A fire caused extensive damage to the second floor of a building housing a law firm in Limassol early on Friday morning.

The fire service was notified about the blaze in the Solomonides Shipping building in Franklin Roosevelt avenue in Limassol at 3.41am.

Six fire engines and a telescopic platform were used to extinguish the fire, which was put under control by 4.37am.

Police are investigating reports made against a Limassol kindergarten teacher who is alleged to have dragged a five-year-old child in her care some six metres by the legs.

The incident, which was reported by other parents, is said to have occurred on Monday. They say they saw the 58-year-old carer dragging the child from the yard of the Yermasoyia playschool into a classroom.

Limassol CID spokesman Yiannis Sotiriades said the incident was first brought to the attention of the welfare department and subsequently police who are investigating.

“A criminal casefile has now been completed which will be sent to the attorney-general’s office for further consideration and a decision on how it will be handled.”

He said the 58-year-old was questioned and gave some assertions which were being investigated.

Although they did find themselves a place in the record books for the most people in a human chain holding towels hundreds of people in Limassol on Saturday still sent a message of support to those with autism.

Organised by the Something Magical Always Happens group in Limassol, the event saw people of all ages gather in the Ayios Antonios stadium bring a towel with them to beat a record made in Italy with 1,646 people taking part.

The event also aimed to promote the first international conference on autism that is taking place in Paphos in November, which will be held under the auspices of the President and the minister of health.

Saipem’s pipelayer Castoro Sei (Beaver Six) was fully ensconced at Limassol port on Sunday before starting work on underwater pipelines for Egypt’s giant Zohr gasfield.

The Zohr gas field was discovered by Eni in August 2015, using the drillship Saipem 10000, which is still operating in the area.

The ‘floating factory’ Castoro Sei will remain in Cyprus for six months and is expected to boost the local economy, according to Limassol harbour master Giorgos Pouros.

According to Saipem, the scope of work encompasses the installation of a 26-inch gas export trunkline and 14-inch and 8-inch service trunklines, as well work for the field development in deep water (up to 1700 metres) of six wells and the installation of the umbilical system. Work will is due to be completed by the end of 2017.

In order to ensure that the accelerated development schedule is met, Saipem said it would mobilise a fleet of vessels to carry out offshore operations, consisting of the ultra-deepwater last generation pipelayer Castorone, the semisubmersible pipelayer Castoro Sei, the trench/pipelay barge Castoro 10, and other specialised vessels.

According to CNA, the Castoro Sei, which is 152 metres in length and 70.5 metres wide, has come from Greece and will be docked at Limassol for the next six months, utilising the port’s services.

“It is a vindication of the right infrastructure that we have, because although this platform will work for Zohr, the company chose to use the port of Limassol due to the services offered by both the port and by our private sector,” Pouros told CNA.

“We have won this first battle in the competition that exists around us,” he said, adding that he believed this would encourage other companies to choose Limassol port future for their activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The choice of Cyprus by Saipem came about after intensive efforts and consultations, said agent’s Atlas Offshore Operations. The company’s Philip Shoemaker said it was the first time Cyprus has hosted such a platform.

“This floating plant will bring many economic benefits to the place,” he told CNA, adding that it would have around 180 people working 24 hours a day. This would benefit local business, the port itself, the airports, hotels and restaurants.The platform provides accommodation for 354 persons.

The Castoro Sei arrived off Cyprus on Saturday and mooring began early on Sunday with the help of four towing vessels, a process that lasted more than three hours.

The platform was built in 1978 by Fincantieri at Trieste yard, and is owned and operated by Saipem. Her port of registry is Nassau, Bahamas.

It has been used for laying a number of pipelines in the Black Sea, North Sea and Mediterranean. The vessel was also deployed for laying the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea.

PHOTOS: CNA

A 16-year-old boy was killed in Limassol on Sunday evening after being thrown from a motorbike and being run over by a bus.

The victim, Yazan Alnwaihi was a passenger on the motorbike which overturned and hit a vehicle in front of it at around 5pm. This caused both men to fall from the bike. The passenger landed on the side of the road and was hit by a bus, leaving him critically injured.

The teen, a Limassol resident whose father is Jordanian and whose mother is Cypriot was transferred to Limassol hospital where he died from his injuries shortly before 8pm.

The driver of the motorbike, an 18-year-old friend of the victim, initially fled the scene. Later on, around 8pm, he turned himself in at a Limassol police station accompanied by a relative and was arrested.

Limassol court on Monday remanded for eight days a 22-year-old man in connection with possession and intent to supply cannabis.

