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Rally causes traffic headache in the capital

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Traffic in Nicosia on  Friday (Christos Theodorides)

By Evie Andreou

Tempers flared in Nicosia on Friday as drivers experienced traffic jams after roads were closed to accommodate the Cyprus Rally.

People with work in the centre had to find other routes to get to their destination after several roads were closed because of the rally’s special stage that will take place on both sides of the divided city.

Police urged drivers to be patient and avoid unnecessary movement in the area.

Nicosia traffic chief Harris Evripides said arrangements had been made to ease the heavy traffic.

“We are doing whatever is possible to help people reach their destinations,” he said.

He added that more than a hundred traffic police members were out in the streets since 6.30am struggling to help the public.

Evripides said that racing cars did trial routes in the morning and from 2pm until 4pm some roads were going to open so that people getting off work at 3pm would be able to leave the city centre.

More jams were expected at 5.30pm, when the special stage was scheduled to start. The roads were expected to reopen at midnight.

The start will be outside the finance ministry, which is also the beginning of the Nicosia Special Stage; racing crews will follow a five-kilometre course through the city, including the Turkish occupied northern part.

But beyond the frustration and the expletives, some people who experienced the jams chose to look at the ‘positive’ side. One said in a twitter message that at least Greek and Turkish Cypriots joined forces in cursing and nagging.

Others joked that it would have been better if civil servants had gone on strike after all.

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APOEL and Apollon back to reality after European adventures

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apollon zurich copy

By Iacovos Constantinou

The six fixtures will once again be played over the three day period (Saturday-Mon) with the Limassol derby between AEL and Apollon set for Monday due to the latter’s European involvement.

On Saturday APOEL will have to forget their mid-week (almost incredible) adventure at the Camp Nou in front of more than 60.000 fans and settle for a couple of thousand fans at the Tasos Markou stadium in Paralimni where they will face Ayia Napa.

APOEL’s coach Donis will no doubt rest a few players and given the depth of the APOEL squad they should still prove too strong for the coastal team. John Arne Riise may be given his debut as APOEL’s left back Antoniades picked up a knock against Barcelona.

Nicos Andronikou, Ayia Napa’s coach, when asked about how he will set up his team to face the champions wittily said, ‘on Saturday, APOEL will be Barcelona and we shall be APOEL.’

Omonia will want to bounce back following last week’s draw against Nea Salamina but so will their opponents AEK who have not picked up any points since the opening day of the season.

Omonia will be without the suspended Stepanov and the injured Serginhio while AEK will be missing Murillo with Sipo and Mangouris facing late fitness tests.

Ermis Aradippou take on Anorthosis in what should be a closely fought game with both sides aiming for the win.

Ermis’s new coach, Nick Papavassiliou, wants to take all three points in his first home game especially given his team’s tough schedule ahead.

Anorthosis have shown from their very first game that this season they will be a tough opponent and that not many teams will be able defeat them.

Nea Salamina entertain Ethnikos Achnas who missed the chance to regain top spot when they failed to beat Othellos last week. The home team will be hoping to register their first win of the season.

Othellos Athienou collected their first ever point in the first division last week and now they have the chance to go for their first win against Doxa Katokopias. Both teams are expected to be relegation strugglers towards the end of the season and any points collected early in the season may prove vital.
AEL have no injury worries ahead of their crucial game against Apollon on Monday while Apollon will be without their influential midfielder Rasheed Hamdani.

Apollon’s coach Christophorou, still brimming with joy following his teams excellent win on Thursday, said that despite all the tiredness and the aching bones his players have what it takes to overcome their local arch rivals.

Saturday, September 20: Ayia Napa vs APOEL (7pm), Nea Salamina vs Ethnikos (8pm)
Sunday, September 21: Omonia vs AEK & Ermis vs Anorthosis (7pm), Othellos vs Doxa (8pm)
Monday, September 22: AEL vs Apollonas (7pm)

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Who owns your DNA?

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DNA Strands

By Luigi Palombi

The DNA double helix is naturally occurring. Every one of us has millions of them, and they are all unique to us. Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the DNA double helix in 1953. They didn’t patent it. They did, however, win the Nobel Prize for their amazing discovery. In those days, a discovery was not considered an “invention.” But over the years, that has changed.

In 1975, Herbert Boyer from the University of California, San Francisco persuaded a savvy venture capitalist, Robert Swanson, to back his idea of producing pure human hormones, like insulin, using the invention that he and his colleague, Stanley Cohen, had developed.

Their invention enabled the bits of human DNA that coded for human proteins to be spliced from the human genome and inserted into bacteria. It tricked the bacteria into producing the protein that the DNA coded for. Think of DNA as the blueprint for a tool and the protein as the tool and you’ll understand the relationship more easily.

The modern biotechnology industry was born. Genentech, the company that Boyer and Swanson floated on the NASDAQ Stock Market in 1976, made them both very, very rich. Boyer had once said, “You can’t get rich in a university.” He was right.

For more than 30 years, patent attorneys and the biotechnology industry hoodwinked Americans and American investors by using a simple semantic device. They argued, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office agreed, that isolated DNA was an invention, even if it was identical in every practical way to the same DNA inside the human body.

This little deception fueled the genetic gold rush. Biotech companies like Biogen, Amgen, Chiron, and Genentech owe their very existence to this sleight of hand.

Fortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court was not fooled. A little over a year ago, it decided that you can’t patent DNA, even if the DNA is “artificial” because it’s been isolated, or removed from its natural environment (a human being).

It did say that you can patent complementary DNA (cDNA), which, it was argued, is not naturally occurring. (That’s not entirely correct – cDNA does exist in nature – but at least the biotechnology industry, with the help of the U.S. attorney general who argued that cDNA is patentable subject matter, was able to salvage something.)

As you can imagine, patent lawyers aren’t happy about the Supreme Court’s ruling. And neither is the Biotechnology Industry Organization. Right now, they are on the warpath. They believe the U.S. Supreme Court is out of step with the rest of the world. They want it all – cDNA and isolated DNA.

This is where the Federal Court of Australia, a loyal friend to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, stepped in. Earlier this month, the Australian court decided that the U.S. Supreme Court was wrong on the facts, the science, and the law. It held that isolated human genes that are linked to breast and ovarian cancer, located on human gene BRCA1, are inventions under Australian patent law.

The Federal Circuit was created in 1982 and given exclusive appellate jurisdiction over patents. Judges like Randall Rader and Alan Lourie were appointed to guide the court’s development of patent law. Lourie had been a chemical patent attorney for 25 years at SmithKline, one of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies. He and former Chief Judge Rader did a great job for the biotechnology industry. They made sure that the Federal Circuit’s decisions were consistent with the patent attorney’s traditional position on patentable subject matter.

Rader recently left the Federal Circuit under a bit of a cloud, but his friends – like Justice Annabelle Bennett, one of the five judges that put their names to the Federal Court of Australia’s decision – are trying to salvage the Federal Circuit’s reputation, which has been somewhat battered and bruised, as the U.S. Supreme Court has overruled just about every patent decision it’s made. It’s overruled the Federal Circuit twice over its decisions to permit the patenting of isolated DNA.

The Australian equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court, the High Court of Australia, is now going to have to resolve the judicial schism between U.S. and Australian patent law over isolated DNA. An appeal has been filed. We’ll have to wait and see if the High Court backs the U.S. Supreme Court.

