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Teenager arrested over Larnaca pub arson

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Police on Tuesday arrested a 16-year-old male in connection with an early morning fire that destroyed a pub in the Oroklini area in Larnaca.

The fire was reported at 4.45am.

The fire service scrambled to the scene but could not prevent the establishment’s destruction.

Fire-fighters however, succeeded in preventing the flames from spreading.

Investigators later established that the fire had been set deliberately.

Police later arrested a 16-year-old as the investigation into the arson continues.

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Gold sale not only option for Cyprus: finance minister

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The government said on Tuesday a sale of its gold reserves was not the only option under consideration to pay down its debt and that other alternatives were being considered.

“The possibility of selling gold is known, but only as an option,” Finance Minister Harris Georgiades told reporters.

He did not elaborate on what the alternatives were.

International lenders have extended a €10 billion financial lifeline to the Cyprus, which was forced to seize bank deposits in two major lenders to finance its side of the deal in March.

It also promised lenders from the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission – the troika — to consider the option of selling its gold reserves, valued at the time at around €400 million.

News that Cyprus could be forced to offload gold triggered a steep fall in the price of the metal in April as traders worried about the precedent it could set.

“It will be considered, when the time comes, with options, or rather, all other options,” Georgiades said.

Asked if this meant there was a possibility of Cyprus not selling its gold, he answered: “When that time comes other options will be examined.”

The President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, said last week he hoped there would never be a need for the island to sell its gold reserves and the issue was not being discussed by the government as it was a responsibility of the central bank.

Georgiades made the statements as a troika team arrived to evaluate the island’s progress in implementing its adjustment programme.
The minister expressed optimism that the evaluation would have a positive outcome.

“The government’s readiness to implement an extensive modernisation programme is a given,” Georgiades said. “The government’s readiness to consistently implement what was agreed is well known.”

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Only solution for dangerous beach is wave barriers, say local authorities

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By Bejay Browne

PAPHOS committee for beaches said on Tuesday the only real solution for the deadly Venus stretch of coastline would be the construction of wave barriers.

The comments came after the latest drowning in the area on Monday when 36-year-old Genadios Tzakidis from Georgia – a Paphos resident died there.

According to reports, the victims’ body was found 150 metres off the coast. Other beach-goers spotted Tzakidis and alerted lifeguards from a nearby hotel who attempted to revive him. Attending doctors pronounced him dead on arrival at Paphos general hospital. At least 12 people have drowned in the same area over the past five or six years.

Head of the Paphos municipality beaches committee Andreas Chrysanthou told the Cyprus Mail: “This is a dangerous beach which is not recognised as a place for people to swim.”

Officials and most locals believe the area should be prohibited for swimmers, a move which would slash the numbers of deaths there.

But, according to Chrysanthou, a number of legal problems would be encountered by declaring it a restricted area.

“If the municipality goes ahead and declares it as such, we will face a legal challenge from businesses in the area who will oppose the move at the high court, as a restriction of freedom,” he said.

Chrysanthou said the municipality of Paphos has taken every possible measure to try to ensure the safety of swimmers who enter the waters at their own risk.

There are huge signs in place on the shoreline of the hot spot in multiple languages informing people of the dangerous rip currents, as well as red flags and buoys and ropes in the sea to aid those who get into difficulty.

“I have to stress that bathers enter the water here at their own risk, there is no lifeguard on duty as the area is not officially suitable for swimming and it is extremely dangerous,” Chrysanthou said.

There are lifeguards on duty at nearby hotels but these are for hotel pools only and not the sea area, he added.

“We will continue to press the ministry of communications and works to construct wave barriers as soon as possible, but as there is an economic crisis, we are not optimistic about this,” he added.

 

 

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‘Give new shop hours a chance’ says ministry

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euro shoppers

By Maria Gregoriou

THE LABOUR ministry issued a plea on Tuesday to give the new opening hours a chance after small shopkeepers’ union POVEK announced it would legally challenge the decree.

The decree, announced last week allows shops to stay open longer, and on Sundays in a move aimed at helping the unemployed and businesses.

After a meeting on Monday night, POVEK said it planned to legally challenge the decree, and sent a letter to President Nicos Anastasiades asking for an immediate meeting.

Labour relations department head Andrea Mylonas said on Tuesday  the decree should be given a chance to be properly implemented.

Inspectors on Sunday visited shops to see if it was being properly implemented and if new employees were being taken on.

“It is a fact that the inspectors found that only a few new employees had been hired but some businesses are planning to hire more staff soon,” Mylonas said.

The labour department currently has 55 requests for the hiring of staff, he added. Inspections were primarily carried out in large commercial areas where many shops are under the same roof.

“Smaller shops did not utilise the scheme on Sunday but it is still early and we cannot know how things will develop,” Mylonas said.

POVEK released a statement yesterday outlining the position it holds on the negative impact on the market from the new opening hours, and the measures the union plans to take.

It demands that the decree be withdrawn immediately as the union “finds it to be a counterproductive measure that will create devastating effects to the market”.

“The decree will not lead to an increase in consumption nor will it help to generate employment,” the union said. “It will have the exact opposite effects of closing down businesses, increasing unemployment and disrupting society.”

The union is requesting an urgent meeting with the president inform him that 99 per cent of retail businesses have not adopted the new hours, POVEK said.

POVEK general-secretary Stefanos Koursaris said the remaining one per cent comprised large enterprises and malls. More market share would be shifted to these large businesses while negatively impacting smaller ones, he said. “They have already taken a big bite from the market share,” he added.

