Latest news with #ravages
News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Grave by grave, new project in divided Cyprus tries to mend mistrust
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Tochni (Cyprus), Aug 14 (AP) On opposite sides of ethnically divided Cyprus, even the resting places of the dead haven't been spared the fallout of war. Shattered granite crosses are strewn about the weed-choked Greek Cypriot cemeteries in the island's northern third that's in Turkish Cypriot hands. In the Greek Cypriot south, Muslim headstones in Turkish Cypriot cemeteries are concealed by overgrowth. Until 2003, no one could cross a United Nations-controlled buffer zone to place flowers at loved ones' graves. In the five decades since a Turkish invasion, vandalism and the ravages of time have transformed hundreds of Cyprus' cemeteries into evidence of the geographic and political rift. But even as chances for bilateral talks to end the divide appear bleak, Greek and Turkish Cypriots have teamed up to mend mistrust and push for peace, one grave at a time. Restoration is underway at 15 civilian cemeteries on each side of the so-called Green Line cutting across the Mediterranean island. Expansion of the roughly 7,00,000-Euro project (USD 815,000) to more cemeteries is being considered. 'The maintenance and restoration of cemeteries constitutes one of the most symbolic and morally pressing acts for a place that strives for reconciliation," said Sotos Ktoris, a Greek Cypriot member of the committee from both communities overseeing the work. The consequences of war Turkiye's 1974 invasion, triggered when Athens-backed supporters of uniting Cyprus with Greece mounted a coup, prompted some 1,60,000 Greek Cypriots to flee their villages to safety in the south, where the internationally recognised government is seated. Some 45,000 Turkish Cypriots moved north, where authorities declared independence a decade later. To this day, only Turkiye recognizes Cyprus' northern authorities. Among the displaced were the custodians of places of worship and cemeteries, both Orthodox Christian and Muslim. Churches in the north were vandalised and looted. Mosques in the south fell into neglect and decay. As part of UN-mediated efforts to achieve a peace deal, both sides have found ways to address past wrongs, including the restoration of churches, mosques and other monuments by the committee. Earlier this year, Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar expanded the committee's work to cemetery restoration, with European Union funding and UN support and assistance. Work began in May. Seeking mutual respect Greek Cypriot workers last month were rebuilding the 100-year-old stone wall at one Muslim cemetery in Tochni, a village nestled in hilly countryside near the southern coast. Turkish Cypriot residents had outnumbered Greek Cypriots here by nearly three to one until they were transferred north a few months after the Turkish invasion ended. Many Turkish Cypriots from the north are now visiting the village to reconnect with their past, find family homes and honour their ancestors, according to Tochni's Greek Cypriot community leader, Charoulla Efstratiou. 'Just as we demand that they respect us, our dead, our religion and so forth, I believe that we owe the same respect to them," Efstratiou said. At the Tochni cemetery, a small patch of crimson flowers emerged from the parched soil atop the grave of a man who died 65 years ago, planted recently by his descendants. Putting up crosses In the village of Palaikythro that Turkish Cypriots have renamed Balikesir, broken crosses at the Greek Cypriot cemetery have been set upright again until they're fully mended. Virtually nothing was left intact. Turkish Cypriot contractor Recep Guler said it wasn't easy to restore the external walls and gate. Murude Erzen, the village's Turkish Cypriot community leader, said the cemetery is part of shared cultural heritage. 'When I saw this place, I was very upset, wondering why it had become like this," Erzen told the United Nations Development Programme in footage shared with the AP. Turkish Cypriot authorities had denied the AP access. When Erzen became community leader, she resolved to do something about it. Sotiroulla Mina Iniati, the Greek Cypriot community leader of Palaikythro, said the cost of full restoration of crosses will be borne by families or the community council. Greek Cypriots continue to elect their own community leader to affirm their claim to their lost lands and preserve their memory. 'For us, this is a sacred place," Iniati said. 'We feel that in this way, the souls of our dead who have for 51 years remain neglected, will be able to rest." An intractable dispute The last major push for a peace deal in Cyprus collapsed in 2017. top videos View all Today, the Turkish Cypriots and Turkiye shun the UN-endorsed framework for reunifying Cyprus as a federation. They insist on a two-state deal that Greek Cypriots reject because they view partition as dooming the island to Turkiye's influence, with its military hardware and troops stationed there in perpetuity. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has met Christodoulides and Tatar twice this year and is expected to meet them again in the coming months in a bid to keep peace talks alive. (AP) NPK NPK (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: August 14, 2025, 13:45 IST News agency-feeds Grave by grave, new project in divided Cyprus tries to mend mistrust Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump declares war on state climate laws
President Donald Trump is throwing the weight of the Justice Department against the last bastion of U.S. climate action: states and cities. In a sweeping executive order signed late Tuesday, Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to 'stop the enforcement of State laws' on climate change that the administration says are unconstitutional, unenforceable or preempted by federal laws. The order names California, New York and Vermont as specific targets, while also listing a broad range of state policies that the administration would seek to nullify — from cap-and-trade systems to permitting rules. The executive order also targets the array of lawsuits that mostly Democratic-led states, cities and counties have brought against oil majors, seeking compensation for the ravages of climate change, such as rising tides and more frequent wildfires. 'These State laws and policies are fundamentally irreconcilable with my Administration's objective to unleash American energy,' Trump said in the order. 'They should not stand.' The move came as Trump presided over a White House event Tuesday aimed at reviving the coal industry, which has withered against competition from less expensive natural gas and renewables. He pledged to a row of coal miners standing behind him that he'd direct the Department of Justice to 'identify and fight every single unconstitutional state or legal regulation that's putting our coal miners out of business.' Some legal experts said the White House's executive order would be 'toothless,' though climate advocates worry about gambling with a judiciary dominated by conservative appointees. And in a statement, Democratic governors said Trump would not intimidate them from climate action. 