Greeks mourn, Turks celebrate anniversary of invasion splitting Cyprus
NICOSIA (Reuters) -Greek and Turkish Cypriots on Sunday marked the 51st anniversary of Turkey's 1974 invasion of Cyprus, an event that split the island and continues to shape geopolitics in the region.
Air raid sirens wailed across the southern Greek Cypriot populated parts of Cyprus at 0530 local time (0230 GMT), the hour Turkish troops landed on the northern coast in a military intervention triggered by a brief Greece-inspired coup.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was due to attend celebrations in north Cyprus, a breakaway state recognised only by Ankara. Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides attended a memorial service in the south for people who died.
Efforts to reunify Cyprus as a bizonal, bicommunal federation have repeatedly failed amid deep-rooted mistrust and competing visions for the island's future.
The simmering conflict is a source of tension between NATO partners Greece and Turkey and complicates Turkey's ambitions to foster closer ties with the European Union, of which both Cyprus and Greece are members.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday the two sides would continue discussions on trust-building measures. "There is a long road ahead," he said.
(Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Japan PM vows to stay on after bruising election defeat
Shigeru Ishiba, Japan's Prime Minister and president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), walks in front of a board with red paper roses showing elected candidates at the LDP headquarters, on the day of Upper House election, in Tokyo, Japan July 20, 2025. Franck Robichon/Pool via REUTERS TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese premier Shigeru Ishiba vowed to stay on after his ruling coalition suffered a bruising defeat in upper house elections on Sunday as some of his own party discussed his future and the opposition weighed a no-confidence motion. In a series of televised remarks as the results came in on Sunday evening, Ishiba told reporters he would remain as prime minister, citing a looming tariff deadline with the United States set to strain the world's fourth largest economy. Ishiba is due to hold a press conference at 2 p.m. (0500 GMT) where he will formally announce those plans, broadcaster NHK reported. Analysts say his days may be numbered, having also lost control of the more powerful lower house in elections last year and shedding votes on Sunday to opposition parties pledging to cut taxes and tighten immigration policies. "The political situation has become fluid and could lead to a leadership change or the reshuffling of the coalition in coming months, but Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will likely stay to complete the tariff negotiations with the U.S. for now," said Oxford Economics' lead Japan economist Norihiro Yamaguchi. Facing a voter backlash over rising consumer prices, investors fear his administration will now be more beholden to opposition parties advocating for tax cuts and welfare spending that the world's most indebted country can ill afford. Markets in Japan were closed for a holiday on Monday, although the yen strengthened and Nikkei futures rose slightly, as the election results appeared to be priced in. Yields on Japanese government bonds sold off sharply ahead of the ballot as polls showed the ruling coalition - which had been calling for fiscal restraint - was likely to lose its majority in the upper house. Adding to the economic anxiety, Ishiba's lack of progress in averting tariffs set to be imposed by its biggest trading partner, the United States, on August 1 appears to have frustrated some voters. "Had the ruling party resolved even one of these issues, it (their approval rate) would have gone up, but we didn't feel anything and it seems like the U.S. would continue to push us around," Hideaki Matsuda, a 60-year-old company manager, said outside Tokyo's bustling Shinjuku station on Monday morning. POPULIST POLITICS Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has ruled Japan for most of its post-war history, and coalition partner Komeito returned 47 seats, short of the 50 seats it needed to ensure a majority in the 248-seat upper chamber in an election where half the seats were up for grabs. The leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDPJ), Yoshihiko Noda, said on Sunday he is considering submitting a vote of non-confidence in the Ishiba administration as the result showed it did not have voters' trust. The CDPJ returned 22 seats in the ballot, finishing second. Some senior LDP lawmakers were also quietly voicing doubts over whether Ishiba should stay, according to local media reports on Monday. Among them was former prime minister Taro Aso, leader of a powerful faction within the ruling party, who said he "couldn't accept" Ishiba staying on, Japan's TV Asahi reported. Senior party members including Aso met on Sunday evening to discuss whether Ishiba should resign, Sankei newspaper reported. The far-right Sanseito party clocked the biggest gains of the night, adding 14 seats to one elected previously. Launched on YouTube during the pandemic by spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, the party found wider appeal with its 'Japanese First' campaign and warnings about a "silent invasion" of foreigners. Dragging once-fringe rhetoric into the mainstream, its success could mark the arrival of populist politics in Japan, which until now has failed to take root as it has in the United States and western Europe. Sanseito's party leader Sohei Kamiya, a former supermarket manager and English teacher, has previously pointed to Germany's AfD and Reform UK as a possible blueprint for future success. (Reporting by John Geddie, Tim Kelly, Kevin Buckland, Rikako Maruyama and Hiromi Tanoue in Tokyo; Editing by Saad Sayeed)
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Oil prices little changed as investors eye impact of new sanctions on Russia
