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Talks this week on the reunification of Cyprus look more hopeful than many would have dared to think possible. But the discovery of remains from some of those killed during the 1974 Turkish invasion is refreshing old grievances, as Tabitha Morgan reports. (snip) On 21 December 1963 Mustafa Arif, a senior officer at Nicosia prison, was admitted to hospital in what is today the Greek Cypriot side of the city to be treated for a heart condition. By the next day relations between the two communities had collapsed. Riots broke out in Nicosia, shops were looted and burned and the...

For over a millennium, a fortified settlement with a shrine stood on a plateau near the eastern Larnaca coast ringed with a defensive wall, foreign and Cypriot archaeologists believe. Earlier theories about the significance of the site were confirmed during this year's fieldwork at the Pyla-Koutsopetria locality by the identification of a section of the wall, datable to the Late Bronze Age... The settlement, located on a hill known as Kokkinokremmos/ Vigla – Red Cliff/Lookout Post, is estimated to have been inhabited from the Cypro-Archaic period in the 13th-14th century B.C. to Hellenistic and Roman times. The site is situated...

An unexpected sexual curse has been uncovered by archaeologists at Cyprus's old city kingdom of Amathus, on the island's south coast near Limassol, according to a newspaper on Friday. "A curse is inscribed in Greek on a lead tablet and part of it reads: 'May your penis hurt when you make love'," Pierre Aubert, head of Athens Archaeological School in Greece told the English language Cyprus Weekly. He said the tablet showed a man standing holding something in his right hand that looks like an hour glass. The inscription dates back to the 7th century AD when Christianity was well...

Archaeologists uncover 5,000-year-old jewellery workshop By Jean Christou ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered was appears to have been a jewellery workshop during excavations at the 5,000-year old Souskiou-Laona settlement. According to the Antiquities Department, a dense concentration of the mineral picrolite in the west ridge of the cliff-top settlement indicates that the spot was a workshop for the production of the cruciform figurines and large pendants. “The assemblage mainly consists of the raw picrolite material, possibly quarried from the Troodos Mountains rather than imported in pebble form from the Kouris River valley, many waste chips flaked from that raw material in order...

A ship bound for Syria from North Korea and detained in Cyprus on an Interpol alert for suspected arms smuggling was carrying an air defense system, Cypriot authorities said. The shipment was billed as weather-observation equipment on the freight manifest of the Panamanian-flagged Grigorio 1. The ship was carrying 18 truck-mounted mobile radar systems and three command vehicles. "The radars on the 18 trucks appear to be part of an air defense system," a police spokeswoman said.

One lone church struggles to survive in a land where hundreds have been damaged or destroyed. But this is no ordinary land; it is the very area where Apostle Paul took his first missionary journey to proclaim salvation through Jesus Christ to the Roman Empire. (See image by going to the link:) St Mamas' church in Morphou Now, 2,000 years later, the small Mediterranean island of Cyprus is divided into two, with the northern third occupied by Turkey. In the span of three decades under Turkish control, more than 530 churches and monasteries have been pillaged, vandalized, or destroyed in...

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Greek and Turkish Cypriots pulled down barricades on Thursday separating them for half a century, reopening a street which became a symbol of Cyprus's ethnic partition. The reopening of Ledra Street was meant to be a step towards ending the island's division, an obstacle to Turkey's membership of the European Union and a source of tension between NATO partners Athens and Ankara. Hundreds of Greek and Turkish Cypriots crossed Ledra after the 80-metre (262 ft) stretch of road in the main commercial district of Nicosia was opened to pedestrians in a ceremony attended by UN envoys and...

"This is not merely a tale of the elderly and a time long past, but rather it is a memorial and indicator along the path to the independence of Cypriots and Jews." Monuments help us to remember or prevent us from forgetting. We choose who and what to commemorate and the cumulative result constitutes our shared public memory. At a time when the Holocaust moves from lived experience to historical phenomenon in the memories of succeeding generations, the function and significance of memorials becomes increasingly important in the drive to “never forget.” Monuments and memorials serve to mourn, to honor...

