By Staff reporter

Dozens of aircraft briefly vanished from air-traffic control radars in Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic on separate occasions this week and last week, officials said on Friday, adding that they were now investigating the incidents.

Air-traffic controllers in Austria and Germany said data about the planes’ position, direction, height or speed went missing on June 5 and June 10, but the outages posed no serious danger to people on the aircraft travelling at high altitude.

A spokesman for German Air Traffic Control said: “Planes disappeared from screens for a matter of seconds, here and there. The outages were sporadic and not grave.”

“It must have been an external source of disruption. We are trying to identify the cause,” the spokesman said.

In the wake of the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in March there has been a growing focus on the tracking of passenger aircraft.

The airline industry has pledged to come up with proposals by September for a better system of tracking aircraft over oceans and other remote areas. But incidents in controlled airspace are relatively rare.

Europe’s air corridors are among the densest in the world and there have been calls for better technology and coordination and a unified control network, although some air traffic controller unions oppose these measures.

In the recent incidents, extra air-traffic controllers stepped in in Austria and communicated with the affected planes by radio and took steps including increasing the safety distances between planes, a spokesman for Austro Control said.

He said that 10 planes transiting Austrian airspace were affected in the first incident and three in the second, and that he had heard that 50 aircraft were affected across Europe.

Austria’s Die Presse newspaper said Slovakia was also affected. The Slovak air authority could not immediately comment on the report.

The incidents are being dealt with by European air navigation safety organisation Eurocontrol and EASA, the European air safety agency, he said. Neither of these bodies was immediately reachable for comment.

Richard Klima, spokesman for the Czech Air Navigation Service, said: “We saw random outages of aircraft detection within the system of the so-called secondary radar lasting several tens of seconds and up to several minutes. But thanks to the complete coverage of air space also through classic primary radars, we constantly had information about the positioning of airplanes and operational safety was not threatened.”

Austrian media linked the events to electronic warfare exercises by the western military alliance NATO, which had no immediate comment.

A spokesman for Austria’s defence ministry said the ministry was investigating the incidents but could not immediately confirm how many planes were involved.

The spokesman said military radar – which actively track plane movements, unlike the passive radar used by civilian air-traffic control – had continued to work at all times.

By Stefanos Evripidiou

WHILE CYPRUS holds the lead in blood donations in the EU, the daily pressures on the Cyprus blood bank continues to increase, said a senior health ministry official on Friday.

Socrates Menelaou, responsible for blood donations at the health ministry, said Cyprus had almost double the proportion of active blood donors compared to other EU countries, reaching 7 to 8 per cent of the population.

Despite the high quantity of blood donations, for which “we are very proud,” Menelaou said Cyprus’ needs are greatly increased, adding that the pressure on a daily basis is very high “due to the very high number of thalassemia patients we have”.

He was speaking at a special event at the Presidential Palace to mark World Blood Donation Day.

Speaking at the event, First Lady Andri Anastasiades hailed the fact Cyprus holds the lead in blood donations throughout the EU.

Blood donation was “a celebration of humanity and solidarity where volunteers generously offer what is most valuable to them to help those who need us in difficult moments,” she said.

Cypriots can be proud in the knowledge that the country meets all its blood needs through voluntary, non-paid blood donations, added the First Lady.

Yesterday’s event, organised by the non-profit organisation Reaction Youth for Prevention and the ministry’s blood bank, was dedicated to the memory of Sotia Ioannou, who died at 25 with leukaemia, and former communications minister Tasos Mitsopoulos.

According to traffic police chief Demetris Demetriou, on average more than a third of all deaths in Cyprus involve under 25s.

From the 44 road deaths last year, 20 were under the age of 25, counting for 45 per cent, he said.

Demetriou noted that during Mitsopoulos’ term in office at the communications ministry, and as head of the road safety council, the lowest number of road deaths and injuries were recorded

By Shadia Nasralla

Egypt has asked YouTube to remove a video showing a naked woman with injuries being dragged through Cairo’s Tahrir Square after being sexually assaulted during celebrations for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s inauguration.

Sunday night’s assault took place as thousands of people enjoyed inauguration festivities, raising new worries about Egypt’s commitment to fighting sexual violence.

Authorities arrested seven men aged between 15 and 49 for sexually harassing women on Tahrir Square after the posting of the video, which caused an uproar in local and international media.

It was not clear whether the men arrested took part in the assault shown on the video.

“The Egyptian embassy in Washington DC and a number of Egyptian authorities, at the direction of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, have requested the YouTube administration to remove the video of the sexual assault victim,” Sisi’s spokesman said.

“This came in response to her wish, which she expressed during the president’s visit to her yesterday at the hospital to check on her condition,” he added in an emailed statement late on Thursday.

YouTube was not immediately available for comment on the Egyptian request. The clip showing the assault was still available on the video-sharing website on Friday.

Egypt approved a new law this month which punishes sexual harassment with at least six months in jail or fines of at least 3,000 Egyptian pounds ($420). The United States has urged Egypt to make good on its promises to fight sexual violence.

Sexual assault was rife at demonstrations during and after the 2011 uprising that ousted veteran president Hosni Mubarak and has been common for a decade at large gatherings in Egypt.

Sisi, Egypt’s former army chief who won a landslide poll victory last month after deposing elected Islamist president Mohamed Mursi last July, has frequently spoken highly of women and their importance to society.

A police officer who rescued the victim of sexual harassment should be honoured, Sisi said, in an apparent reference to the woman in the video.

But some liberals have been wary of Sisi, especially after remarks he made defending an army practice – later denied by an army court – of conducting “virginity tests” on female protesters who complained of abuse.

Sexual harassment, high rates of female genital mutilation and a surge in violence after the Arab Spring uprisings have made Egypt the worst country in the Arab world to be a woman, a Thomson Reuters Foundation survey showed late last year.

By Constantinos Psillides

Four companies have submitted bids for the Eleftheria’s Square project, according to a statement released by the Nicosia municipality on Friday.

The tenders will now be reviewed by a competent committee to verify their validity and whether they are within specification.

Construction on the now-abandoned site is expected to commence by mid-July. According to the statement, all tenders submitted exceed the cost set by the municipality. The committee will be tasked with determining whether the rise in costs is justified and if so, to suggest the allocation of additional funding to complete the project.

The municipality is in a race against time as it has to complete the project by December 15, 2015 or lose €25.5 million in EU funding. The €30 million project is 85 per cent funded by the EU, which has already given a two-year extension to the municipality. An additional extension is highly unlikely, especially for a project that is nowhere near being finished.

