Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 01-12-28

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

Friday, December 28, 2001

CONTENTS

[01] Warning: be alert on 'The Day of the Euro'

[02] Driver killed on Christmas Day

[03] Appeal for calm during Denktash visit

[04] Four more arrests in insurance scam case

[05] Water reserves at a record level

[06] CY to cut back on meals service

[07] Last minute spree rescues index

[08] George Meikle funeral today

[09] Protest over airspace violations

[10] Tourist reports she was raped

[01] Warning: be alert on 'The Day of the Euro'

THE CENTRAL Bank yesterday warned Cypriots to watch out for false euro banknotes when 12 EU countries implement the common euro currency.

On January 1, 2002, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Luxemburg, Holland, Portugal and Finland will start circulating the common currency after six years of preparation.

Seven banknotes have been issued, valued at five, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros and eight coins valued at one, two, five, 10, 20 and 50 cents and one and two euros, with 100 cents to the euro.

Although the euro will not be used on a day-to-day basis on the island, the Central Bank is warning people to be on the lookout for counterfeit notes, as banks throughout Europe are expecting duds to filter onto the market as soon as the euro starts to circulate.

As a preventative measure, each banknote has been stamped with visual and tactile markings that mean it can easily be distinguished from false notes. A special machine can also be used to detect fake notes.

Even though Cyprus will not adopt the common currency until it has been part of the EU for two years, the Central Bank will treat the euro as any other foreign currency, and has already issued banknotes for transaction purposes, both for Cypriots travelling abroad and foreigners entering Cyprus, bank official Kyriakos Zingas said yesterday. He added that as prices stand today, one euro equals 59 Cypriot cents.

'The Day of the Euro', as January 1 has been dubbed, is of great importance economically and psychologically, both chief EU negotiator George Vassiliou and EU ambassador Donato Chiarini said yesterday.

"The direct and indirect consequences of a common currency are very important," Vassiliou said. "It will simplify Europeans' economic life, facilitate commerce and trade development between member countries, and develop tourism since people will be able to feel Europe as one big country, without having to worry about changing currencies."

On a long-term basis it would also reduce inflation, stabilise the currency and give Europeans the same financial confidence Americans have in the dollar, he said.

The euro would in no way affect the Cyprus pound Vassiliou said, and the fact that it would be available here would help "make Cypriots feel psychologically closer to Europe".

Vassiliou also said he believes that before long, large shops on the island will not only accept euros, but will also give back the same currency in change. He trusts that Cypriot citizens will quickly understand euros and cents as readily as they understand pounds and cents.

The Central Bank also said Cypriots should avoid accepting local currencies when travelling to one of the 12 countries as this will only make further transactions and exchanges more difficult; and anyone in possession of banknotes from the above countries is advised to change them into Cyprus pounds before the end of February 2002, since after that the exchange rate will be very high.

Cypriots with accounts (loans, investments, deposit accounts) in one of the 12 currencies involved in the changeover do not need to do anything since their banks will do it for them, according to the current exchange rate.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[02] Driver killed on Christmas Day

Just after 10pm, Panicos Georgiou Raftis, from Yiolou in the Paphos district, and Athos Charalambous, a marine policeman in Latchi, were were heading for Paphos on the Paphos-Polis Chrysochous road, when Raftis lost control of the car, police said.

The car swerved off the road, colliding with a tree on the left hand side, and then bounced off and hit another tree.

Police do not know whether they were wearing seat belts.

Both victims were taken to Paphos General Hospital where Raftis was pronounced dead.

Charalambous is being held in the surgical ward where his condition was yesterday reported to be improving.

Meanwhile police yesterday released the statistics from their national four- day road safety campaign on December 22-26, and compared them to last year.

This year there was a total of 45 car accidents compared to 29 last year. Of the 45 accidents, one was fatal, 13 were serious and 31 were classified as not serious.

There were 58 injuries this year, up six from last year, with one fatality during both periods.

Sixteen people were seriously injured and 42 lightly injured this year compared to 22 seriously injured and 30 lightly injured last year.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[03] Appeal for calm during Denktash visit

THE GOVERNMENT yesterday appealed to people not to cause any trouble when Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash crosses the Green Line tomorrow night for dinner with President Glafcos Clerides.

The Committee for the Relatives of Missing Persons has already said it plans to stage a peaceful protest on the night.

Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said the government believes that any protests against the presence of Denktash in the government-controlled areas will take place within the law.

This will be the first time since the 1974 invasion that Denktash has crossed to the free areas of the island. President Clerides made the first move on December 5 when he crossed to the north on December 5 to dine with Denktash, at the latter's invitation, at his home.

Denktash's visit is reciprocal and comes before the start of face-to-face talks between the two men on January 16.

"There is no cause for concern because the government has faith in the serious and responsible attitude of its people," Papapetrou told his daily press briefing yesterday.

He said that any negative protests by "hot-blooded people" would not be to the benefit of the people of Cyprus.

"I appeal to everybody, but at the same time I am certain that everybody will rise to the occasion and will realise that this Saturday the attention of world public opinion will be on us to see whether Turkish claims that Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots cannot live together have any basis," Papapetrou said.

He said Greek Cypriots must send the message that Greek and Turkish Cypriots are compatriots and show solidarity towards each other.