Luigi PalombiLuigi Palombi is an intellectual property lawyer and academic. He spearheaded a campaign against the BRCA gene patents leading to an Australian Senate Inquiry into gene patents. He practices law in the medical, biotech, and pharmaceutical sectors in Australia and overseas, and is an adjunct professor of law at Murdoch University. He is author of the book, Gene Cartels.

This article first appeared in www.themarknews.com

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Turkey secures release of 49 hostages seized in northern Iraq

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A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014.

By Seyhmus Cakan

Turkish intelligence agents brought 49 hostages seized by Islamic State militants in northern Iraq back to Turkey on Saturday after more than three months in captivity, in what President Tayyip Erdogan described as a covert rescue operation.

The hostages, including Turkey’s consul-general, diplomats’ children and special forces soldiers, were brought to the southern Turkish city of Sanliurfa in the early hours of the morning. Police formed a cordon outside the airport as they arrived in buses with curtains drawn, a Reuters witness said.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who cut short an official visit to Azerbaijan to travel to Sanliurfa, hugged the freed hostages before boarding a plane with them to the capital Ankara.

“I thank the prime minister and his colleagues for the pre-planned, carefully calculated and secretly-conducted operation throughout the night,” Erdogan said in a statement.

“MIT (the Turkish intelligence agency) has followed the situation very sensitively and patiently since the beginning and, as a result, conducted a successful rescue operation.”

Speaking to reporters earlier in Azerbaijan, Davutoglu declined to give details on the circumstances of the release, saying only it was carried out “through MIT’s own methods”.

The group was seized from the Turkish consulate in Mosul on June 11 during a lightning advance by Islamic State insurgents. Turkish officials had repeatedly said efforts were underway to secure their release and that the hostages were in good health but had declined to comment further.

Security sources told Reuters they were released at the town of Tel Abyad on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey after travelling from the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa, Islamic State’s stronghold.

Independent broadcaster NTV said Turkey did not pay a ransom, no other country was involved, and there were no clashes with Islamic State militants during the operation to release them.

Without citing its sources, it said MIT had tracked the hostages as they were moved to eight different locations during their 101 days in captivity.

HAMSTRUNG

Their capture had left Turkey, a member of the NATO military alliance and a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, hamstrung in its response to the Sunni insurgents, who have carved out a self-proclaimed caliphate in parts of eastern Syria and western Iraq, just over the Turkish border.

The rapid and brutal advance of Islamic State, bent on establishing a hub of jihadism in the centre of the Arab world and on Turkey’s southern fringe, has alarmed Ankara and its Western allies, forcing them to step up intelligence sharing and tighten security cooperation.

The United States is drawing up plans for military action in Syria against Islamic State fighters, but Turkey had made clear it did not want to take a frontline role, partly because of fears for the fate of the hostages.

The militants have already beheaded two American journalists and one British aid worker, using the tactic to put pressure on Western governments after U.S. air strikes helped halt Islamic State’s advances.

British and American officials have said in recent weeks that their nationals had been killed by Islamic State militants in part because other countries were paying ransoms.

France was able to secure from Islamic State the release of four of its nationals in Syria earlier this year, after what President Francois Hollande said was help from other countries.

Hollande reaffirmed on Thursday that Paris did not pay ransoms or exchange prisoners for the release of its citizens that are held hostage overseas.

Officials will not divulge the number or nationality of hostages taken in Syria for fear of putting their lives at risk. The U.S. military tried to rescue journalist James Foley and other American hostages before Foley was killed but the attempt failed because they were not at the targeted location.

 

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Thousands of Syrian Kurds enter Turkey, fleeing Islamic State advance

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A Turkish soldier stands guard as Syrian Kurds cross the border fence into Turkey near the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province, September 19, 2014

By Seyhmus Cakan

Tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds have crossed into Turkey over the past day, fleeing an advance by Islamic State fighters who have seized dozens of villages close to the border, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Saturday.

Turkey opened a stretch of the frontier on Friday after Kurdish civilians fled their homes, fearing an imminent attack on the Syrian border town of Ayn al-Arab, known as Kobani in Kurdish.

“Around 45,000 Syrian Kurds have crossed the border as of now from eight entrance points along a 30-km distance from Akcakale to Mursitpinar since we opened the border yesterday,” Kurtulmus told CNN Turk television.

Islamic State’s advances in northern Syria have prompted calls for help by the region’s Kurds who fear an impending massacre in the town of Kobani, which sits in a strategic position on the border.

Esmat al-Sheikh, head of Kurdish forces defending Kobani, said clashes were taking place north and east of the town on Saturday.

Islamic State fighters using rockets, artillery, tanks and armoured vehicles had advanced further towards Kobani overnight and were now within 15 km (9 miles) of the town, he told Reuters by telephone.

At least 18 Islamic State fighters were killed in clashes with Syrian Kurds overnight as the militant group took control of more villages around the town, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war.

Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani called on Friday for international intervention to protect Kobani from the Islamic State advance, saying the insurgents must be “hit and destroyed wherever they are”.

The United States is drawing up plans for military action in Syria against the radical Sunni Muslim group which has seized swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, proclaiming a caliphate in the heart of the Middle East.

Western states have increased contact with the main Syrian Kurdish political party, the PYD, whose armed wing is the YPG, since Islamic State led a lightning advance in Iraq in June.

The YPG says it has 50,000 fighters and should be a natural partner in a coalition the United States is trying to assemble to fight Islamic State.

But such cooperation could prove difficult because of Syrian Kurds’ ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group listed as a terrorist organisation by many Western states due to the militant campaign it has waged for Kurdish rights in Turkey.

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Aristodemou, three others, remanded in custody (Updated)

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aristo

By George Psyllides
PROMINENT land developer Theodoros Aristodemou, his wife, and two other suspects, were remanded in custody for eights days on Saturday in connection with zoning violations in Paphos.
The court said the police request to detain them pending the investigation of the case was justified, rejecting defence claims about the existence of ulterior motives.
Aristodemou, who had been admitted in hospital with high blood pressure the day before, was still receiving treatment in the intensive care unit on Saturday.
Doctors said his condition was improving and he could be released on Sunday.
The arrests, which include Aristodemou’s wife Sotiroulla, former municipal engineer Savvas Savva, and Elisavet Kouspou, who works for the municipal technical services, followed a police investigation into the demarcation of 177 land plots in Skali, Paphos in 2010.
The case was first brought to the police’s attention by a Paphos municipality officer.
It subsequently emerged that the plans for which the demarcation permits were issued were switched with new plans, which seemed to cede approximately 3,000 square metres, worth hundreds of thousands of euros, previously designated as green space, back to Aristo.
Police said they were investigating the four in connection with conspiracy to commit a felony; conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor; conspiracy to defraud; legalising revenues obtained from illicit activities; forgery and circulation of forged documents; abuse of power; willful misconduct and abuse of trust by a public officer; issuing of forged certificates by a public officer; securing a certificate under false pretences; and obtaining moneys under false pretences.
Aristodemou had denied any wrongdoing, arguing that municipality employees, unfamiliar with regulations, had got their calculations wrong. He also claimed it was all a conspiracy.
Kouspou, 36, who has a 12-month-old child, fainted at the end of Saturday’s hearing.
He lawyer had asked for her release on account of her child.
She was taken to hospital for treatment. Kouspou also complained of being ill on Friday but she was returned to the holding cell after receiving treatment in hospital.
The court was once again filled by relatives, friends, and supporters of the suspects.
The remand hearing had been held on Friday but the court reserved its decision until Saturday.
In a show of support to their boss, employees on Friday held banners reading: “Solidarity to our employers” and “Justice will shine”.
During a news conference earlier this month, the entrepreneur suggested the allegations of malfeasance were being orchestrated by competitors, since the issue regarding the demarcation of these particular plots surfaced in 2014, whereas the permits were issued back in 2010.
One of the best known businessmen in Cyprus, Aristodemou is the founder and chairman of Aristo Developers Ltd. He has held many positions in both the private and public sectors, including on the Paphos Chamber of Commerce, the board of directors of telecoms utility CyTA, the board of Cyprus Airways and chairman of the board at Bank of Cyprus.
He became the latest of several prominent citizens of Cyprus who fell ill after being faced with the prospect of spending time behind bars.
He joined former defence minister Costas Papacostas, former interior minister Dinos Michaelides, former CyTA chairman Stathis Kittis, and businessman Akis Lefkaritis.

