By Stefanos Evripidou

UNDER fire, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday drew a chorus of criticism from Cypriot politicians over his statement in Brussels that Turkey will only accept a federal solution based on “two founding states” on the island.

Erdogan made the comment during a joint press briefing at the Espace Leopold building with European Parliament (EP) President Martin Schulz on Tuesday.

During the conference, Schulz said Erdogan and the heads of the political groups within the EP had a “lively” and “intense” discussion on a range of issues including the rule of law, freedom of expression and independence of the judiciary.

Speaking to reporters, Erdogan said during his visit to Brussels that he refused to listen to proposals for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus, noting that this was offered in the Annan plan ten years ago but was rejected by the Greek Cypriots.

He added it was a mistake to let Cyprus join the EU after the Annan plan rejection.

On the current peace talks, he claimed Turkey has always been constructive in its support to the Turkish Cypriots, calling on Greece to do the same with the Greek Cypriots.

“Our fundamental principle is a federal structure based on two founding states. The acceptance of anything outside this is in any case out of the question,” he was quoted by Turkish Cypriot media as saying. For his part, Schulz commented that the Republic of Cyprus joined the EU representing the entire island, and called on Erdogan to accept this situation.

Earlier in the day, the heads of the European Commission and Council, Jose Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy, both called on Erdogan to help push a Cyprus solution forward.

Phileleftheros reported on Wednesday that the Turkish PM had asked the heads of the EU institutions to work on lifting Cyprus’ veto on opening accession negotiation chapters 23 on the judiciary and fundamental rights, and 24 on justice, freedom and security.

Despite the heavy pressure back home with increasing civic unrest and pressing questions over his meddling in judicial independence, Erdogan did not portray the image of a leader in crisis, at least publicly.

The Turkish PM has come under fire in recent months for his heavy-handed response to public demonstrations over a development project in Istanbul’s Gezi park. More recently, his response to a corruption probe, resulting in the mass removal or transfer of senior police and legal officials, has raised questions in Brussels as to his democratic credentials as the leader of an EU candidate country.

On Cyprus, Erdogan has not budged an inch from his initial stance, refusing to fully implement a customs union with the EU to include Cyprus, while failing to include the island member state in a recent landmark EU-Turkey agreement on the readmission of irregular migrants.

In recent controversial statements, Erdogan went so far as to publicly doubt the existence of a country called Cyprus.

At the same time, Turkey’s EU accession path has been moving at a snail’s pace following increased focus on its eastern neighbourhood. However, the AKP government’s foreign policy successes are debatable in recent years. The detente with Armenia and the Kurds is on hold, relations with the new Egyptian government and key US ally Israel remain strained, while Turkey’s support for the Syrian rebels against the Assad regime has failed to bring solid results.

Responding to Erdogan’s apparent red line on “two founding states” in Cyprus, coalition partner DIKO spokeswoman Christiana Erotocritou said his statements should help bring down to earth those wishful thinkers who believe Erdogan wants a solution.

Junior government partner EVROKO’s deputy head Michalis Giorgallas called on Greek Cypriots to put an end to the illusion that Ankara is ready to cooperate for a bizonal federation, arguing that the ‘bizonal’ element is being used to firmly establish partition and two ethnic states in Cyprus.

House President and EDEK leader Yiannakis Omirou said Erdogan’s “performance of intransigence and provocation” in Brussels once again revealed Turkey’s true intentions.

Greens leader Giorgos Perdikis called on the political leadership to take its head out the sand: “Mr Erdogan could not have been clearer. And the fact his statements were made in the heart of the EU have even greater weight.”

Citizens’ Alliance leader Giorgos Lillikas said President Nicos Anastasiades’ policy to appease Turkey with concessions on the joint communiqué and in opening new accession chapters has “collapsed like a house of cards”.

For its part, ruling DISY said through its spokeswoman Stavriana Kofteros that it categorically rejected the notion that any kind of federal solution would come about from two “founding states”.

By Peter Stevenson

POLICE will install two fixed speed cameras and build a pair of speed bumps on the capital’s busy Griva Digenis Avenue which is transformed into a drag strip on Friday and Saturday nights by young drivers seeking a thrill on the long stretch of road.

