By Angelos Anastasiou

Police on Saturday defended raiding a photo exhibition Greek trans and gay activist Paola Revenioti at the old Nicosia municipal market, and seizing part of it on the grounds of lewd content.

Spokesman Andreas Angelides rejected charges of excess zeal in removing the pictures, saying police had received repeated complaints from members of the public that they had been subjected to pictures of naked male bodies as some of the photos had not been covered during the market’s working hours on Friday.

“Officers from the Paphos Gate police station were immediately dispatched to the scene, and eight photographs depicting naked male bodies were confiscated,” he said.

He added that the police remained in contact with the mayor of Nicosia in order to establish the conditions under which the permit for the exhibition had been granted.

He asserted that the police acted lawfully and without excess zeal, noting that since it had received multiple complaints it had to investigate the matter.

“What is important to note is that there is a law governing the public display of lewd content, in this case naked pictures in a public place,” he said.

Accept-LGBT Cyprus earlier on Saturday accused the police of censorship and discrimination after they shut down the exhibition.

The exhibition, named ‘Correction’, featured photographs of males – some naked – taken by Revenioti during the 1980s and ‘90s.

It had been organised to commemorate November 20, annual International Transgender Day of Remembrance. Accept-LGBT accused police of censorship and discrimination, arguing that they would hardly have intervened had the photographs been of naked women.

According to the group, all reasonable measures had been taken to avoid disrupting the municipal market’s operation during working hours, or offending the public.

“In an effort to protect the exhibits during the market’s working hours, Accept had covered them, and when some were spotted partly uncovered during the day, municipality staff covered them again immediately,” said the activist group in a statement.

“Therefore, the exhibits had been covered both when the complaint was filed and when they were confiscated.”

Police questioned Accept-LGBT’s head Costas Gavrielides, before officially charging him with displaying lewd content in public, and confiscated those exhibits that featured male reproductive organs as evidence.

According to the group, the police did not inform the Nicosia municipality, which had authorised the market as the venue for the exhibition, nor Accept-LGBT itself, so that it could remove the offending photos.

Prior to Nicosia, the exhibition had been organised in Athens and London, with no issues reported.

Accept said the development constituted a clear effort at censorship, a result of targeting the group itself and its action.

“The confiscation opposes every form of artistic expression that does not comply with the old-fashioned ideas by the police and the state as to what is art,” it said.

“The organisation has already filed a complaint with the Ombudswoman’s office, and will file an official complaint both with local bodies and the European Parliament and the European Commission.”

Despite the exhibit being taken down, viewings of Revenioti’s documentary “Kaliarnta” were due to continue as scheduled at the same venue.

On Thursday, when the exhibit opened, Revenioti had posted a “thank you” post on her Facebook page. “Thank you to Cyprus and all the exceptional friends I met – the most open-minded people on the island.”

“I leave with the best impressions, and extremely touched by the love I’ve been shown. I hope we meet again someday.”

Over 1.000 pilgrims arrived on Saturday, the first day of the year according to Islamic calendar, at the Hala Sulta Tekke mosque in Larnaca, according to organisers.
The pilgrims arrived to Larnaca shortly before noon to attend a service by Turkish Cypriot Mufti Dr Talip Atalay.
After the service, Atalay extended his thanks to Archbishop Chrysostomos, the Swedish embassy and everyone who contributed to the pilgrimage.
“Today proves that people of different faiths can coexist and live peacefully in the same place with tolerance,” he noted.
Stressing the importance of peace to Islam, Atalay said the flame of hope for peace must not be allowed to extinguish.
“Peace for us, peace for all our neighbours,” the Mufti said.
Salpy Eskidjian, head of the office for interdenominational dialogue in the context of the Cyprus problem peace process, said that despite political differences and difficulties, the pilgrimage proved that religion has a very positive role to play in building peace.
“Respect for religious monuments is an important ingredient to dialogue and coexistence,” she said.
“Today’s event offers clear testament to the fact that access to each one’s religious monuments is not only a confidence-building measure, but a way of strengthening relationships between people,” she said.
At around 3.30pm, the pilgrims safely boarded 25 coaches for their return to the north

By George Obulutsa

Somalia’s al Shabaab Islamists said they staged an attack in Kenya on Saturday in which gunmen ordered non-Muslims off a bus and shot 28 dead, while sparing Muslim passengers.

Three of the group led out to be killed saved their lives by reciting verses of the Koran for the militants, a local security official said.

Al Shabaab said its men had ambushed the Nairobi-bound bus outside Mandera town, near Kenya’s border with Somalia and Ethiopia, and killed the non-Muslims in retaliation for raids on mosques in the port city of Mombasa.

Early this week, police in Mombasa shot dead a man and arrested over 376 others when they searched four mosques in the port city that they said were being used to recruit militants and stash weapons.

“The Mujahideen successfully carried out an operation near Mandera early this morning, which resulted in the perishing of 28 crusaders, as a revenge for the crimes committed by the Kenyan crusaders against our Muslim brethren in Mombasa,” Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, al Shabaab’s spokesman, said in a statement.

Islamist militants use the term “crusaders” to describe Christians or non-Muslims in general.

KILLERS HEAD FOR BORDER

Police Inspector General David Kimaiyo told reporters that 19 men and nine women were killed. “Preliminary reports indicate that the attackers, who were heavily armed, later fled towards the border into Somali,” he said.

A witness to the ambush, who asked not to be identified, said the attackers boarded the bus and tried to identify Muslims and non-Muslims.

Ahmed Maalim, an official at the Mandera East sub-county security force, said the attackers ordered passengers thought to be non-Muslims out of the bus. Three were spared after reciting Koranic verses and ordered back on the bus.