POVEK will also approach the commission for the protection of competition, the union said, and would present to government and parliament “the need for more effective measures to better the economy”

 

These include lower interest rates and rent, the removal of restrictions on domestic transactions and the implementation of laws and rulings that will regulate and enhance healthy competition.

“These measures will restore credibility and confidence in the financial system,” POVEK said.

The decision to enable shops outside tourist areas to stay open later and on Sundays was announced by the labour ministry on July 9 and implemented on July 12.

The scheme is optional and businesses can use the longer working hours according to their needs. The situation will continuously be monitored and it is set for a trial period of three months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Stranded fugitive Snowden seeks temporary asylum in Russia

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Temporary asylum could last for a year

By Steve Gutterman
Former US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden applied for temporary asylum in Russia on Tuesday after three weeks holed up at a Moscow airport trying to avoid prosecution in the United States on espionage charges.
Snowden is seeking refuge in Latin America after leaking details of US government surveillance programmes, but has not risked taking any flight that might be intercepted by the United States since flying in from Hong Kong on June 23.
“He reached the conclusion that he needs to write an application for temporary asylum (in Russia), and this procedure has just been done,” Anatoly Kucherena, a lawyer who met Snowden on Friday along with human rights activists, said.
“For now he is not going to go anywhere. For now he plans to stay in Russia,” he said, adding that if Snowden were granted temporary asylum, he should have the same rights as other citizens and be free to work and travel in Russia.
The asylum application could end his time in limbo but risks deepening tension between the United States and Russia, which has refused to expel him to his homeland for prosecution.
The head of Russia’s Federal Migration Service (FMS) confirmed the agency had received Snowden’s application. Anti-secrecy group Wikileaks, which has been helping Snowden, said on Twitter that he had applied for “a temporary protection visa”.
Snowden, 30, is trapped in the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, an area between the runway and passport control which Russia regards as neutral territory.
He said on Friday he would seek refuge in Russia only until he can travel to one of the three Latin American countries ready to give him political asylum – Bolivia, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
He said the United States and its allies were preventing him from reaching those countries. Washington has revoked Snowden’s passport and urged other nations not to help him reach an asylum destination.
Kucherena said he expected a decision on Snowden’s asylum request “soon”, though the Federal Migration Service has up to three months to decide on the application.
The process for seeking temporary asylum is different from that for political asylum, which Kucherena said would require a decree from President Vladimir Putin.
Putin has rejected repeated US calls to send Snowden to the United States, but has said he does not want the fugitive to harm already strained relations with Washington.
Putin has said twice that Snowden must stop all activities “aimed at harming our American partners” if he wants political asylum in Russia, but he has not made clear whether the condition applies to temporary asylum as well.
Temporary asylum is granted by the FMS, but Putin would be expected to make the final decision himself, even though he has tried to distance himself from Snowden’s predicament.
Putin said on Monday he hoped Snowden would leave as soon as he could, but left the door open for granting him asylum, saying there were signs the American fugitive was moving towards meeting the conditions he has set.
Temporary asylum can be granted for up to a year, with the possibility of extension.

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Crime briefs

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Police arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of stealing a washing machine from a housing complex in Paphos.
The washing machine, valued at around €280, had been installed outside, police said.
The suspect was reported to police by an eyewitness.

The church of Panayia Chryseleousa in a Paphos village was burgled between Sunday and Tuesday of this week with an icon of the Virgin Mary, two silver cherubs and a silver cross taken, police said.
According to reports the entrance of the church, in Kritou Terra, had been broken into but the thieves did not touch the donation box.

A British tourist, 27, had her bag stolen in Paphos during the early hours on Wednesday as she was returning on foot to her hotel, police said.
The woman reported that at around 2.35am, two people snatched her bag as she was walking on Agapinoros Street.
The bag contained cash and a mobile phone of an undisclosed value.

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IMF, EU inspectors start quizzing Cyprus on bailout progress

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Troika members with Finance Minister Harris Georgiades and CBC Governor Panicos Demetriades

By Michele Kambas

International lenders began reviewing how the island is meeting the conditions of it €10 billion bailout on Wednesday, looking to see whether it should get the next tranche of aid.

The appraisal is the first since Cyprus secured a deal with the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bank in March.

Nicosia received a first tranche of aid in June worth €3 billion and euro zone finance ministers will decide on whether to issue the next tranche in mid-September, the size of which is yet to be determined.

President Nicos Anastasiades said last month that some provisions of the bailout deal needed tweaking to address problems in the banking sector.

Cyprus had to wind down one lender, Laiki Bank, and use customer deposits exceeding €100,000 to prop up another, Bank of Cyprus, as part of the bailout agreement.

One area of focus for the so-called troika of lenders during the two-week review will be why the central bank has yet to finalise how much equity Bank of Cyprus shareholders will receive in exchange for giving up their deposits, a process known as a bail-in.

Finance Ministry officials are keen to see the resolution settled, worried that the uncertainty it is causing is preventing an easing of capital controls, introduced to prevent a cash flight after the bailout was agreed in March.

“Swiftly exiting the resolution status would allow us to take new steps to further ease, and ultimately eliminate capital controls,” Finance Minister Harris Georgiades said on Tuesday.

An independent audit of Bank of Cyprus assets is under way, which would define precisely how much of depositors’ cash would be seized.

That audit will be completed on Monday, the Central Bank governor said.
“We are pressuring for the final bail-in rate to be set by the end of the month,” Panicos Demetriades said.

Reports suggested the percentage will be around 50 per cent.

The island has promised its lenders that it would consider the option of selling some of its gold reserves to help pay down its debt but Georgiades said on Tuesday that that was only one option under consideration.