Despite putting up a number of traffic lights to prevent these dangerous races, police decided to install cameras to identify and catch the reckless drivers who put others’ lives at risk and generally cause noise pollution, the head of the road traffic department Demetris Demetriou told the Cyprus Mail.

The Tender Board last week decided to buy two fixed speed cameras that will be placed along the road, one near McDonald’s and the other near the European University of Cyprus traffic lights.

“We hope to have the cameras up and ready as soon as possible and that the speed bumps will be built in the near future,” Demetriou said.

Two speed bumps will also be built somewhere between the University of Nicosia roundabout and the McDonald’s traffic lights.

Demetriou said that the road safety council’s decision is a very positive move and that by placing the speed cameras at and building the bumps will solve the long-lasting problem and reduce accidents.

By Angelos Anastasiou

THE bus-fare wars rage on following the Communications and Works minister’s acknowledgment that transportation to school should ideally be provided free of charge but claiming that suspending the decision is not an option, with student union PSEM organising another protest on Thursday.

A monthly €15 fare was imposed from January on secondary school students using public transport to and from school which was previously provided free of charge and subsidised by the state.

The decision to impose bus fares was taken by the previous government in December 2012, as a result of a preliminary agreement with the troika of international lenders on a Cyprus bailout package.

Transport minister Tasos Mitsopoulos said on Wednesday that “the Christofias government’s decision was not made lightly – it was made after careful consideration of circumstances and in light of Cyprus’s dire economic position.”

The final loan agreement between the troika and the newly elected government in March 2013 includes a clause stipulating that the government needs to save 15 per cent, or €10m, from the budgeted expenditure on public transport.

The imposition of the fare has caused the furious reaction of parents’ associations and the student union, who have been demanding the decision be revoked.

According to Mitsopoulos, suspending the measure is “extremely difficult” as the ministry needs to raise €10m and no other item on its budget can sustain further cuts.

Addressing the House transport committee last week, Mitsopoulos had pledged to “study the issue further and reevaluate options.”

“The government’s goal”, he added, “is for no student to be left outside the classroom.”

PSEM wants the government to recall the measure, arguing that many students are unable to pay the monthly €15 fare.

Union president Panagiotis Monogios declared that “as the ministry refuses to accept our proposal to suspend the decision pending completion of talks on this issue, we are left with no option but to take additional measures.”

The first few days following the decision saw many students refusing to pay the fare, but bus drivers and conductors had been instructed to “show flexibility” and worries of escalating incidents never materialised.

Nicosia bus company OSEL, one of the firms contracted to execute public transport, said that although there was a decrease in the number of students using the bus, possibly as some students resort to alternative means of transport, the initially reported cases of students refusing to pay the bus fare have fallen to a negligible level.

Following a series of student demonstrations in November and December and a one-hour abstention from class in January, PSEM announced a protest outside the Communications and Works ministry on Thursday.

The federation of public school parents’ associations, as well as the public teachers’ association, have come out in support of the student union and even joined some of the demonstrations, proposing the introduction of exemption criteria, such as cases of students whose parents are unemployed.

By Stephen Wood
Sunderland beat Manchester United 2-1 in a penalty shootout on Wednesday to book a place in the English League Cup final after United won a dramatic semi-final second leg 2-1 in extra time.

Brazilian Rafael missed the decisive spot kick after two goals from Phil Bardsley and Javier Hernandez – and a David de Gea howler – in the dying moments of extra time had made the score 3-3 on aggregate following Sunderland’s 2-1 victory in the first leg.

United’s Danny Welbeck, Adnan Januzaj and Phil Jones also missed penalties in a remarkable shootout as Sunderland set up a final at Wembley against Manchester City on March 2.
De Gea had earlier put Sunderland within touching distance of the final when he failed to stop a routine shot from Bardsley in the 119th minute and could only watch the ball squirm into the corner of the net.

United hit back in the final minute of extra time, Hernandez sweeping home off the underside of the bar from Januzaj’s low cross to force the penalty shootout.
Jonny Evans had given United a first-half lead with a header that looked like it would be enough to send the champions through on away goals until Bardsley popped up and De Gea endured another nightmare.

The cabinet on Thursday approved a bill for the creation of an administrative court that has been demanded by lawyers and other professional groups for years and is expected to speed up judicial procedures.

