With Limassol’s skyline rapidly changing and new buildings up to 37 floors high under development, the issue entered the public arena full-force a last month when the Scientific and Technical Chamber’s Limassol District Committee, the Department of Planning and Housing, the Limassol Municipality and the Cyprus Architects Association organised a panel discussion on ‘Tall Buildings’.

The aim was to inform and develop a policy dialogue around high-rise buildings and how they would affect the city of the future.  Here, Limassol Mayor Andreas Christou weighs on the ‘rise of the Limassol high-rise’ in an interview with the Cyprus Mail.

By Stelios Orphanides

A representative for the Cyprus Ports Authority pilots said that they will suspend their strike action on Tuesday morning, and give Dubai Ports and the government a week to accept their proposals or otherwise shut the Limassol port indefinitely.

“We will meet with the representative of Dubai Ports tomorrow at 10 am and the meeting will be completed by 11 am,” Demetris Patsalos, chairman of the independent union of Cyprus Ports Authority workers said in a telephone interview on Monday afternoon. “We are not expending though that there will be a breakthrough. Their representative already informed us that he is not authorised to discuss the matter”.

Pilots at the Limassol ports, employed by the Cyprus Ports Authority and tasked with navigating ships into and out of the Limassol port, entered an indefinite strike on Monday to protest the intention of Dubai Ports to employ non-Cypriot pilots. Dubai Ports won the competition for the port’s marine services and the general cargo operations in March. Patsalos cited a 2011 cabinet decision which prescribes that pilots employed by the Cyprus Ports Authority need to be Cypriot nationals. He also said that national security issues make this necessary and added that this is common practice in other European Union countries.

On its website, the logistics firm G.A.P. Vassilopoulos which is Dubai Port’s partner in the Limassol port, posted vacancies for “skilled Greek and English speaking” staff, including marine pilots. Vassilopoulos was not available for a comment.

“There will be no strike at the port again because of us,” Patsalos said. “We will give them a week to think about our proposal and after that week we will go ahead with an agreement with a (marine services) Greek company or another one from a different EU country”.

“Should however the ministry attempt to change the nationality clause, then the port will be shut once more and will never open again,” Patsalos said adding that according to the terms of the agreement signed by Dubai Ports, “it was clear that they will have to respect the legislation”.

“If they change the clause and our interests are affected, the port will be shut,” Patsalos said in response to a question on how the port will be shut. He added that the ministry vowed many times that it will not attempt to change that clause barring non-Cypriots from becoming pilots at Cypriot ports.

Earlier on Monday, Patsalos said that he expected the parliament “to intervene” without elaborating.

According to the Cyprus News Agency, the Limassol harbour master George Pouros said that there had been no problems in servicing ships on Monday at the port. Transport Minister Marios Demetriades was unavailable for comment.

The commercialisation of the Limassol port which is expected to generate a total of €1.9bn over the next 25 years, was part of Cyprus’s bailout terms agreed with creditors in March 2013 and became possible only after the government agreed to compensate workers and other companies operating at the port and offer Cyprus Ports Authority workers the possibility to early retire.

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of more than 20 round buildings with a diameter of between 3 and 6 metres during excavations at the site of Ayios Tychonas-Klimonas in Limassol, the earliest known village in Cyprus, they said on Tuesday.

According to the Antiquities Department, the buildings were constructed on small terraces, notched into a gentle slope facing the sea.  The walls were built with earth and strengthened with wooden poles and the floors were often plastered.

In most buildings large hearths were discovered, sometimes accompanied by a 30-50 kg millstone.

“These buildings were probably frequently reconstructed, as seen by the multiple layers of remains that were found, one above the other, on the terraces,” the department said.

The buildings are situated around a circular, 10 metre communal building, that was excavated between 2011-2012. The building dates to between 11,200 and 10,600 years BP (Before Present).

The surveys and excavations that have been conducted since, have shown that the village would have covered an area of at least half a hectare.