NICOSIA (AFP) — Communist party chief Demetris Christofias won a historic victory in Cyprus's presidential election on Sunday and immediately vowed to launch a new drive to reunite the island after 34 years of division. His jubilant supporters -- some in luxury convertibles -- cruised the streets of Nicosia, the world's last divided capital, waving Cypriot and banners of communist icon Che Guevara, their car horns blaring. Christofias, 61, secured 53.36 percent of the vote against 46.64 percent for conservative former foreign minister Ioannis Kasoulides in an election billed by the local media as one of the most crucial in...

At least two Gulf-based banks have prepared contingency plans to raise extra capital of about $300m each to help cover writedowns of their US subprime exposure, according to Moody’s, the rating agency. The agency has been monitoring the possible impact of subprime-related writedowns on the balance sheets of up to 10 Gulf-based banks over the past five months, said Mardig Haladjian, general manager of the financial institutions group at Moody’s in Cyprus. While the writedowns by these two banks, which he declined to name, may not be enough to warrant extra fundraising, the banks may choose to raise more capital...

A Hellenic Case Against Hillary by Theodore G. Karakostas The following critique is not motivated by partisanship. I am a critic of the anti-Hellenic and anti-Orthodox policies of both major political parties. However, the focus now is Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party. In 1992, then Presidential Candidate Bill Clinton promised the Greek-American community he would not recognize Skopje with the name Macedonia. In 1994, the Clinton administration broke its promise and subsequently recognized Skopje under the Hellenic name of Macedonia. The Clinton administration subsequently tried to pressure Athens to lift the embargo that had been justifiably imposed by Greece...

As Kosovo goes, so goes northern Cyprus? That's the way the Turkish Cypriots see it. They can't see any distinction between the West's plans for a new "independent" state of Kosovo and the aspirations of Turkey for an independent Turkish Cyprus. It's just one more reason against the creation of a new state of Kosovo, where none has ever existed before. The real problem with these fanciful new "independent" states is that they are not independent at all. Both will be aligned with Islamic world, where freedom, individual liberties and respect for peaceful neighbors and non-Muslim minorities are virtually unknown...

'When diplomatic efforts are exhausted other alternatives are put on the table. We clearly see this in Kosovo where diplomacy proved futile and other formulas are floating around. This will certainly have an impact on Cyprus,' says a senior Turkish Cypriot official FULYA ÖZERKAN ANKARA - The ongoing negotiations over the status of Kosovo that have thus far proven futile as the province is proceeding toward independence may pave the way for Turkey's friends in the European Union to come up with alternative initiatives to end the isolation of northern Cyprus, said the Turkish Cypriot president's special envoy late Tuesday....

AYIA NAPA, Cyprus - An abattoir used by early Cypriots, a place where animals went to die, or a shelter that ultimately proved a death trap? Cypriot and Greek scientists are studying a collapsed cave filled with the fossilized remains of extinct dwarf hippopotamuses — descendants of hippos believed to have reached the island a quarter-million years ago. Paleontologists have unearthed an estimated 80 dwarf hippos in recent digs at the site just outside the resort of Ayia Napa on the island's southeastern coast. Hundreds more may lie beneath an exposed layer of jumbled fossils. Scientists hope the fossil haul,...

[01] Talat left for New York. Statements before leaving occupied Cyprus and in Istanbul Illegal Bayrak television (14.10.07) broadcast that before leaving for New York the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Mehmet Ali Talat reiterated the Turkish Cypriot sides readiness for the solution of the Cyprus problem both in opinion and in practice. The President said that the Turkish Cypriot People will look to the future in confidence unless it has the responsibility for the non-solution. In an exclusive interview with the illegal BRT, Mr. Talat said he will ask the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to take an initiative for re-start...

