Police in Paphos arrested a 46-year-old man early on Saturday in connection with possession of cocaine and steroids, as well as firecrackers.

The man was arrested after a search of his residence between 2 am and 4 am during which officers found two small bottles containing what are believed to be steroids, €6,890 and £320 in cash, and 21 firecrackers.

A search of the suspect’s two cars found 77 grammes of cocaine and a precision scale.

In a second house used by the suspect, which belongs to a 34-year-old woman, police found and seized 614 packets of tobacco weighing 50 grammes each. Customs fined him €11,000 which he paid.

The man was detained in connection with possession of drugs and intent to supply, illegal possession and use of steroids, money laundering, and possession of explosives.

Police are investigating the theft of €50,000 from a car in Paphos at around 11.30pm on Sunday.

The theft was reported by the 29-year-old owner of the car who said she left the money in the vehicle for a short time and when she returned she saw the car had been forced open and the money was missing.

Police officers collected various items from the scene to facilitate investigations.

It’s all about the view at The English Rose snack bar and café. Set on the seafront on a busy corner in Kato Paphos, this venue is a great place to people watch and soak up the view of the harbour, castle and the sea.

If you’re strolling around the harbour, taking visitors sightseeing in the area or fancy whetting your whistle, English Rose is a good place to stop.

Alcoholic drinks, soft beverages and teas, coffees and smoothies are all reasonably priced, as is the food which is basic. Portions are generous and generally service is good, although it can be slow during busier times.

A covered outdoor seating area to the front is often packed during summer months and is popular with tourists popping in for a quick snack and a drink. Try to grab a ‘front line’ table, as they have the best view.

The tables and chairs are modern and comfortable.

If you feel like a coffee and cake, try the apple pie, the cocktails are good too.

The atmosphere is laid back, as befits the location, and making the most of the outdoors, patio heaters are placed on the terrace to warm customers during the cooler months.

Often, Poseidonio avenue (on which it sits) is closed to traffic and the area is awash with pedestrians, although there is usually ample parking to be found at the public car park opposite. It is also very close to the bus station in Kato Paphos, which is handy.

This venue tends to be busier during lunchtime than in the evening and is also a prime spot to watch the winter waves crash against the sea wall.

This is not a particularly ‘Cypriot’ venue – neither the staff or the food – but if you’re looking for a cafe style menu with a superb view and have a fascination for people watching, then pay English Rose a visit.

The English Rose

Where: Poseidonas Ave, Kato Paphos

Contact: 99 603606

When: 9am-midnight 7 days a week

It tastes earthy and smells foul. Some people won’t even let their dogs drink it.

But while the water pumped into homes along the Paphos coastal belt has nostrils twitching with dismay, it is perfectly safe to consume, the authorities say.

The water’s unpleasant odour and muddy flavour come from harmless bacteria in an organic compound called geosmin. It is common in potable water supplies worldwide and usually breaks down into odourless substances.

But the human nose is very sensitive to even small amounts of geosmin – and the compound is difficult to control.

Tala resident Antonis Limnaios told the Sunday Mail that he has been left with stinking water since the end of August and refuses to drink it, use it to brush his teeth, or give it to his dog to drink.

“It smells terrible, has an earthy, dirty smell to it and seems to have sediment in it. If you have a simple filter it doesn’t do anything. There is no way you would want to drink it, I am buying bottled water all the time which is not ideal,” he said.

The water department acknowledges there has been a problem with smelly water in the area for the past two years, which has now got ‘out of hand’ because of climate change and other reasons.

“It’s not just happening in Cyprus, but everywhere,” a source at the department told the Sunday Mail. The lower levels of the island’s dams are also compounding the situation, he added.

He stressed that although Geosmin produces an earthy, musty smell and taste it is not harmful at levels present in drinking water and that all available studies back this up.

“It is a biological problem caused by types of organisms and microbes.”
Geosmin, which is usually a seasonal problem, cannot be removed from water using normal treatment procedures. The water department is relying on an additional measure, involving the use of ‘activated carbon’, the only technology available. “It helps to minimise [the problem] but not wipe it out,” the water department source said.

