Current Events

In what can be considered a truly moving event for veterans and their families, hundreds of British Forces Cyprus personnel commemorated Bases Remembrance Day services by personally paying their respects to troops which have fought in conflicts in different parts of the world.

In a very moving gesture, hundreds of civilians, sailors, soldiers, and airmen attended services in Ayios Nikolaos, Episkopi, Akrotiri, and Dhekelia – laying wreaths and bowing their heads to commemorate the sacrifice made by military personnel in the name of their country.

Attending the services in Dhekelia, Major General James Illingworth, Commander British Forces Cyprus, gave the crowd a moral impetus, emphasizing how everyone was there to honor the courage and sacrifice made by generations of men and women in the British service who have their lives to protect the very freedoms that is being enjoyed at this date.

Also present at the event were spouses and children of military personnel. Many children paraded in their guides and scouts uniforms. Scores of ex-service personnel organizations also showed up at the event.

In a disappointing piece of news for both Cyprus and Cyprus-Fiji relations, two Cyprus nationals have been jointly charged with 293 counts of money laundering as well as attempting to garner property by deceiving people in the island country of Fiji.

FijiVillage, a local newspaper, has reported that Loizos Petridis and Cleanthis Petridis have been arrested due on grounds of their alleged involvement in multiple suspicious ATM transactions. The two will be further remanded in custody till further investigations.

According to the report, while the two men were originally jointly charged with 6 counts of money laundering worth $3,060, the police actually found and seized money worth $150,000.

The two will be tried before court on the 16th of next month.

In what may turn out to be great news for both national and international law enforcement and the justice system in general, a man has been arrested by Cyprus police, who suspect that he is in fact a wanted trafficker in human organs.

Moshe Harel, an Israeli national has been arrested and is currently facing extradition to Kosovo, where he has been accused of illegally luring kidney donors from the ex-Soviet Union and Turkey over 10 years ago.

Baki Kelani, a spokesman for Kosovo police, recently told Reuters that the suspect “M.H.” has been arrested in the island country on the basis of an international arrest warrant. The man has been on their most wanted person since 2010.

According to the policer’s report, Harel lured donors by promising them up to $14,500 in payment, sold the extracted organs being sold to Israelis for prices that went as high as $120,000. Additionally, Harel reportedly did not pay some of the donors at all.

International arrest warrants for Harel were issued by both Russia and the Interpol. The Kosovan authorities are currently requesting his extradition.

Kosovo is a Serbian province which despite having declared independence in 2008, continued to be unrecognized as a separate entity, both by the UN and by Cyprus.

Saipem 12000, the star drillship of energy giant ENI has left for Morocco, after being anchored off Limassol for refueling and equipment loading and unloading for over two days.

After failing to reach Cuttlefish target in Cyprus’ offshore plot 3 to drill an exploratory gas well for the second time, the Saipem 12000 began to prepare for its next destination and to that end, docked about 17 nautical miles off of Limassol. The three support vessels of the ship (namely Vos Prime, Vos Purpose and Vos Prudence) started to load and unload equipment at the Limassol port and began to arrange for refueling.

The Cyprus News Agency has announced that the Saipem left for Morocco at around midnight Monday.

Both the first and the second attempts of the vessel were thwarted by Turkish navy vessels over three weeks ago, with the latter having intercepted the former. After realizing that any attempts that would be made were futile, the Saipem finally docked off Limassol.

A spokesperson for ENI added that while they are disappointed about the cuttlefish incident, they intend to proceed with the rest of the plan as it were, and the drillship will therefore depart to its next destination as planned.

Cyprus has had a fantastic year as regards tourism arrival figures, and if Tourism Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis’ words are anything to go by, this should be the third year for the island country in maintaining the coveted record.

According to Lakkotrypis, after last year’s record 3.6 million tourists, it definitely looks like Cyprus’ tourism sector will see another good year. He added that this was in part because of an increase in available airline seats to Cyprus and agreements made with foreign travel organizers.

Last year saw the island country having a 15% increase in tourism arrivals, with the proceeds reaching €2.6 billion by November 2017.

Lakkotrypis also added that while ‘sea and sun’ are very much an important part of Cyprus, the island destination does have more to it, which should be showcased in the best way possible. He mentioned that the government will be implementing its own national tourism-growth strategy, which is due to be launched soon. A revised bill to create a tourism secretariat is currently in the process of being sent to parliament.

