Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 03-05-18

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

Sunday, May 18, 2003

CONTENTS

[01] Hard cheese: hand it over

[02] Perdikis slams colleagues over waste water

[03] Markides recovering well after heart op

[04] Cars and boat torched in Limassol

[05] Two teens held after kiosk raid

[01] Hard cheese: hand it over

ONE KILO of halloumi cheese, two shirts and four pairs of trousers. These are just a few of the items confiscated by Customs officers in the past two days from Greek Cypriots crossing back from visits to the north.

More than 8,000 Turkish Cypriots and around 9,000 Greek Cypriots have crossed the checkpoints on the Green Line in the past 48 hours.

Other items confiscated by the authorities have included 12 T-shirts, two blouses, two pairs of shoes, nine boxes of cigarettes and two bottles of nail varnish.

More than a quarter of a million Cypriots have crossed over to and from the north ever since Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash allowed free movement of Greek and Turkish Cypriots on Wednesday, April 23.

The busiest checkpoint is at Ayios Dometios in Nicosia, where more than 4, 000 Turkish Cypriots and around 5,000 Greek Cypriots have crossed over in their cars since Friday. The checkpoint opened last Saturday.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, May 18, 2003

[02] Perdikis slams colleagues over waste water

GREEN PARTY Deputy George Perdikis yesterday blasted his fellow deputies for being more interested in amending laws to allow tobacco advertising on rally cars than caring for the environment.

Perdikis’ comments came after revelations that more than eight tons of treated waste matter are being dumped into the sea off Limassol every day because of a lack of storage facilities.

Speaking to the Sunday Mail, Perdikis said the treated effluent could be stored and used to water crops on the island, but this year’s heavy rainfall has filled all the reserve tanks to overflowing, forcing the Limassol Sewage Board to dump the treated water into the sea.

Perdikis said that not only should an environmental study be carried out to determine whether the treated water is causing harm to the environment, more importantly the government should also act in order to find ways to use the water for irrigation purposes.

“It’s a shame to dump all that water into the sea when it could be used to irrigate the island’s crops,” he said.

“But I don’t think that the House is going to act quickly on this issue. They are more interested in amending laws for tobacco advertising on rally cars than caring for the environment.”

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, May 18, 2003

[03] Markides recovering well after heart op

FORMER Attorney-general Alecos Markides is recovering well after undergoing heart by-pass surgery in Nicosia this week.

Doctors at the American Heart Institute said yesterday Markides’ health is steadily improving, and that he is expected to be released from hospital in the coming week.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, May 18, 2003

[04] Cars and boat torched in Limassol

LIMASSOL police were yesterday investigating an arson attack which damaged three cars and a boat belonging to a 49-year-old teacher.

The cars and boat were all parked in an open space next to the 49-year- old’s home on Christoforos Savvas Street in Ayios Athanasios.

The 2.45am blaze was put out by the fire service, although substantial damage had already been caused.

Damage was also caused to the walls of the house.

The combined value of the three cars and the boat was £24,000, but the damage has not yet been estimated.

Police cordoned off the scene and resumed their investigation at first light.

They said the fire had been deliberately set using flammable material.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, May 18, 2003

[05] Two teens held after kiosk raid

TWO teenage boys were arrested yesterday in connection with the attempted armed robbery of a Nicosia kiosk.

The pair, aged 15 and 16, were allegedly caught trying to rob a kiosk on Athalassa Avenue in Strovolos, threatening the employee with a large knife.

Police said the two youths, who were riding a moped, approached the kiosk at around 11pm.

One of the suspects, who was wearing a crash helmet and woollen gloves, allegedly entered the kiosk and demanded money, threatening the employee with a knife.

She refused to hand over the cash and began calling for help.

Her cries were heard by an off-duty police officer who rushed to the scene and managed to disarm and pin the suspect down.

A police patrol car, which was called to the scene, managed to intercept the second suspect who had been waiting for his partner on the moped nearby.

Police said the first suspect, 15, confessed and named the second youth as the person waiting on the moped.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

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