THE association of Limassol taxi drivers has announced a three-day warning strike from 7 to 11 pm this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, coupled with a protest to be staged at the entrance and exit of the Limassol marina.

In a statement, the association said that the strike is only a warning and an initial measure against the marina’s administrators to “alow, at their own discretion, a number of taxis to park within the marina.”

According to the association, the administrators’ decision contradicts the Limassol municipality’s decision to grant a public taxi stands at the entry of the marina.

Describing the administrators’ decision “illegal and conducive to unfair competition,” the association warned with escalating its retaliatory measures if the decision is not rescinded.

By Evie Andreou

ERAY Özer, the Turkish Cypriot who last week offered to return the land given to him by the Turkish Cypriot authorities to their rightful owners, left Nicosia disappointed on Monday and said that he reconsider his decision.

Özer and members of his family were at the offices of the daily Politis at noon to meet with the community leaders of Voni and Palekythro, and perhaps the owners of the land currently in his possession, but left after waiting for an hour for someone to show up.

“I am very sad because I realise that they did not take me seriously,” Özer said.

He added that he expected at least the two community leaders to show up.

“They agreed to come. I waited there for an hour and they didn’t come. No, they did not take me seriously,” Özer repeated and added that he is now reconsidering his decision to return the title deeds to the land.

Özer had announced last Wednesday in comments published by the daily Afrika that he was looking for the owners of the land given to him in 2004, without wanting anything in return.

The land, 4.5 donums (6,021 square metres) in Voni and 9.25 donums (12,377 square metres) in Palekythro were given to him in exchange of his inherited land in Epiho village in the occupied north, of around 60 donums of land (around 80,280 square meters), because it is situated within a military zone and has been retained for use by the Turkish army for many years.

The daily Politis had issued an open invitation to anyone interested to meet Özer at their offices.

Palekithro community leader Irini Gavriel said that she found no reason why she should attend the meeting, since she herself could not identify any of the properties and that anyone interested should search their title deeds through the state’s land registry.

Voni community leader Giorgos Antoniou said that the community council was not invited by Politis and that he contacted the daily and asked to meet with Özer at another time because he could not be present at yesterday’s meeting.

“We believe that this is a very commendable action and we want to meet him and have dinner with him and talk about our village,” Antoniou said.

He said that after Özer’s announcement some people called him, but he too said that it is not easy to define the owners of the land and that only the land registry can shed light on the matter.

“We thank him and luckily there are people like him. His action is giving out a very positive message; he recognises the right of property of his fellow compatriots,” Antoniou said and added that Özer’s action is commendable.

“It is about time after 40 years for hate to be replaced with peace gestures such as these,” Antoniou said.

He added that no matter if the owners are found, they salute Özer’s initiative.

“The land is not going to be taken by anyone, it is still occupied, but it is his gesture we applaud,” Antoniou said and added that they still want to contact him and thank him for his initiative.

By Angelos Anastasiou

AN impressive citadel wall of the Classical period on the plateau of Hadjiabdoulla was unearthed during excavations carried out by the Archaeological Research Unit of the University of Cyprus at Kouklia-Palepaphos in the Paphos region.

In an announcement on Monday, the Department of Antiquities said the excavations were conducted by the Archaeological Research Unit of the University of Cyprus, under the direction of Professor Maria Iacovou.

On the outskirts of the village of Kouklia, a short distance to the east of the sanctuary of Aphrodite at Palepaphos, the archaeological mission of the university located an impressive citadel wall of the Classical period on the plateau of Hadjiabdoulla.

The wall defines and protects the north site of a monumental edifice known since the 1950s as the palace of the last royal dynasty of ancient Paphos.

The rampart extends for over 80 meters and many of its walls are preserved to a height of a meter and a half.

The citadel wall on Hadjiabdoulla is a well-designed scheme of defensive architecture. It consists of a three-meter wide main wall, long and narrow cross walls, which are built against the main wall and extend almost to the edge of the cliff, and a curtain wall that runs parallel to the main wall.

The curtain wall is the topmost of a series of descending terrace walls built against the steep slope of the cliff. This is the most impressive part of the system and it suggests that the natural slope in its entirety was incorporated in the defensive scheme.