Disorderliness has no exception, and the latest incident has proved that the country of Cyprus intends to make that very clear to all – citizens or not.

A drunk Swedish tourist was recently fined and asked to pay €400 by the Famagusta district court for being in possession of a collapsible baton, a sledgehammer and two knives. Said weapons were found by the Police in the man’s car once they stopped him for reckless driving in Protaras right before midnight.

According to the arresting and standby officers, the car was seen coming from the opposite direction of Protaras avenue. Not only did it have its headlights on, it was being driven at a dangerously greater speed, was overtaking other vehicles without any regard of the rules, drove right through a red traffic light.

After chasing and halting the car, the police found the 28-year-old tourist in the driver’s seat, smelling strongly of alcohol. The police arrested him, and after taking the breathalyzer test, found that the reading showed 60µg (as opposed to the permitted 22µg).

After being charged €300 by the Police for driving under the influence of alcohol and being arrested, the tourist was charged a fine of €400 by the district court and was only released after said fines were paid in full.

In a shocking news for the Ayia Napa community, a deadly fire completely gutted a local styling salon, and caused extensive damage to five shops adjacent to it. The fire has been ruled as an accidental fire, not caused by any deliberate action they can identify or tie to any individual(s).

Starting at the beauty salon on Nissi Ave. around 4 in the morning; the fire spread rapidly to the clothes shop, a souvenir shop and an ice cream parlor.

The fire was brought under control by the fire department at around 6.30am – about two and a half hours after it started.

According to Andreas Constantinou, a spokesman for the Famagusta police, all stores were covered by an insurance policy, with the hair salon being the only exception.

According to the authorities, the cause of the blaze was an electrical fault. Any intentional act of arson has been ruled out.

Marios Demetriades, the Transport Minister of Cyprus has announced that two of the bids for the development of the port and marina in Larnaca from Israel and China will be submitted latest by the end of April.

This announcement came after a meeting between Demetriades and Mayor Andreas Vyras, with the latter expressing his wish to see the end of the development process of the port and marina before the end of his term. He did express his happiness at seeing the process be near its completion, before saying how he firmly believed the project could very well be implemented with the right amount of patience and persistence.

Demetriades added that the aim here is not to have the state earn from said deals and developments but to create a better infrastructure project which will be of great benefit to the city.

About the tender process itself, he said that the respective interested companies have each asked for their deadline to be extended from the original March 16.

Mayor Vyras too had nothing but good words to say about the project, calling it an essentially important one, which is directly related to the city’s economic growth and is instrumental in sending for new investments.”

The people of Cyprus are very conscious of their political atmosphere, and the turnout at the latest elections only serves to prove that as true. A huge turnout at the Turkish Cypriot ‘elections’ have shown how invested its people are in who will run the country and how.

Although the elections are being contested by 8 different parties, only five are expected to actually win any seats in what will be a “parliament of 50.”

While the opinion polls are looked at with a hint of skepticism (being famous for their inaccuracies), it is believed that the winner will be either left-wing solution-supportive party or a center-right one which will stand against reuniting Cyprus.

According to analysts, the Cyprus issue has been increasing in intensity, being only second to issues such as jobs, economy, and Cyprus-Turkey relations.

In what is being considered as a surprising piece of news for many within the legislature and the executive, President Nicos Anastasiades has decided to release a total of sixty-six convicts through presidential pardon on the occasion of his re-confirmation as president.

Out of the total sixty-six convicts who are due to be released, thirty-eight are Cyprus nationals while and the rest are foreign nationals.

That is not the entire extent of the reprieve, however. In addition to the convicts being released, the jail sentences of 342 inmates will be reduced by a quarter. This figure, however, does not include criminals who have been convicted of sexual crimes and/or abuse of minors – these are ineligible for any kind of pardon whatsoever under any and all circumstances.

Nicosia is trying very hard to boost its reputation as a hub of tourism and culture, and its latest campaign only serves to affirm that fact. the Nicosia Tourist Development and Promotion Company recently launched a campaign called “Meet Nicosia. Meet Culture,” which will serve to promote Nicosia as a suitable destination for tourism and culture.

