CYPRUS' first-ever Olympic medal winner-cum national hero Pavlos Kontides yesterday received yet another accolade when he was presented with the House of Representatives emblem.

Addressing the ceremony at the parliament building, House Speaker Yiannakis Omirou said that in these difficult times Kontides’ achievement sends a message of hope, confidence, courage and optimism to everyone.

It encourages everyone, he noted, particularly the younger generation, to overcome existing problems, difficulties and obstacles.

Omirou said that “watching the Republic of Cyprus’ flag flying in British skies has made everyone proud”.

When Kontides participated for the first time 13 years ago at the age of nine in a sailing event in Limassol, he noted, no-one believed that the day would come when he would "tame" the Channel.

“However, you did it,” Omirou said, addressing the athlete.

The House speaker said he hoped Kontides' accomplishment would mark the beginning of a new national strategy for sports in Cyprus.

The 22-year-old Kontides won Cyprus' first medal at an Olympics when he took the silver in sailing's laser class in Weymouth, England.

THE AMERICAN exploration vessel Nautilus has arrived on the island as part of an expedition to explore the Eratosthenes seamount, off the island’s south-western coast.

On board the Nautilus, anchored off the coast of Paphos, is oceanographer Robert Ballard, and a team of geologists, marine biologists and oceanologists.

Ballard is known for the discoveries of the wrecks of RMS Titanic in 1985 and Nazi battleship Bismarck in 1989 but there are also other notable discoveries.

“I am very lucky, I have made many discoveries - 70 in total,” he said. “I am more known for the discovery of the Titanic but I don’t think this was my most important discovery.”

Ballard said his most important find were the hydrothermal vents on which microorganisms were created.

“We explore everything, we go where no one else has gone,” he said.

Mission chief Katherine Croff Bell said the scientists on board the Nautilus use three remotely operated vehicles - Hercules, Argus, and Echo - used to explore the seabed.

“We explored the Eratosthenes seamount (100 kilometres off the coast of Cyprus) two years ago and found fluid possibly containing methane, a kind of hydrocarbon, but currently we are not here for energy,” she said.

Nautilus will be in the area for two weeks and people can follow the trip on the internet.

After Cyprus, Nautilus will conduct mapping operations in the Southeast Aegean Sea near Bodrum, Turkey.

ANORTHOSIS FC will play their next three European games behind closed doors and pay €50,000 as punishment, after their fans invaded the pitch and caused the abandonment of a fixture last week, European football authority UEFA has ruled.

At the same time, police yesterday released the photos of four men who invaded the pitch seeking the public’s help to track them down. 

Anyone with information should contact Larnaca CID or call 1460.

Five individuals have already been arrested.

Five police officers were injured during Thursday night’s troubled match between Anorthosis and Georgian side Dila Gori for the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.

Violence erupted when towards the end of the game, and with Anorthosis trailing 3-0, Cypriot fans began pouring onto the pitch, forcing the referee to abandon the match.

CYPRUS HAS proved its doubters wrong by doing an “excellent job” in the first six weeks of its EU presidency, said Deputy Foreign Minister for Greece Demetris Kourkoulas yesterday. 

Kourkoulas came to Cyprus for meetings with Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou Marcoullis and Deputy Minister for European Affairs Andreas Mavroyiannis and was due to leave yesterday. 

Speaking after his meetings, Kourkoulas said the EU presidency was “in good hands” at a very crucial period for the EU in the long-term. 

The deputy minister said he was “really proud because with the efforts of Cyprus and Greece’s help, Cyprus is now at the helm of the EU Council”.

“What makes me even happier is that the first six weeks of the Cyprus presidency have proven that it is doing an excellent job,” he added.

This serves to answer all those who had questioned the institutional structure of the EU and Cyprus’ right to exercise the presidency, said the Greek diplomat. 

Kourkoulas said during the next few months, the EU will be at a “crucial turning point”, noting that Cyprus’ positive handling of the presidency was a “blessing” at a time when decisions taken now will determine the future of the EU in the years to come. 

He noted that Greece’s positions were “in line” with those of Cyprus on many issues facing the presidency, adding that his country counted on Cyprus’ support on various issues that will take centre stage in the coming months, including the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) “which is of great interest to us”, he said.

Marcoullis said the two examined in detail a number of issues high on the agenda of both countries, including the MFF, economic growth and the enlargement prospects of the Western Balkans and Iceland.

Marcoullis briefed Kourkoulas on her recent visit to the Balkans and exchanged views on issues concerning the EU and Turkey, concentrating on Turkish provocations and the EU candidate country’s refusal to cooperate in any way with the Cyprus EU presidency.

The aim is “to achieve close cooperation on the above issues during the presidency, ahead of the General Affairs Council”, she said.

The two diplomats also discussed the fragile situation in Syria and the wider southern Mediterranean and North African region. The foreign ministers of Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Italy are making efforts to visit Egypt in the near future to meet with the newly -elected president and his government.

Marcoullis is expected to visit Athens in September at the invitation of her Greek counterpart Demetris Avramopoulos.

Greece will be taking over the EU presidency during the first six months of 2014.

THE 'FLIGHT Safety Foundation South East Europe - Middle East - Cyprus' has expressed concern that, seven years after the Helios air disaster, not all recommendations pertaining to the deadly crash have been implemented.

In a written statement yesterday, the foundation said no action has yet been taken with regard to what it views as one of the more important flight safety recommendations - the promised restructuring of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA).

