By Andreas Vou

MARCOS Baghdatis got off to a winning start at Wimbledon on Monday, defeating Germany’s Dustin Brown 6-4, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 in an enthralling first round match.

Much anticipation surrounded the encounter as the Wimbledon faithful were eager to see two entertaining players go head-to-head, and they were not disappointed as an enticing duel ensued.

Baghdatis went into the game as the favourite due to his excellent form preceding the tournament. The current world number 118 recently won the Aegon Trophy in Nottingham which ended his four-year trophy drought and had won seven of his last ten matches.

Brown, ranked No.95, is known for his giant-killings including a famous win over world No.1 Rafael Nadal in the opening match at the Gerry Weber Open earlier this season, though his recent form had not been the best.

Each player’s respective pre-tournament form was evident in the early part of the match as the Limassol native took a two-set lead.

After winning the first set 6-4 in a relatively routine manner, the second was far more enduring – the German defended five break points with the score at 6-5 before Baghdatis eventually broke Brown down to take the set.

But just as it looked as though Baghdatis had the match wrapped up, Brown broke early in the third set which he went on to win.

The same pattern followed in the fourth set as the German capitalised on a sluggish Baghdatis service and went on to open up a 5-2 lead.

The Cypriot rallied back, however, and brought the set level at 5-5, and on to a tie break which he won 7-4 to earn his place in the second round.

Baghdatis will now face Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer who defeated Italy’s Andreas Seppi in a five-set encounter earlier on in the day.

Baghdatis, a Wimbledon semi-finalist back in 2006, said prior to the tournament that his intends to return to the world’s Top 10 and though he will certainly have to up his game to accomplish his goal, the 29-year-old showed excellent character and determination to fend off a tricky opponent in the opening round.

By Evie Andreou
HEALTH Minister Philippos Patsalis officially inaugurated Nicosia General Hospital’s new high dependency unit (HDU) on Monday saying it marked a new era in public health.
The HDU will provide for the smooth transition of patients from the intensive care unit (ICU) to a regular ward. ICU patients whose condition is no longer critical but still need more care will be placed in the HDU until they are well enough to be transferred to a regular ward or rehabilitation centre. Along with the increased care unit, post-critical care has also been introduced, where patients will be monitored for 96 hours after their exit from the ICU.
Specially trained staff and a new ICU specialist doctor will man the new unit which at the moment has six beds, with the prospect of the addition of two more beds soon.
“Our goal is the upgrade of health services and the emergence of Cyprus as an exemplar of medical and nursing care,” Patsalis said.
Nicosia General Hospital’s general manager Petros Matsas said that the HDU, which is the first in Cyprus, aims to help decongest the hospital’s nursing system and especially the ICU.
Health ministry’s acting general manager Christina Yiannaki called the HDU a huge accomplishment, saying that “the vision of many years had become a reality”.

By Jean Christou

IF ALL REQUESTS for special treatment in the military were granted, the entire army might as well shut down, National Guard Chief Stylianos Nasis said on Monday.

Nasis was speaking at a public consultation with Defence Minister Christoforos Fokaides in Nicosia where the issue of meritocracy in the army was up for discussion for around half an hour.

Nasis said that to achieve complete meritocracy all stakeholders would have to be on board. “Every soldier, every officer and every relative will have to stop claiming preferential treatment at the expense of their colleagues,” Nasis said. Pre-defined criteria would be set for decisions on all placements, suspensions, exemptions and transfers, he added.

He cited an example of a mother who had requested her son be exempt from carrying a rifle because he might injure himself.
“If you fulfill all the requests submitted we would have to completely dissolve the National Guard,” Nasis said.

“We must accept meritocracy, not only when it comes to others but also for ourselves,” he said, adding that the operational requirements of the army came first no matter what system was in place.
Fokaides described favouritism in the National Guard as a “gangrene”.

“There is this impression [among conscripts] that if you do not have the means and connections you have no chance and… if you have a problem and you have no connections, the problem cannot be resolved,” he said.

“For decades we have learned to live with it, the spoils of gangrene in the political system, among officials and the public. We have been part of this situation many times.”

He said he had often heard people endorse some measure or other but when the time came for it to affect them personally, they did not want it to apply in their case or their son’s case.

He said the plan was to introduce a better system with committee oversight so that favourtism would not be possible on a one-to-one basis depending on ‘who you know’.

He said instead of having the same army people on committees who would hear the issues of conscripts or officers, members would be rotated, and would include a doctor and a social worker. Decisions made by individuals would be scrutinised, all the way up to the minister’s office to ensure fair treatment for all regardless of who was minister and what party he belonged to.

“Our goal is to encourage our youths to openly air their opinions and suggestions on how to improve the system,” said Fokaides.

Fokaides also said that from next year, anyone seeking exemption from military service must apply three months before the conscription date. Also soldiers who serve in the more difficult units such as those along the buffer zone will be entitled to more leave than those who serve in offices or army clubs, the minister said.