Much of Paphos’ water comes from Kannaviou reservoir

Activated carbon, he explained, is an effective ‘adsorbent’ (a substance capable of absorbing other substances) “because it’s a highly porous material and provides a large surface area to which contaminants may adsorb”.

He added: “It has been used for a year now to treat water coming from Kannaviou reservoir which supplies the coastal areas of Paphos.”  This includes the entire area from Kouklia along to Peyia.

“Asprokremmos reservoir is not being used at the moment, but as soon as more ground water is available water will flow into the Xeros river and it will be pumped out. It will help to further improve the quality of the water.”

Limnaios said that the stinky water problem is huge, affecting not only Tala, but friends in Konia, Peyia and Geroskipou. “We also have many water cuts and they don’t tell us anything. Even if you have water, you would not want to drink it.”

Chlorakas resident Amanda Constantinides agrees. “The water smells foul, I quickly spit it out if it goes in my mouth when I’m washing. I would absolutely not drink this water. There is no information available and it’s crazy that we don’t have a normal water supply – it’s 2018 after all.”

The water department source said that with the recent rainfall some groundwater reserves are already increasing slightly and that the water, although foul smelling is perfectly safe to drink.

“If we are lucky we will have rain fall imminently and the fresh water will be added into the mix. Geosmin usually blooms during certain transitional seasons, such as spring to summer and summer to autumn, it’s not usually a permanent thing.”

Although other towns have desalination plants, which help to ease their water situation, this is not the answer, he said, adding that plans to build one for Paphos, the only town without one, are not necessary.

“We have enough water in Paphos and in Cyprus for our needs, it’s a matter of sustainable development. We could build a smaller second reservoir that would collect the overflow from Kannaviou, this would supply two million cubic metres for irrigation.”

He also said that Cyprus could more efficiently recycle water to use in the summer, and that currently overflow water and water that could be recycled is just dumped in the sea.

“If we did this, it equates to more than three million cubic metres a year which is now wasted by dumping it into the sea, we could use this.”

The French ambassador to Cyprus met with the mayor of Paphos on Wednesday and discussed the town’s efforts to transform itself into a ‘smart’ city.

The ambassador, Rene Troccaz, met with Phedonas Phedonos at Paphos town hall.

“This is the second time they have met each other and the ambassador was particularly interested in our efforts to establish Paphos as smart city,” a municipality spokesman told the Cyprus Mail.

The ‘smart’ city package covers advanced digital services such as the creation of a digital platform, applications to support visitors and visibility of culture, tourism and entrepreneurship, the development of e-government applications and the supply and installation of Wi-Fi hotspots and touch screens, he said.

Troccaz asked Phedonos for details about the municipality’s plans in this field and other issues concerning the further development of relations was discussed .

The ambassador was informed that two Paphos projects were given the green light last year which officials welcomed as a move towards establishing Paphos as a smart city.

They were submitted under the INTERREG V-A Cross-Border Cooperation Programme: Greece-Cyprus 2014-2020.

The first project sees the town in the role of lead partner, with the co-operation of twinned municipalities of Chania and Lesbos. The co-financing programme provides for city-based applications and infrastructures.

“The study for this is already underway and it includes a business plan for the smart city actions, a strategic plan including: city marketing, city branding and others,” the spokesman said.

He noted that the ‘kick- off’ meeting for the second project, ‘ECORouTS’, will take place next month.

“We were informed today (Wednesday) that the meeting will take place in Heraklion on November 12, and the project will get underway soon after.”

ECOURouTs aims to reduce carbon emissions from urban transport and the municipality of Paphos will supply at least one electric bus for passengers, the installation of a charging station, development of a telematics system and green path development, he said.

For this project, Paphos is a partner (not a lead partner) and the municipalities of Heraklion, Chania and Aradippou are also involved.

I have driven past Ta Perix numerous times over the years when taking a short cut to Paphos old town and meant to stop off for dinner. I finally did so and found a place where you can order items individually to create your own meze.

