By Lisa Richwine and Nichola Groom

The dark comedy “Birdman” held up a mirror to Hollywood and its struggling actors and in return received the film industry’s highest recognition on Sunday, the Academy Award for best picture.

Director Alejandro G. Inarritu’s story of a washed-up, former superhero actor attempting an improbable comeback on Broadway won four Oscars in its nine nominations, including best director, the second consecutive win in that category for a Mexican filmmaker.

Acclaimed for looking like one continuous shot through a Broadway theater and mixing reality with fantasy, the movie, Inarritu said, came from learning to be fearless in filmmaking.

“Fear is the condom of life. It doesn’t allow you to enjoy things,” Inarritu said backstage at the 87th Academy Awards.

The reward for the Fox Searchlight satire hews to an Academy tradition of awarding films that honor the entertainment industry, such as “Argo” and “The Artist” in recent years.

Britain’s Eddie Redmayne won best actor with his painstaking portrayal of physicist Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything”, robbing “Birdman” lead and former superhero actor Michael Keaton of a big comeback moment.

Each of the eight best picture nominees went home with at least one award, but it was a disappointing night for “Boyhood,” Richard Linklater’s unprecedented 12-year endeavor to depict the simple story of a boy growing up, using the same actors. It won one Oscar out of its six nods.

Wes Anderson’s colorful caper, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” proved popular among the 6,100 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who vote for the Oscars, winning four awards on its nine nominations.

“Whiplash,” the independent film about an aspiring jazz drummer and his tough mentor from young director Damien Chazelle, won three Oscars.

The only box office blockbuster among the eight, the Iraq war drama “American Sniper” from director Clint Eastwood, also fell short with one win.

It was a night in which the controversy over the lack of diversity among this year’s nominees was front and center. First-time host Neil Patrick Harris opened the telecast with a quip: “Tonight we honor Hollywood’s best and whitest, sorry brightest.”

But the race theme resonated in a more serious way too, when Common and John Legend got a standing ovation and made many in the audience cry with their performance of “Glory” from the 1960s civil rights drama “Selma.”

It won best song, delivering the sole victory to “Selma,” the film at the center of the diversity debate sparked by the exclusion of actors of color from the four acting categories. The nominations prompted a backlash on Twitter with the hashtag “#OscarsSoWhite.

“‘Selma’ is now, because the struggle for justice is right now,” said Legend in the aftermath of recent racially charged protests in America.

ACTRESSES MOORE, ARQUETTE PREVAIL

All four acting award winners celebrated their first Oscars.

Redmayne, who won critical acclaim for his depiction of the various stages of disability endured by Hawking, who suffers from the motor neuron disease known as ALS.

“I am fully aware that I am a lucky, lucky man,” Redmayne said. “This Oscar belongs to all of those people around the world battling ALS.”

Five-time nominee Julianne Moore won best actress, also for her portrayal of an illness, as a middle-aged woman suffering Alzheimer’s in “Still Alice.”

“I read an article that said that winning an Oscar could lead to living five years longer,” said the 54-year-old Moore. “If that’s true, I’d really like to thank the Academy because my husband is younger than me.”

Patricia Arquette won best supporting actress for her role as a struggling single mother in “Boyhood” and made an appeal for equal pay and rights for women in America in her acceptance speech.

J.K. Simmons, after decades as a character actor, won the best supporting actor as a monstrous music teacher in “Whiplash”.

For the biggest televised event outside the sports world, the Academy aimed to attract young viewers who may not care much about the films but who could tune in for the musical acts.

A bridge between the young and old, pop diva Lady Gaga received a standing ovation for her medley of tunes from “The Sound of Music” before introducing that film’s star, Julie Andrews.

Harris got laughs with his brave appearance in white underwear, a spoof of Keaton’s opening scene in “Birdman.” But some of his jokes fell flat and his debut got mixed reviews.

Ratings for the ABC telecast might also suffer because the show ran past midnight on the U.S. East Coast.

Poland’s “Ida” clinched best foreign-language film, and director Pawel Pawlikowski pushed the 45-second acceptance speech boundary to thank “my Polish friends who are in front of the TV, the crew who were in the trenches with us and who are totally drunk now, and you were fantastic.”

Best documentary went to “Citizenfour,” director Laura Poitras’ feature about National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, the former government contractor who detailed the secret mass surveillance programs.

“The subject of ‘Citizenfour,’ Edward Snowden, could not be here for some treason,” joked Harris.

Following is a list of winners in leading categories.

BEST PICTURE
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”

BEST ACTOR
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”

BEST ACTRESS
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”

BEST DIRECTOR
Alejandro G. Inarritu, “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of
Ignorance)”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Graham Moore, “The Imitation Game”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Alejandro G. Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris
Jr., Armando Bo, “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of
Ignorance)”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Ida” (Poland)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
“Big Hero 6″

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“CitizenFour”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Glory,” from “Selma”

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Milena Canonero, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of
Ignorance)”

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Interstellar”

By Iacovos Constantinou

A last gasp header by Nuno Morais gave APOEL the three points against Apollon in the top of the table clash at the GSP stadium.

The league’s meanest defence came out winners against the most productive attack of the league but APOEL did ride their luck in the last twenty minutes of the game when they were reduced to ten men following the sending off of Brazilian Kaka for hauling down Apollon’s Guie when clean through.

As expected the Limassol team showed little ambition to venture forward as a draw would have maintained their three point cushion.

On the other hand APOEL pressed high up the field and were in control till the sending off. They did manage to carve a few openings with their biggest chance coming in the 37th minute when De Vincenti’s goal bound effort ricocheted off Andrande and then onto the post for a corner.