The whole project was initially supposed to be completed by March 2013.

The contractor who won the tender in 2011, Miltiades Neofytou Civil Engineering Contractors & Developers Ltd, finally gave up on the works last year after repeated delays drove building costs up and led to a legal dispute with the municipality.

One important delay concerned the bridge connecting Evagoras and Ledra streets and the underground parking which should have been ready by February 2013. The contractor asked for a one year extension but failed to deliver. The bridge is an essential part of the project, as it will provide access from the walled city to Makarios Avenue, giving a much-needed boost to what was once Nicosia’s busiest shopping area.

The contractor blamed the municipality and the architect for the delays and demanded a 552 day extension on the completion date and €3 million in compensation.

Faced with the probability of not finishing the project on time and losing the EU funds, the municipality recently settled with the contractor, paying the company €530,000.

By Brian Homewood

German former World Cup winning coach and captain Frank Beckenbauer was provisionally banned for 90 days from football for failing to co-operate with a FIFA ethics committee investigation, soccer’s governing body said on Friday.

Beckenbauer, who was on the FIFA executive committee which controversially awarded the 2022 World Cup hosting rights to Qatar in 2010, had received “repeated requests” to provide information, FIFA said in a statement.

The ban was imposed at the request of United States lawyer Michael Garcia, head of the investigatory chamber of FIFA’s ethics committee, who is leading an investigation into the 2022 decision.

Beckenbauer is regarded as one of the greatest players ever to have graced the game and is revered in Germany, where he is honorary president of Bayern Munich, and abroad.

As a player, Beckenbauer redefined the role of libero and captained the West Germany side which won the 1974 World Cup.

He led West Germany to World Cup victory as a coach in 1990 and was head of the local organising committee when Germany hosted the showpiece in 2006.

On Wednesday, Garcia told FIFA’s annual Congress in Sao Paulo that he and his team already had access to the “vast majority” of millions of documents the Sunday Times newspaper referred to in a recent report alleging bribery in the run-up to Qatar’s successful bid.

Garcia is expected to issue his report in July.

“Franz Beckenbauer was today provisionally banned from taking part in any football-related activity, at any level, for 90 days,” said the FIFA statement. “The ban is effective immediately.

“The decision was taken…on the grounds that a breach of the Code of Ethics appears to have been committed and a decision on the main issue may not be taken early enough.

“The apparent breach relates to Mr Beckenbauer’s failure to cooperate with an Ethics Committee investigation despite repeated requests for his assistance, including requests that he provide information during an in-person interview or in response to written questions provided in both English and German.

“The case is now the subject of formal investigation proceedings being conducted by investigatory chamber member Vanessa Allard as chief of the investigation.”

Garcia has said that his team would consider any material provided to them, but would not delay the publication of the final report indefinitely.

The Sunday Times said some of the “millions of documents” it had seen linked payments by former FIFA executive committee member Mohamed Bin Hammam to officials as part of a campaign to win support for Qatar’s bid.

Bin Hammam has not commented on his involvement since he was banned for life from soccer in 2012, while Qataris working on the project say he was not a part of its official bid.

The allegations have caused severe embarrassment to FIFA and its long-serving president Sepp Blatter, who is expected to stand for a fifth term next year.

By Nick Mulvenney

Mexico were rewarded for their attacking intent when Oribe Peralta’s 61st minute strike gave them a 1-0 win over Cameroon in their World Cup opener at a rain-soaked Dunas arena on Friday.

The Mexicans had two Giovani Dos Santos efforts controversially disallowed in the first half but Peralta’s goal means they will now feel they have a good chance of progressing from Group A, which also includes hosts Brazil and Croatia.

Cameroon, who only arrived in Brazil after a player strike was averted by last-minute negotiations, had packed their midfield in an attempt to stifle the Mexicans and lone striker Samuel Eto’o failed to find the goal with his few opportunities.

Mexico came out to attack as coach Miguel Herrera had promised and “El Tri” dominated the opening exchanges with wingbacks Miguel Layun and Paul Aguilar getting plenty of space out wide.

Dos Santos first found the net after 11 minutes but was called back despite appearing to be in line with the defenders.

Cameroon could have taken the lead after 21 minutes when fullback Benoit Assou-Ekotto beat two defenders and found Eto’o in the box but the striker was able only hit the outside of the post.

If the decision to deny Dos Santos a first goal could be called a marginal call, the second was a clear error.

A corner swung in from the left was flicked on by one Cameroon defender and, as another raced off the line, Dos Santos managed to turn back and angle the ball into the net with his head.

Peralta almost broke the deadlock three minutes after the break after Dos Santos played him through on goal but Cameroon goalkeeper Charles Itandje blocked his shot with his legs.

Cameroon’s Assou-Ekotto had a free kick deflected off the Mexico wall and just wide after 58 minutes but the game did not have to wait much longer for its first goal.

Dos Santos was released through the middle of the Cameroon defence and when Itandje managed to stop his low drive, Peralta was on hand to steer the ball into the empty net and send Herrera and the thousands of Mexican fans into paroxyms of joy.

Cameroon continued to threaten from set pieces and Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa was forced to make a fine save to deny Benjamin Moukandjo in stoppage time.

By Lorenzo Ligato

Oil prices rose to new nine-month highs on Friday as concerns persisted that an insurgency in Iraq could disrupt oil exports from the second-largest OPEC producer.

Iraq’s most senior Shi’ite cleric urged his followers to take up arms against the advancing Sunni militants, an al Qaeda splinter group marching south towards the Shi’ite-led government in Baghdad, raising the spectre of further violence.

The surge in both Brent and U.S. crude prices this week lost some momentum on Friday as the market waited to see if the conflict in Iraq would escalate to civil war.

“Right now the market is looking for a comfort zone,” said James Williams, an energy economist at WTRG Economics in London, Arkansas. “We’re far more likely to close up rather than down because of the weekend-effect.”

Brent rose 33 cents at $113.35 per barrel as of 1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT), off a peak of $114.69, its highest since September. U.S. crude climbed 57 cents at $107.10, off a high of $107.68.

Brent was set to gain more than 5 percent this week, the biggest weekly rise since last July, while U.S. crude was on track for its biggest weekly jump since December.

“You want to have a premium as Iraq is more unstable than last week, but with no disruptions, how much can you keep?,” said Olivier Jakob at Petromatrix consultancy in Switzerland.