“This is the earliest known village in Cyprus, and is more than twenty centuries older than Chirokitia,” the department said.
Large quantities of stone tools, stone vessels, stone and shell beads or pendants were also found there.

The animal bones indicate that domestic dogs and cats were already introduced to Cyprus, and that the villagers hunted a small Cypriot wild boar and birds. Intensive sieving provided strong evidence for the cultivation of emmer wheat: a primitive cereal introduced from the continent. At this time, the Ayios Tychonas-Klimonas villagers were hunter-cultivators who did not produce pottery.
The organisation of the village, its architecture, the stone tools and the presence of agriculture and hunting are elements that are very similar to those that have already been identified in the early Pre-Pottery Neolithic Levant, between 11,500 and 10,500 years BP.

“This is the earliest manifestation of an agricultural and village way of life known to date, worldwide,” the department said.

“Ayios Tychonas-Klimonas has demonstrated that, even though Cyprus was separated from the continent by more than 70 km of sea, the island was part of broader Near Eastern Neolithic developments.
The excavations were supported by the department of antiquities,  the French School at Athens, the French Ministère des Affaires Etrangères et du Développement International, the CNRS, the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, the French Institute for Rescue Archaeological Research (INRAP) and the Ayios Tychonas Community Council.

Limassol CID are investigating a case of attempted murder and have arrested a Polish man for questioning following the discovery early Wednesday of a wounded Latvian national in the Mouttagiaka area of the district.

Police received information concerning the bloodied and badly injured 37-year-old man at around 5.45am. He was discovered in a pool of blood in a field and an ambulance was called to the scene taking him to Limassol General Hospital where it was found he bore multiple fractures to his face and also had an epidural hematoma.

Due to the seriousness of his injuries he was transferred to Nicosia General Hospital where he is being kept on life support.

Police say the man was spotted shortly before midnight sitting on bench in the area and were informed some time later that an injured person was lying on the ground.

Investigations carried out at the scene by state pathologist Angeliki Papetta and police yielded information on suspicious movements of people where the Latvian was found.

Information about the incident is unclear and due to the seriousness of his injuries the victim is unable to speak to investigators about the circumstances surrounding it.

Police believe a bomb which exploded outside the entrance of a 40-year old woman’s house in Kapsalos, Limassol early Thursday, was planted by criminals wanting to send a message to her businessman father.

According to police sources, the perpetrators appear to be the same people who on July 9 had placed an explosive device outside the office of the businessman’s partner. This had led to the arrest of a 64-year-old associate of the two who was released Wednesday.

The motives of the perpetrators are thought to concern financial differences and police are not ruling out more arrests.

Limassol court Thursday remanded a 29-year-old man for eight days in connection with the armed robbery of a bakery in Ypsonas committed earlier in the day.

The man, who has occupied the police in the past, denies any involvement, but investigators say they have testimony in their possession from a witness which implicates him.

The robbery took place at around 2.45am when a person armed with a kitchen knife threatened the employee of the bakery, grabbing money from the cash register and escaping in a car.

The 29-year-old was arrested when a patrol car stopped the vehicle he was driving as it matched a description of the one used in the robbery. Reports say the man, was only recently released from prison after serving several years for similar crimes, was identified by his tattoos and the fact that the clothes worn by the perpetrator appear similar to those found in his vehicle

Three police officers and an equal number of eyewitnesses testified Thursday at Limassol court, in the trial of 31-year-old Christakis Thoma who is accused of taking the lives of three people in a frenzied knife attack last November in the busy Anexartisias area of the city.

Thoma, denies the premeditated murders of brothers Parashos and Constantinos Ntorzi, 19 and 21, and Emilios Miltiadous, 24, on the night of November 24 after which he fled the scene but was arrested two days later.

The court first heard the testimony of a police investigator describing what unfolded the night of the killings on the basis of investigations made. A map of the area was presented showing the roughly 500- metre route the perpetrator took when he followed the victims

The officer then testified that Thoma said “I was wrong, I know that I killed three people and do not know how to deal with it.” to police on being arrested.