Under the bailout, Cyprus has agreed to cut its budget deficit to 2.4 per cent of GDP in 2016, from an estimated 5.9 per cent this year.

Although foreign banks on the island were exempt from most restrictions imposed under the bailout, customers at banks in Cyprus are limited to withdrawals of up to €300 a day, cheques cannot be cashed and bank transfers are vetted.

Those restrictions are adding to an acute credit crunch caused by financial institutions which are jittery about their balance sheets in a rapidly deteriorating economy and have put the brakes on lending, economists say.

“Banks aren’t lending,” said economist Yiannis Tirkides, who did not wish to disclose the name of his company. “A lot has to do with expectations, and that contributes to the uncertainty,” he said. (Reuters. Additional reporting by George Psyllides)

 

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EU Commission to propose cap on card payment fees

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Credit cards are withdrawn to prevent data abuse

By Foo Yun Chee and John O’Donnell

THE EUROPEAN Commission will propose capping the fees that banks charge retailers to process card payments, according to draft legislation seen by Reuters that will squeeze an important money-spinner for lenders and cut costs for consumers.

The curbs, compared by some EU officials with the cap on mobile roaming fees, would have far-reaching consequences, with such payments accounting for a total value of purchases of 1.8 trillion euros in the wider European economic area in 2010.

The draft legislation, due to be officially unveiled next week, envisages a limit of 0.2 per cent on the value of a debit card transaction and 0.3 per cent on credit cards. Currently, the fee can be as high as 1.5 per cent.

The proposal stops short of an outright ban on the fees banks charge each other for processing transactions but it will nonetheless ensure that this cost, which is ultimately passed on to the card-holder, is permanently curtailed.

The cap, which is in line with measures demanded by the Commission’s antitrust officials, will apply initially for cross-border transactions – for example, when an Irish card-holder pays uses their card in France.

After two years, this limit would be extended to the so-called interchange fees on domestic payments using all cards.

The plans will first have to be agreed with the European Parliament and EU countries, which means that the roll-out of the cap could begin from around the end of next year.

The law would mark the end of a two decades-long battle between the EU’s executive, which enforces antitrust rules in the 28-country bloc, and card firms Visa Europe and MasterCard.

Visa Europe, which is the European licensee of Visa Inc, is owned and operated by more than 3,700 European banks.

The draft, which has been the subject of a sometimes tense debate in the European Commission among those advocating harsher controls and others wanting a gentler approach, may yet change although that is not likely.

In the proposal, the European Commission also recommends rules that would make it easier for retailers to pick and choose which cards to accept, which would cut their transaction costs.

Currently, the “honour all cards” rules require merchants to accept all products issued by the same card company, even if the fees for these cards vary.

Visa Europe has already offered to cap inter-bank credit card fees at the level of 0.3 per cent, the same benchmark as competitor MasterCard.

In its legislative proposal, the European Commission is scathing of the practices of the card companies.

“Competition between card schemes appears … to be largely aimed at convincing as many … providers as possible to issue their cards, which usually leads to higher rather than lower fees,” officials write in the document.

“Consumers tend to be unaware of the fees paid by merchants for the payment instrument they use.”

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Anorthosis coach Kassianos eyes positive Europa start

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By Nemanja Bjedov

Anorthosis coach Christakis Kassianos is optimistic ahead of his team’s Europa League second qualifying round clash with Swedish side Gefle IF on Thursday evening at Larnaca’s Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium.

“Every day that passes we get better,” said Kassianos.

“We are now a team with a lot of quality players, but we did not have enough time together to reach the desired level of performance. However, we have lots of European experience and obviously our goal is to advance to the next round.”

While Gefle trounced Estonia’s JK Trans Narva 8-1 on aggregate in the competition’s first qualifying round, Anorthosis lost their ultimate friendly match 5-0 to Apollon ahead of the Europa clash.

“We played four friendly matches well and only one badly. I do not want to discuss it again as this does not help anyone. What we must do is to learn from our mistakes and focus on the match against Gefle,” added Kassianos.

The coach will set a late fitness test for Uruguayan forward Gonzalo Garcia, and will definitely be unable to count on Georgian midfielder Shota Grigalashvili, who has yet to start practising with the team. If Garcia fails the test, his spot will most likely be taken by Marcinho.

“The opponent is more prepared than us,” admitted Kassianos, “but on the other hand we have a big name and probably more experience, skill and overall quality … We are passionate about what we do and we have that required thirst for victory as well as financial reasons to perform as well as we possibly can.

“We will be ready for the match and hopefully it will be a display worthy of our rich history.”

The Larnaca clash is scheduled to kick off at 8pm and will be played without spectators as Anorthosis is serving a UEFA ban of three matches behind closed doors for abandoning the match against Georgian side Dila Gori, a few minutes before the final whistle, in last season’s third qualifying round.

On the same night, Nicosia powerhouse Omonia commence their Europa campaign against Romanian team FC Astra Giurgiu, with the match scheduled to start at 8.30pm.

Toni Savevski has a complete squad to choose from for this season’s Europa League opener, including midfielder Georgios Efrem who lately did not train in full regime with the team.

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Woods targets 15th major title at sun-kissed Muirfield

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Golf The Open 2013

By Ed Osmond

Tiger Woods will start the 142nd British Open at Muirfield on Thursday as favourite to win his 15th major title but the odds on the world number one are in double figures for the first time in 13 years.

Defending champion Ernie Els is 25-1 to retain the title at a course where he lifted the Claret Jug 11 years ago and U.S. Open winner Justin Rose is 20-1 to become the first English winner of the tournament since Nick Faldo in 1992.