“The women and men (remaining outside) were separated, then shot at close range. None survived,” he said.

In response to the attack, Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) launched ground and air raid and destroyed a camp believed to have been used by the attackers.

“The KDF operation will continue until they arrest the attackers,” said Col. David Obonyo, KDF spokesman.

Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for a 2013 attack on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall that killed at least 67 people and attacks in Lamu in June and July that killed at least 65.

The group has vowed to drive Kenyan and other African Union peacekeeping troops out of Somalia.

Saturday’s attack showed al Shabaab remains able to strike both in Somalia and abroad despite the killing of its leader Ahmed Abdi Godane in September.

The Mandera region is awash with guns due to its proximity to Somalia, where al Shabaab has been fighting to topple the government, and Ethiopia, whose armed Oromo Liberation Front has made incursions into Kenya.

Insecurity plagues East Africa’s biggest economy, prompting Western nations to issue travel warnings and hitting the tourism industry, a major source of hard currency.

An earthquake with preliminary magnitude of 6.8 jolted central Japan on Saturday evening, public broadcaster NHK said, adding that no tsunami warning had been issued.

High-speed trains were halted, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage from the quake, which was felt as far away as the capital of Tokyo about 180 km away.

NHK quoted an official in the village of Ogawa near the epicentre as saying that a long shake was felt and documents fell off shelves but there were no reports of damage yet.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held telephone discussions with Gulf states and other allies on Saturday, U.S. officials said, as efforts intensified to reach a deal with Iran on its nuclear programme by Monday’s deadline.

Diplomatic sources said on Friday that Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif were discussing new ideas to unblock the negotiations between Tehran and six powers: the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.

Kerry held a conference call with the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, and separate calls with the foreign ministers of Turkey and Canada, a senior U.S. State Department official said. U.S. officials said he would meet with Zarif and European Union envoy Catherine Ashton later on Saturday.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius was also due to speak with Saudi Prince Saud al-Faisal, French officials said.

The negotiations in Vienna are intended to resolve a 12-year-old standoff between Iran and the West and remove at least one source of tension from a region in growing turmoil.

But officials said earlier in the week that deadlock remained on key issues, and that the deadline, already extended by four months along with a partial easing of sanctions, might need to be pushed back again.

“We hope we’re making careful progress,” Kerry said before a meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “But we have big gaps. We still have some serious gaps, which we’re working to close.”

Iran rejects Western allegations that it has sought to develop an atom bomb capability, something that Iran’s enemy Israel regards as an existential threat, and says the programme is purely peaceful.

Western officials say Iran has refused to budge on key issues such as uranium enrichment, an activity that can have both civilian and military uses.

They say Iran has refused to reduce its enrichment capacity, which Western officials say would leave it with the capacity to amass enough material for an atomic bomb in a few months.

Another stumbling block is sanctions, which Iran wants to be ended swiftly and not, as the West wants, suspended and scrapped progressively as Iran fulfils the deal.

Iran also objects to Western demands that the deal should last up to 20 years.

But diplomats say the six powers are likely to relent on demands for full disclosure of any secret weapon work by Tehran, in the interest of securing a deal.

German authorities on Saturday confirmed a second case of the H5N8 strain of bird flu in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with the virus found in a wild bird.

The strain is highly contagious among birds but has never been detected in humans.

“For the first time, the H5N8 virus has been confirmed in a wild bird in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,” Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt said in a statement.

“With that the suspicion is strengthened that wild birds are connected with the cases in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as in the Netherlands and Britain,” the minister said.

As a precautionary measure, all German states should consider ordering farmers to keep their animals in the stalls, Schmidt added.

Germany and the Netherlands were working closely together with the aim of preventing a possible spread of the virus and to trace back its origin, the minister said.

The first H5N8 case in Germany was confirmed on Nov. 4 on a poultry farm in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Some 5,000 birds were infected by the disease, of which 1,880 died.

Dutch health authorities on Saturday were destroying 8,000 ducks to prevent the possible spread of bird flu, which has infected three farms in a week in the Netherlands, a leading poultry and egg exporter.

Tests show that the bird flu viruses found in Germany, the Netherlands and Britain are similar to one that devastated poultry flocks in South Korea earlier this year, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has said.

South Korea had to slaughter millions of farm birds to try to contain the outbreak.

By Raheem Salman

Islamic State militants have killed 25 members of a Sunni Muslim tribe during their assault on a provincial capital west of Baghdad, local officials said on Saturday, in apparent revenge for tribal opposition to the radical Islamists.

They said the bodies of the men from the Albu Fahd tribe were discovered after the army launched a counter-offensive on Saturday against the Islamic State in a village on the eastern edge of Ramadi, capital of Anbar province.

“While they were combing the territories they are liberating, security forces found 25 corpses in the Shujariya area,” Hathal Al-Fahdawi, a member of the Anbar Provincial Council, told Reuters.

Albu Fahd tribal leader Sheikh Rafie al-Fahdawi said at least 25 bodies had been found and said he expected the total to be significantly higher. He said the bodies were found scattered around with no signs of weapons next to them, suggesting they were not killed during fighting.

The killings echoed the execution of hundreds of members of the Albu Nimr tribe last month by Islamic State fighters trying to break local resistance to their advances in Anbar, a Sunni Muslim province they have largely controlled for nearly a year.

Islamic State, which has seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq, continues to gain territory in Anbar despite three months of U.S.-led air strikes launched against the group.

On Friday it launched coordinated attacks in central and outlying areas of Ramadi in an attempt to take full control over a city which is already mostly in its hands.