Thomas argued that everything started when he broke up with a girl he was seeing, who according to him, persuaded the Ntorzi brothers to phone and continually disturb not only him, but one of his two underage children, something he considered a misunderstanding once it was sorted out following the intervention of mutual acquaintances.

However, Thoma said one of the Ntorzi brothers accused him of badmouthing his fianceé and following a telephone conversation, he agreed to meet with them in his father’s souvlakia restaurant on Heroes Square the evening of the killings.

According to Thoma the three youths arrived outside the restaurant and began swearing at him, to which he asked them to sit down and accept his hospitality. He claimed he lost his temper when they continued to curse him and his children, and that when he grabbed a knife to intimidate them, they began to throwing chairs at him.

Thoma then pursued the three young men, while his father followed him, calling him to stop. He also stated that, after he had stabbed Constantinos Ntorzi, the victim’s mobile rang and Thoma saw that it was the victim’s father, to whom he answered saying “Are you happy with what I’ve done to them?” before telling him to come to the restaurant to pick up the cell phone.

Thoma told the court he had not realised he had killed the victims and returned to the restaurant, where the mother of the two brothers arrived and to whom he gave the mobile phone belonging to her son. He continued to work until he found out from the internet that the three were dead.

He then attempted, with the help of friends to make his way to the north of the island but ultimately chose to go to an uninhabited house in Lania, where he was later discovered and arrested, though claims he intended to visit his children and hand himself in to police.

Prosecution lawyer Andreas Aristides presented six witnesses, the fourth of whom said that he saw two of the three victims stumble and fall to the ground during the chase with Thoma kneeling on them and repeatedly stabbing. The witness also said that he did not hear any of the victims swearing.

The sixth witness said he had seen another person, who is also expected to appear as a prosecution witness, follow the perpetrator and ask him to throw away the knife and that Thoma, having placed it behind his waist, under his clothing raised his hands saying he was not holding a knife.

The court fixed the next hearings for July 27 during which more witnesses would be called to testify.

A 14-year-old Turkish Cypriot was arrested on Monday morning after allegedly threatening to set fire to a welfare services office in Limassol.

The youth, who is under the care of the welfare services – his mother having reportedly left the family – is said to have visited the local office asking for cash and for assistance.

After his request was denied, the 14-year-old returned later with a jerry can in hand, claiming it contained petrol and threatening to set the welfare office on fire.

He was later arrested by police, while arrangements were being made for him to be examined by a child psychiatrist.

According to Limassol CID senior officer Ioannis Soteriades, the youth is the same person who was recently arrested along with his 18-year-old brother after they set fire to their father’s apartment.

The 18-year-old is still in police custody in connection with that case, whereas the younger brother, a minor, had been subsequently released.

Limassol police are now investigating a case of threatened assault and illegal entry against the 14-year-old in connection with Monday’s incident.

If gin is mother’s ruin, then the Gin Garden in Limassol may be the ruin of us all. This new bar in the centre of old town Limassol is quite simply THE place to go for gin lovers. Add to the mix, the great ambiance that it comes with and you have a recipe for success.

If you know the old town of Limassol well, there is very little chance of you not having noticed the old mansion that has kept its doors sealed closed for many years right in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of everything. This summer though, its beautiful garden has become what we now call ‘Gin Garden’. Nothing beats sitting there, surrounded by the faded grandeur of the place and the glorious garden.

Obviously, the place is gin galore and has the most varied gin menu in town. There are plenty of gin-based cocktails to choose from with different gins –

Tanqueray and Plymouth to name but two – all beautifully served with peel shavings in a variety of combinations. And, of course, there’s the gin and tonic. But it’s no ordinary one – here both the gin and the tonics come in different varieties, all mixed in unique combinations.

Regardless of the name, do not avoid the place if you’re not a gin lover. The bar is more than happy to accommodate and provide other deliciously refreshing cocktails as well.

