Why teachers go on strike? Mass protests in Cyprus
A large-scale protest campaign was held this week by school and nursery school teachers in Limassol and Paphos. Teachers are protesting against new rules for appointing teachers, which have been recently approved by the Parliament.
From 1st September 2018 half of teachers will be recruited based on the special test results, their experience and qualification. Remaining 50% will be employed according to the job placement.
The Minister of Education announced that he will insist on adopting a law prohibiting such protests. In the meantime, most of student’s parents welcomed the new teacher’s appointment procedure.
Grenade thrown at police! Search for blast organisers in Dhekelia
Cyprus police is looking for the organizers of the explosion near the police station of the British military base in Dhekelia.
No fatalities were reported, but one person was seriously injured. According to the preliminary investigation data, a motorcyclist threw the grenade while passing by the police station.
Investigators suspect that the incident is related to the increase of fines for poaching.
Cyprus paying off debts. IMF will be getting back 280 million euro
This week the government announced that it will pay back 280 million euro to the International Monetary Fund. This number makes 28% of the total loan amount, which was allocated by IMF for implementation of bank reforms in Cyprus.
As it was noted by the Ministry of Finance, after having paid off the loan, the country will be able to borrow money in the market at a lower interest rate.
Record sales. Cyprus real estate is popular again
Demand for Cyprus real estate is growing again. A record number of sales was reported in May from Cyprus citizens and locals.
A total of 756 transactions were registered in one month time (this is almost 60% more than a year ago), and almost one third of buyer are foreign nationals.
The demand from foreigners is phenomenal. In Limassol, the number of sales to foreigners has increased by more than 400%, and in Paphos the numbers increased six times.
Where will be Wi-Fi? Cyprus is participating in EU special programme
Free Wi-Fi network will be soon introduced in Cyprus. The network will cover places of mass gathering – squares, parks and even beaches, as well as large public institutions – municipalities, hospitals and museums.
The costs for installation of special equipment and internet provider services for next 3 years will be covered by European Union. This is done within the framework of the “Free Wi-Fi for Europeans” programme. The implementation of this project costs 120 million euro.
2 days of celebrations. 12th Cyprus-Russian Festival was held in Limassol
Residents of Limassol all week shared their impressions about the recent Cyprus-Russian festival. It is already 12th festival, which is being held annually.
The central park of the city was literally buzzing for 2 days: thousands of guests, hundreds of participants. Numerous counters and exhibition stands along the alleys. Organisers provided entertainment for every taste – from shooting to drawing and dancing, and this all accompanied by the mouth-watering aroma of delicious snacks.
Professional and amateur musicians, dancers and various artists performed on the main stage for 2 days. At the opening ceremony president Anastasiades noted that Cyprus remains a reliable partner of Russia.
A detailed report from the celebration can be found on our Facebook page.
“Cool” number plate at extra cost! How auctions will be organised?
From now on unique car number plates are available for purchase. The initiative was approved by the Transport Committee of the Parliament of Cyprus. The main condition – the number of characters or digits should not exceed 8.
Unique number plates will be sold at the auction. It means that, if there are lots of people wishing to use the word “radio” or “news” as a number plate for their car, they will have to fight and pay for it. After purchasing of a unique number plate, the owner will be entitled to re-sell it or keep for himself even after changing the car.