6 September 9, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL
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Dairy companies merge TWO OF the biggest dairy industries on the island, Charalambides and Christis Dairies, have joined forces to become Charalambides Christis Ltd returning it to Cypriot hands, they announced this week. Charalambides Christis Ltd was formed after the Constantinos N Shacolas Group and the Alexis Charalambides family bought out 90 per cent of Vivartia Cyprus. Vivartia Cyprus is part of the leading Greek food company Vivartia Greece. The company shares are distributed as follows: 45 per cent by companies belonging to the Constantinos N Shacolas Group, 45 per cent by the Alexis Charalambides family and 10 per cent by Delta Greece, who retain the share they originally had in the company. “The new structure (in terms of ownership) and mainly the fact that the company has returned to Cypriot hands has created new strength in our staff,” said head of the Charalambides Christis board, Alexis Charalambides. Referring to the company’s name Charalambides said: “We chose to give the company a new name because we want to preserve both historic names of the founders of the companies.”
Hard-hitting: the BirdLife Cyprus billboard poster that will greet visitors as they leave Larnaca airport
Call for ambelopoulia boycott WITH the slogan ‘Ambelopoulia: Just say no’ BirdLife Cyprus is calling on all the public to boycott restaurants offering the illegal delicacies. “Illegal bird trapping has become a money-making business, driven by market forces of demand and supply in the restaurants serving illegally the trapped birds,” said BirdLife’s Martin Hellicar. Bird trapping is an illegal yet highly lucrative activity that fetches offenders hundreds of thousands of euros each year. A dozen ambelopoulia costs between €50 and €80. Part of the campaign to get people’s attention includes an anti-trapping message by BirdLife on a highway bill-
board at Larnaca airport exit. “Our campaign aims to influence consumers, to make them aware that eating ambelopoulia is tantamount to directly supporting an illegal, ecologically destructive practice controlled to a large extent by organised crime,” said Hellicar. He also stressed that it was in the hands of consumers to make the right decision. The aim of the billboard is to also raise awareness among officials and dignitaries arriving for meetings during Cyprus’ EU presidency, but also among tourists and the wider public. According to BirdLife, trapping lev-
els have increased dramatically since 2007. Non-selective methods and large scale killing of birds are illegal both under the EU Birds Directive and Cyprus legislation. BirdLife Cyprus is also calling on both the Cypriot government and the UK government there is a lot of trapping in the British bases in Cyprus - to adopt a clear ‘zero tolerance’ approach, to throw more enforcement resources at the chronic problem and to develop a strategic action plan. For more information, please contact: Martin Hellicar, 22455072 or martin.hellicar@birdlifecyprus.org.cy
Some felt tipped pens contain high levels of benzene
Dangerous school supplies warning THE LABOUR Inspection Department has issued a warning to parents to be careful when buying school supplies as some may contain harmful substances. The warning stated that some products such as superglue, markers, correction fluids and felt tip pens may contain organic solvents such as benzene, chloroform or toluene in higher concentrations that permitted. These substances are considered highly toxic and carcinogenic. In addition, there may be some plastic items containing phthalates, substances again that are considered highly toxic, along with cadmium which is carcinogenic. They clarified that products should say in Greek whether they contain substances that are flammable or that may cause irritation otherwise they should not be on the market. Some products, containing harmful substances, that have already been discovered includes “Hello Kitty” felt tip pens manufactured in China containing high concentrations of benzene (barcode 3281640292377) and “Nille” felt tip pens, manufactured in China with high concentrations of benzene (barcode 7047160046922). For more information look to http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/dyna/rapex/rapex_archives_en.cfm If anyone locates such products they should call the Labour Inspection Department on 22405611, 22405637 or 22405609.
‘Lebanon could have more gas than Cyprus’ LEBANON COULD have access to more offshore natural gas deposits than Cyprus and Syria, the Lebanese paper the Daily Star reported on Friday. Quoting the CEO of Norwegian Spectrum Company David Rowlands saying: “My humble opinion based on the data that I have is that there is greater potential [for natural gas] offshore Lebanon than offshore Cyprus and offshore Syria.” He made the comments based on data gathered from Lebanon, Cyprus and Syria by Spectrum and its partner Dolphin Geophysical, which is surveying the Lebanese coast with its high-capacity seismic vessel, M/V Polar Duke. “We compared the data of offshore Lebanon with the data of offshore Cyprus and Syria,” said Rowlands. The processing of the seismic survey will be completed in January 2013. “The early results have shown us structure which has never been seen before. The geological structures are favourable for accumulation of gas and this has never been seen before at this early stage,” Rowlands told the Daily Star. Lebanon and Israel are currently in dispute over an area of water claimed by both countries as part of their own economic waters.
Cabinet green light for greener petrol Drivers can bank on savings from LPG conversion By Poly Pantelides THE CABINET’S announcement this week that it was allowing the introduction of a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in road transport paves the way for a cheaper and greener fuel alternative. Commerce Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis announced on Tuesday that the cabinet has decided to introduce LPG in vehicles, saying they are cheaper, and environmentally friendlier. LPG is a blend of propane and butane, which can be produced from natural gas or as a by-product of oil refining. LPG is about 50 per cent cheaper to conventional fuels which makes up for its lower efficiency compared to petrol and diesel-run vehicles. The commerce ministry’s energy services estimated last year a saving of at least 20 per cent, after fuel efficiency is accounted for. A cost saving calculator on an UK-based LPG online portal drivelpg.co.uk helps drivers work out longer term savings. Even with the need to use more fuel to make up for the loss in efficiency, a car user with a 24,000km a year mileage on a petrol consumption of about 7.8 litres per 100 km (30MPG), paying an average of €1.36 per litre for unleaded 95 - can save about
Conversion to LPG may take up precious boot space €383 over a year using LPG Autogas which is available in the UK. The cost with conventional fuel was placed at about €3,000. It will take a vehicle owner with the above consumption, a minimum of two years to recover the cost of converting from petrol to LPG (diesel cars cannot be converted).
Conversion costs between €800 and €1,500 and can take place in two days. LPG proponents claim that performance is similar to driving a petrol vehicle although converting may take up precious boot space because of the need to install a new tank. LPG is considered less harmful to the car’s engine, environment commissioner
Charalambos Theopemptou has said adding that petrol emissions are worse than LPG, making LPG a greener fuel alternative. Some cars have dual-propulsion engines and drivers can press a button on the dashboard and choose LPG. Sylikiotis said that the cabinet decision was “activating a procedure to prepare the introduction of LPG use” and set as a goal a year for different departments to prepare the necessary legislative changes. A number of ministries and departments need to cooperate, including the labour inspection department, the road transport department, and the state’s legal services, Sylikiotis said. Among others, laws need to be passed to oversee licences for mechanics carrying out conversion and the labour inspection department needs to decide and oversee how LGP pumps will be set up in stations (for example whether separate stations will be built or not), the commerce ministry’s energy chief Solon Kassinis previously told the Sunday Mail. After departments coordinate and decide on the necessary law amendments, the state’s legal services will need to check them over, and send them to cabinet that will then forward bills to parliament.