Gin Garden, a summer spot, should not be missed. Drinks are great prices, service is always found with a friendly smile, and the injection of young laid-back nightlife makes the experience something to seek out.

Specialty: Gin Bar
Where: Opposite Il Posto
Contact: 25-361362
Prices: ranging between 6-10 euro

The buzz of Limassol’s city centre has an undeniable appeal and has been the hub of the dining and nightlife experience for a few years now. And why not? The graphic architecture blended with an air of modernity and an easy and effortless summer vibe is an unbeatable combination. Library does exactly this, combining a jazzy summer vibe with great food and drinks and an elegantly simple atmosphere.

Minimalism is this bar-restaurant’s motto. Don’t expect much colour – white and grey predominate – but the odd splash of colour adds real style. Its simplicity is evident, and adds to the appeal. The use of concrete blocks throughout the bar complete the modernist theme. The bare walls, meanwhile, are the perfect backdrop to the venue’s art display.

The simple décor is reflected in the menu and the presentation of the dishes; not many options to choose from but all equally good. You should never knock a small menu; it invariably means less pre-prepared food, better quality and fresher ingredients. Best thing on the menu for me are the juicy burgers made with premium quality beef. Let me reiterate though, simplicity is key here, so the simpler the better, and I just opted for the standard cheese burger. It came served on a wooden platter, with an assortment of French fries. Another bright spot are the pizzas. What I love about the pizzas in Library, they are not too bready and drowned in greasy fatty residue; they are as Italian as you can get with a thin and crispy bread dough as a perfect base for the ingredients on top. Keeping up with the less is more mood of the night since heavy dishes are a nightmare in this heat, my companion opted for a Margherita pizza. Its size was quite satisfying and they loved the tomato sauce base but wanted more of the ingredients on the pizza. There was just too much dough.

Library is also building up a solid reputation as a brunch venue. Sunday brunches are the new thing here, and I have indulged many times. With all the brunch staples like scrambled eggs, American style pancakes etc. what put a smile on my face was seeing the Huevos Rancheros pop up; something unique and not easy to find.

All in all, Library is a great place to try. It offers location, drinks, food and atmosphere; a perfect combination for a lazy brunch or a quiet night out.

VITAL STATISTICS
Specialty: Bar- Restaurant
Where: 1 Themidos Street
Contact: 25 361 362 / 99 41 22 44
Work hours: Tue-Sun, 5:00 pm – 2:00 am

A 62-year-old Limassol man wanted in connection with taking a large deposit some five years ago for the sale of a piece of land he had nothing to do with, was arrested following his extradition Wednesday from Greece.

In August 2011, a 65-year-old man reported to police that the apprehended man had presented himself as the manager of the property in Monagrouli, Limassol district and had secured from him a down payment of €45,000 towards the sale price of €250,000. The suspect had told the potential buyer the field belonged to another person who had appointed him to sell it.

The fraud was uncovered after police contacted the 63-year-old owner of the land who is a Cypriot residing in England who said that he had never appointed or agreed with anyone to sell his property.

An international arrest warrant was issued by the authorities after they could not get hold of the suspect for questioning and came to the conclusion he had fled abroad.

The man was arrested by the Limassol CID who are investigated a case of conspiracy to commit a felony, forgery, presenting forged documents, impersonation and extortion under false pretences.

The man was extradited after Greek police identified and arrested him last month.

• Developers and landowners making it increasingly difficult for the public to access beaches
• Coastline needs coordinated management
• Private beach party causes spat in Akamas 
• Check out the Cyprus Mail’s – ‘Best Beaches Guide.’  This week is Avdimou Bay in the Limassol District

Peyia residents, fed up that access to five of their beaches is becoming increasingly restricted, have appealed to authorities to challenge big developers and private land owners who have closed access roads to popular beaches.

