Areeba launches Mobile TV in Cyprus September 8, 2006
Posted by grhomeboy in Games & Gadgets, Technology, Telecoms.add a comment
Investments reach CYP 50 mln, market share at 12%
Areeba, Cyprus’ alternative mobile phone network announced the official launch of Mobile TV in Cyprus with the offering of the local content from Sigma and ATN1 TV as well as Euronews. During the launch period, Areeba subscribers have access to the service for as little as CYP 5 per month.
Basel Jamaleddine, Areeba Deputy Managing Director said during the official launch presentation held in Nicosia that the Areeba Mobile TV service transforms the mobile phone into a mobile TV, enabling subscribers to watch the news, get sports updates, and catch favourite shows wherever they are.
“The Areeba Mobile TV service is live TV, the same broadcast and premium channels you watch on your television at home are now available on your mobile phone, “ said Jamaleddine adding that Sigma and ANT1 are only broadcasting their local programmes and content.
Massive investment > Areeba has invested CYP 50 mln into the Cyprus economy as it expands its network and may well be chartacterised as one of the biggest foreign investors in Cyprus. Jamaleddine said despite many difficulties and obstacles (probably referring to CYTA), Areeba had managed to win a respectful 12% of the mobile telephony market in Cyprus and has been the company with most of the innovative products and services.
“We were the first to offer 3G network in addition to many other novelties first introduced here that have been warmly embraced by the Cypriot public,” said Jamaleddine who promised more pleasant surprises in future.
How to get the Areeba Mobile TV service >
In order to obtain the Areeba Mobile TV service you need to be an Areeba subscriber on contract or pay-as-you-go. Mobile TV settings will be inserted on your handsets at all Areeba shops. Once settings have been successfully installed, subscribers will be able to browse Mobile TV portal through the handset browser.
Mobile TV may be viewed over the 2.5G (GPRS) or 3G (UMTS) technologies.
Compatible handsets include most of Nokia and Sony Ericsson 2G and 3G.
Cyprus tourism revenue outpaces arrivals September 8, 2006
Posted by grhomeboy in Tourism.add a comment
Revenue from tourism reached CYP 155.0 mln in July, according to the Statistical Service CYSTAT, recording a rise of 10.6% compared with July 2005, the Cyprus Financial Mirror reports.
The sharp increase may be attributed to the influx of evacuees from Lebanon, some of whom stayed in hotels either paid for by themselves or by their governments. However, tourism revenue has already been the one bright spot in a generally gloomy year for tourism.
Contrary to earlier years, revenue from tourism has been faring better than arrivals in 2006. While total arrivals fell year on year by 1.3% in the first seven months of 2006, total revenue rose by 5.8%.
This could reflect Cyprus’ long awaited shift to attracting higher value-added tourists, although the tragic death of a young Cypriot who was run down and killed by a British tourist in Ayia Napa in last week means that there is still some way to go.
Data on tourist arrivals last week showed that total arrivals rose by 0.7% in July to 341,443.
On the positive side, there was a 0.8% increase of tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom - the biggest market, a 25.9% increase from Norway, a 25.1% increase from Sweden and a 10.5% rise from Russia.
However, Cystat reported a significant decrease of 24.1% in tourist arrivals from France and a decrease of 10.1% from Germany.
Cyprus Airways back in Beirut after Israel lifts blockade September 8, 2006
Posted by grhomeboy in Lebanon Crisis, News Flights.add a comment
Cyprus Airways resumed its daily flights to Beirut Friday less than 24 hours after Israel lifted its eight-week blockade on Lebanon the Cyprus Financial Mirror reports.
A Cyprus Airways announcement said that the flights will resume according to the schedule before the start of hostilities on July 12 when Beirut airport was closed.
The 25-minute flights from nearby Larnaca airport, that had acted as an evacuation centre for the tens of thousands of Lebanese and foreign nations who fled the country under Israeli bombings, leave every day at 22.00 local time (1900 GMT) and stay over during the night to return to Cyprus at 08.00 local time (0500 GMT) the following morning.
The morning flights share a similar time schedule with Lebanon’s national carrier, Middle East Airlines, that also operates daily flights between Beirut and Larnaca.