Replying to questions, the spokesman said Denktash would be attending the dinner as the representative of the Turkish Cypriot community in the same way that Clerides went to the north minus the symbolism of the Republic.

"It is inconceivable for anybody to even consider that Denktash cannot go to dinner at the President's residence and discuss with him the issue of missing persons and enclaved people living in Turkish-occupied Cyprus," the spokesman said.

Papapetrou said Denktash's trip into the free areas will take place without any problems as none are expected to occur.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[04] Four more arrests in insurance scam case

Police said they arrested an officer serving with the marine police and a 24-year-old woman, both from Limassol, and two brothers aged 27 and 21 from Paphos.

The woman is the fiancée of car body repair garage owner Andreas Antoniou, 27, currently being held along with his employee 27-year-old Harris Tsiakkas in connection with staging 15 fake accidents and allegedly receiving hundreds of thousands of pounds in insurance claims between January 2000 and September this year.

The two are also suspected of being behind the bombing of a damage assessor's car in Nicosia in December last year.

Police were alerted to the alleged scams after five insurance companies told them that certain people had been staging accidents on a regular basis after which they submitted insurance claims.

It was also alleged that Antoniou has allegedly threatened repeatedly the lives of insurance company employees who delayed in paying his claims.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[05] Water reserves at a record level

The figure surpasses the December 1991 record of 47 million cubic metres but the overall record is still held by the month of January 1989, when 65 million cubic metres of water flowed into the island's reservoirs in a month.

The government said yesterday there are 64 million cubic metres of water currently behind the dams, representing 23 per cent of total capacity, compared to the same time last year when there were only 24 million cubic metres, some nine per cent of total capacity.

Rainfall for December this year reached 222mm, which was 210 per cent above normal for the month.

The rainiest December on records since 1901 was in 1991, with 308mm of rain corresponding to 292 per cent of normal rainfall for the month.

The irregular ratio of rainfall to water in dams for 1991 and 2001 is because there are more dams today than in 1991.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[06] CY to cut back on meals service

According to the reports no food will be served on flights of less than one hour, which includes Beirut, Damascus, Tel Aviv and Amman. A small snack is usually served on these flights. These have already been cut back to a juice and a sweet.

In February the airline will also cut lunches on meals to Athens, Crete and Salonica, serving cold canapés, juice and coffee instead of a full lunch. The move is being implemented to help the airline cut back on catering costs while offering upgraded meals on flights lasting longer than one and a half hours.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[07] Last minute spree rescues index

Trading opened on a positive note, but half an hour into the session dipped sharply before a last-minute shopping spree in banking stocks brought it up to close in the black.

The blue chips FTSE/CySE index fared slightly better, closing 0.34 per cent up at 520.7 points, while volume stood at £8.3 million.

Most sectors ended in the red with losses ranging from 0.23 per cent in the insurance sector to 4.42 per cent in the fish companies sector.

Gainers ranged from 0.02 per cent in hotels to 1.75 per cent in the financial companies sector.

Banks gained 0.27 per cent thanks to the last-minute interest from the few investors taking an interest in the bourse over the holiday period.

Bank of Cyprus (BOC) and Laiki Bank both made the most-active list. Both banks added one cent each to end at £1.91 and £1.55 respectively.

Overall, 40 titles ended in gains compared to 60 decliners and 46 that remained unchanged.

"There is still very little interest from investors at this time of the year," one broker said. "We really won't be able to make any assessment until trading begins again in the New Year."

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[08] George Meikle funeral today

Meikle was born in Oxfordshire in 1912, and following his graduation from Oxford University he was appointed as a Master for French and Maths in Cyprus. He was later appointed Assistant Commissioner of the Police Force in Cyprus where he worked until 1960.

In 1964 he was awarded the OBE. He carried out a lot of philanthropic work during his life and was a great supporter of the anti-cancer society. He was also a high-ranking official of English masonry in Cyprus.

The funeral will be held at the Anglican Church of St Barnabas in Limassol at 11am, with the burial at the English cemetery at Polemidhia.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[09] Protest over airspace violations

According to a Defence Ministry statement issued yesterday, Turkish military aircraft violated the Nicosia FIR on December 24, 25 and 26.

On December 24, 19 Turkish military aircraft violated Cyprus' national airspace 13 times and violated the Nicosia FIR four times. On Christmas Day 10 Turkish military jets violated Cyprus airspace seven times and Nicosia FIR five times, and on December 26 ten Turkish warplanes violated Republic's airspace ten times and the Nicosia FIR five times.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[10] Tourist reports she was raped

The woman told police that she had been raped by an unknown man at 2.30am while sleeping alone at the home of a friend in Ayia Fyla.

The woman said the assailant was slim, around 25 years old, and had apparently used a key to enter the house.

The man, who was armed with a knife and was wearing a stocking over his head, tied her hands behind her back with tape and gagged her using sticking plaster, she alleged. He then cut her clothes with his knife and raped her.

As soon as the assailant fled the 24-year-old notified her friend and together they went to police and reported the alleged rape.

State Pathologist Eleni Antoniou, who examined the woman yesterday, said she did not find any external marks on her body or arms, which the assailant allegedly taped together behind her back.

Antoniou took DNA samples for further tests while police forensics scanned the house for possible clues.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

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