What could the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) possibly have in common? CAIR founders had close ties to Hamas, Palestinian Sunni Islamic extremists. NIAC and its main spokesman, Trita Parsi, have become apologists for the regime in Tehran, which exports a rival Shiite brand of Islamic extremism. Sunnis and Shias. We all know the story. They hate each other worse than Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants. Right? Well, no. As I pointed out in Countdown to Crisis: the Coming Nuclear Showdown with Iran, Sunnis and Shias get along just fine when it...

Excerpt - ANKARA, Aug 18 (Reuters) - A Turkish passenger plane heading for Istanbul from northern Cyprus was hijacked on Saturday and forced to land for refuelling in southern Turkey, local media reported. It was not clear how many hijackers were on board, but they said they wanted to fly to Tehran, media said. ~ snip ~

Archaeologists in Cyprus have discovered what they believe could be the oldest evidence yet that organized groups of ancient mariners were plying the east Mediterranean, possibly as far back as 14,000 years ago... about 30 miles away from the closest land mass, may have been gradually populated about that time, and up to 2,000 years earlier than previously thought... The discovery at a coastal site on the island's northwest has revealed chipped tools submerged in the sea and made with local stone which could be the earliest trace yet of human activity in Cyprus. U.S. and Cypriot archaeologists conducting the...

Lt. Col. Thomas Mooney, a Cranston native and the U.S. defense attaché in Cyprus, was found dead in a remote rural area of the Mediterranean island Monday, four days after he disappeared with his diplomatic car, according to wire reports and a statement from U.S. Ambassador Ronald L. Schlicher.

The US embassy's defence attache in Cyprus was found dead on Monday on a hilltop in a remote part of the Mediterranean island after apparently stabbing himself in the neck, officials said. Thomas Mooney "died as a result of haemorrhaging after the infliction of an injury to the neck," an official involved in the post-mortem told AFP on condition of anonymity. "The injury was compatible with self-infliction. There was no evidence of foul play whatsover," the official said, adding that the wound was caused by a sharp instrument and that the body was in a state of decomposition.

Nicosia, Cyprus (AHN) - A senior U.S. envoy in Cyprus who had been missing since Thursday has been found dead in a remote part of the Mediterranean island. Tom Mooney, a U.S. defense attaché and army attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Cyprus was reported missing on Thursday. A search on Mooney led authorities to a remote area in Cyprus where they found his lifeless body. He has the rank of lieutenant-colonel. A local radio station said authorities found the U.S. diplomat near the capital Nicosia. Although police have yet to establish the cause of his death. Cyprus is one...

NICOSIA (Reuters) - A senior U.S. diplomat stationed in Cyprus has gone missing, the United States embassy said on Saturday. "U.S. embassy employee Thomas Mooney has been missing for the past 48 hours," a U.S. embassy spokesman told Reuters, adding that police had been informed.

Scuffles lead to two arrests TWO PEOPLE were injured and another two were arrested after scuffles broke out between two rival factions of nuns residing in an Old Calendarist convent in Avdellero late last night. Nuns and priests from both sides confronted each other after unrest broke out at around 10pm. The church was covered with blood as nuns and priests from both sides attacked each other using sharp objects. Police confirmed that they would be looking into the incident, which is believed to be part of a long-running dispute between the two groups of nuns. It has been reported...

What is a fair voting system for the European Union? It looks as though, thanks to Poland, European leaders will be forced to debate this difficult question at their summit this week. Since the simplified draft treaty is substantively identical to the old and rejected constitution - minus some cosmetics - the voting system proposed is going to be the same one: passage of legislation requires a coalition of countries representing at least 55 per cent of the member states and 65 per cent of the population. The Poles have threatened a veto unless the second of those two numbers...

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- From the jungles of Indonesia to Spain's Basque country, separatists of the world are drawing hope from the approach of U.N.-approved independence of Kosovo.

Published: March 16, 2007 at 2:24 PM Ancient perfume found on Venus' island ROME, March 16 (UPI) -- Archaeologists exploring Cyprus, said to be home to Venus, the goddess of love, have stumbled upon the world's oldest known perfume factory. A display of the prehistoric scents and 60 objects from the Cyprus discovery can be seen at Rome's Capitoline Museums, ANSA reported. The distilling equipment is believed to be 4,000 years old. "We were astonished at how big the place was ... Perfumes must have been produced on an industrial scale. No wonder the island got its reputation for possessing...

