By Ahmed Aboulenein

Human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin Clooney, fresh from her marriage to Hollywood heart-throb George Clooney last month, is heading to Athens to advise the Greek government in its battle to repatriate the ancient Elgin Marbles statues from Britain.

The Lebanese-born Alamuddin, who married Clooney in a star-studded ceremony in Venice, will meet Greece’s Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Culture Minister Konstantinos Tasoulas alongside her boss Geoffrey Robertson, their Doughty Street Chambers said on Thursday.

“Mr Robertson and Mrs Clooney were first asked to provide legal advice to the Greek government on this matter in 2011. They will be holding a series of meetings with government officials during their stay,” the chambers added in a statement.

The pair will be in Athens from Oct. 13 to 16.

The Marbles are a set of ancient Greek sculptures taken to London after being removed from the Acropolis in Athens by a British aristocrat, Lord Elgin, while Athens was under Ottoman control in the 19th Century. Greece has sought their return from the British Museum for decades, to no avail.

In March, George Clooney backed their return to Greece while promoting his film “The Monuments Men.”

The Trustees of the British Museum maintain that the marbles legally belong to the museum. Greece says it is no longer an issue of ownership and that it would accept them back as a permanent loan.

To do so, the Greek government would first have to relinquish its claim to them, the British Museum says.

Alamuddin Clooney, who is based in Britain, has represented Ukrainian former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko at the European Court of Human Rights and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in extradition proceedings. She also advised former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on the conflict in Syria.

England duly beat San Marino 5-0 to maintain their perfect start to their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign but laboured for long periods against the joint-worst team in the world at a half-full Wembley on Thursday.

England went ahead when Phil Jagielka headed home a corner after 24 minutes, doubled their lead when Wayne Rooney scored his 42nd England goal from a 43rd-minute penalty and added a third in the 49th minute when Danny Welbeck smashed home a cross from his Arsenal team mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Andros Townsend, who replaced Welbeck on 66 minutes made it 4-0 six minutes after coming on, scoring with a fierce shot that bounced in between goalkeeper Aldo Simoncini and his near post.

The fifth was an own goal from Alessandro Della Valle who deflected a cross shot from Rooney into his own net after 77 minutes.

While the result was convincing, it did not reflect how poor England were in the first half or how they were frustrated for much of the match by a blanket San Marino defence and by Simoncini, who made one superb save from Welbeck in the 42nd minute and several other good stops in the second half.

San Marino spent most of the match in their own half and despite England having to work hard for the win, there was never any doubt the visitors were heading for their 66th successive defeat in World Cup and European Championship qualifiers.

England, who beat Switzerland 2-0 in their opening qualifier last month, now have six points in Group E and play in Estonia on Sunday.

There was a major shock elsewhere as holders Spain crashed to a shock defeat after substitute Miroslav Stoch nodded a late goal to earn Slovakia a 2-1 victory in Group C.

A powerful, swerving free kick from Juraj Kucka in the 17th minute that deceived goalkeeper Iker Casillas put the hosts ahead and Spain struggled to find a way past inspired home goalkeeper Matus Kozacik despite dominating possession.

Substitute Paco Alcacer levelled eight minutes from time but any hopes the visitors had of snatching a winner were shattered when Stoch headed past Casillas in the 87th.

Slovakia, who won 1-0 in Ukraine in their opening qualifier last month, top the group on a maximum six points and Spain have three after they began their campaign with a 5-1 win at home to Macedonia.

In Stockholm, Ola Toivonen’s second-half goal crowned a gutsy fight back to give Sweden a 1-1 draw with Russia in their Group G qualifier at the Friends Arena.
Russia took the lead in the 10th minute when Alexsandr Kokorin surged through the middle before cutting back onto his right foot and rolling the ball tantalisingly through the legs of a defender and past the despairing dive of Andreas Isaksson.

Sweden wasted the perfect opportunity to equalise three minutes later when Jimmy Durmazwas upended in the box by Igor Smolnikov, but keeper Igor Akinfeev threw himself to his right to push away Sebastian Larsson’s well-struck penalty.