The foundation is a non-profit regional organisation affiliated to Flight Safety Foundation based in the United States.

"The transformation of the Department of Civil Aviation into an independent authority would result in greater autonomy and flexibility vis a vis decision-making, but would also allow for long-term planning and the more effective handling of flight safety as well as the other activities of the DCA," the statement said.

"In spite of the fact that - since 2006 when the Cabinet took the relevant decision [to reorganise the DCA] - various attempts have been made to implement that recommendation, over the last few years the matter has been put on ice for reasons that are beyond our understanding," the foundation noted.

It went on to add that all the other recommendations pertaining to international organisations and to Boeing have since been implemented, "despite the great costs involved".

On August 14, 2005, 121 people were killed when a Helios Boeing 737 crashed into the mountainside of Grammatiko, north of Athens, en route to Prague. Most victims were holiday makers from Cyprus.

The subsequent air crash report found the direct causes to be the non-recognition by the pilots that the cabin pressurisation mode selector was in the manual position during the pre-flight checks, incapacitation of the flight crew due to hypoxia, resulting in the continuation of the flight via the flight management computer and the autopilot, depletion of the fuel and engine flameout, and the impact of the aircraft with the ground.

However the report also listed latent, or underlying causes. These included the operator’s deficiencies in the organisation, quality management, and safety culture, the regulatory authority’s [DCA] diachronic inadequate execution of its safety oversight responsibilities, inadequate application of crew resource management principles, and ineffectiveness of measures taken by the manufacturer in response to previous pressurisation incidents in the particular type of aircraft. 

Last December the four defendants in the Helios criminal trial were cleared of all charges; the Attorney-general has appealed the court's decision.

A report compiled by a committee of inquiry and released late last year found that seven members of DCA were criminally liable for the disaster, mostly on the grounds of dereliction of duty. That report's findings are not judicially binding.

In 2006, a year after the Helios crash, the European Commission voiced grave misgivings about the state of civil aviation.

At the time officials of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) carried out an on-site inspection in Cyprus. In a report compiled shortly after, they concluded that DCA had still failed to comply with around two-thirds of EASA’s recommendations.

Today a memorial service for the 121 victims will be held in Paralimni, while a group of relatives will travel to Greece to attend a memorial at a chapel built at the crash site of Grammatikos.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL Petros Clerides has proposed chemical castration as a means of protecting society from convicted child molesters.

In an interview with daily Politis, published yesterday, Clerides said such a measure could prevent paedophiles who are released from jail from repeating their sexually deviant behaviour.

He went on to suggest the drafting of a legal framework governing penalties and post-release restrictions on paedophiles, including a sex offenders’ register and "possibly chemical castration”.

Chemical castration is the administration of medication designed to reduce libido and sexual activity. Unlike surgical castration, where the testicles or ovaries are removed through an incision in the body, chemical castration does not actually castrate the person, nor is it a form of sterilisation.

However such legislation would have to come from either the justice ministry or parliament.

The issue of sex offenders resurfaced after the recent rape in Larnaca of a 10-year-old Palestinian boy by a man already facing charges of sexual abuse of minors. The 37-year-old suspect is to stand trial in October.

Studies have shown that men who sexually assault boys are among the most recidivist (or habitual) criminals.

Commenting on Clerides' proposal, the chairman of the House legal affairs committee Ionas Nicolaou (DISY) said he welcomed the idea, but added that lawmakers would have to study the application of the measure in other countries due to human-rights concerns.

The attorney-general also proposed making child molestation a statutory offence, with tougher sentences. He did not clarify whether he was talking about voluntary or forcible chemical castration.

Chemical castration is generally considered reversible when treatment is discontinued, although permanent effects in body chemistry can sometimes be seen, as in the case of bone density loss increasing with lengthy use of medications. 

Chemical castration involves the administration of anti-androgen drugs. When used on men, these drugs can reduce sex drive, compulsive sexual fantasies, and capacity for sexual arousal. Life-threatening side effects are rare, but some users show increases in body fat and reduced bone density, which increase long-term risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. They may also experience other "feminising" effects such as gynecomastia (development of larger than normal mammary glands in males), reduced body hair, and loss of muscle mass.

Chemical castration is practised in varying degrees and ways in different countries. In some, voluntary chemical castration is provided in exchange for reduced prison sentences.

 In Poland, some rapists and paedophiles are forced to undergo chemical castration under legislation passed in 2010.

South Korea introduced mandatory chemical castration for convicted paedophiles last year and Moldova has voted to implement compulsory chemical castration for some sex offenders after July.

The Moldova law makes chemical castration compulsory for those who abuse children under the age of 15. It has been criticised by the Council of Europe's Anti-torture Committee (CPT) which said that, as a matter of principle, anti-androgen treatment should only be given "on a voluntary basis and following a thorough psychiatric and medical assessment”.

"As with any medical treatment, the prior free and informed written consent of the person concerned should be obtained. These individuals should be able to withdraw consent at any time. No person should be put under pressure to accept anti-androgen treatment," the council said in a statement.

Amnesty International also criticised the Moldova law, a spokesman for the group saying it was "tantamount to torture".

In the United Kingdom, back in March some 100 prisoners and former inmates agreed to voluntary chemical castration as part of a pilot scheme.

On April 30, 2010, a man in the UK found guilty of attempting to murder a 60-year-old woman in order to abduct and rape her two granddaughters, agreed to undergo chemical castration as part of the terms of his sentence.

In May 2009, two brothers from Haifa, convicted child molesters, agreed to undergo chemical castration to avoid committing further crimes.

