By George Psyllides

Opposition parties were looking to suspend enforcement of the foreclosures law anew after parliament did not finish discussion of four bills that are part of the insolvency framework, seen as a safety net for crisis-stricken vulnerable groups.

“Unfortunately, despite the great effort of government officials and members of the finance committee, it was not possible to examine the four bills,” chairman Nicolas Papadopoulos said.

Discussion will continue on Monday, he added.

Papadopoulos said various matters remained outstanding, and there were also legal issues concerning the bills.

These will be examined on Thursday and the parties will decide how to proceed.

It was hoped that the bills would be put to the vote on Thursday thus paving the way for Papadopoulos’ DIKO to back ruling DISY party’s proposal to exempt primary residences from foreclosure instead of suspending implementation of the law until the beginning of March – a move that prompted the suspension of the island’s bailout programme.

“For us, the necessary condition is for the bills we have before us to be approved before we discuss any other proposal, including DISY’s,” Papadopoulos said.

DISY spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said his party’s proposal to exempt primary residences until the end of March could be approved irrespective of when the four bills would be ready.

“The soonest possible is in the interest of the country and the economy,” Prodromou said.

EDEK insisted that parliament could not leave people unprotected. MP Nicos Nicolaides said the party intended to propose further suspension of the law.

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.

Bank of Cyprus posted a €256 million loss for the whole of 2014, it said on Wednesday, triggered by elevated provisioning in the fourth quarter on its Russian exposure.

The bank, Cyprus’ largest, said it had recognised €309 million for the whole year in impairment losses from discontinued operations in Russia and Ukraine. Without factoring in those restructuring costs and discontinued operations, the bank recorded a full-year net profit of €42 million.

The bank’s chief executive John Hourican said that for the first time since Cyprus’ financial crisis in March 2013 its deposits were growing.

The lender, which underwent an €1bn capital increase in August which subsequently helped it successfully complete the European Central Bank’s asset quality review in October, said that its deposits increased for the first time since March 2013 by €70m in the last quarter of 2014.

At the end of December, the bank, which as part of Cyprus’s €10 billion March 2013 bailout, absorbed the operations of failed lender Cyprus Popular Bank, and turned almost half of uninsured deposits into equity, remained “adequately capitalised with a common equity tier 1 capital ratio of 14 per cent compared to 10.4 per cent,” a year ago, the bank said.

Bank of Cyprus reduced its net loans to deposit ratio to 142 per cent by the end of 2014, which is three percentage points below the respective 2013 levels, the lender said.

By December 31, the non-performing loan ratio in accordance to the European Banking Authority’s standards, rose to 63 per cent or below €15bn from 61 per cent on September 30, or above €15bn.

According to the Central Bank of Cyprus’ standards, the non-performing loan ratio stood at 60 per cent or €14.7bn on September 30, Bank of Cyprus said, without reporting the respective December 2014 figures.

The amount of loans with more than 90 days in arrears fell to €12.7bn in December 2014 or 53 per cent of total loan portfolio from €13bn a quarter before or 52 per cent respectively.

“It is imperative that new foreclosure and insolvency legislation is implemented swiftly to support Cypriot banks in their efforts to address their problematic loan portfolios,” the lender commented.

“An improved legal environment will help the Cypriot banks to address their problematic loan portfolios and will allow them to support the recovery of the Cypriot economy through the provision of credit to creditworthy households and businesses,” Hourican said. “As the leading bank in the country, with a significantly improved financial and operational position, the Bank is well positioned to spearhead the recovery of the Cypriot economy and to benefit from such recovery.”

Bank of Cyprus saw its emergency liquidity facility from the ECB fall by €2.2bn in 2014 to €7.4bn, down from peak of €11.4bn in April 2013, the bank said adding that “ELA has been reduced by a further €200m since 31 December 2014”.

Its fourth-quarter results were affected by increased provisions related to the bank having to align accounting policies to those adopted in European Union-wide bank stress tests last year, as well as classification of Russian operations as held for sale, he said.

Most of those losses concerned Uniastrum a Russian entity Bank of Cyprus has said it wants to sell as part of its strategy on shifting focus back to its core Cypriot market.

By Evie Andreou

The majority of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots favour fostering a Cypriot identify but appear to differ on what that means, according to a new survey released on Wednesday.

The survey was commissioned by the New Cyprus Association and aimed at shedding light on issues pertaining to national identity, the relations between the two communities and the solution of the Cyprus problem, the head of the association Thoukis Thoukidides said.

It was carried out by the University of Nicosia and Insights Market Research (IMR), and consisted of 500 telephone interviews in each of the two communities.

According to the results, presented by Dr Nicos Peristianis, executive Dean of the University of Nicosia, Turkish Cypriots were the biggest supporters of a common Cypriot identity, at 80 per, compared to 67 per cent of Greek Cypriots. Positive responses were higher in the 18 to 24 age group.