Gunmen opened fire from rooftops at a complex in the heart of Ramadi which houses the governorate and police headquarters, but local officials said security forces managed to hold off Islamic State fighters trying to advance towards the buildings.

The road from Ramadi to the military airbase of Habbaniya, about 25 km (15 miles) to the east, remained under Islamic State control, Hathal Fahdawi said, preventing the army from reinforcing security forces in the city.

He said tribal fighters backed by army tanks were trying to secure the road to allow forces through from Habbaniya.

Islamic State’s lightning offensive through northern Iraq in June plunged the country into its gravest security crisis since the U.S.-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, and raised concerns that its radical ideology will spread across the Middle East.

Five people were hospitalised late on Friday with injuries from a gas explosion in the basement of a Hyatt Regency hotel in London, emergency services said.

The London Fire Brigade said around 400 people were evacuated from the hotel in Berkeley Mews after an explosion caused extensive damage to the basement and ground floor.

A spokeswoman for Hyatt said a total of 12 members of staff were being treated for injuries and that no guests were injured. Guests were evacuated to nearby hotels, and damage to the building was being evaluated, she added.

By Maria Gregoriou

MUSICIAN and composer Faidros Kavallaris will attempt to keep the spirit of traditional Cypriot music alive and introduce it to coming generations on Wednesday with a recital of his musical composition entitled Parathesis for brass quintet and four pieces for the piano based on traditional Cypriot songs.

The recital will be performed by pianists Annini Tsiouti and Manolis Neofitou. The first of the four compositions for the piano is a satirical lullaby entitled Eftrapelon. The piece uses the melody of a lullaby with satirical words remembered by musicologist Costas Ioannides when sang to him from a short collection of Cypriot folk songs. The piece was written in 2002 and was first performed during a concert for the Cyprian International Festival during that same year.

Kavallaris comments on the piece’s composition by saying “the piece uses a kind of polytonality and harmonic treatment of the traditional melodies which are drawn out from Cyprus’ musical tradition, and besides, the piece follows the strophic character of the traditional songs.”

The three other pieces were also composed during the summer of 2002 and share the same traditional modes of expression. The second piece carries the name Phoni Mesaritissa and is based on two versions of the melody type named phoni of the Mesaoria region of the island. One version comes from Theodoulos Kallinikos’ Cypriot Popular Muse and the second from the Cypriot Folk songs published by the Centre for Scientific Research in 1987.
Arodafnousa and Poietariko are the last two pieces to be presented. Kavallaris explains these compositions by explaining “my effort in each case is to tell a story in my own way, to narrate a tale in music without words, always on the foundation of the traditional phones (music types). These two works were composed in parallel, they share the same form and each one of them utilises nine variations of the corresponding phoni.

More importantly, in each case, all nine versions are being used together in the Prologos and the Epilogos, while in the main body of the works, with every new strophe, different combinations appear, with one of the versions being kept throughout as an axis or as a point of reference. In other words, through the strophic repletion and the constantly changing combinations, by reflecting on and distilling from tradition, I try to create a new musical ballade or a musical tale.”

Kavallaris has been contributing to the world music scene for over 40 years. He showed an interest in composing at an early age and also had a feel for painting, poetry and ancient Greek drama. When studying music and architecture in London, he wrote music for a production of Aristofanis’ comedy The Birds in 1971. In 1973 he organised his first concert showcasing all the songs he had written up to that point. His canon of work since then has grown to entail a lifetime of songs. Some of these can be found on his CD Kypriaka Erotika, comprising of 15 traditional Cypriot songs.
His works have now been performed in Cyprus, China, Japan, England, Germany, Hungary, France, Greece, Mexico, the USA, the Philippines and Italy.

Musical Recital
A recital of songs composed by Faidros Kavallaris. November 26. Kastelliotissa, Nicosia. 7.30pm. Free. Tel: 99-553174

Chelsea, playing some dazzling football at times, beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 to stay top of the Premier League on Saturday as they stretched their unbeaten run from the start of the season to 18 matches in all competitions.

Goals from Diego Costa, who thumped the ball home after controlling it on his chest after 11 minutes for his 11th in ten league appearances, and Eden Hazard after 25 minutes put Chelsea in control at Stamford Bridge.

Champions Manchester City stayed in touch with Chelsea when they came from behind to beat Swansea City 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium with Stevan Jovetic and Yaya Toure finding the target.

Chelsea have 32 points from 12 games, followed by Southampton, who play at Aston Villa on Monday, on 25 from 11 and Manchester City on 24 points from 12 games.

There was never much doubt about the outcome at Chelsea after West Brom were reduced to ten men in the 29th minute when Claudio Yacob was red-carded for a two-footed tackle on Costa with referee Lee Mason having no hesitation in sending him off.

After seeing his team make it six league wins out of six at the Bridge, manager Jose Mourinho told Sky Sports: “We played spectacular high quality football in the first half.

“We made the pitch really wide and created space to play and were really dangerous and they could not stop us.

“In the second half with ten men they did well, the intensity of our game went down a little bit in the second, but we played very well.”

Macnhester City fell behind after nine minutes against Swansea when Wilfried Bony scored an excellent goal.

It was created by Nathan Dyer who sent a ball over the top from the left taking out five City defenders and finding the unmarked Bony whose shot from close range beat Joe Hart.

After Jovetic pulled City level in the 19th minute with a close range goal, City took all three points when Toure thundered through and fired home the winner after 62 minutes.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini said he was happy with the way his team played but was frustrated that they could not find a third goal to win more easily.

“I was pleased with the pressure we put on them and we defended well. We had a difficult start because Swansea scored from the only chance they had in the first half.

