Kosovo PM accused over organ trafficking

2010-12-16

CIVILIANS detained by the Kosovo Liberation Army were allegedly shot dead in northern Albania so their kidneys could be extracted and sold on the black market after the war in Kosovo ended in 1999, according to a report prepared for Europe’s premier human rights watchdog.

The report by Council of Europe investigator Dick Marty – more than two years in the making – also suggested Kosovo’s US-backed prime minister was once the “boss” of a criminal underworld behind the alleged grisly trade.

Kosovo’s government branded the report as “baseless” and described it as an attempt “to tarnish the image of the Kosovo Liberation Army”. In a statement, the government also accused Marty of bias and “fabrications”.

Cabinet’s records of airline grant have vanished

2010-12-16

A SENIOR lawmaker yesterday accused the government of lying over its “refusal” to provide the minutes of a cabinet meeting where a decision was taken to give Eurocypria (ECA) airlines €35 million in assistance, months before it went bankrupt.

Watchdog Committee chairman, DISY’s Giorgos Georgiou said the government’s alleged refusal was a criminal offense, adding that he would take the issue up with the House President.

“After the committee was informed that no minutes had been taken during the February 4, 2010, cabinet meeting where it was decided to give ECA €35 million, we asked the cabinet secretary for a recording of the discussion,” Georgiou said.

Our View: Cabinet’s excuse on Eurocypria hard to swallow

2010-12-16

THE GOVERNMENT has no records of the decision to approve a €35 million injection into Eurocypria earlier this year, it has transpired. There was neither written nor audio record, the House Watchdog Committee was told. The Committee is investigating how the decision to invest such a big amount of money an ailing company was taken as some deputies believe the finance minister deceived the legislature to secure its approval for the expenditure.

‘Intensity’ of talks wins UN praise

2010-12-16

U.N. SPECIAL Adviser Alexander Downer broke from the standard ‘cautious optimism’ of UN officials to praise the pace and “intensity” of the talks process yesterday.

Speaking after an afternoon meeting with President Demetris Christofias following a morning meeting between the two leaders, Downer highlighted the accelerated pace of the talks since the tripartite meeting in New York last month.

The Australian diplomat expressed the view to Christofias that since November 18, when the two leaders met UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York, the talks have been moving ahead “more quickly and more effectively”.

“We’ve been pleased with that and we will have to see how it goes from now on,” he said.

Apprentice contestant involved in north property dealings

2010-12-16

A CONTESTANT in the hit UK reality TV show ‘The Apprentice’ was revealed yesterday as an investor in stolen properties in the occupied areas.

According reports in the UK, semi-finalist Jamie Lester, 28, re-sold the homes of Greek-Cypriots om the north.

Lester defended his dealings by saying: “All properties I have dealt with have supporting documents. I cannot be held responsible for the land.”

In 2009 Lester told an interviewer from Success Mag in 2009: “Five years ago I just saw it as an emerging market and took the opportunity. It was an up and coming area but not all that well known. Thankfully, I was right! Now we are one of the best-known, and most respected, estate agents in the region.”

Vendors huff and puff over new cigarette prices

2010-12-16

CONVENIENCE stores and kiosks yesterday complained they were running out of cigarettes as importers had yet to supply them following the hike in tobacco tax approved last Friday.

The delay however, allowed some vendors to profiteer by selling their old stock at higher prices, which they had set arbitrarily.

“It is not logical,” said Eleni Zeniou, a kiosk employee in Nicosia. “No one gave any price lists. They charge whatever.”

Just down the road, a seller admitted raising his prices despite the fact that the tobacco companies had not given him a price list or fresh stock.

Trade minister Antonis Paschalides said there was profiteering going on but the ministry could not intervene.

Photiades: oil reserves could help solve Cyprus problem

2010-12-16

WELL-KNOWN businessman Photos Photiades yesterday urged the government to use Cyprus’ “proven, colossal reserves of crude oil and natural gas” as a means for securing a just and lasting settlement of the Cyprus problem.

Speaking at his office in Nicosia, Photiades said that the oil and gas reserves constituted the “hardest currency of all time” and their correct use could be of great benefit to the national cause. He suggested that the government approached “our EU partners and offered them joint exploitation of our reserves.”

There were “friendly member states in the EU that would be prepared to co-operate with us and with an inter-state agreement of a number of EU member-states, as a consortium, we would have joint exploitation of our oil reserves,” he said.

Restaurant and bar owners band together

2010-12-16

TO BOOST numbers in their ‘fight for survival’, SYKAP, the association of restaurant and bar owners has been joined by 50 new members from the English speaking community in Paphos.

Hundreds of eateries in Paphos closed for 24 hours earlier this month to highlight problems facing the restaurant industry in the area.

Many businesses owned by non-Cypriots also closed to show their support for the action, which brought them to SYKAPs attention.

According to SYKAP president Fitos Thrassivoulou, a meeting took place in Paphos on Monday which was attended by 50 or so English speaking restaurant and bar owners from the area.

“We would like to thank the English-speaking businesses for their support and also to welcome them to the association,” he said.

Companies online

2010-12-16

REGISTERING A company will become a bit easier with the introduction of ‘e-filing’, which allows companies to submit their documents for registration online.

Commerce Minister Antonis Paschalides yesterday presented the ‘e-filing’ service at the Companies Registrar, explaining that businesses and members of the public would now have online access to records kept at the Registrar, including registration numbers, dates of registration, company names, shareholders, share capital, officials, mortgages and charges.

They will also be able to submit documents for the registration of companies online as well as record changes.

Fifth windfarm

2010-12-16

A CONTRACT for the construction of a fifth wind farm in Cyprus will be signed today at the Commerce Ministry.

Moglia Trading Ltd will build the wind farm in the Koshi area in the Nicosia district, consisting of six Vesta type wind turbines, with a total capacity of 10.8 megawatt-hours (MWh).

Work on the project will start immediately and is due to be completed by the end of 2011, while its total cost is estimated at €21.1m.

The contract will be effective for 20 years, whereby the wind farm will generate revenue by selling energy to the Electricity Authority of Cyprus and from the Special Fund for Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Saving.

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.