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Evretou Mosque conservation project completed

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ΣΥΜΠΛΗΡΩΣΗ ΤΩΝ ΕΡΓΑΣΙΩΝ ΔΙΑΤΗΡΗΣΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΤΕΜΕΝΟΥΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΥΡΕΤΟΥ ΣΤΗΝ ΠΑΦΟ

An event to mark the completion of restoration of the Evretou Mosque was held on Sunday, hosted by  the bicommunal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, the European Commission and the United Nations Development Programme Partnership for the Future (UNDP-PFF).

Dozens of  former Turkish Cypriots residents of the Paphos village were among those who attended the event.
In statements, the Greek Cypriot member of the Technical Committee Takis Hadjidemetriou said Evretou was chosen because “it is a village with a history and tradition, with a contribution to the agriculture and the economy of the region and with beautiful buildings. Its abandonment created feelings of melancholy and sorrow and that is why we want to revive hope.”
Hadjidemetriou said the conservation works for the Kato Paphos Baths would be completed soon.

Replying to a question, he said that restoration work on the Apostolos Andreas Monastery in the Karpas was  going very well. The first phase of the work, estimated at €2,220,000 is estimated to be completed by April 2016, he added.
On his part the Turkish Cypriot member of the Technical Committee Ali Tuncay said he hoped the Evretou schoo would also be restored.
Referring to the works at the mosque, he expressed his said it was an important step that the Committee was able to conserve the religious monument after 40 years.

Conservation works focused on cleaning of the site including removal of vegetation, excavations for natural drainage and prevention of further erosion of the external wall, repairs to windows, and the entire reconstruction of the roof.
The project also included repairs to internal and external walls, strengthening of the structure with metal rods, restoration of stonework, rebuilding and sealing of joints, flooring and painting of the internal wooden roof.
The cost of the project was of approx. €82,000 (including works, designs and supervision costs), fully funded by the EU.

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US ambassador’s comments on Cyprus-Russia fire up Twitter, local politicians (Updated with statement from Koenig)

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US Ambassador John Koenig

A series of tweets by US ambassador John Koenig on the Cyprus-Russia relationship on Sunday spilled out of the Twittersphere on Monday with the Green Party slamming the comments as unacceptable.

On Sunday Koenig posted a tweet saying: “What do people in #Cyprus think about the week in Russia as seen from here? Anastasiades visit and statements, #Nemtsov assassination?” The latter was referring to the assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov .

Koenig was immediately slammed by other Twitter users in Cyprus who saw the comment as somehow linking President Nicos Anastasiades and Cyprus with the assassination.

“NOT politically correct messages on behalf of the ambassador of US,” wrote one tweeter. “Ambassador, you should be ashamed of yourself. That’s a disgusting tweet,” said another.

Others, including journalists and academics described it as “undiplomatic and rather personal”

Koenig responded: “I wouldn’t suggest Anastasiades is linked to Nemtsov assassination. Be real. But Putin could be”, which drew further criticisms.

“I just want to hear what people think. It’s not a comment. Week was big 4 Cyprus-Russia, ended with killing of Nemtsov,” the ambassador added in another tweet, tagging on “The company you keep.”

This was answered by another tweeter with: “The company we keep, that’s rich coming frm u wth al the despots & dictators the US has supported over the yrs (sic)”.

“Got to love hasty, real-time diplomacy; gone are carefully drafted statements,” commented another.

The Green Party questioned whether the comments were those of Koenig himself or the position of the US government.

“If that represents the country’s positions, then the [Cyprus] government should clarify the double talk that is prevailing… the ones we call ‘strategic partners’ and the other, the blind eye to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus’ EEZ,” the party said.

“The primary concern of our government should be to serve the interests of our country and not of any foreign countries,” it added.

Koenig issued a statement on Monday saying his initial comment  was misunderstood.