Woods, who has not won a major for five years, is excited by the challenge of playing the course in fine weather conditions, a sharp contrast to 2002 when his hopes at Muirfield were scuppered by a third-round 81 in driving wind and rain.

“I’m looking forward to it,” the American told a news conference. “What a fantastic championship on one of the best venues.

“It’s playing really fast out there. The golf course has got a little bit of speed to it and I’m sure it will get really quick by the weekend so the golf course is set up perfectly.”

Woods said he was feeling very good about his form.

“I’ve had a pretty good year so far, won four times even though I haven’t won a major,” he added.

“It’s just a shot here and there. It’s making a key up-and-down here or getting a good bounce here, capitalising on an opportunity here and there. That’s what you have to do to win major championships.”

Els, 43, rolled back the years at Lytham 12 months ago, taking advantage of Adam Scott’s meltdown over the closing holes to seal his fourth major championship.

“I just feel this is a great golf course,” the South African said. “It reminds me a little bit of Lytham.

“Obviously last week I didn’t make the cut at the Scottish Open but I’ve had some extra time coming into the event and feel quite good about my game. I’m striking it nicely.”

American Phil Mickelson, four-times a major champion, won last week’s Scottish Open and is 20-1 to win his first British Open, the same odds as Rose and Australian Scott who made up for his Lytham disappointment by winning this year’s U.S. Masters.

BRITISH CHALLENGE

Rose leads the British challenge as the nation’s golfers bid to ride a wave of sporting success that has also brought a rare rugby series win for the British & Irish Lions, Andy Murray’s stunning Wimbledon triumph and a nerve-jangling victory for England in a dramatic first Ashes test.

“Rose is a strong contender,” said Faldo who is making a rare appearance in the Open this year.

“It’s all been a process. It didn’t happen overnight, this has been a concerted plan for the last four years. Rose’s game has slowly been climbing. He might be strong enough to come out and carry on.”

Former world number ones Luke Donald and Lee Westwood will also be flying the British flag as they bid to end their long waits for a first major crown.

Twice major winner Rory McIlroy is alongside Westwood as a 25-1 shot to win the Open.

The Northern Irishman, however, has struggled since switching clubs at the start of the year and bookmaker Ladbrokes is also offering odds of 4-1 on him missing the cut.

The sun is expected to shine throughout the four-day tournament and, if it does, Woods will be a happy man as he wrestles with the unique challenges of links golf.

“I fell in love with links golf when I came here 17 years ago,” he said. “Because we play generally everywhere around the world an airborne game where you have to hit the ball straight up in the air and make it stop.

“Here it’s different,” added Woods who won his third and last British Open title at Hoylake seven years ago.

“A draw will go one distance, a fade will go another, and they’re so dramatic. I just absolutely love it.”

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Cyprus stamp collections awarded first prize at international competition

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Stamp collections issued by the Cyprus Post for 2010, 2011 and 2012 have won first prize at the 10th International Philatelic Competition, held under the auspices of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in St. Petersburg, Russia.

According to an official press release, a special committee, comprising judges and stamp designers, evaluated the exhibition card stamps of each participating country and awarded the first prize to Cyprus stamp collections for 2010, 2011 and 2012.

This distinction provides for a Gold Medal and a Certificate to the first group of exhibition card stamps for countries that issue less than thirty stamps every year.

“This honorary distinction highlights once again the high quality of Cyprus’ stamp editions,” it is added.

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Larnaca police investigating possible murder-suicide (updated)

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ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΚΤΟΝΙΑ 1

A 72-YEAR-OLD retired taxi driver from Famagusta, Philipos Christodoulou and his 42-year-old domestic worker from Sri Lanka were found dead from gunshot wounds on Wednesday at Christodoulou’s Larnaca flat.

The bodies were found in the flat on the coast road near Mackenzie beach at around 2.50pm, in what police suspect was a murder-suicide.

According to police residents in the apartment building said they smelled burning food – which was later found to be pasta – and had notified the fire department.

Members of the fire brigade climbed up to the second floor flat and entered the apartment through an open balcony door.

They found Christodoulou dead in the kitchen with a wound to the head and a double-barreled shotgun besides him, from which two rounds had been fired.

The 42-year-old domestic worker was found in the bedroom with a wound to the chest.

The death of the domestic worker was a criminal act but foul play has been ruled out in the shooting of the pensioner, according to police.

Neighbours reported that the Sri Lankan woman was not permanently employed by Christodoulou.   She had gone to work at his home two weeks ago and then left.

Last weekend, she had returned, bringing with her bags of clothes and personal items.

According to police, it was possible she had been planning to leave again on Wednesday causing Christodoulou to react.

State pathologists Nicholas Charalambous and Sophoclis Sophocleous arrived at the flat at 4pm for an on-scene examination.

The bodies were taken to Larnaca general hospital for post mortems.

 

 

 

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Republic sends equipment to help oil spill cleanup in north (updated)

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Working to contain the spill

By Peter Stevenson

The Republic was despatching oil absorbent booms to the north after Turkish Cypriots re-submitted a request for assistance to deal with an oil spill off the coast of the occupied village of Gastria, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

“UNFICYP is in the process of facilitating the transfer of oil absorbent booms from Limassol to the side of the oil spill off the coast of the Karpas Peninsula as a result of an agreement reached between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot Chambers of Commerce,” UN spokesman Rolando Gomez told the Cyprus News Agency.

Earlier, Gomez said Turkish Cypriots had asked for help from the Republic but later withdrew their request.