The decision means that the constitution will be amended to afford the new court authority currently held by the Supreme Court under Article 146.

According to the article the court will have “exclusive jurisdiction to adjudicate finally on a recourse made to it on a complaint that a decision, an act or omission of any organ, authority or person, exercising any executive or administrative authority is contrary to any of the provisions of this constitution or of any law or is made in excess or in abuse of powers vested in such organ or authority or person.”

Its powers will be extended to cover tax matters and asylum issues.

“…it will modernise the courts, speed up procedures, and help so that justice delivers decisions at the right time, without the extensions that create problems,” government spokesman Christos Stylianides said.

The administrative court will have five members that will be selected by the supreme judicial council.

The administration, the spokesman said, wanted to create a modern state that will help the country enter a new era.

By Peter Stevenson

STUDENTS, parents and pensioners gathered on Thursday outside the communications ministry to ask that the government rethink its decision to begin charging students and pensioners bus fares,

Taking part in the protest were student body PSEM, secondary and technical school parent associations, teacher’s association’s OELMEK and OLTEK, the Pancyprian Large Family Association (POPO) and the Union of Cypriot Pensioners.

Both PSEM and the Pensioner’s Union handed over letters to ministry officials asking that their groups be excluded from paying.

Accepting the letter ministry official Aphrodite Kofterou said: “It was not our choice to introduce bus fares but it has come up due to troika. It was publicised back in December 2012,” she said.

She said the ministry did not want to make it difficult for students to get to school but it also did not want to treat other groups unfairly. The monthly €15 fare was imposed from January on secondary school students using public transport to and from school which was previously provided free of charge and subsidised by the state.

Head of PSEM Panayiotis Monoyios called on logic to prevail and demanded that the scheme be revised so students would not be in danger of missing school.

“Regardless of the financial situation we may find ourselves in, our right to education should be guaranteed,” he said.

The Pensioner’s Union general secretary Costas Skarparis said that due to the measures the current government has taken, the standard of living for the elderly has fallen by 30 per cent.

A 76-year-old man, Giorgos Tsianakkas told the Cyprus Mail that with the introduction of bus fares, hospital fees and a cut to pensions, he had been forced to ask for money from various sources to get by.

“I don’t understand why they are cutting money and then charging those same people who are already struggling,” he said.

Costas Theodosiou, 72, said: “We used to be able to put a little money on the side to give to our grandchildren who are now being forced to pay bus fares as well as us,” he said.

Head of the secondary and technical school parents association Stefanos Stefanou said that nothing had changed since the last house communications committee meeting despite the association having met on Wednesday with Transport Minister Tasos Mitsopoulos.

The issue will be discussed again next Thursday but consultations to resolve the issue will continue until then.

Teen pop star Justin Bieber was arrested in South Florida early on Thursday on a drunk driving charge after he was caught drag racing on a main thoroughfare in a rented yellow Lamborghini, police said.

In the latest off-stage incident to grab headlines, Bieber initially resisted arrest and later told officers he had consumed alcohol, pot and prescription drugs, police said.

Officers observed Bieber and another sports car accelerate at high speed from a stop position on a four-lane road in a residential area a few blocks from the South Beach tourist district, Miami Beach Police Chief Raymond Martinez told reporters.

Two SUVs had blocked the road so the 19-year-old “Boyfriend” singer could race a friend who was driving a rented red Ferrari, police said.

Bieber, who was driving 55 to 60 miles per hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone, was also charged with resisting arrest without violence and driving with an expired Georgia driver’s license.

The Canadian star was “a little belligerent, using some choice words,” when police arrested him, Martinez said, but grew cooperative once at the police station.

Bieber later acknowledged that he had used prescription medicine, had been smoking marijuana and had consumed alcohol.

His friend, identified as fellow singer Khalil Sharieff, was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence.

Bieber would likely be allowed to post bail later on Thursday after being transferred to a different jail.

The police department in the Florida city of Opa-locka is investigating whether two of its officers gave Bieber an unauthorised escort on Monday night when he landed in a private jet at the local Opa-locka airport, said city spokesman David Chiverton.

He confirmed the city also was looking into whether officers escorted Bieber to the King of Diamonds strip club in Miami Gardens.

