Free Republic

The president of Cyprus said Saturday the island's authorities are not to blame for the disappearance of an alleged fugitive Russian spy. Dimitris Christofias said that 54-year-old Christopher Metsos "appears to have fled" the island, but insisted Cypriot authorities acted appropriately in handling the case. His comments come the day after Cyprus's justice minister said he believes Metsos had fled the country. Metsos is wanted in the United States on charges that he supplied money to the spy ring that operated under deep cover in America's suburbs. He disappeared on Wednesday, a day after a Cypriot court freed him on...

THE GOVERNMENT, political parties, NGOs and members of the public roundly condemned the killing of the humanitarian activists by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) in international waters in the early hours of yesterday. President Demetris Christofias condemned both the naval blockade of Gaza, which he said violated international law, and the attack. "The killing of people is condemnable for everyone and the killing of non combatants constitutes a criminal act,” he said. “No one is happy, first of all with continuing blockade, which followed the attack against Gaza in December 2008 with its catastrophic results on Palestinians.” The continuing of...

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...