‘British society is falling apart. My values, and those of the vast majority, are no longer embraced by the establishment’❐ Stephen Day, page 15

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FEBRUARY 4, 2023

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ISSUE 1,839

TRNC SLAMS LATEST UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION ON CYPRUS THE latest United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution regarding Cyprus is “unacceptable”, the TRNC Presidency has said. The resolution, number 2674, was adopted by the UNSC at a meeting this week. In a break from previous resolutions that usually extend the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (Unficyp) for six months, the UNSC this time decided to extended the mandate for a full year, until January 31, 2024. The seven-page resolution, which notes that Unficyp receives “voluntary contributions” to its funding from “the Government of Cyprus and the Government of Greece”, added that the UNSC intends to “continue to monitor the situation in Cyprus closely and further affirms its readiness to review the implementation of this resolution after six months and to consider any adjustments or other action as necessary, taking into account the advice

Osman Ertuğ of the Secretary-General”. During a live broadcast on

Kıbrıs TV, Former Presidential Negotiator Osman Ertuğ

commented on the UNSC resolutions. Defining the UN's resolutions as supporting the 'status quo', Ertuğ said that the Security Council was a political structure and criticised its decisions. Commenting on the decision taken by the Peace Corps to increase its tour of duty from six months to one year, Ertuğ said, "The United Nations is sending a message to both sides. The message to the Turkish Cypriot side is 'I am here' and 'I can't deal with you every six months’ to the Greek Cypriots. Its message is that the Cyprus problem is not a priority for the UN.” Ertuğ pointed out that the Greek Cypriot side's pro-Turkish accusations against UN Secretary General’s Cyprus Special Adviser Colin Steward were not for nothing. "The Greek Cypriots do this all the time. They are doing this to put pressure on Colin Steward to get him on their side.”

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Snow falls on Five Finger mountains

British national newspapers report on two-state efforts EFFORTS to forge a two-state solution in Cyprus and gain international recognition of the TRNC featured in two British national newspapers. The Guardian featured an interview with President Ersin Tatar, which said he is “trying to find ways to persuade others to ‘think out[side] the box’ and join him in advocating for a twostate solution for the island”. Mr Tatar was quoted as saying that decades of trying to unite the island under a bizonal bicommunal federation are a “waste of time”, as the Greek Cypriot side has no incentive to share power on the island following its accession to the European Union in 2004 and the collapse of the last UN-led talks in Switzerland in 2017. He said that “things have got worse” since then and that the Greek Cypriots “refuse to share power”. “They think they are masters of this island and that it is a Greek Hellenic Island,” Mr Tatar told The Guardian. “If we are to resume formal negotiations, we have to have our sovereign equality and status as an independent state recognised. There are two states and two people on the island. “We have our own culture and ambitions. Reversing the clock back to reunification of the island is absolutely impossible.” Mr Tatar added that he sees Turkey as the motherland, saying that “whenever we have been kicked around or suffered, Turkey always came to save us”.

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Medicine Shortages

Page 3

THERE is a serious medicine shortage across the country. The reason for this is the bans imposed on pharmaceutical imports by world governments. There is no medicine in Turkey, which supplies all the pharmaceuticals to the country, to meet the needs of the TRNC markets. At this point, all eyes are turned to our country’s pharmaceutical production. In the TRNC, the only company

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● School’s out for winter, p2 ● New Denktaş statue unveiled, p3 ● Charity treasure hunt to return, p4 ● Protesters demand justice for Reessur, p11 ● What’s On, p12&13 ● Crosswords & Puzzles, p18&19

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Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

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SCHOOL’S OUT

FOR WINTER 52,000 pupils on February hols after receiving school reports MORE than 50,000 primary and secondary school students are on their February holidays after receiving their school reports on Tuesday to mark the end of the first term of the 2022-2023 academic year. The National Education Ministry said that around 25,000 primary school students and 27,000 students at secondary and high schools across the TRNC started their mid-year break, with the second school term due to start on Thursday, February 16. National Education Minister Nazım Çavuşoğlu visited the 19 May Turkish Maarif College in Girne on Tuesday to give a speech and present students with their report cards. In his speech, Mr Çavuşoğlu said his department and teachers had worked “intensely” and with “great devotion” to “minimise” the education losses experienced during the previous three academic years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “We have left a difficult period behind us,” he said. “I am also calling out to our families from here: do not upset any of our children. Make good use of the 15-day vacation period. “Let all our students rest well and make their own assessments. Let’s start the second term more efficiently from February 16.” Mr Çavuşoğlu added that

“smart boards” provided by Turkey will be delivered to schools, starting with the 19 May Turkish Maarif College, to be ready for the start of the second term. They will help create an “educational environment where technology is used more efficiently” he stressed. Following his speech, Mr Çavuşoğlu presented school reports to students Ada Lidya Direkli, who achieved “academic success by entering the 6A

class”, and Almira Karayusufoğlu, “the European and World Fitness Champion”. Meanwhile the Culture Department this week handed out a free book to every primary and secondary school child visiting a public library with their school report.

National Education Minister Nazım Çavuşoğlu speaking at the 19 May Turkish Maarif College

News

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

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New Denktaş

statue unveiled A NEW statue of the late founding President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Rauf Raif Denktaş, has been unveiled. The statue was commissioned by the Denktaş Foundation and was unveiled close to what would have been Denktaş’s 99th birthday. In a speech at an unveiling ceremony on Tuesday, Denktaş Foundation head Serdar Denktaş, the son of Raif Denktaş, stated that his father was a “supreme leader” who left his “mark of independence on the Turkish world and Turkish Cypriot history”. “Our task now is to continue forward on the path he laid out from where he left off,” Mr Denktaş said. The statue is located within Lefkoşa’s Cumhuriyet (Republic) Park, where Denktaş’s mausoleum is also located. Among those who attended the ceremony were other members of the Denktaş family, Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism, Culture, Youth and the Environment Minister Fikri Ataoğlu, Labour and Social Security Minister Hasan Taçoy, Civil Defence Organisation head Atilla Karaca, Gönyeli-Alayköy Mayor Hüseyin Amcaoğlu, Değirmenlik-Akıncılar Mayor Ali Karavezirler, representatives of various associations, political parties and institutions and members of the public. The Denktaş family, along with Mr Karaca, Mr Amcaoğlu and Mr