Bieber’s erratic behaviour has at times overshadowed his music career in the last year as the Canadian star who shot to fame at age 15 transitions to adulthood.

Earlier this month, detectives in California raided Bieber’s home after he was accused of pelting a neighbour’s house with eggs.

Britain’s main equity index was set for its biggest one-day fall this year on Thursday, weighed down by disappointing U.S. economic data and weak updates from Easyjet and Pearson.

The FTSE 100 extended losses in the afternoon as data showed U.S. manufacturing growth slowed in January for the first time in three months, further denting sentiment about the world’s largest economy after discouraging earnings reports from bellwether companies such as McDonald’s.

The FTSE 100 was down 60.11 points, or 0.9 per cent to 6,766.22 points at 1555 GMT, on course for its biggest daily loss since December 12 and slipping further away from an eight-months high of 6,867 points hit on Tuesday.

The FTSE is still up roughly 5 per cent since mid-December, boosted by flows of money into Europe in light of better-than-expected data in Britain and the euro zone, which are responsible for half of the sales generated by UK blue chips.

The FTSE fell in eight of the last 24 trading days and each dip was followed by a stronger bounce in the index over the following few days. Some traders bet this time will be no different.

“All the little moves (down) ended up being bought so it’s likely that it will be the same case here, albeit this one is a bit more dramatic,” Giles Watts, head of equities at City Index, said.

Watts still expected the FTSE to head towards an all time high of 6,950 set in late 1999.

Shares in Pearson plunged 8.2 per cent, their biggest fall in 12 years, after the publisher reported big restructuring charges alongside weak demand in its education businesses in North America and Britain.

Easyjet was also among the top fallers, off 3.9 per cent after the budget airline guided that first half seasonal losses would be higher this year than last year due to the timing of Easter, which falls in its fiscal second half.

Basic materials knocked a further 3.4 points off the FTSE as data showed activity in China’s factory sector contracted in January for the first time in six months, according to the Markit/HSBC PMI, pointing to a weak start in 2014.

THE Cabinet decided on Thursday to free up more than €1.8 million in funds which will be used to provide medication for patients suffering from thalassaemia and multiple sclerosis.

A total of €833,713 will be used to purchase Exjade, a drug used to treat thalassaemia, €304,274 will be used to treat patients suffering from multiple sclerosis and €9,170 for another unspecified specialised treatment.

Natalia Michaelidou, head of the Thalassaemia Association said last week that patients were in despair following the death of 11 people who were unable to receive the necessary treatment.

“The severe delay in the approval of patients to receive the drug has meant four patients who got on the list late lost their lives, while seven others who were on the waiting list also lost their lives,” she said.

Exjade’s main use is to reduce chronic iron overload in patients who receive long-term blood transfusions for conditions such as thalassaemia and other chronic forms of anaemia. It is marketed in Cyprus by Novartis.

The health ministry was also accused of not supplying the required medication to multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

In a statement, the MS association said that more than 20 patients were approved by the health ministry’s medical council to receive a specific medication but were later told it was not suitable and they should wait for a replacement. Ten months later, this has not yet materialised.  The association said the condition of many of the patients was worsening and in some cases has become irreversible.

SCHOOL children in the north are attending lessons outdoors after the electricity company decided to cut power to a number of schools that have failed to pay their energy bills, it was reported on Thursday.

According to Turkish Cypriot paper Halkin Sesi, the electricity company Kibtek decided to cut off supply to around ten schools, resulting in pupils taking classes outdoors.

The paper published a photo of children from the Mia Milia primary school attending classes in the yard. The power cut also caused problems with the water supply and the proper functioning of the toilets.

The school’s head told the paper they was not even aware how much was owed in electricity bills since the ‘education ministry’ was responsible for paying the bills.

The water problem was temporarily solved by transporting water using trucks from the Turkish Cypriot municipality in the occupied part of Nicosia.

Halkin Sesi notes that as a result of the power cuts, the electricity company had collected around €3.3 million in outstanding debts in the last three days.

Local authorities in the north were some of the biggest debtors to the power company.

Parliament on Thursday amended the road tax law following complaints that recent changes forced motorists of certain vehicles to pay out €200 extra.

The mistake affected 2,214 vehicles with large engine capacity (over 2,250 cc), such as vans and pick-up trucks.