The Friday morning MEA flight to Larnaca was overbooked and the acrrier will be flying at full capacity until Tuesday, airport officials said.
The MEA flight from Paris was the first to touch down at Rafik Al Hariri International Airport on Thursday marking the end of the Israeli air blockade. It was soon followed by a Kuwait Airways plane with most other carriers operating to Beirut resuming their pre-war schedules.
The Arab Air Carriers Organisation reported on its website that MEA announced losses of USD 45 mln during the two-month war, USD 16 mln of which was damages resulting from the Israeli offensive.
During the war, MEA was operating from Damascus and through Amman at an additional cost of 35% due an increased time of flight. The airline affirmed its commitment to serve passengers and provide a connection between Lebanon and the world.
Israel was also expected to end its naval blockade later Friday as it coordinated the handover of control to United Nations forces.
After Israel imposed air and sea blockades on Lebanon following its conflict with the Shiite group Hezbollah, Cyprus opened its two ports of Larnaca and Limassol to cruise ships and navy vessels of foreign governments who wished to evacuate their citizens from the war zone.
Cyprus public services were strained to provide humanitarian aid supplies and help with the repatriation of some 40,000 foreign nationals from Canada, Australia, the US, India, Germany and other European countries, while the main Larnaca airport was coping with three times the normal capacity during the already busy summer tourist season.
OMV to sponsor Down Town Special in Cyprus Rally September 8, 2006
Posted by grhomeboy in Racing Motors.add a comment
OMV have announced that they will support the Cyprus Rally, the twelfth round in the 2006 FIA World Rally Championship, having been named the ‘patron’ of the Down Town Special, the 3.24 kilometre super special stage that will conclude the event.
The Down Town Special, which will run through the heart of Limassol and which will be broadcast live on Eurosport, is a new initiative for this year’s event, billed by the promoters as a chance to bring the ‘glamour of F1’s Monaco Grand Prix to the Mediterranean coast resort’. Following the agreement it will be known as the ‘OMV Down Town Special’.
“The organisation of super stages offers the opportunity for live coverage to TV stations worldwide. This is extremely important for any kind of sport. This year it has become the standard at most events. We are glad to support the increasing attractiveness of rallying since it also reinforces our international presence,” explained OMV’s head of sponsoring Brigitte Muhlwisch.
The announcement means that OMV further increase their already considerable presence in the sport, and in addition to being the title sponsor of the OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland, OMV also supports the OMV Peugeot Norway WRT, the OMV CEE WRT, in the Production Car WRC and Aaron Burkart, who competes in the Junior WRC in a OMV branded Citroen C2 S1600.
Manfred Stohl, who competes in a Peugeot 307 WRC-run by Bozian Racing, under the OMV Peugeot Norway WRT banner, reckons that the DTS will definitely be a hit: “Super stages are the ideal platform to bring rallying directly to the fans. I am sure that the OMV Down Town Special in Limassol will be an absolute highlight of this year’s World Championship,” he added.
The Cyprus Rally, gets underway later this month, running from September 22-24.
Source: crash.net
TV highlights September 8, 2006
Posted by grhomeboy in Media Radio & TV.add a comment
“WHERE DID IT COME FROM?” (7 p.m., History Channel) The concept of the luxury high-rise apartment wasn’t born in a modern metropolis, but instead in the minds of Roman architects more than 2,000 years ago.
Long before the United States and the Soviet Union were locked in an arms race, the ancient Greeks were developing weapons of mass destruction to overcome their enemies’ growing defenses.
From sports arenas to medicine and mining, the ancient roots of modern technology are tracked down in “Where Did It Come From?” This new series, with host Michael Guillen, premieres tonight.
First up: Modern ship building, courtesy of ancient Greeks who floated the idea for supertankers and cargo ships, as well as building lighthouses and going deep-sea diving.
Celebration of Greek Dance with the Hellenic Dancers September 8, 2006
Posted by grhomeboy in Hellenic Light Americas.add a comment
Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission and the Folklife Program for New Jersey present a Celebration of Greek Dance with the Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey, Saturday, September 30, 2006 at 2 pm, at the New Jersey Veterans Home at Menlo Park, 132 Evergreen Road, Edison.
