The Egyptian man who admitted to hijacking an EgyptAir plane and forcing it to land in Cyprus has been ordered by a court there to remain in detention for eight days. The suspect, identified as 59-year-old Seif Eddin Mustafa, appeared in court for the …
Secretary-General Appoints Elizabeth Spehar of Canada Special Representative for Cyprus
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Elizabeth Spehar of Canada as his new Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). Ms. Spehar will also perform the functio…
‘Selfie of a Lifetime’ Snapped During EgyptAir Hijacking
It’s hard to imagine wanting to have your picture taken alongside a hijacker, but that’s exactly what a young British man did on an EgyptAir flight that was diverted to Cyprus Tuesday.Ben Innes, a 26-year-old Brit posed with alleged hijacker Seif el-Di…
CYPRUS: EgyptAir hijacker could face life sentence
Seif el-Din Moustafa-Eman, an army veteran who had separated from his Cypriot wife almost 20 years ago and was deported from the island, faces charges of piracy, illegal possession of explosives, abduction and terrorism. He had hijacked the domestic fl…
EgyptAir Hijacker Arrested, Passengers Unharmed
CAIRO- A man who hijacked an Egyptian passenger jet and forced it to land in Cyprus has been arrested and Cypriot authorities say all passengers and crew “are safe,” after hours of tense negotiations.The final captives on board the EgyptAir plane, head…
EgyptAir Hijacking Ends Peacefully
A six-hour standoff at Cyprus’s Larnaka airport has ended after the hijacker of an EgyptAir airliner surrendered to authorities. The Cypriot Foreign Ministry confirmed the end of the crisis, saying in a tweet, “It’s over … hijacker arrested.”The hija…
MARKETS: Dollar softens ahead of Yellen speech
Although initially the inflated expectations over the possibility of a US rate rise in April offered the Dollar bulls a welcome boost, this seems to be wearing off with the Dollar Index displaying signs of exhaustion. Even if Friday’s NFP report exceed…
AVIATION: Larnaca airport in lockdown after Egyptair hijack, most hostages freed (Update)
State CyBC reported that a number of passengers, estimated at 50, were seen disembarking the Airbus A320 with their hand luggage. The Cyprus authorities had been alerted about 30 minutes earlier when the internal flight from Alexandria headed to Cairo …
8-year-old Lost Daughter Rejoins Syrian Family in Cyprus
NICOSIA, CYPRUS- Jaffar Ismail says his daughter Amal sometimes asks why he and his wife abandoned her in the chaos of their bombed-out neighborhood in the southern Syrian town of Nawa. Fleeing the town after a bomb dropped by a warplane flattened a ho…
Seven Egyptians Killed, Three Injured in Jordan Car Crash – Agency
Cairo – Seven Egyptians were killed and three were injured when a vehicle overturned in north eastern Jordan on Sunday, the Jordanian news agency Petra reported.The minibus was carrying Egyptian workers, according to Petra. The three injured passengers…
Saudi-Led Alliance Chiefs of Staff Agree to Coordinate Efforts
By Aswat MasriyaCairo – Chiefs of staff of the Saudi-led Islamic military alliance agreed on Sunday, during a meeting held in Riyadh, on the importance of coordinating strategic efforts aimed at combating “terrorism” and its funding, according to state…
Egypt Court Sentences Officer to 3 Yrs for Torturing Salafist in 2011
By Aswat MasriyaCairo – An Alexandria court sentenced on Sunday a former state security officer to three years of rigorous imprisonment, on charges of torturing a Salafist to death, in a high-profile case that dates back to January 2011.The former nati…