Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 03-06-08

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

Sunday, June 8, 2003

CONTENTS

[01] DISY rejects AKEL MP’s claims about the economy

[02] Forget Famagusta for exports, Tassos tells Turkish Cypriots

[03] Man jailed for killing his father ‘because of mobile phone messages’

[04] Suspect burglar remanded after jewel theft

[05] Cypriot doctors on aid mission to Iraq

[06] Fortune teller fails to predict his own court appearance

[01] DISY rejects AKEL MP’s claims about the economy

AKEL Deputy Andros Kyprianou yesterday accused the previous government of leaving £150 million in debt for the new government to settle and claimed the Clerides administration had not managed to advance many projects that were necessary in the application of the acquis communautaire.

The acquis is the common body of legislation that applies to all European Union member states. Cyprus is due to accede to the EU on May 1, 2004.

The accusations followed recent comments by President Tassos Papadopoulos who said that the economy was in a worse state than what had been presented.

Kyprianou accused the previous government of rescheduling the payment of more than £150 million in dues to this year, and said that a huge amount of money would have to be spent on infrastructure projects necessary for European Union harmonisation.

The previous government had failed to begin construction of the projects, Kyprianou said.

The new government took over at the end of February.

But DISY first vice chairman Lefteris Christoforou countered yesterday that such allegations were only made to cover the current government’s weakness and incompetence in governing the country.

He suggested that any complaints should have been made in due time and accused the government of continuing to behave as if it were still in opposition.

Christoforou said the good state of the economy could be substantiated by the EU assessment, which ranked Cyprus first among all the 10 candidates prior to the signing of the accession treaty.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, June 8, 2003

[02] Forget Famagusta for exports, Tassos tells Turkish Cypriots

PRESIDENT Tassos Papadopoulos yesterday reiterated that using Famagusta port for exporting Turkish Cypriot products is not a negotiable option.

The matter was raised this week when the European Union announced its package of aid measures for the Turkish Cypriots.

Among them was promoting the export of Turkish Cypriot products to the EU, with the agreement of the government.

But the Turkish Cypriots are insisting that their products should be exported through the port of Famagusta, which the government will not accept.

The government has agreed that the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce can be authorised to issue movement certificates for the products, but these would then have to be exported through government-controlled ports.

Suggestions from some European circles that Famagusta port might come under the control of the United Nations or some other neutral body have prompted the government to issue stern warnings, both officially and in private, that such action would be completely unacceptable.

The latest comment came from Papadopoulos himself, who yesterday stressed that Famagusta port could not operate except under the full supervision and responsibility of the Republic of Cyprus.

“Clearly and categorically, a port does not operate except under the full responsibility and supervision of the legal government of the Republic of Cyprus,” he said.

He had been asked to comment on the views of former president Glafcos Clerides, who when he was in office discussed the possibility of Greeks and Turkish Cypriots operating the port jointly in exchange for the return of the closed area of Varosha.

Clerides repeated several days ago that since the 1960 Constitution provided for Greek and Turkish Cypriot municipalities in Famagusta, there would not be an issue of recognition if the port was operated by the local authorities.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, June 8, 2003

[03] Man jailed for killing his father ‘because of mobile phone messages’

A 33-year-old man who confessed to killing his father with a kitchen knife last March has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Nicosia Assizes Court.

Charalambos Pavlou, the youngest of eight children, attacked his father Anthimos while he was lying on his bed at home on the Strovolos refugee estate on March 2.

Pavlou later told police that he was angry with his 67-year-old father for not letting his mother go to a wedding.

During the assault the knife broke and Pavlou grabbed another one from the kitchen. He continued to strike out at his father until neighbours were able to disarm him.

In passing sentence, the Court took into account two psychological assessment reports indicating that Pavlou suffered from paranoia and other psychiatric illnesses.

Pavlou maintained that mobile phones were responsible for his actions, claiming that they spoke to him sent him messages, urging him to commit the crime.

The bench of three judges highlighted the difficulty faced by the courts in passing sentence on offenders with psychological problems. Cyprus does not offer psychiatric services for convicts, nor does it have a proper aftercare system with probation officers to guide convicts back into society after their release.

The court pointed out that the Health Ministry was currently working on new legislation to set up an Psychiatric Care Centre for inmates of the Central Prisons in Nicosia.

The most appropriate measures in such cases would be for the prisoner to have specialised psychiatric care and support from the prison services while he or she is incarcerated, the court said.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, June 8, 2003

[04] Suspect burglar remanded after jewel theft

A 36-YEAR-OLD man was remanded in custody for six days yesterday in connection with a string of burglaries in Limassol.

Police said they are looking for a second individual in connection with the case.

Mike Zourirof, who works for the consulate of Kazakhstan, was arrested on Friday morning after his car was found in the vicinity of an elderly couple’s flat which had been burgled earlier.

Police said the robbers had stolen cash and jewellery worth around £11,000.

The court heard that whoever had broken into the flat had left behind clues, including a mobile phone, which led to the suspect.

Zourirof allegedly told police that he went to the area after receiving a call from the wanted man to pick up the car that they both used.

Police told the court that items of jewellery had been found during a search of the suspect’s flat.

Police said they believe the suspect had taken part in a series of burglaries carried out by the man they are seeking.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, June 8, 2003

[05] Cypriot doctors on aid mission to Iraq

AN EIGHT-MEMBER mission of the Cypriot chapter of ‘Doctors of the World’ is leaving today for Iraq to distribute around 160 tonnes of humanitarian help collected in Cyprus.

The head of the mission, child surgeon Elias Papadopoulos, said 12 containers had already reached Syria and they are expected to clear customs by tomorrow.

“We expect that they will clear customs on Monday afternoon so that on Tuesday or Wednesday, when all the procedures are completed, we will travel to Baghdad and distribute the material,” Papadopoulos said.

The aid will be distributed in camps on the outskirts of Baghdad, as well as in hospitals and schools in the Iraqi capital.

Papadopoulos said there was increased demand for help since all the aid previously sent by humanitarian organisations has been exhausted.

“The needs will be tremendous,” Papadopoulos said.

He added that the mission will be difficult because of the lack of proper authorities, which would mean extra bureaucratic procedures.

The organisation has managed to put together around 160 tonnes of food, water and medicine, all of which was either donated or purchased from cash donated by ordinary people, organisations, companies and the Church in Cyprus.

The mission is expected to return on Saturday.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, June 8, 2003

[06] Fortune teller fails to predict his own court appearance

A GREEK medium has been remanded in custody for six days by Nicosia District Court after police said they caught him in a Nicosia hotel room telling someone’s fortune for a fee.

Police told the court that 39-year-old Athanasios Zafirakis was with a female client of about the same age when they raided his room, and that they found another woman waiting in the hallway who had just had her fortune told.

The second woman reportedly told police that this was not the first time she had come to Zafirakis for a glimpse into the future, adding that she paid on average between £15 and £30.

Police confiscated a number of items from the suspect’s room, including stones with ‘the eye’ painted on them, Egyptian trinkets, porcelain shaped like garlic (said to avert the evil eye), £276, a phone book with a list of names and numbers in it, and other paraphernalia.

Zafirakis allegedly admitted being a medium and that he practises fortune telling, but insisted that he only accepts donations, not a specific sum, for his services.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

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