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U.S. experts hunt for Ebola exposure after first case

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announce the  first Ebola case diagnosed in the USA

By Susan Heavey

Health experts are monitoring “a handful” of people who were potentially exposed to Ebola through physical contact with the first patient diagnosed with the deadly virus in the United States, the top U.S. public health official said on Wednesday.

Health officials confirmed the first case of the virus in the country on Tuesday, when a man who flew from Liberia to Texas tested positive for Ebola, which has killed more than 3,000 people in three countries in West Africa.

Texas health officials said healthcare workers have tested negative for the virus and there are no other suspected cases in the state. The healthcare workers will be closely monitored for the next 21 days, the time it can take for symptoms of the hemorrhagic fever to appear.

“We have a seven-person team in Dallas today helping to review that with the family and make sure we identify everyone that could have had contact with him,” Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said in an interview with NBC TV’s “Today” show.

Officials were looking at family members the patient visited and healthcare providers who helped treat him, which amounted to “a handful” of people, according to Frieden.

The patient was in serious condition, a Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital spokeswoman said on Wednesday. The man was admitted on Sunday, and the hospital did not describe his condition at the time of Tuesday’s announcement that he had Ebola.

The patient was evaluated initially last Friday and sent home with antibiotics, a critical missed opportunity that could result in others being exposed to the virus, infectious disease experts said.

Ebola spreads through contact with bodily fluids like blood or saliva, which health experts say limits its potential to infect others, unlike airborne diseases. Still, the long window of time before patients exhibit signs of infection, such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea, means an infected person can travel without detection.

The virus can be fatal. While past outbreaks killed as many as 90 percent of victims, the current outbreak has an average fatality rate of about 50 percent.

The patient in the United States, who was not identified for privacy reasons, arrived in Texas on Sept. 20, and first sought treatment six days later, according to the CDC.

The Liberian government said that the man showed no signs of fever or other symptoms of Ebola when he left Liberia on Sept. 19. A Liberian official said the man traveled through Brussels to the United States.

On Wednesday, officials repeated a call to healthcare workers to be vigilant in screening patients in the United States for possible signs of the virus.

“If you have someone who’s been in West Africa in the past 21 days and they’ve got a fever or other symptoms that might be consistent with Ebola, immediately isolate them, get them tested,” Frieden told NBC.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said on CNN that emergency room personnel should get information on patients’ travel history if they show possible symptoms, calling it “an enormous red flag.”

U.S. health authorities have said every step was being taken to ensure Ebola does not spread widely in the United States and have expressed confidence that it can be contained. Frieden briefed President Barack Obama on Tuesday and they discussed isolation protocols.

“People can be confident here in this country that we have the medical infrastructure in place to prevent the broad spread of Ebola,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on CNN.

Shares of a number of drugmakers with Ebola treatments in the pipeline rose on Wednesday, and airline stocks and hotel company shares dropped over concerns that worries about Ebola might hurt travel

Some health experts have said that, given the information from the CDC so far, a widespread outbreak in the United States appears unlikely from this single case. They note that doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers routinely use gloves, masks and gowns when examining patients.

Tom Solomon, an emerging infections expert at the University of Liverpool in Britain, said “the chances of it becoming established in America or other Western countries is very small.”

Meanwhile, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, the first public health expert to lead the institution, said fighting Ebola means confronting inequality, as people in poor countries have less access to knowledge and infrastructure for treating the sick and containing it.

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Energy Minister: Oman interested in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone

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Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis

Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis said on Wednesday that Oman is very much interested in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Lakkotrypis, who visited Oman recently and held talks with the country’s Energy, Tourism and Commerce Ministers, said that the Sultanate expressed a keen interest in getting involved in Cyprus’ offshore hydrocarbons activity and in particular in research for the exploration and exploitation of natural gas reserves.

“We agreed to discuss these issues at a later stage, in view of the forthcoming visit of the President of Cyprus to Oman,” the Minister said.

Moreover, Lakkotrypis noted that drilling activity in the Cypriot EEZ block 9 continues, but refrained from giving any further details.

Asked about the exact date of the visit of Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to Cyprus, Lakkotrypis said that Nicosia has proposed some dates and is waiting for a response from the Egyptian side.

CNA

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Hasikos: refugees are not confined

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kokkinotrimithia    7

Interior Minister Socratis Hasikos reiterated on Thursday that hundreds of refugees rescued off the coast of Paphos last week were free to move around but will have to apply for a permit in the next three months.

The minister said the refugees were not confined and their travel documents had been returned to them.

“They are free to do whatever they want as long as they apply for a residence permit in the next three months, if they have not left Cyprus,” Hasikos said.

The 337 refugees were rescued last week from a fishing trawler caught in rough seas some 50 nautical miles off the coast of Paphos.

It had sailed from Latakia, Syria, and was headed to Italy.

Authorities had rescued 346 people but nine have since been arrested on suspicion of being part of a migrant smuggling ring.

Authorities have also issued an international arrest warrant for the ringleader, a Syrian man believed to be in Syria.

Refugees said they paid as much as $6,000 per head for the trip.

The refugees were housed at a camp in Kokkinotrimithia, outside Nicosia. Authorities said those applying for asylum would be transferred to a reception centre in Kofinou.

Less than a handful have expressed the intention to do so.

 

 

 

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Motorcyclist killed in Paralimni

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police tape 3

A 39-year-old Bulgarian national was killed on Thursday morning after the motorcycle he was driving in Paralimni smashed into a wall.

