Author: cnadmin

We are ready to address in time any Search and Rescue (SAR) incident of any scale at sea and to activate supporting means and the rescue process from any shipwreck, Defence Minister Michael Giorgallas told CNA. He pointed out that the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) in Larnaca, through the “Zenon” coordination centre, monitors all activity and intervenes to rescue people in danger in its area of responsibility – within the boundaries of the Nicosia FIR – either from an air or sea accident. “We are certainly prepared to deal with incidents to the extent of our own capabilities,” he said.

Asked by CNA how ready the Republic of Cyprus is to deal with incidents such as the one in Pylos, Greece, Giorgallas explained that in any case, and depending on the scale of an accident, JRCC activates the Tefkros plan for large-scale incidents at sea and the Nearchos plan for smaller-scale incidents. These two plans, he added, provide for the specific actions to be taken in each case, who is involved, which other agencies are activated and which means are activated.

There are, he said, maritime assets such as National Guard and Coast Guard vessels and if the incidents are of large scale, vessels from the private sector are also enlisted. There are also, he continued, airborne assets, the National Guard and the Police helicopters, while depending on the extent of an incident, the international assistance agreements that the Republic of Cyprus has with neighbouring countries (Israel, Egypt and Lebanon) are also activated, while assistance is also sought from vessels near the incident.

“All this is being monitored and coordinated by the Zenon centre. There is the satellite image in the centre and we are at any time able to activate what is needed because we can see where these vessels are”, he noted, adding that, if necessary, assistance is also requested through the EU’s civil protection mechanism, RescEU.

On incidents such as the wreck off the coast of Pylos, the Defence Minister explained that this is an “extreme” case with many unpredictable factors at sea, where the sinking of a ship immediately creates a huge search area and all comes up to “the ability of the assets and personnel on the scene to do their job as quickly as possible. That is why we attach great importance to the exercises.”

Giorgallas cited as an example the recent “Argonaut” exercise, in cooperation with 8 other countries, which this year simulated an air accident with a sea rescue exercise, while last year it involved a maritime accident.

“We simulate all incidents in real-time exercises and in the Zenon centre simulators, while there is direct contact and cooperation with the competent services of the neighbouring countries, because in some places they also need our help and we need their assistance”, he added.

He also said that if a large-scale incident, such as the one in Greece, were to occur in the area of responsibility of the Republic of Cyprus, the country can activate the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) vessels that patrol the area and transport crews for rest from Lebanon to Cyprus.

The Defence Minister said that there are two accident simulation chambers at the Zenon centre where the training of foreign countries’ personnel has also started, noting that a team from an African country is now being trained there. The training, he added, covers large and small scale incidents in the air, sea and on land.

‘The experience gained over the years at the centre is being fed back to the countries with which we work through joint training and joint exercises, and teams from other countries are also being trained’, concluded the Minister.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The more active and proactive involvement of the EU can contribute to breaking the deadlock in negotiations for a Cyprus settlement, President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, said on Saturday, in his remarks at the margins of the Conference of the Union of Cyprus Communities, in Limassol. He also referred to the next milestones for the Cyprus problem, the next EU Summit and the NATO Summit, adding that he would also seek a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in New York, where he will attend the UN General Assembly.

Asked about his recent conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and what the government now expects, the President said he keeps Guterres’ intention to work towards the resumption of talks, adding that there will be visits to Cyprus in this context.

He also said that at a second level there is the European Council meeting scheduled for the end of June and the NATO meeting, which the Turkish President will attend for the first time since his re-election, adding that efforts are being made at the diplomatic and especially at the technical level in order to assess the prospects for resuming talks from the point where they left off in Crans-Montana.

“We are well aware of the facts and the difficulties. It is very important from our side to have the initiative on the one hand, and on the other hand to achieve results”, President Christodoulides underlined, adding that the resumption of talks and the resolution of the Cyprus problem is a top priority for the Government and everything possible will be done to achieve this goal.

Asked about what is expected from the EU Summit at the end of the month and whether the Cyprus problem and the issue of the appointment of an EU envoy will be raised again, the President of the Republic said that there are several important milestones and added that he will refer to the Government’s readiness on the sidelines and during the official part of the European Council, expressing at the same time his satisfaction that “EU leaders see the added value, embrace this approach and in this context they are working on the issue.’