The statue is located at the Cumhuriyet (Republic) Park in Lefkoşa

Turkish minister pays respects to late leaders TURKISH Labour and Social Security Minister Vedat Bilgin laid a wreath at the mausoleum of the founding TRNC President Rauf Raif Denktaş on Tuesday. Mr Bilgin, who was in the TRNC to sign a cooperation protocol with his TRNC counterpart Hasan Taçoy, was accompanied by the Turkish ambassador to Lefkoşa Metin Feyzioğlu and Denktaş’s son Serdar Denktaş. Afterwards, Bilgin and his accompanying delegation visited Denktaş’s grave and said prayers. In a short speech, Mr

Karavezirler, organised the ceremony. Wreaths were also laid at the foot of the statue followed by a moment of silence and the singing of the National Anthem. A message from the leader of the Republican People’s Party in Turkey, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu,

Those attending the ceremony singing the national anthem after the statue was unveiled and wreaths laid

Bilgin said that Rauf Raif Denktaş was a “very important leader” who “shed light on the struggle of the Turkish Cypriot people”. “He was a leader who left a mark on the entire Turkish region and will not be forgotten,” he said. Before visiting Denktaş’s mausoleum, Bilgin and his officials also laid a wreath at the mausoleum of the late Turkish Cypriot leader Dr Fazıl Küçük, who led the Turkish Cypriots’ struggle for existence during British rule of Cyprus and during the 1960s.

was also read out at the ceremony. Rauf Raif Denktaş was born in Paphos on January 27, 1924, and died at Near East University Hospital in Lefkoşa on January 12, 2012. He proclaimed the TRNC on November 15, 1983, and served as President until 2005.

Serdar Denktaş speaking at the ceremony

Turkish Labour and Social Security Minister Vedat Bilgin and his delegation praying at the grave of Rauf Raif Denktaş

Bingo players recognised for fundraising efforts SNOWFALL was recorded on the peaks of the Five Finger mountains on Wednesday during a cold and wet snap. Sleet began to fall on the Selvilitepe peak at around noon, which later turned to snow as the day wore on. Sleet also fell in the Girne Boğaz

region in the afternoon. Police temporarily closed the road between St Hilarion Castle junction and the Karşıyaka Picnic Site as a safe-

Snow falls on mountains

ty precaution due to the weather conditions, which saw freezing temperatures at night. The Met Office also warned of frost in the early hours of last Thursday and said that more wet weather is on the way.

THE Royal British Legion (RBL) Kyrenia Branch has awarded the Big Charity Bingo at the Roadhouse Bar in Alsancak a certificate of appreciation. The Big Charity Bingo has been holding weekly bingo events at the bar for over eight months and have donated a total of 43,329TL to the RBL Kyrenia Branch. The money goes to help with the welfare of veterans and their families in North Cyprus. The RBL Kyrenia

Branch said it wanted to “show our gratitude and thanks to Chris Revitt, Paul Colledge, Mustafa and Angie and staff at the Roadhouse, and all who contributed to the Big Charity Bingo” by presenting the certificate. “Since the branch started in 2011, we have spent over 700,000TL helping Veterans and their families,” the charity said. “Without donations such as this and support at our events, this would not be possible.”

RBL Kyrenia treasurer Ann Griffiths presenting Big Charity Bingo's Chris Revitt (left) and Paul Colledge with the certificate Photo courtesy of Ann Griffiths

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News

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

Charity treasure hunt to return THE Creditwest Bank-sponsored “Car Treasure Hunt” will take place this year for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic. The 16th running of the event, in aid of the Help Those With Cancer Association (Tulips), will be held on April 9, Easter Sunday. Those wishing to take part are asked to pay 200TL per person, which includes the entry fee, route information and lunch. A statement from Tulips said: “During the Covid years, we were unable to run this event (for three years) but now we are back. “This is a fabulous day out for all starting at Eziç Point in Boğazkoy (on top of the mountain) where you can have breakfast if you so wish and finishing at the Black Olive [Cafe], Alsancak, for lunch. “You will be given instructions to follow and along the way answer a questionnaire so you need to be alert and keep your eyes peeled! “This is not a race so the fastest time will not necessarily win, it will be the team with the most correct answers.” Entry forms can be collected from the Tulips shop in Alsancak, where payment can also be made.

PASSING IT ON Project participants at a meeting in Girne

Older adults to share skills with the youth

Project task leader Şirin Özkaynak giving a presentation in Gazimağusa

Photos courtesy of the Association of Elderly Rights & Mental Health

“SENIOR citizens” are to be empowered to become “environmental mentors” to children and young people as part of a new “intercommunal and inter-generational” project. The “Ecoage: Intergenerational solidarity towards an ecological life in Cyprus” project is recruiting participants for its programme, in which knowledge of “historic and sustainable Cypriot practices” will be passed down through generations. The Ecoage project benefits from a grant under the “Active Citizens Fund Cyprus” programme, funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, through the European Economic Area and Norway Grants 2014-2021. The project, which was launched in July 2022 and runs until January next year, is implemented by the TRNC-based Association of Elderly Rights and Mental

Health, the Youth Empowerment Foundation Cyprus, and Norway’s University College for Green Development (HGUt). The Association of Elderly Rights and Mental Health shared details of the project with more than 50 older adults in meetings at the Mağusa Gelişim Akademisi (Gazimağusa Development Academy) on January 17 and the University of Kyrenia on January 20. A statement from the association said the participants shared their knowledge of traditional practices such as “making bread, preserves, and repurposing furniture”, and were informed about the future activities of the project, which aims to share the “invaluable skills of the elderly with the younger generations for a sustainable future”. The first of a series of activities which aim to prepare older adults as environmental mentors is a “Communications and Leadership Skills Workshop” taking place on Thursday, February 9, in partnership with the University of

MEMBERS of the Anglo Turkish Association of Northern Cyprus (ATA) raised almost 3,000TL for good causes at their latest social gathering meal. The event, organised by ATA member Vicki Karaca, was held at the Wine Gallery in Alsancak. Those attending were treated to a “great selection of wines, cheeses and cured meats” the ATA said. Wine Gallery owner Laura Özkerimler said: “I can’t praise enough everything about this wonderful local organisation, which helps not only local good causes but local businesses like mine and now I can’t wait to help them!” ATA chairman Philip Lloyd said the event was a “great success” and thanked everyone who was involved in organising it. “Philip was particularly thankful to all those present for raising nearly 3,000TL to enable the ATA to continue to help local good causes across Northern Cyprus,” the ATA added.