Police said the crash took place at 5.20am in the Ayia Triada towards the Golden Coast hotel.

The man apparently lost control of his motorcycle before crashing into the pavement first and then the wall of a house.

The 39-year-old, a permanent resident, was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police found two crash helmets at the scene but could not say whether the victim had been wearing one during the crash.

 

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Thousands of pensioners did not apply for GMI

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By Staff Reporter

SOME 17,000 elderly people eligible for low pensions have not filed an application for guaranteed minimum income (GMI), the chairman of the House labour committee said on Thursday.

The deadline for filing GMI applications for this category of beneficiaries expired on September 30.

According to AKEL MP Andreas Fakondis, by that cut-off date around 30 per cent of beneficiaries had not put in the paperwork, meaning they would lose out on the complementary pension, also commonly known as the “small cheque,” which in certain cases accounts for up to 25 per cent of elderly people’s pension income.

As a result of the fewer claims the government now stands to save around €15m, an amount Fakondis said could be diverted to the GMI programme as a whole, the funding of which for next year has come up short to the tune of €100m.

“We don’t know for certain whether this was the government’s goal all along, that is, to take from the low pensioners in order to fund the GMI fund,” Fakondis said, suggesting that this may have been a calculated redistribution of welfare money.

There are several reasons why the elderly missed the application deadline, the MP said. It seems pensioners were unaware that, as per regulations, by not applying in time they would automatically lose their complementary pension.

Another reason was confusion about eligibility. There is a clause in the GMI law stipulating that those with bank deposits over €5,000 or possessing real estate worth more than €100,000 are not eligible for the benefit.

However this particular restriction did not apply to recipients of low pensions, although many pensioners apparently thought that it did apply to them and so did not bother to file an application.

Fakondis said the misunderstandings proved that recipients of low pensions should not have been lumped into the GMI scheme along with everyone else, and that a separate scheme or process should have been set up for them.

A number of elderly people did not file an application for more mundane reasons, such as health or mobility issues.

The house labour committee plans to revisit the matter and will be inviting government officials to quiz them on what they intend to do with the elderly who have missed out on the low pensions.

GMI was introduced this year, replacing the previous system of public assistance allowance. After it went live, it emerged that the government had underestimated the number of applications and thus the cost of the programme.

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Night-time water cuts for Nicosia

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water_faucet

THE Nicosia Water Board (NWB) has announced that, due to maintenance on the network, it would implement alternate night-time cuts to the capital’s water supply over the coming days, starting Thursday night.

In a statement, the NWB “informs its customers that, due to restricted amounts of water supplied by the Water Development Department, is required to implement water cuts until the malfunction is restored.”

Water supply will be cut off during the night, from 6pm to 7am the next day, on alternate days for a period of a few days.

Meanwhile, the NWB reasserted its plea for water conservation.

“The board reminds all customers that water is the most valuable commodity and should not be wasted,” the statement read. “Based on relevant legislation, usage of drinking water for washing cars, sidewalks, porches and fences is forbidden.”

“The Board apologises for any inconvenience caused to its customers,” the statement concluded.

 

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Nearly €3m in bad cheques issued so far this year

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CYPRUS-MALTA-ECONOMY-EURO

BAD cheques worth €2.7 million have been issued so far this year, according to statistics published by the Central Bank (CBC) on Thursday.

The number of bad cheques in the first nine months of 2014 reached 1,765, the CBC said, with 908 individuals (528) and companies (380) placed on a preliminary blacklist.

September saw €390,265 worth of bad cheques issued, compared with €978,348 during the same month last year.

The total value of bad cheques in 2013 reached €5.7 million, representing 3,080 cheques.

The registry’s operation had been suspended though between April and July last year as the island reeled from the effects of a messy bailout that saw one bank close and another seizing deposits to recapitalise.

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Nigeria’s Boko Haram ‘leader’ appears in new video – AFP

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bokoabu

Tim Cocks

A man claiming to be Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has appeared in a new video, contradicting Nigerian military reports that he was killed, French news agency AFP reported on Thursday.

Screen grabs of the video, seen by Reuters, show a figure in boots and combat fatigues who looks similar to the man claiming to be Shekau in previous videos.

“Here I am, alive. I will only die the day Allah takes my breath,” he says in the northern Hausa language, reported the news agency, which normally receives Boko Haram tapes first, before they are distributed online.

Nigeria’s military said last week that the man who had been posing as Shekau in the group’s growing number of videos had been killed in clashes over the town of Konduga.

The military announced the death of Shekau himself a year ago, saying he had died in battle.

After that, the man appearing in videos as Shekau did look different from before, with a wider nose, less defined bridge and a rounder face.

In the most recent video, Shekau says “nothing will kill me until my days are over … Some people asked you if Shekau has two souls. No, I have one soul, by Allah,” AFP said.

Boko Haram, whose violent five-year campaign for an Islamic state has killed thousands, has in the past two months progressed from bombings, raids and kidnappings to trying to seize territory.

The military has had mixed results trying to push back the militants, and low morale, indiscipline and poor equipment have hurt its ability to fight effectively.

Nigeria’s military court martialled 97 of its troops for various offenses on Thursday, including mutiny, assault, absconding, house breaking and disorderly behaviour, it said.

In his last video, the Shekau figure declared the remote areas they control near Cameroon as “Muslim territory”, echoing the declaration of a caliphate by militants in Iraq and Syria.