They were listed under the new legislation as ‘van,’ a category that had a higher rate for calculating the amount due.

The amendment re-established the previously abolished payment ceiling of €299.

The road transport department said it will return the difference to those motorists who have already paid the higher rate.

The deadline for renewal is February 9.

By George Psyllides

THE government yesterday approved legislation that makes it easier for Turkish Cypriots to vote in the upcoming European Parliament elections by registering those eligible on the electoral roll automatically.

The bill provides that all Cypriot citizens who are eligible to vote, including those living in the north with Republic identity cards, will be automatically registered on the electoral roll and will not have to apply.

“It is already known that this decision is linked with the participation of Turkish Cypriots in the next European elections,” government spokesman Christos Stylianides said. “It is equal participation for all citizens of the Republic of Cyprus.”

Cyprus is entitled to six MEPs.

Theoretically, Turkish Cypriots could elect two representatives, if they all turned out to vote in the May 26 ballot.

However, they want a separate vote to be held in the breakaway state, something rejected by the government.

Deniz Birinci, Foreign Relations’ Secretary of the Social Democracy Party (TDP), was quoted in the Turkish Cypriot press as saying that political groups in the European parliament were positive on participation in the elections.

“However, they are not positive on holding a separate election in the north,” she told Kibris newspaper.

“According to information we acquired, 80,000 Turkish Cypriots will automatically be registered on the election lists and that they have the right to vote and if all of them vote there is a possibility for the Turkish Cypriots filling up the two seats,” she said.

Birinci said Turkish Cypriots have two choices: either to participate in the elections in the government-controlled area of the island or to hold elections in the occupied areas under the supervision of the European parliament.

It is understood that the number of Turkish Cypriots with Republic of Cyprus identity cards is more than 80,000.

Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey is asking for information about the business practices of Herbalife Ltd, his office said on Thursday, making him the most prominent lawmaker to call for a probe into the nutrition company that billionaire investor William Ackman claims is a pyramid scheme.

Herbalife shares tumbled more than 14 per cent after Markey, a Democrat, said he had written to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and to Herbalife itself to try to obtain more information.

“There is nothing nutritional about possible pyramid schemes that promise financial benefit but result in economic ruin for vulnerable families,” Markey said. He said the call for a probe followed “serious complaints of improper pressure and financial hardship” from constituents.

Herbalife spokeswoman Barbara Henderson said the company had received the letter and looks “forward to an opportunity to introduce the company to him and address his concerns at his earliest convenience.”

It was the second big hit to Herbalife’s stock so far this year. Last week, shares tumbled 10 per cent on the heels of a regulatory probe in China into skincare products maker Nu Skin, which has a similar business model to Herbalife.

The battle for the future of Herbalife has been raging for over a year after prominent activist investor Ackman accused the company of running a pyramid scheme – an unsustainable business model that focuses more on recruiting salespeople than on selling to outside customers.

Ackman backed his accusation with a $1bn short bet that the company’s share price would drop to zero under regulatory scrutiny, and began approaching lawmakers and regulators with his evidence.

Since then, major investors including Carl Icahn have lined up against Ackman’s bet by taking stakes in the company, making Herbalife shares some of the most closely watched on Wall Street. The stock price surged 139 per cent in 2013, but has fallen a total of 16.6 per cent so far this year.

S&P Capital IQ analyst Tom Graves lowered the company’s 12-month target price to $65 from $75 “to reflect our view of increased risk, after U.S. Senator Edward Markey seeks an SEC and FTC investigation.”

The SEC has in recent years routinely reviewed Herbalife’s public disclosures and requested additional information, including on how its distribution network is organised, and more recently on its relationship with Icahn.

Markey wrote in the letters that his interest in Herbalife was sparked by constituents in Massachusetts who claim to have lost thousands of dollars buying supplies that they could not sell on to customers. He said one family in Norton said it lost $130,000, including its entire retirement fund, from investing with the company.

Another woman said she was pressured to recruit family members and spend more money to buy more products so that she could qualify as a “supervisor” in the Herbalife system.

Markey’s move comes after Nevada’s State Senate Majority Leader Mo Denis in December asked his state’s attorney general for an investigation into the supplement maker for alleged targeting and deception of Hispanics.