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Britain must honour pledge to grant Scotland powers, says Gordon Brown

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Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown told British leaders on Saturday that they must honour their promise to grant further powers to Scotland after voters backed staying in the United Kingdom in an independence referendum.

Just days before the September 18 vote, Brown appeared to be making British policy by announcing that laws granting further devolution to the Scottish parliament would be drafted by the time Scots celebrate the birthday of their most revered poet, Robert Burns, on January 25.

“The eyes of the world have been upon us and now I think the eyes of the world are upon the leaders of the major parties in the United Kingdom,” Brown told supporters inFife, Scotland.

“These are men who have been promise makers and they will not be promise breakers and I will ensure as a promise keeper that these promises that have been made are upheld,” he said.

During the campaign, Prime Minister David Cameron, Labour leader Ed Miliband and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg promised to guarantee Scotland high levels of state funding and grant Scots greater control over healthcare spending.

After Scots rejected independence, Cameron said the issue of Scottish independence had been settled “for a generation” but pledged a swift constitutional shake-up for all parts of the United Kingdom.

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Yemen TV building on fire as clashes continue with Shiites

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Smoke rises from the headquarters of the Yemeni state television building, which is under attack from Shi'ite Houthi militants, in Sanaa

Yemen’s state-run television building caught fire after a three-day mortar attack by Shi’ite rebels who are protesting against the government, residents and a TV employee said on Saturday,

After weeks of protests and clashes, the conflict intensified on Thursday when the Shi’ite Houthi rebels clashed with the army on the outskirts of Sanaa.

The fighting expanded mainly between the Houthis and tribesmen allied with the al-Ahmar clan. Prominent figures from the mainly Sunni Muslim clan, one of the most powerful tribes in Yemen, hold senior positions in the armed forces and the government.

Part of the TV building, which is located near other vital state institutions, caught fire after shelling intensified on Saturday morning, the employee told Reuters, adding that hundreds were trapped in the building as a result.

Yemeni TV broadcast a written message for national and international organisations to intervene to save its employees from the shelling.

In a neighbouring area close to the interior ministry where Houthis have been staging a sit-in, three mortars were fired according to a Reuters witness.

The University of Sanaa, the largest in the country, also closed on Saturday after a mortar fell in its grounds during Friday’s clashes.

The Houthi insurrection is one of several security challenges in Yemen, which borders oil exporter Saudi Arabia and is struggling with a secessionist movement in the south and the spread of an al Qaeda insurgency.

The Houthis, who belong to the Zaydi sect of Shi’ite Islam, have been involved in a decade-long conflict with the Sunni-dominated government, fighting for more control and territory in the north.

In recent weeks, Houthi protesters have blocked the main road to Sanaa’s airport and held sit-ins at ministries calling for the ousting of the government and the restoration of subsidies cut by the state in July as part of economic reforms.

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Police defend their role in rally traffic chaos

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Gridlock on Friday as some of Nicosia's roads were closed for the Cyprus Rally

By George Psyllides

THE POLICE denied on Saturday they were to blame for the traffic chaos in Nicosia, caused when roads were closed to accommodate a special stage of the Cyprus Rally on Friday.

Seeking to set the record straight, the force said it had not been asked and its recommendations had been ignored.

The stage run through downtown Nicosia, stretching into the Turkish occupied northern part.

“The decision to hold the specific special stage inside Nicosia was not taken by the police, nor was the force asked,” a written statement said.

Thousands of drivers were inconvenienced on Friday as they got stuck in huge traffic jams caused by the road closures.

The force said it had tried to warn officials of the problem both in writing and verbally.

“Unfortunately our recommendations and concerns had not been heeded.”

Despite this, the force took all necessary measures and deployed over 100 officers in an effort to help drivers, the statement said.

Announcements and maps were also issued repeatedly starting two days before the event, the police said.

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Fake passport arrest

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Italian

AN AFRICAN man was arrested on Friday on suspicion of possessing counterfeit travel documents, police said.
The man tried to go through passport control at Paphos airport at 3.30am before boarding a flight to Athens.
He showed officers an Italian passport, an Italian identity card, and a residence permit for Italy.
Police said officers determined that the documents were fake and the man was arrested.
He later admitted buying them from an unknown African man in Kofinou for €300.
The man said he arrived on the island on a boat illegally.

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Promoting a different way of travelling

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??. G?O?G??S - ????S?? S?????S? - ??T?S? AGROEXPO 2013

THE EUROPEAN Mobility Week contributes to the search for alternative mobility, which leads to better cities, better air quality, and a better and healthier environment, Agriculture Minister Nicos Kouyialis said on Saturday.
“A fundamental factor in the success of these efforts is environmental awareness among citizens,” he said, addressing an event organised as part of the European Mobility Week.
“Problems such as air pollution, noise and traffic have led to a bad quality of life for the citizens,” Kouyialis said. “These problems can be addressed.”
The minister said Saturday’s event “In town without my car” gave the opportunity to municipalities to promote their town in a different way, raising awareness about alternative mobility that would reduce pollution and other problems caused by traffic.

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Ministry denies stalling in Michaelides case

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Dinos Michaelides

By George Psyllides
THE JUSTICE ministry denied on Saturday it was dragging its feet in investigating a Syrian businessman with links to former minister Dinos Michaelides, currently on trial in Greece on corruption charges.
The ministry was responding to a report by Greece’s Athens News Agency on Friday, which said Cypriot authorities had remained silent about Fouad al-Zayat, who is also being tried – in absentia – in Greece.
“The investigations concerning the Greek authorities’ request about Syrian businessman Fouad al-Zayat and other matters are ongoing,” the ministry said.
“More details cannot be provides since the investigation is ongoing.”
Al-Zayat, who has Cypriot citizenship, is thought to have facilitated the purchase of Russian-made Tor-M1 anti-aircraft missiles by Greece.
He is accused of channelling a $10 million kickback to former Greek defence minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos through Michaelides.
Former interior minister Michaelides is faced with charges related to money laundering as a result of bribery.
Al-Zayat, reportedly in Syria or Lebanon, had written to prosecutors denying any links to Tsohatzopoulos and the Tor-M1 deal.
Al-Zayat also denied any links to Michailidis
The news agency said that Cyprus government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides has forwarded a list of questions to the justice minister regarding al-Zayat.
The spokesman is asking why the businessman was still free and whether the lawyer who directs his companies had been questioned by police.
He also asked whether the businessman’s bank accounts had been opened and wondered whether the failure to arrest him should be attributed to the authorities’ inability or to “assume that some people are protecting him because they fear his revelations”.