In the United Kingdom, computer scientist Alan Turing, famous for his contributions to mathematics and computer science, was a homosexual who chose to undergo chemical castration in order to avoid imprisonment in 1952. At the time, homosexuality was still illegal and considered to be a mental illness that could be treated with chemical castration.

Turing experienced side effects such as breast enlargement and bloating of the physique. He died two years later, with the inquest returning a verdict of suicide, although recent research has cast doubt on this result. In 2009, the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, issued a public apology for the British government's "appalling" actions, after an online petition seeking the same gained 30,000 signatures and international recognition.

TWO FOREIGNERS drowned and a third is believed to have died as a result of substance abuse in the last two days in the tourist resorts of Paphos and Ayia Napa. 

A 42-year-old tourist from Russia drowned off the coast of Paphos on his second day of holiday on the island yesterday morning. 

According to Paphos police spokesman Nicos Tsappis, the Russian man lost consciousness at around 10am while swimming in the sea close to the Tombs of the Kings in the Chlorakas area.  

He was pulled out the water and rushed to Paphos general hospital where doctors confirmed his death. 

The 42-year-old arrived in Cyprus on Sunday for a holiday with his wife and 11-year-old son. They were due to leave on August 24. 

Tsappis noted that there have been “many drownings” at the specific beach where the Russian tourist drowned. 

“There are warning signs regarding the dangers of the sea there,” he added.  

On Sunday morning, a 30-year-old Romanian man found unconscious by friends and relatives at Nissi Beach in Ayia Napa, is believed to have drowned after entering the water drunk. 

At around 9am, the 30-year-old, who was in Cyprus with a working permit, was found unconscious and rushed to Famagusta general hospital where doctors confirmed his death. 

State pathologist Eleni Antoniou conducted an autopsy on the body yesterday where she confirmed death by drowning. 

According to sources, the man had consumed large quantities of alcohol with friends and cousins before entering the water. 

In a separate alcohol-related death in the tourist resort of Ayia Napa, a 20-year-old man from Britain died in his tourist apartment yesterday morning. 

According to Antoniou, the British tourist who had consumed quantities of alcohol and possibly other substances went to lie down on the balcony of his apartment at around 7am. Friends brought him inside and laid him down on the apartment floor where he died soon after.

Antoniou will carry out an autopsy on the 20-year-old today. 

THE cabinet yesterday decided to launch an investigation into the involvement of the head of President Demetris Christofias’ diplomatic office in a potential multimillion euro Chinese investment at the old Larnaca airport as the public service commission (PSC) officially terminated Marios Ieronymides’ posting at the Presidential Palace.

Following a cabinet meeting at Christofias’ holiday home at the village of Kellaki, it was announced that the foreign minister would appoint an investigating officer to look into the affair.

The name of the officer, who must be a ministry permanent secretary, is expected to be known next week.

Earlier yesterday, the PSC said it had decided to terminate the posting in accordance with the relevant provisions of existing public service legislation. 

Ieronymides, Cyprus’ former ambassador to China, handed in his resignation last Friday, after daily Politis reported that he had accompanied Chinese investor Yang Qi - sole shareholder of Far Eastern Phoenix (FEP) - at a signing ceremony with airports operator Hermes on March 23, 2012, of the 19-year lease of the old airport.  

He also escorted Yang Qi to two other high-level meetings with Cypriot officials.

The paper said his wife, Tatiana Ieronymides, served as co-director of FEP for three years, resigning on March 17, 2012, six days before the signing.  

The government said it was caught unawares by the revelations.

While Ieronymides claimed no wrongdoing, he acknowledged that his presence at the meetings was not appropriate and submitted his resignation. 

However, as a civil servant, the formal method for removing him as director of the president’s diplomatic office is through a decision by the PSC, duly taken yesterday. 

Ieronymides will return to the foreign ministry for work. 

Last week, DISY number two Averof Neophytou called on the government to launch a disciplinary inquiry into the Cypriot diplomat to clarify his involvement in the proposed project. 

Meanwhile, ruling AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou yesterday told state radio that Ieronymides’ presence at those three meetings went beyond the call of duty and was “unacceptable and unethical”. He added to those voices calling for an investigation to clear up the matter. 

He attempted to put distance between the diplomat and Christofias, saying he had no doubt that Ieronymides was not acting on the instructions of the president.  

“These matters can be cleared up in a very simple manner through a process of investigation,” said Kyprianou.

The AKEL leader berated those rushing to criticise Ieronymides and the president before knowing all the facts, saying these critics were trying to harm investment prospects for the country and the government’s economic policy ahead of next February’s presidential elections.

Meanwhile, Politis yesterday ran an article listing the five Christofias-appointed officials linked with alleged scandals in the last four years.  

The first top official to step down under the Christofias government was the former director of the office of the president, Vasos Georgiou, who resigned after private TV station Antenna reported that his office allegedly sought favourable treatment for six National Guardsmen in July 2010. 

In October 2010, a Politis article forced deputy attorney-general Akis Papasavvas to return €17,000 to the state after claiming the money from the health ministry for teeth implants received in the private sector. 

In May 2011, the Supreme Court annulled the 2008 appointment by cabinet of Costakis Christoforou as head of the Commission for the Protection of Competition (CPC), citing faults in the hiring procedure.  

Politis writes that the presidential palace had plans to re-appoint him following the proper procedures but gave up on them when Politis raised questions regarding his academic credentials. 