“I would like to clarify that my intention was neither to provoke nor to imply anything.  I simply wanted to get the reaction of the Cypriot people on two different issues: first, President Anastasiades’ visit and statements in Moscow and, second, another dramatic event in Moscow last week —the assassination of Boris Nemtsov.  It is unfortunate that some suggested that I linked the two issues.  That was not my intention,” the statement said.

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, who is currently in the US, is to discuss the visit to Russia last week by Anastasiades during a meeting he is due to have later on Monday with US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministry in Nicosia issued a statement saying  Cyprus was appalled by the brutal murder Nemtsov.

Representatives from the island’s embassy in Moscow would be participating in a ceremony at the scene of the assassination to pay tribute to Nemtsov, in the presence of other diplomats, it added.

 

 

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Man dies after being crushed by his truck

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police tape 6

A 36-year-old Greek Cypriot, father of two, was killed on Monday during a workplace accident in Anarita, Paphos.

According to a police report, the 36-year-old was crushed by his truck’s trailer while he had been working underneath it.

The trailer had malfunctioned while unloading  manure.

Immediately after the accident, the man was rushed to the Paphos General, where the attending doctor pronounced him dead on arrival.

Paphos CID and Labour ministry officials arrived at the scene in order to establish the causes of the accident.

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Authorities to gain access to tax dodgers’ bank accounts

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euro biz

By Stelios Orphanides

A new law designed to help authorities improve taxpayer compliance will allow the freeze and confiscation of deposits as early as mid-March, a tax officer said.

“We aim at implementing the law in mid-May on a trial basis for test cases,” Michalis Stavrou, a senior office at the finance ministry’s tax department, said in a telephone interview on Friday.

“We are criticised that there are taxpayers who are not meeting their obligations by paying their debts to the state,” Stavrou added. “We will use this measure given to us by the legislative power in a way that will help the state collect what is due by taxpayers”.

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Film review: Black Sea ***

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By Preston Wilder

What do you get when a submarine drama also wants to be a heist movie, a Full Monty riff and a cry of working-class rage against “bankers” and other culprits? The answer is Black Sea, in which Jude Law as ‘Robinson’ (there are no first names in this film) leads a multi-ethnic crew, made up almost entirely of middle-aged men who’ve been laid off, on a hunt for Nazi gold. The men had good macho jobs, toiling in steelyards or marine salvage, but now they’re reduced to menial work, or no work at all; at least one has been “in and out of jail”. We’ve been treated like shit, snarls Robinson – but “this time,” he adds, in a line that’s been quoted in practically every review of the film, “the shit is fighting back!”.

That’s one angle. Another is a possible dig at multi-culti Britain – because the crew instantly divide along ethnic lines. The gold is in a Nazi U-boat at the bottom of the Black Sea, so Jude commandeers a rusty old submarine in order to extract it, going down stealthily to avoid being spotted by the Russian fleet. His crew are half-British, half-Russian (why the Russians are needed isn’t really explained) and ethnic animosity begins almost at once, from sleeping arrangements – the Russkies eject a Brit from “our side” of the cabin – to the sharing-out of the loot, which Fraser (Ben Mendelsohn) insists is unfair because of the weaker rouble. And meanwhile they’re all crammed together in a rusty old submarine, and “outside it’s just dark, cold death”.

That’s the other angle, indeed it’s the most important angle – the taut claustrophobia from Das Boot and all the other submarine dramas, spiced with salty sailor talk (“Boats are like whores, the old ones know how to look after you best,” cackles one Russian mariner). The actual heist is surprisingly straightforward, enough to make you wonder how the Nazi sub remained undetected for 70 years, but Black Sea scores on the simmering tension between the men, their joy at being useful again – “It’s mad down here,” says Scoot McNairy as a wimpy accountant type; “It is, but it makes sense,” replies a sailor – and the nuts and bolts of the ship itself (the “tubes”, the engine room), a reminder that director Kevin Macdonald started out in documentaries.