“If you score the third goal — and we had plenty of chances to do it — you can play well and not be so tight, but the three points were so important.”

West Ham United, who started the day in fourth place on 18 points, slipped one place after losing 2-1 at Everton who made it seven matches without defeat in all competitions. Leon Osman scored the winner on his 400th appearance for the club.

Newcastle United moved into the Champions League qualifying places as they continued their remarkable revival after their poor start to the season which saw them bottom by mid-September.

They secured a sixth successive victory in all competitions with a 1-0 home win over Queens Park Rangers and moved up to fourth — at least until Arsenal play Manchester United in the day’s late game at the Emirates Stadium.

Manager Alan Pardew was delighted but said the gloss was taken off the result by a knee injury suffered by Ryan Taylor, who was making his first league start for 2-1/2 years after battling back from other knee problems.

“We are really sweating on the scan and we are hoping it’s not bad news because he does not deserve any more bad news,” he told Sky Sports television.

Moussa Sissoko scored the only goal after 78 minutes which sent QPR bottom as Burnley climbed off the foot of the table with a 2-1 win at Stoke City with two goals in two first half minutes from Danny Ings.

In the day’s other match Leicester City and Sunderland drew 0-0.

By Angelos Anastasiou

POLICE investigators doctored their report of a car accident in May 2013 in order to cover their own mistakes, documents obtained by the Sunday Mail suggest.

On May 11, 2013, Pakistani student Hafir Muhammad Musawar – or ‘Savvas’ as he has been going by, in that habit Cypriots have of turning hard-to-pronounce foreign names into vaguely similar Greek ones – was on his way back to Nicosia from Paphos.

He had just picked up a friend of his, who had arrived to Cyprus with his wife and baby, and was driving back home. It was about 5 pm and the rain was pouring down.

Near the Latsia weighing station, he crashed into a car parked in the middle lane of the motorway. It’s not clear whether he realised it was there before the crash – visibility was poor, to say the least. What he did see, however, was a police car parked on the hard shoulder, and a woman – later identified as the parked car’s driver – talking to the two officers in it.

Once he made sure everyone inside his car – friend, wife, baby – were not hurt, he got out to figure out what had happened. The woman, distraught and wet, approached him in tears.

“She seemed upset, which could be expected – but she seemed almost too upset, hysterical,” said Hafir.

“She kept crying and saying ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry’,” he recalled.

Her car had broken down right in the middle of the motorway, and she couldn’t get it started again. The crash wrecked Hafir’s car, and damaged hers badly.

“I couldn’t see the car, there was too much rain – and she hadn’t left her hazard lights on, nor that little triangle behind her car to warn other drivers,” Hafir said.

Shortly after the crash, a second police car arrived at the scene. Questions were asked, notes were taken, insurance agents showed up. Hafir and the woman were asked to go to the police station to give a statement.

Hafir realised something was amiss while giving his statement. The officers inside the first police car – parked on the hard shoulder when the accident happened – insisted that they arrived at the scene after the accident.

“No, you were there when the crash happened,” the hapless student corrected. “I saw you.”

One of the officers got loud.

“He shouted at me and told me he could have me arrested,” Hafir said.

A few days later, a police report of the accident made its way to Hafir’s car insurance agency. It was very poorly drafted, mixing up the car registration numbers and offering very little details of the accident’s circumstances. It did reveal, however, that the immobilised car’s owner had not paid the vehicle’s road tax, and was duly fined.

It also claimed that two officers in a police car, on their way to investigate another accident, passed by the scene “shortly after the accident” and were informed of what had happened by the female driver of the immobilised car.

Hafir’s insurance company wrote back to the police, asking them to clarify four points that were either described incorrectly or even omitted from the report.

The first point related to the mixed-up registration numbers, and police were asked to confirm who had been driving which car.

The second requested that the police describe the exact weather conditions at the time of the accident – the report said “rainy weather”, while Hafir had reported a “thunderstorm.”

The third related to the exact time of the policemen’s arrival at the scene – just prior, as Hafir said, or just after the accident, as the police report claimed.

Lastly, the letter asked the police to clarify whether the immobilised car had had its hazard lights on or the reflector triangle behind the car, as no mention of either was included in the report.

In October 2013, a second police report was prepared and forwarded to the insurers.

Although this time it got the registration numbers right, it was still poorly drafted – it claimed both that the immobilised car’s driver had been out of the car at the moment of impact, and that she had been wearing her seatbelt.

But it did address the insurance company’s four points. According to the new report, the weather conditions were, indeed, “heavy rainfall, slippery road, limited visibility,” and the police car that was parked on the motorway’s hard shoulder had arrived shortly before the accident.

And, it said, the immobilised car had had its hazard lights on at the time of the accident, a claim not found in the first police report.

This was a crucial addition, because it implied that Hafir was at fault for the crash as he had failed to see the car’s hazard lights and slow down timely. No insurance would pay for his wrecked car, given such circumstances.

“There were no hazard lights on,” Hafir said confidently.

But why would the police change their report to suit one driver – or insurance company – over another?

“They wouldn’t – at least I don’t think that’s what happened,” one insurance agent told the Sunday Mail.

“I think they were just looking out for themselves. Once they realised a car was stranded in the motorway, protocol would be to ensure the safety of oncoming traffic. They should have immediately parked the police car behind it and turned their blue lights on until they could get it out of the way.”

“They didn’t, and that’s why the first report said they got there after the accident, later changed to that they’d ‘just’ gotten there when the accident happened. That’s also why the hazard lights miraculously appeared in the second report.”