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Mother’s desperate plea for help

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feature bejay main pic - Andriana using the walking device and her sister

By Bejay Browne

A PAPHOS mother of triplets has made a desperate plea for help to raise the final amount needed to purchase a walking aid for her disabled daughter, which will greatly improve her mobility.

Elpiniki Zachariou, 31, and her husband have already spent over €200,000 on therapies, treatments and other aids to help Andriana, 5, a triplet. But they are now facing a mountain of debt.

“I am desperate; we owe so much money to the bank, my husband has been out of work for two years and I’m determined to give Andriana all of the opportunities possible to try and lead the best life she can.”

The family has been granted €5,000 from the state disability fund towards the walking aid which has a price tag of €8,350. Zachariou said there was simply no more money left and the extended family has exhausted all other ways of raising the remaining €3,350.

Her daughter has already tried out the rehabilitation aid at home with great success.

Zachariou, 31, gave birth to triplets – two girls and a boy – five years ago after undergoing IVF fertility treatment. She and her husband were surprised when they told they were expecting three babies after being advised that it was likely that only one of the implanted embryos would develop.

The mum of three says that although the babies were born prematurely the couple believed all three were healthy. The triplets were taken to Makarios Hospital in Nicosia as a precaution, as they were tiny and stayed there for six weeks.

“We were then told by a doctor that Andriana may have a small problem with her brain after being starved of oxygen for some time.”

Sadly Andriana’s condition was far worse than originally diagnosed. The child is totally dependent on her parents and other family members to look after her as she has no control over her limbs.

“She can’t eat or walk or drink unaided. She can’t even communicate that she needs to go to the toilet so she has to wear nappies. I’m trying all sorts of the therapies to help her so that her hands don’t curl up.”

The devoted mum says her daughter gets frustrated that she can’t walk and do things she sees her brother and sister doing.

Zachariou is a nurse at Paphos hospital and her husband, a professional footballer was out of work for two years following a sports injury. Just two months ago he got a job at Paphos fire station.

The couple, along with Zacahriou’s family, have spent over 200,000 euros on Andriana’s treatment so far. This has included specialised therapies in both Athens and New York.

The family has been unable to pay their mortgage for the last three years as every penny of the nurses’ salary goes towards paying off a bank loan of €80,000 which was used to take Andriana for two months of therapy in New York.

“The therapy helped her so much and I wish I could take her there again, but it’s impossible as we owe so much money. She can now say a few words, such as Mama and Papa.”

Zachariou’s mother, a cleaner in a bank, her father and her two unmarried brothers have done all they can to financially help. They have even sold their possessions.

She has written countless letters to the government and said they have done nothing, telling her she would have to find the funds herself.

“The government doesn’t care and say they have too many disabled children who can’t walk. They told me, if we give it to you then we will be inundated with requests from everyone else.”

Each year Zacahriou applies to Radiomarathon for help.

“They only give €400 for an entire year; we spend more than this in one month of treatment. I want her to have the best possible life she can. Everything we do is for her.”

The five-year-old undergoes vital therapies on an almost daily basis, some of which take place at the Red Cross clinic in Limassol. The nurse has to take time off work to take her daughter there and says that despite pleading with local taxi services, no-one is prepared to offer her any help.

“I have a lady who can take care of her for me and I have tried to get a reduced rate with a taxi service to take them but no one will help. They insist on charging €50. I just can’t afford it.”

Zachariou is also suffering with back problems caused by continual lifting of her daughter. A recent MRI shows that she has two slipped discs. She says she is now at breaking point.

“I love my children more than anything and there is so much love in our house. I have to be strong for my family and am trying to sort everything out but I can’t do it any more. When I’m alone I cry.”

The mum of three says that she doesn’t even have one euro in her purse and the couple hasn’t paid their mortgage for the last three years. “If they start to take people’s houses I’m sure ours will be one of the first to go. We would be so grateful for any help which we receive, Andriana is our angel.”

If you would like to make a donation to Andriana, her parents have set up a dedicated bank account for their daughter. Co-op Bank Andriana Charalambous Account number: – 2704802-7 Sort Code: 02840 Elpiniki Zachariou – 99514830

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Deadly relationships: a psychological autopsy of partner killers

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feature pyrgas - The murder scene in June's shooting

Interview with Michael Pyrgas, clinical psychologist

What is uxoricide-suicide?

Uxoricide is an extreme form of domestic violence in which a man murders his current or former romantic partner and then often commits suicide. Typically, the male offender develops suspicion regarding his partner’s infidelity or becomes enraged when she wants to terminate the relationship and abandon him.
The male offender, after he kills his romantic partner, usually kills his consanguineous relatives, such as his young children (filicide) and himself.

What are the causes?

Probably a complex combination of perpetrator vulnerability characteristics (such as psychopathology, history of violence and suicide attempts, substance abuse, sexual jealousy, and male proprietary beliefs), relationship dynamics that make the offender act violently, recent or imminent separation, and failure of support systems (such as family, community, and governmental institutions) to prevent these actions.

How far do childhood experiences affect the way adults relate to their intimate partners?

Early attachment relationships form a durable psychological template, or lens, through which the individual views, interprets, and anticipates relationships with other individuals.
Securely attached adults are comfortable with intimacy and autonomy in relationships.
Unsatisfied emotional needs are carried in adulthood, accompanied by a sense of intense anger. As a result, the individual becomes desperate and demanding from romantic partners as an attempt to satisfy the emotional emptiness.
Insecurely attached individuals tend to form symbiotic relationships in which they merge, or fuse, with their partner to soothe their unconscious attachment trauma.

How is a symbiotic relationship formed?

Initially, the two partners are “madly in love”. They tend to over-emphasise their similarities and minimise their differences. The insecurely attached individual is ravenously hungry for acceptance and bonding. Ultimately, their partner might experience “oneness” as suffocating, draining, or engulfing and want to seek space to breathe.
The insecurely attached individual experiences threatened or actual attempts for autonomy as rejection and abandonment. Their childhood traumas, disrupted bonding, and parental rejection are activated and their coping mechanisms and emotional stability are fragile.
They are flooded with anxiety at the perceived loss of their partner and they engage in “counter‐measures” to regain access to the attachment figure, such as clinging and controlling behaviour.

What are the core motivations of the perpetrator?

Loss and pathological possessiveness. If the symbiotic partner remains unresponsive or unavailable and separation is imminent, the insecurely attached individual can experience breakdown. They cannot perceive life without their partner nor tolerate the thought that the partner can move on without them. They believe they have sexual proprietary rights over their partner and fail to accept the separation.
They exhibit intense anger and explosive aggressive reactions. They experience intense rejection anxiety and jealousy that is transformed into rage. They cannot implement effective emotional control.
As a result, they consider that a destructive, annihilistic action, such as killing their partner and themselves, is the only “way out”.

What is the psychological profile of an individual who commits uxoricide?

They are almost exclusively males between the ages of 18 to 60 years old. They are usually suspicious of infidelity, intensely jealous, possessive, have low impulse control, a high need for control and low self‐esteem, even though they might project the opposite image.
Most had a traumatic experience in childhood. Many feel alienated and disconnected from social networks. They tend to have frustrated personal relationships characterised by morbid jealousy, ambivalence, anxiety, helplessness and guilt.

They tend to suffer from psychopathology, typically from dependent personality disorder, passive-aggressive personality disorder, post‐traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and clinical depression. Some of them have a history of suicide attempts or violence.
They might feel like failures, humiliation and shame from loss of status.
Consequently, the humiliated fury prompts them to use violence to revenge and replace shame with pride.

Why does the perpetrator often commit suicide following the murder?