On a Friday night feeling hungry and in need of sustenance, we dropped in. Although it was early, around 7pm, many of the tables were already occupied and we were lucky to be seated as most tables are booked ahead. The customers were mostly Cypriots, a good sign I hoped.

Ta Perix might not be an obvious choice for al fresco dining as its squashed between two busy back street roads, and from outside the one-storey building isn’t all that appealing (diners move inside during the winter months) but on entering the terrace to the rear diners are treated to a delightful lush, green screen, created by all sorts of trees, including fig, dotted with colourful plants and outdoor lighting. The noise of passing traffic is barely noticeable and it’s easy to forget the world outside.

Tables are well spaced and chairs quickly filled up with couples and larges parties, all enjoying the ambience. Many of my friends have raved about the food here and not knowing what to expect, we were seated at a table for two and handed a piece of paper and pen with which to fill in our own order for the meze dishes we would like.

The down side to this is that if you wish to eat different things, there may be some food left over as portions come mostly as two or four pieces. This wasn’t a problem for us, as my companion enjoyed polishing off the remainder of my dishes as well as his own.

All the usual meze starters such as Greek Salad (lovely and fresh), tahini and tzatziki are available, but as I glanced down the list, my interest was aroused by a wonderful collection of mouth-watering dishes including zucchini flowers, courgette balls, baked aubergine, pickled quails eggs and salted sardines – all sounded delectable.

The menu has a good array of dishes, some of which appealed more than others and include: bacon in red wine, sheep’s head, snails, kebabs and sheftalia.

Although prices are reasonable for individual dishes, the amount can quickly tot up, so be cautious as it’s easy to get carried away with ordering as it all sounds delicious.

After careful deliberation, we ordered salad, dips, grilled halloumi, pastourmas, sausage, mudrooms, lamb chops, baby pigeon (slightly too salty), aubergine, chicken and beef liver. Vegetable dishes include spinach, rocket or courgette with egg and home made chips, which were moreish.

Rather peculiarly there isn’t a wine list available and we were gruffly asked by the owner if we wanted red or white before he went to serve another table. A waitress then explained that the customers know the wine. I pointed out, as ‘newbies’ we did not. All I could ascertain is that the wine is local (apart from a ‘rather nice’ French wine, but the owner said this is only for special customers, which clearly we were not.)

Managing to calm my companion and order a bottle of white wine (red is Ayios Onoufrios, a good local wine from Vasilikon winery in Kathikas) our sheet was whisked away and shortly afterwards the dishes started to arrive at the table.

They were hot and tasty overall, although the aubergine stuffed with halloumi and tomato was bland and disappointing. However, the beef liver was delicious and our ultimate favourite we decided.

The garden filled up as the evening progressed and staff although busy, were friendly. Coffee orders could not be made to round off the evening, we were told staff were too busy and there was no one available to make it, so rather flummoxed, we gathered our belongings and headed home.

If you don’t mind a hint of Basil Fawlty in the service and you would like to try good Cypriot cooking and drink either ‘red or white’ wine, then pay Ta Perix a visit. If nothing else you will leave satisfied with an experience to talk about with friends.

Personally, I have already been back again.

VITAL STATISTICS

SPECIALITY Meze order your own

WHERE 20 Kubilay Street, Moutallos, Paphos

CONTACT 99 113218

PRICE Individual dishes from €2 to €12

POLICE are searching for two men, suspected of stealing €8,140 from an exchange bureau in Paphos on Friday, authorities said on Saturday.

The two men are described as being between 50 and 60-years-old and between 1.70 and 1.75 metres tall.  One of the men has white hair and the other black, police said in an appeal to the public.

According to police, the men entered the store in Paphos wanting to exchange 10,000 dollars to euros.  The men are reported to have counted the cash and placed it in an envelope, which they handed to the attendant.

The bureau’s employee took the envelope and gave them the €8,140 and the men left.

When the employee checked the envelope he saw that it was empty.

Anyone with information on the men is requested to contact Paphos police at 26 606021 or 26 606049, the nearest police station, or the citizen’s help line at 1460.