The bulk of Iraq’s current oil exports come from south of Baghdad, still far from the Islamist rebel fighters. Should the militants advance south of the capital, analysts expect them to encounter much greater resistance.

Iraqi exports from the north are considered safe for the moment, analysts said, as the major Kirkuk oil hub is held by Kurdish forces.

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday that the United States would not put troops on the ground in Iraq and was reviewing other options to assist the Iraqi government.

Obama said the insurgency so far had not caused major disruptions to oil supplies from Iraq, but that if insurgents took control of refineries, other oil producers in the Middle East would need to help “pick up the slack.”

The International Energy Agency played down fears over the possible loss of oil exports from Iraq in its monthly Oil Market Report.

“Concerning as the latest events in Iraq may be, they might not for now, if the conflict does not spread further, put additional Iraqi oil supplies immediately at risk,” the Paris-based agency said.

The IEA said Friday OPEC would need to produce 1 million barrels per day (bpd) more oil on average in the second half of 2014 to balance the global market, which will see a steep seasonal spike in demand.

The bullish assessment contrasted with the view of OPEC, which on Thursday said extra production would be more than sufficient to meet growing demand.

By Neil Maidment

Stunning goals from Dutch captain Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben ensured an awful start to Spain’s World Cup defence as the Netherlands destroyed one of the tournament favourites 5-1 in Group B on Friday.

In complete contrast to the tetchy World Cup final between the sides in 2010 which Spain won 1-0, the Dutch took revenge with a pulsating display capped off by two goals each for Van Persie and Robben and one by Stefan de Vrij.

Spain, also 2008 and 2012 European champions, took a 27th- minute lead through a Xabi Alonso penalty after Brazilian-born striker Diego Costa went down under a challenge from de Vrij, only for Van Persie to equalise brilliantly in the 44th minute.

The Dutch forward stole in between Sergio Ramos and Jordi Alba to meet a searching Daley Blind cross with a powerful diving header that left goalkeeper Iker Casillas rooted.

Moments before Van Persie’s goal Spain missed a glorious chance to double their lead when midfielder David Silva’s cheeky chip was pushed wide for a corner.

It was a wasted chance they came to rue.

After the break the Dutch poured forward and went ahead after 53 minutes when Robben got on the end of another superb Blind lobbed pass before turning Gerard Pique and holding off Sergio Ramos to fire home from seven metres.

The match opened up but in the Netherlands’ favour with De Vrij stealing in on 64 minutes at the back post to convert a free kick after Van Persie put Casillas under pressure.

It got worse for Spain as Van Persie added a fourth after taking advantage of a sloppy touch by Casillas to slot home in the 72nd minute and Robben stunned a raucous crowd as he toyed with the Spanish defence and Casillas before belting home in the 80th.

The defeat was the heaviest for Spain under coach Vicente Del Bosque.

By Angelos Anastasiou
ASSOCIATIONS representing distressed borrowers have threatened to freeze all loan payments by the end of June in protest over the banks’ practice of taking defaulting borrowers to court before exhausting loan restructuring options.
According to the head of the Borrowers’ Association, Kostas Melas, banks are failing to comply with the directives issued by the Central Bank (CBC) on loan restructuring procedures. .
Following a meeting this week with House president Yiannakis Omirou, during which he briefed Omirou on borrowers’ complaints, Melas said the problems faced by borrowers remain unresolved and relate to lenders’ hostile attitude towards distressed borrowers. He named the Bank of Cyprus, Alpha Bank and the co-operatives as systematically failing to comply with the directives.
“Banks continue to engage courts and arbiters in order to secure the amounts they claim they are owed before attempting to restructure loans,” he said. “The cooperative banks have recently created a restructuring department, but what can they tell us about the cases they refer to arbitration? It is outrageous that the co-ops claim to have started restructuring loans, while referring cases to arbitration as late as June.”
Melas explained that despite a CBC directive urging banks to consider every restructuring option when handling distressed borrowers, they have tried to circumvent due process.
“Let them explain how many borrowers were referred to arbitration since the beginning of the year and why,” he insisted.
Borrowers made loans in good faith based on their income and other circumstances at the time, but the state’s negligence and the banks’ lack of accountability caused the financial meltdown that borrowers are, once again asked to repay, according to Melas.
“This has to stop,” he warned. “All the associations have agreed that unless banks’ attitudes change by the end of June, we will start taking action, and that will be painful, especially to the banks.”
Asked what measures might be taken, Melas revealed that the prevailing thought at this point is to withdraw all cooperation by borrowers, leaving the banks with no option than to take them all to court individually.
“I can assure you, borrowers will be the winners of such an exchange,” Melas said.
Acknowledging this would be far from an ideal solution, he said it was only one of the measures being considered in order to put pressure on the government and the CBC to set the banks straight. Melas argued that failure to comply with the CBC’s directives is against the law and banks could be prosecuted, while the Central Bank also has the power to impose administrative fines.
On his part, Omirou said that the views of the borrowers’ association echo those of the Cyprus Consumer Association, the Bondholders’ Association, the Association for the Protection of Primary Residences, and the Small Business Coalition.
“All these groups feel that banks are not compliant with the CBC’s directives on arrears management and loan restructurings,” Omirou said. “Banks cannot continue to act unchecked.”

By Toby Davis

The tactical approaches of England and Italy’s wily coaches Roy Hodgson and Cesare Prandelli will come under the microscope with the oppressive atmosphere of the Amazon rainforest providing the backdrop for a Group D clash on Saturday.

The contrasting qualities of youth and experience will compete to tame Manaus’ punishing jungle humidity as a fresh-faced England, largely unburdened by past failures, play a wizened Italy, with a squad still imbued with their 2006 World Cup success.

England, whose qualifying campaign was underpinned by Hodgson’s natural caution, look set to put their faith in a pack of attacking youngsters with only a handful of caps between them but with energy in abundance and plenty of hard running in the tank.

Italy, by contrast, still revolve around midfield metronome Andrea Pirlo, a veteran of their final victory over France eight years ago, to set the tempo for a possession game where the ball is jealously guarded and energy conserved rather than expended.

Pirlo is one of three current Italy players with World Cup winners’ medals along with 36-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and 30-year-old midfielder Daniele De Rossi.
Italy’s legacy of success, having reached the final in two of their last four major tournaments as well as a semi-final appearance at last year’s Confederations Cup, contrasts strikingly with England’s record of persistently flattering to deceive.