However all this changed when Kaka was dismissed. With a numerical advantage Apollon’s coach threw caution to the wind, strengthened his forward line and went for the final kill.

Guyie wasted at least three excellent goalscoring opportunities with the home side’s defence in total disarray.

With seconds on the clock the Apollon defence were caught napping allowing Djebbour to burst practically unchallenged into the box and cross for Nuno Morais to head into an empty net.

A depleted Omonia booked their top six finish with a convincing 1-0 win against AEL while Anorthosis overcame a stubborn Doxa by the same scoreline.

AEK thumped five past Ethnikos Achnas while Ermis Aradippou defeated Nea Salamina by 3-1. In the relegation battle Ayia Napa collected three very important points as they beat fellow strugglers Othellos with a sixty two minute Curjric penalty.

4.500 fans turned up to watch the game, an impressive number considering that only women, children and retirees were allowed to attend

Germany’s 7-1 drubbing of Brazil in the soccer World Cup last summer was uncomfortable to watch, even for jubilant Germans whose cheers turned to sheepish smiles as the goals piled up.

The bailout extension deal that Germany and its European partners clinched with Greece on Friday after weeks of public jousting between the countries had a similar feel.

In the end, it looked like a total triumph for the Germans, who forced Alexis Tsipras, Greece’s new leftist prime minister, to swallow virtually all of their demands.

But it was not a feel-good victory, nor one that bodes well for a single currency bloc struggling to emerge from a half-decade of financial and economic crisis, and increasingly threatened by populist political forces on the right and left.

Tsipras and his Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, a charismatic economist with a passion for Karl Marx and flair for rhetoric, clearly overplayed their hands.

Their pledge to roll back German-ordered austerity and keep Greece in the euro always looked unrealistic.

One of those promises would have to go, and with a solid majority of Greeks keen to stay in the currency bloc, it should have been clear which would crumble.

Still, it is hard to avoid the sense that Germany also may have gone too far.

Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble’s public rejection of a Greek proposal surprised euro zone partners as well as cabinet colleagues in Berlin, including Chancellor Angela Merkel.

It was not Schaeuble’s objections to the draft which were problematic, but his decision to go public at such a sensitive point rather than do so behind closed doors.

That meant the Greeks could not climb down without a near-total loss of face. On Friday, once they had buckled, Schaeuble rubbed it in again, saying: “The Greeks will certainly have a difficult time explaining this deal to their voters.”

Tsipras tried to spin the deal as a victory, describing it to Greeks in an address to the nation as a step towards leaving behind austerity, the bailouts and the dreaded troika — the European and IMF officials who monitor Greek reform progress.

“We won a battle, not the war,” Tsipras said.

BEATEN AND BEWILDERED
In truth, like the Brazilian soccer team last summer, the Greeks emerged beaten and bewildered from their tussle with Germany.

Marcel Fratzscher, a leading German economist, said this was neither a good outcome for Greece nor for Germany and Europe. In soccer terms, a 3-1 victory would have been better for all involved.

“The Greek government will only be able to tackle difficult reforms in the coming months if it saves face and its credibility,” wrote Fratzscher in German weekly Die Zeit.

Syriza’s far-left radical wing has so far been silent on the concessions Tsipras swallowed to reach a deal. But that could change, threatening the cohesion of an unwieldy coalition government.

“What will be crucial in the next four months is whether Greeks develop the sense that it’s their government that has the upper hand in policymaking or whether it is the foreign institutions that are ordering it around,” said Costas Panagopoulos, of Greek polling group Alco.

Tsipras was right that the deal was just one of the many battles his government must fight in the months ahead.

On Monday, it must submit a list of planned reforms, which require approval by the troika before national parliaments can vote on new loans to Athens.

At the end of April, the troika will rule on whether the government has implemented the reforms and whether Athens receives the last of its aid tranche.

In June, the extended second bailout programme expires, giving Greece and Tsipras a chance to go it alone. But with billions of euros in bond repayments due this summer, a third bailout programme, with new budget and reform conditions, cannot be ruled out.

Deeply strained ties between Athens and Berlin will not make these negotiations easy.

“GREXIDENT”
According to some officials in Brussels, the relationship between Schaeuble and Varoufakis may be beyond repair after the Greek minister’s suggestion at a joint news conference this month that German austerity policies were leading to the rise of Nazis in Greece.

Officials in Berlin deny Schaeuble was bothered by those comments or by a Nazi caricature of him that appeared in a newspaper close to the ruling Syriza party.

But they acknowledge a complete breakdown in trust.

“It will be difficult to build this up again,” said one official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

“Schaeuble believes if a country doesn’t respect the rules we are better off without them,” the official added. “We can’t have a situation where we are constantly having to spend our time on a country that makes up 2 percent of the bloc’s GDP.”

Schaeuble’s stance was praised in conservative German media.

“Finally someone has said no to the bankrupt Greeks,” read a headline in Germany’s top-selling Bild newspaper on Friday. “Germany says thank you, Wolfgang Schaeuble!”

But it is likely to add to fears of what sociologist Ulrich Beck has called a “German Europe”, in which a reluctant Berlin wields an economic rule book to assert its influence over its partners.

Schaeuble’s handling of the crisis has also raised questions, notably among Social Democrats in the ruling coalition, about how much Merkel, who has been devoting huge amounts of her time to the Ukraine crisis, can afford to delegate an issue as sensitive as Greece.

Their fear is that more clashes could lead to what some are calling a “Grexident” — accidental Greek exit from the euro sparked by inflammatory rhetoric that shakes financial markets and triggers a run on Greek banks.

