Front Page Headlines
Coronavirus travels… with hitch hiking and excuses
Owner of the slaughterhouse puts the blame on asylum seekers. Officials of the Health and Labour Ministries leave no stone unturned in Cypra private slaughterhouse. Trouble with the law after dozens of illegal structures found. Council of Ministers seals Limassol and Paphos today. Moving to and from the two districts will be banned. Decisions for specialised measures expected. 3 deaths and 198 new cases of coronavirus announced yesterday. One death is of resident of Limassol nursing home, while 22 of yesterday’s cases were contacts of cases from the slaughterhouse.
- Occupied areas: “Ankara, get your hands off us”
- Former Google CEO: Applied for passport
- Morphou Bishop: New world order responsible for Ukrainian issue
Limassol and Paphos on the scales
Horror scene – Closing of (district) “borders” considered – Gathering areas shut down. Government appealed abroad for intensive care specialists. Confession by first line doctor: “Difficult to begin the day with three deaths from your patients”.
- Interior Ministry talks of 52 foreigners: Fine for 79 illegally working at Cypra slaughterhouse
- Ankara sets up high hurdles for Lute
- Turkish Cypriot protest over Erdogan’s interventions
- They scan dozens of e-mails of the British real estate agent
Hospitals collapsing in midst of pandemic
Reference Hospital on the brink of being full. 2 deaths and another 22 cases from Cypra slaughterhouse. Again lockdown to decompress health system.
- Ankara, take your hands off us…
- Responsibility for cases in slaughterhouse left “orphaned” – Another 22 cases from contacts added yesterday to the 93 – PEO (Pancyprian Workers Federation): Look at conditions of exploitation of foreigners – Ten days after detection of cases among veterinary inspectors, still looking for responsibility for chain of cases growing…
- “Corruption is the shadow government”
- Unwillingness of government to support refugees pushes them to compensation committee
- Preservation of multicultural monuments a loud message of peaceful coexistence
Full lockdown is looking unlikely
Three Covid-linked deaths announced ahead of meeting to discuss measures.
- Legal view: Legal arguments of AG-Auditor general clash
Clamp down for Limassol-Paphos
New measures for handling pandemic announced today. Pancypriot lockdown ruled out, most likely scenario is imposition of local lockdown in Limassol and Paphos and stricter measures for the rest of Cyprus. Commission will get 300 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine – There is a plan to distribute available doses based on population of each country. Numbers high yesterday as well: Three deaths and 198 cases.
- March by Turkish Cypriots: “Ankara take your hands off us”
- Because of Ukrainian issue: Theologians take a position on division in Church
- Former Google CEO: Multi-millionaire wants to become a Cypriot citizen
- Points (editorial): Freedom of illegal migrants
Main News
Borrell stresses to leaders need to continue from Crans Montana
Alithia, Haravgi, Oikonomiki Kathimerini, Phileleftheros, Politis
EU Matters, Negotiations Process, Governance & Power Sharing, CBMs
OVERVIEW
EU High Representative on external relations Josep Borrell had telephone conversations with both T/C leader Ersin Tatar and President Anastasiades on Tuesday, according to an announcement by Borrell, as well as an announcement by the Cypriot Presidency, the dailies report.
In a tweet not reported by the dailies, Borrell said that he told Tatar the “continuation of UN-led settlement talks is key, building on previous hard work” and based on Security Council resolutions in order to create “the right environment for mutual trust” in the Eastern Mediterranean.
According to a statement by the government, Borrell briefed Anastasiades on his discussion with Tatar, and informed him of the EU’s position that negotiations should restart from the point where they stopped in Crams Montana. Borrell also underlined that the EU will contribute to efforts to restart negotiations and that those should be successful.
According to the Presidency, Anastasiades also mentioned the issue of Turkish actions regarding the fenced-off city of Varosha and said that unilateral and provocative moves by Turkey should end so that the necessary climate for negotiations is created.
Cyprus Mail reports on a poll conducted by Prime Market Research for Sigma TV that was published on Tuesday. According to the poll, 68% of the respondents believe the country is headed in the wrong direction and 14% believe things are going well.
A total of 1,050 respondents with the right to vote were randomly selected from all districts and participated in the survey through the phone. The survey was conducted between October 16th and 23rd and the margin of statistical error was at plus or minus 3%. 61% was dissatisfied with how the government is handling internal issues, while 7 in 10 responded that they are dissatisfied also by the opposition.
