Syria’s civil war foes held their first face-to-face meeting on Saturday at the start of talks to end nearly three years of conflict which has killed 130,000 people and destabilised the wider Middle East.

After a day of delay and fierce recrimination, government and opposition delegates faced each other across a negotiating table at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva in the presence of international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi.

The two parties entered and left the room through separate doors, sitting in silence for half an hour while Brahimi set out his plans – an immediate focus on humanitarian aid which diplomats have described as a confidence-building measure, followed by political talks to resolve the conflict.

“He told us this is a political conference … based on Geneva 1,” opposition delegate Anas al-Abdah said, referring to a June 2012 declaration calling for the establishment in Syria of a transitional governing body by mutual agreement.

President Bashar al-Assad’s government delegation said it broadly accepted Geneva 1, but reiterated its longstanding opposition to idea of a transitional body, saying it was inappropriate and unnecessary.

“We have complete reservations regarding it,” Information Minister Omran Zoabi said, comparing the proposal to the transitional government set up in Iraq by U.S. occupation forces after they toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

“Syria is a state with institutions,” he added. “A transitional governing body … happens where the state is in disintegration, or has no institutions.”

The opposition has insisted that the government delegation accept the principle of setting up the transitional body, saying it must bring an end to Assad’s rule. The president says only Syrian voters can choose their ruler and that he may well stand again in an election due to be held by June this year.

Delegates reconvened at around 4 p.m. (1500 GMT), a U.N. spokeswoman said, and were expected to discuss a possible deal on a short ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid into besieged rebel-held areas in Homs.

“We will focus over the next two days on humanitarian conditions and letting in food to the besieged areas,” opposition delegation spokesman Louay Safi told reporters.

“We will also discuss the release of the prisoners of conscience. There are huge numbers of them. We will start first with women and children”.

SMALL STEPS

The peace conference almost collapsed on Friday, the day face-to-face talks were meant to start. “We do expect some bumps on the road,” Brahimi said after separate meetings with the parties.

One diplomatic source said progress had been slow.

“Small steps, but small steps are better than no steps,” the source said. “It’s clear there will be hysterical episodes each day.”

Humanitarian access for Homs, where insurgents in central districts are surrounded by Assad’s forces, could be agreed quickly. Abdah said the opposition had already asked fighters on the ground to respect a ceasefire and to protect convoys of aid once the agreement is reached.

“We had a suggestion prepared for this before the conference began and already spoke about it to the Red Cross and countries that are close to the regime like Russia, as well as United States and the United Nations,” he said.

The proposal, which includes granting civilians safe passage, could lead to a ceasefire in Homs city for a week or two, which if successful could be extended to the whole of the central province – a major battleground.

But profound mutual mistrust and the absence from Geneva of powerful Islamist opposition groups as well as Assad’s ally Iran make any substantial progress very difficult, and previous ceasefires in Syria have proved short-lived.

The crisis flared with street protests against Assad’s rule in March 2011 and descended into an armed insurgency and civil war after security forces put down demonstrations with force.

There are now hundreds of rebel brigades across the country, including hardline Islamists and al Qaeda-linked militants, few of whom pay much heed to the opposition in exile.

Abdah said the fact that Brahimi had raised the issue on Saturday, after separate talks with the opposition and government delegations a day earlier, meant the ceasefire idea had already won a degree of consensus between the two parties.

Brahimi had already indicated that his aim was to start by seeking practical steps, such as local ceasefires, prisoner releases and access for international aid deliveries, before embarking on the tougher political negotiations.

“I think an immediate political solution is unrealistic, unfortunately,” French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told France 24 television.

Syria’s civil war has made half of the 22 million population dependent on aid, including hundreds of thousands cut off by fighting.

By George Psyllides

SIX Limassol local authorities yesterday voiced their disagreement with the reforms proposed by British experts who called for a drastic cut in municipalities from 30 to five.

In a joint news conference, the mayors said a lot of authority would be concentrated in the hands of a few meaning less social policy, less communication with the public, and less services.

“The savings the experts refer to are an illusion because this form would entail very complicated organisation and procedures,” Limassol Mayor Andreas Christou said.

Christou said the public should also be asked what they wanted instead of making proposals without consulting them.

Ypsonas Mayor Aristos Aristidou said the proposal effectively meant transferring all the authority to five people.

“This proposal topples the kings and enthrones the emperors,” he said.

In their report, commissioned by the Cyprus government as part of its effort to modernise the public sector, the experts identified the absence of a culture of performance management, lack of transparency, and tight control of finances by the central government.

They said the status quo was not an option and proposed, among others, replacing the 30 existing local government structures with five new directly elected local authorities, with boundaries matching those of district administrations.

The new bodies would, at the very least, combine the powers and responsibilities of both district administrations, municipalities and communities.

The report identifies substantial benefits in this option, like clear accountability, the capacity to assume additional responsibilities, and the existence of a core – in district administrations – to build around.

Manchester City’s four-pronged assault on silverware is still on track but they survived a massive scare in the FA Cup when they came back from two down to beat second tier Watford 4-2 in the fourth round on Saturday.

Championship side Watford stunned their hosts by taking a 2-0 lead by halftime but Sergio Aguero wiped off the deficit after the break before Aleksandar Kolarov put City ahead and Aguero completed his hat-trick.

Only European champions Bayern Munich had beaten City at their Etihad fortress this season and Watford had looked like pulling off a remarkable shock with their goals coming from Fernando Forestieri and Troy Deeney.

Liverpool had no such problems as they reached the last-16 with a 2-0 win at second tier Bournemouth – Victor Moses and Daniel Sturridge scoring for the seven-times winners.

