Latest news with #Turkish-controlled
India.com
9 hours ago
- India.com
This city is known as a ghost town, abandoned for 50 years, residents fled the entire city overnight due to..., it is located in..., name is...
This city is known as a ghost town, abandoned for 50 years, residents emptied the entire area overnight due to..., it is located in..., name is... There are many mysterious cities on this earth that a lot of people have never heard of. One such place is a city in the country of Cyprus known as Varosha. This city was once a vibrant and thriving tourist hotspot, it was famous for its beautiful beaches, tall buildings, luxury hotels, and exciting nightlife. But today, it stands abandoned, silent, lifeless, and frozen in time. Let's read what led the city in such a situation. What happened in 1974? Nearly 50 years ago, in July 1974, Varosha had a population of around 40,000 people but everything changed when Turkey launched a military invasion of Cyprus. This was in response to a coup in Cyprus which was backed by Greece aiming to unite the island with the Greek mainland. Fearing violence and mass killings, the entire population of Varosha fled overnight. People left behind their homes, shops, hotels, and even personal belongings. They sought safety in nearby towns and cities, hoping the conflict would end soon. But they never returned. Since that night, Varosha has remained empty. Buildings still stand, nature has taken over many areas, and everything is stuck in the past. It remains a ghost town. Cyprus was split into two After the Turkish invasion in 1974, Cyprus was divided into two separate regions i.e. the southern part became Greek Cyprus, and the northern part came under Turkish control, now known as Turkish Cyprus. Varosha, lies in the Turkish-controlled region and remains under the control of the Turkish military. The city has been sealed off completely. Civilians are strictly prohibited from entering. It's surrounded by fences and warning signs, and even trying to take photographs from outside can lead to arrest. The entire area remains cloaked in secrecy and mystery. What Varosha looks like today Even today, the tall buildings, hotels, restaurants, and bars in Varosha still stand just like they did in 1974. However, time has taken its toll. The structures are now crumbling ruins, slowly decaying under the sun and wind. The once-beautiful beaches along the coast have been shut down, fenced off from public access. A small section of the city was recently reopened, but even that is accessible only for a short time and under strict restrictions.
Shafaq News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
SDF denies Erdogan meeting, signals openness to dialogue
Shafaq News/ The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) denied on Saturday reports that its commander Mazloum Abdi had been offered a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while reaffirming limited indirect contacts and a willingness to engage in talks under the right conditions. The statement rejected claims by regional sources to Al-Monitor that Turkish officials had proposed such a meeting. 'The information is false. Neither our leadership nor any delegation from northern and eastern Syria in meetings with Damascus has received an offer for talks with the Turkish side from any party,' the SDF said. The SDF and Turkiye have long been on opposite sides of Syria's fragmented war and peace efforts. The SDF—primarily made up of Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG)—was Washington's main ground partner in the fight against ISIS. It controls a vast swath of northern and eastern Syria, including areas rich in oil, water, and agricultural resources. Turkiye, meanwhile, sees the SDF as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara and its Western allies classify as a terrorist organization. Turkiye fears the emergence of an autonomous Kurdish region on its southern border could embolden separatist sentiments among its own Kurdish population. Abdi confirmed in a televised interview earlier today that direct and indirect communication channels exist between the SDF and Turkiye. He revealed that a temporary ceasefire has been in place between the two sides for about two months—signaling a rare lull in cross-border clashes. While reaffirming that the SDF is not at war with Turkiye, Abdi stated he would be willing to meet Erdogan if such talks 'served regional stability and recognized the rights of Syria's diverse communities.' Since 2016, Turkiye has launched four major incursions into northern Syria, aiming to push back SDF fighters and create a buffer zone. These offensives have displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians and left a patchwork of Turkish-controlled enclaves along the border. The SDF, meanwhile, administers the self-declared Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). It has been engaged in delicate balancing acts—holding talks
BBC News
29-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Crossing Continents Leaving Israel for Cyprus
Increasing numbers of Israeli people are moving to the nearby island of Cyprus. Sky high property prices, disillusion with domestic politics and security concerns following the Hamas attacks of 7th October have led several thousand families to leave. They're building on a rich history of Cypriot hospitality towards Jews. But in Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus, huge luxury developments built by Israeli companies are causing controversy. Presenter: Lucy Proctor Producer: Mike Gallagher Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Studio mix: Simon Jarvis Editor: Penny Murphy
News18
28-04-2025
- Politics
- News18
Trump Says Crimea Will Stay With Russia, A Look At Why Black Sea Peninsula Is Important To Putin
Last Updated: Out of the 20% Ukraine's territory taken after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 and launched its wider Anschluss in 2022, Crimea is Putin's greatest prize US President Donald Trump has said in an interview to TIME magazine that Crimea will stay with Russia, and blamed Ukraine for initiating the war. 'I think what caused the war to start was when they started talking about joining NATO," the President told TIME. The peace negotiations he is pursuing would hand Vladimir Putin some 20% of Ukrainian territory. 