Two large storage vessels were found in situ.

The team also exposed an industrial installation set between two of the terrace walls. It consists of a deep stone basin – bathtub – and a drainage system made of finely cut stones.

Collapsed roof material bearing the impression of beams, as well as large roof tiles show that the complex included extensively roofed spaces. In addition, many of the walls were coated with plaster.

Evidently, the north wall of the citadel was a significant and well-maintained part of the palace compound.

This year’s campaign lasted for five weeks. Palepaphos was the capital of the Paphian kingdom almost to the end of the fourth century BC, but its town plan and its different urban sectors, which appear to have occupied the plateaus around the sanctuary, are almost invisible.

The primary target of the Palepaphos Urban Landscape project, which was initiated in 2006 by Professor Maria Iacovou of the Archaeological Research Unit, is to uncover and study the structure of the capital centre.

Former government spokesman and Defence minister Christodoulos Pasiardis died on Monday, aged 70.

A career diplomat since 1974, Pasiardis had served various roles during the presidencies of Spyros Kyprianou, heading the President’s diplomatic desk from 1984 to 1988, and Tassos Papadopoulos, as undersecretary to the President (2003-8), government spokesman (2006) and Defence minister (2007-8).

He had also served as Cyprus’ ambassador to Greece and Australia.

Pasiardis had spent his final months in hospital, battling a serious illness.

SEVERAL detainees at the Menoyia migrant detention centre climbed on the roof on Monday and threatened to take their own lives in protest against their arrest.

A police report late last night said that the protesting detainees were talked into stepping off the roof at around 9 pm, and the situation was resolved without further incident.

Police said seven people had been on the roof since around 11am while a negotiator had been trying to convince them to climb down with no success.

The men claimed they should not have been detained.

It is not the first time detainees at Menoyia have protested against their detention. In June, a man tried to slit his wrists, while in January another tried to hang himself in his cell.

A 44-year-old Syrian man who co-owns a car and furniture upholstery shop in Yiannos Kranidiotis avenue, Larnaca, was allegedly assaulted and robbed, police said on Monday.

A police report into the incident said that shortly before 4 pm, ten unidentified individuals entered the man’s shop and injured him using a knife and other assault instruments.

According to the 44-year-old’s complaint, before fleeing the perpetrators emptied an office-desk drawer, which contained roughly €3,000 in cash, and badly damaged his car, which was parked outside the shop.

Larnaca police rushed to the scene to investigate, and reports indicated that the alleged robbers fled using two cars.

The Syrian was rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with trauma on his neck and head, as well as lacerations and bruises on his arms.

His condition was described by attending doctors as being stable.

By a Staff Reporter
POLITICIANS and VIPs who are not state officials should pay for their own security, the head of the police association has said in the wake of reports that too many officers are seconded to such security details.
Around one-sixth of the police force overall is detailed to officials or politicians’ security, Andreas Symeou told state broadcaster CyBC.
And he cited Limassol as an example, where the district (excluding the city proper) is policed by only 30 officers as a result of depleted numbers.
Symeou said that 40 to 45 police officers are currently assigned to guard politicians – such as party leaders and some MPs – and other VIPs. Adding the officers assigned to embassies takes the number up to 130.
“Whoever sets up a party here needs police to guard him,” Symeou complained, alluding to a politician which he did not name who recently requested an additional two men for his security detail. He was understood to be referring to Giorgos Lillikas, leader of the Alliance of Citizens party which has one seat in parliament. The seat is not held by Lillikas, but by Nikos Koutsou.
“Some others are 95 years old and can’t even get up and walk out of their house, but have five officers guarding them anyway,” Symeou remarked, adding it was high time the security detail system is rationalised.
“What is happening now is a waste of public money,” he added.
Previously, party leaders or cadres hired their own security and paid for it. That practice should resume. Otherwise, the parties themselves should foot the bill, said Symeou.
And politicians shouldn’t have trouble finding bodyguards, since there are retired policemen available for the job.
Politis on Sunday reported that security for state officials and politicians costs the taxpayer €575,000 a month, with the average salary for the guards standing at around €2,500.
Around 130 police are seconded as security for politicians or VIPs, and to embassies and government buildings. In addition, the Presidential Guard comprises 99 officers, for a total count of 230 officers.
Former President Demetris Christofias has 12 police officers guarding him round the clock, House Speaker Yiannakis Omirou has nine, DIKO leader Nicholas Papadopoulos six, AKEL chief Andros Kyprianou six, and DISY boss Averof Neophytou has five.
Meanwhile former EDEK leader Vassos Lyssarides has four officers assigned to him, and former President George Vasiliou has three.
Those shadowed by two minders include: Giorgos Lillikas; head of the European Party and MP Demetris Syllouris; DIKO MP Marios Garoyian; Archbishop Chrysostomos; the Attorney-general and deputy Attorney-general; the President’s chief negotiator in the Cyprus talks; MP Nikos Koutsou; and the First Lady Andri Anastassiades.
Mimi Kyprianou, spouse of the late former President Spyros Kyprianou (who left office in 1988) has one police officer assigned to her.
Government ministers have two to three officers, depending on the case.