Yet one advantage of England’s new-look side is there will be no hangover from 2010 where they exited the World Cup in a 4-1 last-16 defeat to Germany.
Captain Steven Gerrard, right back Glen Johnson and striker Wayne Rooney are the only likely starters on Saturday to have survived that dismal performance.
With Hodgson dropping hints that he could include Liverpool’s 19-year-old trickster Raheem Sterling in a forward line that is set to feature relative international novices Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana, England are looking to the future rather than the past.

The fact that expectation levels are at a low ebb could also work in favour of a side that retains enormous attacking potential.
“It’s probably the best squad I’ve been involved in so it’s great to be a part of. I am looking forward to this tournament and the future with England because it certainly looks bright,” Rooney told reporters earlier this week.

England lost to Italy on penalties in the quarter-finals of the European Championship two years ago and the Italians are strongly favoured to emerge from a tough group that also includes Uruguay and Costa Rica.

There is no lack of confidence in the camp with open talk of another run to the final.
“We can win the World Cup,” said Pirlo earlier in the week. “I always play to win and I won’t be satisfied by just getting out of the group stage or into the quarter-finals.”
“This Italy team has everything it needs to go all the way.”

Perhaps the difference between England and Italy is that none of Hodgson’s men could utter that prediction without it being greeted by laughter.

Where do you live?
I live in Oroklini with my husband and two daughters.

Best childhood memory?
Summers spent in my little rowing boat in the numerous canals in Holland, with a duck for company in the rear of the boat.

Most frequented restaurant and absolute favourite dish?
1900 Art Cafe in Larnaca. Here the food is home cooked, with fresh, honest ingredients, always with a new twist, the atmosphere is warm, walls adorned with art. My absolute favourite dish is good old fashioned Dutch kale with potatoes, gravy and meat. (You can take a Dutch girl out of Holland but you can’t get the Dutch out of her!)

What food would you really turn your nose up to?
I would never eat snails, brains or anything else that’s slimy.

What did you have for breakfast?
A slice of Pumpernickel bread with Gouda cheese, sliced tomato and lettuce.

Would you class yourself as a day or night person? What’s your idea of the perfect night/day out?
I’m more of a day person. This is what I do: I get up early and go to the beach at 7am when the sea is calm and smooth as a mirror. I take a long walk, barefoot, then go for a kayak ride to the horizon and back. This is my meditation time. After that, breakfast on the beach, then reading a book in the sun for a while. Then off to the herb garden in Avgorou, take a walk in the gardens, see which plants need harvesting, and spending the rest of the day making herbal medicines and teas, seeing people at the herb garden. A perfect day ends with a lovely meal with my family and a good glass of wine.

Best book ever read?
The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde. I like the way the contrast of the outer beauty and inner depravity of the soul was described, how it consumed the main character.

Favourite film of all time?
The Dead Poets Society. I really believe this film should be compulsary viewing in schools. The message of the film, to pursue your dreams, to make your life worthwhile, to be free thinkers, is still relevant today.

Favourite holiday destination? What’s your dream trip?
Italy. I love the countryside, the food, discovering beautiful places. My dream trip is a long road trip travelling from place to place and wherever we like it, to stay a few days, then move on again.

What music are you listening to in the car at the moment?
Coldplay’s new album Ghost Stories.

What is always in your fridge?
Avocado. The fridge is not satisfactorily stocked unless there’s a couple of avocados in it.

Dream house: rural retreat or urban dwelling? Where would it be, what would it be like?
A Hobbit house in the middle of the forest, near a brook with spring water. The house must be small and cozy with only the bare necessities, but oozing comfort. My ‘office’ will be a hammock hanging over the brook and I will share the use of it with the animals of the forest that live around me.

If you could pick anyone at all (alive or dead) to go out for the evening with, who would it be?
Jesus Christ. He has the words of life, he holds the keys to all knowledge and understanding. To be in his presence is everlasting life.

If the world is ending in 24 hours what would you do?
I would cook a fantastic meal for my family, we would give thanks for our lives, eat together, share our best stories, and hold each other in loving embrace… If there’s still time we would also play a couple of rounds of Cluedo!

What is your greatest fear?
To lose one of my children. I don’t think anyone can ever get over a tragedy like that.

Tell me a joke…
A man is praying to God. “Lord,” he prays, “is it true that to you, a million years is but a second?”
“Yes,” the Lord says, “that is true.”
“Well, then, what is a million dollars to you?”
“A million dollars to me is but a penny.”
“Ah, then, Lord,” says the man. “May I have a penny?”
“Sure,” says the Lord. “Just a second.”

A lavender festival will be held at CyHerbia from June 14 to 29, during which lavender oil will be distilled every day while visitors can also taste biscuits, ice cream tea and liquer with the flavour of lavender, all made on site. CyHerbia Botanical park, Avgorou. www.cyherbia.com Tel: 99 915443

By Evie Andreou
FOR the first time in three years, the annual Solar Car Challenge is returning to Nicosia with hundreds expected to attend the event in the city centre next Sunday.
The aim of the race, which is an initiative of the Cyprus Institute, is to generate interest in science, technology and engineering amongst students and the public and raise awareness of alternative and environmentally friendly transport methods.
The first Solar Car Challenge took place in 2010 at the Daytona Race Track in Tseri was so successful it became an annual event, being held for the past three years in Paphos.
The race, which is being co-organised by the Nicosia municipality, will begin at 10:00am from Stasikratous street with the solar cars heading towards Themistokli Dervi Avenue and continuing on to Spyros Kyprianou Avenue. The race will last for three hours with the cars running as many laps possible on the designated route.
The Cyprus Institute’s technical team will check the cars to ensure they comply with the rules and regulations set by international world solar challenges.
After the race the cars will parade to Nicosia Town Hall for the award ceremony and will remain there from 15:00 to 16:30 for the public to go and have a closer look.
The cars must be solely powered by the sun. All horse power comes from the solar panels on the vehicles which charge the battery.
According to Charis Hephaestou, communications officer of the Cyprus Institute, the cars will move as long as there is sun and can reach speeds of 60km/h.
This year nine cars will participate in the race: Pascal English School’s Team Solevo 3, Technical School of Avgorou’s Famagusta Solar Car Team which will race two vehicles, Ayios Lazaros Technical School’s Team Phevos, Team Sun-der, and Team Odyssey both from Nicosia, Team 91 from Limassol, the Philadelphia University from Jordan and the NUST-PNEC University from Pakistan.
For more information: www.facebook.com/solarcarchallengecyprus & www.cyi.ac.cy/solar-car-challenge.html