In June 2011, former head of Cyprus’ EU Presidency Secretariat Andreas Moleskis resigned over questionable hiring practices in June 2011 after Politis revealed he had hired his daughter’s 29-year-old boyfriend for an EU presidency job on a salary of €119,000. 

FOR SEVERAL months now mayors of the wider Nicosia area have been warning that their municipalities were fast running out of money. The drastic reduction of the state subsidy to local authorities, combined with the establishment of six new municipalities meant a smaller amount was distributed among more recipients. 

Inevitably, the over-staffed and inefficient municipalities of Nicosia cannot make ends meet; things are slightly better for the municipalities of coastal towns as they have revenue from tourism. Some mayors warned that they would not be able to meet their financial obligations in a few months, while the Ayios Dhometios mayor warned yesterday that his municipality would not be able to pay its 79 workers at the end of this month.

The president of the Union of Municipalities, Alexis Galanos, has been trying to draw attention to the cash shortage for a couple of months now, but his warnings have fallen on deaf ears. “We’ll be in for a surprise when the municipalities start sacking people or closing down because they cannot stand on their own two feet, no matter how many savings they make,” Galanos told the Sunday Mail last week.

Both the government and the political parties have been ignoring the warnings. Interior Minister Eleni Mavrou at least responded on a morning radio show yesterday saying that the government could not afford to give more financial help to the municipalities. It is incredible that the political parties which, together, created the ridiculously high number of municipalities, so there could be more mayors, more councillors and more jobs for their supporters, do not want to know, now, about the consequences of their decisions. Deputies will probably be the first to criticise a municipal council if it sacked workers.

The answer to the problem is to reduce the number of municipalities by 50 to 70 per cent, but as this will not happen in the foreseeable future, local authorities must find new ways of generating cash. Unfortunately, the only way to do this is through the imposition of new taxes, which will not make mayors and councillors very popular among their voters. The alternative is to cut wages and jobs because state funding might be further reduced over the next two years.

A combination of taxation, wage reductions and job cuts is the only way for the municipalities to remain viable, while also limiting dependence on central government, which, as paymaster, has excessive power over local authorities and makes a mockery of the idea of local democracy. The decision of 2002 - supported by all the parties – to abolish the professional tax collected by municipalities and compensate them with more state money was a big mistake. That revenue was lost and the government now refuses to pay the equivalent amount (about €10 million) to municipalities.

This is why it is essential for local authorities to use the current financial problems to become more independent of the state. If it means cutting jobs and imposing taxes, it must be done, because the state funding situation will be worse next year.

FIRE-fighters late yesterday afternoon brought under control a large blaze in Limassol, the last in a string of fires that started on Sunday, prompting the evacuation of two villages.

“All fires are under full control and strong ground forces remain in the area to guard against potential re-ignition,” fire service spokeswoman Lisa Kemidji said last night. “They will remain there for as many days and nights as necessary.”

Authorities have arrested 57-year-old man in connection with one of the fires near Hirokitia, in the Larnaca district, that burned some 13 square kilometres of wild shrub.

Police said the man, who was remanded in custody for three days, is thought to have tried to burn wild shrubs.

Fanned by strong winds and helped by the high temperatures, several fires broke out across the Republic over the weekend - some bigger than others - stretching forces to the limit.

Yesterday, dozens of fire-fighters from various services, aided by eight aircraft, 20 fire engines, and several excavators, managed to bring under control a large blaze near the village of Vouni, which had forced authorities to order its evacuation in the morning.

But a change in the direction of the wind took the fire away from Vouni with residents staying put though on high alert.

Authorities said the Vouni fire started near the road and the circumstances were still under investigation.

For one resident it was pretty simple: fires do not start on their own.

“But there must be imprisonment … 20-30 years, end of story,” he said.

The fire started on Sunday with crews fighting through the night to bring it under control.

It reignited yesterday morning, aided by the strong winds blowing on the island in the past couple of days.

“The good thing is that the helicopters were able to drop water. They could not do that last [Sunday] night,” a resident told state television.

In total it burned around four square kilometres of wild shrub.

On Sunday, authorities were forced to evacuate the Larnaca communities of Skarinou and Kato Drys which had been threatened by a raging blaze that started near Hirokitia.

Authorities suspect the fire was started by a 57-year-old man trying to burn wild shrub in a field between Kato Drys and Hirokitia.

“According to testimony and findings on the scene, the owner tried to burn wild shrub,” said Larnaca police spokesman Christos Andreou. “Due to the strong winds the fire spread, burning 13 square kilometres of wild vegetation and small trees.”

Four people - two members of the civil defence and two firemen - sustained light injuries during the effort to put out the blaze.

Andreou said they are looking into some claims made by the suspect.

The evacuation order was given at 9pm with the blaze some 500 metres away from the first houses.

Residents were asked to assemble at the parking lot of a nearby supermarket where they were offered a meal while arrangements were being made for them to stay at hotels if necessary. 

However, using excavators, fire-fighters managed to create firebreaks eliminating the danger two hours later.

President Demetris Christofias who visited the area commended the fire-fighters for their selfless efforts.

A separate fire in Ayios Sylas, Limassol, burned some two square kilometres of wild vegetation, olive and carob trees. 

The blaze also killed an unspecified number of dogs, which were housed in private dwellings. 

Though big, the scale of destruction of the fires was nowhere near that of other cases in the past couple of decades.

On June 29, 2007, Cyprus saw one of the biggest, and fiercest forest fires in the island’s modern history devour 12 square kilometres of forest in the Saittas area on the Troodos mountain range.

