Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 01-12-07

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

Friday, December 7, 2001

CONTENTS

[01] Puppies need protection so they are not put down

[02] Nigerian player facing deportation after wage dispute

[03] Two 15- year-old boys held by police in rape case

[04] Why are petrol prices not coming down now?

[05] Consumers 'need protection from false discounts'

[06] Paphos storm

[07] Technicians on alert for new viruses

[08] Consumers opting for fake trees

[09] Inmate foiled in 10th suicide bid

[10] 'Bar exams need to be more practical'

[01] Puppies need protection so they are not put down

NINE abandoned puppies spent yesterday morning in a box outside parliament, while inside the House Agriculture Committee was discussing ways to put an end to the dumping and killing of dogs.

Toulla Poyadji, chairman of the Cyprus Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CSPCA), found nine puppies dumped in a field near her house yesterday morning, just hours before she was due to testify before the committee meeting at the House. Poyadji took in the animals - a cross between Coleys and German Shepherds - put them in a carrying box and took them to parliament with her.

"I left those puppies outside the House to give people an example of the thousands of puppies that are abandoned every month. Unfortunately puppies are not given a registration number until they are three months' old," Poyadji said after the meeting and before taking the strays back home.

The Veterinary Services say they put down unregistered dogs after giving their owners just a couple of days to claim them back.

Deputies on the committee suggested that newborn puppies should be given a registration number so that they didn't get dumped by their owners, then killed by the services.

Poyadji and Green Party deputy George Perdikis charged that strays were sometimes killed by "cruel methods".

"The Veterinary Services have submitted a proposal to the Agriculture Committee to legalise the killing of strays in cold blood by local authorities and the police. This is completely out of line with European conventions but it is already happening," charged Poyadji.

The chairman of the CSPCA gave a chilling description of what she claimed was the way some strays were killed.

"Animals are shot, their guts spill out, and they bleed for hours before they die in excruciating pain," Poyadji said.

"We have to stop treating animals inhumanely. We must start respecting both other humans and animals," Perdikis urged.

"It is unacceptable to kill dogs by beating, decapitating and hanging," he added.

The Green deputy said the Agriculture Committee was considering the idea of registering all puppies with the Veterinary Services from the moment they were born.

Poyadji elaborated: "Female dogs should be examined three times a year to identify when they are due to give birth. This way, the authorities will be able to keep track of births, give newborn puppies a registration number and know who their owners are."

Perdikis suggested that dog owners should be considered responsible by the state for the safety and well being of their dogs from birth.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[02] Nigerian player facing deportation after wage dispute

A NIGERIAN handball player for the Grammer School team was yesterday facing deportation after making a claim against his employers for allegedly failing to pay his wages and bonuses.

Monday Felix was arrested by immigration officials within days of filing a complaint at the labour court, according to his lawyer Yiannakis Erotokritou, and is now facing the possibility of deportation before his case has been investigated.

Erotokritou has written to the Labour Ministry and to the Ombudsman's office concerning the case. Among his claims are "unfair termination" of his contract, non-payment of wages and non-payment of bonus payments for the European Handball Cup.

Erotokritou is fighting for Felix to remain in Cyprus until his dispute is heard at the labour court.

The lawyer said the immigration department had arrested him in an attempt to send him back to Nigeria. Felix had played all last season with the same team and returned to Cyprus earlier this year for the new season after reaching an oral agreement with management, but the new contract was never actually signed.

Nicos Mannouris, president of the school's handball team, told the Cyprus Mail yesterday the contract had not been signed because Felix kept coming up with new demands and would not sign. He said that, in the end, management had decided not to go ahead and had terminated his employment.

Mannouris said that in May the school had agreed a salary with Felix and he came to Cyprus in August to begin training. "He then decided the salary wasn't enough and refused to sign the contract. We renegotiated, got another high increase and supposedly everything was OK. Then before a serious match he came up with other demands like bonuses and all the time he was refusing to sign the contract so we had to put an end to it."

Mannouris said that since Felix was without a contract, management had been able to terminate his services to the team. He said that they informed the authorities, because, according to the handball federation's regulations, once a contract is broken, a foreign player cannot stay in Cyprus and play with another team.

"His case will be brought to the labour court and this may take months. Who is going to support him here? He can come back if he wants to. Is the government going to pay Monday to carry on his vacation in Cyprus? We paid him in advance and we paid everything according to the law," Mannouris said.

"We have nothing to do with the laws and procedure of the aliens department. We informed them that of November 15 that he was no longer a player or employee. Whatever they do has nothing to do with the school."

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[03] Two 15- year-old boys held by police in rape case

In a separate case, a taxi driver, 46, was yesterday remanded in custody for three days, suspected of raping a 22-year-old Ukrainian woman.