More than a year later, Hafir’s insurance company has yet to receive a claim for the parked car’s damage. It seems that even the woman whose car Hafir crashed into didn’t think his insurance should have paid to repair it.

Hafir has been advised to take to the courts with his case, but it seems unlikely he ever will. He is currently fighting on another front. After completing a bachelor’s and a masters’ degree in business administration, he wants to leave Cyprus – but his college won’t give him back his deposit to pay for his return fare, claiming that because he enrolled at a different college for his masters’ degree, he should be talking to them about it.

Hafir came to Cyprus in 2007 on advice from a friend of his back home, who told him it’s a great place to study in.

“I wouldn’t take his advice now,” Hafir said.

THE STUDY into the events that led to collapse of the banking sector, commissioned by the government and reported extensively by the New York Times, led to the inexorable conclusion that the main cause for the economy’s troubles was Laiki Bank. The bank, according to the study, was “insolvent before the haircut of the Greek government bonds” in October 2011, after which “it had little chance to survive.”

The authorities, nevertheless, tried everything they could to keep it afloat, drawing billions in Emergency Liquidity Assistance from the ECB by inflating the value of its assets used as collateral, nationalising it by injecting €1.8 billion the state did not have into it and furnishing the ECB with misleading figures about its future profitability after supposed restructuring. Fears that allowing it to fail would have caused a bank run and even bigger problems for the economy were not unjustified, even though the decision-makers should have given some consideration to the consequences of the reckless, save-it-at-all-costs policy they pursued.

Peculiarly, very little of what was contained in the study was mentioned in the findings of committee which President Anastasiades appointed to establish the causes of the economy’s collapse or in the much-trumpeted bank probe undertaken by the House watchdog committee. Perhaps this was because they did not have access to information such as the correspondence of the Central Bank or the minutes of the Council of Ministers’ meetings relating to the subject. But even without this information, it was pretty clear that criminal mismanagement of Laiki Bank, after it was taken over in 2006 by silver-tongued financier Andreas Vgenopoulos, who promised to build a ‘regional banking Colossus’, lay at the root of the problems that eventually led to the collapse.

Admittedly, Cyprus banks’ were far too big, had engaged in a reckless credit expansion, invested unwisely and were over-exposed in the sinking Greek economy, but it was Laiki that was by far in the biggest trouble. Within five years of taking it over, Vgenopoulos had made it insolvent, according to the study, using it to prop up his failing Greek bank Marfin Egnatia which was a subsidiary of Laiki. In March 2011 he merged the two, turning the struggling Egnatia into a branch of Laiki, thus lumbering the latter with the former’s growing liabilities. In April 2011, after the merger, the liquidity ratio of Laiki (or Marfin Popular as is it was called at the time) was 9.55%, half the minimum threshold of 20%, and by autumn it had fallen to just 4 per cent.

Will Vgenopoulos ever pay for the devastation his decisions visited upon Cyprus? Press reports indicate that the Attorney-General’s investigations, which are aimed at bringing to justice those responsible for the collapse of the economy, have been focusing on the former CEO of the Bank of Cyprus Andreas Eliades. Eliades may have made bad investment decisions and showed scant regard for corporate governance but he did not lead his bank to insolvency as Vgenopoulos had done, destroying businesses and wiping out people’s savings.

At present, it is unclear whether police investigators are trying to build a case against Vgenopoulos. So far, we have heard about the freezing of some of his assets – unclear how much – as a result of the lawsuits filed against him on behalf of the Laiki administrator, but there has still not been a hearing. Criminal charges that would lead to his extradition to Cyprus can be brought only by the Attorney-General, but it is increasingly looking like this is not on the cards. Despite the destruction he wreaked, Vgenopoulos has received an easy ride by the Cyprus authorities.

The former Governor Panicos Demetriades, in his brief to Alvarez and Marsal, for the investigation of the causes of the banking collapse, specifically instructed the company to look into decisions and actions by the Bank of Cyprus, while omitting to ask for similar treatment of Laiki. Now we hear that the Attorney-General’s investigators are focusing all their efforts on getting Eliades, but not the main culprit – Vgenopoulos – of the collapse. But none of our politicians who have been demanding that those responsible be brought before justice, have said anything about the treatment of Vgenopoulos.

Is our political establishment afraid of taking on the main culprit in the collapse and is looking for someone else to carry the can? He donated millions of euro to political parties – DISY and AKEL, as we know, received more than a million in total – which may be the reason our usually loud politicians are keeping quiet. There are also suggestions that the Greece’s ruling New Democracy party, which also benefited from Vgenopoulos’ largesse, had requested that Cypriot authorities to try to spare him.

This would be scandalous if it happens because, the prima facie evidence for a case against him could not be stronger.

By Angelos Anastasiou

TURKISH Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday that hydrocarbons could not be used as a weapon by anyone, adding that if Greek Cypriots unilaterally continued to claim Cyprus’ natural resources for themselves, Turkey would reciprocate on behalf of the Turkish Cypriots.

Addressing the Atlantic Council summit in Istanbul, the Turkish Premier said there must be a settlement immediately, arguing that if negotiations stall the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots should form a joint committee to manage Cyprus’ natural gas reserves.

“In Cyprus, if everyone agrees that natural resources around the island belong to the entire island and use these resources in a shared vision towards peace, everyone stands to gain,” he said.

“If [the Greek Cypriots] are seeking to offer these resources, to which Turkish Cypriots also have a right, to international markets unilaterally, then by the same right we will conduct research in the same area along with the Turkish Cypriots,” he added.

Davutoglu said that if the two sides sit together and negotiate with a will to reunite the island as soon as possible, Cyprus would become a country on the rise.