And in the same month seven years earlier, four days of raging fires destroyed some 50 square kilometres of pine, olive, carob, and shrub-covered mountains in the Limassol and Larnaca districts.

Again in June, but this time in 1995, a large blaze broke out on the Pentadaktylos mountain range burning some 80 square kilometres of forest and agricultural land.

It also burned 25 and damaged another 21 houses.

COMMERCE Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis yesterday said he was in the dark over press reports that American vessel EV Nautilus was exploring for uranium around 60 miles off the coast.

What he did confirm, however, was that the exploration vessel’s activities were completely unrelated to Cyprus’ efforts to find hydrocarbon reserves in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Asked to comment on reports that the Nautilus was exploring for uranium near the underwater Eratosthenis Seamount, around 60 miles off the south coast, the minister said the US vessel had no connection to Cyprus’ own explorations for hydrocarbon reserves. 

“We have contracts, we have schedules and I am not just referring to Noble (Energy, a US-based energy company with a concession for block 12 in Cyprus’ EEZ), but other companies as well, which are carrying out surveys and taking seismographic data.”

“As for Nautilus, it is an exploration vessel, which is exploring underwater in Cyprus and other areas,” he added.

Probed further to comment on the uranium reports, Sylikiotis said: “I don’t know anything, to be precise. Whatever I know, I too learned it through the reports. But these explorations are not related to the explorations carried out by Cyprus in its exclusive economic zone for hydrocarbon deposits.”

Famed explorer Robert Ballard is currently with a team of geologists, marine biologists and oceanologists on the Nautilus off the coast of Cyprus, where they will remain for the next two weeks examining the Eratosthenes Seamount, one of the largest features on the Eastern Mediterranean seafloor and about 120 km long and 80 km wide. 

The expedition is currently collecting images during sweeps of the area using the latest technology to explore the sea floor and the intense undersea activity in the area where the African plate meets the Eurasian plate. Past explorations of the area have shown the existence of a liquid that might contain methane.  

Energy matters prevailed during the minister’s discussions with the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK) earlier in the day.

“ETEK submitted its views on the utilisation of Cypriot hydrocarbon reserves, how these hydrocarbons and other energy sources can be utilised in Cyprus,” said Sylikiotis.

He said he gave a full briefing on all aspects surrounding the energy sector, as well as efforts to bring natural gas to the island as a temporary solution, until Cyprus’ reserves can be put into use.

ETEK was also informed on the government’s plans for the second licensing round for the remaining blocks of Cyprus’ EEZ, the government’s collaboration with Noble Energy as well as Israel and the surrounding area, the creation of the terminal to facilitate the gas and other related matters.

Sylikiotis assured ETEK that he was “at its disposal” if needed. “I am asking for their views and suggestions, which are always very welcome, because on matters of energy – through broader consent, political and social consent, and through collective efforts – we can turn Cyprus into a significant energy centre for the entire area, but also an important supplier for Europe itself,” said the minister.

CYPRIOTS visiting relatives in Syria are now stuck in the warring country, unable to get out, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

Antonis Theocharous, from the ministry’s crisis management department, said yesterday that a young Cypriot man is currently in Aleppo while a Cypriot woman in the advanced stages of pregnancy is about 25km away from the Turkish border. Her two children are also with her. 

Both went to Syria in July while “about a week ago”, their families got in touch with the Cypriot authorities to let them know they had tried and failed to leave the country, Theocharous said.

The situation in Syria remains extremely precarious. United Nations military observers who were monitoring a ceasefire between President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and rebels yesterday left Damascus, according to Reuters news agency. 

And in Aleppo - where the Cypriot man is based – up to 30 people were killed yesterday during shelling by Syrian government forces, the Associated Press said.

The ministry “regularly talks” with the two and is trying to secure their safe transportation, said Theocharous, adding that transporting a pregnant woman on the roads of Syria would be tricky.

“For the time being our advice is for them to remain where they are,” he said.

Cyprus still maintains an embassy and a consulate in Syria. However, the foreign ministry issued a warning against travelling to the country in March and has renewed warnings since.

For more information on the situation there, members of the public may call the crisis management department at 22-801000.

COMMERCE Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis yesterday agreed to re-examine alterations made to the concrete standard last year which some experts claim has brought down the quality and durability of today’s buildings. 

The announcement to open tenders for studies into the quality of concrete in Cyprus was made after a meeting with the Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK).

The move is related to a decision last year to alter the concrete standard, which ETEK feels was “a step backwards” in the building material’s production.

Speaking after he met with ETEK yesterday morning, Sylikiotis said one study would look into the current quality of concrete in Cyprus, while another would examine international scientific research into the matter.

He said the studies were expected to take around a year to complete. “I feel this investigation will look into all the issues, so we can finally make a decision and function in Cyprus based on scientifically substantiated data,” said Sylikiotis.

ETEK chairman Stelios Achniotis said he was happy with the minister’s determination to resolve the problems that arose with last year’s alteration of the concrete standard, which he said was the result of pressure from concrete manufacturers.

There were two basic alterations to the concrete standard: one increased the temperature of the concrete, when it is handed over from the manufacturers, from 32 degrees Celsius to 34 degrees. The other doubled its chloride content from 0.2 per cent per 100 kg of cement to 0.4 per cent.

“Both these factors are very important in our view and they shouldn’t have changed as they affect the strength and durability, meaning how many years the concrete will remain healthy,” Achniotis said. 