But holding territory has also made them more vulnerable to attacks by Nigerian forces backed by fighter jets, security sources say. The military said it inflicted heavy losses on the Islamists in the past two weeks.

Bellicose as ever, Shekau stands on the back of a pick-up truck, firing an anti-aircraft gun into the air. The video also shows people being stoned to death and being given lashes, both traditional Islamic punishments, AFP said.

There is also footage of Boko Haram fighters picking through the wreckage of an aircraft they claim to have shot down. Nigeria’s military is still looking for a war plane that went missing more than two weeks ago.

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Scores possibly exposed to US Ebola patient; four isolated

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Students disembark from a school bus outside The Ivy Apartments, where a man diagnosed with the Ebola virus was staying in Dallas

By Lisa Maria Garza

Up to 100 people may have had direct or indirect contact with the first person to be diagnosed with the deadly Ebola virus in the United States, and four of his relatives have been quarantined in their homes as a precaution, health officials said Thursday.

Dallas County officials said 12 to 18 people had direct contact with the Texas patient, and they in turn had contact with scores of others.

Officials said none of those thought to have had direct or indirect contact with the patient, who was being treated at a Dallas hospital, were showing symptoms of Ebola. The disease has killed at least 3,338 people in West Africa in the worst such outbreak on record.

A top health official urged US hospitals to heed lessons from Dallas, where the hospital initially sent the ailing patient home, despite information that he had recently visited West Africa, potentially exposing more people to the virus.

US officials initially described the number of people potentially exposed as a handful, and on Wednesday said it was up to 18.

But on Thursday, the Texas health department said there were about 100 potential contacts. However, Dallas County officials said more than 80 had direct or indirect contact with the patient.

“We are working from a list of about 100 potential or possible contacts,” Texas health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we’re starting with this very wide net, including people who have had even brief encounters with the patient or the patient’s home. The number will drop as we focus in on those whose contact may represent a potential risk of infection.”

Texas health officials told four “close” relatives of the patient not to entertain visitors and said they could be arrested if they left their homes without permission through Oct. 19. The four did not exhibit symptoms, they said.

“We have tried-and-true protocols to protect the public and stop the spread of this disease,” said Dr. David Lakey, the Texas health commissioner.

“The order is in place until the incubation period has passed and the family is no longer at risk of having the disease,” Lakey said.

Public health authorities have been calling on US healthcare workers to screen patients for signs of illness, and to question patients about their travel history in order to rule out Ebola for those who have been to West Africa.

“Unfortunately, that did not happen in this case,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “We just need to put that behind us and look ahead and make sure that in the future that doesn’t happen again.”

“This will certainly serve for the rest of a country as a cogent lesson learned,” he added in an interview on MSNBC.

The Dallas patient, who had flown from Liberia, initially sought treatment at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on the night of Sept. 25 but was sent home with antibiotics, despite telling a nurse he had recently arrived from West Africa. By Sunday, he needed an ambulance to return to the same hospital.

On Wednesday, hospital officials admitted that the man’s travel information had not been shared with other staff who were treating him.

WARNING CALL?

The patient has not been named by the hospital for privacy reasons. However, Gee Melish, who said he was a family friend, identified the man as Thomas Eric Duncan.

Duncan’s nephew, Josephus Weeks, told NBC on Wednesday night that his uncle was not treated for Ebola until Weeks personally called the federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta to report the suspected illness. He said he made the call on the day that Duncan had returned to the Dallas hospital.

A CDC spokesman said Thursday the agency was seeking to confirm if and when such a call was placed.

The New York Times said Duncan, in his mid-40s, helped transport a pregnant woman suffering from Ebola to a hospital in Liberia, where she was turned away for lack of space. Duncan then brought her back to her family’s home and carried her into the house, where she later died, the newspaper reported.

The case has sparked concern nationwide over the potential for a wider spread of the virus from West Africa. While past outbreaks of Ebola killed as many as 90 per cent of victims, the current epidemic’s fatality rate has averaged about 50 per cent.

US health officials have said the country’s healthcare system was well prepared to contain Ebola’s spread by careful tracking of those who have had contact with the patient and appropriate care for those admitted to hospital.

Federal officials are working to sharply increase production of the experimental drug ZMapp, which many experts believe is the most promising treatment for Ebola, the Times reported Thursday.

The US Department of Health and Human Services is trying to enlist Caliber Biotherapeutics in Texas to produce the drug, the newspaper reported, citing unidentified federal officials and drug industry executives.

Separately, the Queens Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, said Wednesday it was treating a patient in isolation, citing a “heightened sense of awareness of Ebola.”

“At this time, the patient’s history and clinical presentation do not appear to be consistent with Ebola and the patient may be diagnosed with a number of conditions other than Ebola,” the statement said.

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MPs ‘need more time’ to decide on limo entitlement

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LIMOS

By Staff Reporter

Parliament on Thursday again kicked the can down the road on the limos law, with legislators saying they needed more time to look into the details of who is entitled to the perk and for how long.

By a majority vote, the plenum pushed through a legislative proposal pushing back the entry into force of the accompanying regulations to the law from October 3 to November 7.

The bill, which was fast-tracked to the floor of the House, passed with 40 votes for, and one against (from Greens MP George Perdikis). The legislative proposal was tabled jointly by DIKO, DISY, AKEL and the Citizens Alliance.