Even though 48 per cent of Greek Cypriots, and 88 per cent of Turkish Cypriots saw themselves as ‘Cypriot’ first, the term ‘Cypriot’ however, seemed to be identified with ethno-national characteristics and did not indicate the prevalence of a common civic identity based on shared elements, but rather on specific characteristics in each of the two communities.

For instance 46 per cent of Greek Cypriots said being born of Cypriot parents would be their benchmark, compared to only 13 per cent of Turkish Cypriots. Being of Greek ethnicity was important to only 8 per cent of Greek Cypriots but being of Turkish ethnicity was a factor in being Cypriot for 46 per cent of Turkish Cypriots.

One in five Greek Cypriots thought those who considered Cyprus their homeland could be classed as Cypriot compared to only 7 per cent of Turkish Cypriots. Merely being born on the island, regardless of ethnicity, did not mean you were a Cypriot as far as both communities were concerned though more Turkish Cypriots than Greek Cypriots thought it should. Language and religion in terms of being Cypriot, rated under ten per cent among both communities.

Almost 10 per cent of Greek Cypriots considered themselves more Cypriot than Greek while 34 per cent considered themselves equally Greek and Cypriot.

None of the Turkish Cypriots considered themselves Cypriot first and only 7 per cent considered themselves equally Turkish and Cypriot.

A significant minority from both sides viewed the prospect of a common Cypriot identity with suspicion or even hostility considering it either as ‘useless’ – 16 per cent Greek Cypriots and 15 per cent Turkish Cypriots – or ‘unnecessary’, but ‘also harmful to their national interests’

When it came to relations between the two communities, only 26 and 24 per cent of  Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots respectively said they maintained relations with members of the other community. The majority of Greek Cypriots – 72 per cent – and 55 per cent of Turkish Cypriots, said the reason was that the opportunity did not present itself. A smaller percentage did not believe in the need for contact with members of the other community, 7 per cent Greek Cypriots and 16 per cent Turkish Cypriots.

More than eight out of ten Greek Cypriots did not mind having Turkish Cypriots as friends and neighbours but not in terms of marriage. Only 27 per cent of Greek Cypriots viewed this positively, compared to more than half of Turkish Cypriots.

The same percentage, 51 per cent of Turkish Cypriots, said they would accept having a Greek Cypriot President, compared to only 29 per cent of Greek Cypriots, who said they saw as positive or very positive the idea of having a Turkish Cypriot President.

When it came to the solution of the Cyprus problem, the majority of Greek Cypriots said that they wanted a unitary state, while 24 per cent favoured a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation.

Less than one third of Turkish Cypriots now favour a federation, since the rejection of the Annan Plan almost 11 years ago, while 29 per cent said they would prefer a two-state solution.

Concerning the future settlement of the Cyprus problem, only 22 per cent of Greek Cypriots thought the return of refugees to their homes was feasible, and around the same number, 21 per cent, believed that homes and properties would be returned to refugees. Even fewer Turkish Cypriots, only 2 and 3 per cent respectively, believed either of the two options was feasible, while only 3 per cent believed that Turkish settlers would leave.

Perhaps a new challenge is exactly what these struggling players need.

For more articles and the latest soccer news, check out 90min.com

By Amena Bakr

Football’s world governing body FIFA flexed its muscles again on Wednesday when it announced that clubs will not get compensation for losing players and suffering domestic disruption due to a 2022 winter World Cup in Qatar.

A day after a FIFA task force angered Europe’s clubs by recommending a November/December tournament, the organisation’s secretary general, Jerome Valcke, told reporters there would be no financial payments for any disruption to domestic leagues.

“There will be no compensation. I mean they have seven years to reorganise football around the world for this World Cup,” said Valcke when asked if any payment would be made following the shift from the originally proposed dates of a European summer tournament.

“It’s not perfect, we know that – but why are we talking about compensation? It’s happening once, we’re not destroying football.
“Why should we apologise to the clubs? We have had an agreement with the clubs that they are part of the beneficiaries. It was $40m in 2010 and $70m in 2014.

On Tuesday, European Clubs’ Association chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said Europe’s clubs would seek financial compensation, but Valcke ruled that out following a meeting of a FIFA task force in the Qatari capital.

The proposed new dates for the event are set to be ratified by FIFA’s executive committee next month.
Valke also said the duration of the 2022 tournament is set be cut from 32 to 28 days, meaning more games will be played per day, so a country of Qatar’s size might need fewer stadiums.

“We are talking about a reduction of the competition in terms of the number of competition days. We are talking about 28 days and not anymore 32 days,” Valcke told reporters following the first board meeting with Qatar’s 2022 organising committee.
“It is a very special World Cup to organise because we would describe Qatar 2022 as a compact World Cup,” he added. “Normally we are looking at 10 (stadiums) but it could be eight.”