Kidderminster, the only survivors from outside England’s top four divisions, battled valiantly at top flight Sunderland but slipped out 1-0 while third tier Southend United were beaten 2-0 at home by Premier League Hull City.

Holders Wigan Athletic, who were relegated to the Championship after beating Man City in last year’s final, kept alive their hopes of an unlikely defence of the trophy with a 2-1 victory over top flight Crystal Palace.

There were also wins for Swansea City at Birmingham City, Cardiff City at Bolton Wanderers and Southampton, who also beat Championship opposition in the form of Yeovil Town.

Results from the English FA Cup 4th Round matches on Saturday January 25th
Birmingham City (II) – Swansea City 1-2 (halftime: 1-0)
Bolton Wanderers (II) – Cardiff City 0-1 (halftime: 0-0)
Huddersfield Town (II) – Charlton Athletic (II) 0-1 (halftime: 0-0)
Manchester City – Watford (II) 4-2 (halftime: 0-2)
Port Vale (III) – Brighton and Hove Albion (II) 1-3 (halftime: 1-2)
Rochdale (IV) – Sheffield Wednesday (II) 1-2 (halftime: 0-0)
Southampton – Yeovil Town (II) 2-0 (halftime: 1-0)
Southend United (IV) – Hull City 0-2 (halftime: 0-0)
Sunderland – Kidderminster Harriers (V) 1-0 (halftime: 1-0)
Wigan Athletic (II) – Crystal Palace 2-1 (halftime: 1-0)
AFC Bournemouth (II) – Liverpool 0-2 (halftime: 0-1)
Friday, January 24
Nottingham Forest (II) – Preston North End (III) 0-0 (halftime: 0-0)
Arsenal – Coventry City (III) 4-0 (halftime: 2-0)

Three people died in a shooting at a large shopping mall outside of Baltimore, Maryland, on Saturday, and one of the dead was believed to be the shooter, police said.

Police said they were allowing shoppers to leave the Mall in Columbia, in Columbia, Maryland, after determining there was no longer a threat, Howard County Police said on Twitter.

Police said they did not immediately know the identities of the dead.

Police said a 911 call at about 11:15 a.m. EST (1615 GMT) reported that shots had been fired at the mall, a sprawling shopping center with about 200 stores about 30 miles (48 km) north of Washington, D.C.

Colin Reddy, who works at the mall, told CNN he “heard a loud boom.”

“We thought it was construction because there’s a lot of construction going on at the mall right now. Then I heard it again. Like ‘boom, boom, boom’. And then everybody started running,” he said.

THIS NEWSPAPER had placed great hope on the election of Nicos Anastasiades to the presidency. We believed that he would provide the decisive and strong leadership the country was crying out for after the five years of Christofias incompetence that bankrupted the state and led to the collapse of the banking sector. We had thought that Anastasiades had the mettle and the drive to undertake the radical reform needed to clean up the chaotic economic mess, built up over the decades, and create the healthy foundation on which the economy could be re-built.

Almost a year in power, we regret to say, he has failed to live up to these high, perhaps unjustified, expectations and seems as determined to avoid the political cost, that comes with tough decisions and big change, as his predecessor had been. He has shied away from initiating real change, engaging instead in a maintenance job, trying to salvage as many of the distortions and inequities that are the root cause of our problems. He has been consistent in always choosing the path of least resistance and taking a short-term view of things, even in the knowledge that this was not in the interest of the country. It is as if he is already working for his re-election campaign.

This could explain why the root cause for the financial problems faced by the state – the public sector payroll which has an annual cost in the region of €2.4 billion – has not been touched. The pay cuts were those agreed with the troika by the Christofias government, while Ansatasiades’ spokesman and finance minister have both given public assurances there would be no more pay cuts for public employees. In fact none of the mechanisms that would ensure its continuing growth (incremental wage scales and CoLA) after the end of the assistance programme have been scrapped, having only been suspended for a couple of years.

The non-contributory retirement bonuses and super-pensions remain in place and, scandalously, public employees’ monthly contribution to the social insurance fund has increased only 0.5 per cent compared to the 1 per cent for private sector workers, who have always contributed more for much lower pensions. This opportunity to put all citizens on an equal footing was ignored by the president, because like all politicians he would rather preserve public employees’ privileges than have to confront their unions.

In fairness, his handling of the powerful public sector unions has been no different from that of Christofias. He has sanctioned the costly, voluntary retirement schemes at Cyta and the co-op banks, by which redundant workers are offered a king’s ransom to leave their non-existent jobs, gave in to teachers’ unions regarding teaching hours and contractual teachers and scrapped the new public service working hours under pressure from PASYDY, to which he gave personal assurances that their ‘conquest’ would not be touched. Anastasiades, like Christofias before him is in thrall to the unions, not because he is a communist, but because he is just another populist thinking of his re-election.

Even on the Cyprus problem, he seems more concerned with keeping his hard-line allies happy than doing anything bold. Again, he opted for the path of least resistance engaging in a blame game with the Turkish side, over who was responsible for preventing the resumption of talks. He has even undertaken some Downer-bashing, twice writing to the UN Secretary-General to complain about the Australian envoy, to curry favour with the rejectionists, whom he had promised collective decision-making in the handling of the Cyprus problem. Anastasiades is doing a maintenance job on the Cyprus issue as well, because it is the easy option and suits everyone.

