HOPES RISE THAT SOLDIERS WITH UK UNIVERSITY PLACES CAN START THIS MONTH

 Cyprus Mail 3 September 2020 - by Annette Chrysostomou

File photo of national guardsmen during an exercise

The defence ministry will decide what to do about male conscripts who face increased fees in the UK if they do not go to university until 2021 only after their exact numbers are known, defence ministry spokesman Christos Pieris said on Thursday.

The men will have to pay the higher tuition fees at UK universities because army service prevents them from starting their studies this year. In July, the UK announced that from September 2021 fees will increase substantially because of Brexit and all EU students will pay international fees instead of home fees.

Parents of the students previously said there are about 500 of them, but this includes both the ones who have already been accepted at a specific university, but deferred because of army service, and those who were only going to apply this year for a place next year.

The defence ministry is now going to find out exactly how many already had a university place.

“We are going to ask all to give us their letter of acceptance and then we will decide what to do. There may be a hundred or fifty, anyway far fewer than 500,” Pieris told the Cyprus Mail.

He explained a meeting to discuss possible measures was cut short on Wednesday in which President Nicos Anastasiades, members of the education ministry and the defence ministry took part after Anastasiades decided to determine the numbers first.

“They didn’t even discuss suggestions,” the spokesman explained. “So we don’t know if they might have to finish the army and will be given some money [to cover the increased fees] or whether they will be allowed to study now and do their service afterwards.”

This will be discussed at the next meeting which will likely be next week when the numbers are out, said Pieris.

If it is decided that the affected men can go to university now, it will leave them very little time to prepare as most English universities start at the end of September and Scottish ones even earlier.

The government announced in July students should discuss enrolling under current terms with the universities of their choice.

Though the education ministry was hoping to make a special agreement with the UK for all the roughly 500 young men concerned, the UK government said it was not in the position to make an exception for Cyprus, as it would discriminate against other EU countries.

At the time the parents asked for the students to be allowed to start studying this year and serve in the army afterwards but the defence ministry initially countered an exception could not be made for all of them, as 500 was too many a number for Cyprus’ small national guard to manage without.

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CORONAVIRUS - CABINET EXTENDS GOVERNMENT SUPPORT SCHEMES

 Cyprus Mail 3 September 2020 - by George Psyllides

The cabinet has decided to extend a number of programmes designed to mitigate the fallout of the coronavirus crisis until the end of October, Labour Minister Zeta Emilianidou said on Thursday.

The measures to support workers and businesses were announced on March 16 as the island was entering a period of restrictions designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Measures in place to support the hotel industry, which was hit hard were also extended until the end of October.

The schemes provide for a 60 per cent subsidy of the hotel workers pay provided the business had seen a reduction in turnover of over 40 per cent.

The government will also continue to support activities linked to tourism and businesses, like night clubs, that remain shut because of Covid measures.

These businesses will receive government support as long as they agree not to lay off any staff until the end of the year.

Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides said the government had implemented around 60 schemes in three phases concerning five main categories: protection of workers’ income, support of vulnerable groups of the population, support of the health sector, support of borrowers, and support of businesses.

Speaking at a news conference with Emilianides, the finance minister said recession in the second quarter of the year – a  period, which saw restrictive measures and a full lockdown – rose to 11.9 per cent versus 5.5 per cent in the first quarter.

Taking into account the current data, the minister said last April’s forecast of a 7 per cent reduction in GDP remained the same despite the worst-case scenario unfolding in tourism.

Consumption in the first half of the year recorded an overall rise of 1.3 per cent year-on-year, buoyed by a 16.9 per cent increase in public consumption. Private consumption during the first six months on 2020 dropped by 2.5 per cent.

On the employment front, Petrides said, the jobless rate rose slightly to 7.1 per cent compared with 6.7 per cent last year.

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ROYAL BRITISH LEGION - CANCELLATION OF REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY SERVICE 8 NOVEMBER 2020

 

Remembrance Sunday Service 8 November 2020

 

PRESS RELEASE REGARDING CANCELLATION OF THE EVENT

It is with great sadness that the Royal British Legion, Paphos Branch BR3692, must cancel the Remembrance Sunday Service at Paphos Harbour this year. 

With the current coronavirus situation, we cannot guarantee the availability of the harbour or permission to hold such a large event. 

Safety at the event is of paramount importance, but we cannot ensure everyone's protection from the virus in such a large group. 

This is such an important event and the culmination of the Poppy Appeal, that we cannot let the day go by without a service of some kind. We are actively seeking a smaller location where the service may be held, but the number of attendees will be restricted and by invite only

To enable as many people as possible to watch the service, we intend to live stream the event. However, this is currently very much at the planning stage. We will advise everyone as soon as the details are finalised. 

We are sorry to disappoint the many loyal Remembrance Sunday attendees who support us each and every year, but the situation is out of our hands. 