One of the major challenges facing Qatar was finding an efficient and cost effective way to cool down stadiums during the scorching summer months, which the Gulf state’s organising committee said they were committed to delivering.

If the finals are held in the winter the need for cooling technology will be reduced, although 2022 organising committee chief Hassan Al Thawadi told Wednesday’s news conference that the research would carry on.

“We have always said that the cooling technology will be the legacy of the World Cup and beyond… our development of the cooling technology will continue… our research will continue,” he said.

Despite its vast oil and gas reserves, Qatar like other Gulf states has been hit by the drop in prices which has affected several energy and construction projects.

But Al Thawadi said completing World Cup-related projects was part of the Gulf state’s economic diversification and “lavish spending” on projects was an option the state was pursuing.

During Valcke’s visit to the Gulf state, which has been repeatedly criticised for neglecting workers’ rights, he said World Cup projects could bring hope for improvement in this area.

“If the standard for all construction sites in Qatar reach the level of standard we have for all the specific World Cup construction site, then a big step will be made in the country for this working conditions.”
“We use the World Cup as a way to change a country,” he added.

By Karolos Grohmann

BAYER Leverkusen beat last season’s runners-up Atletico Madrid 1-0 in their Champions League round of 16 first leg on Wednesday courtesy of a superb Hakan Calhanoglu goal.

The Turkey international fired in the 57th-minute winner to set Leverkusen, who are struggling for form in the Bundesliga, on the way to their first ever win at this stage of the competition.

For Atletico, who were left with 10 men when Tiago was sent off following a second booking in the 76th minute, it was only their second loss in a Champions League away game since September 2013.

The Spanish champions will also be missing key defender Diego Godin for the return leg after the Uruguayan was booked and will be suspended in Madrid.

By Mike Collett

AS Monaco gave Arsenal a lesson in patient, counter-attacking football to win their Champions League last 16 first leg-match 3-1 in London on Wednesday and take a stranglehold on the tie.

French midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia put the visitors ahead after 38 minutes when he crashed in a long-range shot that took a deflection off Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker, leaving goalkeeper David Ospina helpless.

Bulgarian veteran Dimitar Berbatov, continually jeered by the home fans because of his links with their arch-rivalsTottenham Hotspur, added the second after 53 minutes after a devastating Monaco counter-attack.

Arsenal pulled one back at the end when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain curled home from the edge of the area, but Monaco restored their two-goal advantage through Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco, who netted deep into stoppage time.

Arsenal wasted several chances with Olivier Giroud spurning four scoring opportunities to leave Arsenal with a mountain to climb in the second leg in Monaco on March 17.

Arsene Wenger’s current team flew out of the blocks against his old one, testing the resilience of Monaco’s rock-solid defence with a series of early raids.
Giroud went close with a header during Arsenal’s opening dominant spell, and then wasted three chances after the break before being substituted, but Monaco weathered the early storm, subduing both the crowd and the home players.

The visitors gradually played their way into the match with winger Anthony Martial and Joao Moutinho looking particularly dangerous, but it was still a surprise when they took the lead through Kondogbia’s long-range effort.

There was no real surprise, however, when they doubled their advantage as they were playing the better football when Berbatov’s powerful finish ended a swift break.

The hosts were given a lifeline in the first minute of stoppage time when Oxlade-Chamberlain pounced on a clearing header before curling home, but their celebrations were short-lived as Ferreira-Carrasco finished emphatically.

By Maria Gregoriou

Club Deep in Larnaca invites anyone who loves to seize the musical moment to enjoy a blend of musical genres on Saturday with DJ Ruda and DJ Andy Von Emmanouel.

Starting off with DJ Ruda and his hip-hop, rap, soul and disco vibes. Ruda is a well-known DJ on the island as he has been spinning his music on many party scenes since 2001. In 2002 his music was making waves and he earned his first residency in the RnB bar, Indigo. This leads us to 2004 when he started to organise his own events and boat parties. Everything ran smoothly from there on, and in 2010 his talent for mixing, scratching and chopping in different styles caught the attention of the owner of the Castle Club in Ayia Napa, and that is when Ruda was crowned a member of the castle’s night life.

Now turning our attention to DJ Andy Von Emmanouel from Paphos, we find that the man behind the decks (who has all the ladies not just bobbing to his music but also enjoying some eye candy, as the DJ was named the ‘nightclub lifeguard’ by a local magazine) has been known to take clubs – including the Guaba beach bar in Limassol – by storm.

Emmanouel will surely be warming things up with his electro and progressive house music so be sure not to wear your best shoes on Saturday because with all the dancing around, you just might wear them out.