By Angelos Anastasiou
ON THE back of complaints issued by acting Central Prisons governor Eleni Vatyliotou following a suicide attempt by an inmate, Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou announced on Saturday that the ministry is pressing forward with the construction of new prison facilities through public-private partnership (PPT).
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Nicolaou said that prior to inviting tenders, legislation procedures need to be finalised and the House needs to vote on the rules for PPT projects. He said he expects this to be completed by the end of the year.
“The PPT method is the most cost-effective,” Nicolaou said. “Constructing new prisons is among the issues of top priority to the justice ministry. We feel that constructing new prisons through a PPT project appears to be a cost-effective solution, considering the additional operating cost of the current prisons, as well as the constant needs to repair the premises.”
Meanwhile, some of the measures Nicolaou had announced for the improvement of the current prisons are moving forward, while others have been completed. On Monday he will be addressing the House Legal Affairs committee in order to study the progress made on implementing the announced measures.
Following a string of suicides by inmates over a short stretch of time, last January Nicolaou replaced then prison boss Yiorgos Tryfonides with Vatyliotou and announced a series of measures to radically alter inmates’ living conditions and reinstating basic rights allowed by law.
“We have announced various measures relating to the inmates’ accommodation,” he said. “We have increased the water supply, the quantity and the quality of food. We have improved their entertainment, as they may now watch DVDs, or play video games, we have operated the prison’s theatre, while the football tournament is ongoing. We had announced separating the inmates and this has been done to the extent the current premises allow.”
Asked to comment on the issue of ankle monitors and the fact that they have not been used for over two years, Nikolaou said they are far from useless.
“The reason ankle monitors could not be used is current legislation,” he said. “We are trying to amend the law, and the amendment will be submitted to Legal Services to review.”
Following complaints by Vatyliotou that the medical centre at the Central Prisons is not yet up and running, Nikolaou said that it will be in operation by the end of the month, noting that although the previous government required €1.4 million to operate it, this government did it with just €150,000.

A CYPRIOT businessman has been arrested in Athens for unpaid debts to the Greek government of over €12 million, the Cyprus News Agency reported on Saturday.
The 50-year-old businessman, with interests in football, show business and the internet, was arrested on noon Friday, by financial crime police, for owing the Greek government the amount of €12,363,783. The businessman has not been named.
The man is wanted in connection with violation of Greek laws on cheque issuance, failure to pay dues to the government and failure to pay owed wages.
According to Greek police, the 50-year-old was arrested in an office block in Syggrou Avenue, Athens, in the course of targeted operations by the financial crime arm of Greek police aiming to locate and arrest individuals convicted for financial crimes.

By Ahmed Rasheed and Raheem Salman

A Sunni Islamist offensive threatening to dismember Iraq seemed to slow on Saturday after days of lightning advances as government forces reported regaining territory in counter-attacks, easing pressure on Baghdad’s Shi’ite-led government.

As Iraqi officials spoke of wresting back the initiative against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant insurgents (ISIL), neighbouring Shi’ite Iran held out the prospect of working with its longtime US arch-enemy to help restore security inIraq.

In a visit to Samarra, a major town in ISIL’s sights 100 km north of Baghdad, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki vowed to defeat the rebels who caused international shock waves when they overran the Sunni northwest of Iraq earlier this week.

The dramatic territorial surge by ISIL, putting demoralised and disorganised army contingents to flight, have alarmed both Maliki’s Shi’ite supporters in Iran and in the United States, which helped bring him to power after its 2003 invasion that toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein. Oil prices have jumped over fears of ISIL disrupting exports from OPEC member Iraq.

But the ISIL juggernaut appeared to lose momentum on Saturday with the Iraqi military saying it was now holding back the jihadist rebels and also, with the help of Shi’ite militia, clawing back some territory.

“Our security forces have regained the initiative to launch qualitative operations on various fronts over the past three days and have achieved remarkable victories with the help of volunteers,” said Major-General Qassim al-Moussawi, spokesman for the Iraqi military’s commander-in-chief.

“We have regained the initiative and will not stop at liberating Mosul from ISIL terrorists, but all other parts,” he said, mentioning Iraq’s second main city in the far north seized by the insurgents on Monday.

A spokesman for Iraqi counter-terrorism forces said warplanes bombed a meeting of the banned Baath party leadership in Diyala province, killing 50 people including the son of Ezzat Ibrahim al-Douri, once a member of Saddam’s ruling circle.
ISIL had thrust into Diyala two days ago, opening a second front to Baghdad’s northeast, not far from the Iranian border.

The ISIL advance has been joined by former Baathist officers who were loyal to Saddam as well as disaffected armed groups and tribes who want to oust Maliki. Douri is believed to lead a Baathist militant group called the Naqshbandi Army.

Security sources said Iraqi troops attacked an ISIL formation in the town of al-Mutasim, 22 km southeast of Samarra, driving militants out into the surrounding desert.
They said army forces reasserted control over the small town of Ishaqi, also southeast of Samarra, to secure a road that links Baghdad to Samarra and the now ISIL-held cities of Tikrit and Mosul further north.

Troops backed by the Shi’ite Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia also retook the town of Muqdadiya northeast of Baghdad, and ISIL was dislodged from Dhuluiya after three hours of fighting with tribesmen, local police and residents, a tribal leader said.

It was far from clear whether government forces could sustain their reported revival against ISIL, given serious weaknesses including poor morale and corruption, and the risk of Iraq sundering into hostile sectarian entities remains high.
ISIL insurgents kept up their assaults on some fronts.

In Udhaim, 90 km north of Baghdad, ISIL occupied the local municipal building, an official there told Reuters, and they directed mortar fire at the government protection force of the Baiji oil refinery, Iraq’s largest.

Masked militants under the black flag of ISIL aim to revive a medieval caliphate that would span a fragmenting Iraq and Syria, redrawing borders set by European colonial powers a century ago and menacing neighbours like Iran and Turkey.

US President Barack Obama said on Friday he was reviewing military options, short of sending combat troops, to help Iraq repel the insurgency. But he cautioned that any US intervention must be accompanied by an Iraqi government effort to bridge divisions between Shi’ite and Sunni communities.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, asked at a televised press conference whether Tehran could work with the United Statesto tackle ISIL, said: “We can think about it if we see America starts confronting the terrorist groups in Iraq or elsewhere.
“We all should practically and verbally confront terrorist groups,” added Rouhani, a relative moderate who has presided over a thaw in Iran’s long antagonistic relations with the West.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters earlier this week that Tehran, which has strong leverage in Shi’ite-majority Iraq, may be ready to cooperate with Washington against ISIL rebels.

