Talat calls for early election
TURKISH Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday called on the north’s ‘parliament’ to ratify his plans for an early general election on September 26.
Talat’s call comes after the failure of three of the main parties to form a coalition that would have given the current leadership a parliamentary majority. At present, Talat’s party holds just 23 seats in the 50-seat ‘parliament’.
Weekend immigration sweep on nabs 22
TWENTY-two foreigners have been arrested in connection with illegal entry and residence on the island, police said yesterday.
At the same time police detained two employers for illegally employing foreign workers.
The arrests were part of continuing crackdown on illegal immigrants living and working in Cyprus.
Police said the 22 foreigners were arrested during the weekend and Friday across the island.
Sixteen were detained for staying on the island illegally and six for illegal entry into the country.
The two employers were released after being charged with illegally employing foreigners, police said.
Nicosia bomb arrest
A MAN was arrested at 5.45pm on Sunday who was suspected to have been responsible for the bomb explosion at a jewellers in Aglandjia earlier that day at 2.00am.
According to police, the explosion was the result of a hand-made bomb that contained an explosive substance.
The bomb damaged the window of the jewellery shop as well as glass cases containing jewellery.
The Nicosia CID is investigating.
Armed robbery
PAPHOS CID is investigating an armed robbery that occurred at 4.15am on Sunday at a hotel in Kato Paphos.
According to reports, two men walked into the hotel, one wearing a hood and the other a stocking on his head and holding a G3 rifle punched the clerk in the face. They then stole £180 from his drawer as well as ST£100 and took off.
According to a witness description the one suspect is 1,85 metres tall with a strong build, was in jeans and a black short sleeved t-shirt. The second is 1,70 – 1,75 metres tall, of normal build in jeans and a brown t-shirt. Investigations are continuing.
Betting shop theft claim
A WOMAN who works at a Nicosia betting shop yesterday told police she had been robbed of the day’s takings.
While driving her car slowly on Sunday at 10.15pm on Kerkyras street a stranger reached into her window and stole her bag, which contained £7,175 in cash, sunglasses, a cheque book, one credit card as well as a mobile phone.
The suspect ran away but the woman followed him and saw him getting into a car being driven by another man and drive off.
The Nicosia CID is investigating the case.
Paphos theft arrest
A 25-YEAR-old man from a village in Paphos was arrested in the early hours of yesterday morning for questioning regarding the break in of a house and theft.
The break in occurred between May 1 and July 3, 2004 at a house in a village in Paphos where £6,500 was stolen.
The man admitted to committing the theft and was held for further interrogation. The Paphos police are investigating the matter.
Pyla arrest
A 33-YEAR-OLD foreigner residing in Cyprus was arrested on Sunday afternoon for assaulting a police officer, getting drunk and disturbing the peace.
The incident occurred at 6.30pm in Pyla when he attacked a police officer who asked him for his identification. The police then attended the scene where they found the man intoxicated and harassing passers-by.
The police are investigating the incident.
Ambassador’s UN appointment
CYPRIOT Ambassador Stavros Epaminondas was unanimously elected as one of the Vice Presidents of the first session of the Conference of the parties to the UN Convention against trans-national organised crime and its protocols, which is taking place in Vienna until Friday.
Epaminondas is the Permanent Representative of Cyprus at the UN Office in The Convention was adopted by the UN General Assembly in November 2000 and came into force in September last year. Cyprus ratified the Convention on April 22, 2003 and the three additional protocols on August 6, 2003.
Armenia accord
CYPRUS AND Armenia yesterday signed today an interstate cooperation agreement in the fields of health and medicine. Health Minister Dina Akkelidou and Armenia’s Ambassador to Cyprus Vahram Kazhoyan signed the agreement in Nicosia. Akkelidou said the agreement provided for numerous exchange visits between the two countries and other ways of cooperation.