By Jean Christou

THE EU ON Monday called on Turkey to implement the Additional or ‘Ankara’ Protocol, which would require the Turkish government to remove all discriminatory obstacles towards Cyprus as member state.

The Turkish ban on Cypriot air and sea traffic is a major aspect of the protocol, and the delay in implementing it for Cyprus, has since 2006, prevented any movement on eight chapters necessary for Turkey to move forward with its EU accession.

Cyprus also raised the discrimination against its citizens travelling to Turkey, which has excluded the Cyprus Republic as an EU member state in its options for online applications, using instead the ‘Greek Cypriot Administration in Southern Cyprus’.

On Monday, following the latest meeting of the EU-Turkey Association Council, a statement from the council said that although it had noted the clear statement of Turkey’s commitment to the accession process, the EU had made its position clear on the non-implementation of the protocol.

“Full non-discriminatory implementation towards all EU member states is an obligation and as such must be honoured,” said the statement.

It said the EU had reiterated its call for progress on the issue, and had underlined that such implementation could provide a significant boost to the Cyprus negotiations process, which resumed on February 11.

The statement said the EU also welcomed the resumption of Cyprus talks. “Turkey’s commitment and contribution in concrete terms to such a comprehensive settlement remains crucial,” it said.

“The EU also reiterated its position on good neighbourly relations and stressed again that maintaining good neighbourly relations is an essential part of the accession process.”

The Council meeting was chaired by Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos, whose country currently holds the six monthly EU presidency. Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule represented the European Commission while Turkey was represented by European Affairs Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

In a written statement after the meeting, Fule said there had been a good exchange of views.

“I stressed also today that it is important to sustain the momentum in the accession negotiations in the interest of both parties and in order to achieve real and tangible results,” said Fule.

He said he had also underlined that the implementation of the Additional Protocol would inject new life into the accession process. Several chapters could be opened and some even closed relatively quickly, Fule said.

“The accession negotiations are the central engine of our relations. But they can only move forward in parallel with convincing progress in both: the political reforms and on all Cyprus related issues,” he added.

Venizelos said the EU had called on Turkey to “fully and unconditionally” to implement the protocol and work towards building progress in its relations with all the EU members.

Çavuşoğlu talked about his country`s determination to pursue various reforms, but expressed dissatisfaction that 17 chapters – eight Cyprus related – in Turkey`s accession negotiations were still frozen. He called on EU to open these chapters without any further delay and said that no political obstacles should be out forward in his country`s path to becoming an EU member.

The Cyprus government described the Council’s statement as a “document of the utmost importance” and that Turkey had no choice but to meet its obligations if it wished to move towards accession, Government Spokesman Nicos Christodoulides told the Cyprus News Agency.

By Mike Collett-White
A POWERFUL and pacey Netherlands side beat Chile 2-0 on Monday in a match that burst into life late on, securing them top spot in World Cup Group B and meaning they look set to avoid hosts Brazil in the last 16.
Substitute Leroy Fer scored with his first touch of the game, thumping home a close-range header from Daryl Janmaat’s cross in the 77th minute.
Another replacement, Memphis Depay, made it two in stoppage-time after a marauding Arjen Robbenbroke down the left, turning what had been a scrappy match short of goal-mouth action into a comfortable win for the Dutch.
The Netherlands ended the group stage on a perfect nine points with Chile behind them on six. Reigning champions Spain finished third on three points after beating Australia 3-0 in the other Group B match.
“It was a very good game to watch, there was a lot of passion on the pitch, we defended really well, I am proud of the way the team defended,” Robben said in a television interview.
“I think we did a great job and this is not where we want to stop. It is a fantastic result and a fantastic performance and we don’t want it to end here, we need to change our mindset as we want to move forward.”
Chile, knowing only a win would secure top spot owing to an inferior goal difference, pressed hardest in the first half and bossed possession but they failed to hit the target once.
The second half was not much better for the South Americans, who were clearly missing the influential Arturo Vidal in midfield and failed to match the heights of their shock 2-0 win over Spain in the previous game.
Alexis Sanchez dropped deep and worked hard to pull the strings in the middle, but the men in orange were more than equal to the task and frustrated Chile.
The Netherlands won without in-form striker Robin Van Perseid, after he was suspended for two yellow cards.
But Robben was excellent again, launching a series of searing runs that threatened the Chile defence before his perfect cross sealed the three points.
Chile are now most likely to face Brazil in the last 16 on Saturday, while the Netherlands are expected to face either Croatia or Mexico the day after.
Chile’s best result at a World Cup came on home soil in 1962, when they finished third.
In 1998 and 2010 they reached the last 16, only to exit at the hands of Brazil on both occasions.
“I think that this was a match that we expected, with the Netherlands trying to use lots of people on the counter attack,” said Chile coach Jorge Sampan.
“We looked for victory, we wanted to win and we couldn’t find a solution to a team that only defended and only aspired to long-range shots, not even counterattacks.
“This is a Chile that I am proud to be at the helm of, in spite of the fact that we didn’t get a result. The courage of the group, they have their heads held high and they are getting ready for the round of 16.”

