Day: February 9, 2023

The State recognises the work of the Ambulance Service of the State Health Services Organisation (SHSO), Cyprus’ Health Minister, Michalis Hadjipantela, said on Thursday, at a ceremony in Nicosia to honour employees, whose special acts contributed to the successful operation of the Ambulance Service.

Hadjipantela, in his speech, addressing the members of the Ambulance Service, thanked them for their services, noting that, they have made him proud since he only hears praise for them. He also said that he knows first-hand the work they put in.

At the ceremony, praises were awarded to members of the Ambulance Service who perform their duties with zeal, who were injured in the line of duty, who took part in a dangerous mission abroad, who had high performance in overtime work and, who never went on sick leave.

The CEO of the SHSO, Kypros Stavrides, said they feel gratitude and pride for the work of the Ambulance Service, noting that the staff has “a high sense of responsibility” and works tirelessly.

Stavrides also said they continue to invest in the Ambulance Department, by constantly upgrading its equipment to keep up with international standards while they also invest in the training of ambulance crews so that they are always operationally ready to provide first aid and quickly transport patients to hospital.

Riana Constantinou, Head of the Ambulance Service, said that this day was a day of honour, which will become an institution “and shows our love and support to the people who care for us”. She also said that, the Cypriot delegation was preparing to leave for Turkey, noting that, the Service members were made for facing challenges, not easy tasks.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Cyprus rescue team which was on standby to get the ‘go-ahead’ to travel to Turkey will not be going to the country, the Civil Defence Spokesperson Panagiotis Liasides told the Cyprus News Agency on Thursday afternoon.

Liasides said that the team was informed by the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The team comprised of 17 members, 15 from the Civil Defense, a doctor and a nurse.

Cyprus expressed from the very beginning its readiness to assist the rescue operation in Turkey, following the catastrophic earthquake that left many thousands dead.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is holding meetings with EU heads of state and government in Brussels, on the sidelines of the extraordinary European Council on migration.

The meetings are taking place in a group form and on the agenda is the military and financial assistance of EU members states to Ukraine.

CNA sources have said that President Anastasiades had the opportunity to have a discussion with Zelensky in the morning.

The initial planning was for him to meet the Ukrainian President in a group along with heads of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Greece.

Posting on his twitter account President Anastasiades said that he had a productive exchange of views with Zelensky.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris announced that he has signed an agreement with the International Organisation for Migration to provide Cyprus with 13 million euro in assistance for the purpose of the renovation and upgrading of the First Reception Centre in Pournara.

The agreement was signed in Brussels, on the margins of the extraordinary meeting of the European Council taking place on Thursday.

Also, during the discussion on the management of migration in the context of the European Council, President Anastasiades is expected to call for an additional impetus to be given to the development of an action plan for the management of migration flows in the Eastern Mediterranean, similar to the one for the migration corridors of the Central Mediterranean and the Western Balkans.

“Today I had the opportunity to sign an excellent agreement with the International Organization for Migration, for the provision of 13 million euros in assistance towards the renovation and upgrading of the first phase of the Pournara Centre which, among other things, includes reinforcing of fences and, of course of accommodation conditions,” Nouris said.

“It is something we have been striving for, and I think will help tremendously. The project will be completed within six months – that is, by the autumn of 2023, which will help the Asylum Service,” he added.

Nouris also referred to contacts he had with the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and representatives of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Home Affairs, to discuss “the possibility of providing additional assistance for the management of Ukrainian refugees in our country.”

He added that Cyprus has given clear indications that the country will claim “the specific assistance that Cyprus needs to cope with the very heavy burden of hosting the almost 18,000 Ukrainians residing in Cyprus.”

The Interior Minister added that both President Anastasiades and himself raise at different levels, including during the European Council and Nouris’ contacts, “the necessity of the provision for the preparation of the Eastern Mediterranean Plan, a plan for the management of migratory flows, something that is extremely urgent to be adopted and implemented in order to help Cyprus in dealing with increased migratory flows.”

“I am optimistic that tonight the European Council will adopt this Cypriot proposal,” he added, referring to the Council conclusions.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation (CSEO) has announced that Professor Hermann Opgenoorth, its Head of Space Weather, has been awarded the prestigious Julius Bartels Medal by the European Geosciences Union (EGU) for his exceptional contributions to substorms and space weather research, and his strong leadership in international collaboration.

CSEO says that Prof. Opgenoorth’s impressive career has covered a broad range of research interests, such as the magnetosphere, ionosphere and Mars-solar wind interaction. He has been Professor Emeritus at the Physics Department of the University of Umeå, Sweden, since 2019.

It adds that his encouragement of international collaboration is renowned in the solar-terrestrial communities. He was key in establishing the Mars Upper Atmosphere Network (MUAN), an international scientific group of scientists dedicated to multi-instrument investigation of the Mars-solar wind interaction.

It is recalled that in 2018, at the 10th MUAN Workshop, it was unanimously decided by attending delegations that MUAN would be permanently based in Nicosia, hosted by CSEO.) Furthermore, he made fundamental contributions to the inception and realisation of the International Living With a Star programme which has been crucial for the scientific community to better understand the ultimate driver of space weather, the Sun and how it and the space environment affects life and society.

As noted by the EGU, “the combination of Opgenoorth’s unique scientific research accomplishments during his exceptional career and his keenness for fostering international collaborations around space research makes him a very worthy recipient of the 2023 Julius Bartels Medal.”

The award will be officially presented to Prof. Opgenoorth at the EGU meeting later this spring.

The European Geosciences Union (EGU) is Europe’s premier geosciences union and is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in Earth, planetary and space sciences for the benefit of humanity worldwide. It was established in September 2002, merging the European Geophysical Society (EGS) and the European Union of Geosciences (EUG), and has headquarters in Munich, Germany.

Julius Bartels (1899-1964) was a German geophysicist and statistician who made notable contributions to geomagnetism, meteorology and the physics of the Sun, Moon and ionosphere, as well as statistical methods for geophysics. He was the first President of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA).

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Sharp Corporation, Motorola Mobility LLC, and Kyocera Corporation, among other recent additions, have become Licensees of the HEVC Advance Patent Pool.

The HEVC Advance Patent Pool license now includes over 20,500 HEVC/H.265 essential patents issued in 116 countries, of which over 17,650 are exclusively available for a pool license through HEVC Advance.

According to Access Advance CEO, Peter Moller, “We are very pleased that Sharp, Motorola Mobility, and Kyocera have become Licensees of the HEVC Advance Patent Pool. All three companies are leaders in the consumer electronics marketplace, and their participation in the HEVC Advance Patent Pool is another indicator of the value the HEVC Advance pool provides.”

“We are also extremely proud to now have 40 Licensors in our program, with collectively over 20,500 patents. Our successful and continuing efforts to consolidate over 75% of the HEVC/H.265 patent landscape provides unmatched and unprecedented value to both our licensors and licensees. Moreover, 31 of those licensors, accounting for 85% (over 17,650) of the pool’s patents, are now granting pool licenses to their HEVC essential patents exclusively through the HEVC Advance Patent Pool. We commend these licensors for their efforts to bring greater simplicity to the marketplace.”

Source: Cyprus News Agency