Latino civil rights activists have also asked prosecutors in California and Illinois to probe the company’s marketing practices.

Police on Thursday apprehended a 53-year-old man wanted for rape and on the lam since Tuesday.

Andreas Costas Demou was taken into custody after police, acting on a tipoff, tracked him down in Alassa, outside Limassol, where he had been hiding.

Demou disappeared on Tuesday, when his 18-year-old daughter filed a complaint with the police. A warrant for his arrest was issued shortly after.

The girl alleges that on Monday night her father drove her to a remote area in Fasouri, Limassol, where he proceeded to rape her.

She claimed that Demou had told her he was going to drive her to her grandmother’s house to sleep but instead drove her to Lady’s Mile where the alleged assault took place.

The suspect has a prior criminal record.

Demou is set to appear before Limassol district court on Friday for his remand hearing. Sources said he is being charged with rape, sexual abuse, incest and kidnapping.

China’s Li Na overcame an attack of nerves and weathered a feisty challenge from Dominika Cibulkova before roaring to a 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 victory to win her first Australian Open title on Saturday.

Heartbroken as runner-up last year and in 2011, the 31-year-old struggled on serve and battled an errant forehand in a tight first set, before finding her range in devastating fashion to become the oldest woman to win at Melbourne Park.

Cibulkova gave up two match-points when the Slovakian pushed a backhand long and saved one of them when Li did likewise, but the 20th seed crumbled on the second to give the Chinese her second grand slam title after winning the 2011 French Open.

Asia’s first grand slam singles winner, Li raised her arms in triumph and after shaking hands with her opponent, went straight to her section of the players’ box to embrace her coach Carlos Rodriguez and members of her entourage.

“Finally I got her (trophy), last two times was very close,” the beaming fourth seed said at the trophy ceremony.

Cibulkova put up a brave fight

“Congrats to Dominika, she had a great tournament. Max my agent, makes me rich, thank you. Thanks for Carlos, who always believed I could do it. We worked so hard in the winter.

“Thanks to my husband, now so famous in China, (my) hitting partner, fixes the drinks, fixes the racquets… You do a lot a lot of jobs. Thanks a lot, you are a nice guy. You were lucky to find me.”

The pint-sized Cibulkova, who won plenty of admirers at Melbourne Park after upsetting Maria Sharapova and Agnieszka Radwanska on her way to the final, scrambled hard but was simply overpowered by Li’s crunching groundstrokes in the second set.

“These were just the most fantastic two weeks of my life and I think I’m going to cry,” the 24-year-old said.

“I would like to congratulate Li Na, she had a fantastic tournament, she deserves to be here as a winner.”

FOUND RANGE

At 31, Li became the oldest woman to win the Australian Open

After a nervous start for both players, Li was the first to settle and unleashed a blistering backhand down the line to gain a break point in the opening game against her feisty opponent, who promptly double-faulted on the next point.

Under pressure from the counter-punching Cibulkova, Li notched two double-faults in a row to be broken back in the sixth game and the Slovakian then held with a big serve to move 4-3 ahead.

Li broke Cibulkova for a second time in the 11th game and had a set point on serve at 6-5 but the 20th seed survived to take the opener into a tiebreaker.

The temperamental Chinese found her range in time to march to a 5-1 lead in the tiebreak but Cibulkova marshalled her defences with aplomb, scrambling to chase down everything and pulled back to 5-3.

Li then blasted a huge return to earn three more set points but only needed one of them when Cibulkova netted a backhand.

Once the first set was in the bag, Li appeared far more at ease and wound up a huge forehand down the line to bring up an early break point in the second and was soon 2-0 ahead when Cibulkova pushed long.

Growing in confidence, Li began to swing at everything and broke Cibulkova again to lead 4-0 before completing an emphatic victory in her third attempt at Melbourne Park, the grand slam venue she has long described as her favourite.

By George Psyllides

REPORTS on Saturday suggested that the father of a five-year-old born out of wedlock to a Romanian woman found dead in squalid conditions on Thursday is a Cypriot from Larnaca.

Forty-year-old Ildiko Gergely Tunde was found dead in her Larnaca apartment after her son was seen calling for help in the hallway of the building just after 7am.

