By Tabassum Zakaria President Barack Obama may think words like "catastrophe," "crisis" and "disaster" help sell his economic rescue plans, but U.S. history has shown that scare tactics can backfire. Having campaigned on a promise of hope and run against what he called President George W. Bush's "politics of fear," Obama may be taking a
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The Cyprus tourism sector started the year on the doldrums, as passenger arrivals fell by 7.1% to 47,066 in January 2009 compared with 50,658 in January 2008. Arrivals from the UK fell by 8.5%, to 19,809 in January 2009 compared with 21,641 in January 2008. Arrivals from Greece fell by 4.1% to 6,888 from 7,183
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The Cyprus trade deficit widened to EUR 6,160.2 mln (EUR6.2 bln) in 2008, according to preliminary data for December. Total exports rose by 7.8% to EUR 1.2 bln while total imports rose by 15.3% to EUR 7.3 bln. Preliminary estimates for December 2008 reported total imports/ arrivals of EUR 497.5 mln, of which EUR 339.5
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Meeting in Rome to be attended by Russia The Group of Seven countries meet in Rome on Friday, with attempts to move forward with regulatory reform agreed in Washington last November up for discussion ahead of a wider meeting of the G20 in April. Diplomats say the promise last year by global leaders of "rapid
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Germany took an indirect swipe at France on Wednesday in a row that has erupted in Europe over aid for carmakers and said it would take a stand against rising protectionism when G7 finance chiefs meet this weekend. France has been criticised by some of its European partners in recent days for its plan to
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Farmers in seven European Union nations planted genetically modified crops commercially last year, one fewer than in 2007 after France banned cultivation of GM maize, an industry-sponsored report said on Wednesday. In terms of area, the land sown to biotech crops across the EU's 27-country territory reached 107,719 hectares in 2008, according to a report
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The European Union announced plans on Wednesday to hold no fewer than three economic summits to iron out national differences that threaten to hamper its efforts at tackling the recession. The move came after France and others questioned the ability of the Czech Republic — the small, ex-communist state holding the EU's rotating presidency —
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Iran denied on Wednesday that a ship detained by Cyprus last month on its way from the Islamic Republic to Syria had been carrying weapons. A Cypriot source on Saturday said the ship appeared to be carrying weapon-related material from Iran prohibited under U.N. resolutions, saying that was the advice Cyprus received from a United
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No restrictions have ever been imposed on the sale of Greek Cypriot property, in the northern Turkish occupied part of Cyprus, Government Spokesman Stephanos Stephanou said here today, fending off criticism from the opposition on the matter. “The issue of selling Greek Cypriot occupied property to Greek Cypriots is not new. In 2007 such sales
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President Demetris Christofias believes that Turkey’s role in the Cyprus question cannot just be confined to giving assurances and that Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat must be left alone to negotiate for a political settlement for the Cypriots. Speaking at a ceremony during which he received the credentials of the new Greek Ambassador Vassilis
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