“In such a case, the happiest of countries will be Turkey,” he said.

He called for the immediate return to the negotiations, which were interrupted last month when President Nicos Anastasiades withdrew in protest when the Turkish seismic vessel’s Barbaros began conducting exploratory research in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

“The Greek Cypriots can’t claim that the Eastern Mediterranean is an area closed to Turks and Turkish Cypriots and conduct research wherever they want,” he asserted.

This doesn’t happen in politics, nor in matters of international energy reserves, he added.

He argued that Turkey is the easiest destination for the natural gas to be unearthed from the areas around Cyprus.

“Turkey is also the international market easiest to open,” he said.

“Therefore, no one should use energy as a weapon. If [the Greek Cypriots] were to say that they will impose the peace they want on the other side through control of the gas, then that will be the greatest blow to the Cyprus problem negotiations. Let us use energy as a tool for peace.”

Remarking on the transport of water from Turkey to Cyprus, Davutoglu said that Turkey’s plan was to share it with Greek Cypriots.

“But while we were thinking of sharing our water with the whole island, one side can’t claim the natural resources, which belong to the whole island, for itself,” he said.

He added that in the coming days he would be visiting Athens “to share these prospects with the Greek government.”

In his speech, US Vice President Joe Biden said Eastern Mediterranean countries should cooperate, and energy offers a tool for promoting regional stability, security and prosperity, citing the example of Baltic countries to illustrate the potential gains for the region.

According to Eric Gehman, Assistant Director for Publications and Communications at the Atlantic Council , Biden stressed the need for Europe to prioritise energy security with the help of their allies and friends. “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin uses energy as a weapon,” he said, to undermine the security of neighbouring countries.

Only by diversifying supplies and improving transport networks across the country could Europe curb Russia’s abuses, said Biden. “Now, now, now is the time to act… What’s happening in Ukraine only serves to underscore this.”

Biden pointed to the eastern Mediterranean as a critical strategic resource for bolstering Europe’s energy security. The development of the Southern Corridor and new projects in Turkey and Cyprus could make the region into a key hub for European energy markets that Biden called a “major asset.”

Biden credited the Baltics for the work they have already done to reduce their dependence on Russian oil, praising a new Lithuanian gas interconnector aptly named “The Independence.” He called the Baltics’ efforts a model for the rest of Europe.

Biden concluded his remarks by pressing the European Commission to act quickly to identify and support key infrastructure projects that will accelerate European energy independence. “Energy can and should serve as a tool for cooperation, for stability, for security, and prosperity,” he said.

The Cyprus problem was also on the agenda of a meeting Biden had on Friday with Davutoglu.
“Vice President Joe Biden met with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to discuss the fight against ISIL in Iraq and Syria, the Cyprus settlement talks, and energy security,” the US State Department said in a statement.  Biden was expected to meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan later yesterday within whom he would also discuss Cyprus.

Meanwhile Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said the Barbaros would like complete its surveys by the beginning of next month. Turkey had issued a NAVTEX for surveys from October 20 to December 30. Yildiz said the Barbaros had a planned survey area of 2,700 kilometres. “If the weather is good, it will finish by early December,” he was quoted as saying.

A subdued and sombre Arsene Wenger was left to rue Arsenal’s lack of efficiency after his team lost 2-1 at home to Manchester United on Saturday in a game they dominated.

The hosts took advantage of a makeshift United defence to pour forward in the first half and only the excellence of visiting goalkeeper David de Gea prevented the London side from being well ahead at halftime.

But the lack of ruthlessness and the naivety which has plagued Arsenal in recent years cost them dear at the Emirates Stadium again as a second half own goal by Kieran Gibbs and Wayne Rooney’s breakaway finish gave United the points.

“We have not dominated many games against United like we did today but we were not efficient enough and made defensive mistakes,” Wenger told a news conference.

“We had plenty of opportunities to win the game and we are very disappointed. We were a bit naive.”

Wenger’s misery was compounded by injuries to midfielder Jack Wilshere and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who were both forced off in the second half.

“Jack has an ankle injury,” Wenger said. “I don’t know how bad it is yet. Wojciech is not bad.”

As the home fans streamed out of the stadium straight after Rooney’s goal, isolated shouts of “Wenger out!” could be heard in the north London gloom.

Having thrown away a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Anderlecht in the Champions League, and conceded two late goals to lose 2-1 at Swansea City in their last league game, the Arsenal faithful are beginning to question Wenger’s methods once again.

They have slipped to eighth in the table, 15 points behind leaders Chelsea, and are already out of contention to win the title for the first time since 2004.

They host Group D leaders Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday and Wenger needs a strong performance to lift morale.

“We have to be patient but there were a lot of positives today,” Wenger said quietly, his body language suggesting a manager under pressure after 18 years in charge of his club.

Newly elected vice chairman of the Bank of Cyprus and chairman and CEO of WL Ross & Co, Wilbur Ross has cited difficulty in finding “extreme value in the mainstream markets” as a reason behind his decision to invest in the Bank of Cyprus.

“We`re finding it very difficult to find extreme value in the mainstream markets,” Ross told CNBC on Friday, adding “we`ve moved into Greece, into Euro Bank, and now into Bank of Cyprus. That`s going pretty far out on the periphery”.

The Bank of Cyprus Annual General Meeting elected last Thursday a new Board of Directors, following a recent €1.0 billion capital raise, the biggest foreign direct investment in the island`s history.

The bank has been recapitalised with depositor money, as part of a €10 billion bailout Cyprus received from the EU/IMF, under which 47.5% of uninsured deposits over €100,000 have been converted to shares.

