Day: January 12, 2023

President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, has expressed satisfaction over the growth of sports in the country as a result of the priority his government placed during his administration.

Speaking on Thursday during the presentation of the awards of excellence of the Cyprus Union of Sportswriters, President Anastasiades referred to plans for the holistic modernization and upgrading of sports that includes the modernization of the Cyprus Sports Organization, which will implement the state’s policy, as well as locating and utilizing talents by strengthening the CSO’s programmes. He also referred to funding athletes who achieve high performance and another plan to support promising young athletes.

President Anastasiades referred to the operation of sports’ schools and programmes such as Secondary Education Sports Schools.

He noted the government’s new National Sports’ Strategy that was prepared through the new sports legislation undertaken by the Cyprus Sports Organisation.

President Anastasiades also said that a new plan for the Professional Rehabilitation of High Performance Athletes was adopted while subsidies for athletes, clubs and academies were increased, new funding criteria for sports organizations were prepared while the Code of Good Governance was implemented, within the framework of which controls by federations were intensified, with the ultimate goal of managing their financial resources as correctly and effectively as possible.

President Anastasiades underlined the establishment of the Committee on Ethics and Protection of Sports, on the basis of the Law on combating manipulation of sports’ events and the implementation of significant sports structures which contribute to the multifaceted development of sports.

According to President Anastasiades, from 2018 70 projects costing more than 60 million euros have been completed or are underway.

These include the construction of the New Limassol Stadium, the construction of tennis facilities in Larnaca, the total renovation and upgrading of the Nicosia Swimming Pool, the Doxa Football Stadium in Katokopia and the Kormakitis Stadium, the creation of an artistic gymnastics training center for the Byron Club in Larnaca, the start of works of the Maronite Sporting Center in Lakatamia, the reconstruction of the Athletics facilities of the GSP and commencing reconstruction works at the Sports’ facilities of Stelios Kyriakides in Paphos.

I am absolutely certain that based on the close cooperation of all parties involved and the suggestions and proposals for improving practices, there will be even greater victories, the President remarked.

He also congratulated the winners and candidates in the various categories, saying they greatly contribute to Cyprus sports.

He congratulated the Union of Cyprus Sportswriters for the awards which provide athletes with individual and collective incentives to continue their efforts with even more perseverance.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

A decrease of 4.9% was recorded in building permits issued during the period January – October 2022, according to data from municipal authorities and district administrations.

According to the Statistical Service of Cyprus, during the period January – October 2022, 6,347 building permits were issued compared to 6,671 in the corresponding period of the previous year, recording a decrease of 4.9%.

The total value of these permits remained at the level of the preceding year, while the total area declined by 5.9%. The number of housing units recorded a decrease of 4.6%.

A year-over-year decrease in building permits was also recorded in October 2022. Specifically, in October 2022, 646 permits were issued, compared to 663 in October 2021. The total value of these permits reached €203.7 million compared to €186 million in the corresponding month of 2021 and the total area 186.6 thousand square meters compared to 173.6 thousand square meters in October 2021.

By district, the biggest number of building permits (220) were issued in October 2021 in Nicosia, followed by Limassol with 190, Larnaca with 121, Pafos with 87 and the Famagusta with 28. The highest total value and the largest total area of these permits were recorded in Limassol, amounting to €92.6 million and 78,872 thousand square meters respectively.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Patients who visited a doctor in the framework of the General Healthcare System (GHS) in 2020 amounted to 6,016,478, the Statistical Service of Cyprus announced on Thursday.

According to the official data, during 2020 in the framework of the GHS, a total of 6,016,478 out-patient visits were recorded of which 982,563 were performed in hospitals and health centers of the SHSO and 5,033,915 were performed by private sector physicians who were enrolled to the GHS. As regards the type of attendance, 2,769,908 visits were to personal doctors and 3,246,570 visits to specialised doctors.

In-patient Discharges

During 2020, 59,533 patients were treated and discharged from the general hospitals of the State Health Services Organization (SHSO), whereas 1,045 patients were treated and discharged from Kyperounta and Polis Rural Hospitals.

As noted, the respective data for the private hospitals are not available as they were contracted to the GHS only during the 2nd semester of 2020. In 2020, the bed occupancy rate of the general hospitals of SHSO was 64.1%.

The respective percentage for the rural hospitals in 2020 was 34.0%. Neoplasms have the highest share, 10.3% of the patients discharged from general hospitals, following diseases of the circulatory system with 7.4%, diseases of the respiratory system and injuries, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes with 6.4% and diseases of the digestive system and the genitourinary system 5.0%.

All other disease categories account for the remaining 22.1%, whereas for 37.4% of the cases the diagnosis was not stated.