He said that the Greek Cypriot side responded immediately to the request and were ready to help. “During the course of the day UNFICYP was informed that the Turkish Cypriot side no longer needed help from the Greek Cypriot side as assistance from Turkey was due to arrive earlier than expected,” he said.

The Republic of Cyprus said on Wednesday it was ready to deal with any possible contamination of its waters from the 100 tonnes of oil which spilled when a pipeline broke on Tuesday.

Both the departments of fisheries and merchant shipping said they were on alert after reports from the north claimed the oil-spill was spreading. Environment Commissioner Ioanna Panayiotou told the Cyprus Mail that help had been offered to Turkish Cypriot authorities but it was rejected.

“It is a shame because we have equipment which can help contain the problem as the spill is expanding and as far as we are aware no help has arrived from Turkey yet,” she said.

It was reported on Tuesday that around 100 tonnes of oil were spilled at around 2am that say after a pipeline from a tanker broke during attempts to supply the AKSA Energy power station.

Initial reports from the north claimed the oil spill covered a radius of five kilometres on the southern side of the Karpas peninsula but by yesterday the size of the spill had reached seven kilometres.

‘Foreign minister’ Kutlay Erk and ‘environment minister’ Mehmet Harmanci stated that they had launched initiatives asking for help from Turkey and the UN. They said that they had asked for barriers and equipment from Turkey.

Erk also noted that this was not the first time that such an incident had been caused by AKSA. “This means that they have weaknesses”, he said adding that in case AKSA does not overcome these weaknesses the government will examine the contract they have together.

‘Prime minister’ Sibel Siber said that the effort to clean the area has started and that the firm which is responsible for the tragedy was bringing ships from Turkey. She expressed her sorrow at being faced with another environmental disaster. Siber added that the clean-up process had begun.

“It’s redundant to talk about what has already happened, making sure it does not happen again is of the utmost importance,” she said. Siber explained that if the winds pick-up then there is a danger the spill could expand.

According to northern daily Kibris Postasi, Deepsea Fisheries, the company which owns the fish farm which was hit by the oil spill, has had to change all of their nets. The company said that if samples sent to Turkey for testing showed that the fish had been contaminated then they would ask for compensation.

The damage done to the nets is between €80,000 and €100,000 and if the fish are found to be contaminated the damage could rise to a €1 million.

The incident will be dealt with on three levels according to ‘finance and energy minister’ Atai Ahmed Rashid after a meeting of the crisis management team.

Efforts will be made to deal with the problem, measures will be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future and an investigation will take place to find out the cause.

A team of experts was due on Wednesday from Mersin in Turkey to deal with the problem, with the clean-up process possibly taking a week, Rashid added. He revealed that ships that would transfer oil from now on would be surrounded by barriers to limit any spills. The fault in the pipeline would be repaired under the supervision of the government in the north, he said.

Rashid added that the north did not possess the appropriate infrastructure to deal with such catastrophes and that the current government would take temporary measures to deal with the problem but a road map needed to be created for future authorities.

He also revealed that despite being called the ‘finance and energy ministry’ there was a lack of specialists in the field of energy.

Head of  the Turkish Cypriot Green Action Group, Dogan Sahir, told the Mail on Wednesday that the ‘government’ in the north was not prepared for any kind of environmental disaster.

“The government cannot do anything about this situation as they have no experience and no equipment to deal with any kind of oil spill, let alone one of this size,” he said.

He explained that a special crisis management team had been assembled but they were unable to do much until help arrived from Turkey.

“I cannot stress enough the urgency with which the clean-up process needs to happen as the longer we wait the worse the situation becomes with fish farms and beaches being affected,” he added.

Sahir claimed that AKSA had attempted to initially keep the oil-spill a secret but could not, due to its size.

Murat Captug, director of the AKSA electrical power station told reporters in the north that he asked for help from a private company in Turkey. The culprit tanker was not allowed to debark and will remain in the sea until a full investigation is carried out into the incident, reports claimed.

In a statement earlier in the day, the Environment Commissioner Panayiotou had expressed her concern that the correct measures and equipment were not available in the north and that steps needed to be taken to prevent similar disasters from happening.

“According to press reports the spill is heading towards beaches in Karpasia which could put the whole ecosystem in the north in danger,” Panayiotou said.

“The clean-up process is difficult and the consequences to rocky beaches could be catastrophic as well as making plankton toxic which then has a knock-on effect and could poison all of the organisms that feed on it,” she said.

Oil also decreases the sea’s transparency meaning underwater plant-life will also suffer the consequences of the spill, the commissioner said.

“A quick and efficient clean-up of an oil spill is of the utmost importance but a complete clean-up unfortunately is not possible so special barriers are used to limit how much it will spread,” she added.

 

 

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Arabs back Kerry push to renew Israel-Palestinian talks

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US Secretary of State Kerry in Jordan

By Arshad Mohammed

The Arab League has endorsed the drive to relaunch Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations led by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who said gaps between the sides had been greatly narrowed.

The encouraging rhetoric after Kerry met an Arab League delegation and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jordan on Wednesday suggested that Kerry, on his sixth such peace mission to the Middle East in as many months, might have found a path to ending an almost three-year deadlock.

The main sticking point has been Israel’s continued building of settlements on occupied land where Palestinians want to found a state. Israel approved new settlement on Wednesday.

Facing censure from Islamist Hamas rivals, the Western-backed Abbas has in the past looked for Arab League support before engaging in talks with the Jewish state. The 22-nation League also confirmed a recent compromise on its 11-year-old peace proposal to Israel; it said old borders could be redrawn.