Back in January, parliament had enacted a generic law stipulating that it would not take effect until July 1, ostensibly to give the government time to flesh out the accompanying regulations, which must also pass parliamentary muster.

On June 12 the government handed to parliament the regulations, but these were not to the liking of the majority of MPs.

Then, just days before the July 1 deadline, parties rushed through a legislative proposal suspending the law’s entry into force until October 3.

The latest list of officials entitled to personal, round-the-clock use of limos includes the President of the Republic, the House Speaker, the President of the Supreme Court, the Attorney-general and deputy Attorney-general, the auditor-general, former presidents, ministers, the government spokesman, the undersecretary to the president, as well as the First Lady.

Also included are the chief of police, the commander of the National Guard, as well as the head of the intelligence service.

For other officials currently using state-provided limos, it was decided that they keep their vehicles on a personal basis until their term is over, but no later than January 1, 2016.

Under the current regulations, by that date officials would have to surrender their limos. But some of them would get to keep using them for state business.

MPs say the accompanying regulations are vague, in that they do not specify which officials this applies to, the criteria, and who decides once the interim period is over (January 1, 2016) who gets to keep their limo for state business.

Meanwhile about 100 officials –including mayors and bosses of semi-governmental organisations – get to keep being chauffeured around.

 

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Hong Kong leader refuses to resign, offers talks with protesters

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Activists hold a protest in a Chinese Consular office in Makati city, metro Manila

By Clare Baldwin and John Ruwitch

Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying defied pro-democracy protesters’ demands to step down by Friday, and repeated police warnings that the consequences would be serious if they sought to surround or occupy government buildings.

Leung, speaking to reporters just minutes before an ultimatum for him to resign expired, also said that Chief Secretary Carrie Lam would hold a meeting with students soon to discuss political reforms. He gave no time frame.

Some of the thousands of people massed outside Leung’s office voiced disappointment, although the atmosphere was calm.

“The request is very simple. We want real democracy. When you ask for an apple you should get an apple. You don’t get an orange made to look like an apple,” said Howard Hu, a 35-year-old engineer.

Student leader Lester Shum welcomed the offer of talks, but he also repeated warnings that students would take further action if their conditions of universal suffrage and a free election process were not met.

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in the last week to demand full democracy, including a free voting system when they come to choose a new leader in 2017.

China decreed on Aug. 31 that it would vet candidates wishing to run for the post of Hong Kong’s chief executive, and residents have aimed their anger at Leung, who enjoys Beijing’s support.

The protests, the worst to hit Hong Kong since China resumed its rule of the former British colony in 1997, have brought parts of the Asian trading hub to a standstill.

Last weekend police used teargas, pepper spray and batons to quell the unrest, but since then the clashes have subsided as both sides appeared ready to dig in for a protracted stand-off.

The size of the crowds has fluctuated over the past week, but in the early hours of Friday thousands still thronged the streets of central Hong Kong.

CONSEQUENCES COULD BE “SERIOUS”

Student leaders had demanded that Leung resign by midnight on Thursday, and called on their followers to occupy government buildings if he refused.

“I won’t resign because I must carry out the universal suffrage work,” Leung told a brief news conference, referring to electoral reforms. His decision had been widely anticipated.

“In any place in the world, if there are any protesters that surround, attack, or occupy government buildings like police headquarters or the chief executive’s office … the consequences are serious,” he said, repeating warnings from the police that their response to any such action would be robust.

The “Occupy Central” movement presents one of the biggest political challenges for Beijing since it violently crushed pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Universal suffrage is an eventual goal under the “one country, two systems” formula by which China rules Hong Kong. Under that formula, China accords Hong Kong some autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland.

China has dismissed the protests as “illegal”, but cracking down too hard could shake confidence in market-driven Hong Kong, which has a separate legal system from the rest of the country.

Not reacting firmly enough could embolden dissidents in mainland China.

A top Chinese envoy has warned that the unrest could tarnish the city’s reputation as one of the world’s leading financial centres if they continued for a prolonged period.

China’s ambassador to Germany, Shi Mingde, told Reuters that the city’s reputation as a financial hub was not under threat for now. “But if shares fall, if the unrest continues, then the social order and (Hong Kong’s) role as a financial centre will be in danger,” he said in an interview in Berlin.

The markets were closed on Thursday for a holiday, but Hong Kong’s benchmark share index, the Hang Seng Index, plunged 7.3 percent in September. Spooked by the protests, some banks and other financial firms have begun moving staff to back-up premises on the outskirts of the city.

ENDGAME UNCERTAIN

Now that Leung has refused to meet the demands of protesters, they are pondering their next step.

Student leaders have vowed to keep up their campaign, but the government’s patience could eventually run out.

Fashion designer Crystal Chung said the demonstrations had achieved something at least.

“They (the authorities) avoided us for so many days, but offered to talk after we came and surrounded the government building,” she said.

But the 25-year-old shared the concerns of many around her.

“Will we get real universal suffrage? We are facing the Chinese government which is very powerful, and I really doubt that they will listen to our demands. But as Hong Kong citizens, we are here to do what we can.”

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Turkey steels for action as Islamic State advances on Syrian border town

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Turkey's Defence Minister Yilmaz speaks during a debate in Ankar

By Ayla Jean Yackley and Alexander Dziadosz

Turkey’s parliament authorised the government to order military action against Islamic State on Thursday as the insurgents tightened their grip on a Syrian border town, sending thousands more Kurdish refugees into Turkey.