Solid Gold Vol.2
Live music with DJ Ruda and DJ Andy Von Emmanouel. February 28. Club Deep, Leoforos Athinon, Finikoudes, Larnaca. 11.55pm. €10 with a drink, €15 with two drinks. Tel: 70-007950

By Maria Gregoriou

Lellos Art Point in Limassol will be showcasing a group photography exhibition on Friday, entitled ‘Street with a Twist: Capturing Patterns of the (Peculiar) Everyday Life’.

The six Cyprus-based photographers display their perception of the streets of cities across Europe and beyond in this exhibition, which invites us all to see streets and the lives they lead a little differently.

Each photographer brings to the old town of Limassol their very own personally customised narrative of each city, creating a series of unique frames in which each city speaks to the observer, while also creating an open line of communication between the images of streets.

By capturing these fleeting moments, the trivial and the mundane, these pictures give us an outlook onto countless stories and possibilities. They are keepers of time, of space and of stories, which will echo in the ears of coming generations. The twists held by each image will most likely change the way we see streets forever, and make us see art where we hadn’t noticed it before.

The six artists who have stood up to the challenge and who will stand united at the exhibition’s opening on Friday are Adonis Archontides, Falak Shawwa, Ivie Nicolaidou, Maria Andronikou, Tereza Kleovoulou and Vaggelis Mina.

Archontides presents an autobiographical journey through Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Rome. The photographs he has chosen to put on show display a very personal perspective – and, when you look upon the images, you may feel like you are looking at his personal holiday photo-album.

Shawwa concentrates on the small details of streets, for her these features are hidden treasures which are trapped in the everyday life which pulses through these streets. So expect the ordinary to be reflected in the extraordinary.

Nicolaidou sees cities through the bicycles on their streets and presents us with a whole portfolio of bicycle diaries, as she puts it. By capturing images of this human-driven vehicle, the photographer captures the journeys that we dream of having, the laid-back travels which ask us to travel lightly and soak up everything around us.

Andronikou’s images are so natural that the notion of staging a scene like the one captured on film comes to mind. Like the other five photographers whose work will accompany hers in the exhibition, Andronikou freezes the details hidden away in the ordinary streets on which we spend our days.

The scenes depicted in her current photographic work are somehow tributes to the character of each individual city. She captures five cities at their finest by stripping away any effect which may result in displaying a beauty which is fake and artificial, maintains their rawness, and accurately represents these urban landscapes.

Kleovoulou’s dreamy gaze creates frames that are borderline abstract. Familiar shapes lose their meaning and become parts of a modified actuality. The photographer used her camera as a microscope and zoomed in on the streets of Limassol. But the images of the streets in the photographs are not how we would recall the streets of the city, as they take on a surrealistic form and re-construct reality.

Mina’s images also alter reality and create a series of “little planets,” as he says – and goes on to say that, in order to be able to master the effect, one has to visualise the final outcome before even taking the photograph.

Street with a Twist: Capturing Patterns of the (Peculiar) Everyday Life
Group photography exhibition. Opens February 27, 7.30pm until March 9. Lellos ART point. 211 Saint Andrew Street, Limassol. Monday-Friday: 8am-6pm. Saturday 9am-1pm. Tel: 25-363628

By Stelios Orphanides

Loans in the banking system rose to almost €64.8bn in January from €61.6bn in December, outstripping deposits which rose to €46.5bn from €46.1bn respectively, the central bank said.

While the increase in loans in the previous month resulted partly from the revaluation of the Swiss franc following a decision by the Swiss National Bank to scrap a cap in the exchange of the Swiss franc vis-à-vis the euro on January 15, the main increase resulted from an increase in loans to other intermediate financial institutions.

PARLIAMENT on Thursday passed another law suspending the enforcement of foreclosures until March 19.

The vote was 30 for, 19 against, and one abstention.

The current suspension of foreclosures legislation was set to expire on March 2, with opposition MPs now extending that to March 19.

The reason cited for the extension was to allow time to study and pass the insolvency framework – a set of laws governing personal and corporate bankruptcy – which the opposition says will act as a safety net for distressed borrowers who have put up their homes and businesses as loan collateral.

The enactment of tougher foreclosures legislation was an obligation stemming from Cyprus’ bailout deal with international lenders. The legislation’s suspension has thrown off track the island’s adjustment programme.

By Constantinos Psillides

A TOTAL of 110 traffic cameras will be installed throughout the island by the end of the year, according to Communication, Transportation and Works permanent secretary Alecos Michaelides.

He told the Cyprus Mail that authorities plan to install 90 stationary traffic cameras and 20 mobile ones, with the latter  transported in police cars.

“Our goal is to make the roads safer,” said the permanent secretary, pointing out that there are still some issues to iron out.

“They mainly have to do with the tender’s terms and conditions. These are minor problems that will be resolved swiftly so by the end of the year we have a functioning traffic camera network,” remarked Michaelides.

Asked if more cameras will be installed in the future, he said that is a definite possibility but it largely depends on the success of the first phase of the project.

