Latest news with #Cyprus
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Carlisle sign Uganda defender Mugabi
Carlisle United have signed former Motherwell defender Bevis Mugabi on a two-year 30-year-old left the Scottish club last summer after making 125 appearances and has since had a spell in Cypriot football with who had spells in the youth set-up at Fulham and Southampton before joining Yeovil Town in 2016, has won 20 caps for Uganda."He brings a wealth of experience from Scotland, abroad and international football, and he has a fantastic attitude which will help to drive the standards even higher on and off the pitch," said Carlisle head of recruitment Martin is the sixth new signing by the Cumbrians since losing their place in the English Football Hughes' side begin life in National League with a trip to face Woking on 9 August.
The Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I went to Vegas-like holiday resort in Europe with glamorous concierges, adventure parks & island's biggest pool complex
SLOT machines flash and jingle as I soak up the atmosphere at the City of Dreams Mediterranean in Cyprus. This vast five-star resort features a super-casino, restaurants, bars entertainment and 500 hotel rooms — and is the first of its kind in Europe allowing guests to roll the dice after a dip in one of its many pools. 3 3 Insiders tell me it's just the start of ambitions to transform the area into a hybrid of Miami and Vegas within the next five years. If my two nights at the resort, near Limassol, were any indication, they are well on their way. Stepping inside, I was struck by the obvious luxury — guests are welcomed into a grand marble lobby lined with designer shops. Within seconds a glamorous concierge appears with a hot towel for your hands as a bellboy collects your bags. Moments later I was window shopping on my way to my suite, spotting Burberry, Gucci, and Dolce and Gabbana collections. Decorated in pine tones, my room felt like my very own Nordic spa with a massive tub, separate shower room, and a huge bed with pillows I melted into. The showstopper was the view from the balcony looking across the resort — the largest pool complex in Cyprus and a mecca for families and big kids like me. As well as the sparkling multiple pools surrounded by palm trees for shade, water slides and rapids there's a dedicated adventure park that will keep even the fussiest child happy. It features an 18-hole miniature golf course, zip-line coaster, climbing wall, high ropes obstacle courses and a huge playground. The resort's Kids' City is open every day from 10am to 8pm with supervised activities for four to 12-year-olds and by night there are movie and theatre evenings with free popcorn. For those seeking a different type of thrill there is of course the casino. While Mum and Dad enjoy a flutter, a gaming room offers snooker and retro arcade favourites like Pac-Man and table hockey. Large sofas face wall-mounted TVs with gaming consoles on hand to keep the teenagers busy. A short drive away from the hotel are sandy beaches and the vibrant city of Limassol with its regenerated marina and lavish yachts bobbing in the waters. Arming myself with a coffee from Paul bakery, I walked along a boulevard of chic cafes and restaurants you would see on any posh British high street — Jamie Oliver's, a Wagamama, and multiple Greek tavernas. From there it's an easy stroll into the old town along cobbled streets that lead to Kolossi Castle. In the Middle Ages, Cyprus was a target for Crusader campaigns to the Holy Land, and this 15th-century fortress is filled with treasures from the time. Exhibits of ancient pottery, oil lamps and coins from Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman eras are on display in the great hall. I found myself marvelling at tombstones bearing intricate carvings of Crusader knights and ancient symbols. In the belly of the castle is an even older underground chapel which is dark, windowless and quiet. It was here that King Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) married Berengaria of Navarre. I felt time stop for a moment, and could picture the bride and groom standing next to the very stones of the ancient altar in this peaceful underground grotto. Stunning frescoes Amazingly you can taste the oldest wine in the world that was served at King Richard's wedding, called Commandaria, on a visit to the village of Agios Konstantinos. The excursion can be arranged at the City of Dreams Mediterranean hotel's front desk. Another must-do trip is to the charming village of Omodos, in the heart of the Troodos Mountains. Renowned for its traditional stone houses, Omodos is a picturesque spot and at its centre lies Timios Stavros Monastery, which dates back to the early 1800s. The preserved Byzantine church is filled with wood carvings and stunning frescoes. After a day spent exploring Cyprus's history, or enjoying the adrenalin rush of the casino, the City of Dreams Mediterranean's cave-like spa is the perfect spot to rest weary feet. This was my favourite place and I could feel my muscles immediately relax in the sauna, before booking myself in for a massage. With entertainment and relaxation options nailed down at the hotel, I couldn't wait for dinner at one of the four restaurants. As well as a buffet, there are three speciality restaurants serving French, Asian and Mediterranean cuisine. 3 The Amber Dragon, sibling of a two-star Michelin venue in Macau, serves up sushi and sashimi, dim sum and stir-fried classics as well as the best BBQ roasted duck I'd ever tasted. A chef prepared shreds of the mouthwatering bird in front of us as little baskets of pancakes and dishes of greens were laid out — I was in food heaven. Next up were the divine Shanghai dumplings that melted into a little soup, while dessert was a golden dumpling treat that resembled an ice-cream Scotch egg. Afterwards I headed to the casino's roulette table. I was hoping it was my lucky night!