The vote gives the government powers to order incursions into Syria and Iraq to counter the threat of attack “from all terrorist groups”, although there was little sign that any such action was imminent.

The mandate also allows foreign troops to launch operations from Turkey, a NATO member which hosts a U.S. air base in its southern town of Incirlik, but which has so far resisted a frontline role in the military campaign against the insurgents.

“The rising influence of radical groups in Syria threatens Turkey’s national security… The aim of this mandate is to minimise as much as possible the impact of the clashes on our borders,” Defence Minister Ismet Yilmaz told parliament.

Islamic State fighters advanced to within a few kilometres of the mainly Kurdish border town of Kobani on three sides on Thursday, extending their gains after taking control of hundreds of villages around the town in recent weeks.

Smoke rose behind hills to the south of Kobani as the insurgents continued their shelling into the night. Dozens of anti-tank missiles with bright-red tracers flashed through the sky as darkness enveloped the town.

Kobani’s electricity supply was cut after militants bombarded a local power grid, a Kurdish fighter told Reuters.

In neighbouring Iraq, which also borders Turkey, the insurgents have carried out mass executions, abducted women and girls as sex slaves, and used children as fighters in what may amount to war crimes, the United Nations said.

They took control of most of the western Iraqi town of Hit early on Thursday in Anbar province, where they already control many surrounding towns, launching the assault with three suicide car bombs at its eastern entrance.

U.S.-led forces, which have been bombing Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq, hit a village near Kobani on Wednesday. Sources in the town, which is known as Ayn al-Arab in Arabic, reported strikes further south overnight.

But they seemed to do little to stop the Islamists’ advance.

“We left because we realised it was only going to get worse,” said Leyla, a 37-year-old Syrian arriving at the Yumurtalik border crossing with her six children after waiting 10 days in a field, hoping the clashes would subside.

“We will go back tomorrow if Islamic State leaves. I don’t want to be here,” she said.

Kurdish militants in Turkey warned that peace talks with Ankara, meant to end a three-decade insurgency, would collapse if the Islamist insurgents were allowed to carry out a massacre.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors Syria’s war, said Islamic State militants were clashing with Kurdish fighters hundreds of metres from Kobani, raising fears they would enter the town “at any moment”.

It said it had confirmed the deaths of 16 Islamic State fighters and seven Kurdish militants but that the true toll was likely to be higher.

About 20 explosions were heard in the areas of the Tishrin dam and town of Manbij 50 km (30 miles) south of Kobani overnight, resulting from missile strikes believed to be carried out by the coalition, the Observatory said earlier.

Asya Abdullah, a senior official in Syria’s dominant Kurdish political party the Democratic Union Party (PYD), said there were clashes to the east, west and south of Kobani and that Islamic State had advanced to within 2-3 km on all fronts.

“If they want to prevent a massacre (the coalition) must act much more comprehensively,” she told Reuters by phone from Kobani, adding that air strikes elsewhere in Syria had pushed Islamic State fighters towards the border town.

TURKEY HESITANT

The Turkish parliamentary vote extended a mandate initially intended to allow Ankara to strike Kurdish militants in northern Iraq and to defend itself against any threat from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.

But it does not necessarily signal imminent action. President Tayyip Erdogan insists U.S.-led air strikes alone will not contain the Islamic State threat and is calling for the removal of Assad, an aim not shared by the U.S.-led military coalition for the current military campaign. Ankara is unlikely to act alone.

The Turkish army has, however, vowed to defend the tomb of Suleyman Shah, grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, in a Turkish enclave in northern Syria, telling its troops there that it would rush to their defence if needed.

“One call and we will immediately be at your side,” Chief of the General Staff General Necdet Ozel said in a statement.

Ankara is also reluctant to take action that may strengthen Kurdish fighters allied to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a militant group that has fought the Turkish state for three decades and with which it is conducting fragile peace talks.

“If this massacre attempt achieves its goal it will end the process (with Turkey),” PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan said in a statement released by a pro-Kurdish party delegation which visited him on Wednesday in his island prison near Istanbul.

“I urge everyone in Turkey who does not want the process and the democracy voyage to collapse to take responsibility in Kobani,” he said in the statement.

Kurdish forces allied to the PKK, the People’s Defence Units (YPG), are fighting against the Islamic State insurgents attacking Kobani. The PKK is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union.

A spokesman for the YPG said a U.S. citizen, Jordan Matson, had joined Kurdish forces in their fight in Syria.

“EXISTENTIAL THREAT” TO TURKEY

Islamic State has carved out swathes of eastern Syria and western Iraq in a drive to create a cross-border caliphate, terrifying communities into submission by slaughtering those who resist.

Iraqi Kurdish troops drove Islamic State fighters from a strategic border crossing with Syria on Tuesday and won the support of members of a major Sunni tribe, in one of the biggest successes since U.S. forces began bombing the Islamists.

The United States has been carrying out strikes in Iraq against the militant group – which is commonly known by its former acronym of ISIS – since July and in Syria since last week with the help of Arab allies. Britain and France have also struck Islamic State targets in Iraq.

But Islamic State fighters on the border with Turkey have yet to be dislodged.

“(Islamic State) is Turkey’s greatest existential threat since 1946, when Joseph Stalin demanded that Ankara cede control of the Bosphorus and other territory to the Soviet Union,” said Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute.

“Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu know that only the United States has the necessary military hardware and intelligence assets to defeat ISIS in the long term,” he said, forecasting that while Turkey would offer logistics and intelligence support, it was unlikely to back wholeheartedly a military strategy that does not target Assad.