Police said one of the boys had admitted to taking part in the act by holding the woman down while his friend raped her.

The second boy denied the accusations, though police said they had evidence linking both boys to the rape.

The woman said the two suspects allegedly entered her bedroom from the balcony of the house in Kapsalos where she stays with other artistes.

The suspects attacked and hit her before they managed to restrain her on the bed, she said.

The woman alleged that one of the assailants held her mouth shut, threatening in English that he would kill her, while the other one raped her.

Fifteen minutes later, a second woman entered the room, but she was also threatened by the two perpetrators, who subsequently vanished the way they came, the victim told police.

Police said the two suspects have been questioned repeatedly in the past in connection with a series of burglaries.

They are expected to be brought before court today.

In the second case, a Ukrainian woman who works at a Limassol bar told police that a taxi driver had raped her after she asked him for a ride home.

It was around 2am when the suspect, who had been drinking at the bar, agreed to take the 22-year-old home.

Instead, he drove her to a deserted area in Moutayiakka where he allegedly raped her.

The taxi was later intercepted by a police patrol for a routine check and the woman asked the officers to take her home.

On the way, she told them to take her to the station because she wanted to report that she had been raped by the taxi driver.

Antoniou admitted having intercourse with the woman, but claimed she did it willingly.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[04] Why are petrol prices not coming down now?

HOUSE Finance Committee chairman Marcos Kyprianou yesterday accused the government of maintaining high petrol prices at a time when the price of crude oil is down.

DIKO and KISOS tabled a proposal before yesterday's Plenum calling for the re-establishment of the automatic pump price mechanism that adjusts petrol, diesel and kerosene prices in accordance with fluctuations in the international price of crude oil.

The temporary mechanism had been in effect for a year until October, when the law ran out and the government decided not to renew it.

With the expiry of the mechanism, the government needs parliamentary approval for any changes to pump prices.

But Finance Committee chairman Kyprianou of DIKO yesterday pointed out, "the previous system was in effect while international prices were high and now that they are down, Cypriot consumers are forced to shell out a proportionally high cost for fuel."

Kyprianou accused the government of making money by failing to renew the automatic pump price mechanism.

The average price of crude oil in September stood at just over £16 a barrel while in November it went down to £12.20. The retail price of petrol in Cyprus, however, has not gone down since September.

"Today we are submitting a proposal to bring back the previous mechanism and be fair to consumers," Kyprianou said, adding that he expected Parliament to vote on the bill before the end of the year.

The committee chairman noted that the government had years ago promised to draw up effective legislation to sort out the whole petrol pricing matter.

"However, nothing has been done yet and by tabling the proposal in question today we are putting pressure on the state to get its act together and take care of the matter once and for all," Kyprianou said.

The automatic adjustment mechanism had been brought as government subsidies soared to keep track of rising oil prices and parliament stalled over unpopular price rises. The system was seen as a way of bypassing the lengthy political wrangles every time prices had to be raised. The scheme at the time slashed government subsidies to petrol companies from £25 million to a maximum of £4 million a year.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[05] Consumers 'need protection from false discounts'

SHOPKEEPERS' union POVEK is calling for a new law banning supermarkets from selling products at discount prices.

The Chamber of Commerce (KEVE) has provided the Commerce Ministry with details of laws in Greece and France that prohibit the sale of products below their cost price, and POVEK is following suit with its own proposals.

The acting Director of Competition and Consumer Protection at the Commerce Ministry, Leontios Pericleous, yesterday told the Cyprus Mail that POVEK was afraid that small business would be wiped out - causing a slump in the economy - if something was not done to regulate existing supermarket procedures.

"At the moment, there is no law preventing supermarkets from selling their products at a discount," said Pericleous.

Although the Ministry has received no other complaints except POVEK's, it will be studying the proposals as soon as the Minister returns from New York next week to see if and how the existing law can be amended.

POVEK's General Secretary, Melios Georgiou, said the union was deeply opposed to discounted prices.

He said although such offers might at first appearance appear beneficial to the consumer, in the long-term it was the consumer that would lose out. Supermarkets' financial clout allowed them to sell selected goods at a loss, covering the cost from other profits; small shopkeepers, however, he said, could not afford such discounts, and would lose customers as a result, eventually going out of business. Then the supermarkets would monopolise the market and set whatever prices they wanted, taking advantage of consumers, he said.

"They do not care about the consumer and should stop using window appearances and posing as charitable institutions by selling below cost price when all they care about is making a profit," he added.

Pericleous of the Consumer Protection service, however, said his department "fully supported special offer discounts at supermarkets, as long as the trade description law and the misleading and comparative advertising law is adhered to".