Regarding the Cyprus Problem, 75% said the parties’ approach was unclear and 69% said the same about the government’s approach. 24% approved of the government’s approach and 15% approved of the parties’ approach. 66% said they were not satisfied by the way the Varosha issue is being handled, 10% said they were satisfied and 19% said they were neither.
Phileleftheros reports that Turkey is attempting to make the work of UNSG envoy Jane Holl Lute more difficult ahead of her efforts to assess the prospects of a five-party conference on the Cyprus Problem and her plans to visit the region. The newspaper cites Turkey and T/C leader Ersin Tatar’s public positions without making further reference to Turkey’s approach to a possible visit by Lute.
According to the report, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a gathering of Turkish ambassadors in Ankara that Cyprus is a national cause for the country, and repeated that the problem lies with the G/C approach that does not see the T/Cs as equal. Cavusoglu also said that the EU mistakenly accepted the entry of the G/Cs and their point of view into the union.
Cavusoglu noted that G/Cs have not accepted political equality so far, and added that wherever there is no political equality, there has to be sovereign equality.
Phileleftheros also reports that in a speech in the same event, Turkish President Tayip Erdogan said that problems in the region should be solved in a dialogue where the T/Cs have a seat on the table.
The newspaper also reports on a statement by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Turkey. Responding to a parliamentary question, Le Drian said that the European Council has decided the EU will take measures, including possible sanctions, against Turkey if it does not change its stance.
Le Drian also condemned Turkey’s “warlike and unacceptable” behaviour, adding that France expects Turkey to take back offensive statements against France.
Phileleftheros also reports that the countries of the Commonwealth of Nations have expressed their “deep concern” regarding Turkey’s actions in Varosha. In their joint statement that was issued during a teleconference of Foreign Ministers, the Commonwealth reiterated its support to the relevant Security Council resolutions on Varosha.
In another development, President Anastasiades will be briefing the leaders of the parliamentary parties on the latest developments on Wednesday morning. Anastasiades will brief the leaders on his meeting with Tatar and on his phone call with Jane Holl Lute.
All dailies report on the protest that took place on Tuesday in north Nicosia, with several publishing photos on their front page. According to the reports, reproduced from T/C media, the protest’s main slogans were concerned with defending democracy in the north and the free will of the T/C people.
Slogans included phrases such as “they will not intervene”, “Cypriots have the last word in Cyprus”, “one republic for all” and “Ankara get your hands off us”, while protesters sang songs such as Bella Ciao.
The dailies note that the protest was organised by the “Democracy and Will” platform that had organised protests in defence of Sener Levent’s Afrika, and was attended by many members of leftist and centre-left T/C parties, as well as former T/C leader Mustafa Akinci.
AKEL welcomed the protest in a statement on Tuesday, expressing its support to the Turkish Cypriots and their struggle for an island where Cypriots can decide for themselves on their own affairs in a free and democratic way.
Oikonomiki Kathimerini also reports on the political shifts occurring in the north due to the delays and the problems in the National Unity Party’s (UBP) effort to elect a new leader, which would then be called upon to form a new “government”. The newspaper reports that the biggest opposition parties do not want to take part in a new alliance with UBP given the outcry against the current “government” over its handling of the pandemic.
KEY ACTORS
Josep Borrell (EU HRVP)
>> Told Ersin Tatar that continuation of UN-led settlement talks is key, building on previous hard work and based on Security Council resolutions
>> Aim also to create the right environment for mutual trust in Eastern Mediterranean
Kyriakos Koushios
(Cypriot government spokesperson)
>> Borrell briefed President of discussion with Tatar
>> Borrell said EU’s position is that negotiations should restart from point they stopped in Crans Montana
>> Borrell also said that EU will contribute to efforts to restart negotiations
>> Anastasiades brought up Varosha and said that Turkey should end unilateral moves to help create climate for negotiations
Mevlut Cavusoglu
(Turkish Foreign Minister)
>> The G/Cs have not accepted political equality so far, but wherever there is no political equality there should, and will be, sovereign equality
Jean-Yves Le Drian
(French Foreign Minister)
>> The European Council has decided that it will take measures, including possibly sanctions, against Turkey if it does not change its stance
>> Condemned Turkey’s warlike and unacceptable behaviour and said France experts Turkey to take back offensive statements
Slaughterhouse director blames migrant workers for corona cases
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Oikonomiki Kathimerini, Phileleftheros, Politis
Internal Security, Human Rights, Migration & Citizenship, EU Matters
OVERVIEW
The director of the Cypra slaughterhouse where 92 new cases were detected, leading to a new and lengthy chain of transmission, has said that this is due to the fact the government made him employ asylum seekers, the dailies report.
