Cyprus Mail www.cyprus-mail.com
Friday, December 14, 2012
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CYPRUS
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End of the road for Orphanides supermarkets
Chelsea power into Club World Cup final 32
The Hobbit hits the big screen today centre
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Europe upbeat on bailout for Cyprus Christofias says Cyprus ‘stabbed in the back’ by various quarters within the EU By George Psyllides
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HE Eurogroup yesterday appeared confident that an agreement on Cyprus’ bailout programme can be reached soon but not before the new year. The group discussed Cyprus yesterday though no decision had been expected. In a written statement issued after the meeting, the Eurogroup said progress had been made towards a possible macro-financial assistance programme and welcomed “that the Cypriot authorities are demonstrating their commitment to such reforms and that the Cypriot parliament has passed a first set of measures that had been agreed.” “We are confident that agreement on the programme could soon be reached, and we call on the international institutions and Cyprus to finalise negotiations accordingly,” the statement said. The Eurogroup said it had been assured that Cyprus’ immediate financing needs have been covered. Parliament on Wednesday passed a raft of austerity measures included in the provisional bailout agreement. Three other bills were already approved last week.
Eurogroup President Jean-Claude Juncker said Cyprus’ problem was serious but it was being tackled in a serious way. Juncker said private sector involvement with Cyprus had not been discussed and would not commit on a timetable. “I don’t want to lock us into an overly strict timetable. But we will work to find a solution as quickly as possible,” he said. Earlier yesterday, Juncker said a definitive solution for Cyprus would probably be found in January. European Commission Vice-President Olli Rehn echoed Juncker in that a decision can be expected next month. Rehn welcomed Cyprus’ move to adopt the measures agreed with international lenders – the troika. “This is an encouraging sign of Cyprus’ determination to do what it takes to ensure fiscal and financial sustainability,” Rehn said. To conclude the deal, the two sides need the final results of the due diligence exercise for the banking sector, expected by midJanuary. “In parallel, the Commission will continue to work intensively to facilitate a decision on a programme, which we envisage can be taken next month,” Rehn said.
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Swedish children take part in a Lucia concert in a church at the museum of Skansen yesterday in Stockholm (AFP)
Self-styled sugar daddy blows £121,000 on champagne A SELF-styled UK sugar daddy who pays cash-strapped students for sex spent £121,000 on champagne this week celebrating a big win at a casino. Dexter Koh, who owns a public relations company in Shoreditch, claimed he won a six-figure sum in a high-stakes night of gambling before arriving at Aura nightclub in Mayfair at midnight. By the early hours yesterday, Koh, 30, blew more than £121,000 on champagne, including a single Methuselah of Cristal - six litres - at £26,000. Koh, who has openly admitted entering into “mutually beneficial arrangements” with university students in return for sex, tweeted photographs from inside the nightclub, surrounded by models and huge champagne bottles fizzing with sparklers.
He highlighted Wednesday’s date, writing: “12/12/12 wow just smashed it again on the tables. Six figures. What a way to end the year. Let’s get my drink on!” Other items on the bill included one Jeroboam of Ace of Spades champagne, three litres, which cost £16,500. He kept his 19,000 Twitter followers updated through the night, adding tweets including: “having it large”, “this bill will be epic” and “now that’s what I call getting your round in!” The flamboyant businessman has been compared to Christian Grey, a central character from the hit “mummy porn” novel Fifty Shades of Grey, who also enters into contractual sexual relationships. A spokesman for seekingarrange-
ments.com — known as a “sugar daddy” dating site — said: “They give him sex and show him a good time, and he lavishes them with riches.” Koh recently told how he dated a 24year-old Bristol University graduate who had student debts of £62,000 and was struggling to find work in London. He said: “There was no way she could have survived financially without the help of a sugar daddy. “I really felt sorry for her, she was worried sick about her debt. I really don’t know how some students cope without having very rich parents. She had dated several sugar daddies before me. “She was totally unapologetic about it and admitted that once she had got her career and her finances sorted she would quit the site.”