The campaign will raise the awareness of the public as regards Nicosia’s art galleries, museums, and archaeological with the help of ads, media, and other promotionals, which in turn will attract tourists.

According to Elena Tanou, President of Nicosia Tourist Development and Promotion Company, Nicosia currently attracts only a small percentage of the total number of tourists who visits Cyprus – which is unfortunate as Nicosia has a rich culture which can and should be enjoyed by the people.

In a news that has people enthralled, an unidentified “glow” that appeared over the Nicosia sky and over the Limassol motorway has scores of people wondering what its reason may be.

Filmed first at 5:50 SM, the “glow” appeared as a triangular-shaped beam of light and has since been the object of several theories from experts and laymen alike.

Surprisingly, both the Fire Department and the Police claim that they were not contacted by anyone, and that they have neither knowledge nor information of the incident.

According to Chrysanthos Fakas, an astrophysicist who spoke with Sigma (a local channel), the “glow” is not a meteorite, and in fact looks similar to a gas cone, which is often left behind by rockets.

Parallel to this, the western Russian city of Lipetsk saw a similar-looking a ball of light in its night sky, which was later seen exploding in mid-air.

In a news that causes nothing but worry and concern among locals and law enforcement alike, over €364,000 worth of valuables and cash have been stolen from a villa in Kouklia. Paphos Police is currently investigating the burglary, which took place early on Saturday.

The occupant of the villa is a Russian businessman, 44, who was also the one to report the break-in to the Paphos police. According to the investigators’ preliminary findings, the perpetrator (or perpetrators) gained access to the villa by breaching the wooden kitchen door.

It was also confirmed that none of the stolen valuables were insured.

This has not been the first time such an incident has occurred in recent times. In fact, on the very same day (Saturday), a holiday home in Kissonerga had been burgled, with items worth €6,500 having been stolen. In this case too, the incident was reported by the owner, who further added among the stolen items were his stamp, a coin, two hunting weapons, sword collection and several types of paper currency. Several electrical appliances were also missing.

According to investigators, the perpetrator (or perpetrators) in this case had entered through closed (but not locked) aluminium balcony door in the bedroom.

While the house did have an alarm, it was not operational at the time. Furthermore, none of the items were insured. The police said that even the security camera system was destroyed.

Yet another incident at Coral Bay had a hotel resident reporting that that the safe in his room was stolen, along with his credit cards, ID, wallet, two car keys, and €30 worth cash.

Honesty is indeed the best policy – and the latest incident proves that this is anything but false. Costas Tanos, the honest and brave bus driver who promptly returned an elderly man’s €10,000 after the latter has left the money in his vehicle was recently honoured by House President Demetris Syllouris.

House President Syllouris awarded the driver with a plaque and a certificate and went on to express how Tanos’ action reverberates a resounding positivity throughout a society which is riddled with people facing financial problems. His actions prove that humanity truly exists, in spite of all troubles.

Ever the modest man, Tanos claims that the did nothing more than what he thought was obvious. He extended his thanks to officials all the same.

Mr. Tanos, bus driver of age 54 living in Lakatamia, Nicosia, found the bag filled with money neat the driver’s seat after completing route two hundred from the local bus station to the hospital and stadium.

He soon remembered that an older gentleman who had earlier come on board with a very similar bag. Remembering that the man got down at the hospital, he too did the same, found the owner, and promptly returned the bag to him.

The elderly man, who was clearly very grateful, offered Tanos a reward, but the latter refused, saying that what he did was his duty, and nothing out of the ordinary.

A high-ranking court in Cyprus has ordered two asylum-seekers to be detained on suspicion that they were responsible for instigating an uprising at an immigrant reception center, which involved perpetrators setting trash bins and furniture on fire and causing massive damage to the office at large.

According to members of the Cyprus police force, the incidence of violence which took place on Friday night has over 25 people expressing their aggression at the Kofinou reception center. They added that they have arrested a third man who they suspect is also responsible.

Kypros Kyprianou, a senior official from the Cypriot Interior Ministry, was recently quoted by the government-run Cyprus News Agency. Kyprianou said on Saturday that those who were detained were among the forty Eritreans who arrived to Cyprus from Italy as part of an EU-sponsored transfer program.

