Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 01-08-03

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cyprus-mail.com/>

Friday, August 3, 2001

CONTENTS

[01] British declare Akrotiri out of bounds during anti-antenna concert

[02] Mystery donors say they will reveal identity to the president

[03] New low at the Temple of Doom

[04] 'Roadside billboards kill up to 20 people a year'

[05] Cassoulides: Turkish Cypriot property issue exaggerated

[06] Official dismisses typhoid fears

[07] Mobile phones: Cyprus has a long way to go to reach EU average

[08] Airline engineers call off strike threat

[09] Paedophile claims

[01] British declare Akrotiri out of bounds during anti-antenna concert

AKROTIRI village and strip have been deemed out of bounds to British bases personnel tomorrow night for the duration of a concert being held to protest against the building of a controversial antenna.

During riots against the antenna last month, dozens of British bases police were injured and hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage caused by demonstrators at Episkopi and Akrotiri. The government, local residents and environmentalists fear the antenna's operation could result in serious health and environmental problems.

Tomorrow night's concert, being held at the Akrotiri football stadium, is being sponsored by the Green Party, which usually holds the event in the Akamas but wants to use the occasion this year as a protest against the antenna. Between 1,000 and 1,5000 people are expected to attend the concert.

A notice to all bases personnel, published in today's issue of the bases newspaper The Lion warns that the main gate at Akrotiri will be closed from 5pm tomorrow to 9am on Sunday and that Akrotiri village is out of bounds from 5pm tomorrow until 2am on Sunday.

"It is assessed that this concert could well be attended by activists from across Cyprus who want to disrupt proceedings," the notice says.

It adds that personnel should use Arabs Gate while the main gate is closed, and that those coming to RAF Akrotiri should do so via Ladies Mile Beach. Visits to Akrotiri village should only be for emergency reasons during the specified period, it adds.

The notice also advises bases personnel who live in Akrotiri village to seek advice regarding individual security arrangements over this period.

Bases spokesman Rob Need told the Cyprus Mail yesterday they had been given assurances by the Green Party that the concert would be peaceful. "They don't want any trouble," he said, adding that the bases had given permission for the Greens to use the stadium on condition that all the necessary measures were taken.

"The Greens have a very good reputation for well-disciplined events," Need said. "There is an obvious connection (with the riots) but our refusal to give permission would be spiteful and churlish."

Need said most of the precautions outlined in the Lion notice were to avoid traffic congestion.

"We are not concerned but it's all part of the precautions," he said. "The organisers don't want any trouble and we are working with them to ensure no criminal activity takes place."

Green Party leader George Perdikis said they were co-operating with the bases and Cypriot police, the Akrotiri village committee and were also hiring the Group 4 private security firm to ensure the concert was a peaceful event.

"And we have given a message to all troublemakers that we won't accept any problems," he said, adding that the troublemakers, who are "well known", had given their assurances they would not create problems.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[02] Mystery donors say they will reveal identity to the president

THE MYSTERY donors offering 160,000 free computers for local schools yesterday agreed to the government's condition that they reveal their identities, but said they would only 'show' themselves to the President and the Education Minister.

Faced with widespread scepticism over the motives behind the £400 million computer donation, the Cabinet announced on Wednesday that it would only accept the offer if the donors, who have remained anonymous, identify themselves.

The lawyer representing the donors, Christos Theodorou, yesterday released a statement proposing a compromise. "As we have already informed the Education Minister, the donors have expressed their desire that, at the moment, the revelation be made only to the President of the Republic and the Education Minister purely for reasons of national security and public interest, but also for protection of the donors themselves," Theodorou stated.

After President Clerides and Minister Ouranios Ioannides had been put in the picture, these "reasons of national security and public interest" would be made public, Theodorou said in a brief statement.

But the compromise proposed by Theodorou is unlikely to be accepted, as Ioannides said on Wednesday that the government would not accept such a partial revelation deal because it believed in openness.

The government says it has to know the identity of the donors so it can be sure they have the "capability" to come through on the offer to provide computers for all students and teachers at nursery, primary and secondary schools and the Cyprus University.

The mystery offer has been the subject for much negative press speculation since it was made public last week, with a number of reports suggesting there could be hidden motives behind the donation.

Local computer suppliers have been lobbying the minister to turn down the unprecedented offer, saying the donation would ruin the local computer business.

On Tuesday, the donors' lawyer said the benefactors wished to remain anonymous to avoid a flood of begging letters. The donation, Theodorou said, was being offered for "genuine and altruistic" reasons.

The lawyer also said that if the government did not want the free computers for schools, then they would be given to students and teachers directly, for use at home.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[03] New low at the Temple of Doom

SHARE prices fell sharply again yesterday as investors continued to dump tech stock GlobalSoft and other blue chips, dragging the all-share index down 1.34 per cent to a new two-year low of 154.2 points.

The FTSE/CySE top 20 index lost another 1.7 per cent to close at 574.1 points, while traded volume scored low at £7.2 million pounds.