According to CNBC, despite the seemingly unstoppable US stock market, in the same interview Ross advised individuals to be cautious.

“Think about it, we`ve had all-time highs repeatedly during this year,” Ross said. “The obvious corollary of that is there are fewer and fewer really inexpensive things.”

He also said that China`s rate cut was a “positive development”, describing the move as a possible early signal of quantitative easing. “I think they need that”.

CNA

An outbreak of the plague has killed 40 people out of 119 confirmed cases in Madagascar since late August and there is a risk of the disease spreading rapidly in the capital, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

So far two cases and one death have been recorded in the capital Antananarivo but those figures could climb quickly due to “the city’s high population density and the weakness of the healthcare system”, the WHO warned.

“The situation is further complicated by the high level of resistance to deltamethrin (an insecticide used to control fleas) that has been observed in the country,” it added.

Plague, a bacterial disease, is mainly spread from one rodent to another by fleas. Humans bitten by an infected flea usually develop a bubonic form of plague, which swells the lymph node and can be treated with antibiotics, the WHO said.

If the bacteria reach the lungs, the patient develops pneumonia (pneumonic plague), which is transmissible from person to person through infected droplets spread by coughing. It is “one of the most deadly infectious diseases” and can kill people within 24 hours. Two percent of the cases reported in Madagascar so far have been pneumonic, it added.

The first known case of the plague was a man from Soamahatamana village in the district of Tsiroanomandidy, identified on Aug. 31. He died on Sept. 3 and authorities notified the WHO of the outbreak on Nov. 4, the agency said.

The WHO said it did not recommend any trade or travel restrictions based on the information available about the outbreak.

The last previously known outbreak of the plague was in Peru in August 2010, according to the WHO.

More than 25 people, mostly fishermen, have been shot dead in a remote community in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, the heartland of Islamist group Boko Haram, police and witnesses said on Sunday.

On Saturday suspected Boko Haram insurgents entered Doron Baga, north of Maiduguri, the Borno capital, and fired from motorcycles. A police source said more than 25 people had been killed.

One person put the death toll higher.

“Boko Haram members laid ambush for traders who came to buy fish in Doron Baga … they killed more than 40 of them and carted away the fishes some them had bought,” a resident in Maiduguri, Mallam Ali Jatu, told Reuters.

Luka Musa, another Maiduguri resident, said most of those killed were displaced people from Gwoza, a hill town near the frontier with Cameroon seized by Boko Haram in August.

Doron Baga has been attacked by Boko Haram in the past.

Saturday’s attack was not immediately reported due to poor communications. It follows one on Wednesday when 45 people were killed in the same state as reprisal for the killing of four Boko Haram members.

By Alan Baldwin

A tearful Lewis Hamilton joined the elite ranks of double Formula One world champions on Sunday after a nerve-racking drive to victory in the floodlit season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

In a race overshadowed by the ever-present spectre of mechanical failure after the Briton’s Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg suffered an early loss of power, Hamilton powered to his 11th win in 19 races.

The 29-year-old, who took his first title with McLaren in 2008, became Britain’s first multiple champion since Jackie Stewart in 1971 and only the country’s fourth.

“Lewis, thank you very much for not letting the British public down,” Britain’s Prince Harry told him over the radio from the pit wall as the chequered flag came down. “You are an absolute legend.”

Hamilton, crying on the podium as the anthem sounded and with his voice cracking in later interviews, performed a slowing down lap with the British flag fluttering from the cockpit and the words ‘Hammer Time’ written on it.

“World champion. Oh my God, I can’t believe it, thanks everyone,” he had shouted over the radio before parking up and embracing his father, pop star girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger and family.

The victory was a record 16th of the season for Mercedes, who had already collected the constructors’ crown, and for the first time the winner took 50 points in an unprecedented and controversial double points finale.

“This has been just an incredible year. I can’t believe how amazing,” said Hamilton.

“This is the greatest moment in my life. It feels very surreal.

“(Winning in) 2008 was special but the feeling I have now is above and beyond. It’s the greatest feeling I’ve ever had. Thanks so much everyone.”

Rosberg finished 14th after starting on pole position and 17 points adrift, the much-vaunted ‘duel in the desert’ becoming a nightmare after dark for the German son of Finland’s 1982 champion Keke.

LOSING BRAKES

He had suffered problems from the 25th of 55 laps, then complained about losing brakes as he fell down the order, still hoping against hope that a similar misfortune might befall Hamilton and revive his chances.

When the team asked him to pit and retire with only a handful of laps to go, Rosberg asked to stay out so he could at least end the season on track.

“Sorry it didn’t work out but you drove like a champion,” said Mercedes technical head Paddy Lowe. “We come back next year to have another go.”

Rosberg, who gallantly shook Hamilton’s hand afterwards, did not need to tell anyone that he was disappointed but he said it anyway.

“All in all, Lewis deserved to win the championship. What happened to me had no impact, it did not change anything so there is no point focusing on that,” he said.

“He did just a little bit better than me. The positive is I’ve been the better qualifier over the last two years and that gives me a good base. I came very close and it is a pity it did not work out.”

Brazilian Felipe Massa finished second for Williams in the race, after looking like he could win it, with Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas third.

“Not bad for an old man,” said a delighted Massa after his best result since 2012, when he was at Ferrari.

Behind them, Australian Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth for Red Bull with Hamilton’s former McLaren team mate Jenson Button fifth in what may have been his last race in Formula One.

Force India duo Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez were sixth and seventh while outgoing four-times champion Sebastian Vettel was eighth in his last race for Red Bull before moving to Ferrari.

The man he will replace at the Italian team, double world champion Fernando Alonso, was ninth and ahead of Finnish team mate Kimi Raikkonen.