Even Coral Bay beach has not been immune. An area of privately owned land right above the bay, had previously been used as a car park and one of several access points to the beach, but this was recently cordoned off.

Andreas Evlavis, the district secretary of the Paphos branch of the Cyprus Green party told the Sunday Mail that they had received numerous complaints from locals.

“Problems with developers encroaching on land at the coast is happening all over Cyprus and it’s not legal. But this seem to be particularly prevalent in Paphos and people are making a lot of complaints,” said Evlavis. “Hotels and businesses are blocking access to the coast and this is a problem that Paphos has been facing for a number of years.”

In particular, residents are complaining about illegalities and restricted access to popular beaches and coastal areas along the stunning Sea Caves area in Peyia.

Maniki beach

As well as Coral Bay beach, there are reportedly four further areas with restricted access, the first is a beach which makes up part of Laourou, (the stretch of Corallia Bay made up of four smaller bays), and two at the Sea Caves area- Maniki beach and Kafizis (fisherman’s) beach. In addition, access is often restricted to Toxeftra Beach- a turtle nesting ground- in the Akamas.

An area of ‘Laourou’, found between the Coral Bay Hotel and Thalassa Hotel is impossible to access and has been for the last 20 years. Residents say that it is supposed to have a designated public access point and could also be an area where the municipality could provide services and create an income.

Further along the coastline, Maniki beach has been ‘taken over’ by a luxury development. The municipality applied more than five years ago to designate this as an official beach, but the process stalled, as its part of the Natura 2000 area and so of special conservational interest.

There has already been uproar at the area previously, after developers bulldozed a lot of it, according to Evlavis.

Kafizi which is a little further along was previously accessible along a dirt road. These unofficial roads were on private land, and a developer has now closed this off and vehicle access has disappeared, according to the Green party member.

People now have to park their vehicles on the tarmacked road and make a long trek along a manmade pathway to the coast, making access far more difficult.

Another area facing problems is the turtle breeding ground of Toxeftra beach in the Akamas. Evlavis noted that sunbeds and umbrellas which have been placed there by a local businessman for a number of years are not permitted.

The storm of complaints, in particular concerning a lack of road access to Maniki and Kafizi, has given the ammunition Peyia councillor Linda Leblanc needs to push the council to take action.

She said that both are hugely popular and residents are now “very angry about it”. She said that public access has been destroyed and this is forcing the council to look at it more closely. She suggested that a dirt track, as the area is part of Natura 2000, would be a good idea to allow fishermen and the disabled closer access to the water.

“We need to address these problems now. The coastline is a wonderful heritage and we are destroying it. There is no conservation,” she said. “But Peyia is finally starting to look at these instances in a way it never has done before and Coral Bay is the catalyst for change. We have to respect the public’s right to go to the seashore, no-one owns it, it’s not private. These practices need to be controlled and people need to be fined.”

The councillor said that in 2013, following the economic meltdown, external controls came into play to try and make the local authorities more viable and to maximise income. This led to the creation of the National Beaches Committee.

“There were so many illegalities on Peyia beaches, it was a shambles. Some people were licensed, some were not. This gave us an opportunity to clear all of the illegals away.”

One Peyia resident, who has enjoyed fishing at the Sea Caves area for the last thirty years, and only wanted to be identified as George, said that he is fed up with big businesses doing ‘what they want’ in the area and closing off access to the sea to locals who have used the area for generations and to visitors too.

“It is very difficult to get to some of the areas I used to go to along the Sea Caves, I have complained to the mayor and I hope he will fix the problem.”

Evlavis said that action must be taken to ensure the public has access to the coast at all times.

“Peyia must now do something about it,” he said.

Coastline needs coordinated management

According to a past report by the auditor-general, there is a total lack of coordinated management when it comes to the island’s beaches, a lack of oversight by local authorities, a lack of environmental policies, and unchecked development.

In a lengthy audit of the situation, he called on the interior ministry to take action.