Pamela Tschersich enjoying the event

Kyrenia’s “60+ Refreshment University”. As well as “aiming to increase the social activity of older adults and decrease their social isolation and loneliness”, the project also aims to “enhance their hard and soft skills in mentorship, boost their confidence and sense of usefulness, revive the adoption of old and environmentally friendly practices across the younger generations and promote senior entrepreneurship”. The programme is open to “ablebodied and able-minded adults aged 60+ living in Cyprus” and will feature “environmental workshops and inter-communal trips”. More details will be announced on the website and social media channels of the Association of Elderly Rights and Mental Health. Those wanting to register for the February workshop or future activities can contact project task leader Şirin Özkaynak on 0542 888 3010 or email [email protected]. For more information about the Ecoage project, visit ecoageeu.com.

Cheesy gathering raises 3,000TL for good causes

From left, Vicki Karaca, ATA events organiser Debbie Bird, and Wine Gallery owner Laura Photos courtesy of the ATA Özkerimler

News

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

Millions of euros for sewage problems in Güzelyurt, Gazimağusa and Lefkoşa MUNICIPALITIES in the west, east, and centre of the TRNC are grappling with sewage problems that require millions of euros to fix. In the west of the country work to double the capacity of an EU-funded Güzelyurt Municipality Wastewater Treatment Plant is expected to be completed by July. Speaking to Cyprus Today’s sister newspaper Kıbrıs, Güzelyurt Mayor Mahmut Özçınar said the first stage of the Güzelyurt-Bostancı water, sewerage network and treatment plant, which was opened in 2010 as part of an EU grant programme, was designed for a population of just 12,500. Work to increase the capacity of the sewerage network had originally been planned to start in 2025, but the plans were brought forward due to the increase in the area’s student population, Mr Özçınar said. Once completed it will be able to serve a population of up to 25,000 and treat an additional 250 tonnes of wastewater per day, he added. On the other side of the island roads in Gazimğusa are being dug up to fix problems in the town’s sewerage network. Gazimağusa Mayor Süleyman Uluçay said that “various problems” were identified in 32km of 58km of sewer pipelines. He said nearGazimağusa Mayor ly two thirds of the Süleyman Uluçay work has been com-

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Left, right, and centre Güzelyurt Mayor Mahmut Özçınar giving Kıbrıs reporter Cemre Cemali a tour of the new sewage infrastructure

pleted, with work on the remaining sections to be completed by October. Dr Uluçay stated that the EU provided the required funding of approximately 20 million euros for the sewer pipeline replacement project. He said that the next goal is to connect a sewer line to the Maraş and Tuzla areas of the region, which will cost another “five to 10 million euros”.

Photo: Özmen Yılancılar

Meanwhile Kıbrıs also reported this week that the Hamitköy, Dumlupınar, Haspolat and Metehan areas of the Lefkoşa district are still waiting to be connected to the capital’s mains sewerage network. The newspaper reported that seven million euros is needed to connect the areas, with Lefkoşa Turkish Municipality providing vacuum truck services as a “temporary” measure.

A road being dug up in Gazimağusa

Mobile internet upgrade to be rolled out ‘by September’ PLANS to upgrade the TRNC’s mobile internet infrastructure are expected to be rolled out in the autumn, it has been announced. A “4.5G LTE Advanced” service will be launched in September, with “5G” services planned to be introduced in the next five years. With the upgrade, activities such as streaming films, video conference calls and playing games in high definition over mobile internet connections will become much easier due to higher connection speeds and a greater data capacity. North Cyprus Turkcell won a multi-million dollar tender to provide the system opened by the Information Technologies and Communications Authority in November last year. Speaking to Cyprus Toda y’s sister newspaper Kıbrıs, North Cyprus Turkcell

general manager Murat Küçüközdemir explained that, according to the contract signed with the government, the 4.5G LTE Advanced service will enable access to

higher internet speeds by using special frequencies the company purchased under the 4G/5G tender that they were awarded. Mr Küçüközdemir stated that the

North Cyprus Turkcell general manager Murat Küçüközdemir

Telsim-Vodafone general manager Sefer Tüz

amount paid to the government for the contract is $9.7 million and that the total amount to be spent will be $49 million + VAT, which includes licence payments that were made in advance. “When we add the investments to be made, we can say that the added value we will provide to our country with our investment and contribution will be over $60 million,” he said. Sefer Tüz, the general manager of the TRNC’s other mobile phone operator Telsim-Vodafone, said the “biggest change that 4.5G will bring to our lives will be speed, which will usher in a new industrial era”. “Sectors such as healthcare, smart cities, supply chain and logistics, manufacturing, smart agriculture, mobile offices, smart homes, and tourism and entertainment will benefit from the economic advantages of this technology,” he noted.

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News

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

From front page

Ertuğ said, “The attitude towards Steward is actually theatrics. They are putting pressure on him to try to get him on their side. If they can't do that either, they are trying to instill the fear that 'we will get rid of you'. But obviously the Secretary General backed Steward."

“THE SECURITY COUNCIL DOESN'T KNOW WHAT IT IS TALKING ABOUT” Ertuğ complained that the reports prepared by diplomats in Cyprus are more realistic but those published by the Security Council are prepared with political content. “The Security Council doesn't know what it is talking about. There was talk of a federation for 50 years, it didn't happen. They should realise this now.” Pointing out that the Turkish Cypriot side is always looking to reach a consensus, Ertuğ said that no one can criticise the Turkish side for ‘not being constructive’. Ertuğ added, “For us, common ground is a two-state agreement. Let this ground be accept-

Osman Ertuğ, left, with Kibris TV presenter Haluk Yerli ed so the two states can discuss the border, property and security at an equal level. They should talk about their cooperation. Our proposal is on the table."

Medicine Shortages From front page

that produces pharmaceuticals is Pharma Mondial. A reporter from Cyprus Today’s sister newspaper Kıbrıs visited the Pharma Mondial Pharmaceutical Factory and spoke to proprietor Feridun Adahan about the medicine shortage. He said that the country should not be going through a medicine shortage and emphasised, "We can end this problem." According to Adahan, there is no medicine shortage in the TRNC. “We do not have any issues with pharmaceutical production,” adding that they produce nearly 100 medications. Noting that there were no disruptions in production, Adahan pointed to the Health Ministry as the source of the problem. Adahan said, “The authorities that hold the control and direct those who take responsibility for healthcare, that is doctors, pharmacists and the pharmaceutical companies, in one hand should see us about medicine production.”