“We may have come very close to this scenario last week,” the German official said.

By John Mehaffey

England captain Eoin Morgan finally found something to celebrate on Monday after a harrowing week for his team and himself.
Morgan had barely been able to scrape a run together during two crushing defeats to Australia and New Zealand and his future, as well as that of coach Peter Moores and managing director Paul Downton, has been openly questioned in the British media.

On Monday the selectors opted to stick with the side who were overwhelmed by New Zealand in Wellington on Friday while Morgan finally got some runs with 46 from 42 balls which helped his side past the 300 mark.

England then dismissed Scotland for 184 and their winning margin of 119 was their highest, by runs, at a World Cup since they defeated East Africa by 196 runs in the inaugural 1975 tournament.

“I don’t think there’s ever a state of panic,” Morgan told a news conference. “Obviously two hard games, and the fact we didn’t perform was the most disappointing, but a win just puts things a little more at ease, and it gives guys a little bit of confidence, even the guys who didn’t perform today.”

Morgan said it had been nice to spend some time at the wicket and to get some runs.
“But again, the bounce here was a little bit different, and the wicket slowed up a lot, so it took a little bit of time to get the pace of it,” he said. “It was difficult to rotate strike in the middle of the powerplay, as well. It’s not easy to come in and bang it from ball one, so it was a bit more of a calculated and reserved innings today.”

The England captain said he would still like more consistency from his team before they meet Sri Lanka in Wellington on March 1.
“I think just a little bit more consistency in what we do.” he said. “Just being ruthless and simple, very simple in the way we approach things.”

By Pavel Polityuk and Anton Zverev

Kiev accused pro-Russian rebels of opening fire with rockets and artillery at villages in southeastern Ukraine on Monday, all but burying a week-old European-brokered ceasefire deal.

The Ukrainian military said it could not pull weapons from the front as required under the tenuous truce, as long as its troops were still under attack.

The Ukrainian currency, nearly in freefall this month, fell a further 10 percent on Monday on fears that the truce could collapse. The central bank said it would impose import curbs to sustain the hryvnia. The value of Ukrainian debt also fell, with bonds now trading at 40 cents on the dollar.

The reported shooting came closer to killing off the truce, intended to end fighting that has killed more than 5,600 people, which rebels ignored last week to capture the strategic town of Debaltseve in a punishing defeat for Kiev.

Western countries still hope the truce can be salvaged if the rebels halt having achieved that objective. But Germany, whose Chancellor Angela Merkel was the driving force behind the peace deal, said in unusually strong terms that it was now clear that the ceasefire was not being implemented.

Kiev says it fears the rebels, backed by reinforcements of Russian troops, are planning to advance deeper into territory the Kremlin calls “New Russia”. Moscow denies aiding the rebels.

Fighting has diminished since Kiev’s forces abandoned Debaltseve in defeat last Wednesday, and there were hopeful signs for the truce over the weekend, with an overnight exchange of around 200 prisoners late on Saturday and an agreement on Sunday to begin pulling back artillery from the front.

But Kiev said on Monday that two of its soldiers had been killed and 10 wounded in overnight fighting, and it could not start the artillery withdrawal if its troops were under attack.

“Given that the positions of Ukrainian servicemen continue to be shelled, there cannot yet be any talk of pulling back weapons,” spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov said.

Dmytro Chaly, spokesman for the Ukrainian military in the port of Mariupol which Kiev fears will be the next target, said rebels opened fire in the afternoon with Grad rockets, artillery and tanks on villages nearby.

Anatoly Stelmakh, another military spokesman, said rebel forces had attacked the village of Shyrokyne overnight.

“The fighters have not stopped their attempts to storm our positions in Shyrokyne, in the direction of Mariupol. At midnight armed groups again attempted unsuccessfully to attack our soldiers. The battle lasted half an hour.”

Rebel commander Eduard Basurin denied rebel fighters had launched any such attack, and said the situation was calm. “At the moment all is quiet, there is no shelling,” he told Reuters.

The ceasefire was negotiated at all-night talks on Feb. 12 between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the leaders of Germany and France.

Ukraine, which is near bankruptcy and is dependent on a bailout from the IMF, will have trouble winning the confidence of international lenders unless the fighting stops.

If the ceasefire is recognised to be a failure, there will be strong pressure for tighter economic sanctions from Europe, and possibly for Washington to send weapons to aid Kiev.

NOT SATISFACTORY

“When you look at the situation as a whole since leaders met in Minsk, it is clear the implementation of the measures is not satisfactory,” German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said. “What is decisive is a comprehensive ceasefire. It is worrying for the German government that we haven’t seen anything like this yet.”

In the biggest rebel stronghold Donetsk, occasional artillery fire could be heard through the night and on Monday morning, although it was not clear who was firing and it was far less intense than before the truce.

The separatist press service DAN reported two homes destroyed by shelling on the city’s outskirts overnight.

Nearly a million people have been driven from their homes by the war between pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine and government forces.

Last week’s ceasefire was reached after the rebels abandoned a previous truce to launch their advance, arguing that previous battle lines had left their civilians vulnerable to government shelling.

“I hope, I just hope, in the truce. No one knows what will happen with the way the sides are behaving,” said Donetsk resident Sergei, 52.

Kiev says the rebels are reinforcing near Mariupol for a possible assault on the port, the biggest city in the two rebellious provinces still in government hands. Defence analyst Dmytro Tymchuk, who has close ties to the military, said rebels had brought 350 fighters and 20 armoured vehicles including six tanks to the area.