At around 11.30pm on Sunday, following a tip-off that drugs were being sold, Limassol drug squad secured a judicial warrant and carried out a search of the Mesa Yitonia home of the man. Inside the house they found and seized as evidence, three grinders used to crush cannabis with traces of the drug in them.

A further search of the man’s car, which was parked outside his residence, yielded four nylon bags containing a total of 4.8 kg of the drug.

The 22-year-old, was taken to the Limassol offices of the drug squad where he was arrested under a judicial warrant and detained to facilitate investigations.

The suspect, who was known to police after coming to their attention for similar, if smaller amounts, is reported to having admitted to the drugs belong to him.

Limassol police said on Monday they believe a foreign gang is behind the latest in a spate of burglaries targeting the rich in the city, with a Russian woman the latest victim.

“They watch luxury flats and houses,” said Limassol CID spokesman Ioannis Sotiriades, calling on the public to “take measures to secure and protect properties”. He urged them to report to police any suspicious activities they may observe.

Sotiriades was speaking after the latest break-in where burglars forced their way in to a first floor apartment while the occupants were out, stealing €32,500 in cash and four watches worth over €23,000.

Retail rentals on Makarios Avenue and Stasikratous in Nicosia have fallen to €20-€25 per square metre, which is €10 cheaper per square metre than Ledra Street, once the poor cousin of what were the two leading shopping hubs in the capital.

A report on property prices for the first six months of 2016, released on Monday by Danos, an alliance member of BNP Paribas Real Estate, showed that retail space on Ledra Street now goes for €30-€35 per square metre.

The report did say however that the lower prices were helping to attract more retailers to the cheaper areas.

At the same time, it said, the economic crisis as well as the tendency of consumers towards malls or department stores had negatively affected the city centres in both Nicosia and Limassol.

“Consumers are now attracted by the more convenient conditions to do their shopping combined with entertainment and fun,” it said.

“The convenience of easy parking, accessible to all climatic conditions, makes a visit to a single spot where one finds shopping entertainment and eating out under one roof make malls the ideal place suitable for all ages.”

This had resulted in a slight decrease in retail market values on average throughout Cyprus of 0.5 per cent.

On office space, the report said that during the first half of 2016, the market in Cyprus demonstrated an upward trend compared to the previous six months.

The purchase of offices and industrial properties rose 1.5 per cent and 1.2 per cent respectively.

“The office market unexpectedly is performing relatively well focusing in the cities of Nicosia and Limassol. Demand is mainly for Grade A office in prime location,” said the report.

Foreign investment, it added, had shown interest in properties that would give a rate of return of between 5.5–7 per cent.

On residential properties, the report said prices in the first six months appeared to recover at an average of 1.5 per cent and 1.2 per cent for houses and flats respectively. The biggest increased in value appear to be in the Famagusta area of 4.1 per cent, and in Paphos, for houses, 5.6 per cent.

The increases, the report said, were a result of the recovery of confidence in the market.

“Although, the transactions for residential properties kept low again during the first six months of 2016, the quantity of deals was higher than the respective period of 2015,” it added.

A positive factor was the stable reduction in unemployment. “However, potential buyers continue to struggle to secure funding from banks in order to purchase properties and this is what keeps the market low in general.”

Lifeguards at Governor’s Beach near Limassol had to raise the red flag and ban people from going into the sea on Monday because of pollution which caused itching and burning eyes.

It is believed to have been caused by a passing ship and it was not the first time beachgoers around Limassol had experienced pollution attributed to vessels going through the area.

According to the Cyprus News Agency, there have been dozens of complaints about the issue.

“Until now, the state has not assumed its responsibility with regard the cleanliness of the sea, its supervision, prevention, and cleaning, excluding oil spills,” Limassol Mayor Andreas Christou said.

He stressed that despite efforts by the municipality, there have not been effective decisions on the matter but there have been “endless discussions and a search of who is responsible, perhaps because of the imminent elections.”

Last Thursday, the mayor said, he had convened a meeting at the environment department “where other government departments did not even bother to come.”

He charged that there was no will to take a political decision to set up a coordinating body, to appoint a head of service with powers and resources for all stages of maritime surveillance, that is identifying, punishing those who pollute and removing pollution.

The problems have been identified before. The auditor-general’s report from 2014 sheds some light on problems with boats’ waste disposal.

“The responsibility for supervising proper waste disposal by boats is spread across too many services, with no clear indication as to who is in charge. Regular inspections are not carried out and no one was ever punished for violating the law,” the report said.

