Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 01-06-24

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

Sunday, June 24, 2001

CONTENTS

[01] CY hit by another 'air rage' incident

[02] US Embassy steps up security after attack warning

[03] Denktash appeal over the missing

[04] Arsonists torch cars near airport

[05] Police launch anti-drugs campaign

[06] House damaged in fire

[07] Large Rhodes quake felt in Cyprus

[01] CY hit by another 'air rage' incident

A CYPRUS Airways flight from Stansted was forced to make an emergency landing in Salonica after a group of passengers became unruly, the airline said yesterday. It was the second such incident in two weeks.

The plane was on its way to Larnaca on Friday night when it was forced to land in Greece at 10pm.

One “man was drunk and started to attack flight attendants and passengers so the pilot asked for permission to land here,” a Salonica police spokesman said.

The plane later took off for Cyprus again after a three-hour delay.

CY spokesman Tassos Angelis said a man was briefly detained and subsequently charged. He faces a court hearing in Greece at a future date.

The Briton was put on a CY flight to Cyprus yesterday after paying for the extra ticket, Angelis said.

The CY spokesman said a group of passengers on board the flight from Stansted became loud and aggressive. The man subsequently detained appeared to be the ringleader.

“They were not drinking on the flight,” he added. At one point the man later arrested tried to smoke in the toilet, Angelis said. He also tried to push his way into the cockpit.

It was the second time in two weeks that a CY plane has been forced to land in Salonica because of unruly passengers.

On June 12 a plane from Moscow had to be diverted after four Russian passport holders who had been drinking created trouble on board.

The trouble began over Bulgaria and the captain decided to alert Cyprus police to arrest them at Larnaca.

But after one of them tried to get into the cockpit the pilot landed in Greece and one man was arrested.

In May last year a drunk Anglo-Cypriot groped a flight attendant and verbally abused the rest of the crew.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[02] US Embassy steps up security after attack warning

SECURITY measures in and around the United States Embassy in Nicosia have been stepped up after reports of possible terrorist attacks against American interests in the Middle East.

The embassy's two entrances were blocked with vehicles and the presence of security guards was more than evident yesterday.

Members of the police's rapid reaction unit (MMAD) patrolled the building's perimeter and plainclothes officers in the vicinity tried to keep a low profile.

A spokesman yesterday told the Sunday Mail that the embassy could not comment on the security measures.

The US State Department has issued a warning to all American citizens travelling abroad that they could become the target of terrorist groups.

It is thought that attacks may be being planned by groups loyal to Saudi millionaire militant Osama Bin Laden, who tops the Americans' 'most wanted' list.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[03] Denktash appeal over the missing

TURKISH Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash said yesterday he will complain to a European court over the number and fate of missing people from the north.

"We have made a decision to open cases at the European Court of Human Rights over our missing people, the injustice and damage they (the Greek Cypriots) did to us," Denktash said.

Yesterday the government called on the Turkish Cypriots to co-operate with investigations into the fate of missing persons.

Foreign Minister Yiannakis Casoulides said the Turkish Cypriots need to deal with the issue as a humanitarian one.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[04] Arsonists torch cars near airport

ARSONISTS yesterday torched three cars parked near the salt lake outside the airport at Larnaca.

Two of the cars, whose owners are thought to be abroad, were gutted while the third was badly damaged.

Passers-by noticed the fire at around 2.55am.

The fire service put out the blaze and prevented it from spreading to adjacent vehicles.

Police experts collected ash and other evidence from the scene for examination by the state lab.

Two of the cars belonged to Nicosia residents while the third was registered to a man from Paphos.

Police believe the owners are all away on trips.

The area near the salt lake has long been a favourite 'free parking place' for people away on holiday. Local authorities recently fenced off the area to put an end to the phenomenon, but some people continue to park cars there.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[05] Police launch anti-drugs campaign

POLICE are organising an Anti-Drug Week to coincide with World Anti-Drugs Day on Tuesday.

The Drug Squad will be holding several events from June 23 to 29 in an effort to educate and inform the public about the dangers of drug abuse.

The sale of raffle tickets will begin tomorrow with each ticket bearing an anti-drugs message.

On Tuesday, information leaflets will be handed out to drivers all over Cyprus during the day and at Eleftheria Square in Nicosia during the evening.

CyTA will also be adding anti-drugs leaflets to the monthly bills.

Talks on 'Substance Dependency' will be given on Wednesday at 7pm at the Youth Centre at Ergates village in the Nicosia area and on Thursday at the Development Board in Sotira village in the Famagusta area.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[06] House damaged in fire

LIMASSOL police are investigating a house fire in the Pelekanos area, outside Eftagona village.

The fire began in the kitchen of a prefabricated house at around 10.30pm on Friday. The house was empty at the time, and Fire Department officers from Limassol and Eftagona quickly extinguished the blaze.

The owner told police she had switched everything off before leaving the house earlier in the day. The building was insured, but the amount of damage caused by the fire has not yet been estimated.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[07] Large Rhodes quake felt in Cyprus

THE Geological Survey Department yesterday had recorded an earthquake measuring five on the Richter scale.

The earthquake's epicentre was between Cyprus and the Greek island of Rhodes, 255 kilometres west of the Paphos coast.

The 9.53am quake was felt slightly in Nicosia and other parts of the island.

No injuries or damage was reported.

Reuters in Athens reported that the Greek Geodynamic Institute measured the quake at 5.7.

The tremor was also felt as far away as Cairo and on Turkey's southwestern coast.

More than 18,000 people were killed when two major earthquakes hit northwestern Turkey two years ago. The same year a powerful earthquake hit the Greek capital, killing 143 people.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

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