, putting an end to years of “argument and division” while “building a strong new relationship with the E

19/09/2020

People talk about free markets but there is no such thing. Honestly, if you are in business you may have done a PESTEL analysis to test your vulnerability to some well known effects. They are Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal. We have seen how social media is now very powerful and your business can be a beneficiary or a victim.

People talk about free markets but there is no such thing. Honestly, if you are in business you may have done a PESTEL analysis to test your vulnerability to so

19/09/2020

Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides sought to strike an upbeat note on Monday, saying that economic output is forecast to shrink by about 7 percent this year, while the public debt – though inflated – can be managed.

Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides sought to strike an upbeat note on Monday, saying that economic output is forecast to shrink by about 7 percent this year

19/09/2020

Revolution of the Mind Series

September 12, 2020

My thought of the day...

The Anastasiades government with a circle of political plotters are sharpening their knives and tongues to oust Mr Odysseas Michaelides the honourable Auditor General. Authorized and protected by the Cyprus Constitution, thankfully he remains steadfast and firm against all political attacks.

Revolution of the Mind SeriesSeptember 12, 2020My thought of the day...The Anastasiades government with a circle of political plotters are sharpenin

15/09/2020

New Gesy system aims to upgrade Healthcare?News-Cyprus: A Reader's Appeal for Justice:I have been a registered nurse initially in the UK and now I am a

14/09/2020

The Anastasiades government with a circle of political plotters are sharpening their knives and tongues to oust Mr Odysseas Michaelides the honourable Auditor General. Authorized and protected by the Cyprus Constitution, thankfully he remains steadfast and firm against all political attacks.
For sure Odysseas will fight for Justice and transparency but unfortunately, in countries like Cyprus, “where there is no Justice, there exists no injustice or crime,” the rogues go free and dance on the graves of the innocent!

Revolution of the Mind SeriesSeptember 12, 2020My thought of the day...The Anastasiades government with a circle of political plotters are sharpenin

13/09/2020

If you have ever visited Seoul you will know that as you fly into the airport you are landing at one of the most targeted airfields on the planet. You can see the defensive gun emplacements as your aircraft taxis to the terminal building. I was fortunate to be met by a driver who had a very sticking resemblance to Oddjob in the Bond film, Goldfinger.

If you have ever visited Seoul you will know that as you fly into the airport you are landing at one of the most targeted airfields on the planet. You can see t

13/09/2020

The UK government has abandoned the awarding of A-level and GCSE results in England based on computer modelling, in favour of teacher-assessed grades. But the decision may create a new set of problems.

As anger erupted following the release of A-level grades last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted that the results were “robust”, “good” and “dependable for employers”.

The UK government has abandoned the awarding of A-level and GCSE results in England based on computer modelling, in favour of teacher-assessed grades. But the d

13/09/2020

Epidemiological risk assessment of countries concerning COVID-19, dated 01/09/2020

The epidemiological picture of various countries with regard to the COVID-19 disease has been re-evaluated by the Epidemiological Monitoring and Control of Infectious Diseases Unit of the Medical Services and the Public Health Services.

Epidemiological risk assessment of countries concerning COVID-19, dated 01/09/2020The epidemiological picture of various countries with regard to the COVID-

13/09/2020

Maximum number of persons at cultural and political events

Following many requests by organized groups and agencies concerning the organizing of cultural and/or political events in outdoor spaces, the Ministry of Health would like to inform the public that the holding of cultural events (theatre, music and dance performances, visual exhibitions, etc.)

Maximum number of persons at cultural and political eventsFollowing many requests by organized groups and agencies concerning the organizing of cultural and

13/09/2020

James Bond fans are being forced to wait months for the next film due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

No Time to Die, the highly anticipated new outing, was pushed back seven months last week, and will now come out in the UK on 12 November and in the US on 25 November.

James Bond fans are being forced to wait months for the next film due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.No Time to Die, the highly anticipated new outing,

13/09/2020

President Donald Trump demanded that a reporter remove his face mask in the middle of a question at a White House press briefing on Monday — but the journalist refused.

“You’re going to have to take that off. Just take it off,” said Trump as he pointed to the mask worn by Jeff Mason, White House correspondent for Reuters.

President Donald Trump demanded that a reporter remove his face mask in the middle of a question at a White House press briefing on Monday — but the

13/09/2020

Press conference – 3 September 2020

In the context of the instructions by the President of the Republic and the constant review procedure for measures taken to address the crisis on account of the pandemic, with a view to supporting both the workers who have lost their employment or full employment as well as their enterprises, the functioning of which has been affected by the impact of

Press conference – 3 September 2020In the context of the instructions by the President of the Republic and the constant review procedure for measures take

13/09/2020

A total of €270 million will be allocated between 2021–2027 in support of entrepreneurship, industry and energy saving schemes, Minister of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism Natasa Pilides has said.

A total of €270 million will be allocated between 2021–2027 in support of entrepreneurship, industry and energy saving schemes, Minister of Energy, Commerce

13/09/2020

Min. Foreign Affairs- Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus and Russia, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, and, Mr Sergey Lavrov, inaugurate the Photo Exhibition of the Press and Information Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs titled: 60 Years Diplomatic Relations between Cyprus and Russia.

Min. Foreign Affairs- Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus and Russia, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, and

13/09/2020

What do I know? Nothing for certain but almost certainly more than nothing. I do know how to read statistics but I may not know how to interpret them. I do know why. It is because everything we think we know depends on the route by which, we think, we came to know it. As Einstein demonstrated, everything is relative.

What do I know? Nothing for certain but almost certainly more than nothing. I do know how to read statistics but I may not know how to interpret them. I do know

13/09/2020

I wish to extend a very warm welcome to the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Malta, my dear friend Evarist Bartolo, and the members of his delegation.

I wish to extend a very warm welcome to the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Malta, my dear friend Evarist Bartolo, and the members of his delegatio