He explained that with the previous standard, it would take 30 to 40 years for a building to need repairs, whereas with the new one, this should be expected a lot sooner.

“This affects the buildings’ duration and their maintenance costs,” said Achniotis. “These changes were made following pressure by manufacturers. To produce concrete of up to 32 degrees, especially in the summer, a producer will have to use methods and materials that are of a certain temperature so the temperature doesn’t go up; so for example, instead of using warm water, they will have to freeze it and this brings extra cost.”

He said it was dangerous to enforce a standard that was blatantly outside the scientific frameworks.

“There are countries with hot climates that allow concrete production of a temperature of 30 degrees; I don’t know any countries that allow over 34 degrees,” said Achniotis. 

He said last year’s decision was rushed and not supported by scientific criteria, which was why he welcomed Sylikiotis’ decision yesterday to open tenders for an independent study into the matter.

“Many leaps of improvement have been made, if we compare the situation to 20 or 30 years ago; but life should take us forward and we feel there are always margins for improvement, but we feel that last year’s regulation was a step backwards,” said Achniotis.

Sylikiotis added that based on the current situation in Cyprus, as well as international experience and scientific expertise on the matter, proceedings will start in order to make the necessary changes. “After the studies are complete, we will meet to present the results,” said Sylikiotis.

THE LARNACA district court yesterday sentenced a 20-year-old to four months in jail for taking part in a pitch invasion that caused a football game to be abandoned.

Christos Gavriel jumped into the pitch several minutes before the final whistle of the August 9 Europa league qualifier between his team Anorthosis and Georgian guests Dila Gori, taking issue with his goalie letting in three goals.

Gavriel approached the goalkeeper and asked him “why?” prompting police to arrest him.

Dozens of Anorthosis fans reacted to his arrest and poured on to the pitch, forcing the referee to interrupt the game. 

Others threw stones at people and cars outside the stadium. 

Gavriel pleaded guilty to being under the influence of alcohol and other addictive substances, during the game, and illegally entering a sports venue.

During sentencing yesterday, the court said it took into consideration his clean criminal record and admission of guilt, the Cyprus News Agency said.

Six others have been charged with similar offences and an arrest warrant is still pending for a seventh suspect not yet found, police spokesman Christos Andreou said. 

He added that the court’s decision was a positive step towards tackling hooliganism.

European football governing body UEFA issued a €50,000 fine while Anorthosis must also play their next three European home games behind closed doors.

The punishment is the result of “the inconsiderate actions of a limited number of individuals who … tarnished the reputation of our team and of our country in the European football circles,” the football club said last week.

It also announced it was banning for life all those found guilty of offences related to the game and was considering taking legal measures against them for the damage they caused: “the fines and the lost profit that derive [from UEFA’s] decision”.

Meanwhile, the police yesterday said officers will be at GSP stadium in Nicosia for tomorrow’s UEFA Champions league play-off game between Limassol’s AEL and Belgium’s Anderlecht.

Anderlecht fans have been allocated part of the south stands and can park in the stadium’s south car park area.

AEL fans have the remaining stands and can park in the north and west car park areas. 

The police will fine anyone parking on the highway, the nearby roundabout, on pavements and roads. 

Firecrackers, dangerous items, banners or clothes bearing political or provocative slogans are strictly forbidden. 

The police said it will only allow admission from the gate designated on the ticket.

Fans are asked to be at GSP stadium at least an hour and a half before the game. Gates open at 7.45pm.

THREE children in the back seat of a car driven by a 34-year-old under the influence of alcohol were injured on Sunday when the driver lost control of his car.

The 34-year-old was over the legal alcohol consumption limit for driving – set at 22 micrograms per 100 ml – measuring instead 40 micrograms.

The car was on the Kofinou-Larnaca highway when at about 3.30pm the driver- in circumstances still under investigation- lost control of the car close to Anglisides. The vehicle overturned, stopping in a ditch.

A 12-year-old family friend who was trapped in the car was freed by officers from the disaster response squad EMAK. She had ruptured her lung. 

The driver’s nine-year-old daughter needed spleen surgery while his 12-year-old daughter suffered a head injury. 

The three children were taken to Larnaca general hospital and are doing well, the police said yesterday.

The driver and a 32-year-old co-passenger were not hurt.

The head of traffic police Demetris Demetriou said yesterday that he was troubled by the incident “because [similar incidents] happen often on the highway”.

According to Demetriou, last weekend police administered 2,101 alcohol tests across the island. One in twelve drivers stopped by police were found to be over the limit.  

Demetriou said he was also concerned about the fact that about half of all motorcyclists stopped by police were not wearing their helmets.

An EU-wide campaign on speeding starts today. 

GIORGOS Kamilaris, 25, was killed in Larnaca yesterday when his motorbike crashed with a car driven by a 20-year-old learner driver at about 2.45am.

The learner driver was with a 40-year-old woman passenger who initially claimed she had been driving. The car belonged to her. 

However, the police had a witness testimony contradicting her claim, and placing the 20-year-old in the driver’s seat, Larnaca police spokesman Christos Andreou said.

According to police, the 20-year-old had tried to turn right from Makarios Avenue onto Archbishop Kyprianos Avenue, hitting Kamilari’s motorbike, which was moving in the opposite direction on Makarios Avenue. 

The crash – on the car’s left-hand side – shattered the window and dented the left door. 

Kamilaris – who hailed from a village in the Larnaca district - was taken to Larnaca general hospital where he died.

The 20-year-old measured within the permitted alcohol consumption levels.