The official said the idea of cooperating with the Americans was being mooted within the Tehran leadership. For now, according to Iranian media, Iran will send advisers and weaponry, although probably not troops, to boost Baghdad.

US officials said there were no contacts going on with Iran over the crisis in Iraq.
Any initiative would follow a clear pattern of Iranian overtures since the 2001 al Qaeda attacks on US targets, which led to quiet US-Iranian collaboration in the overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan and formation of a successor government.

Adversaries since Iran’s 1979 revolution toppled the US-backed Shah, the United States and Iran have long accused each other of meddling in the Gulf and beyond, and have not cooperated on regional security issues for more than a decade.

Maliki travelled on Friday to Samarra, one of the cities targeted – though not seized – by ISIL fighters who now prevail in a string of Sunni cities and towns running south from Mosul.

“Samarra will not be the last line of defence, but a gathering point and launchpad,” he told military officers after Iraq’s s most influential Shi’ite cleric urged people to take up arms to defend the country against the insurgents.

“Within the coming hours, all the volunteers will arrive to support the security forces in their war against the gangs of ISIL. This is the beginning of the end of them,” Maliki, a Shi’ite Muslim, said in comments broadcast on Iraqi television.
Maliki said the cabinet had granted him unlimited powers to confront the ISIL offensive.

In Basra, Iraq’s main city in the mainly Shi’ite far south, hundreds of people volunteered to join the battle against ISIL, heeding a call to arms by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who commands unswerving loyalty from most Iraqi Shi’ites.

The volunteers, of all ages, were due to be given weapons and sent to a security centre in Basra later on Saturday ready to be transferred further north. “We the people of Basra obeyed our instructions to defend our country from south to north,” said 63-year-old Kadhem Jassim.

Iran’s Rouhani said he would review any request for help submitted by Maliki, although none had been received yet. “We are ready to help in the framework of international regulations and laws,” he said.

By Praveen Menon and Mirwais Harooni

Millions of Afghans voted in a mostly peaceful run-off to elect a successor to President Hamid Karzai on Saturday, a decisive test of the country’s ambitions to transfer power democratically for the first time in its tumultuous history.

Most foreign troops will leave by the end of 2014, and whoever takes over from Karzai will inherit a troubled country plagued by an assertive Taliban insurgency and an economy crippled by corruption and the weak rule of law.

The election pitted former anti-Taliban fighter Abdullah Abdullah against ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani after neither secured the 50 per cent majority needed to win outright in the first round on April 5.

There were far fewer incidents of violence than had been feared and, as after the first round of voting, there was a palpable sense of relief in the Afghan capital. Voting ended at 4 p.m.

“I’m from this country so I am never afraid of threats,” said Lajiullah Azizi, a hospital worker who voted in western Kabul just minutes after a small bomb exploded at his polling station. “I hope this election will bring peace.”

Officials immediately began counting ballots, although Afghanistan’s difficult terrain, where ballot boxes have to hauled by donkey from some of its remotest corners, means preliminary results will not be known until July 2.

“Based on what I saw, it’s been a very calm election day with vigilant security,” Thijs Berman, the chief observer of the EU Election assessment team in Afghanistan, told Reuters.
Karzai, standing down after 12 years in power marked by increasingly sour relations with the West, is certain to retain a hand in politics but has been tight-lipped about his plans.

“Today Afghanistan takes a step towards stability, development and peace. Come out and determine your destiny,” Karzai, clad in his trademark green Afghan robe, said after casting his ballot.

Later, in a video distributed by his office, he added: “This is a major step at a time when Afghanistan’s enemies try to disrupt the election.”
The main source of contention with the West is Karzai’s refusal to sign a security pact with the United States allowing a small contingent of US forces to remain in the country beyond 2014. Both Abdullah and Ghani have promised to sign it promptly.

“Looking ahead, the United States stands ready to work with the next president of Afghanistan,” the US ambassador to Afghanistan, James B. Cunningham, said in a statement.
“Today marks the start of a new era for Afghanistan, and Afghans can be proud of what they have achieved.”

Twelve million voters were eligible to cast ballots at 6,365 polling centres across Afghanistan, from windswept deserts on the Iranian border to the rugged Hindu Kush mountains.

There were isolated cases of violence but voters were not put off by a couple of rockets landing in Kabul and other attacks, in which one person was reported injured. Long queues snaked out of polling centres soon after voting began at 7 a.m.

Rocket attacks were also reported in Ghazni province.
In a more serious incident, two tribal elders were killed when they defied a Taliban warning in Kunar province not to participate in the elections, triggering a gun battle between villagers and insurgents, local officials said. Four rockets landed in the provincial capital. No casualties were reported.

Overall, there were 150 roadside bombs, magnet bombs and rocket attacks, according to the interior ministry. Deputy Interior Minister Ayoub Salangi said 14 people were killed and 41 wounded.

The turnout was so high that some 333 voting centres ran out of ballot papers, sparking minor protests by disgruntled voters. The election commission said additional materials were later distributed and calm was restored.

“Security is a concern but the people of Afghanistan have defied security threats so far,” Abdullah said.
The election has been fraught with accusations of fraud by both candidates and many fear a close outcome will make it less likely the loser will accept defeat, possibly dragging Afghanistan into a risky, protracted stand-off over the vote.

“We ask everyone to prevent and discourage people from fraud and vote-rigging so that we can have a transparent, free and fair election,” Ghani said after casting his vote in west Kabul.

Officials are concerned by the prospect of a close outcome that could, in the worst case scenario, propel the country back into war along ethnic lines.
Both candidates set the stage for complaints, repeatedly accusing electoral organisers of incompetence and bias.
The United Nations has urged candidates not to attack the organisers, to safeguard the process.

“There’s a short-term gain only in trying to undermine or bully the institutions at the expense of their legitimacy,” said United Nations deputy chief Nicholas Haysom.
“It’s going to be the legitimacy of the elections which will give legitimacy to the new head.”

Abdullah polled 14 percentage points ahead of Ghani in the first round with 45 per cent of the vote, but Ghani, who is ethnic Pashtun, stands to gain a portion of the Pashtun vote that was splintered in the first round.