Kiev also fears unrest could spread to other parts of the mainly Russian-speaking east, where its troops are firmly in control and most residents are loyal but violent separatist demonstrations have occasionally flared in the past year.

Two people were killed on Sunday in Kharkiv, 200 km (125 miles) from the war zone, in a blast at a demonstration honouring the deaths of 100 protesters a year ago in an uprising that toppled the country’s pro-Moscow leader. Kiev said it had arrested four suspects who had received weapons and instructions in Russia.

An 18-month-old boy who was not vaccinated against measles has died of the virus in Berlin, health officials said on Monday, adding they would try to boost vaccination rates and increase checks on children’s status.

The German capital has seen about 600 cases of measles since an outbreak began last October, and the boy’s death reignited a debate about whether to make vaccination compulsory. It is not in Germany and some parents choose not to vaccinate their children due to fears about potential side effects.

More than 150 people across the United States have been diagnosed with measles, many linked to an outbreak authorities believe began when an infected international traveller visited Disneyland in late December.

“We take the current situation very seriously,” said a spokeswoman for the German health ministry, which she said would increase advice available to parents of young children and step up checks on their vaccination status.

“If that doesn’t help, then we will have to discuss other measures,” she added, without giving further details.

German Health Minister Hermann Groehe said over the weekend “the irrational scaremongering by some of those against vaccinations is irresponsible. Whoever denies their child a vaccination is not only putting their child at risk but also others, and this can lead to serious health problems.”

Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 after decades of intensive vaccine efforts. But in 2014, the country had its highest number of cases in two decades.

Some Americans object to vaccination on religious grounds, a view rarely heard in Germany.

Most people recover from measles within a few weeks, although it can be fatal in some cases.

By Serajul Quadir

At least 70 people died when a ferry carrying 150 passengers and crew capsized after colliding with a trawler on a river in central Bangladesh, police said on Monday.

Rescuers managed to save at least 50 passengers, regional police official Harun-ur Rashid told Reuters.

Low-lying Bangladesh, with extensive inland waterways and slack safety standards, suffers regular ferry disasters, with death tolls sometimes running into the hundreds.

More than half the bodies retrieved from the river Padma were women and children, Harun said, adding that rescue attempts had now ended.

He said 27 of the bodies were recovered from inside the ferry. Another 43 bodies were pulled from the water earlier on Sunday.

Police have seized the trawler and arrested the captain and his two crew, Harun said.

The ferry had been heading to Paturia from Daulatdia in Rajbari, about 135 km (85 miles) west of the capital Dhaka.

Shajahan Khan, the shipping minister, told reporters at the scene that an investigation had been launched.

A similar accident on Feb. 13 killed at least seven passengers in southern Bangladesh.

Police seized 14 motorcycles and three cars on Sunday during a crackdown on street racing.

Police said the operation in Prodromou Avenue in Nicosia netted 14 motorcycles and three cars while numerous individuals were booked for various traffic offences.

The force also reported 151 drivers for drink driving over the bank holiday weekend, from 2,042 who were tested.

Dozens more were booked for other traffic violations such as speeding and failure to wear seatbelts.

Police also carried out random checks on 558 vehicles and 788 individuals. Inspections were also conducted in 290 night clubs and other establishments, which resulted in 82 bookings for various offenses including smoking, sale of alcohol, and use of speakers.

The force said its efforts were part of the objective to bolster the public’s feeling of security.

By Petra Vodstrcilova

A man shot dead eight people in a restaurant in an eastern Czech town on Tuesday and then killed himself, the town’s mayor said.

“I have been given information that it was a 60-year-old local man, probably mentally unstable,” the mayor, Patrik Kuncar, told Czech television.

“We can see that, here, probably, a lone shooter struck with no warning.”

The broadcaster said the attacker fired about 25 rounds at lunchtime in the Druzba, or “friendship”, restaurant in a residential district of the town of Uhersky Brod, 300 km southeast of Prague.

An woman injured in the incident was admitted to hospital in the nearby town of Uherske Hradiste, a hospital spokeswoman said.

An eyewitness told the broadcaster he had seen around 10 police cars arrive and police putting on bulletproof vests.

Such shooting incidents are very rare in the Czech Republic, a central European country of 10.5 million. Uhersky Brod is a town of 17,000 in the Moravia region, near the border with Slovakia.

Interior Minister Milan Chovanec flew to the scene of the attack along with police commander Tomas Tuhy.

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said in a statement: “I am shocked by the tragic attack that happened today in Uhersky Brod. I would like to express my deepest sorrow and condolences to the families and relatives of the victims.”

By George Psyllides

Cyprus lagged behind its EU partners in the 2015 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) — 22nd out of 28 – a system, which ranks countries based on their digital performance.

Fast broadband connections are available to 77 per cent of households, against 62 per cent in the EU, but internet take-up is relatively low, a Commission report said. It said price was one of the factors.

“Only 68 per cent of households subscribe to fixed broadband, limiting Cyprus’ ability to exploit the benefits of the digital economy.”

The island also lagged behind on the demand side with 28 per cent never having used the internet and only 48 per cent possessing basic levels of digital skills.

Although Cypriots engage in a broad range of online activities, their use of online banking — 35 per cent — and online shopping — 38 per cent — are much lower than the EU average.

“Low levels of trust seem to be holding back the development of its digital economy.

Cyprus falls into the cluster of low-performance countries, where it performs below average,” the Commission said.

DESI combines more than 30 indicators and uses a weighting system to rank each country based on its digital performance.