SINGAPORE: Oil prices were little changed on Monday as traders assess the impact of new European sanctions on Russian oil supply while they also worry about tariffs possibly weakening fuel demand as Middle East producers are raising output. Brent crude futures fell 1 cent to $69.27 a barrel by 0153 GMT after settling 0.35% lower on Friday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $67.44 a barrel, up 10 cents, following a 0.30% decline in the previous session. The European Union approved on Friday the 18th package of sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, which also targeted India's Nayara Energy, an exporter of oil products refined from Russian crude. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia had built up a certain immunity to Western sanctions. The EU sanctions followed U.S. President Donald Trump's threats last week to impose sanctions on buyers of Russian exports unless Russia agrees a peace deal in 50 days. ING analysts said the lack of reaction from oil markets showed that the market is not convinced by the effectiveness of these sanctions. "However, the part of the package likely to have the biggest market impact is the EU imposing an import ban on refined oil products processed from Russian oil in third countries," the analysts led by Warren Patterson said. "But clearly, it will be challenging to monitor crude oil inputs into refineries in these countries and, as a result, enforce the ban." Iran, another sanctioned oil producer, is due to hold nuclear talks in Istanbul with Britain, France and Germany on Friday, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday. That follows warnings by the three European countries that a failure to resume negotiations would lead to international sanctions being reimposed on Iran. In the U.S., the number of operating oil rigs fell by two to 422 last week, the lowest since September 2021, Baker Hughes said on Friday. U.S. tariffs on European Union imports are set to kick in on August 1, although U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Sunday he was confident the United States could secure a trade deal with the bloc. "U.S. tariff concerns will continue to weigh in the lead up to August 1 deadline, while some support may come from oil inventory data if it shows tight supply," IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said. "It feels very much like a $64-$70 range in play for the week ahead." Brent crude futures have traded between a low of $66.34 a barrel and a high of $71.53 after a ceasefire deal on June 24 halted the 12-day Israel-Iran war. - Reuters
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Exclusive-Trump pledged to save Afghans. But UAE already sent some evacuees back, cable shows
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Days before President Donald Trump said he would help Afghan evacuees who fled their country and were stuck in the United Arab Emirates, the Emirati government had already begun returning them to Afghanistan and informed Washington that it was doing so, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters on Sunday. The UAE, a close security partner of the United States, agreed in 2021 to temporarily house several thousand Afghans evacuated from Kabul as the Taliban ousted the U.S.-backed government during the final stages of the U.S.-led withdrawal. Throughout the years, about 17,000 Afghan evacuees have been processed through the Abu Dhabi facility, known as Emirates Humanitarian City. However, more than 30 remaining Afghans have been stuck with their fate in limbo. News outlet "Just the News" reported on Sunday that UAE officials were preparing to hand over some Afghan refugees to the Taliban. "I will try to save them, starting right now," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday that linked to an article on the Afghans held in limbo there. However, it may already be too late for some. In a July 10 meeting with U.S. officials in Abu Dhabi, Salem al-Zaabi, UAE Special Advisor to the Foreign Minister, told the Americans that two families had been "successfully and safely" sent back to Afghanistan in early July, the cable, which had the same date as the meeting, said. Al-Zaabi told the Americans that while the UAE understood the current policy from Washington, it was going to move to "close this chapter for good" and therefore would move to return the remaining 25 individuals by Sunday, July 20, according to the cable. He added that the Emirati government would seek assurances from the Taliban that their safety is guaranteed. It was not immediately clear if the remaining individuals had been sent back or the circumstances of the two families returned to Afghanistan. The cable and the return of the two Afghan families back to Afghanistan have not been previously reported. Trump, based on his Truth Social post, appeared to be out of the loop on the UAE's plans. The State Department, the White House and the UAE government did not have immediate comment for this story. AFGHANS IN QATAR ALSO STUCK Al-Zaabi told the U.S. officials that the two families were returned to Afghanistan in early July "at their request, since they were tired of waiting," the cable said. But two sources familiar with the matter disputed that account saying that the UAE government and Taliban's ambassador to the UAE were making Afghan families at the Emirates Humanitarian City choose between signing a 'voluntary' deportation letter to Afghanistan or being arrested to be forcefully deported to the country on Monday. The cable also said Al-Zaabi asked the U.S. to coordinate "perception management" to ensure Washington and Abu Dhabi were aligned on their messaging on the topic as the UAE did not want criticism from the NGOs "due to the inability of the United States to resettle the population in the United States or elsewhere." The fate of the more than 30 Afghan evacuees and how the administration handles their cases is crucial for the future of another 1,500 Afghan men, women and children who have been stuck in a similar facility in Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar. Former President Joe Biden's administration, since its chaotic U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, has brought nearly 200,000 Afghans to the United States. Trump, a Republican who promised a far-reaching immigration crackdown, suspended refugee resettlement after he took office in January. In April, the Trump administration terminated temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghans in the U.S.. Democrats have urged Trump to restore temporary protected status for Afghans, saying women and children could face particular harm under the Taliban-led government. Since seizing power, Afghanistan's Taliban administration has rolled back hard-fought rights won by Afghan women and girls during two decades of rule by American-backed governments. They have imposed limits on schooling, work and general independence in daily life. Refugees include family members of Afghan-American U.S. military personnel, children cleared to reunite with their parents, relatives of Afghans already admitted and tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the U.S. government during the 20-year war. Advocacy group #AfghanEvac urged Trump to follow up on his post with action. "That means working to immediately secure protections and departures for the Afghans at the Emirates Humanitarian City in UAE and Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar and ensuring they are not deported back into the hands of the Taliban," the group said in a statement. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; editing by Diane Craft)