It’s very thin and just 11 centimetres long, but long-time snake enthusiast hopes it might be a new species

By Bejay Browne

A Paphos-based Austrian snake and reptile expert has found a rare type of dwarf snake that could even be a totally new species.

Hans-Jorg Wiedl, ‘Snake George’, 75, is well known in the field of herpetology and has a string of triumphs to his name including rediscovering the Cyprus grass snake, which was believed extinct, and proving that the blunt nosed viper lays eggs and doesn’t give birth to live young as had previously been thought.

He told the Sunday Mail that after the third sighting, he believes the black headed dwarf snake to be an endemic sub species of the Rhynchocalamus Melanocephalus, or perhaps even a totally new find.

The tiny, thin, non-venomous snake was found around a month ago by a British couple in a stone wall in their garden in Peyia. They contacted the herpetologist through his daughter, Demetra, as he was abroad.

“We were very lucky, I have had to wait five years to see this snake again and it’s thanks to them. They saw it three or four times but were not able to catch it, because it’s so fine and delicate, you can’t just take hold of it as you don’t want to hurt it,” said Wiedl.

He has thoroughly researched the tiny snake and discovered that a similar one is endemic to the East Mediterranean and has been found in Turkey, Syria and Israel.

“I checked and looked to see if the markings and the colour are the same and recognised that it is similar to the one from Israel.”

But what excites Wiedl is that there are some small differences, such as the colour of the body and markings on the head. So could it be a new species?

There need to be three sightings of a snake alive to be able to prove its existence, a single example is not evidence. To prove that this is a new species, DNA identification, research, findings and examples of the snake must be identified and then it can be registered as a new species in Cyprus.

“I am very excited, this could be a completely new snake or sub species,” he said. “We need DNA samples which unfortunately I cannot do and I hope that they can be taken and that Cyprus will get in touch with the university in Israel to see if they have some examples to compare DNA.”

What’s needed is a scientist to come forward to further research the snake.

“There are so many questions that need to be answered, how did it come to be here? The snake is so tiny that this could be a reason why it wasn’t found. It mainly lives in small cracks in rocks as it is safer for them, not even a mouse can get inside,” he said.

Wiedl is stumped as to how the dwarf snake, measuring about 11cms had ended up in Cyprus, as he believes that it is practically impossible that the creature was transported to Cyprus in someone’s luggage or by other means as she was so young.

Five years ago, he discovered the first tiny snake after he was contacted by a British resident in the Paphos district, who had examined a book on snakes in Cyprus that Snake George had written and hadn’t been able to identify the creature.

The second one was found by a British tourist last year, who sent photos to the local media and wrote that he found it in the Paphos district. But he released it after taking the photographs, so Wiedl was unable to view it himself.

The third snake was found around one month ago and was looked after by Demetra until her father could return from Austria.

“I have no idea how old it is, but it’s growing bigger.”

Wiedl is also keen to establish a new snake and reptile park in Paphos. He previously operated a successful venture in Peyia for many years, which saw thousands of locals and tourists visit each year.

In recent years he has mentored a young man, Andreas, to take on the snake mantle and has passed on to him his vast knowledge. The young man then went on to study in Greece.

But the men’s hopes to open a new snake park were dashed recently when the ministry of agriculture refused permission for the young Cypriot to start a Paphos park, stating instead that there are plans to build an amphibian park in Neo Chorio.

His supporters are hoping the new snake, at least, will be named after Wiedl.

“I am very excited about this latest discovery, this is my life,” he said.

Snake George: 99 987685

Paphos’ municipal council decided on Monday to remove a sign with mayors’ names after certain political parties objected to the fact that two were accompanied by notes stating they had been jailed for corruption.

The council discussed the issue concerning the names of Savvas Vergas and Phidias Sarikas, both of whom had been jailed for corruption relating to the construction of the town’s sewerage system.

Councillors eventually voted to remove the sign and put up one with the names of late former mayors.