In for the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Toivonen pulled Sweden level in the 49th minute, turning home Durmaz’s low cross before being replaced by Johan Elmander eight minutes later after injuring a hamstring.

Euro 2016 Qualifying results:

England 5-0 San Marino
Lithuania 1-0 Estonia
Slovenia 1-0 Switzerland
Belarus 0-2 Ukraine
Macedonia 3-2 Luxembourg
Slovakia 2-1 Spain
Liechtenstein 0-0 Montenegro
Moldova 1-2 Austria
Sweden 1-1 Russia

Paphos Mayor Savvas Vergas is expected to be questioned by police on Friday in connection with threatening texts send to witnesses in a suspicious land zoning case involving a prominent developer.

Reports said the mayor will be questioned in the afternoon after he admitted purchasing a mobile phone used to send threatening text messages.

The phone was in the possession of Maria Solomonidou, a municipal worker currently in police custody in connection with sending threatening text messages to four people, including Vergas himself.

Solomonidou, the sister of Aristo Developers designer Christos Solomonides who is implicated in the case, was detained along with her husband and father.

Vergas confirmed purchasing the handset but denied there was anything dodgy. He said he bought the phone because Solomonidou’s job was to send texts to the public and handle the municipality’s social network sites.

Christos Solomonides was arrested along with Aristo boss Theodoros Aristodemou, his wife Roulla, and former municipal engineer Savvas Savva in connection with forgery and fraud in the demarcation of 177 plots of land on behalf of the company.

The arrests followed a police investigation into the demarcation of 177 land plots in Skali, Paphos, in 2010.

It 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 euro, previously designated as green space, back to Aristo Developers.

The economy is showing positive prospects and tangible results, Finance Minister Harris Georgiades said, but efforts to turn it around had to continue.

Georgiades, in Washington DC for the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, said unemployment was falling for the first time since 2007 and appeared optimistic that the problem with non performing loans would be resolved.

“It is a good chance to have a substantive discussion with the IMF, a pylon of the troika, in relation with the progress in the effort to stabilise, reform, and consolidate the Cypriot economy,” Georgiades told the Athens News Agency.

The minister said Cyprus had come a long way and positive prospects and tangible results were already showing.

“We will brief and discuss this progress with the IMF, at the same time recognising that this effort has not finished,” Georgiades said.

“On the contrary, it should continue with the same intensity.”

One of the main problems faced by the banking sector and the economy is the level of non performing loans, which make up over half of the loan portfolio.

The opposition has criticised the government for not negotiating with international lenders to change the definition of NPLs, which they consider too strict.

“NPLs are not a matter of negotiation. It is a matter of effort and time so that this serious problem begins to gradually abate,” he said.

A problem allowed to get worse through reckless lending, he added.

Although Cyprus has received good reviews on meeting its bailout commitments, lenders are now withholding a new tranche of aid worth about €435 million until authorities produce an effective foreclosures law which would allow banks to manage rising non-performing debts.

Eleven sheep died and six were seriously injured on Thursday evening in Paphos when a 25-year-old driver ploughed into a herd that was moving along the road.

The accident occurred at around 7.45pm at the Armou-Konia road. According to police, the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle.

The breathalyser test given to the driver showed 16 micrograms over the legal limit.

Paphos police are investigating the case.

By Constantinos Psillides

Turkish Cypriot football club Degirmenlik has announced the signing of a second Greek Cypriot player, despite heated reaction sparked by the signing of Dimitris Vassiliou last month.

Vassiliou was heavily criticised for his decision to be the first Greek Cypriot to play for a Turkish Cypriot team since 1955 and even received death threats. The reaction even prompted the 35-year-old’s father to step forward and publicly defend his son’s decision to sign for Degirmenlik. Since signing up for the team Vassiliou, a father of two,  lost his job coaching his local side, Omonoia Aradippou’s Under-15s and said he has also been threatened with the possibility of a transfer to a warehouse position by his superiors at the semi-state owned Electricity Authority.