“We have scheduled a six and a 12-month evaluation. By then, we will have enough feedback to properly determine whether the project was a success or not.”

Minister Marios Demetriades said on Tuesday that the state’s goal is not to collect money from fines but to reduce traffic accidents.

The camera network will be run by a private contractor, who would notify police of any violations recorded so that a ticket is issued.

The privately run model was chosen to minimise costs on taxpayers.

Currently, there are only two cameras installed on Grivas Dighenis Avenue in Nicosia to curb illegal road racing.

While the problem has largely been resolved, according to a statement by deputy director of Traffic Police Giorgos Hininos in January, the large number of fines issued prompted a reaction by both the people and the local authority. Following the heated reaction, the speed limit on that stretch of the popular avenue was also increased from 50km per hour to 65kph.

Michaelides said that this will not be the case with the new traffic cameras. “We have absolutely no intention of raising the speed limit anywhere, especially on highways,” he stressed.

Installing traffic cameras dates back almost a decade. After heated debates, mainly focused on personal data protection, a network was set up in 2006 but was quickly discarded. The cameras had numerous problems, including a failure to store photographs and extensive bureaucracy that in some cases resulted in fining a person twice for the same violation while letting others go unpunished.

By Oliver Holmes and Tom Perry

A US-led alliance launched air strikes against Islamic State on Thursday in an area of northeast Syria where the militants are now estimated to have abducted at least 220 Assyrian Christians this week, a group monitoring the war reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the air strikes targeted Islamic State fighters near the town of Tel Tamr, where the militants, also known as ISIS, had captured 10 Assyrian villages.

A prominent Syrian Christian, Bassam Ishak, told Reuters: “Some people have tried to call them by cellphone, the relatives that have been abducted, and they get an answer from a member of ISIS who tells that they will send the head of their relative.

“They are trying to terrorise the parents, the relatives in the Christian Assyrian community,” said Ishak, who is president of the Syriac National Council of Syria.

Islamic State has staged mass killings of religious minorities, as well as fellow Sunni Muslims who refuse to swear allegiance to the ‘caliphate’ it has declared in parts of Syria, Iraq and other areas of the Arab world.

Its fighters were shown beheading 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians in Libya last week. Last August, it killed or enslaved hundreds of Iraq’s Yazidis, whom it considers devil worshippers, just over the nearby frontier in Iraq.

The militants have previously used kidnappings to trade captives for their own captured fighters. It was not clear if they planned to do the same this time.

“What is happening is a threat to our existence,” said Ablahd Kourieh, an Assyrian Christian who is deputy head of a Kurdish-led defence council in northeastern Syria, speaking to Reuters from the region via Skype. He estimated the number of abducted Assyrians was even higher, at between 350 and 400.

He called on the US-led alliance to mount air strikes and to arm Kurdish-led forces which are battling Islamic State in the region. He estimated that 3,000 Assyrians had fled from the villages for the main cities of Qamishli and Hasaka.

“We call for bombardment of the terrorists’ positions there, and the provision of quality weapons,” said Kourieh. He said there had been no contact with Islamic State, which has yet to claim the abductions.

The United States and its allies have carried out hundreds of air strikes in both Iraq and Syria since launching a campaign to “degrade and destroy” Islamic State last year. Washington on Wednesday condemned the attacks against Christians, which it said included the burning of homes and churches and abduction of women, children and the elderly.

ISLAMIC STATE “NEEDS MONEY”

The attack on the Assyrians coincided with a big offensive by Kurdish YPG fighters against Islamic State in northeast Syria, a strategically vital region because it borders territory the militants control in Iraq.

The Kurds say they have cut a main Islamic State supply line from Iraq. The Observatory says 132 Islamic State fighters have been killed in that battle, the latest of a recent string of setbacks for the group in Syria.

Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the Observatory, reported new signs of financial strain for Islamic State: it had started salvaging and selling scrap metal from bombed factories and railway lines in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor.

“They need money. Ever since the air strikes hit their oil facilities and the Turkish border has been harder to cross, they have increased taxes and looked for ways to make money,” he said.

Abdulrahman said 35 Islamic State fighters had been killed in battles with the Kurdish YPG near Tel Tamr. The death toll in the YPG and allied Christian militia was 25, he said.

The abducted Assyrians are believed to have been taken into Islamic State-controlled territory in Hasaka.

IS ADVANCES NEAR DAMASCUS

While Islamic State has come under pressure in its strongholds in northeast Syria, its fighters have opened a new front hundreds of miles to the southwest near Damascus, the seat of President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

The group said on social media its fighters had attacked rival insurgents east of Damascus in the Ghouta region, saying it had ambushed members of the Free Syrian Army, a name adopted by an array of mainstream rebel groups.

It said the FSA suffered casualties, and Islamic State fighters seized tanks and ammunition. The Observatory confirmed the attack but said it had targeted rival jihadist brigades.