Indeed, apart from the municipality, the fisheries department, the department of merchant shipping, the ports authority, the environment department, and the health services are all involved, but nobody is in charge of coordinating their efforts.

Currently, the fisheries department, which is under the agriculture ministry, is responsible for oil spills and looking after fish farms only.

The department of merchant shipping, under the transport ministry, is responsible for the proper enforcement of all relevant laws and regulations. But to investigate a violation someone has to file a report first.

The ports authority is responsible for collecting garbage in the port and checking ship records whereas the environment department is in charge of land-based garbage dumped in the sea, such as illegal dumping via pipes. The department also takes samples of sea water and together with the health service’s state lab they test it and notify the department of merchant shipping in case of problems.

“We have been receiving complaints, especially in the Limassol area,” Chrystalla Stylianou from the environment department said. “However, though there have been visual problems such as foam we have not found contamination when we carried out lab tests.” Stylianou had not yet looked into the incident at Governor’s beach when contacted by the Cyprus Mail.

A study carried out by the University of technology (TEPAK) last year identified possible solutions to keep the sea clean.

Mayor Christou recalled on Monday that following the study the municipality took the initiative to purchase a boat with a special container to collect the solid waste found in the sea, adding that such waste can be found often.

As another result of the study dispersants are used by the municipality to combat oil slicks.

Other suggested solutions which have not yet been implemented are biological cleaning and installing a sensor system to detect pollution.

Despite the pollution detected at Governor’s Beach and his comments on Monday, the Limassol mayor said in a press conference two weeks ago that in general the water quality is excellent and the microbiological load is low.

Power has been diverted from elsewhere to give electricity to the two Limassol areas that experienced a power cut until damage is restored, the utility’s spokeswoman Christina Papadopoulou said on Tuesday.

The power cuts, one in Limassol city centre and the other on the eastern part of the town, were due to damage to an underground cable, she said.

“It was not due to overload,” Papadopoulou told the Cyprus Mail. She added that the damage in the city centre, spanning from Heroes square up to Makarios Avenue, occurred at around 1.10pm, and electricity was restored at 2.30pm.

The power cut in the eastern part of town, which affected beach hotels, Papadopoulou said, occurred at around the same time and electricity was restored at around 3pm.

“The electricity given to these two areas was diverted from elsewhere, while crews are still working to restore the damage,” she said.

Designer sunglasses worth around €8,500 were reported stolen early on Wednesday from a Limassol shop.

According to police reports, the robbery occurred early Wednesday at a shop on Makarios Avenue in Limassol. Employees had been alerted by the alarm system, but when they arrived they found the entrance had been broken into and the thieves already gone.

The perpetrators stole 150 pairs of sunglasses with a total value of around €8,500.

The same shop had been broken into in the past. The stolen items were not insured.

The largest-ever cocaine haul in Cyprus, 156kg, with an estimated street value north of €15 million, was uncovered by authorities on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off and after an operation spanning several days, the drug squad (YKAN) tracked down the stash at a customs warehouse in Zakaki, at a location north of the port of Limassol.

Over a hundred packages filled with high-quality cocaine had been crammed into the fuel containers of three generators stored at the warehouse.

By nighttime, police had managed to extract all the cocaine packages, with a total gross weight of 156kg.

According to Gavriel Gavriel, head of the drug squad (YKAN), the illegal cargo arrived in Cyprus in two shipments, in April and May.

The cargo originated somewhere in South America, passing through a number of European ports before arriving in Limassol.

Responding to a question, Gavriel said police believe the cargo would have been re-exported, “although we cannot be sure whether part of the quantity [of the cocaine] would have remained here.”

He said the drug squad’s operation began a few days ago, in collaboration with “a corresponding agency in another country.”

No arrests have been made to date. Police here were working with Interpol and Europol.

Both shipments containing the narcotics originated in Chile, police sources later told the Cyprus Mail.

They confirmed this was the largest cocaine seizure ever made in Cyprus.

The same sources told the Mail that the cocaine appeared to be of high quality.

Cocaine in Cyprus goes for anywhere between €80 and €120 per gram, they said.

In Nicosia, it usually sells for around €80 per gram, and for €100 in Limassol.

Police would not comment on the final destination of the drugs, although the Netherlands was mentioned by some local media outlets.

Although it appears that Cyprus was not the intended market, the 156 kg discovered would fetch here some €15.6 million using an average value of €100 per gram.

Back in March of 2015, just over 100kg of cocaine were found and seized by police in a car near Mouttayiaka, Limassol.