It is a composite index developed by the European Commission to assess the development of EU countries towards a digital economy and society.

It aggregates a set of relevant indicators structured around five dimensions: connectivity, human capital, use of internet, integration of digital technology and digital public services.

In terms of connectivity Cyprus performed relatively worse than most other EU countries, without exhibiting significant improvement from the previous year.

With an overall connectivity score of 0.43 the country ranked 24.

“Despite the fact that 100 per cent of Cypriot households are covered by fixed broadband 32 per cent of them do not yet subscribe to it.”

The report suggested that one of the culprits for the low take-up might be the subscription price “since it has the most expensive entry-level broadband in the EU.”

An individual seeking to subscribe to a broadband connection must spend on average three per cent of their gross income compared with the overall EU average of 1.3 per cent.

Cyprus has a low level of regular internet users, 65 per cent, and 28 per cent of the population has never used the internet — EU average is 18 per cent.

Cyprus ranks 14 in use of internet services but Cypriots appear to refrain most when they need to make transactions as the country lags behind both in online banking and shopping.

The island has improved in the integration of digital technology by businesses, 18 in 2015 compared with 21 in 2014, but businesses need to better exploit the possibilities offered by on-line commerce and cloud-based applications.

Cyprus ranked 17 on digital public services, “a moderate performance with a slight score improvement compared to the previous year.”

By Andrew Osborn

One of British Prime Minister David Cameron’s most senior lawmakers said on Tuesday he would quit parliament and resign as head of a powerful security committee after becoming embroiled in a cash-for-access scandal.

The decision by Malcolm Rifkind, a former foreign minister, is embarrassing for Cameron’s Conservatives less than three months before a neck-and-neck national election, but they hope its decisiveness and speed will draw a line under the affair.

Rifkind, whose committee oversees the work of Britain’s intelligence services, was secretly filmed offering his services for cash to a fake Chinese company, boasting he had “useful” access to foreign ambassadors.

Jack Straw, a senior lawmaker from the opposition Labour Party, was caught in the same media sting, which revived memories of a similar 2010 episode when former ministers were recorded saying they could influence government policy for cash.

There was no suggestion that either Rifkind or Straw had done anything illegal. But with memories still fresh of a 2009 scandal which saw lawmakers’ exaggerated expense claims dominate the media, the incident feeds the view that politicians are more interested in making money than serving the public.

Voter disenchantment with Britain’s main political parties is already boosting anti-establishment rivals.

Rifkind, who denies wrongdoing, had planned to stand for re-election on May 7 in a safe Conservative seat in London, but said the imbroglio had made him change his mind.

“I have concluded that to end the uncertainty it would be preferable, instead, to step down at the end of this parliament,” he said in a statement.

“As regards the allegations … I find them contemptible and will not comment further at this time.”

Rifkind said he would also be standing down with immediate effect from the chairmanship of parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, which scrutinises the work of the country’s three intelligence services and gives him access to sensitive information concerning national security.

Adding to perceptions that some lawmakers are out of touch with the public, Rifkind had argued recently that parliamentarians must be able to supplement their income, already twice the average national wage, to attract the right calibre of person to the job.

Rifkind said he planned to continue his public and political life after leaving parliament.

Straw, the Labour politician, had said more than a year ago that he would stand down at the May election.

By Constantinos Psillides

The University of Cyprus aims to become completely energy self-sufficient through two solar panel parks, Rector Constantinos Christofides said on Tuesday during the launch of the ‘Phaethon’ photovoltaic park.

The park, made up by 1,645 solar panels, has the capacity to produce 632,000 kWh of electric energy annually. All the energy produced will go towards reducing the institution’s electricity needs.

A planned second solar panel park to be named ‘Apollon’, which will have a 10MW capability is also in the works, Christofides said.

“This city of Knowledge we want to establish is a green one. We are developing the necessary infrastructure that will allow us to increase our productivity and efficiency in the areas of teaching, research, innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Christofides, adding that the goal to be regarded among the best universities in the world when it came to environmental progress.

“We are responding to the great environmental challenges of our day by cultivating an environmental conscience. This is what we are trying to achieve with Phaethon and the planned Apollon solar panel parks. Both these projects are expected to make the University self sufficient,” he said.

He told the Cyprus Mail that the university planned to invite tenders for the Apollon solar panel park within the next four to five months. “This is our big project. Nine months after awarding the tender we expected the project to be completed,” he said.

The ‘Phaethon’ was officially opened by Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis on Tuesday.

According to Lakkotrypis, the state has secured €52 million in EU funding for the 2014-2020 period, specifically aimed at completing projects and approving schemes regarding energy saving and employing renewable energy (RES) options in public buildings, businesses and homes.

“This government policy, along with a variety of initiatives from the private sector have contributed in increasing our energy output from renewable energy sources to 8.7 per cent of our total output for 2014, which is well above the 7.45 milestone set by the EU for 2015-2016. This brings as near to our national goal of 13 per cent in 2020,”

In his speech Lakkotrypis also focused on how the government was trying to open up the energy market by introducing incentives for energy producers other than the state-owned Electricity Authority of Cyprus, as well as entrepreneurs operating in the renewable energy field.

“Today, the installed capacity of renewable energy systems for electricity production amounts to 61 megawatts from photovoltaic systems, 147 megawatts from wind farms and 10.4 megawatts from biomass,” the minister said.

“The energy sector in Cyprus is currently facing many challenges. Despite the recent downturn in electricity prices due to the fall in the international prices of crude oil, the cost of electricity in our country remains among the highest in Europe, mainly due to the dependence on fuel imports used in electricity, and the lack of effective competition in the electricity market.”