Currently, it is unclear if suicide is premeditated or if it is carried out spontaneously due to the remorse the perpetrator feels after committing the killings.

This is the third uxoricide‐suicide incidence in the last year. Is there a connection between them?

Psychologists have long documented that some behaviours are copied. One such behavior is suicide. Recently, we had a wave of suicides in prisons. The publicity may lead to acts of imitative behaviour. It is as if people think “this is how problems are solved.”

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Expert care needed for children of murdered mothers

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feature evie - There are not enough specially trained social workers to deal with these traumatised children

By Evie Andreou

IN THE LAST 13 years, 18 domestic murders have left 40 children either orphaned or without any parents to care for them, according to a study by University of Cyprus’ law department.

In the 18 cases, two of the children were injured during the course of the crime and two were killed after witnessing the murder of their mother by their fathers or step-fathers.

Some of the children were left orphaned after their fathers killed themselves after murdering their mothers; the rest were left without any parents looking after them as their fathers were jailed for their crime.

The study calls for the training of social workers or other specialists to properly support these children that face the danger of presenting chronic disorders of post-traumatic stress, suicidal tendencies, criminality, abuse of substances and depression.

According to the study many of these children, whom prior to their mothers’ murders were often victims of physical violence or had to witness the physical and psychological abuse of their mothers, face psychological and financial problems, since their care is undertaken either by the state social services or usually by grandparents.

The study says the children need proper and constant support to help them have a normal life as functional adults.
“Social workers that have the responsibility of the care of such underage children conscientiously do what they can within the means and the powers they have, but they are understaffed and need specialisation for the multi-dimensional task they are called to do,” the study said.

According to the research, these children say that they feel that they do not have adequate support from the state and feel that the state stopped caring for them as soon as their fathers were convicted.

The study, which was conducted by Professor Andreas Kapardis and post grad student Maria Constantinou, proposes the permanent operation of an emergency unit for the protection of victims of domestic violence and calls for legislation amendments to allow government bodies to intervene and cooperate in cases of domestic violence.

In August, a 35-year-old man shot and killed his ex wife, 31, with a hunting shotgun in front of their two children and then killed himself, and in June a 41-year-old man who had recently lost custody of his two children murdered his wife and young daughter with his army-issue G3 automatic rifle before taking his own life. His teenage son was injured seriously after being shot in the back.

Several murders of women by their partners could have been avoided through timely and efficient protection, the study said, since preceding the murders there had been reports of domestic violence and threats by the perpetrator.

“Because of no specially trained staff in such issues and under staffing, the system is failing when it could have prevented more murders with the timely and effective protection of women-victims and the children” the study said.

According to the research, the majority of the couples were separated or were living together but in the process of a divorce. Eight of the eighteen killers committed suicide while the rest are imprisoned.

The murders were carried out with hunting rifles, army guns or kitchen knives and the study suggests a legislative amendment which would allow the police and the army to confiscate in cases of domestic violence.

“The guns would be returned only after an in depth evaluation of the case is made,” the study said.

Close and regular observation of reports of domestic violence from the social welfare services, and evaluations by people with special training is also needed the study said.

The study also urges judges of family courts and divorce lawyers to observe reasons given for divorces and ask for the protection of the victims in cases where threats have been made against them.

The university said that the study is at the moment comparing relevant legislation and practices in Cyprus, Italy and Lithuania.

On Thursday Defence Minister Christophoros Fokaides said that they are taking measures to prevent assault rifles being issued to reservists which could be used in unlawful acts.

The weapons of reservists serving in frontline units, will be secured with a special mechanism that will only be removed in case of emergency or during exercises and the rest of the reserve force would have to remove the firing pin from their rifle and hand it over to their unit. It will be returned to them in an emergency or during an exercise.

The health, interior and justice ministers, Philippos Patsalis, Socratis Hasikos and Ionas Nicolaou, are also to hold a joint meeting on October 15 to discuss the issue of gun control.

The meeting will focus on improving communication between the various government departments that deal with gun possession, to ensure that no mentally unstable person keeps a gun.

As the law currently stands, police can only intervene after substantial evidence is presented to suggest that the person in question is a potential threat and can only confiscate the gun with a court order.

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Dashin foundation changing lives

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feature Dashin main picture-  Andrey and Julia Dashin set up their foundation in May

By Bejay Browne

A LIMASSOL based foundation set up only April by a Russian entrepreneur and his wife has already donated two hundred thousand euros towards a variety of charity projects.

The couple launched the ‘Andrey and Julia Dashin Foundation’ with the aim of benefiting the entire community of Cyprus, the Dashins’ adopted home.

Early in 2014, an article in the Cyprus Mail about a blind toddler – Iordanis (Dani) Demetrof – caught Andrey Dashin’s attention. He found the fact that a lack of funds could prevent a child from regaining his sight was heartbreaking. The couple stepped in and personally donated the final 5000 euros needed for the toddler’s treatment.

Following that donation, the Dashins’ foundation was officially launched in May.

The businessman said that in less than six months, the foundation has participated in over a dozen social and community projects; and helped numerous families by offering various means of economic material assistance, including distributing store vouchers.

“Since the beginning of the new academic year, education has become a priority for us with the launch of the three new ‘Back to School’ causes,” Andrey said. “Health is also an important for us and we have already managed to aid with at least five lifesaving treatments for applicants to the foundation.”

Dashin’s wife Julia said that it’s important to the couple that they give something back to the country which they now regard as home.

“Some years ago we chose to make Cyprus our home and brought our three children here to raise them in this sunny and hospitable country. We felt that we can and need to give back to the country which has become our home.”

She added that establishing the foundation has enabled them to raise awareness of ongoing problems and encourage others to help.
Dashin is founder of one of the world’s leading forex brokers, Alpari.

He is also a committed philanthropist. Close to a decade ago in Russia, he set up the Alpari charitable foundation to offer financial support to disadvantaged and disabled children. He said he strongly believes that needy children should be helped to reach their full potential and go on to lead meaningful lives.

“Members of society, and especially privileged ones, need to play a greater role and be more socially proactive,” he said.”It’s in our own hands to make not only our own life better but also to strengthen the community we all live in. Social responsibility and care for the community is what led me to realise our foundation.”

On average, the foundation receives fifteen requests for help a week. Applications are evaluated by experienced and impartial members of the foundation’s committee, which usually meets twice a month. All applications are reviewed against a monthly budget to evaluate the funds available, said Dashin.

He said that the criteria needed for the selection process is simple – a genuine need (based in Cyprus) with an immediate need for action. The necessity and urgency of the situation is what is closely examined, he said.

The applicant also needs to prove the ‘genuine’ factor and support it with persuasive evidence.

“The applicants need to express a genuine need in good faith, and explain why it is so critical to receive financial aid, backing up the information with appropriate reasons, circumstances and motives. In other words, the application needs to be convincing,” he said.

Urgent cases are usually dealt with immediately and the rest are on a ‘first come first served’ basis.

Julia, his wife and co-founder of the foundation, stressed the importance of careful selection, adding that all applications are subject to a meticulous series of checks before an answer to a request for help is given.

This may include liaising with Social Welfare Office and on-site direct visits.

She said the foundation also favours individuals or groups which are proactive in trying to do something to reach their goals.
“It’s in the hands of every individual applicant to ensure that once they apply they follow up with the application and show efforts being done to improve their situation,” she said.