A post mortem determined the cause of death to be an infection of the gastrointestinal tract caused by duodenal perforation for which the woman had refused treatment last week at Larnaca General Hospital.

Initial reports said the father of the child was unknown but on Saturday, daily Politis said he was a married Cypriot from Larnaca.

There was no official confirmation of the report.

Politis said neighbours knew who the man was as did Tunde’s older son from a previous relationship in Romania.

The 22-year-old is doing prison time for burglary and theft and is expected to be released in two months, Politis said.

Politis said the man has a family who does not know about his extramarital affair and the child.

The man has been questioned by police and has not denied knowing Tunde, Politis said, but he has not confirmed being the father of the child.

It was not immediately known whether there will be a DNA test to determine the father’s identity.

Tunde was found dead amid piles of garbage filling her apartment.

Apparently suffering from hoarding disorder, Tunde had been cut off by the welfare service in December — in line with policy — after she turned down two job offers.

Reports suggested one of the jobs had been on a farm, which would have paid only a little over €400 a month, compared to the reported €700 she received on benefits.

The woman had been receiving benefits since 2010.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the case to establish what failures may have occurred within the welfare system.

The investigation will look into how their living conditions had gone unnoticed and why state assistance was cut in without further checks.

The welfare service said a social worker met with her a year ago but did not find anything wrong at the flat.

Police arrested two individuals in Nicosia during a raid at a gambling establishment.

The two, including the owner, were charged and later released.

During the raid, police seized eight computers, two television sets, two printers, and €285 in cash.

In a raid in the Famagusta area, police seized four computers suspected of being used for gambling.

The case is being investigated by the Paralimni police station.

Paphos police on Saturday arrested a local boy, 17, in connection with the possession of stolen property.

The teenager was picked up at 3.35am in Kato Paphos after a Belgian man, 22, was found injured in the street.

He was taken to hospital where he was treated for abrasions and bruises.

Police said they found a watch and two mobile phones in the suspect’s possession.

State telecoms (CyTA) unions on Saturday reiterated their demand for their pension rights to be secured through the legal framework governing the privatisation of the organisation.

The demand was made to Finance Minister Harris Georgiades who metthe unions as the government prepares the necessary legislation for the privatisation of CyTA.

Unions asked that the bill, before it is submitted to parliament for approval, should include provisions securing the workers pension and constitutional rights, mandating dialogue with them, and allowing parliament to check the privatisation programme at every stage.

“We demand that provisions securing these rights be included in the bill before it goes to parliament,” Andreas Onisiforou, said, speaking on behalf of all five CyTA unions.

The government approved the roadmap for the privatisation of state companies last December.

Privatisations are part of terms in the island’s bailout agreement. Cyprus must raise €1.4 billion through privatisations between 2016 and 2018.

The main companies are CyTA, the ports authority, and the electricity authority, EAC.

Based on the roadmap, the first organisation slated for privatisation is state telecommunications company CyTA.

The CyTA unions urged parliament to approve a voluntary redundancy scheme that will see some 600 staff go over three years and save around €250 million.

Unions said success of the scheme would also benefit the public as CyTA would be able to cut its prices by 25 per cent.

Seven people were killed during anti-government marches on Saturday while thousands rallied in support of the army-led authorities, underlining Egypt’s volatile political fissures three years after the fall of autocrat president Hosni Mubarak.

Security forces lobbed teargas and fired in the air to try to prevent demonstrators opposed to the government from reaching Tahrir Square, the symbolic heart of the 2011 uprising that toppled the former air force commander.

As police tried to calm Cairo’s politically-charged streets, a car bomb exploded near a police camp in the Egyptian city of Suez, security sources said.

The blast, which was followed by a fierce exchange of gunfire, suggested that Islamist militant opponents of Sisi were intensifying an insurgency. But the growing violence has not dented the general’s popularity.

Instead of commemorating Mubarak’s overthrow, a large number of Egyptians gathered in Tahrir for the day to pledge their support for the army chief who ousted the country’s first freely-elected president last year.

The chanting for c underscored the prevailing desire for a decisive military man they count on to end the political turmoil that has gripped Egypt since the 2011 Arab Spring revolution and crippled the economy.

But an end to street violence seemed nowhere in sight. Not far from Tahrir, police in black uniforms clutching assault rifles fired tear gas canisters in a clampdown on anti-government protesters lasting for about two hours.

