Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 03-06-01

Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

Sunday, June 1, 2003

CONTENTS

[01] Freak storm causes havoc

[02] Papadopoulos in Russia for EU summit

[03] The year’s first solar eclipse

[04] Second-hand smoke can be a killer

[05] Rifle stolen in Larnaca

[06] Murder attempt on Limassol man

[01] Freak storm causes havoc

TORRENTIAL rain lashed down in Nicosia yesterday afternoon in a freak spring storm, flooding homes, shops, churches and streets.

At around 2pm dark thunderclouds formed over the capital before the heavens opened and hailstones and rain pummelled the city centre and surrounding area for an hour and a half.

People caught outside in the downpour were quickly drenched to the bone and cars were forced to pull over, as visibility was reduced and the risk of accidents high. Meanwhile police issued warnings cautioning motorists to drive carefully.

Power cuts were also reported in some areas and the fire department said it had received around 500 emergency calls.

Major streets within the city, among them Dighenis Akritas and Makarios Avenue, were quickly flooded. Police said the Pera Chorio-Nicosia strip of the Nicosia-Limassol highway was flooded also.

“You couldn’t see the street or pavement,” said one witness, who had been in a restaurant just off Dighenis Akritas in Nicosia.

“There was at least 50 centimetres of water in the road and several places were flooded. (And) as I passed Zorpas bakery I could see its employees sweeping out water, which had come into the shop.”

There were also traffic jams and some cars that had been parked on the side of the road were swept away by the water, while several other drivers were reported to be stuck in their cars.

The basements of a number of apartment buildings were also flooded, damaging some vehicles, and the fire department had to call in off-duty staff and personnel from Larnaca and Limassol to deal with the huge number of emergency calls.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, June 1, 2003

[02] Papadopoulos in Russia for EU summit

CYPRUS will contribute to the effort to enhance relations between the European Union and Russia in its capacity as an acceding country and later as a full EU member, President Tassos Papadopoulos said yesterday in an address to the EU-Russia Summit in St Petersburg.

Papadopoulos spoke of the excellent relations between Russia and Cyprus, and said that EU enlargement offered an opportunity and a commitment to maximise mutual benefits for both Russia and the EU.“The enlargement of the Union should be grasped as an opportunity and as a commitment for maximising mutual benefits for both sides,” he said. “As a new member state of the Union, we also look forward to the extension of the EU-Russia Partnership and Co-operation Agreement to Cyprus, a step that would further enrich our relations.”

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, June 1, 2003

[03] The year’s first solar eclipse

ASTRONOMERS around the island yesterday saw this year’s first annular solar eclipse during the early hours of the morning.

Because weather conditions were good with no clouds, it was visible from all parts of the island between 5.35 and 6.45am, the Meteorological Services told the Sunday Mail. It was also visible in other parts of Europe, north Asia, Greenland, northern Canada, Alaska and Egypt.

Yesterday the moon’s position against the sun was too small for it to cover the entire sun’s disc and so the eclipse consisted of a ring, or ‘annulus’ of bright sunlight surrounding the moon at the maximum phase.

Astronomers at the Fakas Tutorial Institution in Nicosia used astronomical telescopes to project images of the eclipse on a white screen, since it is dangerous to look directly at an eclipse.

According to NASA the next total solar eclipse will take place on November 23, and will be visible in Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and South America.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, June 1, 2003

[04] Second-hand smoke can be a killer

THE Cyprus Association of Cancer Patients and Friends yesterday joined 460 other members of two global non-governmental organisations on ‘World No Tobacco Day’ in the fight to stop second-hand smoke.

According to the Association, men, women and children exposed to second- hand smoke involuntarily suffer from many of the diseases of active smokers.

“Non-smokers who regularly breathe second-hand smoke have a 25 per cent increased risk of developing both lung cancer and heart disease -- and an 80 per cent increased risk of suffering a stroke,” it said.

The NGOs are leading their 460 members in lobbying governments, health authorities and employers to introduce smoke-free measures, including smoke- free hospitals, workplaces, restaurants and public transport, as well as to train health professionals to educate communities about the proven risks of second-hand smoke and the immediate health benefits to people who quit smoking.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, June 1, 2003

[05] Rifle stolen in Larnaca

A MILITARY rifle was stolen from a 45-year-old National Guardsman’s car in Larnaca yesterday morning, police said.

Savvas Minas, from Psevdas, told police he had been preparing to go on a military exercise when his G3 A4 weapon was stolen from his car, which had been broken into while it was parked on Zenonos Kitieos Street.

The rifle had been placed on the car floor, between the front and back seats, but it was not loaded.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, June 1, 2003

[06] Murder attempt on Limassol man

POLICE are searching for those responsible for the attempted murder of a 32- year-old Limassol man on Friday night.

At 8.40pm, Stelios Costas Christou, otherwise known as Ninjaki (‘little Ninja’), was driving on the Erimi-Kivides road towards his village, Pano Kivides, when the assailants opened fire on him, police said.

Christou managed to get away and call the police from his mobile phone. He then drove to Kandou village, from where a relative took him to Limassol general hospital.

Doctors said Christou had suffered injuries to his legs and left arm and he was admitted to hospital for treatment. He is described as out of danger, police said.

The authorities sealed off the area where the shooting took place and Limassol Criminal Investigation Division officers collected evidence for forensic analysis.

This is not the first time a member of Christou’s family has been a target. According to the Cyprus News Agency, his brother was murdered three years ago.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article