Acting on a tip, the drug squad cut off a car, as well as a second vehicle following it, to carry out a search, which revealed two suitcases filled with cocaine, packed in round tubes.

AT THE start of the week, lifeguards at Governor’s Beach raised the red flag and prevented people from entering the sea because it was polluted with oil and solid waste. The pollution is an ongoing problem in the sea off Limassol and is usually caused by passing ships emptying their septic tanks in the water, several kilometres off the coast. According to reports there had been several occasions when faeces were brought in by the tide.

It is an unacceptable situation, which our labyrinthine state authorities have been unable to tackle even though our beaches are the tourism industry’s main selling point. In a country, the economy of which depended on tourism, the authorities would have been mobilised and put together an action plan to prevent this from happening. In our bureaucratic state, however, a range of government departments have different powers with the result that none of them has ultimate responsibility for dealing with the problem. Instead representatives of the departments sit together at meetings, pass the buck and take no decisions.

Mayor of Limassol Andreas Christou said that a week ago a meeting was called at the environment department, but “other government departments did not even bother to come.” The mayor set the problem in its true context when he said nobody wanted to take a political decision and set up a body that would have overall responsibility for the matter, ensuring there is no dumping of waste, fining offenders and carrying out inspections.

It is not such a difficult thing to set up, but nobody seems willing to take responsibility, even though the problem was identified in the auditor-general’s 2014 report, which said “the responsibility for supervising proper waste disposal by ships is spread across too many services with no clear indication as to who is in charge.” It also noted that “regular inspections are not carried out and no-one was ever punished for violating the law.”

Among the government services with some responsibility are the ports authority, the fisheries department, the environment department, the department of merchant shipping, the health services, and the tourism ministry for marinas, which means four different ministries are involved. In effect we have a do-nothing policy and the law is not enforced (as noted by auditor-general), because nobody is in charge. The irony is that there are scores of under-occupied, highly-paid officials at the four ministries who could be put in charge of a central authority with overall responsibility for keeping the seas clean.

Limassol municipality has invested in a boat to collect solid waste from the sea, but this quite clearly is not enough. Meanwhile, the media criticism has spurred some action with Limassol port authorities yesterday embarking on the inspection of all vessels sailing off Limassol or anchored in the port while the environment department took samples for testing. This is a start, but it is not the answer, because once the publicity ends the departments will return to doing nothing. The government needs to set up a service with overall responsibility for keeping our seas clean.

The front entrance and exterior walls of a Limassol house owned by a 41-year-old man were damaged extensively early Friday from an explosion.

The blast, which occurred around ten minutes past midnight, was caused by a high-power improvised explosive device placed at the front door of the house. There is no damage estimate yet.

Investigations continue, police said.

A 32-year-old man from Limassol was arrested on Friday after allegedly injuring a 38-year-old man with a knife on the hands and face, but not seriously, during a row.

According to reports, at around 2am the 38-year-old broke into the house of his former girlfriend, 42, and he had a heated argument with the 32-year-old who is currently in a relationship with the woman.

The 38-year-old reported to the police he was stabbed in the face and arm by the younger man who fled after the row.

He was located and arrested later in the morning. The 32-year-old’s arm was also injured by what was believed to be a sharp object.

Police said the suspect made a number of claims that are being investigated.

The people responsible for trafficking the record amount of cocaine seized on Thursday went to great lengths to conceal their load, which without the intelligence received, would never had been discovered using scanners or other mechanical detectors.

“This is a huge success of the Cyprus authorities,” said Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou on Friday congratulating police and customs for their work. “As the drugs were hidden in especially constructed spaces they could not have been discovered using special scanning equipment”

Nicolaou praised the officers involved saying “We have people in the police who conscientiously carry out their responsibilities, doing dangerous work which puts their lives at risk.”

Authorities found 142 packages with 156 kilos of the drug in secret compartments inside the fuel tanks of two generators stored in a bonded warehouse near Limassol port, according to Police Chief Zacharias Chrysostomou.

“The discovery of the drugs was extremely difficult and the success in its detection was due to the persistent efforts of our members.”

“From investigations so far it appears that the generators were loaded in a Latin American country, passing through European ports before arriving in Cyprus.”

Police believe the load, which is the largest ever of cocaine intercepted in Cyprus after 100 kilos were found in March last year, was shipped in the roundabout way, through various ports in order not to raise suspicions when re-imported. Holland is thought to have been the final destination for the generators, police said.

A third generator, stored in the same area as the two containing the drugs was found to be clean. A fourth one was re-exported recently.