Four fatalities on the roads in January THERE were a total of 338 traffic accidents in January 2023, including four fatalities. While 56 people were injured in 42 accidents, 292 accidents resulted in damage. While North Cyprus closed out 2022 with 24 dead and 741 injured in 3,689 traffic accidents, four people lost their lives, two pedestrians, one driver and one passenger, in the first month of the New Year. Two of the fatal accidents occurred in Gazimağusa and two in the İskele district. According to statements issued by the Police the first fatal accident of the New Year occurred in İskele on January 18. Driver Tahsin Tilki, 26, who went off the road at 00.30am and hit a billboard near Salamis Hotel, was seriously injured and died later that day in hospital. Pedestrian Mehmet Raif Koçak, 18, who was hit by a bus in Gazimağusa at 4.15am on January 20, passed away on January 28 while receiving treatment in hospital. 47 year old pedestrian Hakan Kerek, who was seriously injured in an accident in İskele on January 27, passed away on January 29. The last fatal accident of January resulted in the death of 84 year old Fadime Ağcakoca. The accident occurred on January 29 at 1.30am in Gazimağusa, she was a passenger in a car and died at the scene of the accident.

“THE CYPRUS ISSUE UNDERLIES OUR PROBLEMS” Indicating that the Greek Cypriot community always pri-

oritises the Cyprus issue, Ertug also mentioned the Turkish Cypriots’ troubles because the Cyprus issue is not valued and everyone focuses on the economic problems.

Ertug said, “In fact, the economic issue is also caused by the Cyprus problem. Isolations and embargoes are a situation created by the Cyprus problem.”

British national newspapers report on two-state efforts From front page

The President added: “Turkey sacrificed her own children for our security. We feel part of the Turkish race. In 1974, the Turkish army came as a protectorate, and now we, Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots have overlapping interests.” Interviewer and veteran journalist Patrick Wintour, The Guardian’s diplomatic editor, wrote in the article that “Tatar’s experienced advisers accept it is legitimate to ask how, and with what levers, they can put pressure on the Greek Cypriots, or the international community, to negotiate on the premise of a two-state solution”. “The first lever is largely unspoken,” Wintour wrote. “Cyprus remains a geopolitical nerve centre. If the west needs to draw Turkey closer to its alliance and away from Russia, recognition of the Turkish Republic of northern Cyprus would be a good place to start. “Long-running disputes over hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean also provide Tatar with a lever.” Mr Tatar also told The Guardian: “Any deals made by Greek Cypriots with big petrol companies are absolutely illegal since they should have our consent as the co-founders of Cyprus. “If there is conflict, then exploitation of these billions of dollars’ worth of natural resources obviously comes with risks. “We have our own maps. I have my own people, my own territory, my own coastline and my own right to make an agreement with other countries, and I have done this already with Turkey. . . Where this is a source

of conflict over billions of dollars of natural resources, it can lead in the future to unpleasant events.”

KING CHARLES Meanwhile the Express reported that President Tatar has invited King Charles to “visit the world’s first-ever seven-star hotel – understood to be owned by the Royal Family – as he tries to break the deadlock on the island of Cyprus”. The story, written by the newspaper’s political editor David Maddox and carrying the headline “North Cyprus attempts to woo Charles with invite to abandoned 7-star hotel ‘Firm owns’”, said that Tatar was “hurt” over the lack of invitation to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II last September, and that the “snub was not just for himself and the TRNC but also for around 300,000 Turkish Cypriots living in the UK and hundreds of thou-

sands more who were the Queen’s subjects”. “I talked to the High Commissioner and when he went to find out what was going on he told me I was not invited,” Mr Tatar told the Express. Referring to the presence of Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades at the funeral, he added: “I was disappointed. A Greek Cypriot cannot possibly represent me and the Turkish Cypriots.” The paper reported that Mr Tatar invited King Charles to visit the abandoned Golden Sands Hotel in Maraş, which he believes belongs to the Royal Family. “The Queen had the hotel there belonging to the Royal Family,” Mr Tatar was quoted as saying. “So maybe they can come and have it returned back to the King “King Charles can come here too if he wishes.” The story added that Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu, an MP from the National Unity Party, told a group of visiting journalists that the Golden Sands Hotel is now leased by the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD).

COMMONS QUESTION The Express story this week prompted Conservative Party MP Mark Francois to table a written question in the House of Commons to the British government, asking if the MoD owns or leases “any properties in the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”. James Heappey, Minister for the Armed Forces, replied: “The Ministry of Defence does not own or lease any properties in the north of Cyprus.”

News

Bus driver charged with causing teenager’s death A BUS driver will stand trial for allegedly causing the death of a teenager. Charges were brought against Erhan Çelik, 59, following the death of Mehmet Raif Koçak, 18, in hospital. Pedestrian Koçak was left in an unconscious and critical condition after sustaining a serious head injury and multiple injuries to the rest of his body when he was hit by a bus driven by Çelik at 4.15am on Friday, January 20, in Gazimağusa. He had been taken to hospitals in the TRNC before being transferred to the Makarios Hospital in South Cyprus where he had surgery. However Koçak’s fight for life at the hospital ended last Saturday morning. His funeral service was held on the same day at the Lala Mustafa Paşa Mosque in Gazimağusa before being buried at Gazimağusa Cemetery. Hundreds of mourners turned up to say their final farewell amid tearful scenes. On Monday Mr Çelik was brought before court where he was charged with “causing death by carelessness and recklessness”, “dangerous driving”, “careless driving” and “exceeding a 50kph speed limit”. Police sergeant Berk Mertcanoğlu told the court that the incident occurred on the former Gazimağusa-Lefkoşa main road in front of the Berkel Mobilya furniture shop. Mr Çelik had been “speeding” and “driving carelessly” towards Lefkoşa when he struck Koçak, who had been walking on the left side of the road, with the left-front side of his bus. Mertcanoğlu also told the court that a blood sample was taken from Koçak, which revealed there had been 24mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his body, and that inves-

Bus driver Erhan Çelik outside court

tigators conducted a reconstruction of the accident “in the presence of the suspect”. He said a post-mortem on Koçak performed by Dr Deniz İdriz at Lefkoşa Dr Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital confirmed he died of a “brain haemorrhage, brain edema, internal organ injuries and internal bleeding”. Following the police sergeant’s testimony, Judge Çiğdem Güzeler ordered that Mr Çelik be released on conditional bail. He was also banned from leaving the TRNC and banned from driving and had his

Firefighters had to use powerful cutting tools to free the body of Fadime Ağcakoca (pictured below)