There’s a lot to recommend about this film. It’s almost a cracking good yarn – yet it’s also a near-miss, ultimately failing to convince when it matters most. There are early signs of dodgy plotting. Robinson brings a teenager into the crew, and the Russians are uneasy because it’s bad luck to have a virgin on board; in fact, the young man isn’t a virgin (he’s going to be a dad) – but Robinson doesn’t share this news with the superstitious crewmen, which you’d think he would. Not a big deal, admittedly – but a sign of things to come as we head into the more intense second half, with a mounting body count and the ship in permanent crisis mode.

Annoyingly, the film uses Fraser – who’s been tagged from the start as a “psycho” – as a get-out-of-jail-free card, having him propel the plot forward with actions so extreme they beggar belief. How did someone so unstable ever hold down a job as a seaman? It’s not fatal but it seems over-convenient, a case of ‘Third act coming up, we need a major reversal, let’s have the psycho go nuts again!’. The final act also turns rational Daniels (that’s Scoot) into an unlikely villain, coming after a big twist that makes thematic sense (think working-class rage and evil bankers) but still feels contrived – and meanwhile Law, fresh off Dom Hemingway and the new glowering-macho phase of his career, is making Robinson increasingly obsessive, though more Captain Kirk than Captain Ahab. The whole thing feels forced, not helped by Macdonald’s flashy direction and penchant for extreme close-ups.

It’s a strange sort of week at the multiplex, both our new films being neither sequels nor blockbusters nor Oscar winners. Both this and Focus [see opposite page] are actually very enjoyable – but they’re foot-soldiers, flawed-but-solid flicks that tend to fall between the cracks in a crowded marketplace, doomed to be released in late February and quickly forgotten. I actually enjoyed the underwater-walk sequence here (“Lose the gold!”), or the escalating bets with the Asian millionaire in Focus, more than anything in The Hunger Games or the Thor franchise – but a brilliant set-piece isn’t really enough anymore, not unless you’re a brand-name. Black Sea is ambitious and exciting, a downbeat adventure story with something to say – but it’s also patchy, and once or twice inadequate. Alas, it only takes one leak to sink a submarine.

 

DIRECTED BY Kevin Macdonald

STARRING Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn

UK/US/Germany 2015           114 mins

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Next electricity bills will be 8 per cent lower

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electricity_authority_of_cyprus

The EAC said on Monday that bills being issued for February and March would be 8 per cent lower compared to the previous bill.

In the two previous billing periods tariffs had fallen 14 per cent, the EAC said. Prices had fallen 35 per cent since the beginning of 2013, it added in a statement.

Reductions have occurred across the board including commercial, industrial and domestic, it said.

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Peyia residents invited to discuss emergency preparedness

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By Bejay Browne

The British High Commission in partnership with Cyprus Civil Defence is organising a briefing in Peyia in Paphos this evening to promote better communication with the English speaking community and to encourage those with emergency experience to get involved.

The Cyprus Civil Defence Information Day will be held at the Cooperative Bank of Peyia between 5pm and 6.30pm on Monday evening.

The Commissioner of Civil Defence, Andreas Frantzis, said that along with a presentation of the bodies’ tasks and activities, the Cyprus Civil Defence would also like to hear the views and concerns of British residents about civil defence issues.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity of speaking to the local community of Peyia,” he said.

British Vice Consul, Christina Smith told the Cyprus Mail: “I hope that we can help people to understand what the Cyprus Civil Defence do and encourage residents to help. There are many English speaking people living in Peyia and many possess valuable experience which could be utilised in the instance a disaster.”

She added that she is pleased to be able to assist the Cyprus Civil Defence to inform the community about their invaluable work.

The public briefing on emergency preparedness is open to all Peyia residents and local councillor Linda Leblanc said the initiative is a welcome development, as she has been pushing for a similar co-operation with the municipality since her election to office, but to no avail.

“This is the first time which the Civil Defence are undertaking such an initiate in Peyia and I think it’s a very good idea. There are many residents with relevant skills that are of benefit to our community, from former fire fighters, policemen, paramedics and even qualified undertakers who have specialised in dealing with instances of mass bodies.”