As well as donating 5,000 euros to Dani’s family towards his medical treatment, the foundation has recently stepped in and granted the final 7,000 euros to enable the Cyprus Kidney Association (expats) – a Paphos-based charity – to purchase a much needed dialysis machine for the Paphos general hospital’s renal unit.

Julia Dashin said she has found people in Cyprus to be giving by nature and used to participating in various charity and community projects.
“This is a way to change society – some give and others take, but at the end of the day we all turn out happier. Any act of giving enlightens one’s soul and this is good to remember,” she said.

The couple said that the foundation is now hoping to attract more partners and individuals to work together on common projects. Collective action is always more effective, they agreed.

And for the future, the couple says they are aiming to develop a number of ongoing projects into large scale annual programmes.
“We also want to develop a better, more effective community fundraising approach.”

In the autumn further projects and events are planned and will be posted on the foundations website and Facebook page, said Dashin.
“Our lives are always full of opportunities, which we either notice or which pass and we would like to hope that more people join us in our endeavours in Cyprus.”

www.dashinfoundation.org

 

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Tales from the Coffeeshop: Nice Nik employment agency is teeming with jobs

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Our man in Athens Kyriacos Kenevezou

By Patroclos

IN THE END, last Friday’s planned 24-hour strike – subsequently cut to a 12-hour work stoppage – by all public parasites was eventually called off after the misunderstanding which had caused the ugly union bosses to declare war on the government was settled by the Prez Nik.

This was the explanation given by the miserable PASYDY boss Glafcos Hadjiklamouris after Thursday’s meeting at the palazzo at which the government’s humiliation was finally formalised. The distortion caused by the non-taxation of the retirement bonus, which Finance Minister Harris Georgiades wanted to tackle is no longer an issue.

As for the additional €100 million that the government needed to cut from its 2015 spending to cover the cost of the minimum guaranteed income, it will now have to come from other savings. It could reduce the monthly pensions of the elderly – as long as they are not retired public parasites because that would be unconstitutional – which would be a much fairer arrangement than unjustly taxing the retirement bonuses (of 200 and 300 grand) given to poor old parasites to supplement their super-big pensions.

AT LEAST Thursday’s meeting did not go too badly. Given how the dispute had developed over the week we had expected prez to announce a 10 per cent increase in the parasites’ retirement bonus in order to ingratiate himself with this big group of voters.

Last Monday with a strike at schools, hospitals and government offices on the cards he dropped the taxation idea and offered to pay the bonus in instalments, over five years. After the unions rejected the idea, he offered to pay interest on the instalments; the increase was the next logical step, but it did not happen.

The government spokesman said that during Thursday’s meeting with union bullies, the prez praised “the responsible stance of the unions and the workers who had contributed significantly to the correction course of public finances and the economy.”

Nik’s need to be loved is so overpowering he will even butter up the union wolves in the hope of winning their affection.

THE HEAD of the Cyprus Automobile Association, Antonis Michaelides was very proud of the fact that he had arranged for the Cyprus Rally that started on Friday to go through the occupied area for the first time in its history.

However being of the bash-patriot school of thought – he served as minister in the Ethnarch’s government – he was at pains to explain that all the arrangements were made with Turkish Cypriot car-lovers and not with occupation regime. He had not even been in contact with the pseudo-police he stressed, trying to convince the host of the Lazarus patriotic radio show that he was not guilty of a lack of patriotism in involving the Turks in the rally.

Michaelides was proud that car-lovers from both sides of the divide would be brought together and explained that we had given nothing away as the Republic’s ambulances and fire-trucks would support the rally in the north while broadcasting rights belonged to the CyBC which would be filming in the occupied area as well.

He deserves our congratulations, because, not only has the upgrading of the pseudo-state been avoided, but his actions may have led to its downgrading.

HE MAY have won over the bash-patriots with his rally arrangements, but there were drivers thirsting for Michaelides’ blood on Friday as they sat in the appalling traffic chaos that was created in the centre of Nicosia. All the main roads were chock-a-bloc with cars because streets in central Nicosia were closed to traffic to make way for the rally.

Many of our customers swore abuse at the rally organisers and wondered why the rally did not start on a Sunday when the central streets were empty. The police had given prior warning about the street closures. The police spokesman appeared on radio shows to inform the public about the arrangements.

After 9.30am on Friday certain streets would be closed, he said adding that these would be open again between 2pm and 4pm, “so that public employees can drive home when they finish work.” Inconveniencing the public parasites, like the taxation of the retirement bonus, is a violation of the constitution.

DOES the President of Kyproulla, when he is sworn in, also take an oath guaranteeing a big income to members of the Kenevezou family? When Ethnarch Tassos was running the mad-house, he ordered his lap-dogs at the CyBC to hire the daughter of the family, Emilia, as a television news presenter on a salary of seven grand a month.

It was a hell of lot of money just for being able to read the news with a bit of attitude and ask studio guests a few obvious questions once in a while, but Kenevezou was the late Ethnarch’s god-daughter so the principles of rusfeti dictated that she was given a special deal. Her contract also stipulated that she would never work weekends and would be on holiday for all of August.

So despite receiving a star-journalist’s salary Emilia works for about four hours (5.30pm to 9.30pm) a day on weekdays only and for 10 months a year displays her over-paid journalistic skills on a mega-boring, one-hour interview show broadcast every Tuesday. This is the type of work contract you get when you enjoy presidential patronage.

When her contract expired, the big-spender, comrade Tof was in charge and his lap-dogs at the CyBC did not re-negotiate it, despite the cash problems, leaving it to run indefinitely. He had honoured the Kenevezou oath as well.

THE CURRENT board of the corporation, under pressure to make savings, decided to cut Emilia’s salary from €6,300 (it had been reduced by 10 per cent like all staff’s) to four grand and put the issue at the top of the board meeting agenda.

But when it came up, chairman Giorgos Tsalakos informed members that Prez Nik had requested no board decision be taken as Kenevezou’s salary would be reviewed at the presidential palace in his presence. It was such a sensitively important issue the prez could not trust the board to deal with it.

So certain was Emilia that Nice Nik’s intervention would keep her salary intact she bragged to colleagues that the board members would be put in their place and I am sure she was right.

EMILIA’S bro Kyriacos, a leading Dik’ead, has also been a big beneficiary of presidential patronage. On Nik’s election he was appointed education minister but alas he had to step down in February when Ethnarch Junior decided that DIKO would quit the government.

But the Nice Nik employment agency soon found an even better job for Kyriacos at the expense of the taxpayer. As Kyri had big debts, the job had to pay enough for him to repay his loans. He was therefore appointed our ambassador to Greece a few months ago. He had never worked as a diplomat in his life but the monthly salary of about eight grand was just right for his financial needs.

So if you are jobless and you can’t find work that pays enough to cover your monthly financial obligations, just call the palazzo and ask for the president who will be happy to help. It might be a good idea to tell the telephonist that your name is Kenevezos.

THE NICE NIK employment agency, which specialises in finding highly-paid jobs in the state sector for unemployables with few qualifications, had a big success in the last week. It found a very good post for Dik’ead Fotis Fotiou, who like our ambassador in Athens, had to step down as minister (of defence) when Junior quit the government.

Fotis, not the smartest kid on the block, was appointed presidential commissioner for expatriates and human rights issues. In this post his mess-up capacity is severely restricted, but he will still be collecting a cool 90 grand a year and be given a state limo. Government sources explained the reasons for appointing him thus – “he supported prez Nik consistently so why should he not be given a job as he has left DIKO”. I can think of about 100 reasons why not but I will not expand.