It was not clear yesterday whether the woman passenger was aware of Kamillaris’ death when she took the blame. 

The two women were arrested but were not charged yesterday, Andreou said. 

He added that police were examining the exact circumstances of the accident.

The 20-year-old is being investigated in relation to causing death by negligence and the 40-year-old for giving false information to a police officer. 

Learner drivers are permitted to drive as long as they are accompanied by a licence holder.

BANK of Cyprus (BoC) is looking into swapping part of its loan book in Greece with a Greek bank operating on the island as part of moves to strengthen its capital base, it said in a stock exchange filing yesterday.

Cypriot banks operating in Greece have been battered by the country's debt crisis and deep recession which have caused losses in the sovereign debt restructuring and a rise in non-performing loans.

 As a result Cyprus sought emergency financial aid from its EU partners on June 25.

The filing from the island’s biggest lender came in response to a newspaper report that it is in talks with Greek lender Alpha Bank on swapping part of its loan book with Alpha's loans in Cyprus.

"In the context of planning to strengthen its capital position and shield its balance sheet, the bank is looking into a number of options. One such option is exchanging ... assets and liabilities with one of the Greek banks active in Cyprus," BoC said in the filing.

"At this stage there is nothing specific to announce," it said, without naming any Greek bank.

Alpha Bank, which declined to comment, is one of Greece's three largest lenders which have offered to buy Credit Agricole's struggling Greek unit Emporiki Bank, put up for sale by the French lender to limit its exposure to Greece.

The report by daily newspaper Kathimerini said Alpha Bank's impaired loans in Cyprus were smaller than the BOC’s non-performing credit in Greece and that the difference would be made up in some form including shares.

Greece's economy is expected to stay in recession for a fifth straight year in 2012, with gross domestic product seen contracting by more than 7.0 per cent.

BoC rattled domestic markets by unexpectedly seeking state financial support just prior to a regulatory deadline to bolster its core tier 1 capital in June.

A few days earlier the lender’s board told shareholders it needed just €200 million to replenish its battered capital.

The capital requirements of the Popular Bank, was a key reason forcing Cyprus into requesting the international bailout.

Both banks suffered record 2011 losses as a result of a write-down in their portfolios of Greek sovereign debt, an impairment agreed by European leaders, including Cyprus’ president, to make Greece's debt more sustainable.

The decision proved costly for the island, with the Popular Bank needing at least €1.8 billion from the state, while BoC has asked for €500 million.

BoC posted losses of €1.37 billion in its full-year 2011 results after the Greek sovereign debt write-down.

THE government said yesterday it will try to salvage a multi-million deal with a Chinese investor who withdrew his interest in developing the old Larnaca airport building, citing time-consuming and complicated state procedures.

Communications Minister Efthimios Flourentzos said he was meeting Chinese businessman Yang Qi on Wednesday in a bid to convince him to rethink his decision, conveyed to the government in a letter received on August 14.

Flourentzos rejected the view that red tape had killed the investment, suggesting instead that it was the recent controversy sparked by the revelation that a presidential aide was allegedly involved in the deal.

“I would have considered it logical for any letter regarding delays and time-consuming procedures to arrive 15 or 20 days ago,” the minister told state radio.

“Suddenly, after all the noise, this letter arrived. It’s a bit strange.”

Marios Ieronymides, the head of President Demetris Christofias’ diplomatic office, resigned on August 10, following a newspaper report that he had accompanied Yang Qi - sole shareholder of Far Eastern Phoenix (FEP) - at a signing ceremony with airports operator Hermes on March 23, 2012, for a 19-year lease of the old airport.  

He had also accompanied the Chinese businessman to two other high-level meetings with Cypriot officials.

The paper said his wife, Tatiana Ieronymides, served as co-director of FEP for three years, resigning on March 17, 2012, six days before the signing.  

While Ieronymides claimed no wrongdoing, he acknowledged that his presence at the meetings was not appropriate and submitted his resignation. 

The cabinet has already announced it would launch a disciplinary investigation into the affair.

“My effort would be to convince him [Yang Qi] to withdraw his letter,” Flourentzos said yesterday. “There were no time-consuming and complicated procedures on our behalf. On the contrary, procedures had been expedited.”

The government had agreed to extend the deal to 50 years – under certain conditions -- as was demanded by FEP.

On July 26, FEP sent the requested documents, which were about to be evaluated when the report appeared some two weeks ago.

“We are a legally structured state based on laws and the constitution; we are obliged to follow legal procedures when examining any similar proposals,” the minister said. “No concessions will be made for any reason.”

Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said the administration could not be accused of anything concerning the deal.

The agreement is private, between two companies and “the government cannot be accused of celebrating over a ‘bubble investment’,” Stefanou said in a written statement.

He added that the government was asked to help complete the deal and the decision was to help but “within the framework of the law and regulations.”

“Let those speaking of a supposed scandal point out where there is a scandal in the procedure followed so far,” the spokesman said.

The Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA) sided with the Chinese businessman’s view concerning the red tape.

“I consider the Chinese investor’s reaction justified,” CIPA chairman Christodoulos Agastiniotis said. “The minister can make any associations he thinks are correct, I cannot.”

He said CIPA had raised the matter of expediting the evaluation of foreign investment in January.

This was not done until July when the cabinet set up a ministerial committee to handle the Chinese investment in which CIPA does not participate.

The development played straight into the hands of the opposition, which also criticised the administration of trying once more to pass the buck.