By Keith Weir
STRIKERS David Villa and Fernando Torres scored on Monday to help give deposed champions Spain a comfortable consolation win after a miserable World Cup when they beat Australia 3-0.
Villa neatly backheeled the opener in the 36th minute after Spain carved open the Australian defence.Torres slid home in the 69th minute when set clear in the penalty box.
Substitute Juan Mata rolled a third goal between the legs of goalkeeper Mat Ryan in the 82nd minute asAustralia ran out of steam.
Spain had nothing but pride to play for after losing their first two games. Australia were also on their way home after defeats to Chile and the Netherlands.
Coach Vicente del Bosque made seven changes from the Spanish team that started the 2-0 defeat by Chile.
Midfielder Andres Iniesta kept his place and won his 100th cap.
Iniesta, scorer of the winner in the 2010 final, showed his craft by helping to create Villa’s goal with a superb pass that sent defender Juanfran clear in space on the right wing.
Villa, Spain’s record goalscorer, claimed his 59th goal in 97 games for his country when he turned in the cross. It was probably his last appearance for Spain as he prepares to play in MLS soccer next year.
Australia almost hit back immediately, goalkeeper Pepe Reina hacking the ball clear in a goalmouth scramble.
That was a rare threat from an inexperienced Australian team who missed the presence of suspended leading scorer Tim Cahill up front.
“It was a dignified way to end our participation here. We took control of the match and we were the better team,” Del Bosque said in an interview with Spanish television.
Australia coach Ange Postecoglou said his team had faded after performing well in the first 10 to 15 minutes.
“We just looked a little bit tired. We’ve faced three world class opponents and today we really struggled,” he said.

By Martyn Herman

All was as it should be on the opening day of Wimbledon when returning British hero Andy Murray opened the defence of his historic title with an impressive first-round victory on Monday.

Under bright skies, with the Centre Court grass glistening, his grandparents in the royal box and Murray resplendent in spotless white attire, the 27-year-old walked out to a standing ovation and rewarded his fans by dismantling Belgium’s David Goffin 6-1 6-4 7-5.

Men’s top seed Novak Djokovic, the man Murray beat in spine-tingling fashion last July to become the first home men’s singles champion at the All England Club for 77 years, also began in style, crushing Andrey Golubev 6-0 6-1 6-4 in his first grasscourt outing of the year.

Dark horse Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, winner of the Queen’s Club grasscourt title this month, and sixth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych both eased into the second round but there were some early casualties in the women’s draw, notably former U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur, the 17th seed, losing to Belgian Yanina Wickmayer.

Women’s second seed Li Na suffered an early fright when she trailed 5-3 to Polish qualifier Paula Kania before completing a 7-5 6-2 victory against the world No.183 making her Wimbledon debut.

It has not all been plain sailing for Murray since that scorching Sunday afternoon when he ended decades of British men’s failure at the most famous tournament in the sport.
Spinal surgery, a split with coach Ivan Lendl and up-and-down form meant there were a few question marks over the third seed as he prepared for two weeks of Murray Mania.

But, with new coach Amelie Mauresmo watching, Murray went through his full repertoire against a lightweight opponent who played the supporting role to perfection, engaging in some eye-catching rallies without threatening to rain on Murray’s parade.

“I enjoyed it for the walk to the chair. Then when I sat down, it was time to get on with business,” Murray, seeking to become the first man to retain the title since Roger Federer in 2007, told reporters.
“I was nervous yesterday. I was probably a bit more nervous yesterday than I was today. But it does help if you can get ahead early, like I did at the beginning of the match, I got an early break, that helped settle them down a little bit.”
Only in the third set did Goffin, a more dangerous player than his 104th ranking suggests, have Murray sweating, earning two break points in the fourth game but his chance came and went before the crowd favourite turned the screws.
“I thought it was a very high-standard match. I was glad to finish it in three,” Murray, who will play Slovenia’s Blaz Rola in round two, added.

While the samba beat and carnival atmosphere dominates in the football World Cup in far-flung Brazil, the 128th gathering of the world’s top tennis players in suburban southwest London provided a more tranquil setting for the thousands of fans streaming through the gates.
Strawberries and cream and Pimms, rather than bikinis and caipirinhas, are the traditional currency at Wimbledon which is this year boasting record prize-money – including 27,000 pounds for those bowing out in the first round.