We look forward to seeing you all at the 2021 service, where we will also be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Royal British Legion,

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GOV UK - CYPRUS BEREAVEMENT - DEATH ABROAD

 

Cyprus bereavement: death abroad

Information to help the family and friends of British nationals who have died in Cyprus.

Published 29 April 2014
Last updated 3 September 2020 — see all updates

From:

Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Documents

Bereavement information for Cyprus

ODT, 962KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

Bereavement information for Cyprus north

ODT, 780KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. Request an accessible format.

Details

Includes information on:

• what to do when someone dies in Cyprus
• burial and cremation
• returning bodies to the UK (repatriation)

See also what to do when someone dies: death abroad

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GOV UK - ARRESTED IN CYPRUS?

 

Cyprus: arrested abroad

Information on the Cypriot legal and prison systems for British prisoners, their family and friends.

Published 15 March 2013
Last updated 3 September 2020 — see all updates

From:

Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Documents

Information pack for British prisoners in Cyprus

ODT, 102KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

Information pack for British prisoners in Cyprus north

ODT, 72.6KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. Request an accessible format.

Police station detainee information pack for Cyprus

ODT, 74.4KB

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Details

Explains how to:

• arrange visits
• send money to a prisoner
• apply for a transfer to a UK prison

See also help if you’re arrested abroad.

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GOV UK - TRANSLATORS IN CYPRUS

 

Cyprus: translators

List of English-speaking translators and interpreters for British nationals in Cyprus.

Published 15 March 2013
Last updated 3 September 2020 — see all updates

From:

Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Documents

List of translators and interpreters in Cyprus

ODT, 41KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

Details

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not accept any liability to any person or company for any financial loss or damage arising from the use of this information or from any failure to give information.

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CORONAVIRUS - WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MARKET AND A FAIR?

Thank you to Anita Hopkins, In Any Event for the following:

From  Filippos Georgiades, Environmental Health Officer

I would like to inform you with regards to the operation of Fairs and Markets amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to clarify the difference between a Fair and a Market.

A Fair is seen as a Festival for the purpose of the Law, covering measures against the spread of COVID-19, and is therefore prohibited (presently banned).

Markets are defined as places where stallholders sell items. No other activities take place at any of these Markets.

Markets are allowed to operate under the conditions and rules laid out in the guidance instructions published by the Ministry of Health. These are available (in the Greek language only) at the following website: https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/pdf/erg18.pdf

Please note that the instructions refer to Markets that operate Legally under the permit of Local Authorities. The main rules for their operation under the measures against the spread of COVID-19 are as follows:

- Permit required from the local authority [Paphos District Office]

-The Markets shall operate at no more than 50% of their capacity.

-The entrances shall be controlled and no more than one person per 8m3 shall be allowed within the Market.

-Customers shall maintain a distance of 2m from each other and for this purpose there should be suitable placing of signs on each stall.

-There shall be suitable containers with antiseptic liquid/gel placed at the entrances and exits of each Market, at each separate stall, and at the toilets (wherever applicable), for use by the customers visiting the Market.

-Food that is consumed without washing or cooking (e.g. nuts) shall be offered for sale only in a packaged form.

-All persons selling food or any other items at each stall, and all persons working at the Market, shall wear a suitable face mask. Face masks are compulsory also for customers only if the Market is an Indoors Market.

-Diligent and frequent cleaning and disinfection of objects of common use in particular, and generally of all spaces.

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Czech Philharmonic launches 125th season to capacity audiences

The season will launch on 23 September with a programme of Shostakovich and Mahler

The Strad — September 1, 2020

Having already given a concert to an audience of more than 500 (on 24 June) at Sychrov Castle outside Prague, the Czech Philharmonic has announced that it will be launching its 125th season to capacity audiences on 23 September. The programme will open with Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No.1 with pianist Daniil Trifonov and trumpeter Selina Ott, and close with Mahler's Symphony No.5. The second of these concerts will be broadcast live and streamed internationally on Mezzo Live HD and Medici.tv.

A day later, on 25 September, the Czech Philharmonic and its chief conductor Semyon Bychkov will travel to Vienna to present the same programme in the first of three concerts this season at the Wiener Konzerthaus.

Earlier in the month on 4 and 5 September, Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic will open the 2020 Dvořák Prague International Music Festival with an all-Dvořák programme featuring the Cello Concerto performed by the Czech Philharmonic's Cello Principal Václav Petr and the New World Symphony.

Among the highlights of the season will be the launch of a new annual concert on 17 November, commemorating 1989's Velvet Revolution; the continuing recording cycle of all of Mahler's Symphonies; the world premières of works commissioned from Bryce Dessner, Detlev Glanert and Thomas Larcher; concerts in Slovakia and Spain, and a European capitals tour with concerts in Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and London.