This is not the type of leadership we expected from Anastasiades, but it seems that essentially, all Cypriot politicians, despite theoretical differences in ideology, are the same. They are all in thrall to the unions, they all protect the privileges of the public sector workers and they do not care that rest of the population suffers as a result of this. He has embraced the Christofias practice of protecting the public employees from additional pay and pension cuts through the imposition of more taxes. This aversion to cutting the public payroll means there is no money for development projects either. But his government sanctioned the scandalous wasting of €100 million on the purchase of gunboats – thankfully put on hold by the House.

For those of us who had hoped the new government would take the bold decisions that would bring about much-needed change, Anastasiades has been a big disappointment. It was naive to think a product of the dysfunctional, discredited, Cyprus political system would dare to dismantle it.

By Bejay Browne

AUTHORITIES plan to seek millions in EU funding to try and save two of the island’s most popular tourist spots whose beaches completely disappeared over a two-day period in December.

Tourism in the area, which many businesses and locals rely to earn a living, is now in jeopardy for the 2014 summer season if something cannot be done.

Scenes at the hugely popular Polis campsite – one of the two affected beaches- are shocking. Some 40 metres of sandy beach have literally been sliced away, leaving only a cliff-type ledge leading to the sea.

In nearby Latsi café beachside seating areas are teetering on the brink of a sandy ledge close to the water, which used to be 40 metres away before the mystery erosion. In both cases there is no longer a beach.

Many put the catastrophe down to a 6.2 earthquake on December 28 off the coast of Turkey, which was strongly felt in Cyprus, particularly north of Paphos.

Locals have been visiting the area in their dozens after hearing of reports of the devastation at the Polis campsite, which attracts thousands of visitors, local and foreign, every year.

Polis campsite minus its beach

What’s left of the blue-flagged beach now only stretches from the seaside café to the edge of the larger of two lifeguard towers -  the second lookout tower has disappeared altogether. The rest of the beach- about 40 metres according to the Polis Mayor Angelos Georgiou, has vanished into the sea.

Although officials say erosion of the coastline has been a recognised problem in the area for a number of years, the speed and devastation which has occurred is hard to comprehend.

The head of the governments public works departments’ coastal engineers Stelios Zevros, visited the area on. He spoke to the Sunday Mail shortly afterwards.

“There has been a problem with coastal erosion here for some time, but nothing to this extent. This is why there is a master plan in place to construct 14 breakwaters to protect the coastline.”

So far, only four of the 14 have been erected in the sea by Latsi port. Phase one was completed in 2010 and Zevros said phase two, which will run from the last breaker up to the campsite at Polis, should have commenced immediately afterwards.

“The crisis meant that funds weren’t available for this and now it will be very difficult to undertake. We are trying to garner the funds from the European Union. We need about €5 million. Without this help we will be unable to go ahead with the plans in the foreseeable future.”

Zevros added that a team of coastal engineers would now carry out investigations and measurements to find out what exactly is happening in the area.

“It is very surprising that such severe erosion took place in such a short amount of time, in particular at the beach in Latsi, where there had been little indication of this previously.”

He couldn’t confirm for sure that it was caused by the recent earthquake.

“As there isn’t any data available yet, I can’t say if the earthquake caused this reaction; further investigation is needed. The master plan to construct the further breakers is for the east side of the area, perhaps some softer measures will be taken for the west side, (Latsi).”

Polis Mayor Angelos Georgiou

Mayor Georgiou said: “People started to contact me at around the same time as the earthquake, that we had this problem. We are hoping for suggestions from the authorities to ensure we can protect the beach and make it usable for the new season.”

Other parts of the coastline have also been damaged, although not to the same extent.

Georgiou added: “We had a problem with erosion at one of the municipality’s beaches before they started the wave breakers, but nothing like this.”

The mayor said the devastation could have been caused because the coastal protection project wasn’t completed, adding that swift measures must be taken to finish the project and protect the area.

“It took two days for the beaches to vanish; I immediately appealed to the relevant government officials for help,” he said.

“I am also waiting to be granted a licence… I hope in one or two months, to go ahead with the upgrading plans for the campsite, now we can’t do anything. We have to save the beach.”

Shocked residents from all over the Paphos district are visiting the two beaches on a daily basis.

Paul and Laurie Burwood

Paul and Laurie Burwood have lived in Polis for the last eight years and say in that time, nothing like this has happened. They also believe the catastrophe is the effect of the recent earthquake.

Laurie said: “We felt the earthquake, lights were swinging and there was a huge roar. This is the first time we’ve come to look at the campsite beach, we noticed problems at the other beach in Latsi The campsite beach is one of the most frequented in the summer, we’ve had parties on the beach here, its fantastic and now its just gone.”

Husband Paul added: “I believe that the effects caused by the earthquake have been pushed this way as the wave breakers protected the area further along. It’s terrible and I don’t know how they are going to re install the beach. They need to put the breakwaters in this end.”

Kate and Tony Jones

Kate and Tony Jones, from Anavargos village in Paphos also visited the Polis campsite beach, as they often use it in the summer.

The couple said: “We felt a tremor in Anavargos; everything is pointing that the quake caused this. We’ve never seen anything like it before; this was a lovely place to come; everyone came here.”

The couple questioned who would pay for repair work or necessary preventative measures, as there ‘isn’t any money anywhere in Cyprus’.

Tony noted: “Looking after the environment is a priority though and we need to protect the coast.”

At the London school of economics on the Cyprus issue the President of the Republic commented that “first and foremost, a viable and lasting settlement would be in the best interest of the people of Cyprus, Greek and Turkish Cypriots, and their longing to live in a normal and prosperous European country.”

“In parallel, a re-united Cyprus, fully respecting the fundamental freedoms and human rights of all its citizens, will also prove of great value to the development of the EU – Turkey relations, including its security dimension,” he added.