This free program is funded in part by Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Celebration of Greek Dance is a rare opportunity to experience a number of traditional Greek folk dances, some rooted in antiquity, as many of them are not danced outside the region or community in which they originated. The performance will include Serenitsa and Moskof - militaristic dances from the region of Pontos; Gaida and Nizamikos from Makedonia - which focus on precision and composure; and jovial dances like Kalymnikos and Ageranos from the islands, just to name a few. The dances, combined with the authentic regional folk attire worn by the dancers and the traditional music, will truly transport the audience to the different corners of Greece, offering a window to the customs practiced in each area.
The Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey, founded in 1972, is a group of young adults who are first, second, or third generation Greek Americans, and are dedicated to perpetuating their heritage through enthusiastic performances of the regional folk dances of Greece. Under co-founders, Father Jim and Eleni Chakalos, over 300 dances have been preserved and passed on to two generations of Greek Americans. The Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey continue their mission by sharing the richness of this inheritance with younger dancers and the American public, and by assuring a sense of pride and cultural awareness within the Greek community. The troupes desire to share their cultural identity and the pride that they feel for their Greek heritage is evident in the precision and enthusiasm that they bring to each performance.
Celebration of Greek Dance is offered free of charge, however registration is required. To register and to request directions for this Folklife program please call the Commission, 732.745.4489. Persons with hearing impairments may call 732.745.3888 (TTY users only), or 711, the New Jersey Relay System. The NJ Veterans Home is an accessible site; an Assistive Listening System is available and will be in use during the program. An American Sign Language interpreter can be provided without charge with a two-week advance request. In the case of rain, this program will be held indoors.
The Folklife Program for New Jersey was instituted in 1990 to broaden the appreciation and availability of folk arts, folklore and folklife within Middlesex County; identify and preserve folk traditions expressed by the people of Central New Jersey; provide a forum for the presentation of New Jersey and regional folk artists, recognized by their community for their excellence; encourage public involvement in the folk arts through educational programming and cross-cultural exchange.
Greek Food Festival, Sunday in Pittsburgh September 8, 2006
Posted by grhomeboy in Greek Diaspora Festivals.add a comment
Now that the summer picnic season is officially over, folks may be on the lookout for fare that is more varied than hot dogs, hamburgers and baked beans.
Look no further than Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in New Kensington. From noon to 6 p.m., Sunday, you can reward your taste buds with tantalizing, traditional homemade Greek dishes. It is an opportunity to explore options and expand your culinary experience.
A peek at the menu reveals: moussaka, pastitsio, lamb shish kebab, gyros, dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), Mediterranean chicken, spanakopita and souzoukakia (meatballs in wine sauce). Moussaka is an eggplant-based casserole, and pastitsio is a dish similar to lasagne, made with layers of pasta and a ground-beef mixture and topped with a rich cream sauce.
There’s something for everyone. Meatless dishes include spinach pies, spanakopita, and cheese pies filled with ricotta and feta. For those whose tastes run to hearty sandwiches, there are gyros packed with seasoned lamb, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and a cucumber sauce, all rolled up in a soft dough pocket.
In anticipation of the hungry Alle-Kiski Valley residents who descend annually on their small parish, church women have been getting ready for the festival for months. This year, they have prepared 3,200 stuffed grape leaves, 200 chicken dinners and 25 pans each of moussaka and pastitsio. Everything that can be frozen uncooked is, until it is baked the day of the festival.
In its 37th year, the food festival attracts more than 1,000 people, who come to savor the food.
Prices still are user-friendly. Order a la carte, and you can pick and choose; or, select complete dinners, ranging in price from $5 to $7.50. Takeout will be available. Once again, there will be a tent for outdoor dining.
For those who consider dessert a necessity, there will be plenty available, including the classic honey and nut pastry, baklava. As an added bonus this year, the pastry will make an appearance in a Baklava sundae. Nemeth says, “We crunch and break up the Baklava, soak it in extra honey, and pour it over ice cream, and then drench it all in chocolate syrup. It’s scrumptious.”
grhomeboy