Pashtuns are Afghanistan’s biggest ethnic group, making up about 45 per cent of the population. While Abdullah is partly Pashtun, he is identified more with the ethnic Tajik minority.

The chance of an equal split between candidates is hard to gauge because there are few reliable polls. ACSOR research centre, asking respondents to choose between Abdullah and Ghani, predicted a 50:50 split before the first round.

By Andrew Cawthorne

Colombia celebrated their first World Cup appearance since 1998 by sweeping aside Greece 3-0 on Saturday with a free-flowing display that showed their abundance of attacking talent even without top striker Radamel Falcao.

The result at the Estadio Mineirao stadium confirmed the South Americans’ pre-tournament status as Group C favourites, though Ivory Coast and Japan are likely to prove trickier rivals.

In another high-tempo match, pacy Colombia attacked from the start as if determined to prove they can cope without Falcao, whose ligament injury put a dampener on their buildup.

They were rewarded early on when marauding left back Pablo Armero scored with a deflected shot in the fifth minute, rocking the Greeks whose gameplan depends on defensive stability.

Striker Teofilo Gutierrez, whom Colombians expect to fill the hole left by Falcao, extended their lead when he stabbed home a 58th minute corner.

Midfielder James Rodriguez sealed the win, and his man-of-the-match performance, with a third goal in stoppage time.

“It’s a good start,” said Colombia’s Argentine coach Jose Pekerman, whose last participation in a World Cup was when he led Argentina to Germany in 2006.

“We showed we’re here to have a good World Cup. But nothing’s won, it was the first game.”

The match was by no means one-sided though. Forced to attack after conceding, Greece had plenty of chances, showing they will be no pushover for their other group rivals.

Vassilis Torosidis headed just past the post, Panagiotis Kone saw a shot well saved and Giorgos Samaras struck just wide.

Their best opportunity fell to veteran striker Fanis Gekas who hit the bar with a header after 63 minutes when it looked easier to score, effectively scuppering any chance of a comeback.

“We had our chances but just could not score. We should have done better in the finishing,” said goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis.

“I don’t think we were worth a 3-0 defeat. But unfortunately that’s football. There are three games, we only lost one. It’s a big success to be here, but we have to win too.”

DANCING FOR JOY

The result pumped up an already pulsating atmosphere among the majority Colombian crowd, a sea of yellow in the bright sunlight of the lunchtime kickoff.

They were thrilled at seeing their team back at football’s top table after being shut out since their great sides of the 1990s featuring flamboyant characters like goalkeeper Rene Higuita and blond-locked Carlos Valderrama.

The joy was in evidence after Colombia’s first goal, when the players danced together in front of their bench in probably the most colourful celebration so far of the Brazil World Cup.

Defeat continued Greece’s dismal record of never keeping a clean sheet at a World Cup finals.

They have never gone beyond the group stage either, but will be encouraged after creating a string of chances and will hope their finishing improves against the Ivory Coast and Japan, who meet later on Saturday.

Defender Armero’s early goal came after sustained pressure down the right wing, where the Colombians were tormenting Greek left back Jose Holebas, though the ball took a lucky deflection before squeezing past keeper Orestis Karnezis.

Three Colombian players looked offside but were deemed not to be interfering with play and there were no protests from Greece.

“It was an own goal, it didn’t look dangerous,” said Greece coach Fernando Santos, lamenting their poor defending.

The powerful Gutierrez then scored an easy goal from close range on the hour after a corner was flicked on.

Finally, Rodriguez, who was lively throughout the match with three decent shots at goal, struck low in stoppage time to send the Colombian fans delirious. “It’s a dream come true. I really wanted a goal. We hope to be able to go far,” he said.

Greece forward Kostas Mitroglou, lacking match fitness after a miserable time in the English Premier League with now relegated Fulham, came off the bench in the second half but was unable to provide a missing spark for his side.

Two goals in four dramatic second-half minutes set lowly Costa Rica on their way to a deserved 3-1 victory over Uruguay on Saturday in the biggest upset of the World Cup so far.

The Uruguayans took the lead in the Group D clash thanks to a disputed Edinson Cavani penalty midway through the first half before the Central Americans turned the match on its head after the break.

Young striker Joel Campbell chested down a cross from the right and slammed a low shot past keeper Fernando Muslera after 54 minutes.

Then centre back Oscar Duarte gave Costa Rica the lead in the 57th minute with a brave diving header at the back post from a Christian Bolanos free kick.

Marco Urena completed the remarkable victory with a third in the 84th minute, silencing an army of sky blue-clad Uruguayan fans in Fortaleza’s Castelao arena.

Uruguay’s misery was compounded in stoppage time when their defender Maxi Pereira became the first man to be sent off at this World Cup.

It had all looked so different in the first half when Diego Lugano went down in the box under pressure from Costa Rica defender Junior Diaz as he tried to get on the end of a Diego Forlan free kick.

Diaz clearly had his arms around the waist of his opponent but even so the Uruguayan captain made a meal of the challenge.

Nevertheless, German referee Felix Brych pointed to the spot and Cavani slammed home the penalty.

Uruguay face England in their next group match while the jubilant Costa Ricans, who have only once made it out of the group stages at a World Cup, will take on Italy.

By Angelos Anastasiou

IN WHAT could prove a political manoeuvre to misdirect teaching unions, Education Minister Costas Kadis has declared the World Bank’s damning report on education non-binding while at the same time declaring changes are already afoot.

The World Bank report on the education system of Cyprus released this week was highly critical and described a highly centralised structure that does very little to incentivise, evaluate and reward performing teachers and neither cares, nor asks, about student learning progress. Legislation adopted way back in 1976 continues to govern all levels of the education sector. The report focused on a high level of government spending on education compared to other EU countries but said this fails to translate into learning achievement.

“We note that the World Bank’s proposals are not binding,” Kadis told reporters on Friday, but added that working groups have already been set up to deal with some of the most important points raised in the report.

In comments to the Sunday Mail he went further, saying that the ministry-organised groups are working on ways to reform the way teachers are appointed, one of the main criticisms of the World Bank report.

“The groups will touch on issues relating to the introduction of teachers to the education system, meaning their placement, evaluation and promotion, as well as their continuous education,” he said, adding that changes would be a result of a “structured dialogue” with parties involved.

“Therefore, the purpose of these measures is to have the best teachers in our system, those excellent educators who will be ready to offer our children the best possible education.”