Initially, the sign outside the conference room included a note under the names of the two mayors stating they had been jailed on corruption charges.

Councillors belonging to Vergas’ party, Diko, Sarikas’ Edek, as well as Akel – which saw its own councillors going to jail for the same reason — and two other members, apparently took offence and asked for the accompanying text to be removed.

Sarikas had served as mayor between 1997 and 2006 and Vergas from 2007 until 2014.

Their proposal received 10 votes, as did that of Disy, to have only the late mayors’ names on the wall, which was eventually adopted after incumbent Phedonas Phedonos provided the winning vote.

In a post on his Facebook page, Phedonos said the decision not to remove the names of the two disgraced former mayors but to include the note underneath was made for historical reasons.

It would be wrong to have a gap for the years the pair were in office since it is a fact that the two had been elected as the town’s mayors, he said.

The Paphos district court remanded two men, 82 and 42, for three days on Tuesday, after DNA evidence linked them to firearms and explosives discovered in 2011 and 2014.

The 81-year-old, a Paphos resident, was arrested at 9pm on Monday, after genetic material linked him to two past cases involving the discovery in an abandoned house in 2011 of three G3 army-issue assault rifle, a light support machine gun, two hunting shotguns, a Flobert gun, four revolvers, and a large quantity of ammunition.

Another Paphos man was also linked to the case and was arrested at 3am on Tuesday.

The second case that the 81-year-old was linked to occurred in 2014 in Paphos, where police found an improvised explosive device.

Following their arrest, the two men denied any involvement with the cases and refused to cooperate with the police.

A restaurant owner in Paphos caught a man who had allegedly burgled his business in the early hours of Saturday.

Police said the restaurant’s alarm went off at around 12.50am, alerting the owner who rushed to his business.

There, he found that the cash machine’s drawer was missing, along with an undisclosed amount of cash.

At some point, while outside, the owner spotted a man on foot holding a tablecloth. The owner approached the man and asked him to stop but he dropped the cloth and tried to escape. The man was caught with the help of a bystander and was detained until the arrival of the police.

Police searched the 42-year-old suspect and found cash and other items whose possession he could not justify.

The tourist industry continues to be threatened by unlicensed beds, mayor of Paphos Phedonas Phedonos said on Sunday.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Phedonos said as a district Paphos receives the largest number of tourists and the unlicensed beds result in unfair competition for hotels and apartment in addition to a loss of income for both the government and local authorities.

He said 10,000 beds are available illegally in Paphos, which poses a “terror” threat for legal operators.

He said in Paphos the number of licensed beds is increasing and as hotels continually update and modernise, meaning the tourism product offered by Cyprus has improved.

He said though that while Paphos leads the way in the sale of immoveable property, it also has the highest level of unemployment on the island and the highest number of recipients of the Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI), while he said it was important to point out that locals are losing out on the job market to foreigners as 16,000 of them are employed.

But, he said, the local authority of Paphos is working hard to take initiatives and actions to build an outward-looking city that can play a role in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.

In this context, he referred to the international airport and its improved road links in addition to the establishment of a university in the region.

An appeal to ensure that hundreds of children of needy families in Paphos will receive a gift bag of presents this Christmas is underway.

For the sixth year in a row, a ‘Gift of Love’ volunteers, which this year are led by Mikka Heaney, Dikla Smith and Soula Theodosiou, are collecting gifts for children of ages that are donated by members of the public.

In recent years, the presents were placed into shoe-boxes, and although it’s still called the ‘shoe box appeal’, this year for ease and presentation, they are preferably placed into gift bags.

“Many people would struggle with finding shoe-boxes and decorating them and it’s also easier for us to check the presents inside bags and they look lovely,” Smith told the Sunday Mail.

Around 600 children in the district of Paphos will receive the presents, and for many, these bags will be the only gifts they receive this Christmas.

“These children could be your neighbour, friend or child’s friend from school, many people have no idea what is going on in other people’s lives and what challenges they may be facing,” she said.

The children who receive the gifts are all from low- or no-income families who are part of a list provided by Paphos social services, she said.