Deaths and Causes of Death

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In 2020, 6,579 deaths have been recorded, including all deaths of residents, as well as non-residents in Cyprus. A percentage of 53.0% of total deaths (3,487 deaths) refers to men, whereas 47.0% (3,092 deaths) refers to women.

The main causes of death were diseases of the circulatory system (28.5%), neoplasms (24.0%), diseases of the respiratory system (9.5%), endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (7.6%) , as well as external causes of injury and poisoning (4.7%). Other causes of death follow with lower frequencies.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1800 12/01/2023 UNTIL 1800 13/01/2023

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1016hPa (hectopascal)

Barometric is affecting the area. The weather will be at times mainly cloudy with local showers and isolated thunderstorms.

Visibility: Good, but moderate to poor in showers

Sea surface temperature: 20°C

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The rising cost of living, the threat of poverty and social exclusion, and the migration issue are Cypriots’ greatest concerns according to the European Parliament’s Autumn 2022 Eurobarometer Survey released on Thursday.

According to the findings, the rising cost of living is currently the most pressing concern for 93% of Europeans, while poverty and social exclusion follow (82%). Both the potential spread of the war in Ukraine to other countries and the climate change emergency remain leading worries for 81% of EU citizens.

As regards Cyprus, 99% of respondents said that their most pressing worry was the rising cost of living, followed by the threat of poverty and social exclusion (94%). For Cypriots, the migration issue is also a concern with 93% saying they were concerned about it, compared with 70% of the EU average.

The third most common concern among the EU is climate change but also the spread of the war in Ukraine to other countries, with 81%. In Cyprus this concern was expressed by 89% and 81% of respondents respectively.

A press release by the European Parliament notes that “citizens expect the EU to continue working on solutions to mitigate the compounding effects of the consecutive crises that have hit the continent”. High support for the EU is based on the experience of past years, with the EU demonstrating a remarkable capacity to unite and to deploy effective measures, it is added.

“For now, citizens are not satisfied by the actions taken either at national or at EU level. Only a third of Europeans express satisfaction with measures taken by their national governments or the EU to tackle the rising cost of living”, it notes.

It is noted that, recent crises and particularly Russia’s war against Ukraine, are strengthening citizens’ support for the European Union: 62% see EU membership as a “good thing” which “represents one of the highest results on record since 2007”. The percentage of respondents in Cyprus reaches 52%.

Citizens, it adds, expect the EU to continue working on solutions to mitigate the compounding effects of the consecutive crises that have hit the continent. For now, it said, “citizens are not satisfied by the actions taken either at national or at EU level”, adding that, only a third of Europeans express satisfaction with measures taken by their national governments or the EU to tackle the rising cost of living.

Looking at the financial situation of citizens, the survey shows that the fallout from the polycrisis is being felt increasingly. Almost half of the EU population (46%) say that their standard of living has already been reduced due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis. In Cyprus, this percentage reaches 70%.

A further 39% (18% for Cyprus), have not yet seen their standard of living decline, but expect this to happen in the next year. An increase of nine points, from 30% to 39%, at EU level since autumn 2021, has been recorded as regards the proportion of citizens experiencing difficulties paying bills “most of the time” or “sometimes”. In Cyprus there was an increase of eight points, with this percentage reaching 59%.

“People are understandably worried about the rising cost of living, as more and more families are struggling to make ends meet. Now is the time for us to deliver; to bring our bills under control, push back inflation and to make our economies grow. We must protect the most vulnerable in our societies”, said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, according to the press release.

It is also reported that 53% of Cypriots chose as their first priority public health, second the support of the economy and the creation of new jobs (44%) and third the issue of fighting poverty and social exclusion (41%). European citizens as a whole want the European Parliament to focus on fighting poverty and social exclusion (37%). Public health remains important to many European citizens (34%), as does continued action against climate change (31%). Supporting the economy and creating new jobs (31%) is also high on the list of European citizens.

It is noted that the European Parliament’s Autumn 2022 Eurobarometer was carried out between 12 October and 7 November in all 27 EU Member States. The survey was conducted face-to-face, with video interviews (CAVI) while 26,431 interviews were conducted in total. In Cyprus, 505 interviews were carried out between October 12 and 25, 2022.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Throughout 2022, iconic beauty brand Mary Kay—along with its company-sponsored foundations—gave more than 3 million dollars to support women’s causes around the world.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230112005756/en/

Female entrepreneurs in Chuxiong, Yunnan Province increased their income and helped preserve the Yunnan Embroidery cultural industry thanks to Mary Kay Women’s Entrepreneurship Program. (Photo: Mary Kay Inc.)

