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British girl convicted of lying about Cyprus gang-rape pleads with PM for action, not wordsA British teenager found guilty of lying about being gang-raped in Cyprus has pleaded with Boris Johnson to “bring me home”.The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she was raped by up to 12 Israeli tourists in a hotel room in the town of Ayia Napa on...

Mother of British teenager found guilty of lying about rape is among those who have publicly rejected the verdictPressure is mounting on the Cypriot authorities to reassess the case of a British teenager found guilty of lying about being gang-raped as anger rises over the verdict.Calls for a tourism boycott of the country were backed by the woman’s mother, who said Ayia Napa, the...

Mother of woman found guilty of lying about being gang-raped says Ayia Napa resort is unsafeThe mother of a British teenager found guilty of lying about being gang-raped in Cyprus has backed calls for a tourism boycott of the country.The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that she supported the campaign and that she believed the...

Psychologist says woman was suffering from condition when she retracted claim of gang-rape to policeA British teenager found guilty by a Cypriot court of lying about being gang-raped was suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder when she retracted her claims, but that was not fully taken into account during the trial, her psychologist has told the Guardian.Dr Christine Tizzard, a chartered consultant psychologist who...

Mother says man called to say he accidentally stole urn and gave directions for its retrievalCypriot police have recovered the ashes of a Swedish teenager after a man who said he accidentally stole the urn telephoned the family in Sweden, offering a tearful apology, and gave directions for its retrieval, the youth’s mother has said.Kinga Bednarz, whose son died in an accident several months...

Defence lawyers say Cypriot police coerced 19-year-old woman into signing confessionA British woman has been found guilty of falsely accusing 12 Israeli men of gang-raping her while she was on holiday in Cyprus.The 19-year-old has been held on the island since July, first in a prison in Nicosia then in safe houses. She was forced to surrender her passport after she withdrew an accusation...

Parents appeal for information on urn being carried in suitcase taken from carA Swedish couple have appealed for information about a wooden urn containing their son’s ashes which was stolen while they were on holiday in Cyprus.Police said the urn was inside one of three suitcases taken from the couple’s car within a 20-minute period on Friday while it was parked outside a restaurant...

Delivery follows Libya-Turkey deal aimed at securing rights to gas reserves in east MediterraneanA Turkish military drone was delivered to northern Cyprus on Monday amid growing tensions over Turkey’s deal with Libya that extended its claims to the gas-rich eastern Mediterranean.The Bayraktar TB2 drone landed in Geçitkale airport, in Famagusta, at about 7am GMT on Monday, an AFP correspondent said. The breakaway northern Cyprus...

Judge tells woman, 19, she will have to stay on the island until 30 December for verdictA British teenager accused of fabricating claims she was gang-raped in Cyprus by 12 Israeli tourists has been told she will have to spend Christmas on the island before a verdict is reached.The ongoing ordeal for the 19-year-old was further prolonged on Thursday when a court in Paralimni...

It is 45 years since Turkey and Greece came to blows in Cyprus, and the island remains physically and politically divided - not least by a wall that cuts through the capital, Nicosia. But a new generation of conscientious objectors are risking prison – and the scorn of their elders – by refusing to take up arms against each other Continue reading...

Former president says ancient pottery should have remained in Downing Street collectionWhen Cyprus’s former president George Vassiliou made the official gift of an ancient vase to Margaret Thatcher in 1988, he assumed it would remain at 10 Downing Street.Instead, more than three decades later, the sale at auction of the 2,700-year-old pottery has provoked diplomatic discomfort in London and disquiet in Nicosia. Continue reading...

Woman, 19, to go on trial after revoking claim she was raped by 12 Israeli touristsHuman rights and feminist groups are calling for Cypriot authorities to drop the case against a British teenager accused of falsely claiming she was raped by 12 Israeli tourists in a hotel room.The 19-year-old, who reported the alleged assault almost three months ago but was then arrested after revoking...

Briton, 19, claims she withdrew allegation of rape against Israeli youths under duressA 19-year-old British woman who accused a group of Israeli youths of gang raping her in Cyprus has pleaded not guilty to charges of making up the accusation.A judge set the start date of the trial for 2 October and released the woman on bail, finding it “proper and fair” to free...

Andreas Pittadjis can no longer continue defending 19-year-old in Cyprus citing ‘serious disagreement’The lawyer for a British teenager facing trial in Cyprus on charges of falsely claiming she was gang-raped in a holiday hotel has withdrawn from her case.Andreas Pittadjis, the Greek Cypriot attorney defending the 19-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, requested he be relieved of his duties citing “serious disagreement”...

Greek Orthodox cleric claimed gay men recognisable from ‘particular odour’Police in Cyprus have opened an investigation into homophobic remarks made by a controversial bishop.At the request of the island’s attorney general, investigators will examine whether the Greek Cypriot Orthodox prelate, known popularly by his first name, Neophytos, violated hate speech laws after he claimed that homosexuality could be passed on when pregnant women had...