Mainstream rebels fighting Syrian government forces and allied militia in Syria’s civil war have mostly been eclipsed by jihadists, complicating a US plan to train and equip Syrian opposition forces to fight Islamic State.

Units from Islamic State are staging increasing attacks in the south, mostly in the Qalamoun Mountain range that runs north-south to Damascus and also borders Lebanon.

The Lebanese army deployed along that border on Thursday and fired artillery at jihadists who move between Syria and Lebanon, a Lebanese security source said.

By Isabel Coles and Saif Hameed

Ultra-radical Islamist militants in northern Iraq have destroyed a priceless collection of statues and sculptures from the ancient Assyrian era, inflicting what an archaeologist described as incalculable damage to a piece of shared human history.

A video published by Islamic State on Thursday showed men attacking the artefacts, some of them identified as antiquities from the 7th century BC, with sledgehammers and drills, saying they were symbols of idolatry.

“The Prophet ordered us to get rid of statues and relics, and his companions did the same when they conquered countries after him,” an unidentified man said in the video.

The smashed articles appeared to come from an antiquities museum in Mosul, the northern city which was overrun by Islamic State last June, a former employee at the museum told Reuters.

The militants shoved stone statues off their plinths, shattering them on the floor, and one man applied an electric drill to a large winged bull. The video showed a large exhibition room strewn with dismembered statues, and Islamic songs played in the background.

Lamia al-Gailani, an Iraqi archaeologist and associate fellow at the London-based Institute of Archaeology, said the militants had wreaked untold damage. “It’s not only Iraq’s heritage: it’s the whole world’s,” she said.

“They are priceless, unique. It’s unbelievable. I don’t want to be Iraqi any more,” she said, comparing the episode to the dynamiting of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Afghan Taliban in 2001.

As well as Assyrian statues of winged bulls from the Mesopotamian cities of Nineveh and Nimrud, Gailani said the Islamic State hardliners appeared to have destroyed statues from Hatra, a Hellenistic-Parthian city in northern Iraq dating back around 2,000 years.

Eleanor Robson, professor of Ancient Near Eastern History at University College London, also said on Twitter that statues from Hatra and Nineveh had been wrecked, though she added that some objects shown in the video were modern replicas.

The director of UNESCO’s Iraq office, Axel Plathe, would not comment on the content of the video, saying it has yet to be verified. But he described the damage to Iraq’s heritage since Islamic State overran Mosul last year as an attempt “to destroy the identity of an entire people”.

Plathe said UNESCO was working with Iraqi authorities and governments of neighbouring countries to crack down on the smuggling of artefacts from areas under Islamic State control, and had alerted auction houses to be on the lookout for stolen items.

Islamic State espouses a fiercely purist school of Sunni Islam, deeming many other Muslims to be heretics. Its fighters have destroyed Shi’ite and Sufi religious sites and attacked churches and other shrines in the parts of Syria and Iraq under their control.

“Muslims, these relics you see behind me are idols that were worshipped other than God in the past centuries,” the unidentified man in the Islamic State video said.

“What is known as Assyrians, Akkadians and others used to worship gods of rain, farming and war other than God and pay all sorts of tributes to them.”

Last week, Islamic State released another video showing a pile of books in flames.

An employee of the Mosul museum said he feared these books were manuscripts from the library of endowments, although the library itself was still in tact last week.

Liverpool’s Europa League campaign ended at the scene of one of their greatest European triumphs as they lost on penalties to Besiktas in the Ataturk Stadium in Turkey on Thursday.

The Turkish side won the last 32 clash 5-4 in the shootout with Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren missing the decisive penalty after the two-legged encounter had ended 1-1 on aggregate, following Besiktas’s 1-0 win on the night.

Croatia centre back Lovren blasted his effort high and wide to spark wild celebrations at the stadium where Liverpool beat AC Milan on penalties 10 years ago to clinch their fifth European Cup.

Elsewhere, Europa League holders Sevilla came through a testing encounter at Borussia Moenchengladbach to reach the last 16 where they were joined by Italian sides Inter Milan and Fiorentina, who also beat British opposition.

Three times winners Sevilla were twice pegged back by their German hosts, who had goalscorer Granit Xhaka sent off, before Vitolo rounded off a counter attack in the 79th minute with his second goal to complete a 3-2 win and 4-2 aggregate success.

Inter edged Scottish champions Celtic 1-0 to go through 4-3 on aggregate after a high-scoring first leg was followed by a cagey return in Italy where Fredy Guarin got an 88th minute winner.

Inter’s Serie A rivals Fiorentina beat English visitors Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 and 3-1 on aggregate with German striker Mario Gomez and on loan Chelsea player Mohamed Salah scoring in the second half.

Two goals from Jose Rondon helped Zenit St Petersburg ease past PSV Eindhoven 3-0 in their second leg in Russia to complete a 4-0 aggregate success.