In addition to Bychkov's concerts with the Czech Philharmonic, there will be performances from the orchestra's Principal Guest Conductors Jakub Hrůša and Tomáš Netopil. And, continuing the Czech Philharmonic's opera in concert series which launched in 2016 with Janáček's Jenůfa conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek, Sir John Eliot Gardiner will present Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen in November and Netopil, Martinů's Ariane in December.

The country's handling of the coronavirus has allowed the Czech Philharmonic to present concerts since the beginning of lockdown. In addition to three benefit concerts streamed live internationally and raising funds for hospitals, the charity ŽIVOT 90 and the People in Need Foundation (Člověk v tísni), at the beginning of June, the Orchestra launched a summer-long series of chamber concerts in collaboration with the Czech Chamber Music Society.

Bychkov says: "We are impatiently looking forward to welcoming you back to our Rudolfinum and every other venue in which we will perform. However devastating the crisis of the moment is, it is also an opportunity for all of us to assess how we live and how wecan start living better. For us musicians, it means making even better music than ever before".

Source: thestrad.com

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SANOFI, GSK LAUNCH TRIAL FOR COVID-19 PROTEIN-BASED VACCINE

 Cyprus Mail 3 September 2020 - Reuters News Service

French drugmaker Sanofi and Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline said they had started a clinical trial of their protein-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, and aimed to reach the final testing stage by December.

If the results are conclusive, Sanofi and GSK hope to get the vaccine approved in the first half of next year.

The trial is currently in a “Phase 1/2 study” aimed at evaluating the safety, tolerability and immune response of the vaccine in 440 healthy adults across 11 investigational sites in the United States.

The vaccine candidate uses the same recombinant protein-based technology as one of Sanofi’s seasonal influenza vaccines. It will be coupled with an adjuvant, a substance that acts as a booster to the vaccine, made by GSK.

The two companies are scaling up manufacturing in order to be ready to produce up to one billion doses in 2021.

Drugmakers and government agencies worldwide are racing to develop vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, which has claimed more than 861,000 lives and crippled economic activity around the globe.

Sanofi and GSK are not the first in the race – several vaccine candidates have already reached the final, wider testing stage known as “Phase 3” – but they believe their respective experience in the fields of vaccines is an advantage.

The French group is also working on another vaccine candidate to prevent COVID-19 with U.S. company Translate Bio which will rely on a different technology called mRNA.

In an interview with Reuters last week, Sanofi’s CEO Paul Hudson said readings of preclinical data had increased the group’s confidence in its two coronavirus vaccine candidates.

Sanofi and GSK have secured deals for the vaccine-plus-adjuvant with the United States and Britain, and are in advanced talks with the European Union to supply it with up to 300 million doses.

They also plan to supply COVAX, a COVID-19 vaccine and treatment allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to help buy and fairly distribute shots across the globe.

Earlier this month, Sanofi said a rheumatoid arthritis drug, Kevzara, had failed as a COVID-19 treatment.

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PAPHOS SHOPPING CENTRE - FLEXIBILITY IN HOURS DUE TO NIGHT CROWDS?

 Filenews 3 September 2020 - by Dora Christodoulou

There is the possibility of flexible opening hours of shops in the re-created shopping centre of Paphos, in order for retail shops to take advantage of the huge increase in traffic in the recreation centers of the area, especially during the evening hours.

Information from "F" indicates that during this period the prospect of flexible working hours is gaining more and more ground, since more and more traders in the center and especially in the shopping streets of Archbishop Makarios, Paphos Chrysanthos and Nikodimos Mylonas, recognize that it is useless for them to operate within the conventional hours at a time when these hours in the shopping center prevail "dead" in their expression.

"From 8.00-9.00 at night," they point out, "the area is crowded on a daily basis. It's a shame at those very times that the shops close, whereas all the day before they don't even make a turnover. We will have to decide whether it is in the interests of the shopkeepers themselves to change their hours so that those hundreds of citizens who every night enjoy their way out of the area can also enter our shops."

Shopkeepers promoting this prospect told PafosNet that until now the issue had not been put on the table either because of trade unions or because most of the region's commercial enterprises are family-owned and therefore many did not want to sacrifice hours of personal and family rest for such changes. They argued, however, that the gap in economic activity between retail and leisure centres in the re-created shopping centre of Paphos is now so great that it is a shame to close shops while food and drink businesses bring people to the area every night.

We recall that in the last two years municipal councillors have also submitted a proposal to the Municipality of Paphos, on the initiative of the municipal councillor of DIKO Eros Loizidis, in order to revitalize the area.

"The Municipality has a responsibility to find ways and motivate people to embrace and love the Paphos market," Mr. Loizidis pointed out. "This proposal can be discussed and enriched with other suggestions and ideas, so as to do something good and organized for the proper development of the old market area. The sustainability and development of this area is a bet that we as a local authority must win."

                                 

 

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