I am not so sure that both communities want reunification and I think the President needs to have a referendum amongst the Greek Cypriot community of whether the majority prefer

a) bizonal bicommunal federation (BBF)

b) a two-state solution based on “land for recognition formula”

The fact that no Greek Cypriot President wants to put up a referendum and discuss arguments for and against the above choices only means that the current status quo will continue.

George K Georgiou, Australia

I am putting together a professional scrap-book of pictures and articles from all my many film mags and books about Diana Dors. Plus a Memories and Tributes section about her in the second half of my book.

I wondered if anybody has any memories of Diana Dors visiting Cyprus during her life/career – either seeing her in a show or some cultural event there, or meeting her socially in a club or night club in the area?

If so, I wondered if any of your readers met her or saw her and would like to share any memories/anecdotes to my non-commercial professional scrap-book ? This book will be donated to various Library Archives around the country, where Diana lived and worked, her birthplace town of Swindon being one of a few.

I prefer Diana Dors serious roles in acting and in particular her role as the condemned woman in Yield to the Night [1956] and I have had a contribution from her co-star in that film, Michael Craig. It is true to say that this film helped to abolish the death penalty in the UK during the 1960’s.

There is no doubt in my mind she was one of the most loved and diverse entertainers Britain produced during the 20^th century and she certainly earned that status all her life. She was the precursor of the modern day celebrity in every way. She could put her mind to serious and comedic studies on TV, in film and on stage. In 1960 Diana even started a singing career, which eventually produced her Swingin’ Dors album, still available on CD I’m told.

In essence I am hoping my project will be one of the most comprehensive collection of Memories relating to Diana Dors’ life and career to date.

I look forward to any memories and can be contacted at:

Ian Payne

8 Thornbury Rd

Walsall,

England, WS2 8JL

elandimpayne@uwclub.net

Tel: 01922 – 627522

http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/nostalgia/nostalgia-screen-beauties-diana-dors-and-glynis-johns-film-in-aylesbury-1-5236163

http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/letters/did-you-ever-meet-diana-dors-on-iw-50112.aspx

Regarding Mr Sokel’s comments on my letter to the editor  (Sunday Mail, January 19 I would like to make the following points:

I quoted theOfficial Journal of the European Union to show that the European Central Bank (ECB) was ultimately responsible for the threat to withdraw ELA to Cypriot banks, and not the Central Bank of Cyprus.  The practical demonstration of ECB power was made apparent  during the March Eurogroup meetings when President Anastasiades was informed that the ECB would cut off ELA to the Cypriot banks if he did not agree to the haircut on deposits.

The Cyprus Mail April 2, 1013 reported that Joerg Asmussen, a member of the  ECB board,  threatened  “in what amounted to open blackmail that the ECB would pull the plug on emergency funds to both Laiki and the Bank of Cyprus.”

This pressure on the President as described above raises an interesting issue regarding the drastic changes in European legislative procedures which are unfolding under the auspices of the Eurogroup.

At one time the European legislative process was one in which member countries voted for specific laws and regulations which applied to all and for the benefit of the European Union as a whole. This has changed with the decisions taken relative to Cyprus and the other countries receiving Eurogroup financial assistance.

These countries (e.g., Cyprus) have had to agree to a wide number of intrusive economic measures dictated by the Eurogroup, many of them painful. The basis for such agreement is mainly financial rather than legal. Countries subject to such measures may disagree, as did President Anastasiades but they have little choice.

Either they go along with the directives of the Eurogroup and the periodic visits of the Troika Team or they do not receive the financial assistance they desperately require.

This financial assistance is not given all at once but doled out periodically over set time periods so that any backsliding by the recipients results in a financial cut off.

This may be acceptable treatment as between a bank and a borrower in financial difficulty but it runs counter to the original spirit of cooperation between equals on which the European Union was founded.

Europe is now divided into lender and borrower countries, the lenders issuing directives that lack democratic foundation. We shall hear more on this issue as the elections for the European Parliament approach this May.

Dr. Jim Leontiades, CIIM, Nicosia

The letter published from Dr Jim Leontiades Sunday Mail January 19), which accused the European Central Bank of acting irresponsibly in funding the insolvent Laiki Bank is at odds with your reporting last August of the Cyprus Central Bank governor’s part in Laiki’s refunding.

Professor Demetriades claimed before the Pikis Tribunal that the bank was solvent while he was pumping money into it, a claim which was disputed by his (since retired) deputy. Demetriades had made an earlier claim that he had to keep Laiki alive to prevent the complete collapse of the Cyprus banking system, despite his action being in violation of European Central Bank rules.

It seems from your report that the ECB was somewhat lax in its governance so far as its protocol was concerned. The `gun to the President’s head’ you reported in March as the bail-in of all Laiki accounts, irrespective of the €100,000 guarantee. When he rejected the threat and warned that he would resign, you reported that he was told that the same imposition would be threatened to his successor.

Maurice Sokel,

Paphos

A man identified by police as one of the leaders of anti-government protests in Thailand was shot dead on Sunday when violence erupted as demonstrators in Bangkok blocked early voting in many areas for an election next week.

Piya Utayo, a spokesman for Thailand’s national police, identified the dead man as Suthin Taratin, one of the protest leaders. “At least five other people were injured,” he said.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra called the Feb. 2 election in an attempt to defuse protests that have dragged on since November and which have sometimes flared into violence. At least 10 people have been killed and scores wounded.