Australia’s Stosur will have to make do with that tidy sum after losing 6-3 6-4 to Wickmayer on a packed Court Three.
“I mean, in some ways it’s good and in some ways it sucks, because you’re done, you wait another four or five weeks till you get to play again,” Stosur, who has a lamentable record at Wimbledon where she has now lost six first-round matches, said.
American 18th seed Sloane Stephens, a quarter-finalist here last year, was also out before desserts were served in the posh hospitality areas, losing 6-2 7-6(6) to Russian Maria Kirilenko.

Men’s 18th seed Fernando Verdasco, who led Murray by two sets in the quarter-finals last year before succumbing, was also bundled out in four sets by Australian Marinko Matosevic.
There was an early scare, too, for Berdych, but he rallied from a set down to beat Romania’s Victor Hanescu while Dimitrov, boyfriend of Maria Sharapova, dispatched American Ryan Harrison.

Djokovic, in his first competitive match since losing to Rafa Nadal in the French Open final, made a mockery of rumours about his fitness when he won the first 11 games againstK azakhstan’s Golubev.

Crunching winners left, right and centre, the Serb father-to-be was in unstoppable form as he put down an ominous marker.
“It’s never easy, you can never underestimate any opponent especially with no matches under your belt coming into Wimbledon,” he said.
“I started extremely well; serving great and just played a very good game for the first match.”

Results from the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Round 1 matches on Tuesday:

Gilles Muller (Luxembourg) beat Julien Benneteau (France) 6-4 7-6(6) 7-6(5)
24-Gael Monfils (France) beat Malek Jaziri (Tunisia) 7-6(5) 7-5 6-4
9-John Isner (U.S.) beat Daniel Smethurst (Britain) 7-5 6-3 6-4
Jack Sock (U.S.) beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert (France) 6-7(5) 6-2 7-6(5) 6-4
2-Rafa Nadal (Spain) beat Martin Klizan (Slovakia) 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-3
Jiri Vesely (Czech Republic) beat Victor Estrella (Dominican Republic) 5-1 (Estrella retired)
19-Feliciano Lopez (Spain) beat Yuichi Sugita (Japan) 7-6(6) 7-6(6) 7-6(7)
Ante Pavic (Croatia) beat Alejandro Falla (Colombia) 6-4 6-3 7-5
Mikhail Kukushkin (Kazakhstan) beat Dudi Sela (Israel) 6-4 6-4 6-4
Lukas Rosol (Czech Republic) beat Benoit Paire (France) 6-3 3-6 7-6(5) 6-4
Frank Dancevic (Canada) beat 29-Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) 6-4 7-6(5) 7-6(4)
13-Richard Gasquet (France) beat James Duckworth (Australia) 6-7(3) 6-3 3-6 6-0 6-1
8-Milos Raonic (Canada) beat Matthew Ebden (Australia) 6-2 6-4 6-4
4-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Paolo Lorenzi (Italy) 6-1 6-1 6-3
30-Marcel Granollers (Spain) beat Nicolas Mahut (France) 6-4 7-6(6) 6-7(7) 6-4
15-Jerzy Janowicz (Poland) beat Somdev Devvarman (India) 4-6 6-3 6-3 3-6 6-3
Dusan Lajovic (Serbia) beat 28-Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 7-6(5) 6-2 3-6 3-6 6-3
Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) beat Michal Przysiezny (Poland) 6-2 6-7(14) 6-1 6-4
Sam Querrey (U.S.) beat Bradley Klahn (U.S.) 6-7(5) 6-4 6-1 7-5
Denis Kudla (U.S.) beat Marsel Ilhan (Turkey) 7-6(3) 6-4 4-6 7-5
Lu Yen-Hsun (Taiwan) beat Aleksandr Nedovyesov (Kazakhstan) 6-4 4-6 6-4 1-6 6-1
Lukasz Kubot (Poland) beat Jan-Lennard Struff (Germany) 7-6(6) 6-4 6-4
Nick Kyrgios (Australia) beat Stephane Robert (France) 7-6(2) 7-6(1) 6-7(6) 6-2
10-Kei Nishikori (Japan) beat Kenny De Schepper (France) 6-4 7-6(5) 7-5
5-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Joao Sousa (Portugal) 6-3 6-4 6-3
Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) beat Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain) 6-1 7-5 6-0
14-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) beat Jurgen Melzer (Austria) 6-1 3-6 3-6 6-2 6-4

Results from the Wimbledon Women’s Singles Round 1 matches on Tuesday:

13-Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) beat Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 7-5 7-5
31-Klara Koukalova (Czech Republic) beat Taylor Townsend (U.S.) 7-5 6-2
9-Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Urszula Radwanska (Poland) 6-2 6-4
Victoria Duval (U.S.) beat 29-Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-4 3-6 6-1
Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic) beat Jovana Jaksic (Serbia) 6-2 4-6 7-5
Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) beat Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 2-6 6-3 6-3
Michelle Larcher de Brito (Portugal) beat 28-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 3-6 6-3 6-1
5-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat Samantha Murray (Britain) 6-1 6-0
Heather Watson (Britain) beat Ajla Tomljanovic (Croatia) 6-3 6-2
Madison Keys (U.S.) beat Monica Puig (Puerto Rico) 6-3 6-3
Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) beat Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) 6-7(6) 6-2 6-2
Caroline Garcia (France) beat 14-Sara Errani (Italy) 2-6 7-6(3) 7-5
Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) beat Sharon Fichman (Canada) 6-1 6-3
Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) beat Karin Knapp (Italy) 6-7(4) 6-4 10-8
4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Andreea Mitu (Romania) 6-2 6-1
19-Sabine Lisicki (Germany) beat Julia Glushko (Israel) 6-2 6-1
16-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) beat Shahar Peer (Israel) 6-3 6-0
Irina Begu (Romania) beat Virginie Razzano (France) 1-6 6-4 7-5
25-Alize Cornet (France) beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Slovakia) 4-6 6-4 6-2
20-Andrea Petkovic (Germany) beat Katarzyna Piter (Poland) 6-1 6-4

A 67-year-old woman from Anthoupolis drowned on Tuesday morning in Kato Pyrgos.
The woman, Elpida Adoni who was holidaying in Kato Pyrgos with her husband, was found floating unconscious at 10:30am.
She was pulled out of the water by other swimmers and was transferred to the Kato Pyrgos Rural Health Centre where her death was confirmed.
An autopsy will be carried out on Wednesday to define the exact cause of death.

By Elias Hazou
Whereas the World Bank’s reports on Cyprus’ state education are not binding, their findings are a “useful tool” in shaping much-needed reform, education minister Costas Kadis said on Tuesday.
He was speaking to the media following a session of the House education committee, where Kadis discussed with MPs the two World Bank reports released earlier this month.
The reports, commissioned by the Cyprus government on the advice of the island’s international lenders, found that “little has resulted” despite several attempts at reform.
One of the reports zeroed in on teacher policies, the other on the educational structure. The World Bank said Cyprus’ high expenditure on education is not translating into improved learning for children, and advocated scrapping the teachers’ waiting list.
It also said the education ministry is overstaffed and there was little if any formal assessment of student learning. The World Bank noted moreover that the country’s investment in education does not yield commensurate outcomes. Public expenditure on education in Cyprus is around 7.8 per cent of GDP, which is high by international and European standards.
But Kadis reiterated that the reports are not binding; rather, he said, they would form the basis for planned reforms to the education system, reforms that would be reformulated with the help of experts.
“The [World Bank] findings will not be adopted as is, word for word,” he said.
For each of the issues raised by the World Bank, the education ministry has appointed work groups that will subsequently thrash out a new plan. This blueprint would then be put to a “structured dialogue” with social partners and stakeholders to achieve consensus.
For each measure eventually adopted, there would be a specific timetable for implementation, ranging from a few months to a few years.
The World Bank report focusing on teacher policies is of particular interest. Kadis said that it deals with three broad issues: the appointments process, the assessment and promotion of teachers, and on-the-job training for teachers.
The ultimate goal and core philosophy of the proposed measures is to appoint and promote through the system the most capable educators, the minister said.
In response to a question, Kadis said the ministry’s objective is not to make staff cutbacks. Rather, he added, spending needs to be re-jigged so that children can get the best education possible.
The performance of public-school students in exams is currently “very poor,” the minister said.
Communist AKEL was none too impressed with the direction the ministry is taking. Party MP Andreas Kafkalias said the World Bank reports are clearly inspired by “neo-liberal policies based on the logic of smaller government and a downgraded public education.”

A heatwave over the next days will see temperatures rise over 40 degrees, according to the department of meteorology (DoM).
The DoM predicts temperatures will hit 40C over the weekend. However, worse is to come before that.
An official with the DoM told the Cyprus Mail that “although it is still too early to predict the exact temperatures for the upcoming days, we would like to warn people that on Friday the temperature will scale over the 40 degree mark in Nicosia.”
According to data from the DoM, the expected temperatures for the month of June are between 19 and 35 degrees in Nicosia. This year, the temperature has already risen higher than that, with the thermometer last Thursday hitting 38.9 degrees in the capital.
Last year the highest temperature recorded in June was 37.7 degrees, although the higher temperatures are not unusual for the island. In 2012 the highest temperature was 41 degrees and the highest temperature ever to be recorded in June was 43.9 degrees.
Meteorological Officer, Marios Theophillou, said that more information will be announced on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the temperature on Wednesday is expected to reach 37 degrees inland, 33 on the coast and 27 in the mountains. A steady rise in temperature will begin on Thursday and continue through the weekend.

By Michael Holden and Kate Holton

Rebekah Brooks, the former boss of Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper arm, was acquitted on Tuesday of orchestrating a campaign to hack into phones and bribe officials in the hunt for exclusive news.