When Mary Kay Ash, legendary businesswoman and philanthropist, opened her business in 1963, she dreamed of empowering women internationally through entrepreneurship, innovation, hard work, and giving back. Nearly 60 years later, Mary Kay employees, Independent Beauty Consultants, and members of the global community keep her dream alive through generous contributions to four company-sponsored foundations delivering impactful support to women and their families in need.

The full foundation reports can be viewed here. Here’s what they were up to in 2022:

Cancers Affecting Women

In the U.S., the Mary Kay Ash Foundation (MKAF) funded 37 cancer researchers conducting groundbreaking research against cancers affecting women.

43% of MKAF cancer research projects are led by women; 100% of clinical trials are women-led.

MKAF funded nearly $1.7 million in grants for cancers affecting women.

Gender-based Violence

MKAF funded nearly $1.4 million in grants supporting services for women survivors of domestic violence.

MKAF supported 4 local domestic violence shelters in North Texas providing women seeking help with vital resources and safety.

In collaboration with Mary Kay, MKAF supported global partners committed to end violence against women and girls, including CARE and UN Trust Fund. Together, MKAF partners completed over 550 projects around the world.

Instituto Mary Kay and Mary Kay Brazil received the Silver Award for the Red Cross Campaign “Campanha Sinal Vermelho Contra a Violência Doméstica” at ABEVD Associação Brasileira das Empresas de Venda Direta (Brazil DSA) Anual Congress.

In Canada, the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation awarded $10,000 each to 16 domestic violence shelters across Canada, totaling $160,000.

Women and Their Families

Mary Kay China and its company-sponsored programs and fund have provided support through the following efforts:

Mary Kay Women’s Entrepreneurship Program

In cooperation with China Women’s Development Foundation, interest-free revolving loans were provided to four women entrepreneur initiatives in the provinces of Heilongjiang, Ningxia, and Jilin. The initiatives directly benefited 133 women by increasing their annual per capita income by RMB 20,000 yuan.

Young Women’s Future Fund

In cooperation with Adream Foundation, the Young Women’s Future Fund remaining balance will be used to build four Mary Kay Dream Classrooms in Jiangxi to enhance girls’ literacy education.

Mary Kay China Charity Program

Since March 2022, the Mary Kay China Charity Program has allocated 1,049,800 yuan to provide protective materials and living supplies to 73 communities in 15 cities as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Thanks to the joint efforts of Mary Kay China and its Beauty Consultants, the “Smile 1000” project raised funds for 112 cleft-lip repair surgeries in 2022. To date, Mary Kay China has raised funds for 991 surgeries and is on track to achieve the goal of 1,000 smiles in 2023.

By May, 1,391 Beauty Consultant volunteers had delivered 331 beauty lessons to 9,147 women.

About Mary Kay

One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty company in 1963 with one goal: enriching women’s lives. That dream has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar company with millions of independent sales force members in nearly 40 countries. As an entrepreneurship development company, Mary Kay is committed to empowering women on their journey to economic independence through education, mentorship, advocacy, networking, and innovation. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skincare, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and fragrances. Mary Kay believes in enriching lives today for a sustainable tomorrow, partnering with organizations from around the world focusing on promoting business excellence, supporting cancer research, advancing gender equality, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their dreams. Learn more at marykayglobal.com, find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn or follow us on Twitter.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 0600 13/01/2023 UNTIL 0600 14/01/2023

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1016hPa (hectopascal)

Low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be at times mainly cloudy with local showers and isolated thunderstorms.

Visibility: Good, but moderate to poor in showers

Sea surface temperature: 20°C

Source: Cyprus News Agency

President Anastasiades on Thursday received a telephone call by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky who briefed him about the latest developments in Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.

President posted a tweet saying that he reiterated that Cyprus, itself a victim of invasion and occupation by Turkey, stands firmly with Ukrainian people.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The possible sale of F-16s to Turkey and tensions between Turkey and Cyprus and Greece are included in a US Congressional Research Service report on Turkey released on January 9, which outlines Biden administration support of the sale and opposition by “some members of Congress.”

In particular, the report entitled “Turkey (Turkiye): Background and U.S. Relations”, features Greece and Cyprus alongside Russia, Sweden-Finland-NATO and the Middle East, as major issues which have to do with the US – Turkey relationship.

The report notes that President Biden “has voiced support for sales that would upgrade Turkey’s aging F-16 fleet, but some Members of Congress have expressed opposition.”

“Long-standing disputes between Greece and Turkey over territorial rights in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean seas have spiked in 2022 amid greater U.S. strategic cooperation with Greece and Cyprus, as well as renewed disagreements regarding Greek islands close to Turkey’s coast,” the report reads.