Erdogan said on Wednesday that Turkey’s priority was also to enable the 1.5 million refugees it has taken in from Syria’s conflict to return home. He has been pushing for a no-fly zone enforced by the U.S.-led coalition to protect a safe haven on the Syrian side of the border where refugees could be sheltered, an idea that has yet to gain support in Washington.

More than 150,000 refugees have fled Kobani over the past two weeks alone. Officials from Turkey’s AFAD disaster management agency said 4,000 crossed on Wednesday, and a similar figure the day before.

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Pressure on Omonia mounting

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Omonia, who have failed to impress managing just two wins this season, play Ermis Aradippou at home on Saturday

By Iacovos Constantinou

THE fifth round of the Cyprus football league begins on Saturday with Omonia’s tough home fixture against Ermis Aradippou and Ethnikos Achna’s seemingly easy game against lowly Doxa Katokopias.

In five games so far, Omonia have failed to impress managing just two wins, with the pressure on coach Kostas Kaiafas mounting.
Milan Stepanov is still not available through suspension but Omonia’s organised fans (Gate 9) will be back as they responded positively to their coach’s plea for them to return after staying away from Omonia’s last home game.

If last season is anything to go by, the home team will need their fans as last year they failed to beat Ermis Aradippou on four occasions.

Ermis will be without Demetriou, Zarkovic and Christophi but Onilo is fit and may be recalled to the starting line-up.
Ethnikos Achnas, buoyed by their last win against Omonia, will be hoping to put another three points in the bag.

However, their opponents Doxa Katokopias, managed to pick up an unlikely point against Nea Salamina last week and should they show further improvement, they will be a tough opponent.

Third-placed AEL entertain Anorthosis in Limassol on Sunday with both sides looking for the win.
AEL will be without their leading Polish striker Gigiewitz for the first time this season while central defenders Cantou and Shellis are expected to be passed fit despite niggling injuries.

Despite being at the wrong end of the table, Anorthosis are at times a joy to watch and should they manage to get some consistency in their play they may leave the Tsirion with all three points.

AEK Larnaca will travel as favourites to the Tasos Markou stadium to face first division newcomers Ayia Napa who are finding life at the top frightening.

They have so far collected just one point and are currently also in search of a new coach having sacked Nicos Andronikou earlier this week.

Cyprus’ two ‘Europeans’ and current table toppers, APOEL and Apollon, play on Monday against Othellos Athienou and Nea Salamina respectively.

APOEL, just one point clear of Apollon, know that tough tackling Othellos will not throw in the towel without a fight while Apollon will have to be at their best if they want to leave the Ammochostos stadium with all three points against Nea Salamina.

Saturday, October 4th
Omonia vs Ermis Aradippou, Ethnikos Achnas vs Doxa (Both at 18.00)
Sunday, October 5th
AEL vs Anorthosis (18.00), Agia Napa vs AEK (19.00)
Monday, October 5th
Othellos Athienou vs APOEL (18.30), Nea Salamina vs Apollonas (20.00)

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Messi to face tax fraud trial

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Lionel Messi and his father Jorge have been accused of defrauding the Spanish state of more than four million euros

By Iain Rogers

A Spanish court has rejected an appeal lodged by Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi against his prosecution for alleged tax evasion.

Spain’s public prosecutor argued in June that Messi’s father Jorge was responsible for the family’s finances and not the four-time World Player of the Year.

A court in Barcelona decided, however, Lionel Messi could have known about and approved the creation of a web of shell companies that were allegedly used to evade taxes due on income from image rights.

The appeal against that decision has been rejected, according to court documents published on Friday.
Messi and his father have been accused of defrauding the Spanish state of more than four million euros. They have denied wrongdoing.

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Merkel draws lessons from peaceful German unity 24 years ago

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Day of German Unity 2014

By Erik Kirschbaum

GERMANY’S path to reunification shows that lessons learned from its peaceful fight for freedom can be used to resolve many of the problems facing Europe and the world today, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday.

In an unusually personal speech marking the 24th anniversary of German unification, Merkel said it was the courage of East Germans yearning for freedom that helped end the Cold War – and that similar courage was now needed worldwide.

“We can all feel, more clearly now than in a long time, that freedom … tolerance and human rights are not always self-evident,” she told 1,500 dignitaries in Hanover and a national television audience. “They are not self-evident at home, nor in the European Union, across Europe nor around the world.”

Merkel said the basic rights which she and her fellow East Germans won with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and German unification 11 months later on October 3, 1990, had to be defended repeatedly everywhere they were threatened.

“The events of 1989 and 1990 in Germany can help us because they symbolise the victory of freedom over oppression, they symbolise what can happen when partners cooperate and trust each other and they symbolise what can happen with patience, and they symbolise that we can work to help things turn for the better.”

Merkel made direct references to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the crisis in Ukraine during her speech as well as to the threat posed by Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.

Merkel, who grew up in Communist East Germany and was a young scientist in East Berlin when the Berlin Wall opened, said Germany’s peaceful revolution in 1989 was proof that the tide can eventually turn for the right cause.

“Everything is possible. That’s what I and millions of other East Germans experienced first hand,” she said. “So we shouldn’t be discouraged by everything happening in 2014. On the contrary, unification day shows us what’s possible.”