A jury at London’s Old Bailey court cleared Brooks unanimously but found Andy Coulson, Prime Minister David Cameron’s former media chief and ex-editor of one of Murdoch’s British titles, guilty of being part of the phone-hacking conspiracy after a trial that has lasted nearly eight months.

The conviction in one of the most expensive trials in British legal history forced Cameron to apologise for hiring Coulson as his media chief. “I’m extremely sorry that I employed him, it was the wrong decision,” said the British leader.

On hearing of her acquittal in court, Brooks looked stunned and drew a sharp intake of breath before being led away by a nurse. Wearing a white jumper and dark blue trousers, she later walked free from the court through a scrum of photographers, clutching the hand of her husband Charlie who was also cleared of any attempt to hinder the investigation.

Brooks’s lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw had argued the prosecution failed to produce a “smoking gun” during her 14 days of intense questioning on the stand. He likened the authorities’ decision to take her to court over the charges involving the hacking of the phones of celebrities and crime victims to a medieval witch hunt.

Both Coulson and Brooks were former editors of Murdoch’s News of the World, the 168-year-old tabloid the media mogul closed in July 2011 amid a public outcry over revelations that journalists had hacked into the voicemails on the mobile phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

The scandal shocked Britain’s political elite, with prime ministers from both main parties shown to have been close to Murdoch and his senior staff including Brooks. Cameron ordered a public inquiry into press ethics in the immediate aftermath.

The 46-year-old Brooks was cleared of being part of a conspiracy to hack into phones to find exclusive stories, of authorising illegal payments to public officials and of trying to hinder the police investigation.

PHONE HACKING

Police said there were probably more than 1,000 victims of hacking, including Queen Elizabeth’s grandsons, Princes William and Harry, and William’s wife Kate, and possibly as many as 5,500.

Politicians, celebrities, prominent sporting figures and even rival journalists were all targeted in a desperate attempt to find exclusive stories for Britain’s top-selling newspaper.

But Laidlaw said only 12 confirmed hackings occurred during Brooks’s time as editor from 2000-3, and she had been on holiday when Dowler’s phone was tapped in 2002. Coulson, her deputy, was in charge that week.

He said during the trial that he had been aware of only one hacking incident and staff had kept the widespread criminal activity from him.

Prosecutors had argued both editors would have had to have been incompetent not to have known what their journalists were up to.

Two former journalists told the court that Coulson was fully aware of hacking, and in one email shown to the jury he instructed a news editor working on a showbiz story about a celebrity figure “to do his phone”.

However, the most dramatic revelation during the trial, which began last October, was that Brooks and Coulson had had an on/off affair running over nine years from when they began working together on the News of the World in 1998.

Prosecutors had argued that this meant Brooks would have known all about the hacking that Coulson was involved in, while she said that they maintained a professional “chinese wall”.

The prosecution also alleged Brooks and her husband were part of an elaborate plot to hide evidence and computers from detectives. However, Charlie Brooks said he had merely been hiding a briefcase from police which contained his collection of pornography and a novel he was working on.

Following the initial verdicts, Murdoch’s British newspaper operation said it had changed the way it did business.

“We said long ago, and repeat today, that wrongdoing occurred, and we apologised for it. We have been paying compensation to those affected and have cooperated with investigations,” a News UK spokesman said.

The maximum jail term for phone hacking is two years. The eight women and three men on the jury, who have been deliberating over eight days already, are still considering whether Coulson is guilty of authorising illegal payments to a public official.

By Evie Andreou
The restoration of Apostolos Andreas monastery on the eastern tip of the Karpasia peninsula will begin in September, Archbishop Chrysostomos announced on Tuesday.
“Our goal is the restoration of all of our churches as we also wish for the restoration of all the mosques in Cyprus,” Chrysostomos said.
He was speaking after meeting Turkish Cypriot Mufti Talip Atalay in the house of the Swedish Ambassador Klas Gierow.
The Archbishop also thanked the mufti for facilitating visits to churches and monasteries in the north and assured that Turkish Cypriots could come and visit their mosques in the south.
Atalay said it is their goal to give all of their power for the improvement of religious freedoms.
“As the religious leaders of Cyprus and by using the pure language of religion we do our best and we will do our best to support the Cyprus peace process,” Atalay said.
The meeting took place within the framework of the interreligious dialogue facilitated by the government of Sweden and the next meeting is expected to be in September.
Restoration works will take place according to a study by the University of Patras and the project will be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which signed two contribution agreements in September worth € 2.5 million each, with the Church of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot religious foundation Evkaf.
The Greek Orthodox monastery is in urgent need of repair and it had taken years to reach consensus on its restoration.

by Maaz Alnugomi and Yasmine Saleh

Sudanese authorities re-arrested a Sudanese woman on Tuesday hours after she was freed from death row, and detained her and her family as they tried to board a plane in Khartoum, a security source and her lawyer said.