Trading opened well down on Wednesday's close and the index fell quickly into rapid decline, hitting an intraday low of 153 points half an hour before the session ended.

All sub sectors ended in the red, led by the technology sub sector with overall losses of 4.8 per cent after GlobalSoft hit the skids again, shedding another four cents to end at 31 cents after 1.7 million shares changed hands.

GlobalSoft has been affected by its US affiliate company AremisSoft's announcement that it was co-operating with a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation over its contract with the National Health Insurance Fund of Bulgaria.

Other blue chips also came under heavy pressure with Bank of Cyprus dropping two cents to £1.98 and Cyprus Popular Bank three cents to £1.58.

One analyst said banking stocks had hit their lowest levels since 1999 due to speculation that bad debts were up due to the fact that many investors who borrowed to play the market could not meet their payments.

"The market's slump is making it impossible for some investors to repay their debts and this is being reflected in the share prices," he said.

"The negative mood was evident during the pre-opening and most buyers are staying away because they think the slump is not over yet."

Only 23 shares recorded gains yesterday; 131 incurred losses and 83 remained unchanged. A total of 5.035 transactions took place.

A CSE analyst on the xak.com website said yesterday that the market was being affected by a series of new rumours that were contributing to its decline, including the GlobalSoft issues and reports that Sharelink and White Knight were "illegally buying properties from the Turkish invaders". Sharelink on Wednesday called a news conference to refute the allegations.

The xak.com analyst also said that when the banks announced their earnings in September, there was an assumption that the extent of the CSE downfall would be finally uncovered and their earnings minuscule.

"These 'assumptions' have been raised during the past few days; whether they are justified or not, only time will tell. As if the rest of the CSE woes were not enough, these new rumours have come into view to further contribute to the demise of the CSE or 'Temple of Doom' as some wish to call it. The CSE will require a Herculean effort to get back on its feet again but, as the situation stands now, such an event is a few light years' away," he said.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[04] 'Roadside billboards kill up to 20 people a year'

On average, just over 100 people loose their lives in road accidents in Cyprus every year.

The minister's condemnation of the increasingly popular advertising medium comes at a time when the often unregulated spread of the billboard is under the spotlight. The Public Works department is complaining that local authorities put up money-spinning billboards without seeking approval first, while the Electricity Authority (EAC) has come under fire for providing power for such 'renegade' hoardings.

"It is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately and we are called upon to show that we have the daring to take action," Neophytou said yesterday.

The minister said the government was now taking action over the issue, by pushing ahead with drawing up a new bill regulating the placement of roadside advertisements. He said a meeting to finalise a bill drawn up by the Law Commissioner's office had been scheduled for Monday.

Some 54 people were killed in traffic accidents in the first seven months of this year, fewer than for the same period last year, when 72 people were killed.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[05] Cassoulides: Turkish Cypriot property issue exaggerated

FOREIGN MINISTER Yiannakis Casoulides yesterday dismissed the 'scandal' of Greek Cypriots buying up Turkish Cypriot properties in the south as a lot of fuss over nothing.

The issue was first raised by the chairman of the House refugee committee, Aristofanis Georgiou, who said Greek Cypriots buying up the properties of Turkish Cypriots who moved north after 1974, were acting against the national interest. Interior Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou backed him up, saying that while there was nothing illegal about such transactions- across-the-divide, they were undesirable as they suggested the division was permanent. Christodoulou said 89 such transactions had taken place since 1974, and that the list, including names, would be given to the House refugee committee. Georgiou has said he will publicise this list of 'aberrant' businessmen.

The Turkish Cypriot properties story has been making the headlines all week, and Cassoulides, who returned from an official trip to Syria yesterday, had obviously had enough of it.

In statements upon arrival at Larnaca airport, the Foreign Minister said the whole issue had been blown out of proportion and was creating a bad impression abroad.

He said the Turkish Cypriot properties sold to Greek Cypriots in the 27 years since the invasion amounted to 0.05 per cent of the total Turkish Cypriot property in the government controlled areas.

"We are talking of certain sales of Turkish Cypriot land in the free areas which in total, as Christodoulou said, amount to 40 donums over all these years, which, as Christodoulou told me over the phone, represent about half of one thousandth of the Turkish Cypriot property [in the south]," Cassoulides said.

"I am sorry to observe that the fuss over the issue is disproportionate to the bad impressions we are creating abroad," he said.

Cassoulides said the only area of concern over such transactions was to ensure that they were carried out legally and were not affecting Greek Cypriot refugees who might have been given the temporary right to use these Turkish Cypriot properties.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[06] Official dismisses typhoid fears

THE DIRECTOR of the medical services yesterday refuted reports that two cases of typhoid fever had shown up in a village near Nicosia.

Costas Mallis said there had only been a single case of endemic typhus concerning a six-year-old girl from Paliometocho and that she had been treated and returned home.

Despite the similarity in the name, Mallis said, the two conditions had nothing to do with each other medically.