Argiris Christofi, the second Greek Cypriot player to be signed by a Turkish Cypriot football team, was not deterred by the backlash.

“This is my life and I do what I want with it,” said Christofi, according to a report run by Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen, adding that he didn’t think that playing for a Turkish Cypriot team would cause him any problem.

“I believe that football has the power to bring peace to the world,” added Christofi.

Christofi joined the team’s training on Thursday, along with Vassiliou, who is expected to make his debut on Saturday.

The Cyprus Turkish Football Association (CFTA) and the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) signed an agreement in 2013, paving the way for the reunification of football on the island. Almost a year on, both sides appear to be waiting for each other to ratify the agreement.

Under the arrangement the CTFA will become a member of the CFA as an association in accordance with CFA statutes and regulations. The CFA will continue being a member of FIFA and UEFA. It will also remain the governing body responsible for organising, servicing and administering football in Cyprus as well as any international football activities in the country.

Under the terms of the agreement, the CTFA will apply to be a member of the CFA, essentially inducting all the Turkish Cypriot clubs.

The CFA will then recognise the CTFA as one of its associate members, giving it the duty of handling matters regarding Turkish Cypriot clubs and the right to organise a championship with its members.

Once the CTFA is inducted into the CFA, it will be able to have representatives present at board meetings. A steering committee will be formed to work towards implementing the agreement, made up of four Greek Cypriots and four Turkish Cypriots.

The agreement will also oblige Turkish Cypriot teams to adhere to FIFA regulations regarding transfers. They will be able take part in CFA competitions and the UEFA Regions Cup. Turkish Cypriot coaches will also be able to obtain UEFA coaching licences through the CFA.

Turkish Cypriot teams withdrew from the CFA in 1955, following the beginning of the armed EOKA struggle for union with Greece.

The last match to take place was between Larnaca side Pezoporikos and Cetinkaya in the semi-final of the Cyprus Cup.

The Paphos district court extended for an additional three days, the remand of a woman and her father held in connection with sending threatening text messages to witnesses in a suspicious land zoning case involving Aristo Developers.

Maria Solomonidou, 33, and her 64-year-old father were arrested in connection with sending threatening text messages to four people including a municipal councillor and a municipal employee, expected to testify in a land zoning case involving prominent developer Theodoros Aristodemou.

Messages were also sent to Politis reporter Costas Nanos. Mayor Savvas Vergas also claimed he had received a threatening message. It later transpired that the phone used to send messages had been bought by Vergas and given to Solomonidou.

Vergas, who admitted buying the phone in August, has denied any wrongdoing. He was however expected to be questioned by police on Friday afternoon.

Along with Solomonidou and her father, police had detained her husband, Constantinos Sifantos, 36, but he was expected to be released after nothing suspicious came up. They were arrested last Tuesday.

Solomonidou is the sister of Aristo Developers designer Christos Solomonides, arrested along with his boss, Theodoros Aristodemou, the latter’s wife Roulla, and former municipal engineer Savvas Savva, in connection with forgery and fraud in the demarcation of 177 plots of land on behalf of the company.

The arrests followed a police investigation into the demarcation of 177 land plots in Skali, Paphos, in 2010.

It 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 euro, previously designated as green space, back to Aristo Developers.

The consumer union is contemplating a lawsuit against the state claiming it deliberately allowed prices to be high in order to collect more taxes.

The union accused the state of “fraud and collusion” with fuel companies, suggesting that prices today should have been 12 to 15 cents lower per litre.

The price of oil has dropped by $26, from $114 to $88, the union said.

It only came to prove the view that has companies and the state wanting to maintain higher prices until the next rise, it said.

This would keep the minimum price high, serving “their common interest,” the union said.

“Together with legal advisers, the union is looking into the possibility of seeking legal recourse in Cyprus and the special EU court that deals with competition,” the union said.

Achieving a conviction could force the state to pay millions on a fine, they added.

A 40-year-old Larnaca man was on Friday remanded in custody for six days in connection with robbing a woman, 71, inside her home.

