Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 11-01-10

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From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] GERMAN CHANCELLOR - CYPRUS - VISIT

[02] CMP - IRELAND - DONATION

[03] CYPRUS - MAX PLANCK - MOU

[04] VAT - FOOD - MEDICINE

[01] GERMAN CHANCELLOR - CYPRUS - VISIT

Merkel is expected to arrive at the Presidential Palace at 12.50 pm for a private meeting with President Christofias.

The German Chancellor will sign the guestbook of the Presidential Palace and at 13.30 Christofias and Merkel will make statements to the press.

A working lunch will follow at the Presidential Palace, while at 15.20, Merkel will visit the Ghoethe Centre, in Nicosia.

A meeting with the Special Representative of UN Secretary General in Cyprus Lisa Buttenheim will follow at 1600 at the Ledra Palace hotel, located in the UN-controlled buffer zone which separates the northern Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus from the southern government controlled part of the country.

Later on the German Chancellor will meet the President of the main opposition party, the Democratic Rally, Nikos Anastasiades.

[02] CMP - IRELAND - DONATION

According to a press release, the total Irish assistance for the past four years stands at 250,000 euro.

This donation to the CMP Project on the Exhumation, Identification and Return of Remains of Missing Persons in Cyprus, the statement reads, will contribute to the Committees goal of identifying and returning as many remains of missing individuals as possible in order to bring an end to the uncertainty which has affected so many families for so many years.

To date, human remains representing over 750 individuals have been exhumed while over 260 missing persons have been identified and returned to the families for a proper burial.

[03] CYPRUS - MAX PLANCK - MOU

The Memorandum of Understanding will promote joint research and educational programmes. The scientific areas of focus, in the initial phase, will be climate change and the assessment of the associated implications, as well as the development of water resources in the Mediterranean and Middle-East region. Expansion into other scientific fields of common interest will follow.

The MoU coincides with the official visit of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Cyprus.

The Max Planck Society in Germany is considered one of the top research foundations in the world with more than half a century tradition in carrying out outstanding basic research in the life sciences, the natural sciences and the humanities. Since it was founded, scientists from the Max Planck Society claimed 32 Nobel Prizes in various scientific fields.

[04] VAT - FOOD - MEDICINE

It explained that the new tax had to be imposed in line with Cyprus` EU obligations.

A press release, issued here by the Ministry of Finance, said that food, medicine and vaccines - which were taxable with a low VAT of 5% - will not be affected, following the approval of new tax legislation.

On the same date, zero rated VAT will be abolished on the delivery of medicine and vaccines and a 5% VAT will be imposed.

Delivery of ready made or non ready made food or drinks excluding alcoholic drinks, beer, wine and soft drinks - with or without transport costs i.e take away, delivery, which have no other support services, will also have a VAT of 5% as of January 10th.

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