Two more die on the roads TWO more people lost their lives last weekend following accidents on the roads. Hakan Kerek, 47, passed away in hospital last Saturday evening after being hit by a car while walking along the İskele-Karpaz main road at around 9.30pm last Friday. The driver suspected of causing his death, 25-year-old Onur Armağan, who collided with another vehicle before striking Kerek, was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving. During a court hearing last Saturday, while Kerek was still in a critical condition, a traffic police officer told the court that blood samples taken from Armağan following the accident revealed that his blood contained 425mg of alcohol per 100ml, more than eight times the 50mg legal drink-drive limit. Armağan expressed his remorse to the court and said that Kerek was his “friend”. He was later charged with causing the death of Kerek. The second fatality occurred at 1.30am last Sunday, near a junction for Kumyalı on the Gazimağusa-Karpaz main road. Police said Nazmi Ağcakoca, 62, was

7 ‘Axe attackers’ to be tried for murder

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

driving from Gazimağusa towards Karpaz when, due to his “carelessness”, his vehicle went off the opposite side of the road and plunged five metres down a ditch and overturned. Passenger Fadime Ağcakoca, 84, reportedly the driver’s mother, died at the scene of the accident. Firefighters had to use hydraulic cutting tools to free Mrs Ağcakoca’s body from the wrecked vehicle. Her son was taken to Gazimağusa State Hospital to be treated for his injuries.

Mehmet Raif Koçak driving licence confiscated pending the outcome of his trial.

TWO people who allegedly attacked a man with axes, causing him to jump from a fourth floor balcony in terror, are to be tried for murder after the victim died of his injuries. Chukwudi Oliver Nwauuisi, 23, lost his life on January 25 after suffering serious injuries in the fall that occurred in Haspolat on January 10. He had been in the intensive care unit at Dr Burhan Nalbantoğlu Lefkoşa State Hospital ever since the incident. Two suspects in the case, referred to by the initials IE and AA, were identified and detained by Greek Cypriot authorities after they attempted to escape justice by fleeing to South Cyprus. They were handed over to the TRNC authorities via the United Nations and initially charged with attempted murder. A third suspect named “FE” was also arrested on suspicion of aiding the prime suspects’ escape to the South. During a hearing at Lefkoşa District Court on Thursday last week, police officer Ali Gencer testified that IE and AA “attacked Nwauuisi”, who had visited their apartment “to discuss a rent deposit”, in the apartment’s living room with “wooden-handled axes with the intention of killing him”. Nwauuisi then “jumped from the apartment’s open balcony from a height of almost 11 metres onto the concrete ground, causing serious injury”. Officer Gencer told the court that following Nwauuisi’s death, the investigation had now “turned into a murder investigation”.

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News

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

MPs attend Council of Europe meeting TRNC MPs took part in the first Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (Pace) general assembly meeting of 2023. National Unity Party MP Özdemir Berova and Republican Turkish Party MP Armağan Candan attended the meeting held in Strasbourg between January 23 and 27. They were present to observe elections for the Assembly Chairman and European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judges. They also listened to a speech by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

Issues related to the Cyprus problem were also on the agenda of the Political Affairs and Democracy Committee and the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee, which convened on the sidelines of the Pace General Assembly meetings. During a discussion on a report about the latest situation in the Eastern Mediterranean Berova and Candan took to the floor and assessed the report. They also spoke during discussions on the “11th Report on Turkey’s implementation of ECHR decisions”, which included para-

REPORTS that a “tavern” is to be located next to the Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque near Larnaca in South Cyprus have been slammed. A statement from President Ersin Tatar’s office said that reports in the local press on Monday that a “building adjacent to Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque, which is the third holiest place of worship of the Islamic World and one of the most important symbols of the Ottoman-Turkish cultural heritage on the island of Cyprus, will be converted into a tavern, were met with a serious reaction in our country”. Upon the “instructions of President Ersin Tatar” contact was made with the Greek Cypriot authorities via the Cultural Heritage Technical Committee to express the Turkish Cypriots’ “great concern about the developments published in the press” and that the “destruction of this holy place, which is the third holiest place in Islam, and the inappropriate use of its surroundings will not be tolerated” while “immediate action” was requested. According to Mr Tatar’s office, the Greek Cypriot authorities subsequently informed

graphs regarding Cyprus on issues such as missing persons and the Immovable Property Commission. The MPs also attended political group meetings as the “representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community”, with Berova attending the European Conservatives Group and Democratic Alliance meetings, while Candan participated in the Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group meetings. They also held “high-level consultation meetings” with EU officials.

MPs Armağan Cadan and Özdemir Berova, centre, at the Pace gathering

Mosque ‘tavern’ reports blasted the committee that the building in question has been licenced as a “coffee shop” to be used “appropriately” by those who visit Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque and the nearby Salt Lake. There will be “no other use” for the premises, which will be closed after 7pm. “The issue will continue to be closely followed by our Presidency,” the statement added. Criticism also came from the Cyprus Foundations Administration (Evkaf), which said in a statement that “any disturbance of a place that is considered the most sacred

by Turks and Muslims is absolutely unacceptable”. “For 1,400 years, Hala Sultan Tekkesi has been known as the most religiously sacred place for Muslims living in Cyprus,” Evkaf said.

“It is a blessed shrine visited by Muslims from all over the island on special religious days, holidays and holy nights and is considered to be one of the holiest places by Muslims around the world.”

The Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque

The TRNC and Turkish parliamentary delegations meeting in Algeria

TRNC represented at Algeria conference A CROSS-party delegation, headed by Parliament Speaker Zorlu Töre, attended the 17th session of the Parliamentary Union of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member States Conference (PUIC) in Algeria. The TRNC attends the conference as an observer member. According to a statement issued by Parliament, Mr Töre was joined by National Unity Party MP Emrah Yeşilırmak, Republican Turkish Party MP Fikri Toros, Democrat Party MP Serhat Akpınar and Rebirth Party MP Talip Atalay. The event started with an opening ceremony attended by observer members last Sunday.  Mr Töre was among the parliamentary speakers present. Mustafa Şentop, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and the President of the 16th PUIC conference, handed over the rotating presidency to Ibrahim Boughali, of Algeria. During the first day of the conference, Mr Töre and his delegation held a meeting

with Mr Şentop and his officials. “We are paying attention to inviting the TRNC Parliament Speaker and MPs to international meetings,” Mr Şentop said. “These meetings are important because they provide an opportunity to explain the Cyprus problem.” Mr Töre said: “The TRNC is our national state. There is no way we will give up on our state.”