The woman told police she was awakened by noise at around 5.20am on Thursday and she saw a man whose face was covered with a scarf.

He attacked her and threatened her with a knife. The robber took various valuables of an unknown value, €20 in cash and some food from the fridge, the woman said.

He tied the woman’s hands with masking tape before leaving the flat. The woman went to hospital where she was treated for scratches around her mouth when the robber tried to prevent her from screaming.

The suspect was arrested in the afternoon, police said. He denied any involvement.

PRESIDENT Nicos Anastasiades on Friday met with the members of the newly-formed National Geostrategic Council at the Presidential Palace.

After the meeting, the council’s chair, University of Nicosia rector Michalis Attalides, said the president expected the council to monitor, provide analyses, and policy prescriptions on developments in the volatile region.

Attalides said the establishment of the council was an important step as it was the first time efforts were being made to utilise the academic resources of the country to contribute towards the exercise of policy.

He noted that it was still early stages yet as the council was starting from scratch and had to establish mechanisms for the state to be able to absorb and make use of the various analyses and policy prescriptions coming out of the new body.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said on Friday he expected Turkey to show restraint and act in accordance with international law, in relation to recent tensions over Cyprus` offshore activity in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

A statement by Van Rompuy`s spokesperson said: “All parties must do their utmost to ensure a positive climate in order to continue negotiations aimed at reaching a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue”.
“The President is concerned about renewed tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean” the statement noted, adding that it was essential that all parties respected the sovereignty of others and were willing to settle disputes peacefully in accordance with international law.
Van Rompuy noted that the EU hds repeatedly stressed the need to respect the sovereignty of member states in maritime matters.

The sovereign rights of member states included the right to enter into bilateral agreements and to explore and exploit their natural resources in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Last week, Turkey issued a notice advising that it was reserving areas south of Cyprus for seismic surveys from October 20 to December 30. Some of these areas are part of the Republic`s EEZ.
Following the development, President Nicos Anastasiades decided to suspend, for the time being, his participation in the UN-led peace talks in response to Turkish provocations in the island`s EEZ. (CNA)

By Andreas Vou

CYPRUS suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Israel at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia on Friday night, dashing pre-match optimism of a second consecutive win in Group B of the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers.

A surprise 1-2 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina last month in the opening group game led to an estimated 17,000 supporters turning up at the national stadium in hope of another win which would have caused genuine hope of reaching the final stages of a major tournament for the first time ever.

Cyprus started on the offensive and were causing a number of problems for their neighbours with a flurry of early corners as well as an up-and-under from Marios Stylianou which almost caught out keeper Ofir Marciano from long range.

However it was Israel who took the lead on 37 minutes when Tal Ben Haim skinned Stylianou for pace on the left-hand side before cutting the ball back to Omer Damari, who passed the ball neatly into the corner of the net.

And Israel dealt a shattering blow to Cyprus’ hopes on the stroke of half-time as the visitors doubled their lead – the aforementioned pair reversing roles as Damari set up Ben Haim who then danced through the defence before finishing.

Pambos Christodoulou made two changes at half-time, one of whom was APOEL youngster Pieros Sotiriou.

The 21-year-old made his impact on 67 minutes when he turned sharply inside the box before crossing low towards Constandinos Makrides who lashed the ball into the roof of the net to give Cyprus hope.  The goal boosted a previously deflated Cypriot side and Sotiriou almost grabbed a leveler straight after kick-off but his header sailed just over the bar.

Cyprus threw everybody forward in the final moments of the match but, try as they might, the equaliser never arrived. The result leaves Cyprus on three points and sees them drop to fourth in Group B ahead of Monday’s game against leaders Wales.

At least 100,000 people were evacuated on India’s eastern seaboard on Saturday as cyclone Hudhud bore down, threatening to devastate farmland and fishing villages when it hits the coast on Sunday morning.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) rated Hudhud as a “very severe cyclonic storm” that could pack gusts of up to 165 km/h and dump more than 24.5 cm of rain in some places when it makes landfall.