'Crimea will stay with Russia," Trump said. Formally accepting Crimea would reverse US foreign policy, and concede an indefinite illegal occupation of Crimea and disregard a change of Ukraine's national borders by force. What Trump Thinks Of Crimea Trump has said the peninsula was captured without a fight by Russia from Ukraine in 2014 and therefore should stay with Putin. Trump has also said he thinks Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is willing to give up Crimea to Russia as part of a peace deal — despite Kyiv's previous rejections of any such proposal. He told the reporters after returning from the Vatican, where he held a brief meeting with Zelensky before Pope Francis' funeral. Experts note that it would be geopolitical suicide for Ukraine to accept Trump's proposal — for once Putin and his army have won a breather, and Russia makes move to conquer all of Ukraine. Others say that making such a concession to Russia would set a precedent for China to walk into Taiwan. In 2017, Trump's then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson declared at a meeting also attended by Russia's top diplomat: 'We will never accept Russia's occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea." The following year, his successor, Mike Pompeo, reiterated that the US rejected the attempted annexation. Zelenskyy on Wednesday pointed out Pompeo's statement in a post on X, adding: 'We are absolutely sure that our partners in particular the USA will act in line with its strong decisions." Why Crimea Matters To Putin So Much Out of all the 20% of Ukraine's territory taken after Russia invaded Crimea 11 years ago and launched its wider Anschluss in 2022, Crimea is the greatest Russian prize. Whoever controls Sevastopol is likely to dominate the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Outside of Tartus, in Syria, which Russia lost recently, it is Russia's only warm-weather port. The Black Sea is by far the warmest marine feature bordering Russia. It is also the only way for Russia to directly access the Mediterranean Sea — through the vital Turkish-controlled Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits — and by extension, southern Europe, Africa, West Asia, and beyond. The fact that Crimea was ceded to Ukraine under the Soviet Union in 1954 undermines Russia's claim over the territory. As per The Independent, Putin's claim, now enshrined in an illegal annexation of Crimea into the Russian Federation, is further underpinned by waves of Russian settlement and forced removal of local people over at least two centuries that have left it with a Tartar heritage but a Russian ethnic and linguistic majority. In mid-March 2014, after Crimean authorities declared independence and asked to join Russia, the peninsula was formally incorporated as part of Ukraine's giant neighbour. Then, Russia wanted to secure control over Sevastopol, and the renewal of the lease in 2010 was extremely unpopular among the sections of Ukrainians who had overthrown Yanukovych and taken control of the country. Another consideration for Russia was the new pro-West dispensation that took power in Kyiv, following the Maiden Revolution that was a push to join NATO, including for Romania and Bulgaria. Thus, Ukraine joining the US-led forces put Russia in a vulnerable spot. Thus, Putin decided to launch the military operation in February 2022, which stems from his insecurity of the possible expansion of NATO. What Happened After Crimea Annexation? Weeks after the annexation, fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine between pro-Kremlin militias and Kyiv's forces. Moscow threw its weight behind the insurgents, even though the Kremlin denied supporting them with troops and weapons. There was abundant evidence to the contrary, including a Dutch court's finding that a Russia-supplied air defence system shot down a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, killing all 298 people aboard. Ukraine dammed the canal ahead of its entry into the peninsula. According to a study from 2015, the canal was supplying up to 85% of Crimea's water at the time it was shut down. Russian hard-liners later criticised Putin for failing to capture all of Ukraine that year, arguing it was easily possible at a time when the government in Kyiv was in disarray and its military in shambles. The fighting in eastern Ukraine continued, on and off, until February 2022, when Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Two days after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, its forces blew up the dam on the canal. How Crimea Became Important In Ukraine War Moscow deployed troops and weapons to Crimea, allowing Russian forces to quickly seize large parts of southern Ukraine in the first weeks of the war. A top Russian military official later said securing a land corridor from Russia to Crimea by holding the occupied parts of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions was among the key goals of what the Kremlin insisted on calling its 'special military operation" in Ukraine. Before the invasion, Zelenskyy made diplomatic efforts to get Crimea back, but after Russian troops stood at the border, Kyiv began publicly contemplating retaking the peninsula by force. The peninsula soon became a battleground, with Ukraine launching drone attacks and bombing it to try to dislodge Moscow's hold on the territory. top videos View all The attacks targeted the Russian Black Sea Fleet there, as well as ammunition depots, air fields and Putin's prized asset — the Kerch Bridge linking Crimea to Russia, which was struck in October 2022 and again in July 2023. (with inputs from the Associated Press) Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : Crimean War News18 Explains President Vladimir Putin Russia Ukraine War Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: April 28, 2025, 13:12 IST News explainers Trump Says Crimea Will Stay With Russia, A Look At Why Black Sea Peninsula Is Important To Putin
LBCI
03-04-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Israel strikes Syria despite regime's assurances, sends warning to Turkey — the details
Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian Despite the new Syrian regime's assurances to Israel—ranging from its commitment to border stability to its pledge to address extremist groups in Quneitra and Daraa—Israel launched a powerful strike on Syria Wednesday. This time, Israel's message was directed first to Turkey and then to Syria. Tel Aviv sees Turkey as a destabilizing force in Syria, arming groups and establishing military bases, which is considered a "red line." In the recent attack, Israel targeted aircraft, radar systems, surveillance towers, parking lots, and storage facilities. It viewed the attack as preemptive, aiming to thwart Turkey's plan to arm and rehabilitate the Syrian army and prevent Syria from becoming a Turkish-controlled zone. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, speaking from France, accused Ankara of playing a negative role in Syria, Lebanon, and the broader region. This was echoed by Israel's Defense Minister during a visit to one of the five military bases Israel has set up in southern Lebanon, where he revealed that a warning message had been sent to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Israeli security agencies claim they have information that Turkey intends to turn the T4 airbase in Syria into a drone base to be used against Israel. A security report also suggested that the new Syrian regime is working to form multiple alliances against Israel. Amid concerns over Palestinian groups, particularly Hamas, launching attacks against Israeli targets from Syria or Lebanon, the Israeli Northern Command announced it had opened border gates with Syria during the Jewish Passover holiday, allowing Israelis to visit the Wadi al-Ruqqad area in Syria and its surroundings.