He said endemic typhus was not a serious disease, and could be treated successfully with antibiotics.

It is caused by the Rickettsia Typhi bacterium, which is spread by rat fleas.

Typhoid fever is a communicable disease usually contracted through contaminated food and water.

It is caused by the Salmonella Typhi bacterium and is marked especially by fever, rose-coloured rash, diarrhoea, prostration, headache, and intestinal inflammation.

Without antibiotics the mortality rate is about 12 per cent but with prompt therapy it is less than one per cent.

Most deaths occur in malnourished persons, infants, and the elderly. Stupor or shock, reflect severe disease and a poor prognosis.

Endemic typhus, which is prevalent in rat-infested areas such as rubbish dumps, has similar yet less severe symptoms.

Although mortality is low, fatalities are more likely in elderly patients.

Mallis said endemic typhus could not be eradicated unless the whole rat population was annihilated - something he said was impossible.

He suggested that the problem in Paliometocho could be stemming from the area's rubbish tip, where he said rubbish was not buried properly.

Such an environment is ideal for rats to thrive in and ultimately creates a health hazard, Mallis said.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[07] Mobile phones: Cyprus has a long way to go to reach EU average

MOBILE phones may seem a plague in Cyprus, but the island still has a long way to go before it catches up with the EU average, and even with fellow candidate Slovenia.

Statistics just released by Eurostat ranked Cyprus fifth among the 13 candidate countries for the number of mobile phone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2000. Cyprus has 26.2 subscribers per 100 inhabitants, well behind leader of the pack Slovenia, with 57.4 per 100, followed by Estonia with 32. The EU average is 62.6 cell phones per 100 inhabitants. Bulgaria was bottom of the list, with 8.2 subscriptions per 100.

The same survey showed that in 1999, Cyprus ranked third among candidate countries for computer ownership, with 16.7 computers for every 100 inhabitants. Again, Slovenia came top, with 25.3 computers per 100 persons - above the EU average of 24.8 - followed by Malta with 18.1. Bulgaria and Romania were last with just 2.7 computers per 100 inhabitants. The average number of computers in EU candidate countries was 5.2.

Meanwhile, Cyprus is ranked only fifth for Internet use in 2000, with 10.6 Internet users per 100 inhabitants. Estonia topped this part of the survey, with 26.3 users per 100, Slovenia ranked second with 15.2 users per 100, and Turkey had the lowest percentage of 2.9 per 100 inhabitants.

However, Cyprus was the only candidate country to have recorded a drop in the number of Internet users from 11.7 users in 1999 to 10.6 in 2000.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[08] Airline engineers call off strike threat

CYPRUS Airways (CY) engineers yesterday suspended threatened strike action in the light of a Labour Ministry initiative to mediate with management over an upgrading dispute.

The reprieve from yet more industrial action at the national carrier was announced at around 8.30pm by Labour Minister Andreas Moushiouttas and the head of the CY engineers union, ASYSEKA, Simos Loizou, following a meeting called by the minister.

"It has been agreed between the union and the ministry that while we have this situation of study of the issue no measures will be taken till the ministry gives its final position," said Moushiouttas.

"Certainly, there will be no measures while talks are going on - so we do not anticipate any measures soon," said Loizou. He added that ASYSEKA had not set a time limit for conclusion of the Labour Ministry mediation effort.

Moushiouttas had earlier pleaded with the engineers to hold off measures until he could present them with a new proposal yesterday evening. He met CY management yesterday morning to hear their side of the dispute.

ASYSEKA first announced on Wednesday that it would stage a strike yesterday without warning after talks to solve the ten-year dispute reached deadlock.

Their refusal to give precise details of when they planned to stop work was condemned by CY management as a brand of guerrilla warfare set to cause maximum inconvenience.

Following yesterday morning's meeting with the Labour Minister, CY spokesman Tassos Angelis said the company wanted the engineers to remove all strike threats before management would participate in any further negotiations.

"The Labour Minister has come up with a new initiative," he said. "Our position is that we will not give in to blackmail. We are at the disposal of the Minister provided the engineers call off all measures and threats of measures. We are not going to talk under threat of measures."

ASYSEKA insists their behaviour is justified, given that complaints over promotions have gone unanswered for a decade. Union chief Simos Loizou also fended off criticism yesterday that ASYSEKA did not give adequate strike notice under the Industrial Relations Code. He said the union hard warned of strike action as early as May 15.

The engineers abandoned work for two hours on July 20 at Larnaca and Paphos airports, grounding all CY flights and leaving passengers stranded.

The union originally agreed to call off a second strike in favour of a table discussion with management.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[09] Paedophile claims

Following the two women's complaints, one made on Wednesday and one yesterday, ten other women had apparently called Larnaca police yesterday to complain of having been molested by the same two suspected perverts in their younger years. CyBC described the two suspected paedophiles "persons of the arts scene".

Larnaca police last night confirmed that they were investigating a suspected case of paedophilia, but said they could not provide further details.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

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