Around 100,000 people have been evacuated in the coastal state of Andhra Pradesh to high-rise buildings, shelters and relief centres, with plans to move a total of 300,000 to safety.

Authorities further north in Odisha state said they were monitoring the situation and would, if necessary, move 300,000 people most at risk.

“We have already shifted about 10,000 people from low-lying areas and plan to evacuate 14,000 more,” N. Yubaraj, administrative chief of the coastal district of Visakhapatnam district, told Reuters.

Visakhapatnam, also known as Vizag, is the largest city in Andhra Pradesh and hosts a major Indian naval base.

In Pudimadaka, a coastal village where many are fishermen, locals have been reluctant to leave despite forecasts warning that a major cyclone was coming since the middle of this week.

Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal are common at this time of year. These often cause deaths, mass evacuations of coastal villages, disruption of power and phone services as well as widespread damage to crops and property in eastern India and Bangladesh.

Hudhud was tracking west-northwest, around 330 kms off the coast, and was strong enough to have a “high humanitarian impact” on more than 10 million people, the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS), run by the United Nations and the European Commission, said.

The system also forecast a storm surge of 1.7 metres. The IMD said this could result in flooding of low-lying coastal areas around Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam.

The evacuation effort was comparable in scale to the one that preceded Cyclone Phailin exactly a year ago, and which was credited with minimising the fatalities to 53. When a huge storm hit the same area 15 years ago, 10,000 people died.

Forecasters say that, after making landfall, Hudhud is expected to lose some of its potency. It is likely to weaken later on Monday to a depression with peak gusts of 65 km/h.

Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton was fastest in Saturday’s final practice for the inaugural Russian Grand Prix as Mercedes continued to dominate a weekend likely to seal the constructors’ championship.

Hamilton, who has a 10-point advantage over German team mate Nico Rosberg after winning the last three races, produced the fastest lap yet of the new Sochi circuit with a best time of one minute 38.726 seconds.

The 2008 champion spun late in the session at the penultimate corner, but escaped without damage.

“It was a tremendous lap, he seems to extract the maximum out of the car at the moment,” Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff said.

“Somehow, Lewis seem to nail it on first lap, Nico seems to struggle a bit more, but this is just practice,” the German told the BBC.

Rosberg was second fastest, 0.290 slower, on a warm and bright morning at the 5.8km track that snakes around the Black Sea resort’s imposing Olympic Park venues used for this year’s Winter Games.

Hamilton, chasing his ninth win of the season on Sunday, was also fastest on Friday, although Rosberg was quicker in the morning.

Finland’s Valtteri Bottas was third for Williams in a session that was briefly halted after the McLaren of Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen stopped on track with a gearbox problem that will bring a five-place grid penalty.

Red Bull’s Australian Daniel Ricciardo, the only driver other than the Mercedes duo to win this season, was fourth fastest.

Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado failed to set a lap time with mechanics working on his Lotus.

Sunday’s race comes after a dark weekend in Japan, with Marussia’s Jules Bianchi critically injured in hospital after the Frenchman crashed into a recovery tractor. Britain’s Max Chilton is the team’s sole driver in Sochi.

By George Psyllides

SCHEDULED DRILLING in the island’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) will continue despite Turkey’s provocations, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said on Saturday, as he reiterated that any proceeds belonged to all Cypriots.

“ENI’s scheduled drilling will continue, whatever the provocations,” the minister said. “We have repeatedly said that proceeds from natural gas – not expected before the end of the decade, belong proportionately to all Cypriots.”

The minister added that Turkey’s provocative actions send the message that “it does not want or does not believe the Cyprus problem will be solved until then.”

Kasoulides also announced he was flying to Greece on Monday to coordinate the further action.

He also urged Cypriot political parties to put their own agendas aside and join the government in a unified front to tackle the Turkish actions.

Citing the rights of Turkish Cypriots, Turkey reserved a large section of sea in Cyprus’ EEZ for seismic studies – cutting through five blocks, including block 9 where Italian-South Korean consortium ENI-KOGAS is currently drilling for gas, and has also sent warships to monitor the situation.