By Stefanos Evripidou
THE PALESTINIAN Ambassador to Cyprus Walid Hasan on Tuesday called for a political process to end the “outrageous genocide” against the Palestinian people.
Speaking after meeting with EDEK’s MEP Demetris Papadakis and Costis Efstathiou, Hasan expressed hope that the 72-hour ceasefire between Hamas and Israel on Tuesday will pave the way for a political process that will “end this outrageous genocide of our people, and most importantly, result in the lifting of the illegal and inhumane blockade of Gaza, and finally end the cruel 47-year Israeli occupation of Palestine”.
He hoped the Israeli government enters negotiations with sincere will “to reach a just, comprehensive and lasting peace that today is needed more than ever”.
The ambassador accused Israel of nearly a month of military aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza “under the false and immoral pretext of self-defence, with Israel even having the audacity of accusing the Palestinian resistance of using its own children as human shields, in order to justify its criminal acts and mass murder of our people”.
Hasan regretted that some states have chosen to accept the “fallacious claims” of Israel that invoked the right of self-defence to justify its “criminal campaign” against the Palestinian people. These states “have kept silent and paralysed in view of this criminal genocide”, he said, adding, “Israel, as the occupying power, cannot claim to act in self-defence.”
According to Hasan, the death toll has reached almost 1,900 people, the majority of whom are innocent elderly, women and children, while more than 9,500 people have been injured. In addition, there has been major destruction of vital civilian infrastructure, including at least 5,500 civilian homes, Gaza’s only power plant, water and sewage networks, 141 schools and at least 24 medical centres, he said.
Efstathiou and Papadakis expressed their party`s solidarity towards the Palestinian people and their deep sorrow for the killings of innocent civilians, especially children. At the same time, they expressed their discomfort with the stance of the Cyprus government and its “silence” on the matter.
They said that both the Cyprus people and the Palestinians, with whom they share deep and close ties, are fighting for the same principles of democracy, freedom, human rights and a life without a foreign army and oppression.

By Andrew Yates

Britain scrambled two fighter jets on Tuesday to escort a Qatar Airways plane into Manchester airport after the pilot reported a possible explosive device on board. A passenger was later arrested on suspicion of making a hoax bomb threat.

The incident, which prompted the authorities to close the northern England airport for 25 minutes, briefly raised fears of a terrorism attack.

Qatar Airways said the Airbus A330-300 plane was flight QR23 from Doha to Manchester with 269 passengers and 13 crew on board.

A Reuters photographer saw armed police remove a handcuffed male passenger dressed in baggy trousers and a sports shirt from the plane.

“We can confirm that Typhoon aircraft were launched from RAF Coningsby in their quick reaction alert role this afternoon to investigate a civilian aircraft whose pilot had requested assistance,” Britain’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

“The aircraft was escorted to Manchester where it landed safely. This incident is now being handled by the civilian authorities.”

Greater Manchester Police said on their official Twitter feed that they had detained one man in connection with the incident.

“A man who was on board the plane … has been arrested on suspicion of making a hoax bomb threat,” they said.

Britain has a standard response to such incidents which always involves scrambling fighter jets and emergency services.