Leblanc is hoping to garner some concrete proposals on how to organise English speakers in the event of a disaster. “Of course we all hope these cases will never happen but we need to be prepared in case of a war or an environmental disaster, such as an earthquake, serious flooding or a large fire.”

The councillor noted that the initiative will promote basic community skills. Designated meeting points and drills for certain situations also need to be incorporated. “This is a way to develop better communication and we all need to work together. No one would be on their own or not know what is going on,” she said.

Leblanc added that although in instances of disaster, modern communication must be used as much as possible to keep people informed, if all communications were knocked out people would at least know where to assemble.

At 5pm there will be a welcome address by Frantzis. This will be followed by a presentation titled,’ Cyprus Civil Defence: Tasks and activities’ by Marinos Papadopoulos, a Civil Defence Officer A class. An open discussion will then follow.

The UK Consular Services will also be available at the end of the meeting to discuss matters of interest with residents.

The Presentation will be held at the hall of Cooperative Bank of Peyia- 18, Synergatismou Street, Peyia, Paphos from 5pm to 6.30pm.

 

 

 

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Nigeria’s Boko Haram releases beheading video echoing Islamic State

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bokoabu

By Julia Payne

Nigeria’s Islamist sect Boko Haram released a video purporting to show it beheading two men, its first online posting using advanced graphics and editing techniques reminiscent of footage from Islamic State.

The film, released on Monday, shows militants standing behind the two men who are on their knees, their hands tied behind their backs, with one man standing over them, holding a knife.

One of the men is made to tell the camera that they had been paid by authorities to spy on the militant group, before the film moves to another scene showing their decapitated bodies. It was not possible to confirm the film’s authenticity or date.

The footage will stoke concerns that Boko Haram, which evolved out of a clerical movement focused on northeast Nigeria, is expanding its scope and seeking inspiration from global militant networks including al Qaeda and Islamic State.

The militants who have killed thousands and kidnapped hundreds in their bid to carve out an Islamist state in their homeland, have in recent months stepped up cross-border raids into Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has said Boko Haram is allied to both al Qaeda and its offshoot Islamic State, though that has not been confirmed by the group itself.

The Boko Haram film’s use of graphics, the footage of black-clad militants with a black flag, and the editing to show only the aftermath of the beheading, were particularly reminiscent of footage from Islamic state, which has seized large parts of Iraq and Syria and killed several hostages.

In the film, one of the men says he comes from Baga in Borno state, and the other says he is from Michika in Adamawa state, both areas where the army says it has recently recaptured territory from Boko Haram.

Past Boko Haram films have been much cruder affairs, often featuring a man identified as leader Abubakar Shekau talking more about local gripes than global jihad. A number of recent releases have included much more gruesome footage of beheadings.

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Bomb explosion in Limassol

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police tape 2

A bomb exploded at the main entrance of a first-floor house owned by a 29-year-old man from Limassol early on Tuesday.

Police said the bomb, which was a high-powered improvised explosive device, went off at around 2.30am.

The entrance to the house was damaged extensively and windows of nearby homes  were shattered.

Limassol CID is investigating.

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Man arrested on suspicion of possessing child porn

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schools   2

A 19-year-old man from Nicosia was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly convincing am underage teenage girl to pose online for nude photos, and for possessing and distributing child pornography.

According to police reports, a 15-year-old girl reported that the suspect had sent her a friend request on her social media account using a fake identity and had convinced her to send him naked photos of herself, only to discover a few days later they had been circulated to her schoolmates.

During a search of the suspect’ house, a computer and two mobile phones were found and confiscated by the police.

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Orthodontist mugged outside his Limassol office

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A 49-year-old orthodontist from Limassol reported that he was attacked by two men who attempted to rob him at his office on Monday night.
The man was attacked and punched by the two men who had their faces covered and wore hats, after he exited the elevator in the building where his office is located.