The action prompted President Nicos Anastasiades to suspend direct negotiations in the reunification process.

The events had been criticised by the international community but Cypriot parties, as they often do, either jumped the gun in commenting, or interpreted statements as they saw fit.

“Instead of holding on to the fact that everyone recognises the right of the Republic to carry out exploration and to subsequently exploit the hydrocarbons in its EEZ, and calls to those who clearly cause them to avoid provocations, we attempt to rate them accordingly and give different interpretations for the sake of political expediency,” Kasoulides said.

The haste to either note or explain someone’s silence is characteristic, he said.

“The opposition rushed to blame Russia’s ‘silence’ on our supposed one-sided policy and the same day Moscow not only issued a statement but officially informed us about a stern demarche to Ankara,” Kasoulides said.

The statement was welcomed by AKEL, which then criticised the absence of an EU reaction.

Yet, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy’s supportive statement was announced on the same news bulletin, the minister said.

“International disapproval has been recorded. Diplomatic efforts will continue. Is it enough to stop Turkey? Possibly yes, possibly no,” Kasoulides said, suggesting that circumstances shifted all the time.

He cited the example of US Vice President John Biden who had to apologise to Turkey after comments he made last week regarding Turkey’s role in the spread of ISIS.

Biden had said, “President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan told me, he’s an old friend, said, ‘You were right. We let too many people (including foreign fighters) through.’ Now they are trying to seal their border,” he said, according to transcripts.

Kasoulides said Anastasiades had suspended his participation in the talks as long as “threats, blackmail, and show of force were taking place because the principle of the negotiations is to conduct them on an equal footing.”

“Full responsibility lies with Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership on whose behalf Turkey is supposedly acting.”

A RUSSIAN man, 43, was in serious condition on Saturday after falling from the fourth floor of a hotel in Ayia Napa.

The man returned to his hotel at 2.30am apparently drunk. He started hopping from balcony to balcony on the fourth floor until he fell 10 metres onto a shed.

He was rushed to Famagusta hospital with numerous fractures to his thorax.

Police have ruled out foul play.

POLICE CARRIED out a series of law enforcement operations across the island on Friday and Saturday morning, including car searches, raids and patrols.

In Nicosia, police searched vehicles and nine individuals but came up empty. They also raided an establishment where they caught five people gambling.

Officers seized €1,580 before charging the suspects in writing.

Eight other people found in the venue were taken to the police station to sort out fines and warrants pending against them.

In Limassol, police seized 24 computers suspected of being used for gambling. They also arrested one man who was working as a bouncer without a permit.

Two men were arrested in connection with prostitution.
Famagusta police carried out checks on 110 cars and their 145 passengers, booking 15 drivers for traffic offences.
Larnaca police booked 63 drivers for various offences and issued 58 warnings.

Police also carried out patrols in various areas to deter robberies and burglaries.

“The surprise, coordinated, and targeted operations will continue in a bid to prevent and stamp out any form of crime,” a police statement said. “They aim at safeguarding public order and further strengthening the public’s sense of security.”

By George Psyllides

AUTHORITIES were going over the answers given by Paphos Mayor Savvas Vergas regarding threatening text messages sent in a suspicious land zoning case before deciding their next actions, it emerged on Saturday.

Vergas was questioned for over six hours on Friday over threatening text messages sent to four people, including himself, connected with a suspicious land zoning case involving Aristo Developers.

“Answers were given by the Paphos mayor and the content of his statement is being assessed by the investigators,” police spokesman Andreas Angelides said.

His responses will be checked against the statements given by suspects in police custody and other witness information received as part of the investigation into the affair, Angelides said.

The mayor was questioned for almost seven hours at the town’s CID.

He left the station just before 11pm without saying anything but he told the state broadcaster later that he had co-operated with investigators and gave detailed answers to their questions.

Vergas was linked to the case through a close aide, Maria Solomonidou, 33, currently in police custody, together with her 64-year-old father, in connection with the messages.