According to the report the competent authority, the Cyprus Beach Committee, is unable to effectively oversee the island’s coastlines, opting instead to delegate the task to local authorities.

“There is no approved, general course of action on how to best manage a beach. Community and municipality councils decide on how to best to manage a beach and their decisions vary depending on the situation,” the report said.

The report also noted that employees in district offices tasked with carrying out inspections on beaches almost never do. In some cases, local authorities didn’t even bother with appointing anyone to that post.

There is also a pending proposal before the House on amendments to the Forest (Allocation of State Forest Land) Regulations, which aim to reduce the necessary distance allowed for the leasing or making available of coastal forest land from 500 to 100m from the sea.

Once this distance to the beach protection zone is decreased it will make it possible for the cabinet to lease it for “reasons of public benefit”, detractors say.

The regulations, thwarted by continued protests for the time being, was the first of three bills being used by the government to push for the appropriation and privatisation of forests, beaches, the coastline, the sea and the commons.

The more insidious of the government bills was an item giving the interior minister powers to issue a permit, by decree, for any development, without the need to go through the town planning department.

Critics said this would create a super fast-track procedure for initiating coastline developments, effectively negating the requirement for any environmental impact assessments prior to acquiring the relevant permits.

Completing the trifecta for privatising the commons was a third bill – also drafted by the interior ministry – which included the sea into the definition of “real estate.”

Activists accused the government of being willing to allow investors exclusive access to Cyprus’ beaches – which are all designated public land.

The article in the controversial bill reads: “The definition of the term ‘real estate’ now includes marine space, which with developments or activities or facilities is connected directly or indirectly with private property, as is defined in the legislation.”

Private beach party causes spat in Akamas

Neo Chorio community leader, Andreas Christodoulou with a truck of rubbish after the clean up

The commonly held view is that all beaches in the republic are owned by the state and therefore the public can access every centimetre of the coast.

The truth is a less clear cut, as a spat over a recent private party on a remote Akamas beach highlighted.

Swimmers at Ayios Nicolaos, an area which is only accessible by 4×4 vehicles or via boat from the sea, took to social media a few weeks ago to express their outrage after they were told to leave and remove their belongings as preparations for a beach party for ‘celebrities’ connected to a nearby five star hotel needed to get underway.

The area is privately owned and has belonged to a local businessman since the early 1960s, according to the Neo Chorio community leader, Andreas Christodoulou.

“This is a private area and the owners don’t need permission to hold a party here, it’s up to them what they do there,” he said.

“This is not what I would describe as a ‘beach’. It is a small bay which is accessed from the owner’s garden above by a 4×4,” added the community leader’s wife.

She said that the owner only holds events at his ‘small bay’ every couple of years for special occasions, which he is allowed to do, as he is the legal owner of the area and has been for decades.

Green party MP and former environment commissioner, Charalambous Theopemptou explained that although the island’s coastline is ‘owned’ by the government on behalf of the public, there are specific instances where ownership is ambiguous and needed clarification. Here, it is in the in the hands of the interior minister, who has the right to declare areas 10m up to the water line as a public beach.

The MP, who called the police and the Paphos District office after the disgruntled beach goers contacted him via Facebook, said that even if the land is privately owned, the bay is in a protected area and party organisers would need to obtain a special permit from the Paphos District Office.

Although Theopemptou could not comment on the legalities of this particular beach, he explained that there were a number of different reasons why the owner could be claiming the land as his.

Ayios Nicolaos beach

“If the owner bought a beach front property, and corrosion by the sea has eroded away the beach – you can look at the land register and it could say that his limits extend into the water. I know of one case where a hotel built into the water, using this point,” he said.

“Secondly, the minister has the right to define what is a beach – “up to 100 yards from where the water breaks”. The specified distance is in yards, as the law dates from the 1960s and is part of the constitution. “If the minister hasn’t defined it, it could be owned as ‘their’ land. But this goes against the law and the minister has the power to declare it a beach.”