The appointment, evaluation and career advancement prospects of teachers are at present driven by seniority alone, translating into a system that values and rewards the ability of having been around the longest over all others, regardless of performance, commitment or qualification. Coupled with the attractive working conditions prevalent in the profession – including remuneration, working hours and the job’s societal status – this system has created an oversupply of qualified teachers, and a beast of a waiting line for appointment.

The list is so long, the report said, that “based on rough estimates, it is unlikely that a school candidate who submitted his or her application during the past couple of years will be appointed as a school teacher.”

Teachers say the truth is even bleaker. “It’s more like those who got their teaching qualification over the last four or five years, not a couple,” said one teacher.

The problem is that, because the current system isn’t a meritocracy, good teachers might lose the chance to be appointed to others with less talent but more waiting time under their belt. The World Bank suggested overhauling the recruitment system to one that takes into account objective measures of merit, gradually phasing out the current practice of hiring those graduates who have been on the waiting list the longest.

According to the report, Cyprus spends 7.8 per cent of GDP on public education, which is high by international and European standards. Annual public and private expenditure, it said, is €9,145 per pupil, compared to an EU average of €6,900. Yet the results of international-standard testing on student learning achievements in Cyprus are hardly encouraging.

This would suggest that the problem is not scarce resources but waste and inefficiency. In terms of discretionary budgets, the purse-strings in public schools are not held by the school’s management, but by locally elected school boards.

“The air-conditioner broke in the teachers’ lounge, where we work when we’re not in class teaching,” one Nicosia-based primary school teacher told the Sunday Mail. “The school said it couldn’t afford to have it fixed or replaced, and teachers were asked to chip in. Most refused, and it’s still broken.”

More autonomy to school leaders – principals – on discretionary spending, so that they can respond more flexibly to the needs of running the school properly, was one of the proposals in the World Bank report.

But in the contrasting context of the proposed decentralisation, reorganising the education ministry’s structure into several directorates in order to lighten the minister’s workload, give him time to focus on strategic decision-making, and enhance clarity in lines of accountability, was also at the forefront of the report’s conclusions.

The ministry is mostly staffed by seconded teachers, who may or may not be best qualified to deal with the various planning, budgeting and administrative functions they are assigned. Instead, the report proposed capping secondments in terms of time, qualification and number of teachers selected, and replacing them with professionals specialised in each relevant area.

“We will also introduce a series of measures relating to the decentralisation and effective functioning of the ministry itself because its current structure is too vertical,” Kadis told the newspaper.

But, when asked to comment on the possibility of further wage cuts for teachers, he was adamant that it is not on the table. However, he did say that the new evaluation and assessment schemes would aim at linking performance to rewards, so an indirect form of remuneration adjustment may result.

While many of the report’s findings and proposals have already been identified and suggested in several earlier attempts to modernise the cumbersome and ineffective system, the continued strength of powerful vested interests will badger Kadis’ attempts at reform.

For nearly 40 years, politics have quashed any and all serious attempts to reform public education, regardless of how well-documented and sensible the benefit of proposals may have appeared.

AKEL made quite clear its opposition to sweeping educational reform along the lines suggested by the World Bank back in February when the government announced that the organisation had been commissioned to study the Cypriot education system

“Engaging the World Bank, an organisation with a given philosophy and views, in Cypriot education, could trigger negative developments,” AKEL’s education office said at the time.

“From discussions on how to reorganise the education ministry we have come to the World Bank weighing in on the role of inspectors, how evaluations should be carried out, and how many hours teachers should work.”

By David Ljunggren

A cool-headed Italy proved too clever for England on Saturday, scoring two well-crafted goals and defending doggedly in the Amazon heat to grab a 2-1 win in their opening World Cup Group D game.

Italy grabbed the winner in the 50th minute when midfielder Antonio Candreva outfoxed England left back Leighton Baines and chipped a cross deep into the area for Mario Balotelli to head in from close range at the far post.

England otherwise dominated the second half but could not find a way past back-up keeper Salvatore Sirigu, deputising for the injured Gianluigi Buffon.

Italy are joint top of the group with Costa Rica while England must beat Uruguay in their next game to retain realistic hopes of reaching the last 16.

The result was fair and reflected well on both teams, who did not shirk in high humidity and temperatures that were still 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) at kickoff.

“We played well. It was a hard fought victory but we kept control of the midfield,” Italian manager Cesare Prandelli told reporters.

The Italians started with five men in midfield in a bid to clamp down on fleet-footed English forwards Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck.

England began well but some players, including Wayne Rooney and Baines, had games to forget.

Baines often looked out of his depth with Italy regularly mounting dangerous raids down their right flank and Prandelli`s team took the lead in the 35th minute after a cleverly worked corner.

When the ball was played into Andrea Pirlo the veteran midfielder let it run under his boot and Claudio Marchisio had time to hammer home a 25-metre right-foot shot.

“They caused us a lot of problems down our left-hand side in the first half but we made tweaks at half-time and dealt with it better,” England captain Steven Gerrard said.

LOVELY PASS

England recovered quickly and two minutes later a lovely pass from Sterling sent Rooney haring down the left and his curling cross was met by a sweet half-volley from Sturridge.

Italy, though, came close to scoring again in first-half stoppage time.

Balotelli chipped the ball over goalkeeper Joe Hart, only for Phil Jagielka to head it off the line, and seconds later a clever pass found Candreva alone in the area but he crashed his shot against Hart’s right post.

Sirigu was in good form in the second half, palming away fierce shots from Welbeck and substitute Ross Barkley as well as a free kick from Baines.

“It is a very disappointing result and there is no reason take positives when you have lost,” England manager Roy Hodgson said.

“But my gut feeling is that we did some very good things on the pitch but unfortunately we conceded that second goal.”

England eventually paid the price for their efforts in the heat. Among others, Gerrard and Sturridge went down with cramp.

“It was a tough night. It was warm, sticky – it was a tough pitch – it was dry. But they’re excuses. Italy were very good,” said Gerrard.

Pirlo almost made it 3-1 in second-half stoppage time but his swirling 30-metre free kick crashed against the bar.

The players appeared to have no problems with the pitch, which had been damaged by humidity in the months running up to the tournament and required special repairs.

But Prandelli said it was “madness” not have an officially sanctioned time out in the brutal conditions.

“We had to lower the rhythm to gather breath, it was impossible to keep up that intensity,” he said.

The result was the first World Cup win in four games for Italy, who drew two and lost one of their 2010 matches.

The defeat meant England have not beaten a major nation at the World Cup since a 1-0 win over Argentina in 2002.