The official Petra news agency in Jordan, where Kerry met Abbas for a second time in two days, quoted an Arab League statement issued after League officials also met Kerry there. The bloc affirmed its support for Kerry’s great efforts to revive peace talks between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.

The League delegation expressed hope that this will lead to a launch of serious negotiations to address all final status issues to end the conflict and achieve a just and comprehensive peace between the Palestinians and Israelis which will bless the region with security, stability and prosperity.

Abbas has given no public indication of his intentions. Aides said he would meet other PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) leaders in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday ahead of deciding whether to resume talks with Israel.

The Palestinians were buoyed on Tuesday by EU plans to bar financial assistance to Israeli organisations operations in the occupied territories. Israel, which wants to keep swathes of West Bank settlements under any peace accord, was incensed.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s rightist government announced a new settlement expansion on Wednesday. An Israeli official said Netanyahu told Kerry that the EU move hurt efforts to renew the diplomatic process.

But Kerry, briefing reporters in the Jordanian capital Amman, was upbeat.

“We have been able to narrow these gaps very significantly,” he said. “And so we continue to get closer and I continue to remain hopeful that the sides can soon be able to come and sit at the same table.”

He did not elaborate, citing a need for discretion.

A positive Palestinian decision, if one were to emerge on Thursday or soon thereafter, would be the first tangible sign of progress in Kerry’s nearly six-month drive to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, now largely overshadowed by upheaval in Egypt and civil war in Syria.

Abbas has in the past said settlement expansion must stop before talks with Israel can get under way. Netanyahu has called on him to return to negotiations unconditionally.

Israel granted initial approval on Wednesday for the construction of 732 new homes in Modiin Ilit, a West Bank settlement midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

At the news conference, Kerry held out the prospect of the rewards Israel could reap in a deal leading to the creation of a Palestinian state on land seized in the 1967 Middle East war.

He said Israel should consider carefully a 2002 Arab League peace initiative that it rejected in the past.

“Israel needs to look hard at this initiative, which promises Israel peace with 22 Arab nations and 35 Muslim nations – a total of 57 nations that are standing and waiting for the possibility of making peace with Israel,” he said.

The plan, put forward by Saudi Arabia at an Arab League summit in 2002, offered full recognition of Israel if it gave up all land it had occupied since 1967 and agreed to a “just solution” for Palestinian refugees.

Softening the plan three months ago, a top Qatari official raised the possibility of land swaps in setting future Israeli-Palestinian borders. Tzipi Livni, the Israeli cabinet minister responsible for efforts to restart Palestinian talks, at the time called Qatar’s move “good news that should be welcomed”.

The League statement on Wednesday confirmed that shift, speaking of the Arab peace initiative as providing for “an independent Palestinian state on the lines of June 4, 1967 with a limited exchange of territory of the same value and size”.

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Protests mount ahead of Greek parliament vote on layoffs

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By Angeliki Koutantou and Renee Maltezou

THOUSANDS of Greek workers chanting anti-austerity slogans flocked outside parliament on Wednesday, hours before lawmakers inside vote on a divisive reform bill that would cut thousands of public sector jobs.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ government is expected to scrape through the vote, despite a much-slimmer majority of only five seats in parliament after losing an ally over the decision to yank the state broadcaster off air and fire its 2,600 staff.

The multi-pronged bill – whose passage is a condition for Greece to unlock further aid – includes plans for a public sector transfer and layoff scheme mainly affecting teachers and municipal police.

About 5,000 Greeks flooded the street outside parliament, some chanting: “We will not succumb, the only option is to resist” and waving orange flags – though turnout was much smaller than in protests last year.

“After 12 years on the job, they fire us in one night,” Patra Hatziharalampous, a 52-year-old school guard in uniform said between sobs. “If they have any guts, they should say no to the bailout and take some of the bill’s articles back.”

Hours before the vote, Samaras announced Greece’s first tax cut since its crisis began nearly four years ago, in a bid to placate protests and an increasingly restive public mood.

“Despite the difficulties, important and significant things are taking place in our country,” Samaras said in a surprise television address, announcing that value-added tax (VAT) in restaurants, which was raised to 23 per cent in 2011, would be cut to 13 per cent from Aug. 1.

“We will not relax. We will continue climbing up the hill, we will reach the top, which is not far, and better days will come for our people,” he said.

The government had made a show of arguing for the restaurant VAT cut during its latest talks with lenders, and analysts said the move was a symbolic attempt to show austerity-hit Greeks that there was light at the end of the tunnel.

Samaras said the cut would help curb tax evasion, a major problem in the country and one of the reasons it slid into a debt crisis in 2009, but warned that if tax evasion persisted the VAT would revert to 23 per cent.

“The crucial thing is that it was announced now and not after the summer,” said Thomas Gerakis, head of Marc Pollsters. “How it will benefit consumers remains to be seen.”

Athens has been limping along on two bailouts worth over 240 billion euros since 2010, which it has secured at the price of wage cuts and tax rises that have triggered a six-year recession and sent unemployment to 27 per cent.

The latest bill agreed with European Union and International Monetary Fund lenders as a condition for nearly 7 billion euros in aid also includes a luxury tax on houses with swimming pools and owners of high performance cars.

But the move that has drawn the most anger is the plan to place 25,000 workers into the layoff scheme by the end of 2013, giving them eight months to find another position or get laid off. Jobs in the public sector are widely seen as oversized, inefficient and filled with patronage hires, but many Greeks believe society can no longer go tolerate cuts or tax hikes.

