Ephraim and Arsenii appeared in front of the Vatoped real estate parliamentary commission, only to give their statements; they refused to answer questions.

"I cannot forecast what will happen after that," said development minister Hristos Folias.

The Vatoped abbot and his assistant Arsenii haven't said whether they will shop up at the hearing. The opposition wants all bank accounts to be open of those who have taken part in the deals.

Cell phones "kill" land lines in Greece, children receive their first cell phones at the age of 7.

The special advisor of UN's General Secretary regarding the Cyprian topic - Alexander Downer evaluates the negotiations between the Cyprian Greeks and the Cyprian Turks as promising. The situation is more optimistic than Cyprian citizens see it.

The citizens of the small beautiful island are barely 200 but they have managed to sign over 1500 real estate sale-trade contracts with suspiciously famous foreign companies.

"During winter, I prefer to navigate my ship in the Northern Atlantic, where the waves are really big, than to sail through the Gulf of Aden," shares captain Panaiotis Tzanetakos for the "Guardian."