From left, TRNC MPs Talip Atalay, Emrah Yeşilırmak, Serhat Akpınar and Fikri Toros at the conference in Algeria

News

10 Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023 ‘Killing a woman the same as killing a man’ THE murders of women and men should not be treated differently, a group of women calling themselves the “Cyprus Mothers” have said. They issued a written statement following the murder of 16-year-old Zehie Helin Reessur. “Exactly 16 years ago, a daughter they named Helin was born to a Syrian father and a Turkish Cypriot mother,” the statement said. “Overjoyed by her birth, the Reessur family was devastated when the light of their lives was found brutally murdered at a construction site in the İskele Long Beach area on January 25, 2023. . . With the outrage caused by this inhumane murder, as the Cyprus Mothers, we felt the pain deeply in our hearts, just like everyone else. “We did not only put ourselves in the place of the mother of the deceased young girl, but also tried to do the same with the mother of the murder suspect Sefer Buğra Altundağ. “No matter how you look at it, these families are in agony. May God never allow any parents to suffer this pain. Of course, this is not the first atrocity committed but we sincerely hope that it will be the last. . . [This] crime against humanity should not just be assessed in the context of violence against women. “Killing a woman is the same as killing a man. As mothers, we do not find it right to differentiate between our children as male and female. Our daughters and sons are our nature’s miracles and our lifeblood.”

‘Close gender inequality gap’

VIOLENCE against women will continue “for as long as there is an inequality gap between the sexes”, the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Women’s Branch said in statement following the murder of 16-year-old Zehie Helin Reessur. They issued a written statement stressing the need to “follow the path laid down by laws in order to combat violence”. The statement also called for the “Istanbul Convention”, which was ratified by Parliament in 2011 and included in domestic legislation and the Gender Equality Department Law, which was enacted in 2014, to be implemented. The statement noted that annual data published by the Police Force’s “Combating Violence Against Women Division”, which was formed in 2018, “proves that violence has reached a serious point in all aspects”. The statement pointed out that the unit, which was “operating smoothly in the first years”, had “not received any complaints recently but has started to receive serious criticisms” such as claims that it “tries to discourage women from taking further action”. The CTP Women’s Branch called on the authorities to “eliminate the possible problems that may be a reflection of the dark climate in the country as soon as possible”. Meanwhile the Lefkoşa regional manager of the Independence Path political party, Cansu Nazlı, said that the Social Services Department is responsible for everyone under the age of 18. She called for funds to be allocated to provide services such as child monitoring centres, violence prevention centres and refuges “in every region”, and argued that the Social Services Department should be given a bigger budget and more staff, as well as more support for the 183 anti-violence helpline.

PAST and present female MPs have stressed the importance of education following the murder of 16-year-old Zehie Helin Reessur last week. Speaking to Cyprus Today ’s sister newspaper Kıbrıs, National Unity Party MPs Resmiye Eroğlu Canaltay and Yasemin Öztürk, independent MP Ayşegül Baybars, former MP Gülşah Sanver Manavoğlu, and former parliament speaker and former prime minister Sibel Siber expressed their deep sadness over the murder and spoke about the measures that need Gülşah Sanver to be taken to preManavoğlu vent such violence. Ms Canaltay pointed out that both family education and formal education play a “major role” in children’s development and underlined the importance of making changes to include “more education on gender equality and violence against women in the academic system”. Ms Baybars said murders of women are “political” and that “we need to put forth a policy that will prevent violence”. Young people should receive an education “in line with gender equality” she said. “We need to teach our children and youth to embrace our differences. If we do not do this then all kinds of violence, not only violence against women, will begin to increase.” She added that “gender equalitybased education” should be included in the curriculum. “Families should also pay attention to these issues Resmiye Eroğlu while raisCanaltay ing their children,” Ms Baybars stressed. Ms Öztürk recalled that while working as a lawyer for 13 years, she noted that individuals “involved in such tragic events” were “generally subjected to domestic violence”. “Even if we increase the legal penalties, the result won’t change because a person doesn’t consider how long his or her sentence will be when killing another person,” she said,

Sibel Siber

while emphasising the “importance of children and young people growing up with a good family structure”. “Everything begins and ends with the family,” she continued. “You get back what you put into the child. While children who grow up in a loveless environment are prone to delinquency, the rate of criminal involvement is lower in people who grew up with love. “A violent individual has either been subjected to violence in the family or witnessed violence against one of his or her family members.” She also emphasised the importance of education in preventing violence. Ms Siber said that “violence is unacceptable” and that the “murder of a young girl caused outrage”. “This incident . . . created a shocking and traumatic effect,” she said. “Multifaceted work is needed to prevent violence. “Education at home and at school is a part of this but state bodies, non-governmental organisations and the press must also do their part. “The media should not use language that encourages violence. There are important duties that fall on the State Social Services Department. “I wish there was a structure where every family could take their grievances. This is a country so small that a larger country could implement a pilot area here. We can take measures to prevent violence by doing much better and more comprehensive work.” Ms Siber also pointed to the problem of drug abuse, saying that the number of drug abuse cases, “which can lead to violence”, has increased “considerably” in the TRNC. Ms Manavoğlu said: “Many different crimes are now committed in our country. First of all, our police should carry out more patrols in areas with high youth and student populations so that this can be a deterrent at a potential crime spot. “In addition, the Social Services Department’s staff should be reinforced quickly and a Domestic Violence Law should be put on the agenda as soon

Ayşegül Baybars as possible and implemented quickly. “The Gender Equality Department . . . should now become active. If these are done and an effective control network is created, I believe that these crimes will decrease. “Gender equality education should be given in schools or this subject should be included in the curriculum. Young people should be given sexual, cultural and moral education.”

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

University students have also condemned the killing of Reessur. Resmiye Buse Demir said: “As a woman, I condemn these events but nothing can be done. No matter what is done legally or how much we talk about it, these events keep on repeating.” Beste İşlek said: “Because this is a country that we consider to be safe, what we are most surprised by is the increase in femicides even on the island of Cyprus. . . Most people who are here to study like me come because it’s a safe place but no-one thinks it’s safe anywhere anymore. . . I think that these kinds of incidents would occur less if harsher sentences were imposed.” Tan Karabulut said: “Anyone who believes in social equality knows that this was a depraved act. I was very upset when I read the news. We condemn this brutal act against a girl who was in the prime of her life.” Pınar Tıre said: “I do not think that people who commit femicide are sane, it is a crime committed by a mentality that thinks they can dominate because of their gender. . . It is a crime against humanity committed by vacuous people who are devoid of social intelligence and lack a good upbringing.” Yusuf Canbaz said: “I condemn this brutal murder. I hope that the perpetrator of this crime will receive the harshest punishment as soon as possible.” Tayyip Ede said: “I condemn what happened. There is nothing more disgusting than the use of force by a man against a woman. We are talking about an issue that has nothing to do with age; any form of violence against women is Yasemin Öztürk unacceptable.”