Phileleftheros reports that about 79 people were working for Cypra illegally, and that the Interior Ministry has filed a complaint with the police over the illegal employment of 52 people.
The head of the slaughterhouse also accused veterinarian inspectors of being the ones that brought the coronavirus into the business.
The dailies also report on three new deaths of coronavirus patients that had underlying health conditions. The three patients, aged 86, 80 and 62, where being hospitalised at the Reference Hospital in Famagusta. The first had been transferred to the hospital from the Socratio Melathron nursing home in Limassol.
The total number of deaths in the government-controlled areas has reached 38 according to official information reported by the dailies.
The Cypriot government is also expected to announce new stricter measures against the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday, the dailies report. Possible measures include closing off the districts of Limassol and Paphos, while increasing measures in the rest of Cyprus.
President Anastasiades met with the minister responsible for the coronavirus response on Tuesday, Cyprus Mail reports. In a statement, government spokesperson Kyriakos Koushios said that there are currently no plans for a full islandwide lockdown.
Politis reports that 4 new cases were detected in the north on Tuesday. The newspaper notes that since October 20th, people that have to cross from the north to south for work, education or health issues are randomly tested for coronavirus. People that cross from the government-controlled areas to the occupied areas and do not belong to the aforementioned categories are obliged to have a negative PCR test that was taken within the last 72 hours.
Meanwhile, in another development, the EU has announced it has concluded negotiations with US company Pfizer and German company BioNTech and is expected to sign a contract in the next few days for pre-ordering about 300 million doses of their Covid-19 vaccines once they are ready, Alithia reports citing the Cyprus News Agency.
European Commissioner Stella Kyriakidou told journalist on Tuesday that she expects the College of Commissioners to approve the contract on Wednesday, and that a few more days will be needed to get the official consent of the member states.
Kyriakidou also noted that the European Commission has a plan regarding the distribution of the vaccine, in accordance with the population of each member state. Alithia recalls that the Commission has already pre-ordered vaccines also from Swedish-British company AstraZeneca and French-British company Sanofi-GSK, and has preliminary deals with German company CureVac and US company Moderna.
NGOs do not trust government to combat corruption
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Migration & Citizenship, Internal Security, Economy
OVERVIEW
Haravgi reports on statements made by NGOs and citizens’ groups on Astra Radio regarding the government’s promises to combat corruption. Several NGOs and groups had announced they would not take place in a meeting with President Anastasiades on Monday on corruption, citing concerns that their participation would be used as an excuse by the government.
Eric Shukuroglou from “Diafthora Telos” (End Corruption) and “Energoi Polites” (Active Citizens) told Astra that the least the government could now do would be to assume responsibility and quit over the golden passports scandal.
Shukuroglou said that the reason the movements did not participate in the meeting is that they cannot discuss with a government they cannot trust, and noted that the citizens are tired of listening to promises that are not followed up on.
Marios Skandalis from NGO Cyprus Integrity Forum told Astra that corruption can no longer be ignored in Cyprus if the aim is to prevent the end of the country’s respectability.
AKEL secretary general Andros Kyprianou also had a meeting with the new president of the Cyprus Bar Association, Christos Clerides.
Phileleftheros reports that the Law Office of the RoC is currently working through the emails found on the servers of the British real estate agent who was featured on Al Jazeera’s documentary on golden passports.
The newspaper reports that investigators are sifting through the real estate agent’s emails to focus on those messages connected with his activities as a go-between between potential investors and law firms dealing with applications.
During a ceremony for the swearing in of the new president of the Supreme Court Persephoni Panagi, the first female to lead the country’s highest court, President Anastasiades said that the government is determined and committed to fight corruption and strengthen transparency, accountability and the rule of law.
Multiple newspapers also picked up on a story by VOX website Recode on the application submitted by former Google CEO Eric Emerson Schmidt for a Cypriot passport. According to the report, Schmidt applied in October 2020, that is during the last month before the cancellation of the Cyprus Investment Programme.
Schmidt is one of the richest persons in the US and was a leading executive in Google and its later evolution into Alphabet, and he remains a technical advisor for Alphabet to this day.
The Recode report clarifies that it is not yet clear why Schmidt is applying for a Cypriot citizenship, but points out that his new passport would allow him free travel in the EU and possibly a more attractive tax regime.