Vergas had admitted buying Solomonidou the phone that was later used to send the messages.

He denies any wrongdoing.

It is understood that he had been asked if he had ever used the phone himself and his whereabouts when he received the threatening message on September 28.

The other recipients were a Paphos municipal councillor, an employee of the local authority, and a journalist.

Solomonidou is the sister of Aristo Developers designer Christos Solomonides, arrested along with his boss, Theodoros Aristodemou, the latter’s wife Roulla, and former municipal engineer Savvas Savva, in connection with forgery and fraud in the demarcation of 177 plots of land on behalf of the company.

The arrests followed a police investigation into the demarcation that took place in Skali, Paphos, in 2010.

It 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 Developers.

By Ayla Jean Yackley

KURDISH forces defending Kobani urged a US-led coalition to escalate air strikes on Islamic State fighters who tightened their grip on the Syrian town at the border with Turkey on Saturday.

A group that monitors the Syrian civil war said the Kurdish forces faced inevitable defeat in Kobani if Turkey did not open its border to let through arms – something Ankara has so far appeared reluctant to do.

The US-led coalition escalated air strikes on Islamic State in and around Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, some four days ago. The main Kurdish armed group, the YPG, said in a statement the air strikes had inflicted heavy losses on Islamic State, but had been less effective in the last two days.

A Kurdish military official, speaking to Reuters from Kobani, said Islamic State had brought extra tanks and artillery to the front lines, while street-to-street fighting was making it harder for the warplanes to target Islamic State positions.

“We have a problem, which is the war between houses,” said Esmat Al-Sheikh, head of the Kobanidefence council.

“The air strikes are benefiting us, but Islamic State is bringing tanks and artillery from the east. We didn’t see them with tanks, but yesterday we saw T-57 tanks,” he added.

While Islamic State has been able to reinforce its fighters, the Kurds have not. Islamic State has besieged the town to the east, south and west, meaning the Kurds’ only possible supply route is the Turkish border to the north.

The UN envoy to Syria on Friday called on Turkey to help prevent a slaughter in Kobani, asking it to let “volunteers” cross the frontier so they can reinforce the Kurdish forces defending the town that lies within sight of Turkish territory.

The Turkish government has yet to respond to the remarks by Staffan de Mistura, who said he feared a repeat of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia when thousands died. Kurdish leaders in Syria have asked Ankara to establish a corridor through Turkey to allow aid and military supplies to reach Kobani.

“(Islamic State) is getting supplies and men, while Turkey is preventing Kobani from getting ammunition. Even with the resistance, if things stay like this, the Kurdish forces will be like a car without fuel,” said Rami Abdelrahman, who runs the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an organisation that monitors the conflict in Syria through sources on the ground.

PLUMES OF SMOKE

Turkey has been reluctant to help the Kurds defending Kobani, one of three areas of northern Syriawhere Kurds have established self-rule since the Syrian civil war began in 2011. The main Syrian Kurdish group has close ties to the PKK – which waged a militant campaign for Kurdish rights in Turkeyand is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies.

Tall plumes of smoke were seen rising from Kobani on Saturday and the sound of gunfire was close to constant as battles raged into the afternoon, a Reuters journalist observing from the Turkish side of the frontier said.

A Kurdish military official in the Syrian city of Qamishli, another area under Kurdish control, said thousands of fighters stood ready to go to Kobani were Turkey to open a corridor.

But Ghaliya Naamat, the official, said the fighters in Kobani were mainly in need of better weaponry. “Medium-range weapons is what is lacking,” she told Reuters by telephone.

“According to the news and the information in Kobani, there is no shortage in numbers. The shortage is in ammunition.”

The symbolism of U.S.-led air strikes failing to stop Islamic State militants from overrunning Kobanicould provide an early setback to U.S. President Barack Obama‘s three-week-old air campaign against Islamic State in Syria.

The campaign is part of a U.S. strategy to degrade and destroy the group that has seized large areas ofSyria and Iraq, threatening to redraw the borders of the modern Middle East according to its ultra-strict vision of Islam.