In May 2013, fighter jets escorted a Pakistan International Airlines passenger plane to Stansted Airport near London where police went on board and arrested two men on suspicion of endangering an aircraft.

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit central South Africa yesterday, killing at least one man who died when a wall collapsed on top of him, according to emergency services.

The US Geological Survey said the tremor was centred in Orkney, a town around 120 km southwest of Johannesburg, an area with a high concentration of deep gold mines.

“One of the buildings collapsed on a man believed to be in his 30s … by the time paramedics arrived there was nothing they could do for him,” Werner Vermaak, spokesman for emergency service provider ER24, told local television.

ER24 and South African rescue services confirmed that no miners were trapped underground, alleviating earlier concerns that workers were stuck in shafts.

Officials at AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony Gold , Gold Fields and Sibanye Gold said they had felt the tremors in their headquarters but had so far received no reports of anything untoward in their mines.

The area around Johannesburg is not prone to seismic activity but it is home to some of the deepest gold mines in the world. The quake is the largest in the southern Africa region since a 7.0 tremor in Zimbabwe in 2006.

By Hamid Shalizi and Jessica Donati

An Afghan soldier killed a US general and wounded 14 coalition troops in a machinegun attack at a military training facility in Kabul, a top Western and senior Afghan official said on Tuesday.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

ISAF, the international force in Afghanistan, said the attack took place at a British military training academy in the capital. It said one ISAF service member was killed, without giving details, and the incident was under investigation.

The German military said 14 coalition troops had been wounded, including a German general.

“The wounded German general, whose life is no longer in danger, is being given medical treatment,” it said.

Seven other Americans and five British troops were among the wounded, according to the Afghan official.

The Afghan president was quick to condemn the attack, saying the delegation had been visiting the facility to help build Afghanistan’s security forces.

“Today at 12pm, a terrorist in army uniform opened fire on international partners and other Afghan officers, wounding several,” an Afghan Ministry of Defense statement said.

The gunman was using a light machinegun according to a U.S. official.

Such attacks have eroded trust between the allies and complicated efforts to train Afghanistan’s 350,000-strong security force.

The Taliban says insider attacks reflect their ability to infiltrate the enemy, while ISAF officials say the incidents often arise over misunderstandings or altercations between troops.

In 2012, dozens of incidents forced international troops to take measures to reduce interaction with their Afghan partners and since then, the number of insider attacks has fallen sharply.

In a similar attack on Tuesday, several were wounded in eastern Paktia province when a policeman opened fire on international and Afghan forces, police chief Zalmay Oryakhil said.

Adding to the tension, a NATO airstrike hit a vehicle carrying civilians in western Herat province, local officials said, killing four members of one family including two children.

“We strongly condemn the killings by foreign troops and we have reported this to the presidential palace,” deputy provincial governor, Aseeluddin Jameh, told Reuters.

By Elias Hazou
THE FINDINGS of a police probe into a controversial land demarcation permit issued to Aristo Developers are expected to be handed to the Attorney-general’s office by the end of the week.
The AG will then decide whether any prosecutions are warranted, in a case involving allegations that Aristo, in cahoots with persons inside the Paphos municipality, milked extra real estate from dodgy paperwork.
The case, covered by daily Politis, was reported to police on July 1 and concerned an application filed by Aristo Developers for a permit to demarcate 177 plots in the Skali area of Paphos.
The application was approved, but according to the complaint filed to the police, it later emerged that new plans were added in the file and the previous ones had been annulled.
With the new plans, the company took back some 5,000 square metres, which had been previously earmarked as green spaces in accordance with the rules and regulations.
The value of the land was estimated at €2.0 million.
The company denied any wrongdoing, saying the municipality got the calculations wrong. It claimed that the municipality had asked for new plans to be submitted and the discrepancy came about because the land area was bigger than what was recorded on the title deeds.
The changes in the demarcation of green areas were made at the behest of the water department to protect a stream.
When the story first broke, Politis had reported that Aristo boss, Theodoros Aristodimou, his wife Sotiroulla, and former municipal engineer Savvas Savva, were named as suspects in a police report submitted to the AG’s office.
The AG’s office had then returned the file to the police, asking for more data. On July 29 Paphos mayor Savvas Vergas addressed a letter to the chief of police, noting that the municipality was ready and willing to fully cooperate with investigators.
Shortly thereafter, Paphos police HQ drafted a response to Vergas. It drew attention to apparent delaying tactics from within the municipality, such as that some employees whom investigators wanted to interview couldn’t find the time to speak to detectives because of their workload.
The letter, confirmed as genuine, was leaked to Politis. It was supposed to be signed off by the Paphos police superintendent, but the signature field was empty.
The fact that this letter was never sent to Vergas fuelled the newspaper’s speculation that someone inside the force was trying to stymie the investigation.
However it’s understood the letter was not delivered simply because it was decided that the response to Vergas should be sent by the chief of police, the initial addressee.
CID officers have been questioning staff at the land registry, the water department and the Paphos municipality, and will likely hand over their new report to the AG by Friday.