Asked about the appointment of an envoy for the Cyprus problem by the UN Secretary-General, President Christodoulides said that this effort is facing the refusal of the Turkish side.

“We are not resting on the denial of the Turkish side, nor do I want to engage in a blame game. What I am interested in is to create conditions through our own initiatives for the resumption of talks,” he said, adding that the appointment of an envoy was one of the issues discussed with Guterres, who, he said, is working towards the resumption of talks.

On the appointment of an EU envoy, the President said that there are EU conclusions that explicitly record that the EU is ready to contribute to the resumption of talks, as it did during the last negotiation process.

“But we are not yet in talks. Right now, the key issue is to break the deadlock and we believe that a more active, more proactive EU involvement can create momentum in this direction”, President Christodoulides said and referred to Tayyip Erdogan’s statements on what he expects from Euro-Turkish relations, as well as to statements by other European officials, which the Government is trying to use on its own initiative to create the conditions for the resumption of talks.

He also said that he was also aware of Ersin Tatar’s positions, adding that it would be easy to hide behind the unacceptable statements made and do nothing, but instead, because there is awareness of the need to resolve the Cyprus problem, the Government is doing everything possible until it achieves its goal.

Among the upcoming milestones, the President of the Republic included the UN General Assembly. He noted that the two leaders have been meeting with the UN Secretary General for the last few years and added that he will seek a meeting with Tatar in New York, as he will continue to seek a meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader in Cyprus.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The national team of Cyprus will face Georgia on Saturday for group A of the EURO 2024 qualifiers.

The match is hosted at the AEK Arena in Larnaca and will kick off at 21:45. The national team is looking for a victory and at the same time its first points as in the opening match of the qualifying tournament Cyprus suffered a 3-0 defeat to Scotland in Glasgow.

The next match for the national football team is scheduled for next Tuesday against Norway.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

US President Joe Biden issued an impassioned plea for greater control Friday, saying mass shootings occur “every damn day in America.”

Biden pointed to gun violence that occurs beyond the headlines. In “areas that are poor, mostly minority, there’s a mass shooting that never reaches the crescendo that it reaches other places every single day,” he said while addressing the National Safer Communities Summit in the state of Connecticut.

Much of the president’s remarks appear to be borne out by data from the Gun Violence Archive, an independent monitor that tracks gun-related violence in the US. It tracked 296 mass shootings so far with nearly half the year outstanding.

Biden told the gathering of gun control advocates that an uphill battle lies ahead, but vowed to impose an assault rifle ban, and end legal protections preventing gun makers from being held liable for crimes committed using their wares.

“We will beat the gun industry. We will beat the big money that sits behind them, and the politicians that refuse to stand up and act. It won’t be easy,” he said. “I have no illusions how fiercely they’ll fight back but I also have no illusions about the people in this room. Look at what you’ve already done.”

Biden was addressing the summit on the one-year anniversary of his landmark gun control legislation, which incentivized states to adopt what are known as “red flag” laws, which make it easier to take guns out of the hands of individuals deemed to be a risk to themselves or others, and strengthened background checks nationwide.

He said the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act already represents “the most meaningful gun safety law in 30 years,” pointing to it as a sign that more can be done.

“We did overcome an unrelenting opposition from the gun lobby to gun manufacturers and so many politicians who hide behind the belief that they’ll never have to pay a price for their inaction when they oppose common sense gun legislation, and we beat them,” he said.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Nine Kosovar journalists were attacked Friday in Leposavic in northern Kosovo, by masked assailants who were following the actions of Serbs around Town Hall.

The Kosovo Journalists Association (AGK) shared footage of media workers being stoned and physically attacked by masked assailants.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti shared footage of a journalist being attacked and tweeted: “Another journalist was brutally attacked while covering the developments in the north today by masked men.”

“The physical attacks on those reporting from the ground are absolutely unacceptable and must be condemned by all parties who are otherwise vocal on the situation,” he wrote.

Kosovo Serbs continue to protest in front of four town halls in northern Kosovo.

Tension flares after local elections

Tensions rose in Kosovo following the election of ethnic Albanian mayors in four northern districts in April. Albanians are Kosovo’s main ethnic group, but ethnic Serbs predominate in the north, near the border with Serbia.

The Serbs have been protesting the election of the mayors since late May.