NICOSIA, Cyprus — Greek Cypriots demolished a wall today along the boundary that for decades has split Europe's last divided capital, a dramatic and unannounced gesture that officials hope will promote reconciliation on the Mediterranean island. The wall cuts across Ledra Street, which runs through the heart of the city's tourist area and is seen as the strongest symbol of the island's 32-year partition into a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north. Although five crossings have operated on the island since 2003, there are none in the city center. Without prior announcement, a bulldozer began dismantling the wall...

US: Cyprus oil controversy points to need for settlement 2007-02-06 11:56:47 Nicosia, Feb 6 (CNA) – The US State Department has reaffirmed its view that the oil controversy in connection with Cyprus points to the need for a settlement of the island’s long standing political problem. In a statement issued after the daily briefing outlining the US position regarding oil exploration in the continental shelf off Cyprus, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said that the US policy has not changed, noting that “a final settlement will enable all Cypriots to benefit from the island's resources”. “Any dispute here is between...

Germany started working on the lifting of the isolations on North Cyprus as soon as it took over the leadership of European Union. Head of the EU Commission's Task Force for Turkish Cyprus, Andrew Rasbash, went on Friday to the island in order to supervise the implementation of Economic Aid Regulation adopted by the union. After having met with Turkish and Greek sides Rasbash will hold a press conference on Monday, Jan. 15. EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Olli Rehn, said that the commissioners will start to work on a Direct Trade Regulation admissible both for Turkish Cypriots and European Union....

...the European Commission, the EU's executive body, announced that it would recommend suspending accession talks with Turkey because of Ankara's long-standing refusal to open its ports and airports to Greek Cyprus, an EU member since 2004. On Wednesday, Turkey offered to open one port and one airport to the Greek Cypriots, but only if the Greek Cypriots agreed to the same for the Turkish portion of the divided island. The EU said it would study the offer... Many international relations experts believe that failure to find a way to integrate a modernizing Muslim democracy into the EU would send a...

The European Union's executive body urged a suspension of accession talks with Turkey because of its embargo on EU member state Cyprus, a step that may kill the Turkish entry bid. The European Commission recommended freezing about a quarter of the accession program to punish Turkey for barring ships and planes from Greek-speaking Cyprus. The proposal would also prevent entry negotiations on issues including trade, transport and agriculture. ``Failure to meet legal obligations cannot remain without consequences,'' Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said at a news conference in Brussels today. Foreign ministers from the EU's 25 nations, which have the final...

Foreign Ministry spokesman Tan says negative political conjecture prevailing in Europe prevents the EU from behaving fairly... Tan's remarks came only one day after the EU's executive commission recommended partially halting membership talks with Turkey on eight of the 35 negotiating chapters to punish Ankara for its failure to open its ports and airports traffic from Greek Cyprus despite a customs union protocol it signed with the EU. The commission announced its recommendation on Wednesday, though it had earlier announced it would do so on Dec. 6... Some observers say that Turkey-skeptic EU countries, including France and the Netherlands as...

Turkey is unlikely to join the EU for at least 15 years Turkey finally began talks on joining the European Union in October 2005, more than 40 years after it first began to woo the emerging bloc. Now it seems that things are already going wrong. What are the main problems? More generally, what are the main arguments for and against Turkish membership of the EU, and how does the accession process work? Why is Turkey's EU membership bid in trouble? There are two issues. TURKISH MARATHON 1959 - Turkey applies for associate membership of EEC 1963 - Association...

Kosovo Albanians are still reeling from the discovery that the “final status” of Kosovo will not be decided by the end of this year as their leaders promised and as members of the Contact Group countries dealing with the issue had hoped. Now they face what some diplomats are calling the “the double disappointment” of additional delays that could push recognition of their new state back to late next summer or beyond. In addition, the price of independence is expected to include many elements that they do not like. In a series of interviews with senior European diplomats based in...

