Cyprus has been the testing ground of every unproven idea
By Kerry Abbott
The UN counts on a rules-based order, bereft of most means of enforcement. In Cyprus there are good offices, a peacekeeping force and numerous peace efforts by ...
The devil is in the details
I watched on Wednesday the speech of President Nikos Christodoulides about the government’s action plan for 2025. It was a masterful performance outlining the myriad targets that his government is ...
President’s address: empty economic and social policies
In presenting his ‘State of the Republic’ address on Cyprus on January 29, President Nikos Christodoulides stressed that the goal of the policy actions to be taken in 2025 would be “to ...
80th anniversary of the banality of evil
Last week was the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp in 1945 when the true horror of the Nazi crimes against the Jewish people was exposed as the ...
Tales from the Coffeeshop: End of the road for Cyprus’ darling ‘Gold Bar Bob’
KYPROULLA was back in the international news last week but not under its new brand as a squeaky-clean regional pillar of safety and security, but as the base of the ...
Our View: Parents’ groups simply helping teachers dumb down public schools
There is no other country in the world in which parents’ associations of schools and teaching unions dictate the admissions policy and the courses of public universities. Union mentality is ...
Harsh anti-immigration policies put in place by rich countries won’t last
By Alan Hirsch
Donald Trump, America’s new president, has cut back massively on US commitments to asylum seekers, blocked all asylum processes and started to remove irregular immigrants.
Trump’...
Our View: Government silence on Israeli security presence raises concerns
The government’s failure to deny reports about the presence of Israeli security personnel at the perimeter of the Larnaca Airport fence and in the air traffic control-tower was not ...
Our View: Christodoulides’ speech heavy on promises, light on substance
There was an election character to President Nikos Christodoulides’ televised presentation of his government’s plans for 2025. He had invited ministers, state officials, senior civil servants and party representatives to ...
When does an actor stop, and AI begin?
By Amy Hume
The Brutalist has drawn attention this week for its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to refine some of the actors’ dialogue. Emilia Pérez, a musical crime ...
Our View: Lack of landlord protection a major reason for empty properties
Under pressure to tackle the issue of high rents, the government took two bills to the legislature which it hopes would increase the supply of housing and push down prices.
‘...
Where do you come from?
Once, when this question was asked, it was out of interest and the person being asked need not take fear it actually translating into ‘You don’t belong/come from ...
Our View: Opportunity to show Cyprus politicians can look forward missed
It was very disappointing to see House president and Disy leader Annita Demetriou attend the memorial service for General Georgios Grivas in Limassol on Sunday and also take part in ...
Our View: Unions push CoLA for the privileged few
The leaders of all the big unions met on Monday to decide their demands and plan of action for 2025. They decided that they would follow collective action in seeking the ...
The negative impacts of deglobalisation
Globalisation has been a dominant feature of the socio-economic developments of recent decades. Now, it has been showing signs of de-escalation.
For some time now, the view that the unfettered ...
Dramatic departure, but Trump really can’t hurt climate much
“Drill, baby, drill”, exulted the new President of the World (American branch), but he will find that the oil and gas industry isn’t listening. As Darren Woods, CEO of ...
Is Trump changing tack on ending the war in Ukraine?
By David J Galbreath
The new US president, Donald Trump, has only been in office for a few days, but he has already changed his tune on the war in ...
Trump and the divine right to rule
When devising the executive branch of government in 1789 the founding fathers of the American constitution were anxious to avoid creating an all-powerful monarch like the English king from whom they ...
Tales from the Coffeeshop: Is the joke now on President Christodoulides?
WHAT a joker Prezniktwo is turning out to be. His best prank so far, which he has been staging for more than a year, had the Cyprob at its centre ...
Our View: Government cannot suspend rule of law for lawbreaking football clubs
When Finance Minister Makis Keravnos announced the scandalous plan by which the state would raise the betting tax and use the extra revenue to pay off the tax debts of ...
Our View: When in doubt, form a brand-new committee
A few weeks before the ‘pay as you throw’ scheme was scheduled to come in to force, Akel issued a statement arguing that its introduction should be put on hold ...
Our View: Lowering the voting age will add nothing to our democracy
The political system was overjoyed on Wednesday by the council of ministers’ decision to lower the voting age to 17. The decision inspired the familiar and tired rhetoric about broadening democratic ...
No, you don’t need the ‘Barbie drug’ to tan, whatever TikTok says
By Rose Cairns
TikTok and Instagram influencers have been peddling the “Barbie drug” to help you tan.
But melanotan-II, as it’s called officially, is a solution that’s too ...
Our View: State has no business setting a price ceiling on any product
The cinema owners’ association has appealed to the government and the political parties to exclude cinemas from the venues at which a price cap on bottled water would be imposed. ...