THEN there are the capable individuals who offer their services to the government without demanding payment and end up being targeted for abuse. You had to feel sorry for our Nobel prize winner Professor Pissarides, who was slammed by politicians and newspapers, for daring to say that not passing the foreclosures bill would cause problems to the country.

He was accused of scare-mongering on the instructions of Prez Nik, because in Kyproulla anyone who challenges the brainless majority is dishonest and lacking in integrity. The mild-mannered, gently-spoken Pissarides was shocked by the abuse and slurs on his character and felt the need to release a statement to defend his name.

He should not have taken offence or bothered to respond to lunatics. But it appears the professor is a sensitive soul who, like our president, just wants to be loved and feels hurt when he is not being showered with love and praise.

PUBLICITY-MAD Auditor-General Odysseas Michaelides, who will do anything to get into the papers, in his latest attention-seeking stunt has been demanding that the Central Bank governor rescind her decision to hire as her PA a woman that had left the bank on early retirement as it was ‘irregular’.

Michaelides issued his advice to Crystal after a meeting with the AKEL chief Andros who disapproved of the appointment and reported it to him. The nastiness and audacity of the Akelites knows no bounds.

When the commies appointed their puppet, professor Panicos, as governor they had forced the woman in question, who had served as PA to the two previous governors, to take early retirement because they wanted her out of the way. She was a very capable PA that managed the governor’s office impeccably, but she was not an Akelite and was replaced by party apparatchik Eleni Markadji, who ran the office as if she were the governor.

Now, for the sake of a bit of publicity, Michaelides is doing the dirty work of the scheming commies, making an issue out of nothing. Should Crystal have kept Markadji as her PA so she could report everything that went on at the bank to AKEL’s Central Committee?

SPEAKING of La Markadji, readers might be interested to know that she was paid the full €20,000 she had been claiming in overtime pay. Her overtime pay claim was signed by the professor just a day before he left. Her colleagues knew she was paid because she was bragging that she had filled her wardrobe with new designer outfits. Even the commies spend thousands on clothes when the taxpayer picks up the bill.

LAST WEEK our establishment wrote that Prez Nik, was no different from his predecessors in seeing a Cyprob solution as “a threat to his presidency that had to be avoided at all costs”. Despite his burning desire for re-unification, he is not in a big hurry, employing the same delaying tactics in the peace process as comrade Tof.

He has even borrowed the rhetoric of his predecessors. Speaking on Monday night, he sounded like another Tassos and a soul-mate of Lillikas, stressing that the solution the government was looking for was “a bizonal, bicommunal federation, workable and viable, that would re-unite the people, the country, institutions and the economy”.

Then he used a variation of the Tof theme in saying this solution must be the demand “of every Cypriot”, for “the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots, as well as every legal Cypriot, wherever he belongs, whatever language he speaks and whichever religion he follows.” Tof said the same thing but was more specific, referring to “all Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Armenians, Maronites and Latins.”

But nobody else had ever before mentioned the “legal Cypriot”, which must be a new species spawned by the Cyprob. Nik will now have to explain who the illegal Cypriots were and why they did not want a bizonal, bicommunal federation that was workable and viable like the rest of us?

AND IF additional confirmation were needed that Nik was behaving like the Ethnarch, he offered it on Tuesday when he threatened not to attend the dinner with Eroglu that was being hosted by the new UN special rep Espen Barth Eide. He was outraged because Ban Ki-moon had said that the two sides should enter the give-and-take stage of the negotiations. The UN had to issue a correction, to the effect that Ban did not know what he was talking about, for Nik to agree to attend the dinner.

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Our View: Bullying a debate-stifling way of life

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Christoforos Pissarides the Nobel Laureate economist

CYPRUS’ Nobel economics winner Professor Christoforos Pissarides issued a written statement last weekend to answer accusations in the press that he had been scare-mongering, on the instructions of President Anastasiades, when he spoke about the consequences of not passing the foreclosures bill.

The professor took offence at the “ridiculing and personal attacks” against him, as all he had said was that he did not know whether the failure to pass the bill would lead to a new haircut of bank deposits because any decision would have been taken at a European level. In a written statement, he said: “It is impossible for me to understand how from this, the opposition and almost the entire press concluded that I had been instructed by the president to engage in scare-mongering, for his reasons. My academic and personal standing would not allow me to do such a thing, even if he asked me to, something that never happened.”

As an outsider, Pissarides was not aware of the intellectual intimidation and bullying that opposition parties and the press routinely exercise against those they disagree with. This is how public debate takes place. When someone says something about an important issue that challenges the positions or propaganda of the parties, he or she has to be cut down to size. This was an imperative in the case of Pissarides as he is a Nobel winner and an authority on economics whose views people might compare unfavourably to the irresponsible nonsense uttered by opposition parties.

He was therefore portrayed as a weak-willed man who lacked integrity and would happily engage in unjustified scare-mongering if the president instructed him to do so. This is how the parties and media intimidate and try to silence anyone who challenges their views – they attribute ulterior motives and question their integrity and honesty. People that supported the Annan plan, for instance, were dismissed as traitors who were serving the interests of foreign countries. No need for rational debate when the argument can be won through bullying, intimidation and personal insults.

This public intimidation has always worked because few are prepared to take a stand. Most people do not respond because they are afraid of confrontation and going against the tide. Others believe it is futile because the bullies are not open minded and would not engage in a rational debate presenting their arguments in a civilised way but would simply hit back with more abuse. It is depressing to say this, but the targets of the bullies are in a no-win situation, as the government found out in the last week.

The union bosses’ response to the finance minister’s suggestion for the taxation of the retirement bonus was blatant bullying. They immediately called a strike and every day they appeared in the media attacking Georgiades and the government for penalising the public employees, breaking the law, violating the constitution, behaving arrogantly and much more. Nobody dared point out that in calling a strike the unions were flagrantly violating the industrial relations code. Within a few days, President Anastasiades, exhibiting no resolve, was bullied into submission – the proposal was dropped and the dispute was put down to a misunderstanding.

In the same week the governor of the Central Bank Chrystalla Georghadji became the target of AKEL’s bullies, who are experts in intellectual intimidation. They made a big fuss and verbally attacked Georghadji because she decided to hire as her PA a person who had taken early retirement and left the Central Bank when AKEL’s man, Panicos Demetriades took over. AKEL even recruited the auditor-general in its intimidation drive. Georghadji had chosen this person because she had rich experience, having served as the PA of two previous governors.

Instead of standing up to the bullies, and saying that as governor it was her prerogative to hire whomever she wanted as her PA, Georghadji showed her distaste for confrontation, by issuing a bland announcement citing rules and regulations to defend her decision. AKEL’s intimidation had put her on the defensive, creating the wrong impression that she was trying to cover up some irregularity.

The bullies, be they communist propagandists, hard-line nationalists, union bosses or self-righteous journalists have always had the upper hand, because very few are prepared to stand up to them. We know it is a thankless task taking the bullies on and that sensible people are reluctant to confront them, but our society will never progress as long as they control public debate abusing and bad-mouthing whoever challenges them. Not even internationally respected, decent academics like Pissarides are spared this reign of intellectual terror if they refuse to toe the line.

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Seashore under siege

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news beach main photo

By Constantinos Psillides

ENVIRONMENTALISTS fear a bill tabled by the interior ministry to convert seashores into real estate is no more than an attempt to sell the country’s beaches to the highest bidder.

The activists are accusing the government of being willing to allow investors exclusive access to Cyprus’ beaches – which are all designated public land.