Reportedly, one of them, who spoke with Cypriot accent, demanded that he give them money, but after they found nothing on him, they left.
According to his descriptions, the two men are aged between 20 and 25 of heavy build and around 1.85 tall. They were wearing back track suits. Police are investigating.

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Greek Cypriot negotiator sees a possible resumption of talks in April

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Greek Cypriot negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis

Andreas Mavroyiannis, the negotiator of the Greek Cypriot side in the intercommunal talks on the Cyprus issue, has said there is a possible window of opportunity to resume the stalled negotiations in April.

During a lecture at the London School of Economics on Monday evening Mavroyiannis said: “I believe that by now we have reasons to believe that this (resumption of talks) might be possible in the coming weeks, some time in April maybe, we don`t know exactly. But we might find a way forward because on the one hand the Turkish NAVTEX expires in the beginning of April and we are going to have also a break in the search being conducted by ENI. So maybe this would shape up a window of opportunity for the resumption of the talks. We will see what happens. The important thing is to stop the violations.”

Referring to Turkey’s stance, he said that “it has to realise that the settlement would create a win-win situation; but for this to happen Turkey needs to accept that Cyprus was and will remain an autonomous actor in the Eastern Mediterranean.”

Responding to questions by the audience and the event’s chair James Ker-Lindsay, an LSE academic, Mavroyiannis rejected the idea of timeframes in the negotiations. “Not because we don`t want to work as speedily as possible, but because when you fix a deadline you give the impression that you if you don`t meet it, then you are going to do something alternative. As far as we are concerned, we refuse ideas about what some people call ‘velvet divorce’ or two state solution. (…) From an ethical and moral point of view I refuse to consider the future of my country in terms of division.”

However, he warned that if one wanted to be realistic about timeframes, they could not ignore some fundamental facts, the most serious of which was the political orientation of Turkey today, which he described as “really very, very worrisome for all of us.”

“There is a complete change of orientation towards a progressive Islamisation of society in Turkey. We see they are not interested in modernising their society… and they are not really interested in working towards accession to the EU. And they are trying to play very dangerous games in the neighbourhood.”
Mavroyiannis warned: “We need to rush it a bit, because if we wait a few more years there will be no Turkish Cypriot community left anymore or they will not be represented by their leadership”.

“We are running out of time in Cyprus. We need to do something as soon as possible.” (CNA)

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Volcano Villarrica erupts in southern Chile, villages evacuated

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volcanochil

Volcano Villarrica in southern Chile erupted in the early hours of Tuesday, sending ash and lava high into the sky, and forcing the evacuation of nearby communities.

The volcano, located near the popular tourist resort of Pucon around 750 km (460 miles) south of the capital Santiago, is one of South America’s most active. It last erupted in 2000.

Television pictures showed orange lava and ash shooting into the night sky when it erupted at around 3 am local time (0600 GMT), although it looked quieter as dawn broke. Some 3,385 people had been evacuated as a preventative measure, said Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo.

The government held an emergency meeting with the police and military in the presidential palace in Santiago on Tuesday morning to discuss the situation.

Chile, situated on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire, has the second largest chain of volcanoes in the world after Indonesia, including around 500 that are potentially active.

In 2011, the eruption of Puyehue sent an ash cloud into the atmosphere that disrupted flights in neighboring Argentina for months.

Penailillo said experts were flying over the Villarrica area to determine next steps.

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The end of a scarf era

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Printed Scarves

By Maria Gregoriou

The Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia will bring to light the exhibition Printed Scarves and the Last Scarf Maker as of today, which will offer us all a historical account of the art of printed scarves on the island.

The exhibition attempts to revive a trade that no longer exists and a craft that defined the traditional dress code for Cypriot women and men from the 18th century until the middle of the 20th century.

The museum gives an insight into the last scarf makers in Cyprus, Nikos Kakoullis, who ran the last operating workshop in Nicosia, which was founded in 1936 by Evris Michael, Leonidas and Kyriakos Kakoullis. At the time, the trade was well-paid and was a year-round source of income.

