EU chides Turkey over lack of relations with Cyprus

2010-11-10

TURKEY’S progress towards meeting EU membership criteria is uneven and despite having bolstered democratic institutions it must show greater respect for human rights, the European Commission said yesterday.

In its annual progress report on countries aspiring to join the bloc, the EU executive also chided Ankara for failing, for another year, to normalise relations with EU member Cyprus.

However, the Commission did not propose any sanctions for Turkey’s failure to meet its commitment to open ports and airports to Greek Cypriot air and sea traffic.

Papasavvas remains tight lipped in teeth row

2010-11-10

DEPUTY Attorney-general Akis Papasavvas yesterday refused to answer any questions, when called by MPs to explain how he came to receive €17,000 from the state for dental implants.

Papasavvas – along with Attorney-general Petros Clerides – were invited to the House Watchdog Committee, which was trying to establish if public money had been squandered.

“We shouldn’t have been invited here as there are already three or four libel suits that are currently in the works, and what you are discussing will be discussed in court,” Papasavvas told the committee, referring to legal action against a number of media outlets.

Illegal immigrant numbers declining

2010-11-10

LAST WEEK’S violent clashes highlighted the issue of illegal immigration into Cyprus and indicated increasing tensions between a number Greek Cypriots and foreign workers.

The violence also followed the release of statistics indicating a third of island’s population was foreign, 68,900 legitimately from third countries and an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 illegally. (The rest of the foreign community in Cyprus comprised of legitimate EU citizens)

However, according to the Cyprus police’s latest figures, the number of third country nationals caught entering Cyprus via the occupied areas this year is set to be the lowest since 2007, and may even be exceeded by the number of repatriations.

‘Partition is not an option’

2010-11-10

PARTITION of the island is not an option, and British former foreign secretary Jack Straw who suggested the notion, is in contradiction with a protocol signed by Cyprus and Britain, the government said yesterday.

“Partition is not an option for us, “ government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said of the comment piece penned by Straw and published in The Times.

The spokesman said Straw’s positions were in conflict with a memorandum of understanding signed by Cyprus and Britain in 2008, which speaks of reunification on the basis of a bizonal, bicomunal federation, and not partition.

Paphos roads ‘a mad labyrinth’

2010-11-10

RESIDENTS in parts of Kissonerga village in Paphos have been prevented from gaining direct access to their homes for as much as a year and a half because of ongoing sewerage works, which have rendered many roads impassable.

A Paphos AKEL party official has described the roads in Kissonerga as “a mad labyrinth”.

Marios Ignatiou said the residents of Kissonerga and the immediate area were losing patience and were suffering terrible driving conditions on a daily basis.

Many have endured the situation for over 18 months. Endless stretches of roads in Kissonerga and the immediate area are being dug up as part of the ongoing works to upgrade the sewerage system .

Money from traffic fines to go towards car racing track

2010-11-10

 

PART of the money from fines that will be collected when traffic cameras are finally installed next year, will go to creating racing tracks for young drivers to let off steam, police said yesterday.

Demetris Demetriou, Head of the Traffic Department yesterday briefed the House

Communications Committee on progress in installing the cameras.

Tenders for the system, which will be up and running by mid 2011, were expected to open by the end of this month, he said.

He added that the government was in the process of preparing a bill that will allow 20 per cent of the income from fines imposed on those who break red lights and those who go over the line at traffic lights to go towards building the tracks.

Hadjicostis trial bogged down by delays

2010-11-10

THE trial for the murder of media owner Andis Hadjicostis got off to a bad start yesterday due to apparent preparation problems that caused lengthy delays.

The hearing started with a 90-minute delay because due to a miscommunication, one of the defendants, Gregorios Xenofontos, 29, – held at a different location – was not brought to the Nicosia Criminal Court.

The state prosecutor told the court there had been a misunderstanding as her office had notified the authorities about the defendant’s need to be transferred to court yesterday.

The other defendants are television presenter Elena Skordelli, 42, her 37-year-old brother Tasos Krasopoulis and Andreas Gregoriou, 33.

Papacostas still in hospital

2010-11-10

AFTER A second night in hospital, Defence Minister, Costas Papacostas’ condition is considered improved but still very serious.

“He had a quiet night and remains stable,” said head of cardiology at the Nicosia General Hospital, Evagoras Nicolaides.

Head of Cardiology at the Nicosia General Hospital, Gavriil Kaoutsianis, along with a colleague of his from abroad agreed strongly that the best course of action was a conservative treatment until Papacostas gets through the acute phase of the condition.

The minister underwent several tests on Monday which ruled out acute coronary syndrome but revealed that he has an aortic aneurism.

“At this point we cannot deal with this situation as it is, with surgery or any other way,” said Kaoutsianis.

Bank of Cyprus hit by provisions

2010-11-10

BANK OF Cyprus posted a decline in nine month net profit yesterday after hiking its provisioning costs in debt-ridden Greece and in Cyprus.

The bank, the largest in Cyprus, said its group net profit for the nine months fell 6 per cent to €248 million but it kept its target of between €300 million and €400 million profit for the whole year.

While profits after tax climbed 58 per cent in Greece, profit fell 18 per cent in Cyprus which has just shaken off the first recession in three decades.

The bank is expanding its presence in south-eastern Europe and also Russia where it launched in 2008. It posted a 300 per cent increase in net profit in Russia for the first nine months of the year compared to a loss last year.

Bomb outside property developer’s

2010-11-10

AN EXPLOSIVES device was detonated on Monday night outside the offices of Famagusta Developers, a company located in Paralimni on Kappari Avenue.

According to police the home-made bomb went off at around 9-pm on Monday. Fortunately no one was hurt in the explosion although the company’s front window was shattered and the entrance was damaged. The total cost of the damage is estimated at around €1,000.

Famagusta Developers has been in the news recently following a number of accusations made against the company by various buyers.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.