At least 30 NATO peacekeeping KFOR soldiers were injured May 29 while clashing with protesting Serbs who were trying to block one of the mayors from taking his oath of office.

More than 53 civilians were also injured by shock bombs and tear gas, according to hospital sources.

On May 26, Serbia’s president ordered the army to move closer to the border with Kosovo and placed it on high alert. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence which was declared in 2008.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Cyclone Biparjoy passed by Pakistan’s coastal areas, killing two persons, and damaging crops and houses, authorities said on Saturday.

Causing thunderstorms and heavy rains in some areas, the cyclonic storm over Rann of Kutch (India) and adjoining southeast Pakistan (Tharparker) moved further northeastward during the last 12 hours and converted into a depression over southwest Rajasthan (India) and southeast Pakistan (Tharparker), the country’s Meteorological Department said in a statement.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Pakistan’s Sindh province, two people died and three others were wounded in the Umerkot area due to cyclone-related incidents.

The rain and floods damaged crops over some 1,019 acres of land, and partially damaged 515 houses, according to authorities.

Fishermen of Sindh province were allowed to resume their activities from Sunday.

In Pakistan, some 81,925 people were evacuated from the Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, and Malir districts of the Sindh province and taken to shelters.

PDMA said that the evacuees will be allowed to return after a safety check of their dwellings by the concerned government authorities.

‘After the warning is over, the public is advised to check and ensure the safety of their homes before entering premises with families,’ said PDMA.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Police conducting exhumations in the Shakahola Forest in Kenya discovered 10 additional bodies, bringing the death toll from a cult to 336.

The shocking increase has prompted Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki to issue an apology where he acknowledged that authorities could have prevented the deaths with greater vigilance.

“I would like to apologize to Kenyans today as did our president. It is obvious that there was laxity in both the previous and current government regimes that unfortunately led to the death of many citizens in Shakahola,’ he said.

The operation to recover victims, which entered its third phase two weeks ago, has been temporarily suspended to prepare for upcoming autopsies on bodies that have been exhumed.

Hundreds of corpses have been found in the Shakahola Forest since April during investigations into the cult run by Pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, who leads the Good News International Church.

Mackenzie is accused of ordering his followers to starve themselves so they could go to heaven before the end of the world.

The investigations have revealed that some victims had their organs missing, which has led to suspicions of trafficking in human organs.

Source: Anadolu Agency

There are dozens of obstacles to uncovering unmarked Indigenous residential school graves in Canada, including violent denialism, according to a report that was released Friday.

In her interim report commissioned by the federal government to help Indigenous communities find children who died while attending historical Indian Residential Schools, advisory representative Kimberly Murray spent one year traveling the country and hearing from families and survivors.

She detailed 48 barriers that hindered the search to locate and identify as many as 4,500 children who perished while being forced to attend the more than 130 residential schools beginning in the 1830s. Many of the children lie in unmarked graves at school sites across Canada.

Murray said one of the major barriers was intimidation and threats that erupt when graves are found — almost 2,000 in the last two years using ground penetrating radar.

“This violence is prolific,” Murray wrote in her report, “and takes place via email, telephone, social media, op-eds and, at times, through in-person confrontations. ‘

She cited the example of 215 potential unmarked graves found in May 2021 by the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Nation at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in the west coast province of British Columbia.

Besides having to deal with the shock of the discovery and the glare and intrusion of international media attention, the First Nation was forced to cope with individuals who invaded the gravesite, sometimes by stealth.

“Some came in the middle of the night, carrying shovels; they said they wanted to ‘see for themselves’ if children are buried there, said Murray. ‘Denialists also attacked the community on social media.”

She also said there was a necessity to allow more access to records not only to identify children, but to establish compensation claims for families of the dead and survivors of the schools. The last school closed in the 1990s. Timely access is important since the records are slated to be destroyed in 2027.

Among the other obstacles that need to be addressed, Murray cited repatriation of the children as well as cemeteries and burial sites, better funding for searches and safeguards against violence engendered by denialism.

Murray also urged federal protection of unmarked burial sites.

Indigenous children were forced to attend the schools as the Canadian government did its best to wipe out Indian culture. In some cases, families were not informed when their children died and were buried at the school sites.

The schools were run by various religious organizations, including the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian and United Churches.

Source: Anadolu Agency