Daily Archives: June 6, 2012

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E-cigs unnecessarily getting a bad rap

We were pleased to see your article on the use of electronic cigarettes. At E-Lites, we believe it’s important that smokers are made aware of all the options that are available, so they can make an informed decision on their lifestyle.

However, there are still a number of misconceptions about these relatively new but increasingly popular products. 

In terms of regulation, UK-based E-Lites electronic cigarettes are regulated under UK law and enforcement of this regulation lies with Trading Standards, National Measurement Office and The Home Office.

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First lifer out on parole

 

AFTER spending 26 years in jail for killing two people, Andreas Aristodimou, aka Yiouroukkis, yesterday became the first lifer to be released on parole.

“We are convinced that the applicant deserves a second chance to start again and reintegrate into society, an event that would help him and his family and also send the right messages to convicts and society in general,” the parole board said in its 16-page decision.

Yiouroukkis, the longest-serving convict in Nicosia’s Central Prison, had been sentenced to life in prison at the age of 24 for killing Maria Teloni and Artin Bahadourian.

In a brief interview at his home with state broadcaster CyBC, an emotional Yiouroukkis thanked the parole board, the state and society for affording him a second chance.

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Our View: All roads should not lead back to the Cyprus issue during presidency

YESTERDAY President Demetris Christofias was quoted as saying that Cyprus would not use its position as President of the European Council to promote national positions.

In an interview with the Turkish Policy Quarterly he said: “We will implement the decisions of the EU in relation to the candidate countries, including Turkey, with objectivity and neutrality, as proponents of the Council’s common positions. We hope that Ankara will respond in good faith and understand our sincere intentions.”

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End is nigh for Qatar deal

OPPOSITION MPs yesterday accused the administration of sheer incompetence, after Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly told them that a touted multi-million Qatari investment in Nicosia may have fallen by the wayside.

“It would seem that the investment in question may likely not go ahead, for various reasons,” Shiarly informed members of the House Watchdog Committee, who had requested an update.

Back in November 2008 Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company and the government signed an MoU to conduct feasibility studies and land evaluation for the project, located on a prime site opposite the Hilton hotel. 

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Measures to rein in deficit

THE government said yesterday it will take measures to rein in the deficit – without however saddling common people with the burden – amid an ongoing spat with the opposition over the economy.

Deputy government spokesman Christos Christophides also stressed that if Cyprus resorted to the EU support mechanism it would not be over its deficit but it would be to support the banking system.

Christophides said the government will put measures in place to tackle the deviation from the 2.5 per cent deficit target but they “must not follow the logic of continuous cuts and brutal austerity, which will lead to a vicious cycle of recession. The measures will give prospects of growth to the Cypriot economy.”

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‘EAC cannot expect to maintain profit margins’

IT IS inconceivable that in the midst of the financial squeeze the Electricity Authority (EAC) should seek to maintain its profit margins at pre-Mari levels, an official from the energy regulator said yesterday.

Constandinos Eliopoulos, vice-chairman of the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority (CERA), called on the electricity utility to exercise some “self restraint.”

In the middle of a financial crisis, the EAC should not “insist” on its 2010 profits which were of the order of €100 million, he said.

Eliopoulos was speaking at the House Commerce Committee which discussed the financial burden on small businesses and industry as a result of the high cost of electricity in Cyprus.

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BoC going it alone in the UK

BANK OF Cyprus UK is informing some 50,000 British savers that it is restructuring its business to bring their accounts under the wing of the British depositor protection scheme.

In an announcement posted on its website, the Bank of Cyprus (BoC) said its proposal to transfer its UK banking business to a UK subsidiary has been agreed in principle by the UK’s Financial Services Authority.

“We propose to transfer the banking business currently carried out by Bank of Cyprus Public Company Limited through its UK branch to Bank of Cyprus Advances Limited, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of Cyprus Public Company Limited. This subsidiary will be renamed Bank of Cyprus UK Limited,” the bank said.

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EU negotiations on budget will be ‘highly complex’

CYPRUS WILL act as an honest broker during negotiations on the EU’s long-term budget but it won’t abandon its national interest, specifically, the €510 million shortfall in funds earmarked for Cyprus in the next seven-year budget, said Deputy Minister for European Affairs Andreas Mavroyiannis yesterday. 

The Cypriot deputy minister said chairing negotiations on the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the period 2014-2020 will be the “biggest issue” Cyprus will have to face during its upcoming six-month Presidency of the EU Council. 

Negotiations on the EU budget are highly “complex” and “sensitive”, particularly during the current economic crisis, with each member state and EU institution determined to fight its corner, he said. 

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Paphos community seeks justice for murder victim

FRIENDS and colleagues of murder victim Ivan Krastev, 33, have joined forces with the Bulgarian community, vowing to campaign until his killer is brought to justice. 

Krastev supporters organised a peaceful protest in the harbour in Paphos on Sunday and have already collected more than 200 signatures.

The murdered Bulgarian national, was shot in the chest on his doorstep in Tala village in Paphos at around 7.30am on February 8.

Neophytos Constantinou, a retired policeman in his mid-sixties, was the only suspect for the premeditated murder.

The victim’s fiancée Tasoula Constantinou, is the retired policeman’s former daughter-in-law.

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Christofias: we’ll be objective on Turkey during presidency

CYPRUS IS “absolutely ready” to continue peace talks during its EU Presidency, said President Demetris Christofias, adding that the return of the fenced-off part of Famagusta – Varosha- could give momentum to the process.  

In an interview with the Turkish Policy Quarterly, Christofias highlighted that Cyprus’ EU Presidency was independent of any peace efforts underway. 

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