The trade description law states that a product can only be sold at a discount if it has been on the shelves at its original price for at least three months beforehand or for at least one month continuously with its price clearly displayed.

The law also protects against misleading advertising. "For example, if a supermarket claims to be giving 70 per cent discounts on certain products, but in fact it turns out the original price was inflated just before the discount was introduced, then the consumer is being misled to believe that he or she is making a bargain purchase, when in fact he or she is not."

POVEK's Georgiou said supermarkets were misleading consumers.

"When 60 to 70 per cent discounts are announced on Christmas decorations that are only being introduced on the market now, no-one can know what their original price was, therefore on what price is the discount being made?" he said.

But a supermarket spokesman in Limassol told the Cyprus Mail this was not true, as their Christmas decorations had already been on sale for at least three months.

The independent Cyprus Consumers' Association also opposes disguised and misleading advertising, especially in cases where consumers are not fully informed and are lured into spending more money.

"Consumers watch adverts in good faith, believing that a chicken being advertised for 49 cents is in fact 49 cents," said Dinos Ioannou, the General Manager of the Association.

"Yet in small print underneath the ad, it specifies that this is only valid if you spend over £40, or says you should call for more details."

Ioannou said the Association supported competition and offers that were clear-cut and fair, as long as the products were not outdated or of inferior quality. He stressed that before and after prices must be clearly stated so the consumer knew they were actually making a purchase at a better price.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[06] Paphos storm

The storm begun suddenly at around 4pm but in half an hour the town's main roads resembled lakes while the rest where covered in hail.

Between 4.30pm and 6pm the fire service said it responded to 60 distress calls, mainly concerning drivers trapped in the flooded roads and flooded basements.

Numerous traffic accidents were reported while two airliners delayed their scheduled landings at Paphos airport until the weather improved.

Furious residents accuse the authorities of indifference complaining that with the first sign of rain the town's roads are turned into lakes.

Paphos was one of the island's worst hit areas last week during a protracted storm with heavy rain and strong winds, which caused heavy damage to crops, farms and other property.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[07] Technicians on alert for new viruses

COMPUTER users are being advised to update anti-virus software to counter two new computer viruses that have been unleashed.

The latest virus called 'Goner' came out on Monday and is spread via Microsoft Outlook and ICQ chat service.

But the worst virus on the island at the moment, known as W32/BadTrans.B-mm, has been causing havoc for the last couple of weeks.

It is a mass mailing worm that automatically sends itself out even before the e-mail is read or previewed.

One Cytanet subscriber was furious when she phoned the customer helpline and was told the e-mail server did not have anti-virus protection, as that would "infringe on users' rights".

According to Cytanet's policy, customers is responsible for protecting their computers against viruses and the helpline merely advises customers to call a technician to fix the problem.

An Avacom.net technician said they had had a few cases of the virus and called on their customers to inform them if they had been infected.

In one case, they had to cut off a customer's account because they could not get hold of him to tell him he was spreading the virus without realising it.

Spidernet's Marketing Manager, Thois Themistocleous, told the Cyprus Mail they had seen many cases of the virus on the day of it was released, but the anti-virus software had been updated and the virus was blocked.

"As with any virus, it takes at least a few hours for a patch to be made depending on where the virus is from. If it is from Asia then it would take longer. If the user has updated anti-virus software, there should be no problem," said Themistocleous.

The 'Goner' virus arrives with 'Hi' in the subject line and writes, "How are you? When I saw this screen saver, I immediately thought about you I am in a hurry, I promise you will love it!" in the body.

The e-mail has an attachment - 'GONE.SCR' - masquerading as a screen saver that when opened up sends the worm to everyone in the e-mail address book, deletes anti-virus and firewall software and installs a back door that could enable future hacking.

Most Internet Service Providers in Cyprus have not had any cases of this virus but claim that since it was only recently unleashed it could still cause problems.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[08] Consumers opting for fake trees

FAKE Christmas trees are eclipsing the real thing in the run up to Christmas this year.

Both retail outlets and the forestry department confirmed people were buying more and more fake trees.

People cite practical reasons as well as long-term cost and durability for their decision. A fake tree will last year after year, has a perfect shape, and does not shed needles or dry out in the central heating.

"I'm buying a good fake tree and can use it for the next 20 years," said one woman buying a fake tree yesterday.

The Tsaousis store in Nicosia said yesterday they had sold many fake trees this year, but it was too early to say if sales were up on last season.

However, a spokesman said the shop had had to bring in more Christmas decorations and fake trees as the shelves had become bare.

The price of a fake tree ranges from £11 to £300, depending on the quality and height of the tree.