A senior government official said earlier on Sunday that as many as 45 of the 50 polling stations in Bangkok had been shut as protesters swarmed the centres in what shaped as another blow for the embattled Yingluck. Early voting was also disrupted in 10 of Thailand’s 76 provinces.

Bangkok police said clashes had broken out between anti-government protesters and Yingluck supporters, with the two sides trading punches before shots were fired. Hospital officials said 11 people were hurt in the clashes in Bangkok’s Bang Na district.

It was not immediately clear who had fired the shots but the protesters accused the government and police of trying to intimidate them.

“Suthin was shot in the head … The government has allowed thugs to use weapons,” Akanat Promphan, a spokesman for the protesters, told reporters.

Sunday’s violence, the worst in a month, came after a state of emergency came into effect on Wednesday and casts further doubt over the election.

The protests are the latest eruption in a political conflict that has gripped Thailand for eight years and which is starting to hurt growth and investor confidence in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.

The conflict broadly pits Bangkok’s middle class and elite, and followers in the south, against mainly poor rural backers of Yingluck and her brother, ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, in the populous north and northeast.

The protesters, led by firebrand former premier Suthep Thaugsuban, accuse Yingluck of being Thaksin’s puppet and want an unelected ‘people’s council” to oversee reform before any future election is held.

INTRACTABLE DIFFERENCES

On Saturday, a government minister said Yingluck was prepared to discuss cancelling the Feb. 2 election if the activists ended their protests.

Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul, also a deputy prime minister, said in a televised address the blocking of advance voting was “a serious offence” and said protesters had used force to stop people voting.

Yingluck’s government had already warned anyone who tried to stop voting would be jailed or fined.

City officials said they had begun negotiating with the protesters. “We have to negotiate with them and let them know that blocking the election is illegal,” said Luckana Rojjanawong, a Bangkok district official said.

It was already unclear whether the election would go ahead after a Constitutional Court ruling on Friday that opened the possibility of a delay. The Election Commission has also called for a delay, saying Thailand is too unsettled.

The government declared the 60-day state of emergency to try to curtail protests after the demonstrators vowed to shut down Bangkok on Jan. 13.

The protesters say Thaksin’s powerful political machine has subverted Thailand’s fragile democracy by effectively buying the support of rural voters with populist policies such as cheap healthcare and subsidies for rice farmers.

Paul Chambers, director of research at the Institute of South East Asian Affairs in northern Chiang Mai, said before the violence began that the disruption of advance polling would add impetus to the calls for an election delay.

“The ability of those against advance voting to keep it from happening today could signal what may come next week – a decision to delay the vote due to an inability to hold the election properly,” Chambers said.

Yingluck, who would probably win the election easily, is set to meet Election Commission officials on Tuesday. The main opposition Democrat Party also plans to boycott the election.

About 49 million voters out of Thailand’s population of 66 million are eligible to cast ballots, with about 2.16 million registered for early polling.

Yingluck’s government had been proceeding relatively smoothly until her Puea Thai Party miscalculated in November and tried to force through an amnesty bill that would have allowed her brother to return a free man despite a 2008 graft conviction he says was politically motivated.

Thaksin, a billionaire former telecoms tycoon, was ousted by the military in 2006.

Stanislas Wawrinka held firm in a match of high drama to defeat an injured Rafa Nadal 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 and win his maiden grand slam title at the Australian Open on Sunday.

The eighth seed roared to a two-set lead after top seed Nadal struggled with an apparent back injury sustained early in the second set, but the Swiss was left stunned as his opponent suddenly revived in the third at Rod Laver Arena.

Though restricted in his movement, Nadal fought back into the match with a barrage of clean hitting, completely throwing the Swiss off his game who surrendered the third set in a hail of unforced errors.

Wawrinka captured a break in the fourth set, surrendered it with a terrible service game, but recovered again to earn a chance to serve for the match.

He stayed cool when it counted, serving strongly and sealing the win with an imperious forehand rocketing down the line.

A relieved Wawrinka raised his hands in the air in celebration and after shaking hands with a gloomy Nadal, went to console the Spaniard at his chair.

“First, Rafa, I’m really sorry for you, I hope your back is okay, you are a great friend and a great champion,” Wawrinka said at the trophy ceremony.

“You did a remarkable comeback last year. For me it’s the best grand slam ever.

“Right now I still don’t know if I’m dreaming. I guess I’ll find out in the morning.”

The 2009 champion Nadal shed tears at the trophy ceremony, overcome by the emotion of a roller-coaster match.

“First thing I want to say, is thanks to Stan, we have a great relationship and you really deserve it today, so many congratulations and all the best.

“To all the crowd, it’s been an emotional two weeks sorry to finish this way, I tried very, very hard.

“Last year was a tough when I wasn’t able to play here, thanks for your support, see you next year.”

The triumph capped a remarkable fortnight for Wawrinka who became the first man in 21 years to beat the top two seeds at a grand slam since Sergi Bruguera pulled off the feat at the French Open in 1993.

Five days after ending second seed Novak Djokovic’s three-year reign at Melbourne Park, Wawrinka denied a distraught Nadal from becoming only the third man to have won all four majors at least twice.

BREAKING JINX

Nadal receiving treatment for his back injury

Though Nadal’s injury clearly affected his game, Wawrinka had been well on top of their match early on and surged 3-1 clear in the first set after an early break.

Without a hint of nerves, Wawrinka blasted two aces before holding to lead 4-1, leaving the centre court crowd stunned.

Wawrinka stumbled when serving for the set to fall behind 0-40 but saved them all, as Nadal’s returning went awry, and took the set with a crosscourt ace.