“The government’s attempt to constantly transfer its own responsibilities for its own repeated blunders and failures to third parties has become comical,” main opposition DISY spokesman Haris Georgiades said on Sunday.

“However, the consequences of the government’s incompetence are serious and have contributed to the lack of any prospects for growth and the worsening of the recession and unemployment.”

Earlier Sunday, Stefanou accused the opposition of “killing” this and other investments “creating scorched earth conditions so that they can blame the government.”

“We consider this (Chinese businessman’s withdrawal of interest) the result of this policy and the war of attrition within the country,” Stefanou added. 

IT’S NO surprise that the much-anticipated multi-million Chinese deal for the redevelopment of the old Larnaca airport appears to have come to an ignominious end, although the government said yesterday it would attempt to salvage it.

Communications Minister Efthimios Flourentzos said he was meeting Chinese businessman Yang Qi tomorrow in a bid to convince him to rethink his decision, conveyed to the government in a letter received on August 14.

Apparently the Chinese investor in his letter said he was no longer interested, citing red tape as the reason for pulling out, something Flourentzos has rejected. But the Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA) sided with the Chinese businessman’s view concerning the issue of red tape.

The minister put the withdrawal down to the recent scandal sparked by the revelation that presidential aide Marios Ieronymides was allegedly involved in the deal. Ieronymides subsequently resigned although he insisted he was at the talks only as a friend of Yang Qi.

That aside, the blame game didn’t take long to begin. The opposition criticised the administration, accusing them of trying to pass the buck by blaming everyone and everything except themselves. 

Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou responded by saying the administration could not be blamed for anything concerning the deal. It said the bottom line was the proposed deal was a private investment with the airport operator Hermes, which the government was facilitating.

Stefanou accused the opposition of “killing” this and other investments by ‘creating scorched earth conditions’ in its ‘war of attrition’ on the government.

The reactions were similar to the ones expressed when the famous Qatari investment went belly-up a couple of months back after being on the boil for over three years. The massive project aimed at developing a hotel, residential and commercial complex in central Nicosia but collapsed.

It would be difficult to say for certain whether the Chinese investor pulled out over the scandal or over the red tape, but one thing is for certain is that something is turning off foreign investors. 

According to figures quoted in this newspaper on Sunday, Malta has attracted €86 million in foreign direct investment from China while Cyprus has attracted only €11 million, despite the government’s constant bragging about its wonderful relations with China. 

Maybe Maltese politicians are not tearing each other to shreds to score political points at the expense of the country. Maybe, just maybe, we are simply creating a bad impression.

FORMER fugitive Turkish Cypriot tycoon Asil Nadir was facing jail last night after being convicted of plundering millions from his Polly Peck business empire.

An Old Bailey jury found him guilty of three counts of theft amounting to a total of more than £5.5 million.

Nadir was found guilty of stealing £1.3 million to secretly buy Polly Peck shares to bolster its Stock Exchange price.

He was also found guilty of stealing £1 million spent on antiques and £3.25 million which went to 19 different destinations.

He was cleared of a fourth count of stealing £2.5 million and using it to pay his income tax bill.

The three women and seven men were sent home for the day but will continue deliberating today on nine further counts after being given a majority direction.

The verdicts came on the seventh day since the jury retired to consider its verdicts.

During the seven-month trial, two of the original jurors were discharged through ill health.

Nadir, 71, of Mayfair, central London, wearing a dark suit, green tie and matching handkerchief in his top pocket, appeared shocked when the jury returned the guilty verdicts. His wife Nur left the court in tears and was taken away in a chauffeur-driven Jaguar.

He had denied all 13 counts representing theft of £34 million from Polly Peck International (PPI) between 1987 and 1990.

The court heard that Nadir fled Britain in 1993 for his native northern Cyprus before he could be tried and returned voluntarily in 2010.

He told the court he left because he was "a broken man without hope" and complained about the Serious Fraud Office investigation. Nadir, who said he returned from Cyprus to clear his name, claims he was unjustly treated by the Serious Fraud Office.

He did not deny transferring money between Polly Peck accounts, but argued that he had always balanced the books by paying money into other parts of the company.

The prosecution said the charges were specimen counts representing a total theft of £150 million from Polly Peck.

Polly Peck was one of the success stories of the Thatcher era and one of the best-performing companies on the Stock Exchange - but it collapsed in 1990 with debts of £550 million. Polly peck's demise was one of Britain's biggest corporate failures and was a huge embarrassment to the Conservative Party - which is now the senior partner in a two-party coalition government - since it had received donations from Nadir. A Conservative minister resigned over his links to Nadir after it emerged he had given the businessman a watch engraved with the message: "Don't let the bastards grind you down."

Investigators were said to have found a "black hole" after going to northern Cyprus, where the money had been transferred, the court heard.

Polly Peck International was a conglomerate dealing in fruit, leisure, textiles and electronics. Most of its business was based in Turkey and northern Cyprus.

Philip Shears QC, prosecuting, said Nadir was able with only his signature to transfer millions of pounds abroad through a complex series of companies and banks.

The stolen money went on making Nadir and his friends and associates rich, it was alleged.

Nadir said money sent abroad had been replaced with Turkish lira. Born in Cyprus in 1941, Nadir sold newspapers at the age of six before moving with his family to London in the 1950s.

He bought the Polly Peck textiles company in the late 1970s and set about turning it into one of the biggest companies on the stock exchange.

The trial was adjourned to today.

A smiling Nadir on his way to court yesterday Later he was said to be shocked by the verdict