Driver and constructor standings after the final Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday
Drivers Points
1. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 384
2. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 317
3. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Red Bull 238
4. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Williams 186
5. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull 167
6. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari 161
7. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Williams 134
8. Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 126
9. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Force India 96
10. Sergio Perez (Mexico) Force India 59
11. Kevin Magnussen (Denmark) McLaren 55
12. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 55
13. Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Toro Rosso 22
14. Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus 8
15. Daniil Kvyat (Russia) Toro Rosso 8
16. Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Lotus 2
17. Jules Bianchi (France) Marussia 2
18. Adrian Sutil (Germany) Sauber 0
19. Marcus Ericsson (Sweden) Caterham 0
20. Esteban Gutierrez (Mexico) Sauber 0
21. Max Chilton (Britain) Marussia 0
22. Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) Caterham 0
23. Will Stevens (Britain) Caterham 0
Constructors Points
1. Mercedes 701
2. RedBull – Renault 405
3. Williams-Mercedes 320
4. Ferrari 216
5. McLaren 181
6. Force India – Mercedes 155
7. Toro Rosso – Renault 30
8. Lotus – Renault 10
9. Marussia – Ferrari 2
10. Sauber – Ferrari 0
11. Caterham – Renault 0

By Samiullah Paiwand

A suicide bomber killed 45 people at a volleyball match in Afghanistan on Sunday, a provincial official said, as foreign troops withdraw from the country after more than a decade of fighting.

Mukhles Afghan, spokesman for the governor of Paktika province, said at least 50 more were wounded in the attack in Yahya Khel district, where residents had gathered to watch a tournament final.

He said most of the casualties were civilians.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack, in which provincial spokesman Afghan said the bomber walked into the crowd of spectators and detonated his explosive vest.

“Sadly we have 45 people killed and around 50 others wounded in this suicide attack,” the spokesman said.

Casualties were high because the crowd was so dense, since many people had come from nearby districts to cheer on their team. No other details were immediately available because of the remoteness of the location.

The Taliban and other jihadist militants have unleashed waves of suicide attacks and assassinations in Afghanistan this year, as foreign forces pull out after 13 years of war.

About 12,000 international troops will remain in Afghanistan next year to train and support Afghanistan’s security forces.

Paktika was the site of one of this year’s deadliest attacks on civilians in July, when 89 people were killed by a bomb in a crowded market.

The province has an active Afghan Taliban insurgent presence and lies along the porous border with Pakistan’s lawless North Waziristan region, used as a base by both the Haqqani militant network and the Pakistani branch of the Taliban.

The Pakistani army for months has been waging an offensive against militants in North Waziristan, driving many refugees and militant fighters across the border into Afghanistan.

This year has been one of the bloodiest years of the war for Afghan civilians, according to the United Nations, which recorded nearly 5,000 deaths and injuries of civilians in the first half of the year.

About three-quarters of those were blamed on the Taliban and its allies.

By Mike Collett

Crystal Palace heaped more misery on Liverpool when they came from behind to win 3-1 in the Premier League on Sunday, six months after effectively ending the northern club’s title hopes when they drew 3-3.

Palace’s home victory, with goals from Dwight Gayle, Joe Ledley and a superb curling free kick from Mile Jedinak, condemned Liverpool to a third successive league defeat after Rickie Lambert scored his first goal for the club to put them ahead in the second minute.

Gayle equalised after 17 minutes when Yannick Bolasie’s shot rebounded back to him off a post.

Ledley made it 2-1 from close range after 78 minutes when he shot through goalkeeper Simon Mignolet’s legs and Palace skipper Jedinak sealed the points, meaning Liverpool have won two of their last nine league matches.

The win ended a run of five league matches without a victory for Palace and lifted them to 12 points as they moved out of the bottom three and into 15th place, two points behind Liverpool who slipped to 12th on 14.

Liverpool led Palace 3-0 in May and were on course to win their first league title since 1990 but the hosts scored three late goals to earn a draw, a result that effectively handed Manchester City the title.

Jedinak told Sky Sports: “We didn’t help ourselves by conceding so early on, but the reaction from the boys after that was first class. We kept it tight at the back after the goal … we are ecstatic.”

Bolasie, whose DR Congo team qualified for the African Nations Cup finals in the week, added: “It has been one of the best weeks of my life. Qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations, scoring two goals in that, and setting one up today. I did well against Liverpool last year and had a good feeling today.”

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who made more than 700 appearances for the club during a 16-year career, was scathing about Liverpool.

“This is more than just a poor start, there is something wrong. It’s not right, they are getting bullied out of games,” he said on Sky Sports.

“When they came here last season we said they were mentally and physically weak. Same again now, nothing has changed.

“They are still mentally weak. There is no leadership on the pitch.”

Liverpool started well and were ahead after only 90 seconds when Lambert, who joined his hometown club from Southampton in the close season, collected a cross from his former Saints team mate Adam Lallana to score his first Reds goal.

But Palace were soon level when Gayle, who scored twice in the 3-3 draw in May, was on target again and from that point on Palace largely dominated the match and were the deserved winners.

In the late Sunday game Tottenham Hotspurs came back from behind to defeat ten man Hull City by two goals to one.

Spurs needed a 90th minute goal from Christian Eriksen to win at Hull, who took the lead through former Spurs midfielder Jake Livermore after nine minutes but lost their way after Gaston Ramires was sent off after 50 minutes.

Spurs dominated from then on, equalising through Harry Kane after 61 minutes when he was first to react after an Eriksen free kick rebounded back off a post, before the Dane scored the winner in the dying minutes.