If Islamic State seizes full control of the town – which U.S. officials acknowledge is possible in coming days – it would be able to boast that it has withstood American air power. The U.S.-led coalition has launched 50 strikes against militant positions around the town, most of those in the last four days.

“WE NEED SOMETHING EFFECTIVE”

While much of the population has already fled Kobani, 500-700 mostly elderly people are still in the town, while 10,000-13,000 are nearby in a border area between Syria and Turkey, U.N. envoy De Mistura said, warning they faced a massacre.

The Observatory said no fewer than 226 Kurdish fighters and 298 Islamic State militants had been killed since the group launched its Kobani offensive in mid-September. It said the overall death toll including civilians was probably much higher.

Islamic State views the main armed Kurdish group, the YPG, and its supporters as apostates due to their secular ideology.

Idris Nassan, deputy foreign minister of Kobani district, told Reuters by telephone that air strikes had helped the Kurdish fighters regain some territory in the south of the city but they were not enough.

“A few days ago, ISIS attacked with a Humvee vehicle, they use mortars, cannons, tanks. We don’t need just Kalashnikovs and bullets. We need something effective since they captured many tanks and military vehicles in Iraq,” he said, calling for outside powers to send weapons.

“The supply of fighters is very good for YPG,” he added. “But fighters coming without arms, without weaponry is not going to make a critical difference.”

The Kobani crisis has sparked deadly violence in Turkey, which has a Kurdish population numbering 15 million.

Turkish Kurds have risen up since Tuesday against President Tayyip Erdogan’s government, which they accuse of allowing their kin to be slaughtered.

At least 33 people have been killed in three days of riots across the mainly Kurdish southeast, including two police officers shot dead in an apparent attempt to assassinate a police chief. The police chief was wounded.

The U.S. State Department said on Friday that Ankara had agreed to support the training and equipping of moderate opposition groups in Syria – another prong of Obama’s strategy.

Ankara resents suggestions from Washington that it is not pulling its weight and wants broader joint actions that also target the forces of President Bashar al-Assad – whose government has tacitly welcome the air strikes against Islamic State. (Additional reporting by Dasha Afanasieva in Istanbul; Writing byTom Perry; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

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Federer halts Djokovic run to reach Shanghai final

ROGER Federer brought world number one Novak Djokovic’s juggernaut to a halt when a 6-4 6-4 victory in the Shanghai Masters on Saturday set up a final against unseeded Frenchman Gilles Simon.

The 33-year-old Swiss was in aggressive mood against his younger opponent, who was on a 28-match winning streak in China, and converted his third match point with a backhand volley to end a semi-final slugfest that lasted one hour 35 minutes.

Federer, who will return to second in the rankings on Monday, broke serve in the fifth game of the first set after a couple of unforced errors from the twice Shanghai Masters champion.

The 17-times grand slam winner broke again in the opening game of the second set and went on to exact sweet revenge for his defeat in their last meeting, at the Wimbledon final in July.

Earlier, Simon moved into his first Masters Series final in six years after outclassing big-serving Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.

The world number 29 faced little pressure on his serve and dominated the match from the baseline with some sumptuous ground strokes to beat the 33-year-old Lopez 6-2 7-6 (1).

Lopez, who knocked out world number two Rafa Nadal in the second round, netted a backhand volley to hand Simon the first break of the match in the third game and the tall Spaniard only had himself to blame as a double fault gifted a second break.

The frazzled world number 21, under pressure from Simon’s winners, finally held to make it 5-2 but the Frenchman wrapped up the set in 25 minutes with an ace down the middle that swerved teasingly away from the left hander.

Lopez mixed up his tactics in the second set, opting to attack the net more to hustle his opponent, whose only previous Masters Series final appearance came in 2008 in Madrid, with some success.

The Spaniard came through seven deuces in the third game to avoid another break while Simon only dropped four points on his serve in the set.

The pressure finally told on Lopez in the tiebreak as he crumbled under a mix of double faults, netted returns and wild smashes to lose it 7-1.