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Cyprus

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Beach Hotels in Cyprus – for Your Wonderful Holidays in Cyprus|

The is one of the of the Orthodox Christian communion whose territory consists of the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea. Although through the centuries the island has been occupied by various parties, the church has retained its independence. The current is of Nea Justiniana and All Cyprus.|

Citizens express both relief and anger as Cyprus reopens its troubled banks with strict new rules that allow deposits but tightly ration withdrawals; restrictions are meant to keep customers from draining their accounts in wake of bailout deal announced in Brussels.|

Path that led to Cyprus's financial crisis began, at least in part, with decision made by European leaders and International Monetary Fund in October 2011 to rescue Greece; 50 percent write-down of Greek government bonds led to Cyprus banks losing significant amounts of money; decision and subsequent fallout illustrates how actions taken in private can lead to unforeseen series of crises.|

In 1878, after the British assumed control of Cyprus, the Church gained more freedom in her religious practices, including a return to the use of the bells in the churches. Yet the British interfered seriously in church activities, resulting in an uprising by the Church in October 1931, after which the British imposed additional restrictions on election of the Archbishop. The British occupation lasted until 1960 when Cyprus regained its independence with the election of Archbishop Makarios as the head of state of Cyprus as well as being the head of the Church. This unique combination continued until his death in 1977.|

The Arab invasions of the seventh century forced the Archbishop to flee the island to Hellespont, where under the protection of Emperor he established a new city called Nova Justiniana (now "Nea Justiniana") in honor of the emperor. In 698, the Arabs were driven out of Cyprus and the Archbishop returned to the island, but retained the title of Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus. With the occupation of Cyprus by the Crusades from 1191 to 1571, the Orthodox hierarchy found itself subordinated to the occupying Latin French and Venetian kings, who forced a reduction in the number of Orthodox bishops from 14 to four. Additionally, the Latin bishops attempted to gain concessions on the differences in doctrine and practices between the two churches.|

There are many banks in North Cyprus and they are divided into two groups, the first group consists of local banks, the second one is international banks which have branches in North Cyprus. Many of these banks have ATMs (automatic teller machines) all international transactions are carried out in all these banks, so it is very easy to transfer funds internationally from outside the island. All of the banks have English speaking executives, which makes life much easier for foreign visitors. All currencies are accepted in the banks. (Turkish Republic of North Cyprus) is in charge of monetary credit for the island and all inter banking monetary exchanges pass through the central bank. The opening hours of the banks in North Cyprus are generally 8am – 5pm Monday through Friday in the winter and in the summer times vary from bank to bank so it is advisable to check when you open an account. During bank holidays all banks are closed. • Akdeniz Garanti Bank • As Bank • Central Bank of TRNC • Cyprus Economy Bank • Cyprus Turkish Co- operative Central Bank • First Merchant Bank • HSBC Bank-Cyprus Branches • Is Bank-Cyprus Branches • Kibris Finans Bank • Kibris Vakiflar Bank • Limasol Türk Kooperatif Bank • Renfrew Security Bank • Seker Bank • TC Ziraat Bank-Cyprus Branches • Turkish Bank Group • Universal Bank|

The climate of the island is of an extreme Mediterranean type with long, hot summers and relatively cool, short winters. Boasting over 300 days of sunshine a year, the sea temperature is rarely below 16�C and rises to 28-30�C during summer months, making North Cyprus one of the healthiest places in the world in which to live.|

In 478, the grave of St. Barnabas was found, with a copy of the on his . The autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus was confirmed later that year by the Roman Emperor who granted its Archbishop "three privileges," that is: to sign his name in , to wear purple instead of black under his , and to use an imperial scepter instead of the episcopal .|

Christianity was originally brought to Cyprus by the and in the first century, c. 46AD and was under the jurisdiction of the until 325. Apostle Barnabas is considered to be the first of Cyprus. Its autocephaly was established at the in 431, overriding the claims of the .|

The official website for the Church of Cyprus lists approximately sixty local saints.|

The of the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus is the highest Church Authority. There are five bishoprics with the ruling bishops styled as Metropolitans. These bishoprics are:|

News analysis; big European powers used crisis in Cyprus to establish more punitive rules for countries needing emergency aid; critics say Cyprus bailout was so haphazardly handled that it underscored chaotic nature of European decision making, rather than sending out unmistakable message about new approach to bailouts.|

Common practice among wealthy Russians of sheltering their money in Cyprus has drawn Russian government deeply into negotiations for bailout of Cyprus's banking system; estimates say about 25 percent of Russian foreign direct investment moves through Cyprus, often in way meant to lubricate Russia's economy.|

Editorial contends that crisis in Cyprus highlights curious and dangerous phenomenon of banking systems in euro zone that are much bigger than economies in which they are based; underscores urgent need for euro zone banking union that will allow European Central Bank to oversee large banks instead of leaving task to national policy makers who may be too protective of their banks.|

In 478, the grave of St. Barnabas was found, with a copy of the on his . The autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus was confirmed later that year by the Roman Emperor who granted its Archbishop "three privileges," that is: to sign his name in , to wear purple instead of black under his , and to use an imperial scepter instead of the episcopal .|

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