Michael left the business so after the death of Kyriakos and Leonidas Kakoullis, the workshop passed down to Kyriakos’ three sons, Dinos, Demetris and Nikos. Of the three, only Nikos Kakoullis carried on the production of printed scarves.

When Nikos Kakoullis closed the doors of his workshop in 2004, the craft of printed scarves that once made Cyprus known to both East and West, reached its end.

The exhibition serves to document the making of printed scarves by means of tools and equipment used at the last workshop of printed scarves in Nicosia, and also aims to show the diversity and distinctiveness of the scarves.

The range of colours and shades, mostly of dark red and green, as well as the wealth of decorative floral patterns are characteristic of the “handicrafts” presented in this exhibition, and they reflect the fashion and tradition of a relatively recent reality.

The items on display come from the Collections of the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia and the Cyprus Handicraft Service. Some exhibition pieces have been borrowed from the family of the last scarf maker for the exhibition.

The exhibition will also be supplemented by a series of lectures and interactive educational activities for children and grownups.

Printed Scarves and the Last Scarf Maker
A historical account of the art of printed scarves on the island. March 3 until August 30. The Leventis Municipal Museum, 15-17 Hippocrates Street, Laiki Yitonia, Nicosia. Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-4.30pm. Tel: 22-661475

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Injured eagles released to mark Wildlife Day

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EAGLE

By Bejay Browne

TWO eagles which have been nursed back to health were released on Tuesday morning in Paphos by members of the Game and Wildlife department to mark World Wildlife Day.

According to Nick Kasinis, a senior Officer of the Game and Wildlife department, the Bonelli’s eagle is a species under threat in Cyprus. The eagles, a mature female and an immature male aged around one and a half years old, were found in separate locations close to Stroumpi village in Paphos. For the last five months they have received care from staff members at the Game and Wildlife’s department rehabilitation centre in Nicosia.

Kasinis said: “Members of the public- responsible hunters- reported the separate cases to us. The eagle’s wings had been shot from a distance.”

The Bonalli eagles were released in an area between the villages of Stroumpi and Giolou and could live up to 30 years in the wild.

Kasinis noted that World Wildlife Day was an opportunity to appreciate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora in Cyprus, but also to raise awareness for their protection. It also highlights the destruction and degradation of habitats

According to the Game and Wildlife department, land use in Cyprus has changed dramatically in the last 30 years and to a large extent has negatively impacted local wildlife.

Major construction and development, a declining interest in traditional agriculture, the creation of an extensive road network, along with high voltage transmission cables being erected in areas of importance for birds and those with migratory routes, have resulted in the fragmentation and destruction of wildlife habitats. The department said that the effects of these changes are immediate and often irreversible.

A number of Cyprus birds are already under threat, such as, the Griffon Vulture, Bonelli’s Eagle, Audouin’s Gull and the Raven. The Black – Bellied Sandgrouse, which was common in Cyprus 60 years ago, is now considered extinct. Other birds whose numbers are declining due to land use changes are the Lapwing, the Roller and the Crested Lark.

Another major threat is illegal trapping of wild bird’s using limesticks and mist nets. Such practices are prohibited in European Member States. In 2003, the Cyprus government passed the Wildlife Protection and Management Law which also banned these practices. The law also prohibits hunting or trapping of song birds or Ambelopoulia, which are a protected species.

Both methods are still used in Cyprus and can involve the indiscriminate killing of thousands of birds of many species, including endangered ones. These birds are often sold to restaurants who charge big bucks for the illegal delicacy.

The Game and Wildlife department said however, that they are making significant efforts to prosecute hundreds of cases of poaching and illegal trapping through the courts. These include instances of poaching the protected Cyprus Moufflon. In such cases technological advances help the department to perform specific tests to determine if the animals are victims of poachers. This has helped to bring those responsible to justice, they said.

Kasinis noted that although there are still cases of bird poaching and cruelty, the sheer magnitude of the problem in Cyprus has been decreasing over the last 30 or so years.