In all his previous 12 meetings against Nadal, Wawrinka had never won a set. Breaking that jinx propelled him on.

He broke Nadal in the first game of the second to march to a 2-0 lead before the Spaniard suddenly doubled over in pain.

He grimaced after a first serve and immediately signalled for a trainer and winced again after belting a forehand into the net from the baseline.

Nadal successfully held serve to trail 2-1 but quickly left the court for a medical time out, leaving Wawrinka to argue with the chair umpire about the lack of disclosure over the injury.

Nadal re-emerged after six minutes amid some jeers from the Rod Laver Arena crowd but his movement was clearly restricted and he was unable to generate any pace on his serve.

Wawrinka simply went about his business, marching to a 4-1 lead as Nadal double-faulted repeatedly and struggled to reach wide balls.

Nadal had more treatment on his back from a physio at the change of ends, then underlined his fighting spirit by holding serve to trail 5-2, but Wawrinka went on to serve out the set with an ace.

Whether it was painkillers or just pure grit, Nadal showed signs of a revival in the third set as he saved two break points before holding serve with a barrage of sweetly-struck forehands.

A searing forehand winner down the line gave Nadal two break points and astonishingly, the Spaniard broke a flat-footed Wawrinka when the Swiss bunted a bloodless forehand into the net.

As Nadal rallied, his eighth-seeded opponent sunk, spraying shots all over the court with his concentration clearly affected by the sudden momentum switch.

Still restricted in his movements, Nadal began gunning for the lines and his stand-and-deliver approach saw him march to a 5-2 lead.

With Nadal serving for the set at 5-3, Wawrinka had a chance to break back but was unable to flush the tension out and conceded the set when he smashed a forehand into the net.

As Nadal battled with his body, Wawrinka continued to battle with his mind as he broke Nadal in the final set and then gave it straight back.

Amid the doubts, the Swiss’s serve never quite deserted him and it carried him to match point before his forehand sealed it to raise thunderous cheers from the terraces.

A strong earthquake rocked the island of Cephalonia, the largest of the Ionian Islands, in western Greece on Sunday but there were no immediate reports of casualties or serious damage, police and fire brigade officials said.

The 5.8 magnitude quake struck at 3:55 p.m. (1355 GMT), according to the Athens Geodynamic Institute. Its epicentre was six km (four miles) northeast of the town of Argostoli, the island’s capital. No tsunami warning was issued.

The tremor was felt across western Greece, the Geodynamic Institute said.

“It was a very strong quake and it scared people. So far we have no reports of injuries but there are reports of damage in the road network and in homes, but (it is) … not major,” a police official on the Ionian Sea island told Reuters.

Another police official in Athens said eight homes and a few farm houses were reported damaged so far but there were no injuries. Greece’s interior minister was heading to Cephalonia by helicopter to assess the situation.

“The tremor sent people into the streets and squares; it was quite strong,” the police official on the island said.

Greece is prone to earthquakes. Most cause no serious damage, but a 5.9 magnitude quake in 1999 killed 143 people.

The top four teams in the Premier League will face one another after Manchester City were paired on Sunday with Chelsea and Arsenal were drawn to play Liverpool in the FA Cup fifth round.

Holders Wigan Athletic, who scored a major upset when they were relegated and beat Manchester City in last year’s final, will travel to Cardiff City, who were promoted to the Premier League at the end of last season.

Everton, whose manager Roberto Martinez left Wigan after taking them to FA Cup glory against City, will face his old club Swansea City in one of four all-Premier League ties.

The other match between top-flight sides pits Capital One Cup finalists Sunderland against Southampton at the Stadium of Light.

Sheffield Wednesday will meet Charlton Athletic in an all-Championship tie and Premier League Hull City travel to Brighton of the Championship.

The winners of the replay between Sheffield United and Fulham will face Nottingham Forest or Preston North End who are also involved in a fourth-round replay.

The standout games are those between City and Chelsea – who met in the semi-final at Wembley last season when City won 2-1 – and Arsenal and Liverpool.

Chelsea, who have won the Cup four times in the last seven seasons, and City, who lifted the trophy in 2011, have met once since the semi-final with Chelsea winning 2-1 in the league at Stamford Bridge in October.

Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho said he was looking forward to the tie.

“If you want to be the best you have to play the best,” he told ITV.

League leaders Arsenal, chasing their first silverware since winning the FA Cup in 2005, are unbeaten against Liverpool in their last four meetings and notched up a 2-0 home win over the Merseyside club in November.

The matches will be played on the weekend of Feb.15/16.

Manchester City v Chelsea

Sheffield United or Fulham v Nottingham Forest or Preston North End

Arsenal v Liverpool

Brighton & Hove Albion v Hull City

Cardiff City v Wigan Athletic

Sheffield Wednesday v Charlton Athletic

Sunderland v Southampton

Everton v Swansea City

By Josh Reich
RECORD signing Juan Mata could feature for Manchester United when the champions try to get their floundering Premier League campaign back on track against Cardiff City at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old Spain playmaker held his first news conference on Monday as a United player since his £37.1 million move from Chelsea at the weekend and it was announced he would wear the number eight shirt.

Mata’s signing has raised hopes of a turnaround at United who are down in seventh spot, 14 points behind leaders Arsenal and six off the Champions League places.
Manager David Moyes said Mata had trained with his new team mates and that he would decide on Tuesday whether to pick the midfielder against bottom club Cardiff.

Moyes added that injured trio Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Marouane Fellaini were back in training, raising the prospect of a four-way boost for the club.
The Scot was delighted to have bought Mata, saying he had doubts the club could pull the transfer off.
“I’m thrilled,” Moyes told reporters. “I got wind of it a month or two ago that it could be a possibility and never believed we could pull it off.
“When we got the sniff there was a chance Juan could be available we went after it right away.”