“The adults are all earning six hundred euros or less a month,” she said.

Smith said that on such a tight budget, children often miss out on the “treats in life such as toys, chocolates and biscuits and that a gift of love provides a great vehicle to lift their spirits and bring some joy into their lives”.

In some cases, they won’t even have toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant or shampoo.

The gift bags will be stuffed with a selection of gifts around the value of €15-€20 each and for ages ranging from 0 to 18 years.

All sorts of new gifts are required including dolls, toys, colouring books, crayons, socks, gloves, hats, scarves, sleepwear, toiletries, baby wipes, empty feeding bottles, dummies, sweets, chocolate, biscuits, hot water bottles, deodorant, clothes, nail varnish, makeup, calculators, writing pads, pens, small games and jewellery.

Other suggestions and guidelines are available on the Gift of Love Facebook page.

“All of the items have to be brand new, in previous years, many people gave second-hand items, but these will be taken out of the bags. We also ask that nobody puts in any toy guns or knives.”

Smith said that the gift bags will be carefully checked by the volunteers ahead of them being handed over and don’t need to be wrapped, making it easier to check them.

Drop off points include: Peyia Medical Centre, Revival fashion store, Revolution hairdressers, Century Travel, Maraki market cafe, Rock FM and Baby Corner.

The gifts are distributed every December through various networks such as social welfare, schools and community boards.

“We want to thank the public for their continuing support and this appeal is a way that we can all help to make a child feel really special and joyful this Christmas,” she said.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/GiftOfLovePaphos/

Dikla Smith- 97789099   Mikka Heaney: 96 462558

Paphos police on Tuesday were seeking a 36-year-old bar owner who allegedly chained his wife to a railing in the loft so that she would not drink.

According to state broadcaster CyBC, the 38-year-old woman was found by police officers chained by the foot to the railing in the bar’s loft. The establishment was closed at the time.

The woman told officers that her husband had chained her so that she would not consume alcohol.

Police issued an arrest warrant for the 36-year-old while the woman was taken to hospital where she was treated and subsequently discharged.

By Sarah Coyne

We all have those places that we love to frequent and for me Labyrinth Wine Bar is one of them. Situated just off the municipal gardens in central Paphos, many people will have passed it and never known it was there because if you blink you will miss it. It is almost hidden from public view but the entrance is through a small pedestrian gate set in the old garden wall. The bar is situated in an old colonial style building dating from 1907 and has a terrace outside while indoors there are secluded seating areas and a gallery space. It looks tiny from the outside but inside it goes on and on – hence the name.

The bar is huge and has a vast selection of wines on show and scattered around are cupboard-like cellars of wine; no doubt in storage for future years to come. The selection of wine is very impressive and covers all budgets. There are over 60 local and international wines on the wine list and the owner certainly knows his stuff here. Bottles range in price from 16 to 136 euros. They have nine “House” wines – red, white and rosé to enjoy by the glass.

Labyrinth is in the middle of where many of our best eateries are in Paphos and makes an ideal place to enjoy an aperitif before dinner. But if you want to stay the whole evening they offer various platters consisting of meat, cheese, smoked salmon or salads. Various musicians perform live on a Saturday night which adds to the cool vibe of the place.

The gallery inside under the name Mitos Gallery is planning exciting regular exhibitions, which is a great addition to the space.

If you want to sit in a lovely environment, drinking wines and watching the trendy people of Paphos this is the place. With the onset of winter this makes a wonderful indoor venue to meet friends and try new wines from the list.

Labyrinth Wine Bar and Gallery
Where: Ayiou Theodorou 5, Paphos
When: 5.30pm – 1am. Closed Sunday
Contact: 99 425862
How much: Glass of wine from 5 euros, Platters from 7 euros

By Bejay Browne

Around forty sports tourism professionals from eight countries will arrive in Paphos on Wednesday with the aim of further promoting this industry sector.

The initiative is being undertaken by the Paphos regional board of tourism in co-operation with the CTO, along with with the organisers of sporting events and a number of Paphos hotels.