The article in the controversial bill reads: “The definition of the term ‘real estate’ now includes marine space, which with developments or activities or facilities is connected directly or indirectly with private property, as is defined in the legislation.”

In general the bill aims to correct chronic mismanagement of beaches – including putting in place binding procedures for a seaside development and forcing competent authorities to hold tenders.

But it also contains a number of provisions activists believe would be detrimental to the environment and the public good.

Besides converting the seashore into real estate, the bill also allows the interior minister to issue planning permits without a permit application being filed and lists a number of constructions considered legal development and allowed within the seashore boundaries.

This list includes port construction projects, wind farms and similar renewable energy facilities, sub-sea pipelines for desalination or transporting fuels and recreational facilities beyond just water sports and aqua culture infrastructure works.

On Thursday the House interior committee begun discussion on some of the bill’s less thorny aspects, but the major amendments (the controversial articles 2, 20 and 22) have yet to hit the parliament floor.

That the bill is in for a bumpy ride is evident in an online petition launched by activists who have pledged to attend every House committee meeting on the subject and escalate to demonstrations if necessary.

“The bill falls within a broader set of neoliberal policies aiming at the appropriation and privatisation of the commons [public land]. With the environmental legislation to protect the beaches, the coast and the sea being ignored continuously, we are now witnessing efforts for the legalisation rather than the punishment of the offenders,” reads an online petition launched last month by Hands off our Beaches. “Once again, corporate profits and private interests trump over, and are blatantly placed above the rights of people and environmental protection.”

The petition requests government officials to cease any attempts at privatising beaches and instead focus on protecting both the seashore and the environment.

Marine specialist, Maria Hadjimichael, is one of the organisers of the protest.

“We plan on attending all relevant House committee discussions, where we will present our position and keep collecting signatures until we have the bill thrown out. If the ministry doesn’t back down we will be moving forth with demonstrations,” she told the Sunday Mail.

The government insists the fears of the protesters are groundless. An official from the town planning department told the newspaper that the bill actually aims at protecting the environment.

“What we wanted when we introduced this bill is to put an end to the chronic coastal line mismanagement and make sure that further seaside developments would be properly monitored and scrutinised,” said the official, who did not wish to be named. “As the law stands now the department doesn’t have the necessary oversight over such projects.

It’s a mess of overlapping jurisdiction of various departments. We want this mess sorted out so as to exercise proper supervision over such projects.”

Asked about the amendment that would allow the interior minister to approve planning permits without the interested party first filing for one, the official specified that this provision wasn’t new.

“It’s been in place since 1990. The minister actually used it 11 times to allow for small scale developments. What we are adding now is the last part, so people won’t have to file. It’s a way to tackle excess bureaucracy, nothing else.”

Regarding the provision declaring the sea front as private property, the official argued that this is the only way for the department to exercise proper oversight over developments on the seaside.

“By including this amendment we can force investors to adhere to the rules and regulations imposed by the department and not run rampant on our beaches. This will act as a protective shield for the coastal line,” claimed the official, adding that there was no way the bill would allow for beaches to be privatised.

“No one can be denied access to any beach. Beaches are state property and thus a common good. If we even suggested allowing hoteliers the right to buy beaches and fence them off we would have a rebellion in our hands.”

The official admitted, however, that the department had not done a good job of informing the public about what the proposed changes mean and said a planned press conference within the month should allay fears.

Protesters such as Hadjimichael remain unconvinced. She said she had little trust in the government’s motives and her concerns are shared by noted activist and former Environmental Commissioner, Charalambos Theopemptou.

He pointed out that Cyprus has refused to implement the protocol of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), an EU directive the state has been ignoring since 2009.

Implementing that legislation would settle the matter of protecting the seashore, he said.

The ICZM provides that all seashore be treated as a protected area, imposing strict limitations on construction on and near beaches. It also provides for environmental protection, requesting an environmental impact study for each and every project, no matter the scale. The ICZM was also based on the Aarhus Convention, which gives the right to individual citizens to challenge government decisions in court, when it comes to protected areas.

Asked whether this provision would effectively derail future investments, Theopemptou was clear. “It’s not as if we have a say on the matter. This is EU law and EU law supersedes national law. It won’t just go away if we keep ignoring it. We have to honour our obligations towards the EU and protect the environment,” he told the Sunday Mail.

In an interview to Sigma TV station, Theopemptou said that by refusing to implement EU law the state paved the way for developments that have a negative impact on the environment.

“Permits are given for facilities like umbrellas and sun beds on beaches that act as breeding grounds for endangered turtles, contractors remove rocks and sand from beaches included in the NATURA 2000 network [EU-declared protected zones] and many more,” he said.

The bill is a culmination of the government’s determination to fast track issuing building permits, to attract investors. And the government has not exactly hid that determination.

Planned Eden City project at Yeroskipou

Planned Eden City project at Yeroskipou

Last week Archbishop Chrysostomos arranged an urgent meeting with Agriculture Minister Nikos Koyialis and Interior Minister Socratis Hasikos with a single item on their agenda, the €7. 5 billion beach leisure project in Yeroskipou named “Eden City” in which the church has an interest. He complained the project had been plagued by bureaucracy and constant delays in issuing building permits.

While there were no official statements following the meeting, newspapers reported the next day that the ministers committed to fast-tracking the project.

Later in the week, President Nicos Anastasiades stopped just short of apologising to the owner of the newly constructed golf resort Minthis Hills in Tsada, after he was informed that it had taken seven years for the building permits to be issued.

“Which foreign investor would wait around for seven years to be issued a permit? I’d like to think that thanks to our improvements this will be a thing of the past,” said the president.

As the legislation currently stands, the authority in charge of the country’s coastline are the district officers, who then delegate to local authorities. The result of this arrangement borders at the chaotic, according to a recent report drafted by the office of the Auditor General Odysseas Michaelides and released last week.

The report detailed the total lack of coordinated management, the lack of oversight by local authorities, the lack of environmental policies and rampant, unchecked development.

Inspectors tasked with overseeing whether businesses operating at the coastline – such as beach clubs – adhere to regulations almost never carry out inspections, the report said. In some cases the competent authority didn’t even bother to appoint an inspector.

And when it comes to ignoring EU law, according to the report, Cyprus hasn’t drafted a list with endangered species as is required by the EU.

The auditor-general noted in his report that Cyprus’ policy on protecting sea turtles and the Mediterranean seal has been rated by the EU as “bad” and “insufficient”.

The report also said that Cyprus is in constant violation of EU law when it comes to nature reserves, since beaches included in the Natura 2000 protected zones have not been specified by state decree.

The report underlines the desperate need for new legislation regarding Cyprus’ coastline, but many questions remain whether the bill currently before the House is the answer.

Petition opposing the bill http://reclaimthesea.org/hands-off-our-beaches-cyprus

 

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Bomb blast kills two policemen in Egypt’s capital-state TV

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A bomb blast near the Egyptian foreign ministry killed two policemen on Sunday, state television said.

A Reuters witness earlier heard a blast in the area and smoke was seen rising briefly from the neighbourhood where the foreign ministry is located.

Sirens were heard and people were running.

The explosion occurred on a sidewalk in the neighbourhood of Boulaq Abu Eila, under the May 15 Bridge, according to state television and the state news agency.

Bombings and shootings carried out by Islamist militant groups have killed hundreds of Egyptian police and soldiers since the army toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood last year.

Security officials say ties have been established between Islamic State, the al Qaeda offshoot that controls parts of Iraq and Syria, and Egypt’s most lethal militant group, Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis.

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