Mariam Yahya Ibrahim, 27, sentenced to death last month for converting to Christianity from Islam, was released on Monday after what the government said was unprecedented international pressure.

The security official said he did know the reason for the re-arrest. One of Ibrahim’s lawyers said she was being held at a security building outside the airport with her husband and two children.

Ibrahim was freed by an appeal court on Monday which cancelled her death sentence. She was then sent to a secret location for her protection after her family reported receiving threats.

Her release was welcomed by human rights groups and Western governments that had voiced outrage at the death sentence.

By Elias Hazou
Attorney-general Costas Clerides on Tuesday blew off criticism that he and his office are dragging their feet in the criminal probe into the causes of the 2013 financial meltdown.
The top lawman was responding to an article in daily Simerini claiming the Presidential Palace was unhappy with the slow pace of the investigations. By way of example, the paper said the Attorney-general’s office had yet to make up its mind on the purchase of hi-tech computer gear to assist in data-crunching.
In a statement, Clerides reiterated that it is the police, not his office, that are in charge of the probe. The involvement of the Attorney-general and his office is limited to efforts at boosting the numbers of the investigation team so as to speed up the criminal inquiry, he said.
Clerides said media reports of the like are attempting to “create impressions” by shifting responsibility onto his office for the lack of prosecutions so far.
Not long after taking office last year, Clerides had cautioned that prosecutions would be difficult as authorities need to build airtight cases that can hold up in court.
Regarding the intended acquisition of a computer server and specialised software – to be used for storing and cross-referencing information from thousands of documents, in this way speeding up investigations – Clerides confirmed that a decision for the purchase was taken during a prior meeting with senior police officials and the Department of Information Technology Services.
Following the decision, said Clerides, he addressed a letter to the police chief urging him to purchase the equipment as soon as possible.
The Attorney-general noted moreover that it is not his office but rather the police department that must procure the server.
“Media reports such as the one in question do nothing other than undermine the difficult task undertaken by the Attorney-general’s office,” the statement ended.
Picking up on Clerides’ comments, opposition AKEL said they were disconcerting as they smacked of an attempt by the Attorney-general to wash his hands of any responsibility.
The fact the Attorney-general was shifting the onus onto the police was also not a good sign, AKEL said.
The scope of the police inquiry covers the expansion into Greece, banks’ corporate governance, Cypriot banks’ purchase of junk Greek bonds, and how now-defunct Laiki Bank came to amass some €9b in emergency liquidity, a liability since passed onto the Bank of Cyprus.
Cypriot authorities were forced to seize uninsured deposits at its two main banks in March 2013 to qualify for €10b in aid from international lenders, the first time bank savers were burned in the euro zone crisis.
Problems on Cyprus snowballed into the winding-down of Laiki Bank under a mountain of debt and a large chunk of deposits exceeding €100,000 being converted to equity to prop up Bank of Cyprus.
Cypriot banks lost about €4.5b when European Union leaders agreed in late 2011 to a Greek debt write-down, designed to make that country’s debt burden more sustainable.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be visiting Cyprus soon, a government statement said on Tuesday.
The visit was agreed during an afternoon telephone call between President Nicos Anastasiades and Netanyahu, government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said.
The two leaders talked about energy and the potential of cooperation between the two countries but also discussed political developments in the Eastern Mediterranean region and Iraq.
Netanyahu agreed to visit the island as soon as possible, Christodoulides said. The exact date will be announced after the visit was arranged by the two countries’ foreign ministries.

By Mike Collett-White
Uruguay overcame 10-man Italy in their winner-takes-all World Cup Group D clash on Tuesday, but the game was overshadowed by what Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini said was a bite by striker Luis Suarez that went unnoticed by officials.
The Uruguay forward, who has twice been banned from club soccer for biting, could face a harsh penalty if found guilty by FIFA.
“We are awaiting the official match reports and will gather all the necessary elements in order to evaluate the matter,” FIFA said in a statement.
With Costa Rica qualifying top of Group D after a 0-0 draw with England in the other game in Belo Horizonte, four-time former champions Italy are out and Uruguay progress.
Italy coach Cesare Prandelli offered his resignation.
“At the end of the match I spoke to the president of the federation,” he told reporters. “I have told them I am going to resign from my position. When there is failure, the person in charge must take responsibility.”
Italy looked to be heading for the battling draw they needed to go through when referee Marco Rodriguez sent off midfielder Claudio Marchisio with a harsh straight red card in the 59th minute for a challenge on Egidio Arevalo Rios.
With 10 minutes to go, Suarez clashed with Chiellini in Italy’s penalty area, and the Italians were still complaining when Uruguay captain Diego Godin scored a fortuitous 81st-minute winner that flew in off his shoulder.
A furious Chiellini pulled down his shirt to show a mark to the referee, and Reuters photographs from the game show what appeared to be bite marks on his shoulder.
“It was ridiculous not to send Suarez off,” Chiellini told Rai TV. “It is clear-cut and then there was the obvious dive afterwards, because he knew very well that he did something that he shouldn’t have done.”
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said he did not see the incident, but feared that Suarez, who missed Uruguay’s 2010 World Cup semi-final after being sent off for a handball on the line that denied Ghana what would have been a match winning goal, was being unfairly singled out.
“There seems there is animosity against this football player,” he told reporters. “He just came out of a difficult moment and he has been penalised. There are people hiding behind the tree waiting for something to happen.”
Prandelli believed the game turned on the sending off.
“It’s ridiculous to be down to 10 men in a game like this,” he said. “There weren’t any bad fouls or anything that merited a sending off. You can’t affect a game like that. The referee ruined the game.”
The other Group D game was short on tension, and a goalless draw condemned England, who were out before kickoff, to their worst World Cup showing since 1958 while ensuring that Costa Rica qualified in first place.
Costa Rica face the runners-up of Group C – likely to be one of Ivory Coast, Japan or Greece – in the last 16.