Mata has not played since New Year’s Day, where he showed his displeasure at being substituted early in Chelsea’s 3-0 win at Southampton.
The match will see former United favourite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer return to Old Trafford as manager of Cardiff, having replaced Malky Mackay earlier this month.
The Norwegian said he would try to keep emotion out of the occasion despite having claimed a piece of club history when he scored the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich.
“It’s hard to say if I’ll stay detached,” he told The Sun newspaper. “You never know, sometimes it just catches you doesn’t it, like when you do your wedding speech and stuff.
“But I’m not too much of an emotional guy so I don’t think that will be a problem. I’m more professional than emotional.”

Everton, boosted by Leighton Baines signing a new four-year deal, will look to overtake Merseyside rivals Liverpool in the race for a Champions League spot when they clash at Anfield on Tuesday.
Roberto Martinez’s Everton are sixth on 42 points, one point and two league positions behind Liverpool.
Everton have not won at the home of their local rivals since 1999 and Liverpool defender Kolo Toure said they needed to keep that record intact to give themselves breathing space.
“We all know it’s a massive game,” said Toure. “It will be really intense but we really need to win.
“The top four is where we want to be. We’re there now but we will only stay there if we win this game.
“Everton are doing very well and Tottenham are close behind us too. But we are playing well and everyone is really focused.
“Our target is to be up there and we want those three points. At home we have a very good record and we want to keep that going.”

Fifth-placed Tottenham host rampant Manchester City on Wednesday hoping to keep their six-match unbeaten run under new manager Tim Sherwood intact.
The last meeting between the pair in November saw City, now one point off the lead in second place, score six goals without reply and signalled the beginning of the end for Andre Villas-Boas who was sacked less than a month later.
Spurs are a more cohesive unit but will need to shackle City’s free-scoring strikers to have any hope of success.

Arsenal could be without midfielder Jack Wilshere for Tuesday’s visit to Southampton who will be minus Dejan Lovren and Gaston Ramirez with ankle ligament injuries.
Dani Osvaldo, Southampton’s record signing, is serving a two-week suspension after an incident in training.
Tuesday’s other matches see Norwich City host Newcastle United, Swansea City entertain Fulham and Hull City travel to Crystal Palace.
On Wednesday, Aston Villa host West Bromwich Albion, third-placed Chelsea entertain West Ham United and Stoke City travel to Sunderland.

INJURED anti-government protesters fearing arrest are shunning Kiev’s hospitals and choosing to undergo operations in field clinics run by an army of volunteer doctors.

Since clashes between activists and security forces worsened last week, doctors have faced more serious injuries, colds and frostbite from the searing cold escalating to flesh wounds, gas burns and concussions from the violence.

“When I worked in the emergency ward, any injuries caused by suspicious violence had to be reported,” said Aleksandr Pyvovarov, 32, a former emergency physician from Kiev.

“The people know this and they would rather get treatment on the streets than go to jail.”

Videos posted online have shown police raiding an emergency ward in Kiev and arresting injured activists in their beds. An EU Delegation to Ukraine has expressed concern about “deteriorating Human Rights” in the country.

“Arrests of wounded people in front of clinics… can be accepted under no circumstances,” it said in a statement.

Doctors at the hospitals fear losing their jobs if they discuss the arrests, said Pyvovarov who has friends working on the wards.

“Not everybody agrees with these protests,” he added. “They think they are criminals making trouble.”

Pyvovarov is part of a team of ten volunteer doctors based at two medical points at the main flashpoint near Dynamo Kiev football stadium.

Distinguished by red crosses taped on battered plastic helmets, they work on the front line of barricades to provide first aid to injured activists.

Protesters continue to demand the resignation of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich after two months occupying central Kiev. Radical far-right groups took the protests further following the introduction of sweeping anti-protest legislation, and have clashed with police since December 19, to the alarm of Western governments.

“The injuries have got much worse,” said Pyvovarov. “We used to be treating colds and hypothermia, now I see stuff straight from a war zone. Flesh wounds, gas burns, shrapnel in the eye and even some amputations.”

Protesters accuse police of deliberately aiming rubber bullets at head height, targeting medics on the battlefield and taping nails to stun grenades to create lethal weapons. Fifty per cent of patients in the field hospitals are head and face injuries.

Police officers have been hurt at the hands of protestors who hurl rocks and Molotov cocktails across a barricade of burning tyres. “I am officially stating that these are criminals who must answer for their actions,” said Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov last week.

Medics say up to six people have died since clashes last week, three of whom are recognised by the prosecutor’s office as having died from gunshot wounds.

Despite this, Pyvovarov said he would only send the most severe cases to a few hospitals with trusted doctors.

Protest groups, known collectively as ‘Euromaidan’, say officially 30 to 40 activists have been arrested in hospital, but the real number is much higher.

“Medical Point One” is housed in the National Parliamentary Library of Ukraine, metres from some of the fiercest fighting.

Inside, volunteer staff wearing paper gowns and face masks work in shifts to run a trauma unit and operating theatre. Pastel green walls and golden cornices jar with the plastic sheeting underfoot. Bookshelves have been requistioned for medicines and medical supplies donated by the public.

EGYPT’S military council has given the army chief, Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a green light to run for president, a security source told Reuters.

“The top army officials all okayed Sisi running for the presidency,” said the source. Sisi is expected to announce his candidacy within days.

Sisi deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July, triggering political upheaval and street violence in the Arab world’s most populous nation.

