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       Former foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides was elected as the new president of Cyprus in a runoff election Sunday. His rival, veteran diplomat Andreas Mavroyiannis, conceded defeat.

       With 100% of ballots counted, Christodoulides had 51.9% of the vote to Mayroyiannis' 48.1%, according to official election results.

       Christodoulides, 49, campaigned as a unifying force for ethnically divided Cyprus, eschewing ideological and party divisions. His message resonated with a wide cross-section of voters.

       Mavroyiannis, who had served as Cyprus’ ambassador to the United Nations. positioned himself as the agent of change, ushering in a new political era following a decade of rule by outgoing President Nicos Anastasiades. But the support he received from the communist-rooted AKEL party may have pushed swing voters into backing Christodoulides.

       Speaking to a sombre crowd of supporters, Mavroyiannis, 66, who also was Anastasiades’ chief negotiator with the

       “I want to congratulate Nikos Christodoulides for his election victory and to wish more power to him," Mavroyiannis said. “I'm saddened that we couldn't fulfil the hopes and expectations for large progressive changes that our homeland needs.”

       Christodoulides appeared to have won with support from members of the Democratic Rally (DISY) party, whose leader, Averof Neophytou,

       Many DISY party insiders had blamed Christodoulides, a long-time party member, for running against Neophytou and splitting the party vote.

       However, many did not want the AKEL, Mavroyiannis’ main backer, to regain a foothold in government and feared the diplomat becoming the next president of Cyprus would threaten the country's fragile economy and pro-Western trajectory.

       Critics fault AKEL for bringing Cyprus to the brink of bankruptcy a decade ago and for maintaining a pro-Moscow slant.

       Amid the bickering within DISY, Anastasiades, a former party leader, took the unusual step of issuing a statement suggesting that DISY members should work to thwart an AKEL-backed government.

       He urged the party's voters to safeguard the island’s Western orientation and its deepening alliance with the U.S and to maintain fiscal discipline while effectively dealing with an influx of irregular migrants.

       Trying to mend fences with Christodoulides and divisions within DISY, Neophytou said the president-elect could count on the party's support “for the good of the country.”

       Christoulides inherits the challenge of trying to revive stalemated peace talks with the country's Turkish Cypriots, who declared independence nearly a decade after a 1974 Turkish invasion that followed a coup aimed at union with Greece.

       Turkish Cypriots

       The island's reunification has eluded politicians during over nearly a half-century of negotiations, despite progress on the shape of an overall peace deal.

       A potential resolution became more complicated following the 2017 collapse of talks at a Swiss resort that many believed had come tantalisingly close to producing a breakthrough.

       Turkey, the only country to recognize the minority Turkish Cypriots’ independence, has since turned its back on a United Nations-backed arrangement for a federated Cyprus. It advocates instead a two-state deal, which the U.N., the European Union, the U.S. and other countries have rejected.

       As the government spokesman and Anastasiades' close confidant at the time, Christodoulides was a key insider during the failed peace drive in Switzerland. He has blamed Turkey’s insistence on maintaining a permanent troop presence and military intervention rights in a reunified Cyprus as the main reason the negotiations unravelled.

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       European union membership

       Christodoulides has said he draws the line at those two Turkish demands but would utilise Cyprus' European Union membership to engage with Ankara on ways to break the current deadlock.

       On the economy, Christodoulides said a top priority would be to maintain fiscal discipline without endangering the country’s social safety net.

       The president-elect also aims to expedite development on

       “Mr. Christodoulides’ candidacy is an opportunity for Cypriot people to turn the page, with a new type of governance, with a humanist purpose above all else,” voter Neophytos Makrides, 58, said as he cast his ballot in Paphos. “No to corruption and in favour of the right resolution of the Cypriot problem.”

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       Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards flooded the streets of Madrid on Sunday for the largest protest yet against the regional government’s management of the capital city's health care services.

       Over 250,000 people rallied in the city centre, according to the central Spanish government. Organisers claimed the crowd was bigger by several hundred thousand. Many protest participants carried homemade signs with messages in Spanish like “The right to health is a human right. Defend the health service.”

       Health worker associations led the demonstration, which was backed by left-wing parties, unions and normal citizens concerned with what they see as the dismantling of the public health care system by the Madrid region's conservative-led government.

       These groups have taken to the streets on a regular basis in recent months, and their movement is gathering strength.

       Madrid’s regional chief, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, alleges the protests are motivated by the political interests of left-wing rivals ahead of May regional elections across most of Spain.

       Health care workers claim that Díaz Ayuso's administration spends the least amount per capita on primary health care of any Spanish region even though it has the highest per capita income. They say that for every 2 euros spent on healthcare in Madrid, one ends up in the private sector.

       Critics of her administration say that it produces long waits for patients and overworked doctors and nurses.

       Spain has a hybrid health care system, but the public sector is larger than the private one and is considered a basic pillar of the state. It is run by Spain's regions.

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       Almost a week after the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake shattered the lives of millions of people in a 100 square kilometre area of Turkey and Syria, the desperate hunt for survivors continues.

       The earthquake struck before dawn last Monday as most people were at home in bed.

       This Sunday the official death tally stands at 33,000, a figure that is sure to rise with so many homes in both countries reduced to rubble.

       The earthquake struck areas of Syria under government control as well as rebel-held parts of the northwest of the country. One of the biggest challenges for relief agencies has been to negotiate the political landscape and in many areas the first aid from outside is only just trickling through.

       However, Turkey has borne the brunt of known casualties. Antakya, a city once home to 400,000 inhabitants, has been almost completely destroyed.

       Amidst the destruction and despair, rescue teams are still looking for survivors, and in some cases their efforts are still being rewarded.

       When I ask if they have the energy to continue, they reply they must keep going because of their faith and their love for their country.

       Some 13 million people have been directly affected by the disaster spread across an area that is larger than many European countries.

       The situation in Antakya remains very, very chaotic with many roads, many streets completely blocked. And there are thousands, if not tens of thousands of people still under the rubble.

       Watch my report above.