By Stefanos Evripidou
FOREIGN MINISTER Ioannis Kasoulides on Tuesday met with Japan’s Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Takao Makino in Nicosia to discuss a range of issues from the Cyprus problem to regional developments, energy issues and EU-Japan relations.
Speaking after the meeting, Makino said Japan supports President Nicos Anastasiades’ efforts for a peaceful solution on the island.
Kasoulides said the Japanese official’s visit to Cyprus “constitutes tangible proof of our joint commitment to strengthening our bilateral relations”. The visit “acquires particular importance given Japan’s economic and political clout, not only in Asia but the entire world”, he added.
The two discussed ways to enhance bilateral collaboration in various sectors, including investment, science, education, student exchanges, tourism and crisis management.
They also discussed issues concerning Cyprus` Exclusive Economic Zone and the need to adhere to international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Asked whether they discussed possible investments in the energy sector, Kasoulides said the two officials agreed that “both governments will encourage the private sector to show interest in investments”.
In response to a question on whether Japan has expressed an interest in buying Cypriot natural gas, Makino, speaking through an interpreter, said: “I think that we have not reached a point that we can discuss this issue.”
The two also discussed the upcoming Asia-Europe Summit that will take place in Milan in October and the ongoing negotiations between the EU and Japan for a free trade and strategic partnership agreement.
“We are hopeful that 2015 may be the year when these negotiations will be concluded,” Kasoulides said.
During a working lunch, the two delegations discussed developments in Asia and the Middle East region. Later in the day, the Japanese official was due to meet with Greek Cypriot negotiator in the peace talks Andreas Mavroyiannis and UN Special Representative in Cyprus Lisa Buttenheim.
Makino departs Cyprus today.
Meanwhile, government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides yesterday confirmed that Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and incoming European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker discussed the Cyprus problem during the latter’s visit to Athens on Monday.
The spokesman noted that the EU is slowly recognising the need for greater EU involvement in the peace talks, and for two main reasons: first, the Republic of Cyprus will continue to be an EU member state after a solution; and second, the terms of the solution will impact upon the functioning of the EU itself, in terms of its decision-making mechanisms.
A possible problematic reunified state will cause problems within the EU, hence the increased interest of Brussels in the type of solution that is negotiated.
In response to a comment by public broadcaster CyBC that a solution which makes Cyprus a “Turkish protectorate” will give non-member Turkey a role in the EU, Christodoulides said this is a concern raised in various EU capitals, leading Brussels to seek a greater involvement in the talks to ensure any solution is compatible with the EU acquis.

THE NURSES’ union was up in arms on Tuesday after a patient beat up one of their members at Limassol general hospital.
The union said the assault against the female nurse happened in the morning.
The incident has been reported to police, the union said, as it urged authorities to turn their attention to the matter, which undermines the provision of health care.
It was the second such incident inside two weeks.
Late in July, a male nurse working at Larnaca general hospital filed a complained against a police officer who allegedly punched him in the face.
The officer who was off duty, had gone to the emergency room with his wife and four-year-old son, asking for an ear, nose, and throat doctor to examine the child.
When the nurse told him that he would have to see the doctor on duty instead of an ENT specialist, the officer allegedly got angry and punched him in the face.