Uniformed municipal police, garbage collectors in orange vests and hundreds of other public sector workers have taken to the streets of Athens almost daily on motorbikes in over a week of rallies, blowing whistles, honking horns and blaring sirens.

“You are drawing blood from an organism suffering from anaemia,” George Varemenos, a lawmaker from the radical leftist opposition Syriza party told a parliamentary session.

“People will be running to the shelters whenever you mention the word reform.”

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UN chemical arms investigator arrives in Syria to seek access

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Ake Sellstrom (left) arriving in Damascus (EPA)

The head of a UN chemical weapons investigation team arrived in Syria on Wednesday to discuss his inquiry into allegations that chemical arms have been used in Syria’s civil war.

Ake Sellstrom’s full team has not been allowed into Syria due to diplomatic wrangling over access. His mission this week aims to reach an agreement for it to start work in Syria.

Sellstrom, a Swede, is accompanied by the head of the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs, Angela Kane, who said on her arrival in Damascus that their mission was to prepare the ground for an investigation into chemical weapons use.

The team’s visit is taking place at the invitation of the Syrian government and its members will meet Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem as well as technical experts.

Damascus has so far refused to let UN investigators go anywhere except Khan al-Assal in Aleppo province, where Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government and its Russian ally say rebels used chemical weapons in March.

Both sides deny using chemical weapons.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has insisted that his team be permitted to visit at least one other location, the city of Homs, site of an alleged chemical attack by government forces in December 2012.

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Possible case of TB at boot camp

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THE NATIONAL Guard is investigating a possible case of tuberculosis believed to have been contracted by a new conscript at Limassol boot camp (KEN).

A statement released by the National Guard on Wednesday said the possible case of tuberculosis was determined on Tuesday at the Limassol boot camp during routine precautionary tests conducted on new recruits.

The incident is under investigation, according to the statement.

The National Guardsman was immediately taken to Limassol general hospital for observation.

“The National Guard’s health department is in constant contact with the Health Ministry to monitor the situation and ensure the health of the officers and soldiers serving at the camp,” the statement added.

 

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Europe confirms plans to clamp down on charges for paying with plastic

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Credit-Card-Stoozing1

By John O’Donnell and Foo Yun Chee

Banks will have to limit the fees they charge on card payments under proposals from the European Commission on Wednesday that would also scrap surcharges on shoppers for paying with plastic.

The draft law would squeeze an important source of income for banks but should bring lower prices for consumers.

It will also end the practice of bumping up the cost of airline tickets, for example, when consumers use their credit card to pay.

“The interchange fees paid by retailers end up on consumers’ bills,” said Joaquin Almunia, the European Union commissioner in charge of antitrust enforcement, who announced the measures.

“Retailers will make big savings by paying lower fees to their banks, and consumers will benefit through lower retail prices,” he said. The Commission estimates that the new curbs could save retailers 6 billion euros ($7.93 billion).

The rules will in particular affect Visa Europe, the European licensee of Visa Inc. that is owned and operated by roughly 3,000 European banks including all major lenders. MasterCard will also be affected.

Some cards, however, such as branded commercial cards issued, for example, by a retailer will not be covered. American Express, which operates on a different basis, will also be largely unaffected.

In response to the EU plans, Visa and Mastercard disputed that the new law would benefit consumers. The UK Cards Association, which represents card issuers in Britain, said they might be forced to introduce new fees to cover their operating costs.

At the moment, banks charge a fee when processing payments using cards that can amount to 1.5 per cent of the purchase price.

Under the draft rules, which the Commission hopes will widen retailers’ acceptance of cards, that charge would be capped at 0.2 per cent for debit cards and 0.3 per cent on credit cards.

Once the European Parliament and EU countries give their blessing for the rules to come into force, companies such as airlines would be unable to impose surcharges, saving consumers 730 million euros ($964.94 million) annually.

If lawmakers in Brussels hammer out final details of the rules before European Parliament elections next year, the law could be in place in 2015.

The new law would mark the end of a two decades-long battle between the EU’s executive, which enforces antitrust rules in the 28-country bloc, and card firms Visa Europe and MasterCard.

Visa Europe has already offered to cap inter-bank credit card fees at the level of 0.3 per cent, the same benchmark as competitor MasterCard.

And while consumer lobby group Beuc welcomed the end of what they called “shameless” surcharges, some retailers said the draft rules limiting interbank fees did not go far enough.

Ruth Milligan of EuroCommerce, a retail lobby group that has campaigned for cuts in the charges, said the fee should reflect the “tiny” actual costs involved.

“It should be a fixed fee,” said Milligan. “There is no reason for it to be a percentage fee. Because the electronic system is already in place, it’s a tiny cost, something like 1 cent per transaction.”

“There has been a political compromise in the Commission with a lot of pressure from the banking sector and the card schemes,” she said, adding that the levels of the cap had been chosen without input from merchants or consumers.

The cap, which is in line with measures demanded by the Commission’s antitrust officials, will apply initially for cross-border transactions – for example, when an Irish card-holder uses the card in France.

After almost two years, this limit would be extended to the so-called interchange fees on domestic payments using all cards.

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Fugitive Snowden’s hopes of leaving Moscow airport dashed

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By Lidia Kelly

Fugitive US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden’s hopes of leaving Moscow’s SheremetyevoAirport for the first time in a month on Wednesday were dashed when he failed to secure permission from Russia to leave.

An airport source said Snowden, who is wanted by the United States for revealing details of government intelligence programmes, was handed documents by his lawyer which were expected to include a pass to leave the transit area.

But Snowden did not go through passport control and lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, who is assisting him with his request for temporary asylum in Russia until he can reach a state that will shelter him, said the American did not have the pass he needed.

