Norway may review mass killer's mental diagnosis

2011-12-23

Norwegian authorities are looking into the possibility of carrying out another psychiatric examination of mass killer Anders Behring Breivik after a review commission approved a finding that he was insane and unfit for prison.

Breivik killed 77 people on July 22 when he planted a car bomb that killed eight people at an Oslo government building, then went on to shoot dead 69 more, most of them teenagers, at an island summer camp of the ruling Labour Party’s youth wing.

A November 29 psychiatric report concluding that the anti-Islam militant was insane was approved today by a medical review commission, strengthening the likelihood he will avoid a prison term.

The four potters

2011-12-23

Paphos is a hive of industry for those at the wheel. NAN MACKENZIE meets four of a dying breed

 

Most people have a somewhat limited view of pottery/ceramics – they think potters either make things like mugs and ashtrays or they do sculpture. The fact is that in these austere times potters must be able to produce both functional pieces and also pieces of tangible, affordable art. 

Where is home?

2011-12-23

Stuck in hospital without being able to walk after a traffic accident, one South African decided it was time to write his memoirs. BEJAY BROWNE meets him

 

It’s hard to believe when meeting author Paul Lambis that just a few years ago he was involved in a serious traffic accident that left him lying in a hospital bed, unable to move for months.

A few years on, Lambis is a graphic designer and editor of a popular Russian magazine in Cyprus, and has just published his second book, Where is Home?. His first book – The Turkish Princess – was published in South Africa.

Following the accident, Lambis decided to use his time laid up to write down his thoughts, which form the basis for the book.

Film review: In Time **

2011-12-23

Let us speak of Andrew Niccol, who was born in Paraparaumu, New Zealand and was (I assume) an imaginative child, forever coming up with outlandish sci-fi concepts. ‘What if your whole life was really a TV show, and you didn’t know it?’ I imagine 10-year-old Andrew saying. ‘Don’t be silly, dear,’ replied Mrs. Niccol while fixing a dish of smoked puffin, or whatever they do in Paraparaumu, New Zealand – but Andrew had the last laugh, writing the script for The Truman Show (expanding on that life-as-TV idea) then becoming a writer-director in his own right.   

Film review: New Year’s Eve **

2011-12-23

Remember The Love Boat TV show from the 1970s, set on a cruise ship? Each episode had a number of different stories, intersecting slightly or not at all. The overall point was that Love makes the world go round. The cheesiness factor was off the charts. There was a bouncy Hispanic girl (April Lopez, played by Charo) with a funny-foreigner accent and a guitar. You might think that times have changed, but in fact all of the above – except the cruise ship, and perhaps the guitar – could be used to describe New Year’s Eve, down to the bouncy Hispanic girl. She’s now called Ava (played by Sofia Vergara), and says things like this: “How deed you know? Are you psychotic?”.

Restaurant Review: Caraffa Bastione, Nicosia

2011-12-23

In my opinion the most attractive part of the old walled city is the area around the eastern section embracing Chrysalionotissa and Ayios Kassianos, and while there were a few evening opening traditional tavernas adjoining the park, when it came to lunchtime eating, and you were not a vegetarian, where could you go? A few weeks ago the answer was somewhere else, but not anymore. Behold the Caraffa Bastione.

The restaurant is set in the walls next to Famagusta Gate and you can opt to dine inside or sit under the mulberry trees outside. The premises are screened from the passing traffic and curious eyes. 

Bar review: Academy 32, Nicosia

2011-12-23

“We don’t have customers, we have guests here.” I’m sipping on a sumptuous cocktail while chatting with the owner of the charming Academy 32 in old Nicosia, a person who doesn’t really believe in viewing his bar as a business. For a start, the wonderfully converted 1901 building tucked away right on the Venetian Walls at the Constanza Bastion is also the owner’s home, and it’s his pride and joy.

Against the odds

2011-12-23

Cyprus rugby is a success story that should make the island proud. THEO PANAYIDES meets one of its driving forces, the captain of the national side

 

Question: Which is the most successful country in the world at rugby? Answer: You’re standing in it. 

Hols the whole world in the palm of your hand

2011-12-23

 

Looking for a unique handmade Christmas gift or decoration? You can give the world in the palm of your hand with a micro sculpture says NAOMI LEACH

Christmas is almost upon us. If you’re struggling to come up with a present idea which is as unique as the person you’d like share it with, fear not, a small piece of artwork could be the answer. ‘Good things come in small packages,’ or so the old adage goes, be it gadget or an item of jewellery, the smaller it is the more valuable it is deemed. But Cyprus-based artist Max Marulli de Barletta goes one step further, creating the world in miniature with his wearable micro sculptures. The handmade creations include Christmas decorations, rings, earrings, necklaces and even a chess board.

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.