Thirdly, the Green MP noted that there if there is no direct access, such as a track or road, the owner could say that access was through his property. It is this point that is complicating access to some beaches in Peyia.

For the community leader and his wife, however, the issue of ownership is not the main issue. Christodoulou said the dozens of illegal campers and piles of rubbish they leave behind is far more important.

“So many people come to our village and the surrounding areas, especially during the summer, as it’s so beautiful,” said Christodoulou. “But they leave everything here. Broken umbrellas, a lot of rubbish and who will clean this up or pay to have this cleaned up; why don’t people complain about that?”

His wife explained how, in contrast, organisers of the businessman’s party had cleared away every scrap of rubbish.

Christodoulou was so incensed with the litter left lying about that he and two employees visited the area recently to clean up bags of garbage which had been left behind by weekend visitors and illegal campers.

“Camping is not allowed in the Akamas and yet people come here. Everyone has to start cleaning up after themselves, it makes me so angry. I love the Akamas and I urge people to keep it clean.”

Check out the Cyprus Mail’s – ‘Best Beaches Guide.’  This week is Avdimou Bay in the Limassol District

A 21-year-old man from Romania has been remanded in Limassol for eight days after he admitted that he along with two compatriots of his,  stole items from various shops worth €3,000.

Police are searching for the whereabouts of the two other men.

The 21-year-old was arrested after he was reported by the manager of a shop in MY MALL, in Limassol, who said he saw the man stealing clothing articles and placing them in a bag. The bag was lined with a special material which did not set the alarm at the shop.

The suspect told police he arrived in Cyprus for holiday with his friends. All three, he said, stole from a number of shops. The stolen items were estimated at €3,000.

In the second part of our interviews with the mayor of Limassol, Andreas Christou talks to the Cyprus Mail about the success of Limassol as a multicultural society and how all sorts of people are able to live side by side without conflict.

The Nicosia-Limassol highway was closed to traffic at noon Monday, after a lorry overturned near Governors’ Beach in Limassol district, a police statement said.

According to the statement, both lanes to Limassol have been closed, with traffic diverted to the old single-lane Nicosia-Limassol road from the Zygi exit.

Police urge drivers to be extremely careful and patient, drive at low speed, maintain a safe distance from other cars, and comply with traffic signs and traffic police instructions.

The lorry’s driver was injured lightly in the incident.

Charges on three cases of fraud at the Ayia Fyla Co-op, which are likely to be tried concurrently, were not filed on Monday, as was initially scheduled, as the criminal court granted a postponement request by the defence, setting August 30 as the next hearing date.

Thirteen people are facing charges in connection with taking out over €20 million in loans from the co-op with inadequate or non-existent collateral, including three businessmen, the director of a private company, and the co-op’s secretary, as well as the Loans Approval Department chief and members of the lender’s commission – a body similar in function to a board of directors.

Some of the defendants are involved in two, or all three, of the cases.

The first case relates to nine loans worth a total €4,5 million, the second 11 loans for a total €11,9 million, and the third another nine loans worth €4,6 million, which eventually reached €8,8 million after penalties for non-payment kicked in.

All three cases present with identical methods, with loans being approved with fake – or even non-existent – collateral, while individuals bribed into signing on as loan guarantors were unknowingly recorded as primary borrowers.

On Monday, the court voiced concern over the fact that charges have not yet been filed, but conceded that the cases are unusually complex, given the number of defendants, charges, and witnesses expected to be called to testify.

Eight defendants appeared in court in connection with the second case, with the defence objecting to the inclusion of conspiracy in the charge list.

State prosecutor Andreas Aristides argued that the nature of these cases necessitate the inclusion of conspiracy, but, when asked to comment, the defence asked for time before presenting its arguments.

The court thus approved the postponement of all three cases, given that they may be tried concurrently.

The defendants were released on conditions.