Kasinis said : “Although the Bonelli’s eagle is a declining and threatened species, it is doing better now in Cyprus than it was in the 1980’s and 1990’s.This is due to general poisoning being scaled down and, although the two being released had their wings shot, generally cases of shooting are not happening as often.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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AG: pardon for Papacostas not that simple

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ÕÐ.ÁÌÕÍÁÓ - ÊÙÓÔÁÓ ÐÁÐÁÊÙÓÔÁÓ

By Constantinos Psillides

Granting former defence minister Costas Papacostas a presidential pardon is a complicated issue, Attorney-general Costas Clerides has said, explaining that the ex minister’s failing health was not the only factor to be considered.

Speaking to CyBC radio, Clerides said it was not merely a legal issue. “On the one hand, this a humane issue due to the minister’s health, which is deteriorating. On the other hand though, our first concern is to protect the public interest and not offend the public’s sense of justice. Granting a pardon will possibly spark a reaction from the people, especially relatives of the victim’s at the Mari naval blast,” said Clerides.

He said every single factor would be considered so that a just decision would be reached.

While not stating it outright, President Nicos Anastasiades was in favour of granting a pardon to Papacostas, saying during an interview that “he wasn’t the one making the decisions that led to the accident” while also citing the former minister’s failing health and calling on the public to “show their humane side”.

According to Clerides, while a pardon is the president’s prerogative the attorney-general’s consent is still required.

Papacostas, 76, was given a five year sentence in 2013 on charges of manslaughter for his role in the Mari naval base blast on July 11, 2011, in which 13 sailors and firemen died. Papacostas has not spent a day behind bars but has been hospitalised at the Nicosia General Hospital due to poor health since his sentencing.

The former defence minister suffered a serious heart attack last week. While he is now in a stable condition, it is believed that his condition is irreversible.

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Three dead as Kiev accuses Ukraine rebels of shelling

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Members of the Ukrainian armed forces ride in tanks near Artemivsk

By Pavel Polityuk and Thomas Grove

Three Ukrainian servicemen were killed and nine wounded as pro-Russian rebels shelled government positions despite a ceasefire deal, the military said on Tuesday, announcing Kiev’s highest casualty toll in several days.

The losses underscore the fragility of a two-week-old ceasefire agreement which Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called the last chance for peace between Kiev and the separatists he says are being armed by Russia.

Since the ceasefire went into effect on Feb. 15, fighting has slowed along much of the front line between Ukraine and rebel-controlled territory in the east, but both sides accuse each other on a daily basis of breaking the truce.

A military spokesman said rebels had shelled Ukrainian positions 22 times over the past day.

“An intensification of the enemy’s military operations was observed on the evening of March 2. They shot at Pesky with mortar bombs and with an anti-aircraft system at Avdiivka,” said Ukrainian military spokesman Anatoly Stelmakh, naming two towns that have suffered heavy damage in the conflict.

Ties between Russia and the West have plummeted to Cold War-era lows over the violence, and Washington and Brussels accuse Moscow of arming the separatists and reinforcing their ranks with Russian troops.

Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations and demanded proof for the charges. Moscow has blamed the United States for pushing the pro-Western government in Kiev into armed conflict with its own people.

Continued violence, including the rebels’ takeover of a strategic transport hub in Debaltseve, has slowed implementation of the new Minsk peace deal which outlines the ceasefire, a withdrawal of heavy artillery and monitoring by the OSCE European rights and security watchdog.

The West has pinned hopes on the Minsk agreement, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels that while “incidents” remained, the overall picture showed that the ceasefire was holding.

“It is important that all sides respect their commitments and that the separatists backed by Russia do not use this pause in the fighting to prepare for a new offensive,” he said.

“All heavy weapons have to be moved from the frontline in accordance with the Minsk agreements and the OSCE monitors have to have full access to the area to be able to monitor the ceasefire.”

The leaders of Germany, Ukraine, France and Germany said on Monday they agreed that the OSCE needed a broader role as observers of the ceasefire agreement and the removal of weapons.