Merkel, who has been chancellor since 2005, warned Russia against robbing its neighbours of their independence even though at another point she praised Moscow for the constructive role it played in supportingGermany’s path to reunification.

“We in Germany cannot deny others what we received with our reunification, the freedom to decide our future on our own,” she said, adding Germany would to work to ensure that Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia had the same rights to self-determination.

She said there must be a joint response against any country, such as Russia with its annexation of Crimea, that violates the principles of freedom and self-determination.

“The sanctions agreed by all 28 EU members against Russia was a clear answer to that,” she said, but added at the same time it was important to keep all channels of dialogue open with Russia, as was the case during the Cold War.

“With a policy of toughness combined with a readiness for dialogue, we are charged with standing up for the strength of what’s right instead of allowing the stronger power to determine what’s right.”

Merkel said German unification has been a great success story even though there were still some considerable gaps economically and socially between east and west Germany. “We’ve obviously still got a lot of work to do,” she said.

An opinion poll released by the Emnid institute on Thursday said 23 percent of easterners felt they were the “losers” of unification.

 

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Ukraine ceasefire must be observed, Russia’s Lavrov tells Kerry

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KERRY

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday it was essential that both Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists fully observed a ceasefire ineastern Ukraine clinched nearly a month ago.

The ceasefire, signed by the separatists and Kiev’s representatives in Minsk on Sept. 5, has increasingly frayed in recent days, leading to the deaths of civilians, soldiers and a Red Cross aid worker in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk.

Both sides regularly accuse each other of violating the ceasefire.

“(Lavrov) underscored the necessity of a strict observance by the fighting parties of the Minsk accords on a ceasefire,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement after his telephone conversation with Kerry.

Lavrov also stressed the need to withdraw heavy weapons from the area and the role of Europe’s OSCE security watchdog in monitoring the situation on the frontline, it said.

Under the peace plan, the two sides are supposed to move heavy weapons away from the front line and to create a 30-km (19-mile) buffer zone, with monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe acting as monitors.

Earlier on Friday, Ukraine accused Russian forces of helping the separatists step up pressure on its own troops holding the main airport of Donetsk.

Russia denies accusations by Ukraine and its Western backers of sending troops across the border in support of the rebels or arming them, despite what Kiev says is incontrovertible proof.

Moscow said mortar fire that killed a Swiss worker from the International Committee of the Red Cross in Donetsk late on Thursday was fired from territory controlled by Ukrainian government forces.

The conflict has plunged ties between Russia and the West, which backs Kiev, to their lowest level since the end of the Cold War and claimed at least 3,000 lives, including 298 killed when a Malaysian airliner was downed over rebel-held territory.

A Ukrainian military spokesman said on Friday at least 30 government soldiers have been killed since the start of the ceasefire and more than 10 people, including rebels and the Red Cross aid worker, have been killed in Donetsk from shelling.

 

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Androulla hands over ‘successful’ youth and education office, despite cuts

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Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou giving her rerport

By Stefanos Evripidou

OUTGOING EU Education and Culture Commissioner Androulla Vassiliouon Friday hailed the increase in spending on young people and education across Europe at a time of decreasing budgets.

The Cypriot commissioner, whose five-year term in office ends this month, presented an account of her work in Brussels at an event in Nicosia.

She argued that education and culture were indispensable assets for Europe and Cyprus and required investment.

Vassiliou highlighted the significant increase achieved in the funding of programmes and activities that will benefit young people, teachers, schools, universities, artists and creative artists all over Europe, constituting a major success, if one considers the EU budget recorded a 3.5 per cent decrease.

One of the most important milestones achieved during Vassiliou’s mandate is considered to be the Erasmus+ programme.

“With a budget of nearly €15bn for the next seven years and an increase of 40 per cent compared to the period 2007-2014, Erasmus+ will provide four million people the opportunity to study, work, train and offer voluntary service abroad over the next seven years,” said a European Commission announcement.

For the year 2014, Cyprus will receive over €8.6m – an increase of 14 per cent compared to 2013. The Commission calculates that 15,000 Cypriot citizens (students, young people and staff in education and training) will benefit from Erasmus+ over the period 2014-2020; 50 per cent more than in 2007-2014.

Vassiliou also highlighted the inclusion of education at the heart of the Europe 2020 Strategy – the roadmap for the EU for the next six years.

Binding targets were set for reducing the number of early school leavers (from 14 per cent in 2010 to below 10 per cent by 2020) and increasing the number of young people completing higher education (from 33 per cent to 40 per cent).

Cyprus has already reached these objectives, since the school drop-out rate is 9.1 per cent, while the rate of young people completing higher education is 47.8 per cent.

Vassiliou pointed out the closer ties during her term in office between the Commission and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with the aim of improving the analysis of educational surveys.

While Cyprus’ results in the OECD surveys have been low, the Cypriot commissioner said she was pleased to see the education minister intends to evaluate these results and take corrective action.

Elsewhere, the Creative Europe programme will allocate €1.5bn for the period 2014-2020 (an increase of 9 per cent compared to the previous period), aiming to support 25,000 European artists, 2,000 cinemas, 800 films and 4,500 translations of literary works.

The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, equipped with a total budget of €6bn for the period 2014-2020 (a 30 per cent increase from the last period), will help 65,000 researchers to work abroad and cooperate with researchers from other countries.