Mr Costas Tseriotis, Managing Director of L’ Union Nationale (Tourism and Sea Resorts) Limited is pleased to announce that on July 4^th, 2016, an agreement has been reached with Starwood Hotels & Resorts (soon, Marriott International) for the use of its Luxury Collection Brand in association with its 5-star deluxe beach resort property, the PARKLANE in Limassol, designed by The Harrods Design Studio, is currently undergoing a €70,000,000 reconstruction and is scheduled to open its doors in late 2017.

Located on 100,000m² of waterfront land, the PARKLANE, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, will consist of 53 suites, most with their own private pools, and 222 luxury guestrooms. Among the extensive facilities on offer, will be a 2,000m² conference centre with a state-of-the-art 1,000m² theatrical Ballroom, 10 restaurant and bar outlets, a 2,700m² Thalasso spa including 3 Russian Bagna Suites, and 3 beautifully designed outdoor swimming pools, including a seawater pool. In addition, there will also be the Princess & the Pirate Kids‘ Park consisting of a 400m² Castle, a lake with a Pirate Ship, water-games and a Kids‘ Restaurant.

According to Mr Costas Tseriotis, “our vision is to create the leading international, upscale resort in Cyprus, where guests love to stay, experiencing personalized attentive service and enjoying exciting cuisine. The 600 associates, inspired by the desire to serve and supported by a high caliber training program, will deliver quality, friendly service“.

THE trial of 31-year-old Christakis Thoma, accused of killing three people in a frenzied knife attack in Limassol’s busy Anexartisias area last November, continued under tight security on Wednesday with the deposition of facts accepted by both the prosecution and defence.

Following the brief process, which included testimony from two police officers, the accused was returned to prison. The trial is set to continue on September 22.

Thoma denies the premeditated murders of brothers Paraschos and Constantinos Ntorzi, 19 and 21, and Emilios Miltiadous, 24, on the night of November 24 after which he fled the scene, but was caught and arrested two days later.

At the last hearing, Thoma maintained everything had started when he broke up with a girlfriend who had persuaded the Ntorzi brothers to phone and continually harass him and one of his two underage children. Thomas said he considered this a misunderstanding which was sorted out after intervention by mutual acquaintances.

However, one of the Ntorzi brothers who was now engaged to the girl, accused Thoma of badmouthing his fiancée leading to a telephone conversation in which the two agreed to meet at Thoma’s father’s restaurant in Heroes Square.

The three youths arrived and began swearing at him outside the restaurant and Thoma said he asked them to sit down and accept his hospitality. He told the court he lost his temper when they continued to curse him and his children, grabbing a knife to intimidate them at which point they began throwing chairs at him.

He then pursued them with his father in tow yelling at him to stop. Not realising they were dead after stabbing them in the street, he returned to the restaurant and continued work until finding out from the internet that the three were dead.

Police on Wednesday afternoon arrested two 15-year-old boys and were seeking two more, 16, in connection with a moped theft in Limassol.

While the owner was reporting the theft to police a 15-year-old was brought into the station after he was caught riding a moped without a helmet, insurance, and a driving licence.

The owner recognised the moped as his and said it was damaged and had items stolen from it.

When questioned, the 15-year-old claimed he had bought the vehicle. He named another 15-year-old with whom he had negotiated the sale of the bike, which supposedly belonged to two 16-year-olds.

Police proceeded to identify and arrest the second 15-year-old and are trying to identify the two 16-year-olds.

Police on Thursday arrested a 36-year-old woman, a Limassol forex company employee, in connection with trying to sell client personal data to competitors.

The case was reported to police by the company’s manager after the suspect’s computer had been checked and it was determined that she had copied the information on a flash drive.

It was then confirmed that the woman was looking to sell the information to competitors.

Police had someone approach the woman pretending to be interested in purchasing the information for €6,500.

A meeting was arranged for Thursday evening at a cafeteria in Limassol where the exchanged was meant to take place.

As soon as the woman took the cash, officers made their appearance and arrested her. Police said the suspect admitted the accusations and was expected to be brought before court on Friday.