Ukraine’s parliament is expected this week to approve a request from Poroshenko for international peacekeepers to monitor the conflict, an idea that has received an icy reception in European capitals.

The rebels have invited members of the media to witness guns being led away from the front line, but the OSCE says it cannot confirm the withdrawal of weapons as they have not been given access to see where some of the guns have been relocated.

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Ten migrants die in Mediterranean, hundreds rescued

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Migrants are transferred to another immigration centre by a ferry boat on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa

By Philip Pullella

At least 10 North African migrants died when their rubber boat overturned in the southern Mediterranean while hundreds more from that vessel and another were rescued, Italian and Tunisian authorities said on Wednesday.

The Italian coast guard said in a statement that one of its ships in the area had managed to rescue most of about 130 people on a boat that capsized on Tuesday some 50 miles north of Libya. Ten bodies were recovered.

Tunisian naval forces rescued all 81 migrants onboard after their boat started taking on water off near the Tunisian island of Djerba on Tuesday night, the country’s defence ministry said.

Last month, more than 300 people died in a one-week period trying to cross the sea from Africa to Italy, whose southern island of Lampedusa is just 113 km from Tunisia,

Most of the boats leave from Libya, which is in a state of near-anarchy and where smugglers charge up to $2,000 for the crossing.

The Italian coast guard ship was already carrying 318 migrants rescued in a previous mission on Tuesday and is now heading to a Sicilian port, the coast guard said.

Seven separate missions in a 24-hour period had rescued a total of 941 migrants, including 30 children and 50 women, one of them pregnant, it added.

Italy ended its large-scale search-and-rescue mission Mare Nostrum last year because of the cost and amid criticism from some who said it merely encouraged people to make the crossing.

Mare Nostrum was set up after more than 360 migrants drowned when their boat capsized near the Italian coast in October 2013.

It has been replaced by an EU border control mission, Triton, that does not have a specific search-and-rescue mandate and which has fewer ships and a much smaller area of operation hugging tightly to the Italian coast.  The UN refugee organisation UNHCR says at least 218,000 migrants crossed the Mediterranean by boat in 2014 and 3,500 lives were lost.

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Anon good nurse

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6BOL-extra- ROMEO & JULIET 3 CDamir Yusupov HD.JPG

By Maria Gregoriou

“ROMEO, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo?” For all fans of the best loved, most well known and most quoted love story of all time (most probably anyway), Romeo and his Juliet will be become star crossed lovers once again on Sunday.

As Sunday is woman’s day, a trip to K Cineplex in Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca or Paphos at 7pm will provide the perfect girls’ night out as the scene will be set with a ballet based on Shakespeare’s great love story.

The screening will be a recording of the performance by the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. The ballet was commissioned by the Bolshoi and its score was composed by Sergei Prokofiev in 1934, but the show was created six years later at the Kirov in Leningrad. It came back to the Bolshoi in 1979 with choreography by Yuri Grigorovich.

You can expect the classical scenes to emerge on the big screen, so get ready to hear Juliet sing from the balcony, to follow the lovers as they secretly get married at the chapel, as they awake in bed only to be separated again, and to get your heart broken as their tragedy comes to an end.

The sets are simple but the dancing creates dramatic tension, which keeps the audience enchanted for just over two hours. The production focuses on Juliet and the dancer who takes on the role shows joy and despair throughout the ballet.

Alexander Volchkov will be playing Romeo while his Juliet will be performed by Anna Nikulina.

Romeo and Juliet
Screening of the Bolshoi Ballet Performance recorded in Moscow. March 8. K Cineplex Nicosia, Paphos, Larnaca and Limassol. 7.30pm. €10/8. Tel: 24-819022

 

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Auditor general to investigate central bank governor

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Odysseas-Michaelides

Auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides said his office would investigate allegations made by former Cyprus Popular Bank administrator Andri Antoniades against Central Bank of Cyprus Governor Chrystalla Georghadji about a possible conflict of interest.

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