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Mayor wants to revamp Nicosia ‘triangle’

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Nicosia mayor Constantinos Yiorkadjis

By George Psyllides

THE Nicosia municipality’s priority is to revamp the former commercial centre outside the walls, Mayor Constantinos Yiorkadjis said on Friday, pledging that Eleftheria Square, now a huge hole in the middle of the capital, will also be completed.

“We consider the revamp of this commercial triangle a priority, not just for Nicosia, but also the state,” Yiorkadjis said of Makarios Avenue, and Stasikratous and Evagorou Streets.

The mayor said the aim was to complete the project concerning the commercial triangle between 2014 and 2020 with the use of EU funds.

The downfall of the commercial triangle started with the advent of malls. The final nail in the coffin came with the economic crisis.

The area is now full of empty shops as the focus shifted to the old town, which has bucked the trend but had gone from being rundown to what critics describe as full commercialisation.

Despite the rapid change a lot still needs to be done in the old town, including completion of the main square — now a massive hole — that used to lie at the south entrance.

Construction has been abandoned after repeated delays drove building costs up and led to a legal dispute between the contractor and the municipality. It was meant to finish last year.

The municipality is trying to hire a new company to complete the project by December 15, 2015 or lose €25.5m in EU funding.

The €30m project is 85 per cent funded by the EU, which has already granted a two-year extension to the municipality.

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Ozersay enters leadership race in north

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Turkish Cypriot negotiator Kudret Ozersay

By Stefanos Evripidou

TURKISH Cypriot negotiator Kudret Ozersay has thrown his hat in the ring ahead of next April’s elections for the Turkish Cypriot leadership.

In an interview with daily Kibris, Ozersay announced his intention to run in next year’s ‘presidential’ elections in the north.  He told the paper that his decision was final.

Ozersay said he would remain in his post as negotiator until the breakaway regime’s election board determined the timetable for the elections, unless his boss Dervis Eroglu decides otherwise.

He noted that the peace talks are currently entering an important phase. He told the paper he has been actively involved in the Cyprus talks for 12 years and at the highest level because he believes in a comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem.

Referring to Eroglu’s possible candidacy in next April’s elections, Ozersay said he did not know Eroglu’s intentions but that the Turkish Cypriot leader has already said he would announce his decision of whether to seek re-election or not in November.

As for his own decision to run as an independent candidate, Ozersay said he was motivated by the desire to show courage and a real will to make changes.

So far, Ozersay faces competition from former Turkish Cypriot mayor of the northern part of Nicosia Mustafa Akinci, supported by the Social Democracy Party (TDP) and ‘house speaker’ Sibel Siber, backed by the Republican Turkish Party (CTP).

Internal bickering between the CTP and Mehmet Ali Talat effectively ruled out the former Turkish Cypriot leader’s potential candidacy, while ‘foreign minister’ Ozdil Nami, an apparent favourite among the international community, did not see enough support to even challenge Siber for the CTP candidacy.

Eroglu, meanwhile, has been encouraged by the National Unity Party (UBP) to field his candidacy. Should he run, Eroglu will seek to mobilise the forces of the right in the Turkish Cypriot community, harnessing votes from UBP and Serdar Denktash’s Democratic Party (DP).

Bayrak radio on Friday quoted Eroglu as saying that his mind was filled at the moment with efforts to reach a settlement, noting that with the arrival of UN Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide to the island, the negotiations process might intensify after the Bayram holiday.

“Since I am currently focusing mainly on the negotiations process, I will think and decide about my candidacy in November,” he said.

In a possible dig at Ozersay, Eroglu argued that no one could win the elections without the support of a strong party.

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‘I can’t promise miracles’ minister tells hospital hourly workers

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Health minister Philippos Patsalis listens to grievances of hourly contract workers

By Constantinos Psillides

CONTRACT workers at public hospitals walked off work on Friday morning, protesting the lack of staff at the hospitals, the increased workload caused by the financial crisis, as well as the uncertainty concerning their future employment.

Holding placards that said “Don’t you care about patients’ care?” and “Aren’t you concerned about the health of the staff” the employees gathered outside hospitals to protest.

Health Minister Filippos Patsalis met with the protesters outside Nicosia General Hospital at 1pm assuring them that no one will lose their job or their rights and promised to look into their grievances.

Regarding the lack of staff, Patsalis explained that he was allowed to replace only one out of five people retiring. A total of 155 people retired from the public health sector and out of the 31 future replacements 13 were already at their posts.

“Problems are solved through dialogue. I know that hourly employees are faced with a lot of problems, but I cannot promise any miracles. We will try and come up with solutions within our current restrictions, dictated by the financial crisis. Either with transferring staff or hiring employees where needed,” he said.

Patsalis added that implementing a national health scheme (NHS) will solve a lot of problems, adding that there are some issues that must be resolved through dialogue and compromise.

“Like I said, miracles don’t happen. We are in the midst of a financial crisis and there is a moratorium in hiring people in the public sector. We should take advantage of every opportunity presented to us and each of us, at his own post, should strive for maximum productivity so we can get through this difficult situation.”

Patsalis stressed that the public health sector is ailing and that sweeping changes are necessary in order to provide people with quality healthcare.

He said the public that a public debate regarding two key bills on the NHS implementation process and autonomy of public hospitals will take place at the Journalists’ Home in Nicosia on Saturday at 11am.

The government appears well on its way of implementing the long awaited NHS, after settling disputes with the powerful public doctors’ union PASYKI.

The Health Minister has pledged to fully implement the NHS by July 2016, well within the time-frame set by the Troika of international lenders.

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