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
UN talks with Cypriot leaders fail to reach deal on new border crossings
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said he would have liked more results from his meetings with the rival leaders of the divided island of Cyprus, while the Turkish Cypriot leader said he was 'very, very upset' that there was no agreement on opening four new border crossings. Guterres on Thursday called the meetings at the UN in New York 'constructive' and pointed to progress on four of the six initiatives that the leaders had agreed to in March. He cautioned, however, that 'there's a long road ahead.' The Mediterranean island was divided in 1974 when Turkiye invaded, following a coup by Athens' military government-backed supporters to unite the island with Greece. Mass deaths and displacement of the Greek Cypriot population followed as the island's northern third was occupied – only Turkiye recognises a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence, and it maintains more than 35,000 troops in the north. Negotiations between the rivals have been stalled since 2017. When asked whether he would start a new round, Guterres responded that there is more to be done before any negotiations. 'I think we are building, step by step, confidence and creating the conditions to do concrete things to the benefit of the Cypriot people,' the secretary-general said. The agreed-upon, UN-endorsed framework for a peace deal has been a reunified Cyprus as a federation composed of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot zones. Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar has been demanding a two-state deal ever since his 2020 election. He faces re-election in October and says he's running on the same two-state platform with Ankara's full backing. Greek Cypriots reject any agreement that would formalise partition, fearing Turkiye would seek to control the entire island in light of its demand to maintain a permanent troop presence and military intervention rights in Cyprus. Turkiye also insists that the minority Turkish Cypriots should have veto rights over all federal government decisions. The meeting included the foreign ministers of guarantor countries Turkiye and Greece, and a United Kingdom deputy minister. Despite differences on the future of Cyprus, the rivals have made some progress on trust-building measures. Achievements Guterres told reporters that four initiatives had been achieved: Creating a technical committee on youth; initiatives on the environment and climate change, including the effect on mining areas; the restoration of cemeteries; and an agreement on demining, where technical details still need to be finalised. He said discussions will continue on opening four new crossings between the Greek and Turkish sides of the island, and on solar energy in the buffer zone between them, which is patrolled by a UN peacekeeping force. Tatar accused Nikos Christodoulides, the president of Cyprus, of preventing the announcement of the four border crossings on Thursday by insisting that one of them go through the buffer zone, which he called unacceptable to Turkish Cypriots. He also sharply criticised Greek Cypriots for pursuing legal action over the sale of properties in the Turkish Cypriot north, saying the moves 'are certainly damaging to the relations of the two peoples and are aimed at damaging our economy and our tourism'. Property rights are a deeply contentious issue in Cyprus. A recent boom in the construction of luxury villas and apartments in the north has prompted Cypriot legal authorities to take a more assertive stance towards realtors and developers, to discourage what they say is the large-scale 'illegal usurpation' of Greek Cypriot land. The secretary-general said Tatar and Christodoulides agreed to meet with him in late September, during the annual gathering of world leaders at the General Assembly, and to hold another informal meeting later in the year.
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
UN talks with rival leaders of Cyprus fail to reach deal on new border crossings
The United Nations chief said Thursday that he would have liked more results from his meetings with the rival leaders of divided Cyprus, while the Turkish Cypriot leader said he was very, very upset that there was no agreement on opening four new border crossings. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the meetings constructive and pointed to progress on four of the six initiatives that the leaders agreed to in March. He cautioned, however, that there's a long road ahead. The Mediterranean island was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup by Athens junta-backed supporters of uniting the island with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence, and it maintains more than 35,000 troops in the island's northern third. Negotiations between the rivals have been stalled since 2017. When asked whether he would start a new round, Guterres responded that there is more to be done before any negotiations. The current talks are complex, he said, stressing the very different views of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots on a solution. 'I think we are building step by step confidence and creating the conditions to do concrete things to the benefit of the Cypriot people,' the secretary-general said. The agreed-upon UN-endorsed framework for a peace deal has been a reunified Cyprus as a federation composed of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot zones. Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar has been demanding a two-state deal ever since his 2020 election. He faces reelection in October and says he's running on the same two-state platform with Ankara's full backing. Tatar told reporters after the meeting that unless our sovereign equality and equal international status is reaffirmed, we will not resume formal negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus problem.' Greek Cypriots reject any agreement that would formalize partition, fearing Turkey would seek to control the entire island in light of its demand to maintain a permanent troop presence and military intervention rights in Cyprus. Turkey also insists the minority Turkish Cypriots should have veto rights over all federal government decisions. Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides did not speak to reporters after the meeting, which included the foreign ministers of guarantor countries Turkey and Greece, and a United Kingdom deputy minister. Despite differences on the future of Cyprus, the rivals have made some progress on trust-building measures. Guterres told reporters that four initiatives had been achieved: creating a technical committee on youth, initiatives on the environment and climate change including the impact on mining areas, the restoration of cemeteries, and an agreement on demining where technical details still need to be finalized. He said discussions will continue on opening four new crossings between the Greek and Turkish sides of the island and on solar energy in the buffer zone between them, which is patrolled by a UN peacekeeping force. Tatar accused Christodoulides of preventing the announcement of the four border crossings on Thursday by insisting that one of them go through the buffer zone, which he called unacceptable to Turkish Cypriots. He also sharply criticized Greek Cypriots for pursuing legal action over the sale of properties in the Turkish Cypriot north, saying the moves 'are certainly damaging to the relations of the two peoples and are aimed at damaging our economy and our tourism.' Property rights are a deeply contentious issue in Cyprus. A recent boom in construction of luxury villas and apartments in the north has prompted Cypriot legal authorities to take a more assertive stance toward realtors and developers to discourage what they say is the large-scale illegal usurpation of Greek Cypriot land. Guterres said the meeting also produced an understanding on a consultative body for civil society engagement, exchange of cultural artifacts, an initiative on air quality monitoring, and addressing microplastic pollution. The secretary-general said Tatar and Christodoulides agreed to meet with him in late September during the annual gathering of world leaders at the General Assembly and to hold another informal meeting later in the year.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
UN talks with rival leaders of Cyprus fail to reach deal on new border crossings
The United Nations chief said Thursday that he would have liked more results from his meetings with the rival leaders of divided Cyprus, while the Turkish Cypriot leader said he was 'very, very upset' that there was no agreement on opening four new border crossings. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the meetings 'constructive' and pointed to progress on four of the six initiatives that the leaders agreed to in March. He cautioned, however, that 'there's a long road ahead.' The Mediterranean island was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup by Athens junta-backed supporters of uniting the island with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence, and it maintains more than 35,000 troops in the island's northern third. Negotiations between the rivals have been stalled since 2017. When asked whether he would start a new round, Guterres responded that there is more to be done before any negotiations. The current talks are 'complex,' he said, stressing the very different views of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots on a solution. 'I think we are building, step by step, confidence and creating the conditions to do concrete things to the benefit of the Cypriot people,' the secretary-general said. The agreed-upon, U.N.-endorsed framework for a peace deal has been a reunified Cyprus as a federation composed of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot zones. Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar has been demanding a two-state deal ever since his 2020 election. He faces reelection in October and says he's running on the same two-state platform with Ankara's full backing. Tatar told reporters after the meeting that 'unless our sovereign equality and equal international status is reaffirmed, we will not resume formal negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus problem.' Greek Cypriots reject any agreement that would formalize partition, fearing Turkey would seek to control the entire island in light of its demand to maintain a permanent troop presence and military intervention rights in Cyprus. Turkey also insists the minority Turkish Cypriots should have veto rights over all federal government decisions. Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides did not speak to reporters after the meeting, which included the foreign ministers of guarantor countries Turkey and Greece and a United Kingdom deputy minister. Despite differences on the future of Cyprus, the rivals have made some progress on trust-building measures. Guterres told reporters that four initiatives had been achieved: creating a technical committee on youth; initiatives on the environment and climate change, including the impact on mining areas; the restoration of cemeteries; and an agreement on demining, where technical details still need to be finalized. He said discussions will continue on opening four new crossings between the Greek and Turkish sides of the island and on solar energy in the buffer zone between them, which is patrolled by a U.N. peacekeeping force. Tatar accused Christodoulides of preventing the announcement of the four border crossings on Thursday by insisting that one of them go through the buffer zone, which he called unacceptable to Turkish Cypriots. He also sharply criticized Greek Cypriots for pursuing legal action over the sale of properties in the Turkish Cypriot north, saying the moves 'are certainly damaging to the relations of the two peoples and are aimed at damaging our economy and our tourism.' Property rights are a deeply contentious issue in Cyprus. A recent boom in construction of luxury villas and apartments in the north has prompted Cypriot legal authorities to take a more assertive stance toward realtors and developers to discourage what they say is the large-scale 'illegal usurpation' of Greek Cypriot land. Guterres said the meeting also produced an understanding on a consultative body for civil society engagement, exchange of cultural artifacts, an initiative on air quality monitoring and addressing microplastic pollution. The secretary-general said Tatar and Christodoulides agreed to meet with him in late September during the annual gathering of world leaders at the General Assembly and to hold another informal meeting later in the year.