The latest development regarding the case was police arresting the owner of the warehouse on Thursday and issuing an arrest warrant against the director of the company importing the generators, whom police said was abroad. Authorities planned to issue an international warrant for his arrest.

The warehouse owner was released on Friday evening.

Chrysostomou characterised drugs as an international problem saying the Cyprus police was not limited to the narrow confines of its own borders but played an important role in preventing trafficking at a European and global level.

“Through quiet, methodical, professional methods the police would continue to work for the arrest of traffickers and drug dealers while providing support to users with the aim of treatment and social rehabilitation.

I felt it essential to write this email in the middle of my vacation to express my absolute disgust at the amount of human excrement floating in the bays and beaches around beaches in Limassol.

With a family of three young children aged 6, 2 and 1 this is not only disgusting but a very real and genuine health risk.

Cyprus is not a cheap holiday destination costing nearly €10,000 for a family vacation and after experiencing what we have why would we ever wish to return. For the same money we could go more or less anywhere in the world where we can swim in fish-infested glorious blue seas, not infested with human faeces.

Having had discussions with some locals apparently this is a problem which has been known for some time and the cause from an oil rig and a drill ship just offshore.

If it is known, why haven’t you closed the beaches or moved the rigs? If we had known this, we would not have come nor wasted our hard-earned money to now sit in a room.

It truly has spoilt our family vacation and something the country of Cyprus should be ashamed about.

Mr and Mrs C Taylor, UK

Limassol police are investigating an armed robbery against a Syrian business owner and permanent resident in the early hours of Sunday in which the knife-wielding thief got away with around 3,500 euros and a cheque book after stealing the victim’s shorts.

The Syrian man was driving in the centre of Limassol around 3.30am when he came across a young man asking for help saying he had hurt his foot and needed a ride home to the Turkish Cypriot quarter of the town.

On the way, he suddenly produced a knife and allegedly forced the Syrian man, 54, to park behind a church where he threatened to hurt him unless he handed over the shorts he was wearing. The Syrian complied and the young man fled.

According to the Syrian, his wallet, containing 3,500 euros, and cheque book were in the pockets of his shorts.

He described the robber as being around 20 years old, 1.8m tall and unshaven.

The director of the company which imported electrical generators crammed full of cocaine and commissioned the warehouse in which they were stored denied any involvement when remanded by Limassol court on Monday for eight days, but mentioned he had a Russian partner.

Police told the court they are investigating a case of conspiracy to commit a crime and importation of a Class A controlled substance. In requesting the remand, the investigating officer said the 44-year-old suspect had given names and detailed events related to the import of the generators, going as far as saying he had suspected they may have contained drugs.

The man appeared without a lawyer and did not object to his being held saying his “aim was to prove my innocence”.

According to police, the suspect who lives abroad, occasionally coming to Cyprus as his business is based here, named a Russian lawyer as being a partner in the importation of the generators. He said he had suspicions about the cargo as the Russian had mentioned being threatened by the senders, and because the specific generators stored in the warehouse would not work in this part of the world without modifications.

Police said they needed to take some 35 more statements from persons employed in various companies, workers at Limassol port and others the suspect had communicated with.

Computers from the house and offices of the man were seized for examination and a request for lifting the confidentiality clause on his phone records would be put to the authorities.

The man, who had informed the authorities he was abroad when the haul was uncovered last Thursday, was arrested at 9.40pm at Larnaca airport on Sunday when he arrived back on the island. He was taken directly to the Limassol offices of the drug squad where he was questioned until the early hours of the morning.

Last Thursday, authorities found 142 packages with 156 kilos of the drug hidden in secret compartments inside the fuel tanks of two generators stored in the bonded warehouse near Limassol port.

Investigations so far point to the generators having been loaded in two shipments from Chile which passed through Dutch and German ports before arriving in Cyprus.

Police say the loads, the largest ever of cocaine intercepted in Cyprus, breaking the 100 kilo record bust in March last year, were shipped in a roundabout way in order not to raise suspicions when re-imported into Holland, thought to have been the planned final destination.

The traffickers went to great lengths to conceal the loads which, without the intelligence received, would never had been discovered using scanners or other mechanical detectors, proof being the fact that they passed through two European ports undetected.

Police on Tuesday issued a missing persons bulletin for 16-year-old Alexandros Christodoulou from Limassol.

Christodoulou has been missing since 8pm on Friday, August 5.

He is slim, 1.70m tall, with short blond hair.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact Limassol CID, the public hotline 1460, or the nearest police station.