Four protesters were killed in different parts of the capital, where armoured personnel carriers were deployed to try and keep order, and anyone entering Tahrir had to pass through a metal detector.

In the southern town of Minya, two people were killed in clashes between Mursi supporters and security forces, said Brigadier General Hisham Nasr, director of criminal investigations in the regional police department.

A woman was killed in Egypt’s second city of Alexandria during clashes between supporters of Mursi and security forces.

The pressure prompted one alliance of liberals to call on their members to withdraw from the streets.

Sisi toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July after mass protests against what critics called his mismanagement and increasingly arbitrary rule, triggering a confrontation with the veteran Islamist movement that has hit investment and tourism hard.

SISI TIPPED TO RUN FOR, WIN PRESIDENCY

The general, who served as head of military intelligence under Mubarak, is expected to announce his candidacy for the presidency soon and likely to win by a landslide in elections, expected within six months.

Several leading politicians have indicated they would not run for president if Sisi does, highlighting his dominance and the barren political landscape that has emerged since Mubarak’s fall. The most vocal critics of the new order – the Brotherhood – have been driven underground.

The army congratulated Egyptians on the anniversary of the 2011 uprising and said it would help people build on the gains of what it calls the June 30 Revolution, a reference to the street unrest that prompted the army to oust Mursi.

Such messages have wide appeal for people like Shadia Mohamed Ahmed, a veiled middle-aged woman holding a poster of Sisi in Tahrir. She said “criminals” who commit violent acts against Egypt should be “executed in a public square.”

The crowd around her called for the execution of Brotherhood members.

Tensions have been smouldering anew since a wave of deadly bombings killed six people in Cairo on Friday. An al Qaeda-inspired group, based in the lawless Sinai Peninsula, claimed responsibility, according to the SITE monitoring organisation.

In an audio message posted on militant websites, al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri called on Egyptian Muslims to focus on fighting what he called “an Americanised coup” staged by Sisi instead of battling the country’s minority Christians.

The leader of the Coptic Christian church backed Sisi’s military takeover.

Early on Saturday a bomb exploded near a Cairo police academy. No one was hurt, said the Interior Ministry.

In Tahrir, the mood felt more like a campaign rally for Sisi than a commemoration of the 18-day revolt that Egyptians at the time hoped would bring democratic, civilian government to the Arab world’s most populous country.

Huge banners, posters and T-shirts displayed images of Sisi in his trademark dark sunglasses at Saturday’s rally. Several hundred people chanted slogans in support of the general.

TEAR GAS AND BIRDSHOT

Some didn’t have the chance to express their views. Police fired live rounds in the air to disperse about 1,000 anti-government protesters in Cairo’s Mohandiseen district and at two other marches in downtown.

Hisham Sadiq, a university student, said he was protesting against “military rule and the thugs of the Interior Ministry”.

At one rally, the crowd yelled “the people want the downfall of the regime!” – a common chant during the 18-day revolt that ousted Mubarak – before running from tear gas.

Dozens of anti-government protesters were arrested in Egypt’s second city Alexandria, security sources said.

When he removed Mursi, Sisi promised a political roadmap that would lead to free and fair elections.

But the Muslim Brotherhood says Sisi and his allies in the government have blood on their hands and accuse them of undermining democratic gains made since Mubarak’s downfall.

Security forces have killed up to 1,000 Muslim Brotherhood supporters and put the movement’s top leaders in jail. The Brotherhood, which renounced violence in the 1970s, has been declared a terrorist group.

But the tough measures have failed to stabilise Egypt, which is of great strategic importance because of its peace treaty with Israel and control over the Suez Canal.

Islamist militants based in the Sinai Peninsula have stepped up attacks against security forces since Sisi toppled Mursi. Hundreds have been killed.

The security crackdown has been extended to secular-minded liberals, including ones who played a key role in the 2011 uprising. Human rights groups have accused the Egyptian authorities of quashing dissent and using excessive force, calling state violence since Mursi’s ouster unprecedented.

Still, many Egyptians choose to look the other way and extend their full support to Sisi. “We are here to support Sisi,” said a man in Tahrir who only gave his first name, Mahmoud. “Sisi is going to save the country,” said his wife.