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned European Union leaders that violence from Islamic extremists could escalate if the EU rejects Turkey as a member... Turkey signed the association agreement for EU membership in 1963 and it is expected that a two-day EU summit this week will finally decide to begin formal membership talks, probably in the second half of next year... Taking Turkey’s 69 million, mainly Muslim, population into the Union is widely disputed... In Germany, leader of the Christian Social Union Edmund Stoiber told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that his party in government would do what it...

It is another critical period for Turkey’s relations with the European Union as both Ankara and Finland are focused on the deadlock over Cyprus, The European Union insists that the Turkish ports be opened to Greek Cypriots by Dec.6. Turkey, on the other hand, stipulates that the isolations imposed on Turkish Cyprus be removed for it to take any steps... Ankara has also reiterated it will not take a unilateral step by opening its ports to Greek Cyprus and said not to dictate a certain date upon the persistent demand from the European Union that the latest it should open...

EU diplomats have been warning for months of an impending "train crash" in the membership negotiations with Turkey. The country's stalling political reform process, dozens of court cases threatening free speech, and Ankara's continuing refusal to open up its airports and harbors to vessels from EU member Cyprus have raised concern in European capitals. But the release Wednesday of an EU progress report sharply criticizing Turkey's reform slowdown and threatening unspecified consequences if it doesn't open its ports to Cyprus by mid-December is the most definitive signal yet of a further deterioration in Turkish-European relations, observers say.

The Turkish government is in complete agreement with the Russian administration over the Cyprus question. Both believe the issue could best be settled at the U.N. level, said Abdullah Gul, foreign minister of Turkey. On Wednesday Moscow began hosting the 15th meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) organization, where Gul is representing Turkey. Gul had a special meeting with his Russian counterpart in Moscow. “The Turkish government will not accept a shift in plans to refer the question of Cyprus to the European Union, rather than the United Nations. The administration in Moscow is also in agreement with...

A new species of mouse found in Cyprus is delighting scientists. Identified by researchers at Durham University, it has bigger ears, eyes and teeth than other European mice. The scientists say it is a surviving remnant of indigenous Cypriot fauna which mostly went extinct with the arrival of humans. Most finds of new species occur in tropical regions with sparse human populations, which makes this a highly unusual discovery. "It was generally believed that every species of mammal in Europe had been identified," said Durham's Thomas Cucchi. "This is why the discovery of a new species of mouse on Cyprus...

The Council of Europe criticized Chirac, as Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Rene van der Linden said: "It is not new that Jacques Chirac has made such statements. "The game has already started. You cannot change the rules of the game while it is on. Like other European states, France signed a document to start discussions on Turkey's EU membership. Jacques Chirac has made a mere political statement. I do not think this position is right." Linden also noted that those who favor more reforms in Turkey should be supported. The EU Commission, despite...

Whereas Turkey began accession negotiations with the European Union on October 3, 2005; (Introduced in House) HRES 999 IH 109th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 999Urging Turkey to respect the rights and religious freedoms of the Ecumenical Patriarch. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 12, 2006 Mrs. MALONEY (for herself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. HINCHEY, Ms. WATSON, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mrs. LOWEY, and Mr. BACA) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations RESOLUTIONUrging Turkey to respect the rights and religious freedoms of the Ecumenical Patriarch. Whereas Turkey...

Turkish Grand Prix organisers have been summoned before world governing body the FIA, accused of breaching Formula One rules. Controversy erupted after organisers put forward Turkish-Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat to present the winner's trophy to Felipe Massa in Istanbul on Sunday. The Turkish-controlled area of northern Cyprus is not recognised as a separate country by the United Nations and the FIA expressed anger that their political neutrality had apparently been compromised. Now the Turkish federation TOSFED and race organisers MSO have been called to a special meeting of the FIA's world motor sport council where they will face charges...