Alecos Kambouris of the Forestry Department confirmed the number of real trees sold has been falling ever since fake trees started being imported. He predicted the trend would accelerate as Cyprus joined the EU and more trees were brought to the island.

Kambouris told the Cyprus Mail that 4,000 trees had been allocated to 'Christmas duty' this year, with 1,500 going to private sellers licensed by the Department.

Each branch or tree that is sold must bear a stamp from the Forestry Department before it can be sold in an attempt to prevent entrepreneurs just going to a plot of land or forest and chopping down trees.

"If we discover a branch or tree that is not stamped, we ask the seller to prove they own the land that the trees come from," said Kambouris.

If the Forestry Department finds they are illegal, they will fine the person or take them to court, where they can be fined and/or jailed.

The trees being sold have been felled from forests to create space for healthier trees to grow and for branches to spread.

The trees have been cut during the summer months, but kept until November so they do not go to waste.

Real trees are on sale at prices ranging from £4 to £800 according to height, thickness of branches and type of tree.

The Forestry Department has been selling cypresses, pine, cedar and fir trees since December 3 at the Athalassa Forest Nursery, Larnaca Forest Station, Fasouri Forest Nursery, Yeroskipou Forest Offices and the Platania Forest Station during government opening hours.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[09] Inmate foiled in 10th suicide bid

AN INMATE at Nicosia Central Prison was yesterday being treated after wardens foiled his 10th suicide attempt since November.

But suicides in prison are a rare phenomenon in Cyprus, according to the Prison Governor.

Charis Themistocleous told the Cyprus Mail that deaths were a rare occurrence.

"In the two years I have been in charge, there have been no suicides. There have been a few attempts but that is usually just prisoners trying to get attention," said Themistocleous.

The latest is 35-year-old Grigoris Grigoriou who this week tried to kill himself fro the 10th time.

Themistocleous said that in his latest attempt, Grigoriou had tried to hang himself with his sheets, but other times he had hit his head against a wall or claimed to have swallowed poisonous substances.

The inmate began causing problems several months ago and was taken to the Athalassa Psychiatric Hospital, where doctors said he had psychological problems and treated him.

He was kept at Athalassa for two months but was then prescribed medicine, and sent back to prison at the beginning of November. He then began trying commit suicide in order to be sent back to the hospital, the governor said.

Grigoriou has been convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He claims he is innocent and demands to be released.

Grigoriou's prison cell has been stripped of any dangerous objects, including nails and screws, and he is being watched.

According to Themistocleous, only the Health Ministry has the power to send a prisoner to the psychiatric hospital and only if doctors recommend it.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[10] 'Bar exams need to be more practical'

THE CYPRUS Legal Council yesterday called for changes in bar exams during a meeting of the House Legal Affairs Committee.

The existing exam format, although efficient, should be further improved, according to member of the Legal Council and bar exam co-ordinator and examiner, Costas Tsirides, who believes that the answer lies in the introduction of professional examinations.

Tsirides told the Cyprus Mail that two top British legal experts had been brought to Cyprus to assess the legal system and to write up a report suggesting what changes needed to be made in order to introduce such examinations.

Since 1995, the bar exam has been made up of 12 exam topics, all oriented towards problem-solving and assessing whether practicing lawyers can apply the law accurately.

With the current system, "if you study, you pass," Tsirides said, as only the syllabus is examined.

"What we have come to realise, however, is that these students, having completed their university and legal school studies possess vast academic knowledge.

"What is crucial therefore, is whether or not prospective lawyers can sift through a series of facts and, based on their legal knowledge, pull out the important details relevant to their clients and advise them accordingly," he said. Unlike basic legal knowledge, this is not a quality taught at university, he added.

Nor does university teach court procedures, or evidence law - how a witness is examined, what kind of questions need to be asked to get to the truth, what procedure is involved in examination and cross-examination, Tsirides explained.

It is also important to know how to draft court and other legal documents - such as how to defend and reply to claims and counter-claims.

"This too is vital in a lawyer's training, as how a plea is written up can determine which side wins the case."

He said all these aspects of the law had been neglected and should be included in the future exam structure.

"We're asking to move away from a strict academic format of exams and to introduce professional examinations."

According to him, these exams might be written or verbal, depending on the subject. For instance, cross-examination tests should be carried out verbally.

Aspiring lawyers in Cyprus currently practice for one year before taking their bar exam. Tsirides suggests this be extended to two years, with 100 lecture hours a year before the bar exam is sat, as is common practice in most European countries.

"We must protect the Cypriot citizen from lawyers who are not fully knowledgeable in the practices of the law," he stressed.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

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