THE CYPRUS Ports Authority (CPA) will begin assessing the one offer it has received for the commercial operation of the old Limassol port, and expects to reach a decision by month’s end.
Should the tender meet the tender’s terms and specifications, a contract would be awarded to the bidder, CPA head Alecos Michaelides told the Cyprus News Agency.
The old Limassol harbour has been reopened for business, following its extensive revamping. The CPA intends to sub-let the premises to investors and collect a rent fee, set at a minimum of €2.3m per year (not including VAT).
The tender is for a 10-year contract, with an option for a 10-year extension.
The premises at the old port – some 6,000 square meters – will feature cafeterias, restaurants, bars, shops and office space housed in 18 buildings.
The single tender received was submitted by a Cypriot with business activities in the United States, Michaelides said; the offer was for €2.6m a year.
The revamping of the old port – to make it suitable for commercial development – cost around €17.8m.
Known as the old Limassol port, the site used to be the city’s main port between its construction in 1956 up until the delivery of the new port in 1973. Its original foundations were laid during the British occupation of the island in the late 19th century.
With time, it changed from being a cargo and passenger terminal to its current use as a leisure, fishing boat and coast guard shelter.

IN A STATEMENT that is set to prompt strong reactions, the chairman of the state’s fiscal council suggested on Tuesday that a pay freeze and smaller raises in the public sector could be put in place to correct distortions in the economy.
“There is a gap between state and private sector incomes,” Demetris Georgiades said.
However, he added, at some levels the difference was in favour of the private sector.
In some cases raises would have to be given to public sectors but in most areas “unfortunately there should be cuts,” he said.
Georgiades said such distortions could be corrected with a freeze in salaries and smaller pay increases. “It is a matter for society and politicians to decide,” he said.
He agreed that workers and unions would react to additional cuts “because no one likes to see their salary cut. Unfortunately though, we must see the state’s and the economy’s capabilities, and what distortions these inequalities create.”
PEO and SEK trade unions already voiced opposition over the suggestion. SEK also pointed out that President Nicos Anastasiades recently assured members that with the economic progress achieved so far, the government was in a position to resist further cuts.

By Barbara Lewis and Maria Tsvetkova

Russia has massed around 20,000 combat-ready troops on Ukraine’s border and could use the pretext of a humanitarian mission to invade, NATO said on Wednesday, its starkest warning yet that Moscow could soon mount a ground assault against its neighbour.

With fighting escalating and rebels losing ground in the weeks since a Malaysian airliner was shot down over separatist-held territory, Russia has announced military exercises this week in the border region.

“We’re not going to guess what’s on Russia’s mind, but we can see what Russia is doing on the ground – and that is of great concern. Russia has amassed around 20,000 combat-ready troops on Ukraine’s eastern border,” NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said in an emailed statement.

Moscow could use “the pretext of a humanitarian or peace-keeping mission as an excuse to send troops into Eastern Ukraine”, she said.

Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in the Black Sea in March, and Western countries say it funded and armed pro-Russian rebels that rose up in the east of Ukraine in April.

Since June, government troops have gained ground against the rebels, who are led almost exclusively by Russian citizens and have managed to acquire tanks, missiles and other heavy weaponry that Kiev and its Western allies say can only have come from across the frontier.

Kiev said 18 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed and 54 injured in 25 separate clashes over the past day in eastern Ukraine. Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said troops had been shelled from inside Russian territory and frontier guards had come under a four-hour mortar and artillery attack.

Fighting has intensified since Malaysian flight MH17 crashed on July 17, killing all 298 people on board. Western countries say it was shot down by rebels with an advanced anti-aircraft missile supplied by Russia. Moscow denies blame, and the Russians who command the rebels deny they had such missiles.

The United States and the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia that were mild at first but have been tightened sharply since the airliner was brought down.

SIEGE

Kiev’s military offensive has pushed the rebels out of many of their strongholds, leaving them largely besieged in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, which the rebels have proclaimed capitals of two “people’s republics”.

Residents in Donetsk, east Ukraine’s main industrial hub and now the principal rebel redoubt, said Ukrainian warplanes had carried out air strikes overnight.

Reuters journalists heard the planes roar overhead and massive explosions during the night. In the morning, an industrial district 2-3 km (1-2 miles) from the city centre was pocked with craters, including two huge holes 7 metres (7 yards) wide and 2 metres deep, ripped into the asphalt.