Since then he has become hugely popular among Egyptians, who see him as a decisive figure who can stabilise the country which has lurched from one crisis to another since a popular uprising toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Hours before the top generals approved Sisi contesting the election, the presidency announced he had been promoted to field marshal from general, in what security officials said was a sign he is about to declare his candidacy for the presidency.

“The decision was expected and it is the first step before the resignation of the general and his candidacy announcement which is now expected very soon,” said a security official.

In order for Sisi to contest the election he has to resign from his post as defence minister and from the military.

LARNACA district court on Monday remanded a 46-year-old Cypriot man and a 26-year-old Romanian woman for six days in connection with a case of prostitution and sexual exploitation.

The case was uncovered when an 18-year-old Romanian woman ran away with a young man from Limassol.

She gave a statement to police that she had been working in a bar near Larnaca port owned by the two suspects and that she had been forced to sleep with customers for money.

The 18-year-old’s boyfriend also reported to Larnaca police that he had received a number of threats from the bar owners because he had run away with her. Officers from Larnaca CID went to the bar and found four other foreign women who were working there.

Officers specialising in sexual exploitation questioned the women, one of whom gave a written statement that the bar owners were allegedly prostituting the women for €120 a night.

This had allegedly been taking place since November.

The two suspects were arrested by police on Sunday and remanded for six days on Monday by Larnaca district court.

BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 slipped to fresh five-week lows on Monday, extending last week’s falls on the back turmoil in emerging markets and steep slumps in oil and gas firm BG Group and Vodafone.

The FTSE was down 120.97 points, or 1.8 per cent, at 6,542.77, adding to last week’s 2.4 per cent fall, as worries over emerging markets continued to roil global equity markets.

The index is now down 3.1 per cent for the year, with the latest pullback beginning when the index was less than 100 points from all-time peaks.

Britain’s top share index underperformed European peers, with over 80 per cent of its stocks in negative territory, suffering from its substantial global exposure.

Analysts said that weakness in emerging market currencies would potentially hurt the profits of companies that report in sterling.

“Markets have been chased up and have had a sense of vertigo, which makes the FTSE more vulnerable to the catalyst of an emerging market sell-off,” Mike Ingram, market analyst at BGC Partners, said.

“The FTSE could well continue to underperform its European peers the longer these EM worries go on, particularly if we see sterling strength.”

BG Group contributed 23 points to the index’s drop, suffering from political turmoil in Egypt that Ingram said was typical of concerns surrounding emerging markets.

Its shares fell 14.4 per cent – on track for their worst day since 1987 – after the company warned that production this year and next would fall short of expectations, calling its guidance for 2014 “disappointing” due to ongoing problems in Egypt.

Vodafone, the third biggest company in the FTSE 100, fell 3.8 per cent to trim a further 16.7 points off the FTSE after U.S. mobile operator AT&T said it was not planning to take over the British-listed firm, thus putting an end to months of speculation.

“We’d had comments attributed to AT&T suggesting that Vodafone was being looked at… Now that’s been kiboshed, it’s understandable why investors have reacted as they have,” Gerard Lane, equity strategist at Shore Capital, said.

The FTSE hit a fresh 5-week low, dropping past technical support at both the 100-day and 200-day moving averages.

The sell-off has seen the index drop from technically overbought conditions, according to the 7-day relative strength indicator (RSI), into oversold territory in less than a week.

Technical charts suggest there is scope for future weakness, as the falls started when the index was less than ten points away from the May 2013 peak and so close to all-time highs.

“The fact that we failed at such a key resistance level and then saw a significant pullback from there, that has to make you think that there could be more downside to come,” Clive Lambert, an analyst at Futures Techs, said.

By Jean Christou

THE GOVERNMENT was careful on Monday not to oversell the results of President Nicos Anastasiades’ round of contacts in Qatar after a couple of shaky business dealings with Doha in the past.

One agreement and three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) were signed, and government spokesman Christos Stylianides, said the visit had been “worth it” in terms of future investments.

“We will not assign more expectations than reality allows, but it seems that there is an interest. This interest is demonstrated by the fact that the Emir of Qatar has already given instructions to the investment authority and to other technocrats and experts of the Emirate to send a delegation to Cyprus in the coming weeks to examine the possibility for investments,” said Stylianides.

He said the most important meetings on Monday had been with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Qatari investment authority, and the Islamic Bank.

The Cypriot delegation laid out the island’s advantages as an investment destination for tourism issues, health services, and fish farming as well as in other sectors, the spokesman said.

“Beyond any illusions, there is an interest, but the evaluation of investments takes place in practice,” said Stylianides. He said the impression given was that Cyprus is viewed in Qatar as a credible investment destination. There had also been some interest in the privatisation of Cypriot semi-state bodies, which must be sold off as part of the island’s bailout deal, the spokesman said.

Whether anything concrete comes from the contacts remains to be seen.

In 2012 under the previous administration, a huge multi-million deal with Qatar to develop land opposite the Hilton Hotel in Nicosia into a luxury complex fell through after disagreement over the price of the plot.

More recently talks on a deal for a Heathrow timeslot being sold by Cyprus Airways for €20 million were ended by Qatar Airways because details of the negotiations were leaked to the Cypriot press.

Yesterday during the President’s private meeting with the Emir – where Anastasiades was met by an honour guard – Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides signed an MoU on cooperation in the field of education and an agreement on cooperation in the legal field.

Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis signed an MoU on cooperation in the energy sector, and Agriculture Minister Nicos Kouyialis signed one on cooperation in the field of desalination and waste water treatment and reuse.