According to Kyprianou, it is highly suspected that the detained carried out the actions they were accused because they were angered at having their allowances deducted after they failed to work in accordance with regulations.

In what is being considered a rather depressing news for all living in Cyprus, the meteorology department has reported that the island nation will be facing another week of unsettled cold weather, which will keep the coastal areas blustery.

The met department said that chances of showers are high, and all districts, especially the coastal ones may experience a powerful storm.

It is predicted that the weather will be chilly, with temperature highs during the daytime reaching an average of 18C and 19C in Paphos and Larnaca respectively.

Nicosia will be hit most by the harsh and cold weather, with temperatures set to drop down to less than 14C in daytime midweek, and till 6C in the night. Occasional showers can also be expected.

The Cyprus situation is a problem for all concerned, including Russia, if the words of its ambassador to the Russia are anything to go by.

Leonidas Markides, ambassador of Cyprus in Russia, who recently Mr. Kirill, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to discuss the Cyprus situation, recently expressed the latter’s concerns on the matter.

After being briefed on the latest developments in the Cyprus situation, the Patriarch called the apparent non-solution an “open wound”, which affects not just Cypriots, but all the people who belong to the Orthodox world.

According to a press release that was issued by the Cyprus PIO, the discussion that took place between Mr. Kirill and Ambassador Markides included the destruction of religious and cultural heritage in the island nation, as well as the various efforts that both the Church and Government of Cyprus are making to curb the illegal export and trade of religious heirlooms on international markets.

In what is being a considered a breath of fresh air in the Iran-Cyprus diplomatic scene, Petros T. Nacouzis, Cyprus’ new ambassador to Iran has submitted his Credentials to President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran.

Forwarded warm greetings from the island country’s President Anastasiades, Ambassador Nacouzis extended his best wishes for prosperity and progress of the Iranian people, and also briefed the latter on the Cyprus issue’s latest developments.

In the post-ceremony meeting, the two exchanged their views on Iran-Cyprus bilateral relations, and after much discussion, mutually arrived at the conclusion that they must strive to further improve their relations.

During recent years, both Cyprus and Iran have placed considerable stress on expanding their bilateral relations across several fields. Both sides say that this should not be too difficult a task, given that the two countries already share a great bilateral relationship, especially in the parliament division.

Marios Demetriades, the Transport Minister of Cyprus has resigned from his post as on Monday. He made this news public on his Facebook page.

Announcing the development on his social media account, Demetriades expressed his desire to make a return to the private sector but thanked President Nicos Anastasiades for the generous offer of staying on in his new cabinet.

He added that while he had a great run as the Transport Minister, his term has come full circle and he feels that it is best for him to end things while the going is good. He went to express great gratitude to President Anastasiades for the faith he had in him when taking care of things during a time when Cyprus was going through a difficult time.

Demetriades’ resignation isn’t something entirely new, though. In fact, his is the official secondary resignation, following Ioannis Kassoulides (Foreign Minister) who recently announced that he did not want to stay on after his term.

February 28 will be the final date for the present minister’s council. Members of the new cabinet will be sworn in the next day on March 1.

The recent resignations, however, have churned a lot of speculation as to who will take up the mantle of various ministers. With 11 different ministerial posts, many things are expected and many anticipated. Many experts are of the opinion that Kassoulides may be replaced by government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides, or even by Finance Minister Harris Georgiades, who has previously expressed interest in taking the job.

Invited by His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos, Primate of Church of Cyprus, American Archbishop Demetrios made a visit to the island nation, where he received one of the most prestigious medals of the Order.

On the 11th of February, His Eminence officiated the Liturgy with His Beautitude as well as hierarchs from the Church of Cyprus. This was done in a suburb in Strovolos at the church of God’s Wisdom in Saint Sophia.

The Archbishop was accompanied by Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos and from Pittsburgh His Eminence Metropolitan Savas and Kyriacos Papastylianou, President of the Federation of Cypriot American Organizations.

His Eminence was awarded the Gold Medal of Saint Barnabas by the Church of Cyprus. Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus the First Lady Andri Anastasiades and several leaders from politics and academia were also present during the ceremony.

His Eminence will meet and speak with the President Nicos Anastasiades later on, and also plans to deliver a lecture at the Theological School of the Church of Cyprus on – “Modern Theological Challenges and Opportunities.”