Lakkotrypis said that although the process of market liberalisation started ten years ago, the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) still holds a monopoly on the market but steps were now being taken for a shakeup, he said.

The government has also, in cooperation with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), launched a roadmap for the development of RES on the island, in which various scenarios were considered for the ‘energy mix’ that would work in Cyprus. The roadmap examines issues such as energy storage, electrical interconnection between Cyprus and other countries, the advent of gas and the use of electric vehicles.

By Evie Andreou

Four hundred new cases of prostate cancer are recorded each year in Cyprus, Health Minister Philippos Patsalis said on Tuesday.

Patsalis, who spoke at a news conference to mark information week on prostate cancer organised by Europa Uomo, said that nine out of ten cases of prostate cancer detected in Cyprus are at an early stage.

“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men of mature age and in most cases develops very slowly without extensive damage, but it is the second most common cause of cancer deaths [in men] after lung cancer,” Patsalis said.

He added that it was important that all men over 50 underwent screenings and the prostate-specific antigen blood test (PSA), as the early stages of prostate cancer, may be asymptomatic.

“The combination of these two methods is necessary as the EU does not consider the PSA as an exclusive tool for screening, but stresses that for a comprehensive diagnosis additional tests are always necessary, like the digital rectal examination and ultrasound,” Patsalis said.

The basic risk factors are obesity, age and family history, Patsalis said. Prostate cancer is rare among men under 45.

“Men who are first degree relatives with prostate cancer patients face double risk of presenting the disease compared to others,” Patsalis said.

He added that high blood pressure and lack of exercise were also risk factors.

Patsalis said that while treatment choices in the advanced stages of prostate cancer are limited, there are more choices at the primary stages when it can be fully treated.

Prostate cancer is in most cases not aggressive and responds positively in hormonal treatments and chemotherapy, the minister added.

The head of the Limassol hospital’s oncology clinic, Simon Malas, said that in Cyprus one in three men diagnosed with cancer in 2011 had prostate cancer.

It is the most common type of cancer among men, while in women it is breast cancer.

International registrations for the 9th Limassol Marathon, on March 29 along the town’s coastal road, have increased threefold, organising committee chairman Spyros Spyrou said on Tuesday.
Spyrou said participation has spiked to 856 from 50 countries, compared to 269 in 2014 at the same stage.
“Our goal and vision is to make the Limassol Marathon one of the most popular in Europe, a truly international event that can be embraced by the local community,” he said.
Olympia Sports Club chairman Neoclis Thoma said that despite the negative economic environment and various obstacles that have cropped up along the way, the four organisers – the Limassol Municipality, the Olympia Sports Club, the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Limassol Tourist Development and Promotion Company – jointly managed to promote the Limassol Marathon as the single largest athletic event islandwide.
He called on all Limassol residents to embrace the event again, either through participating or attending the route as spectators.
Limassol mayor Andreas Christou said the municipality will continue to support the event, which has become a staple of the city and its beachfront.
“It is an event that honours our town, as well as our country, since it is the only marathon in Cyprus that is on the calendar of international organisations,” he added.
He was referring to the fact that the Limassol Marathon is listed on the International Athletics Federation (IAAF) calendar.
The 42,195-metre marathon will start at 9am at the Limassol pier. It will also feature five additional races – the Half-Marathon, the 10-kilometre Health Race, the 5-kilometre City Race, the PrimeTel 5-kilometre Corporate Race, and the McDonald’s 1-kilometre Kids Race.

http://www.limassolmarathon.com

By Elias Hazou

A bill drafted by ruling DISY – exempting primary residences from repossession until April 3- will this week be put to the vote at the plenum.
A senior government official – perhaps the finance minister – is also expected to issue a statement affirming the administration’s support for the bill – thus satisfying the opposition’s demand for government assurances that primary residences will temporarily be left untouched.
In exchange, the other parties will agree to stop introducing bills suspending in its entirety foreclosures legislation, something that has put Cyprus in hot water with its international creditors.
A blanket suspension on new, tougher foreclosure legislation was voted by opposition parties in mid-December 2014, and renewed in January until March 2.
The President refused to sign off on the latest suspension law and sent it back to parliament, which last week stuck to its guns and upheld it.
Technically, however, the suspension law is not in effect, as it has not been published in the government gazette.
Therefore, whereas the foreclosures legislation does hold, it is currently unenforceable – because the applicable ordinances have yet to be passed.
The foreclosures law was passed as far back as September 2014, but has not been enforced since because of the entanglements between the government and the opposition, which controls the House.
Also at the plenum this Thursday the House will be voting on four of the five bills comprising the so-called insolvency framework – a set of laws governing personal and corporate bankruptcy.
That will get the ball rolling, as up until now opposition parties had threatened to keep blocking foreclosures legislation until the entire insolvency framework were enacted simultaneously.
The fifth and last insolvency bill – which includes the treatment of guarantors after a borrower has declared bankruptcy – will be forwarded to the cabinet on March 3, and then to parliament the following day.
On the same day, March 4, it’s understood the government intends to bring to parliament the ordinances relating to the core foreclosures law.
Should this scenario pan out, foreclosures in general will be enforceable sometime after March 4, though primary residences would be exempted (under DISY’s bill) until April 3.
DISY leader Averof Neophytou on Tuesday welcomed the more constructive approach from DIKO, which last week softened its stance, indicating they would consent to allowing implementation of tougher foreclosures legislation if the government committed to exempting primary residences for an extra month.
Speaking to the state broadcaster, Neophytou explained that the temporary exclusion of primary residences from repossession would relate not just to mortgages.
“For example, where someone has taken out a business loan by putting up their primary house as collateral, this property will also be exempted from foreclosure,” he said.
And according to DISY’s proposal, this was irrespective of the property’s value.
The DISY leader criticised the troika of lenders for the foreclosures debacle, saying the creditors have for a month been holding up the fifth insolvency bill.
The troika objected to the initial government draft of that bill, which stipulated letting off the hook guarantors of bad debt. The government has since revised the document.