“Paphos is heavily investing in sports tourism, we possess many competitive advantages and people already using our facilities and training here are very happy. Our main aim is to establish Paphos as a wonderful sporting destination,” head of the Paphos regional board of tourism, Nassos Hadjigeorgiou told the Cyprus Mail.

The industry professional are expected to arrive in Paphos on December 5, and stay until December 8.

Among the guests are, coaches, club presidents, club managers, travel agencies, and others. Particular emphasis is being placed on Triathlon sport, cycling, running and swimming, which are the “flagships” of the sports that are being promoted through this effort, he said.

Professionals will come from countries including, the UK, Germany, Russia, Israel, Slovakia, Greece, Ukraine and the Netherlands. They were picked due to good flight connections and to capitalise on those countries that have been to Paphos in the past.

“None of those individuals invited have ever been to Paphos before and they will be offered an opportunity to explore the region,” Hadjigeorgiou added.

They will be familiarised with the sports infrastructure, such as the Olympic size swimming pool in Geroskipou, visit several stadiums and will be guided and have the chance to experience cycling, the marathon and triathlon routes, as well as visit the countryside and explore Paphos’ rich cultural heritage.

“This initiative is also a way to promote the great sports events that we already have in Paphos such as the marathon, triathlons and cycling events and a way to promote the idea of training here, or establishing training camps here.”

He added that the generally excellent weather conditions, mild winters, good air accessibility, satisfactory infrastructure for many sports, the excellent quality and also wide range of hotel accommodation on offer, beautiful countryside and great hospitality all help to create a favourable sports destination.

“This move is another step towards consolidating the district as a destination for athletes and also adds another advantage to the further diversification of Paphos, setting us above other competitors.”

He noted that the effort will also go some way towards easing the ongoing problem of seasonality.

Paphos fruit packers have warned they will protest at the labour ministry early in January if a specific fruit-packing company is allowed to continue using its work-permits to hire third-country nationals for unsanctioned reasons.

In an announcement on Wednesday, trade union Segdamelin – Peo expressed its full support for the packers saying the company’s actions “violate the agreements for granting foreigners employment permits in Cyprus and creates conditions under which Cypriots may lose many of the existing jobs”.

The union explained that in 2017, at a location in Paphos, workers from third countries were found working illegally packing fruits. After examining the case, the labour department decided to cancel 10 of the company’s work permit-privileges. Just months later, the permits were reinstated and the company continued hiring foreigners, the union statement says.

Work permits are granted to businesses in the agricultural sector, allowing legal third-country nationals to be employed but the statement said fruit packing is not covered by the work permits and that using them in this way is a violation of the permits.

This, they say, is unfair competition for the remainder of Paphos employers in the sector who only employ Cypriots and EU nationals for packing work, since the cost of workers from third countries is well below half of that of EU and Cypriots.

“A few hundred Cypriots work in the packaging of fruits and potatoes, and this is seasonal work for which there has never been a shortage of labour,” the statement said.

Workers have now decided that if the decision is not revoked by the end of December they will go to the labour ministry, ask for explanations and demand assurances that their jobs will be safe.

By Bejay Browne

A cultural foundation will be established in Paphos to create and promote events in the town, the mayor announced at an event at Palia Ilektriki.

Phedonas Phedonos shared his thoughts and ideas for creating such an establishment to an audience made of representatives from various established cultural associations and members of the public, a spokesman for Paphos municipality told the Cyprus Mail.

“The idea was already there after our cultural capital title of Pafos2017, the municipal council decided some time ago on this matter, but it has taken some time to prepare all of the necessary things and now the mayor has started the conversation with the public to gauge the first reactions, ideas and suggestions.”

He added that this is in order to be prepared to discuss the matter further with the municipal council to then proceed to establish the foundation.

Phedonos said that the entity will be established and supported by the municipality but that it will act independently.

“This is a unique Pancyprian project, as the foundation will have an independent Board of Directors, its own Artistic Director and staff, and will also be responsible for the management of cultural infrastructures,” he informed the audience.