The cabinet on Wednesday decided to appoint lieutenant general Georgios Basiakoulis as National Guard commander for a two-year term.

Basiakoulis will be replacing lieutenant general Stylianos Nasis.

He will be assuming duty at a date that will be announced later.

Results from the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Round 2 matches on Wednesday

1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) 6-4 6-3 6-7(5) 7-6(5)
Jimmy Wang (Taiwan) beat 17-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 7-6(1) 6-2 6-7(5) 6-3
6-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Bernard Tomic (Australia) 4-6 7-6(5) 7-6(3) 6-1
Gilles Simon (France) beat Robin Haase (Netherlands) 7-6(1) 6-4 6-4
26-Marin Cilic (Croatia) beat Andreas Haider-Maurer (Austria) 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-4
Andrey Kuznetsov (Russia) beat 7-David Ferrer (Spain) 6-7(5) 6-0 3-6 6-3 6-2
27-Roberto Bautista (Spain) beat Jan Hernych (Czech Republic) 7-5 4-6 6-2 6-2
Leonardo Mayer (Argentina) beat Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) 7-6(4) 4-6 6-1 6-4
16-Fabio Fognini (Italy) beat Tim Puetz (Germany) 2-6 6-4 7-6(6) 6-3
Jeremy Chardy (France) beat Marinko Matosevic (Australia) 6-7(5) 7-6(7) 7-6(9) 4-6 7-5
21-Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) beat Benjamin Becker (Germany) 6-7(4) 7-6(0) 6-3 6-4
11-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat Luke Saville (Australia) 6-3 6-2 6-4
3-Andy Murray (Britain) beat Blaz Rola (Slovenia) 6-1 6-1 6-0
20-Kevin Anderson (South Africa) beat Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France) 7-6(0) 1-6 6-3 6-4
Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) beat 12-Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) 6-4 6-3 7-6(5)

Results from the Wimbledon Women’s Singles matches on Wednesday

Round 2
Peng Shuai (China) beat Maria Kirilenko (Russia) 6-0 6-3
Ana Konjuh (Croatia) beat Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) 3-6 6-2 6-2
Tereza Smitkova (Czech Republic) beat Coco Vandeweghe (U.S.) 6-3 7-6(4)
23-Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) beat Polona Hercog (Slovenia) 7-6(7) 7-5
Bojana Jovanovski (Serbia) beat 8-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 6-3 3-6 7-5
Caroline Garcia (France) beat Varvara Lepchenko (US) 7-5 6-3
6-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) beat Mona Barthel (Germany) 6-2 6-0
22-Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) beat Misaki Doi (Japan) 7-5 6-4
4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Casey Dellacqua (Australia) 6-4 6-0
30-Venus Williams (U.S.) beat Kurumi Nara (Japan) 7-6(4) 6-1
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) beat 32-Elena Vesnina (Russia) 6-4 6-2
2-Li Na (China) beat Yvonne Meusburger (Austria) 6-2 6-2

Round 1
Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan) beat Kristina Mladenovic (France) 7-6(4) 6-4
Vera Zvonareva (Russia) beat Tara Moore (Britain) 6-4 6-7(3) 9-7

The leaders of the two communities are due to meet on Friday July 4, and Monday July 7, the UN said on Wednesday, following a meeting between their two aides Andreas Mavroyiannis and Kudret Özersay.

President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu had been due to meet on June 23 but Anastasiades was admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis on Saturday and was not discharged until Monday, resulting on the postponement of the planned meeting.

According to the UN, on Wednesday the negotiators discussed programming of upcoming meetings and continued substantive negotiations on internal aspects of security, residency and citizenship.  They agreed to meet again on Tuesday, July 1 2014 and to finalise the agenda for that meeting bilaterally with the UN by the end of this week.

“The leaders will discuss technical committees, confidence building measures, and the way forward, including substance and methodology,” the UN statement said.