News

STUDENTS from the Gazimağusa Vocational High School held a march in memory of their late friend Zehie Helin Reessur, who was murdered in İskele on January 25. The pupils took to the streets on Tuesday morning after receiving their end-of-term school reports to voice their grief and anger over the killing of Reessur, who was just 16. A man is currently in custody charged with taking her life. The students gathered at their school at 11am and marched first to Gazimağusa’s Victory Monument and then to Namık Kemal Meydanı (Square). They were joined by the mother and grandmother of Reessur as well as her teachers and Gazimağusa shopkeepers. Some civil society organisations and members of the public also lent their support to the march. Participants carried banners and placards with messages such as “We will never forget you, Helin

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

11

Murder victim Helin Reessur’s friends march in her memory

‘WE WILL NEVER

FORGET YOU’

Reessur”, “Our Helin is an angel now” and “We don’t want to die”. They also chanted slogans like “End the murders of women”, “We

are still children! We do not want to die or be killed”, “Women and men are equal” and “We want to live”.

During the protest march, Azra Çağan read out a “happy” story written about Reessur’s adult life had she lived, in which she described how she fulfils her dreams to become one of the “best musicians and composers in the world”. Another friend, Fatma Çayönü, said: “Helin fell victim to the country’s order. She was brutally murdered. Dozens of people like Helin have been killed in these lands.” She added: “We should have gone to the birthday party of our 16-year-old friend, not the funeral; we should have hugged our 16-year-old friend, not her coffin. . . Not only did we bury Helin, we also buried our joy, our love and our hope in this land at the age of 16. Our hearts are shattered.”

Protesters demand justice for Reessur A PROTEST was held outside İskele District Court last Friday demanding justice for 16-year-old murder victim Zehie Helin Reessur. Social Democracy Party and Independence Path activists staged the protest to coincide with a court hearing involving suspect Sefer Buğra Altundağ. They shouted slogans at Altundağ

as he entered the courthouse, and held up placards with messages such as “We want justice”, “The murders of women are political” and “We want reliable laws against rape and violence”. A joint statement prepared by the group said: “We are gathered here today as women, mothers and fathers who feel the pain of all the Helins in

Protesters outside İskele District Court

our hearts. “The suspect in Helin’s murder will be [charged] today. . . We believe he will get the punishment he deserves. “However, femicides are political... Unfortunately, harassment ended in murder. Harassment continues all over the country. Our fight for the survival of all Helins will continue.”

Murder suspect Sefer Buğra Altundağ surrounded by police officers as he is brought to court

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What’

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

ADVICE AND INFORMATION

M Na m

Anglo Turkish Association Member Clinics

Today The Olive Press Bowling Club, Lapta, from 11am-1pm on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, more details www.angloturkish association.com Monday The Joya Bar & Bistro, Crystal Bay Marina, Küçük Erenköy, Esentepe, from 5:30pm – 7pm on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month, more details www.angloturkishassociation.com

What’s On?

Your guide to upcoming events

Tuesday Creditwest Bank, Çatalköy, from 10–11.30am on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month, more details www.angloturkish association.com Wednesday Creditwest Bank, Girne, from 10am11.30am on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, more details www.angloturkish association.com Thursday Creditwest Bank, Alsancak, from 10–11.30am on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month.Details www.angloturkish association.com

BRS Member Clinics

Today The Wild Duck, Lapta, from 10amnoon Karsel Restaurant, Boğaz, from 11am-1pm on 1st Saturday of the month Park Palace Hotel, Girne, from 10am-noon Monday Creditwest Bank, Çatalköy, from 09.30–11.30am The Eagles Nest Restaurant, Küçük Erenköy, from noon to 2pm, on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month

Wednesday Creditwest Bank, Alsancak, from 09.30–11.30am Creditwest Bank, Gazimagusa, from 9.30-11.30am on 1st Wednesday of the month Friday Creditwest Bank, Iskele, from 9.3011.30am on 1st and 3rd Friday of the month

The Foreign Residents in the TRNC

Wednesday Meet at the Balti House Restaurant, Esentepe, from 12.30-2.30pm, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month Meet at Sultan’s Restaurant, Çatalköy, 3-5pm, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month

CHARITY SHOPS Today, Wednesday & Friday North Cyprus Cancer Charity Trust Heartbeat shop (behind Girne post office) opens from 10am-1pm. Donations always welcome

Today, Monday & Wednesday Kyrenia Animal Rescue Charity and House & Home shops, behind Girne fire station open 10am-1pm Monday-Friday (Closed Wednesdays) North Cyprus Cancer Charity Trust Heartbeat shop opens from 10am1pm at the rear of Girne Akcicek Hospital. Donations always welcome Monday-Friday Kyrenia Animal Rescue Gladrags shop, Karakum (opposite Ziraat Bank) opens 9.30am-1pm Tuesday & Wednesday Help Those With Cancer/Tulips charity boutique next to Fish House Restaurant, Alsancak opens from 10am-4pm. All donations welcome Thursday-Saturday Help Those With Cancer/Tulips charity boutique next to Fish House Restaurant, Alsancak, opens from 10am-1pm. All donations welcome

DANCE Monday & Friday Simbo African Brazilian class at The Black Olive Café, Alsancak, at 9am. First class free. For more details call 0533 835 5133

GAMES Monday Duplicate bridge played 13.1516.30pm at The Korenium Golf & Beach Resort, Çatalköy. For further information call Janice on 0533 888 6592 Thursday Whist Drive takes place at the Park Cafe, Karşıyaka, at 2pm prompt. Everyone welcome, including beginners. For details call Elaine on 0533 844 1860

HELP GROUPS Today Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Karşıyaka, 1-2pm. For more information call 0533 824 1100, 0533 868 3330 and 0533 855 7743

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’s On

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

Monday arcotics Anonymous meet 6-7pm. For more info 0533 888 4168

KYRENIA ANIMAL RESCUE

very day he Rescue Centre in the Beşparmak Mountains above Arapköy is open for sitors and dog walking 9am-1pm. All e welcome

LIBRARY

oday & Wednesday yrenia Society Library behind Girne Post ffice opens from 10am-noon.