By Brian Homewood
Juventus overcame a blunder by defender Giorgio Chiellini and a first-half injury to playmaker Andrea Pirlo to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in a fast and furious Champions League tie on Tuesday night.
Carlos Tevez tapped in from close range to give the Serie A champions a 13th minute lead, only for a slip by Chiellini five minutes later to let in Marco Reus for a clinically-taken equaliser.
In a passionate atmosphere, Juventus suffered another blow in the last 16, first leg when Pirlo went off injured just after the half hour.
But a superbly-taken goal by Alvaro Morata just before halftime gave them a precious lead for the second leg for what looks to be another knife-edge match.
Both teams pressed relentlessly, forcing each other into numerous mistakes.
Juventus got their much-needed early break in a move started and finished by Tevez.
He cleverly flicked the ball to Morata on the halfway line, the Spaniard burst down the left and produced a cross-shot which Roman Weidenfeller could only parry to Tevez and the Argentine tapped in from close range.
But disaster struck for Juventus five minutes later when defender Chiellini slipped as he went to make an simple interception, giving a clear run on goal for Reus who planted the ball past Gianluigi Buffon.
The mistake clearly rattled the hosts and when they lost Pirlo to injury, Dortmund took control.
Against the odds, Juventus regained the lead two minutes before halftime with Tevez and Morata both involved again. Tevez worked the ball to Paul Pogba on the left and his low cross fell perfectly for Morata to sidefoot past Weidenfeller.
The second half continued in the same vein with Dortmund enjoying more possession and Juventus, despite home advantage, playing on the break.
Tevez was closest to scoring when he slid a shot just past the post from the edge of the area.

By Martyn Herman
Two first half goals by Luis Suarez gave Barcelona a 2-1 win at Manchester City as they put one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday although Lionel Messi’s late penalty miss left the door ajar.
In a repeat of last season’s round of 16 first leg at the Etihad, Barcelona were too slick for City in a mesmerising first period that could have brought five goals.
Uruguay forward Suarez fired Barca in front in the 16th minute and doubled the lead after half an hour with the hosts powerless to stop the yellow tide.
Sergio Aguero rewarded City for a vastly improved second half showing with a clinical strike 20 minutes from time.
With City down to 10 men after Gael Clichy’s red card, Messi could have restored Barcelona’s two-goal lead but his penalty was saved by Joe Hart and the Argentine headed the rebound wide.
Messi, rejuvenated since his reported spat with manager Luis Enrique at the start of the year, was at the heart of Barca’s rapier thrusts into City territory.
But it was Suarez, whose goals, bites and misplaced words made his time at Liverpool nothing if not compelling, who returned to cast his spell over English football.
It was his brace for Uruguay in June that all but banished England from the World Cup and this time his predatory instincts left City staring at another early exit from Europe.
In the 16th minute Messi’s ball in hit City skipper Vincent Kompany on the back and dropped at the feet of Suarez to drill a low shot past the stranded Hart.
The England keeper was beaten again after 30 minutes when Messi mesmerised countryman Pablo Zabaleta and dinked a pass to Jordi Alba whose low cross was touched in by the sliding Uruguayan.
Barca were caught snoozing at the start of the second half and Javier Mascherano had to make a superb tackle to deny Nasri before unmarked City striker Edin Dzeko headed straight at Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
City’s endeavour was rewarded when Aguero clipped a shot past ter Stegen after brilliant work from David Silva.
With Clichy off for a second booking, Messi earned a last-gasp penalty when he was bundled over by Zabaleta but his effort was saved by Hart and the Argentine then missed an open goal with a diving header from the rebound to leave City alive.

By Maria Gregoriou

If you are a new graduate of the applied arts, or if you are wondering what life will be like after your school days are over, then the round-table discussion entitled

Doing away with the Main Man at the University of Nicosia on Saturday may answer some of your questions.

For people who are more inclined to enjoy the arts rather than anything to do with business, the world has always been a little more difficult. With the economy the way it is today, this difficulty is becoming even more apparent as jobs in more conventional areas are slim, never mind in the fields of the arts.

Increasingly graduates from the broad area of design and the arts have met this challenge by diversifying and by adopting their skills to meet new existing markets of employment or even creating new hybrid practices, thereby developing inter-collaborative processes for working across the creative disciplines either as individuals or as part of a team.

It is also the case in such instances that creative panache is necessarily accompanied with entrepreneurial savvy and practical management skills that are learned as part of the need to survive and succeed.

This discussion, which will involve academics from the University of Nicosia, Cyprus University of Technology, Frederick University and European University Cyprus and professionals working in the area of Applied Arts, will touch on these difficulties and highlight a way forward.

The event will be from 10am until 12.30pm, followed by a lunch break until 1.30pm, and then all involved will meet again for conclusions and showcasing of any proposals.

Doing Away with the Main Man
A round-table discussion among academics about life after graduating from university with an applied arts degree. February 28. University of Nicosia. 10am-2pm. In English. Tel: 22-842200

By Constantinos Psillides

Ruling DISY chief Averof Neophytou has dismissed rumours that he is the politician behind censoring the successful comedy-satire show Patates Antinaxtes and that his party and censorship were not compatible.