“The planes were flying low. Then there were two massive explosions and the glass was blown out of the window. It was terrifying. This is war. There will never be peace,” said Nadezhda, a woman who lived nearby.

Government military spokesman Lysenko denied Ukrainian planes had carried out air strikes: “The Ukrainian military does not bomb the towns of Donetsk and Luhansk or any other similar populated places,” he said.

Many residents have fled the two cities, but hundreds of thousands of people are still living in them, increasingly fearful that they will bear the brunt of a full-blown assault.

The latest Russian troop build-up on the border is not the first time Moscow has concentrated forces there: NATO estimated Russia had as many as 40,000 troops in place earlier in the crisis before President Vladimir Putin pulled them back in June.

But the government’s advance since then may be prompting new action from the Kremlin, after months in which state-controlled Russian media have mounted a sustained campaign of anti-Ukrainian agitation and nationalist pride focused on Crimea.

Since March, Putin has vowed to use military force to protect Russian-speaking “compatriots” across the former Soviet Union. He branded southern and eastern Ukraine “New Russia”, a name the rebels took up as the banner for their movement.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday the threat of a direct intervention by Russia’s military in Ukraine has risen over the last couple of days.

A NATO military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Russia’s recent build-up at the border included tanks, infantry, artillery, air defence systems, logistics troops, special forces, and various aircraft.

The confrontation between Moscow and the West has turned into a trade war since the United States and EU tightened their sanctions to hit Russia’s oil, defence and finance sectors.

President Vladimir Putin ordered his government on Tuesday to work out retaliatory sanctions, but said the government should make sure consumers don’t get hit.

Russia has so far used safety inspections to ban food imports from some Western countries, extending the ban on Wednesday to beef and cattle from Romania. Moscow has already imposed bans on Ukrainian juice and dairy, Polish fruit and vegetables and Australian beef, and has said it might target Greek fruit and U.S. poultry.

The Russian central bank warned on Tuesday such bans could make it harder to control inflation. Imports tend to be cheaper than local produce.

Coca-Cola Co said on Wednesday it had pulled advertisements off four Russian TV channels, although it denied the decision was due to sanctions, saying it was rethinking its marketing because of falling sales.

A YOUNG Belarussian woman was rushed to Nicosia General with head injuries on Tuesday, after her quad-bike crashed into an electricity pole.
According to a police report, the woman had been driving the quad-bike along Nissi Avenue, Ayia Napa, when she lost control of the vehicle. The quad bike swerved to the left, veering first onto the pavement and then into a metal electricity pole.
The young Belarussian was seriously injured and was rushed to Famagusta General, where she was diagnosed with internal haemorrhaging due to a brain injury.
Due to the seriousness of her condition, she was then transported to Nicosia General.
Both the Belarussian and the 21-year-old Russian woman passenger were wearing helmets. An alcohol-level test by the police gave a zero reading.
Famagusta CID are investigating the case.

Delia Velculescu, IMF’s Mission Chief for Cyprus will be moving on to another assignment at the end of September, as part of her regular career progression, the organization said on Wednesday.

The move comes after two and a half years as the IMF’s chief overseeing the island’s bailout adjustment programme. It is expected to take place once the fifth review was finished.

She will be replaced by Mark Lewis, a US national who has been with the Fund since 1995.

Lewis has had a number of country responsibilities during his career at the IMF, including Russia, Morocco, Armenia, and Turkey.

He will lead the team that will conduct the sixth review of the program later in the autumn.

DRIVERS AT Larnaca’s bus company have announced a 24-hour strike on Thursday because they have not yet been paid last month’s salaries.
In a statement, members of the unions PEO, SEK, and DEOK said staff working for Zenonas were forced to take strike measures to claim their salaries.
“Once more they are caught in the middle of the disagreement between the communications ministry and the company,” the unions said.
The workers urged the company to pay their salaries immediately to avoid the strike and maintain normal service and not inconvenience passengers.
They also called on the ministry to do everything possible to resolve the issue.
The workers apologised to the public, adding that they were not to blame for the inconvenience.