The foundation will be operated along the same lines as Pafos2017, with its Artistic Director and board of directors nominated by members of the council.

“It will be totally independent though and it is necessary to take this move to ensure that the cultural life of Paphos will continue to go on,” said the spokesman.

The mayor said that the foundation will also be responsible for the production and organisation of a number of various events already taking place in Paphos, such as opera, parades, carnivals and religious celebrations, and will eventually be responsible for organising new events, not excluding the possibility of creating a new theatre.

“The matter will be discussed at the next council meeting and I believe they are keen to establish it as soon as possible,” he said.

The mayor made it clear that many issues have to be clarified through dialogue which is now underway, such as staff issues, how to manage infrastructure and so on.

The spokesman said that, obviously, the board of directors would be Cypriot, but that wider community and other nationalities would be able to get involved by volunteering, as they did with Pafos2017. However, he added that this would be the job of the new artistic director to decide.

A number of follow-up open audiences in support of this initiative, and thoughts and proposals on how to implement it, will take place in the near future.

The mayor also invited representatives of the cultural institutions of the town and interested members of the public to submit their proposals and opinions in writing within one week to: cultural.service@pafos.org.cy

A man has been arrested in Paphos following a burglary at a restaurant in the early hours of Monday.

The restaurant owner reported to police that between 5pm on Sunday and 1am the next morning somebody broke into the building and stole some money and a camera which was lying on a bench next to the cash register.

Evidence pointed to the involvement of a former employee, who was arrested.

The suspect said he has nothing to do with the theft.

By Bejay Browne

Organisers of the Gift of Love, an appeal that ensures that hundreds of children of needy families in Paphos will receive a gift bag of presents this Christmas, are just short of their target and are hoping members of the public will come forward to help.

One of the volunteers of the initiative, now in its sixth year, told the Cyprus Mail on Friday that the deadline for donations is Saturday (tomorrow) afternoon and 20 gift bags of various ages are still needed.

“The public have been particularly amazing this year and have donated so many wonderful presents, but we still need a few more bags to ensure that all of the children on our list will receive something this festive season,” she said.

Twenty more bags are needed in all, five in each of the following age groups: boys aged 3-5 years, 6- 8 years and 13-15 years. Five more bags are also required for the girls group ages 6-8 years.

The gift bags should contain a selection of new gifts around the value of €15-€20 each bag as a guideline, and all sorts of presents are required including dolls, toys, colouring books, crayons, socks, gloves, hats, scarves, sleepwear, toiletries, sweets, chocolate, biscuits, hot water bottles, deodorant, clothes, nail varnish, makeup, calculators, writing pads, pens, small games and jewellery.

Other suggestions and guidelines are available on the Gift of Love Facebook page.

A number of cash donations have also been made which will ensure that needy children will also receive new winter coats for Christmas.

In recent years, the presents were placed into shoe boxes, this year for ease and presentation, they are preferably placed into gift bags.

The children who receive the gifts are all from low- or no-income families who are part of a list provided by Paphos social services. If they are working, the adults are all earning six hundred euros or less a month.

The ‘Gift of Love’ volunteers are led by Smith, Mikka Heaney, and Soula Theodosiou,and around 500 children in the district of Paphos will receive the donated presents. For many, these bags will be the only gifts they receive this Christmas.

“We are also appealing for winter clothes for both adults and children and linen and blankets,” she said, adding that on Friday a request was also made for new teenagers’ clothes shoes.

“There are some children who are in desperate need of these necessities as the colder months are here and their parents just can’t afford it,” she said.

The gift bags will be carefully checked by the volunteers before being handed over and presents don’t need to be wrapped, making it easier to check them. They will be distributed ahead of Christmas through various networks such as social welfare, schools and community boards.

Drop off points include: Peyia Medical Centre, Revival fashion store, Revolution hairdressers, Century Travel, Maraki market cafe, Rock FM and Baby Corner.

For further information: Facebook: www.facebook.com/GiftOfLovePaphos/

Dikla Smith- 97789099   Mikka Heaney: 96 462558