Ajax Amsterdam, Villarreal, Dinamo Moscow and Dynamo Kiev also booked spots in the last 16.

Results from the UEFA Europa League Last 32 second leg matches on Thursday
Last 32
Thursday, February 26, second leg
Athletic Club (Spain) – Torino (Italy) 2-3 (halftime: 1-2)
First leg: Torino – Athletic Club 2-2. Torino win 5-4 on aggregate.
Club Bruges (Belgium) – AaB Aalborg (Denmark) 3-0 (halftime: 1-0)
First leg: AaB Aalborg – Club Bruges 1-3. Club Bruges win 6-1 on aggregate.
Everton (England) – Young Boys (Switzerland) 3-1 (halftime: 3-1)
First leg: Young Boys – Everton 1-4. Everton win 7-2 on aggregate.
Napoli (Italy) – Trabzonspor (Turkey) 1-0 (halftime: 1-0)
First leg: Trabzonspor – Napoli 0-4. Napoli win 5-0 on aggregate.
Olympiakos Piraeus (Greece) – Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine) 2-2 (halftime: 1-1)
First leg: Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk – Olympiakos Piraeus 2-0. Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk win 4-2 on aggregate.
Sporting (Portugal) – VfL Wolfsburg (Germany) 0-0 (halftime: 0-0)
First leg: VfL Wolfsburg – Sporting 2-0. VfL Wolfsburg win 2-0 on aggregate.
Besiktas (Turkey) – Liverpool (England) 1-0 (halftime: 0-0, 90 mins: 1-0, penalty shootout: 5-4)
First leg: Liverpool – Besiktas 1-0. Besiktas win 5-4 on penalties after 1-1 on aggregate.

LABOUR, pensioner and farmer unions are mobilising for a mass rally planned for next week to protest a meeting here of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB).

Society Reacts and Demands, a platform of some 20 groups, is hoping to draw thousands to a demo outside the international conference centre in Nicosia, where the ECB officials will be meeting.

Three pre-gatherings will be held, at the Journalists House, at the headquarters of the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority and outside the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) in Nicosia. From there, the demonstrators will march to the conference centre, where they will converge at 5pm next Wednesday.

The Central Bank is hosting and organising the ECB meeting.

Taking part in the demo will be trade unions PEO and DEOK (the union branches of AKEL and EDEK, respectively), the Large Families Association, the Initiative Against Foreclosures, the pensioners union EKYSY, farmers’ union EKA and Nea Agrotiki, as well as various parents’ associations.

According to a press release by the platform, Cypriot demonstrators will be joined by activists from Greece, Italy, Serbia and France, as well as the Blockupy movement.

Stephanos Koursaris, head of the small shopkeepers association, also participating, told the Cyprus Mail they expect over 12,000 people to attend.
The ECB is part of the ‘troika’ of Cyprus’ international lenders, which includes the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund.

TWO Syrian nationals were arrested on Thursday on suspicion of smuggling double cabin vans, with media reports suggesting the two may have ties to Islamic extremists.

Under questioning, the two men, aged 46 and 39, admitted to smuggling vans into the occupied areas and exporting them from Kyrenia harbour.

Both – permanent residents of Cyprus – have reportedly denied being linked to Islamic groups.

According to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), police believe Syria to have been the vans’ intended final destination, to be used by Islamic State militants there.

Authorities also suspect the men of having funnelled cash to terrorist groups, CNA reported.

The arrests were made following a joint sting operation by the Criminal Investigation Department, the Crime Prevention Unit and the Police Rapid Response Unit (MMAD).

By Iacovos Constantinou

THE final round of the regular season takes place this weekend with the top four teams involved in two decisive matches as leaders APOEL take on fourth-placed Omonia and second-placed Apollonas are at home to third-placed Anorthosis.

The Nicosia derby between Omonia and APOEL is always a heated affair but more so on Saturday as a win for APOEL will put them in pole position for the playoffs and will almost certainly end Omonia’s hopes for a 21st league title as they will be trailing the top by 10 points.

Omonia defied the odds last week and, despite missing eight players, defeated AEL in Limassol with relative easy. Nuno Assis and Lobzhanidze will return to the starting eleven after serving their one game suspension while Rounie is back in contention after overcoming his injury. Pote and Rubio remain sidelined.

APOEL, clearly buoyed by their win over Apollonas last week that saw them return to the top, will be hoping to extend their fine form that has seen them pick up maximum points and keep clean sheets in their last four games.

Even though the injury list has shortened German coach Thorsten Fink will still be without first teamers Vinicius, Aloneftis and Manduca. Kaka who was red carded in the last game will serve the first of his two-game suspension.

Apollonas will try to bounce back after losing to APOEL last week. They will have to overcome Anorthosis who on their day can be quite a handful, especially if their more experienced players show their true worth.

The Limassol team will be without Rober and Gaston Sangoy who is now serving the last match of his six-game suspension.