During a news conference on Wednesday, following a meeting with the CyBC board on the future of the state broadcaster, the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) reported that Neophytou addressed the rumour head-on, saying that neither he nor his party ever attempted to censor the content of any of the shows of CyBC, news, or otherwise.

“I am a politician who has been satirised more than anyone since the time satire made its appearance on Cypriot television. I, Averof Neophytou, ‘je suis Charlie for Cyprus, France and the whole world’. DISY and censorship are not compatible,” said the party boss, referencing the slogan adopted by supporters of free speech following the shooting at the French satirist newspaper Charlie Hebdo on January 7.

Neophytou was suspected by many to be the man behind an alleged attempt at censoring the show.

An anonymous letter published last week by people believed to be involved with the show claimed that a prominent politician, “who likes to operate in the shadows” was furious over the satire aimed at him and reached out to members of the CyBC board affiliated with his party to have one of the show’s producers removed.

The letter claimed that the successful show would leave CyBC next year and enter talks with a rival broadcaster.

But Head of Programming at CyBC Thanasis Tsokos issued a statement over the weekend denying accusations on censorship, claiming that there had been complaints about profanity on the show. He said ‘Patates’ would not be leaving the CyBC – which holds the rights – and  was in fact going to be upgraded.

Commenting on his meeting with the CyBC board, Neophytou said both he and the public expected more from the state broadcaster, especially when it came to the news. “We want news focusing on facts both in Cyprus and the world presented through real news bulletins and not through a parade of government and party statements,” he said.

“We are sick of ‘statements’ that end-up reminding us of war-time bulletins. We expect impartiality, indepth analysis, innovation and the introduction of modern news coverage techniques,” said Neophytou.

CyBC head Giorgos Tsalakos said that the meeting was part of a series of meeting with stakeholders, aiming to introduce a series of reforms including a new organisational structure.

“I would like to thank the DISY chairman for his and his party’s innovative ideas. I assure you that we will take them into serious consideration and in March, when we have completed our meetings with the stakeholders, we will come to a decision as to what comes next for CyBC,” said Tsalakos.

By Lefteris Papadimas and Stephen Brown

Greece admitted on Wednesday it will struggle to make debt repayments to the IMF and the European Central Bank this year as Germany’s finance minister voiced open doubts about Athens’ trustworthiness.

A day after euro zone finance ministers agreed to a four-month extension of a financial rescue for the currency bloc’s most heavily indebted member, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis gave a frank assessment of Greece’s financial position.

“We will not have liquidity problems for the public sector. But we will definitely have problems in making debt payments to the IMF now and to the ECB in July,” he told Alpha Radio.

He put no figure on the funding gap. After interest payments this month of about 2 billion euros, Athens must repay an IMF loan of around 1.6 billion that matures in March and about 7.5 billion for maturing bonds held by the ECB in July and August.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, revelling in his role as the euro zone’s grumpy paymaster, said no further aid would be paid out until Greece fulfilled the conditions of its bailout programme.

“The question now is whether one can believe the Greek government’s assurances or not. There’s a lot of doubt in Germany, that has to be understood,” he told SWR2 radio.

Fuelling German suspicion, a hardline leftist in Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ radical new government appeared to row back on a commitment made to creditors a day in Brussels earlier not to halt privatisations that are already under way.

Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis said the government would not go ahead with the sale of the main electricity utility PPC or power grid operator ADIME.

“The companies have not submitted binding bids so it will not be completed,” he told Ethnos newspaper.

That drew an angry response from Berlin, where a finance ministry spokesman said Athens could not decide to delay or stop privatisations on its own.

Despite scepticism in both governments and dissenting voices on their fringes, the four-month bailout extension seems certain to be approved by the German and Greek parliaments this week.

However, the next round of negotiations on Greece’s debt mountain will start as soon as those votes go through, and take place under the shadow of a looming repayment crunch.

BETTER THAN ALTERNATIVE

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, seeking to convince doubters in her own conservative bloc and the public, said the extension deal was preferable to the alternative.

“I welcome the fact that we have found a starting point for negotiations with the new government. This is gratifying when you see what was being talked about weeks ago,” she said in an oblique reference to the risk of Greece going bankrupt and being forced out of the euro area.

“In the last few days we managed to show we are all able to make compromises, which is not unimportant, though it is far from being everything,” she told a news conference.

Right-wing dissident lawmakers warned against throwing good money after bad by continuing to support Greece, but Merkel was assured of a comfortable majority since her right-left “grand coalition” controls 504 seats in the 631 member lower house.

Berlin has ruled out any debt write-down for Athens and Schaeuble’s spokesman said it was premature to talk now about either a precautionary credit line or a third bailout programme when the four months expire.

Varoufakis said he wants discussion of debt restructuring to begin immediately and encompass bond swaps that would “significantly reduce the debt” to official creditors.

If European leaders “shoot down” Greece’s anti-austerity government, they would drive the country into the arms of racists and nationalists, he told French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

“This is what I tell my counterparts: if you think it is in your interest to shoot down progressive governments like ours, just a few days after our election, then you should fear the worst,” Varoufakis said.

In another indicator of the strain on the Greek economy, two of the country’s four main lenders, Eurobank and Bank of Piraeus, will be dropped from the pan-European STOXX 600 benchmark index, potentially depriving them of vital investment at a rocky time.

Despite a rebound since the bailout extension was agreed, shares in the two banks have fallen about 65 percent since last February, hurt by a wave of deposit withdrawals and worries over the solvency of the Greek state.