An uncertain New Year
A friend whose daughter studied in the UK, told me ‘She’s staying there, what future has she here?’ She’s not alone in making that choice. The Cyprus government ...
As COP results fall short, national action plans needed
The United Nations climate change conference, known as COP30, recently held in Brazil, was a landmark one. It was the tenth since the Paris Conference, in which a binding agreement ...
What if Khamenei falls? Protests spiral as Iran’s currency collapses
The demonstrations began again in Iran last week, only two years after the ‘Woman! Life! Freedom!’ movement convulsed the country for months. However, the current protests are potentially much broader ...
Antisemitism a stress test for what Cyprus must get right in federal future
As Cyprus cautiously revisits the idea of a bicommunal, bizonal federation – which I often describe as BBF 2.0 – it might be tempting to rely on the familiar pillars of security and ...
Prophets of Doom: the 2026 edition
It’s that time of the year again and also probably good news that Cyprus does not seem to feature in the Doomsday predictions for 2026.
That doesn’t mean that ...
What is there in Nazism for teenagers to like?
Although the recent teenage glorification of Adolf Hitler and Nazi ideology at a school in Larnaca in Cyprus is nothing new among teenagers, or confined to Cyprus, the attraction of ...
An energy reset is happening around the world
The global climate summit COP30 that took place in Brazil in November fell short of expectations. It is not that the world is not concerned about climate change or that ...
A throne made of sand
“Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”Nothing beside remains.The lone and level sands stretch far away.— Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ozymandias
Percy Shelley’s Ozymandias is not a ...
World trade war is alive and kicking
On December 16, two contrasting articles appeared in the Financial Times that spoke volumes about the very different approaches to world trade currently at play. One was written by Peter Navarro, ...
Happy Same Year!
It is December 28, which means many of us are deep into the Season of Delusion, a magical period when grown adults behave like weird Elfies drunk on mulled wine. The ...
2026 offers glimmer of hope for Cyprus, elsewhere not so much
A review of the year and predicting the shape of things to come in 2026 and beyond must begin with events at home. The Cyprus Mail is of course a Cypriot ...
Missed opportunities on budgets and tax reform
In recent days the government of President Nikos Christodoulides and MPs approved the government budgets and a tax reform. In doing so they have missed real opportunities to support policies ...
Scene is set for another process of interminable talks
The Christmas and New Year period is traditionally a time associated with peace, reconciliation and goodwill, but as Europe looks towards 2026, the prospects are shaped less by seasonal sentiment than ...
Cyprus eyes a role on the world stage
But it has to dump a lot of baggage first
By Kerry Abbott
When Cyprus hosted the conference of European Small States in September, it was not so obvious that ...
Ghosts of Christmas past
Scrooge’s ghosts terrified him; I love mine. First, Bridget, my mother, and Aunt Emma, a child waking very early on Christmas morning finding gifts from Daddy na Nollaig (Santa). ...
Derzhavnost and ‘Respect’
The Russian word ‘derzhavnost’ is usually translated as ‘great power status’, but the real meaning is closer to the gangland concept of ‘respect’. The word was beyond the reach of ...
From embargoes to strategic partnerships
The recent lifting by the US and Norway of the long-standing arms embargoes on Cyprus is not about weapons. It is about strategy. It is about recognition that Cyprus has ...
Character matters for the survival of democracy
The above headline was the subtitle of my column of December 1, 2024. In it, I argued that Donald Trump was unfit for the role of President of the United States. Events ...
BBC lawsuit could sink US special relationship
Defamation is a niche branch of the law for the rich and powerful but the $5 billion claim by President Trump against the BBC for defaming him is off the scale. ...
Geoengineering for grown-ups
A few days ago the European Union’s Earth Observation programme, ‘Copernicus’, made a special announcement at the end of its monthly report on the state of the climate. It ...
‘I don’t care!’
Two of my favourite actors Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford starred in The Fugitive. Ford’s character falsely accused of murdering his wife; Jones the lawman sent to catch ...
Venezuela: Performative murder
“If you’re on a boat full of cocaine or fentanyl or whatever, headed to the United States, you’re an immediate threat to the United States,” said US Secretary ...
Musk’s Starship: if it sounds too good to be true…
Elon Musk promised to build a spaceship that would put people and cargo into Earth orbit at one-hundredth of the current cost per kilo and even enable human beings to ...
Urgent need to overhaul tax reform
Members of the House of Representatives should not rush to approve the questionable ‘tax reform’ proposed by the government. This is because its contents are largely not compatible with achieving ...