It also gives an account of the dispute between the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey about Eastern Mediterranean energy exploitation in recent years noting that it “appears to have brought Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and Egypt closer together.”

It relates in detail tensions between the Republic of Cyprus, Greece and Turkey and US response.

The report further refers to the lifting of the US arms embargo against the Republic of Cyprus in September, adding that “after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in October 2022 that the United States no longer maintains a balanced approach in the Aegean, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake released a statement saying that there has been no shift in U.S. security posture to favor Turkey or Greece and that the NATO allies’ collective efforts are focused on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.”

On relations between Israel and Turkey it notes, among other things, that “Turkish officials have expressed interest in energy cooperation with Israel. However, Israeli officials reportedly remain skeptical about prospects for a subsea Israel- Turkey natural gas pipeline.”

“While Israel has pursued greater high-level interaction with Turkey, it may be cautious about significant near-term improvements in bilateral relations, and appears to remain committed to close strategic ties with Greece and the Republic of Cyprus,” it adds. It also says it is “unclear how the expected late 2022 return of Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel’s prime minister might affect the improvement in Turkey-Israel relations.”

The CRS report, also outlines the new position by the Biden administration in favour of selling F-16s to Turkey and the resistance this has met in Congress and in particular by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez.

“A May 2022 article interviewed some congressional committee leaders with oversight responsibilities for arms sales. Most signaled openness to considering F-16 transactions. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez remained skeptical, however, saying, “[Turkey] acts in ways that are contrary to our interests in a whole host of things. I think the administration has to stop seeing … the aspirational part of what we would like Turkey to be and realize that Turkey is under Erdogan,” the report reads.

It adds that the State Department spokesperson said in response to questions about the status of possible F-16 sales to Turkey, among other things, that “Turkey’s desire for F-16s is something that we have discussed, including at the most senior levels, with our Turkish allies, but it’s also something that we’re discussing with the Hill.”

The report also says that “tensions between Turkey and other NATO members have fueled internal US/NATO discussions about the continued use of Turkish bases.”

“As a result of the tensions and questions about the safety and utility of Turkish territory for U.S. and NATO assets, some observers have advocated exploring alternative basing arrangements in the region,” it says.

Some reports, it adds, “suggest that expanded or potentially expanded U.S. military presences in places such as Greece, Cyprus, and Jordan might be connected with concerns about Turkey.”

According to the report in March 2022, Turkey expert and former congressional committee staff member Alan Makovsky said in a congressional hearing testimony “that while the United States should make efforts to keep Turkey in the “Western camp,” Turkish “equivocation in recent years” justifies the United States building and expanding military facilities in Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece to “hedge its bets”.”

Source: Cyprus News Agency

A press release by the University of Cyprus says that researchers from the University of Cyprus in collaboration with the Medical School of the Harvard University, USA, analysed – using mathematics- the effectiveness of existing vaccines against the coronavirus. The study showed the vaccine coverage period in terms of recent variants of the virus but also in terms of new more aggressive mutations that are likely to emerge in the future.

The research was published in the PNAS magazine, one of the world’s most-cited and comprehensive multidisciplinary scientific journals, with the title «Mechanistic model for booster doses effectiveness in healthy, cancer, and immunosuppressed patients infected with SARS-CoV-.

In the abstract it says that SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are effective at limiting disease severity, but effectiveness is lower among patients with cancer or immunosuppression, adding that effectiveness wanes with time and varies by vaccine type.

Moreover, it adds, previously prescribed vaccines were based on the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 spike-protein that emerging variants may evade.

“Here, we describe a mechanistic mathematical model for vaccination-induced immunity. We validate it with available clinical data and use it to simulate the effectiveness of vaccines against viral variants with lower antigenicity, increased virulence, or enhanced cell binding for various vaccine platforms,” it notes.

The analysis, the research says, includes the omicron variant as well as hypothetical future variants with even greater immune evasion of vaccine-induced antibodies and addresses the potential benefits of the new bivalent vaccines.

“We further account for concurrent cancer or underlying immunosuppression. The model confirms enhanced immunogenicity following booster vaccination in immunosuppressed patients but predicts ongoing booster requirements for these individuals to maintain protection,” it continues.

“We further studied the impact of variants on immunosuppressed individuals as a function of the interval between multiple booster doses. Our model suggests possible strategies for future vaccinations and suggests tailored strategies for high-risk groups,” it says.

“Our results can help to better plan the booster vaccinations in population groups with different characteristics and level of morbidity, as well as for new mutations of the virus,” Associate Professor at the University of Cyprus Triantafyllos Stylianopoulos said.

The University of Cyprus researchers received funding from the European Commission, the European Research Council and the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation.

Source: Cyprus News Agency