Anorthosis will be without their talented youngster Laifis who was sent off last week and the injured Avraam, while Calvo will face a late fitness test.
AEK Larnaca are currently in fifth place and if they manage to overcome relegation candidates Doxa they can even rise to third if the two teams immediately above them (Omonia and Anorthosis) fail to pick up any points.

Ethnikos Achnas are at home to Ermis Aradippou with the visitors expected to take the three points while Nea Salamina need the win as they are slipping dangerously close to the relegation zone.

In the last game of the round an indifferent AEL travel to Larnaca to face Othellos Athieonou who seem to have imploded in recent games.

Saturday, February 28th: Omonia vs APOEL, Apollon vs Anorthosis, Doxa vs AEK, Ethnikos vs Ermis, Nea Salamina vs Ayia Napa, Othellos vs AEL
All games begin at 16.00

By Angelos Anastasiou

THE defence lawyers of the five former Bank of Cyprus (BoC) senior officials who are facing trial on charges of market manipulation and misleading investors as to the lender’s capital needs in 2012 told the court on Friday that they plan to file pretrial objections.

The five ex officials – former board chairmen Theodoros Aristodemou and Andreas Artemis, former chief executives Andreas Eliades and Yiannis Kypri, and former deputy managing director Yiannis Pehlivanides who was in charge of Greek operations – as well as the bank itself were brought up on charges by the Auditor General, as a result of police investigations into the reasons for the collapse of Cyprus’ banking sector and economy in March 2013.

Specifically, the prosecution argued that between June 16 and 19, 2012, the defendants failed to disclose that the lender’s capital needs far exceeded the amount of €200m, which had been announced on May 10, 2012, and purposely misled investors to believe the contrary.

During Friday’s hearing, defence lawyers asked for details relating to the charges and the available evidence, because they plan to file pretrial objections.

They substantiated their intention by citing the principle of ‘double jeopardy’, meaning that defendants may not stand trial for the same offence twice.

The defence argued that the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) had already imposed administrative fines for the same offences on all defendants, with the exception of Artemi, who had been cleared of all charges.

They also plan to file an objection citing abuse of process, since the defendants have appealed the CySEC decision with the Supreme Court, which is currently pending.

In light of these developments, the court adjourned until March 18, when it is expected to call on the defendants to plead guilty or not guilty to the charges facing them.

The charge-sheet includes 33 prosecution witnesses, including former Finance minister and bank official Vasos Shiarly, former deputy governor of the Central Bank Spyros Stavrinakis, and various other Bank of Cyprus and central bank officials.

The defendants were released under restrictions.

Aristodemou, Artemis, Eliades and Kypri were released on €400,000 bail, handed in their travel documents and were placed on the stop-list, while Pehlivanides – a Greece resident – was released on €500,000 bail, but did not hand in his travel documents or see his name on the stop-list.

By Marc Jones

Greece is expected to be given the green light early next week for what could add up to well over a billion euros of cheap aid and funding support from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, according to sources at the bank.

The former Greek government put in a request late last year to become an EBRD ‘country of operation’ and make it eligible for the development bank’s support, but the process was put on hold during the uncertainty of the country’s recent elections.

However this week’s four-month Greek aid extension by the euro zone has put it back on track and EBRD sources said the bank’s shareholders — 64 countries plus the European Union and European Investment Bank — were voting on the proposal on Friday.

An EBRD spokesman declined to comment but the sources who spoke to Reuters said approval was likely to come on the grounds that Greece would be classed as a “temporary” recipient of EBRD funds until up to around 2020.

That would be similar to the 500-700 million euro, six-year plan given to Cyprus which became the first euro zone bailout country to get EBRD support last year. Since then the EBRD has taken a sizable stake in one of the country’s strained banks.

“Yes,(Greece should get approval),” said one source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions. “But the challenge is to define the mandate in a sufficiently narrow way and to make it temporary like in the Cyprus case.”

The biggest of the EBRD’s shareholders are G7 governments who wield almost 60 percent of the voting power. For Greece to be approved, it needs backing from two-thirds of 66 shareholders and at least three-quarters of the overall voting power.

As in Cyprus’ case, Greece is being helped considerably by the fact all 19 euro zone countries will vote as a bloc in favour of the plan, and it is also expected to get support from most of the G7 and other EU EBRD members.

For some of the bank’s shareholders however the move into the euro zone’s Mediterranean trouble spots departs from the EBRD’s mandate.

The EBRD was created in 1991 originally to invest in the former Soviet bloc countries of eastern Europe to rebuild their economies and improve communist-era infrastructure.

And though it has expanded its reach in recent years to include Turkey, Mongolia and the economies affected directly or indirectly by the Arab Spring such as Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan, some feel that any decision by the EBRD to invest in the world’s most advanced currency bloc would stretch its remit. (Reuters)