European Union retaliation may be limited if Turkey fails to meet an obligation to open its ports to ships from Cyprus this year, EU president Finland signalled on Saturday... Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in eastern Finland, indicated the response might be confined to a few areas of the talks... Turkey says it will only open its ports if the EU makes good on a pledge to end the economic isolation of Turkish Cypriot northern Cyprus, a move which the Greek Cypriot government in Nicosia is blocking. The EU rejects such linkage....

BOSTON: Today, August 3, 2006 Hellenic Electronic Center (HEC)* announced that the latest crisis in the Middle East highlights the significance of the Republic of Cyprus, and recalls the historic friendships and alliances between Greece and the United States. The population of Cyprus is eighty percent Greek, despite attempts by the Turkish government to change the demographics by colonizing the territories that remain under occupation since Ankara invaded Cyprus during the summer of 1974. Despite ongoing difficulties with Turkey, the democratic government of Nicosia and its people have provided invaluable assistance to Americans fleeing the war in Lebanon. State Department...

ALARM - the American evacuated last leave Lebanon BEIRUT - the last Americans wishing to leave Lebanon in prey to violence left the wearing of Beirut Wednesday evening in direction of Cyprus, indicated to AFP official American.

GOTTA SEE THIS - War for Enduring Freedom 7/26/06 - Paphos, Cyprus, Beirut, Tyre, Khiam, Maghar, Israel, Rihaniya, Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya, Tel Aviv, Avivim, Haifa, Gaza City, Khan Younis, Damascus, Syria, Moscow, San Jose, Calif, Kiev, Santiago Israeli Response to many years of Hamas and Hizb'allah terror using Iranian and Syrian technology in 'Kofi Annan's War' in Civilizations War on Terror BREAKING: Paphos, Cyprus, U.S. Air Force rescues American girl to Ramstein Air Base, Germany BREAKING: Beirut- U.S. Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit rescue American citizens BREAKING: Beirut - Hassan Nasrallah admits over televison he told Beruit government...

American Navy sailors use a military radio as American citizens stand on board an LCU (Landing Craft Utility) at a beach in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, July 21, 2006, to be taken to the USS Trenton, which will evacuate 2,000 Americans to Cyprus. The United States prepared to ship about 5,000 Americans from Beirut Friday to nearly complete the evacuation of its citizens from Lebanon as the international exodus reached a peak. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)An American Navy sailor carries an American girl as they board an LCU (Landing Craft Utility) at a beach in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, July 21, 2006, as...

WASHINGTON, July 21, 2006 – Air Force C-17 Globemaster III crews assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron operating in Southwest Asia have added another mission to their resume, providing humanitarian civil assistance to the effort to evacuate Americans from Lebanon. Airlift operations have responded quickly to the urgent needs in the Middle East, supporting U.S. citizens evacuating from Lebanon to Cyprus, U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials said. The 816th EAS is flying water and meals, as well as essential personnel and equipment, to Royal Air Force Base Akrotiri on the island of Cyprus. In the first four...

MANAMA, Bahrain - U.S. military medical personnel, either on standby or already aboard ships, will act as first responders in the assisted departure of American citizens from Lebanon. One U.S. Navy physician and two corpsmen from Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF) Kuwait, are aboard the civilian cruise vessel Orient Queen as it ferries passengers to the safety of Lanarca, Cyprus, said Capt. Vernon Morgan, force surgeon at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain. The U.S. Air Force has also stationed one physician and two medics at the entry points where American citizens are arriving in Cyprus. A 23-member Air Force...

NORFOLK - More than 1,000 American citizens were plucked off a beach in Beirut by landing craft today and transported out to sea and the safety of the Norfolk-based amphibious transport dock Nashville. The ship then took them to Cyprus 140 miles away to board commercial aircraft for home. A similar long day is planned again Friday for the Nashville and at least three other Norfolk-based amphibious ships that were scheduled to join in the evacuations. "It's like a giant slumber party," Capt. Dee Mewbourne, the Nashville's commanding officer, said by satellite telephone today.