'The federal government cannot unilaterally strip states' independent constitutional authority,' New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement. The two Democrats co-chair the U.S. Climate Alliance, representing 22 states committed to reaching net-zero emissions. 'We are a nation of states — and laws — and we will not be deterred,' they said. 'We will keep advancing solutions to the climate crisis that safeguard Americans' fundamental right to clean air and water, create good-paying jobs, grow the clean energy economy, and make our future healthier and safer.' Trump's order represents a sharp escalation in his war on climate policy, as well as a continuation of his efforts to consolidate power in the White House at the expense of Congress, courts and, now, the states. The action comes just three weeks after oil and gas industry executives met with Trump at the White House and expressed worries about state climate efforts and the lawsuits, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported details of the meeting. An industry source, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive commercial information, confirmed to POLITICO's E&E News that Trump appeared to agree that the states' moves posed a threat to his energy agenda and signaled that he'd look at ways to help the industry. The American Petroleum Institute cheered Trump's order as a response to New York's and California's laws. 'Directing the Department of Justice to address this state overreach will help restore the rule of law and ensure activist-driven campaigns do not stand in the way of ensuring the nation has access to an affordable and reliable energy supply,' API senior vice president and general counsel Ryan Meyers said in a statement. During Trump's first term, states and cities emerged as a potent counterweight to the White House's retreat from climate policy — epitomized by groups like the U.S. Climate Alliance. Governors piloted energy policies, such as New Mexico's methane regulations, that later grew into some Biden administration policies. Most state policies have also proven more durable than federal climate efforts. When Trump returned to the presidency this year, Democratic governors and attorneys general — now holding more offices than they did in 2017 — again assumed the role of Trump's chief antagonists, filing two dozen lawsuits against the administration since January. Trump's newest executive order, titled 'Protecting American Energy From State Overreach,' seeks to smother that movement in its infancy. It directs the attorney general to target state laws on carbon taxes and fees, as well as state laws mentioning terms like 'environmental justice' and 'greenhouse gas emissions.' The order directs Bondi to 'expeditiously take all appropriate action to stop the enforcement of State laws and continuation of civil actions … that the Attorney General determines to be illegal.' Within 60 days, the order says, the attorney general will report on the actions taken against state climate laws and recommend other actions from the president or Congress. Trump's order argues that states have exceeded their constitutional authority by imposing energy policies that ripple beyond their borders. California's cap-and-trade system is an example, the order said, of states 'punishing carbon use' by requiring businesses to purchase allowances for their pollution. California has operated its cap-and-trade system since 2012. Washington state also has a carbon market, upheld by voters in 2024. Both states are working to 'link' their carbon markets together with Quebec's. Cap and trade also undergirds the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which covers the electricity system for 11 mostly northeastern states. California is also the largest player in the climate litigation landscape. The office of state Attorney General Rob Bonta said Tuesday that it 'remains committed to using the full force of the law and tools of this office to address the climate crisis head-on and protect public health and welfare.' A spokesperson for Bonta said the office was reviewing Trump's executive order, 'but this much is clear: the Trump administration continues to attempt to gut federal environmental protections and put the country at risk of falling further behind in our fight against climate change and environmental harm.' The Trump administration also singled out New York and Vermont, which have recently passed so-called climate Superfund laws that aim to recover the costs of climate impacts, like flooding, from fossil fuel companies. Mimicking the 'polluter pays' model from Superfund laws, those states are seeking billions of dollars from oil, gas and coal companies in proportion with the historical emissions from their products. Trump's order called New York and Vermont's laws 'extortion' against energy producers for actions 'anywhere in the United States or the globe.' The order also accused states of burdening energy projects with lengthy environmental reviews. "These State laws and policies weaken our national security and devastate Americans by driving up energy costs for families coast-to-coast, despite some of these families not living or voting in States with these crippling policies," the order said. Michael Gerrard, faculty director of Columbia University's Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, said the executive order is 'toothless' and that a chief executive has little effect on state laws or litigation. Trump 'has no authority on his own to nullify state laws,' Gerrard said. And he'd likely have little effect with the judiciary, he added, noting that it would be up to the state court judges who are hearing the climate lawsuits to decide whether to allow federal intervention — and then whether to agree with the White House arguments. The Trump administration has already challenged one major state climate program: New York's congestion pricing. But after Trump initially declared it 'DEAD' in a social media post declaring 'LONG LIVE THE KING,' his administration has agreed to allow the program to continue until at least October, according to court filings. Trump has a poor record of challenging state and local climate policies, said Justin Balik, vice president of states for Evergreen Action. But that's cold comfort when the stakes are so high. 'If you're asking me to evaluate on a scale of 1 to 10 how concerned I am — I'm at a 10,' he said. 'It's another seemingly abstract legal maneuver with incredibly tangible, real world consequences if successful.' Trump also targeted the climate lawsuits during his first term. Tuesday's executive order warns that the legal challenges could result in 'crippling damages" for the oil and gas industry. Eleven attorneys general — along with dozens of city, county, and tribal governments — are pursuing lawsuits that charge that the industry misled consumers about the dangers of burning fossil fuels. Trump's move comes just a month after the Supreme Court for a second time this year declined to take up the industry and its allies' efforts to quash the legal dispute that could put oil and gas companies on the hook for billions of dollars for their contributions to climate change. Corbin Hiar contributed to this report.