It was not clear whether there had been a last-minute political intervention or hitch, or the pass had never been in his possession.

But Kucherena said he hoped Snowden’s status would be resolved soon. In Washington, the White House said it was seeking clarification of his status.

“I must say he is of course anxious about it and I hope that this situation will be resolved in the nearest future,” Kucherena said at Sheremetyevo.

“This is the first time Russia is facing such a situation, and this issue of course requires time for the immigration workers.”

Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela have said they could offer  sanctuary to Snowden, who arrived on June 23 from Hong Kong, where he had fled to escape capture and trial in the United States on espionage charges.

But none of the three Latin American countries can be reached by a direct commercial flight so Snowden has requested temporary asylum in Russia until he believes he can safely reach one of them.

The United States wants him extradited to face prosecution and has revoked his passport.

But Russia has refused to send him home and risks damage to relations with the United States if it grants him temporary asylum – a process which could take three months.

Kucherena confirmed Snowden was staying somewhere in the many corridors and rooms of the transit area between the runway and passport control – an area which Russia considers neutral territory – and that he had learned the Russian for “Hi”, “Bye-bye” and “I’ll ring you.”

The 30-year-old had received calls from across Russia, with offers to give him money and a place to stay, and even a suggestion by one woman to adopt him. He said he had enough money to get by for now.

Kucherena said he had brought him fresh underwear and shirts and added that he had given him the novel “Crime and Punishment” by 19th Century writer Fyodor Dostoevsky and short stories by Anton Chekhov.

President Vladimir Putin signaled last week that he did not want the dispute to derail Russia’s relations with the United States, and the decision on temporary asylum could be delayed until after US President Barack Obama visits Moscow for a summit in early September.

Allowing him to stay in Russia even temporarily would upset Washington. It will be Putin’s first summit with Obama since the former KGB spy started a new term last year, and precedes a subsequent G20 summit in St Petersburg.

But a refusal would open Putin to criticism at home that he gave into Moscow’s former Cold War enemy.

Both countries have signaled they want to improve ties, strained by issues ranging from the Syrian conflict to Putin’s treatment of opponents and Western-funded non-governmental organisations since he started a third term in 2012.

Putin has said Snowden must stop anti-US activities. Snowden has said he does not regard his activities as hostile to the United States but Kucherena said last week that he had agreed to halt such actions.

Snowden, who has been assisted by the WikiLeaks anti-secrecy group, has not been seen in public since June 23 although he had a meeting at the airport with human rights groups on July 13.

He fears the United States will persuade its allies to prevent him using their airspace, or that his plane might be forced down so that he can be taken into custody and extradited.

Kucherena said earlier this week that he did not rule out Snowden seeking Russian citizenship.

There has already been diplomatic fallout from Snowden’s leaks, which included information that the US National Security Agency (NSA) bugged European Union offices and gained access to EU internal computer networks, although the Union is an ally.

China, Brazil and France have also voiced concern over the spying programme.

US relations with Latin American states have been clouded by the refusal of four US allies in Europe to let a plane carrying Bolivia’s president home from Moscow use their airspace

US lawmakers were also clashing over the case as the House of Representatives debated the 2014 defense spending bill.

Michigan Republican Justin Amash has proposed an amendment that would bar the NSA from collecting telephone call records and other data from people in the United States not specifically under investigation.

Obama opposed Amash’s amendment, saying it would “hastily dismantle one of our intelligence community’s counterterrorism tools.”

 

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Liverpool deny Melbourne Victory, Suarez thrills in cameo

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Liverpool pre-season tour in Australia

By Ian Ransom
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard slotted a first-half goal and Iago Aspas a second in injury-time to secure a 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory but Luis Suarez hogged the limelight at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
Striker Suarez’s commitment to the Merseyside club remains in doubt, and a mammoth red-clad crowd of 95,446 grew restless as the Uruguayan cooled his heels on the bench deep into the second half.
Yet his appearance in the 72nd minute among a raft of substitutions sparked a deafening roar from the terraces, and fans left the hulking coliseum happy after watching the 26-year-old set up the second goal with typical trickery.
Suarez, second top scorer in the Premier League with 23 goals last season, has said he wants to leave Liverpool to play in Spain, blaming the British media for making his life impossible in England.
But despite the heated speculation over his future, he joined up with his team mates in Australia, with his coach Brendan Rodgers playing down talk of a move.
While Suarez dominated the leadup, it was his captain generating the highlights early on a chilly night at the MCG.
Gerrard charged into the area to finish a pinpoint through ball from Joe Allen into the right corner in the 32nd minute after starting the move with an inspired back-heel in midfield.
The Victory, a heavyweight in the local A-League competition, battled hard throughout and denied Liverpool a second goal until seconds before the close.
Suarez received a pass from a corner, darted into the area and effortlessly steered a low cross through heavy traffic to allow Aspas to tap home from close range.

Earlier in the day, Liverpool owner John W. Henry appeared to ridicule Arsenal’s latest bid for Suarez after the Gunners reportedly tabled an offer of just over 40 million pounds for the striker.
The unusual offer of 40 million and one pound was intended to trigger a clause in the Uruguayan international’s contract that says Liverpool must inform the striker of Arsenal’s interest.
Henry said on his verified Twitter account: “What do you think they are smoking over there at Emirates?”
Arsenal have already had one bid for Suarez rejected by Liverpool, who say they are under no obligation to sell the player.
Suarez joined up with Liverpool’s squad on Monday. He still has to serve six matches of his 10-match ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic on April 21, but can play in their pre-season friendlies.

 

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