MARKETS

oday & Tomorrow vergreen Market & Café, Lapta, pen today 7am-2pm, tomorrow 12pm. For more details call 0548 888 328

oday Market selling bric-à-brac, second-hand ooks, clothes. 9am at Chateau ambousa, Lapta

Wednesday irne Market open from 8am to 8pm elling fresh fruit and veg, dairy products, ants and clothes. Near Girne police ation

QUIZZES

uesday uiz & bingo with Tony at Karşıyaka Park afe at 7.30pm. For more details call 533 844 1793 or 0533 821 5185

hursday uiz at Khan’s Restaurant, Çatalköy, at :30pm. For more details & bookings call 533 861 7224

harity fun quiz in aid of Heartbeat NCCCT) at The Grease Monkey, Çatalköy 7pm. Food available. For more details ontact 0533 883 1897

uiz night with Steve at the Olive Bar, lsancak, at 7pm. All welcome

SPORTS & FITNESS

Monday omatic yoga at The Black Olive Café, lsancak, from 10.15-11.15am. Details: 533 835 5133

Tuesday & Thursday Body Sculpt class from 8.30-9.30am at The Black Olive Café Studio, Alsancak. Details: 0533 835 5133 Tuesday Pilates class at The Black Olive Café & Studio, Alsancak from 10am-11am. For details call Sue on 0533 837 2355 Wednesday Vinyasa Hatha Yoga class from 8.30am-9.30am at The Black Olive Café, Alsancak. For more details call 0533 835 5133 Thursday Flow yoga at Joya site, Crystal Bay Marina, Küçük Erenköy, from 1011am. Class 90TL. For more details call 0533 857 6331

For your free listing send details to [email protected] by 5pm on Monday

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News

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

Wreaths were laid at the Martyrs' Monument in Lefkoşa

The Turkish daily newspaper Hurriyet reported on its front page dated January 29, 1958, how 'unarmed Turks in Cyprus' were shot with 'machine guns' by British soldiers TURKISH Cypriots who lost their lives during a lethal crackdown by British colonial forces against demonstrations calling for “Taksim”, or partition of Cyprus, 65 years ago were remembered with ceremonies last Friday. Seven Turkish Cypriots were killed and more than 100 injured during student protests from January 27-28, 1958, that began in the capital Lefkoşa and then spread to other parts of the island. The protests occurred after British officials in Cyprus at the time suggested a plan that ruled out both Greek Cypriot demands for “Enosis” (union of Cyprus with Greece) but also Taksim. Ceremonies to remember the dead were held in Lefkoşa at the Martyrs’ Monument and the Küçük Kaymaklı Cemetery, where some of the victims are buried. President Ersin Tatar, Parliament Speaker Zorlu Töre, Security Forces Commander Major General Zorlu Topaloğlu, and representatives of the Cyprus Turkish Peace Forces, Lefkoşa Turkish Municipality and institutions and organisations attended the ceremonies. In a speech in front of the Martyrs’ Monument, President Tatar described January 27-28, 1958, as a “turning point” in the Turkish Cypriots’ struggle for self-determination. He said that “seven people were martyred when the British Colonial Administration used disproportionate force to try to suppress the marches started by the youth in Gazimağusa and Lefkoşa”.

Victims of colonial killings remembered

President Ersin Tatar said in his speech that the events of January 27-28, 1958, were a 'turning point' Mr Tatar added that the “great resistance” put up by Turkish Cypriots in 1957 and 1958 contributed to the Zurich and London agreements, in which

the Turkish Cypriots’ “historical rights were officially registered by making them a founding partner of the Republic of Cyprus”. Noting, however, that the

Republic of Cyprus “did not last long because the Greek Cypriot terror organisation” Eoka viewed it as a springboard for Enosis, Mr Tatar underlined that Turkey later intervened in the island by invoking the “guarantor rights granted to it by the Zurich and London Treaties”. Paying tribute to late Turkish Cypriot leaders Dr Fazıl Küçük and Rauf Raif Denktaş, President Tatar said the “struggle then, and now under the TRNC” is for a two-state solution on the basis of sovereign equality. “Therefore, that epic struggle on January 27-28, 1958, is viewed as a turning point in history and is mentioned in the founding treaties of the Republic of Cyprus,” he said. “We think that the Turkish Cypriot people have made a great contribution to both the Republic of Cyprus as an equal founding partner and for the official reg-

Politicians, senior military officials and civilians were among those who attended the ceremonies

istration of Turkey as a guarantor country.” Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said in a statement: “On this important day, the 65th anniversary of the Resistance, we commemorate all our martyrs who laid down their lives for our homeland and freedom with respect, gratitude and longing.” The “January 27-28 Resistance” was one of the “important stops on a society’s journey to becoming a state owner and a people, all while trying to be condemned to being a minority and is also one of the most concrete indicators of what a handful of believers can achieve,” he added.

Soldiers fired a volley of shots into the air as a mark of respect

Opinion

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

15

HELL ON EARTH T

A DAY IN THIS LIFE

The Sound of Silence MY READER will remember that two weeks ago I sent a copy of my last column, out of courtesy, to the British High Commissioner. It asked some very pertinent questions about British Foreign Office policy towards Cyprus. The response? So far, not a word have I received. Sometimes silence speaks volumes, now doesn’t it?

Spur it on

THE UK’s Guardian newspaper has just published an unusually sympathetic article, reporting President Tatar’s views on the future of Cyprus. Well done the Guardian and well done Mr President. The Turkish Cypriot case is getting through at last. If my reader still thinks supporting the British Residents Society/Turkish Cypriot groups UK lobbying campaign is a waste of time – think again. Things are changing. Spur it on!

Second Rate

I SEE that UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has been told by a top ranking US General that “the British Army is no longer regarded as a top level fighting force”. That is sadly true. It isn’t. It’s too small. Great eh? Just as Putin goes on the rampage! Dear, oh dear! (By the way, it’s not Ben’s fault, he’s one of the few real Tories left in the government.)

True Brits

WHAT a couple – Brenda and Mike Plant! Their 15 years of effort, raising money for TRNC emergency services, deserves our greatest thanks and admiration. I have spoken numerous times at their fund raising functions. They were a joy to support. They deserve a good retirement and are a credit to the community. True Brits indeed.

HE steady erosion of any semblance of long established, civilised standards in western society fills me with

horror. When I see evidence of it in the TRNC my heart is filled with despair. The murder of a 16-year-old girl in İskele, reportedly bludgeoned to death in a most brutal fashion, left me in a state of disbelieving shock. In all my years of visiting TRNC, then 17 years of happily living there, nothing like it has so effectively shocked me. One thing I have always taken for granted is the fact that folk (and women especially) could walk the TRNC’s streets in safety. Compared to the UK, that certainly remains the case, but the TRNC trend is in the wrong direction. At least the TRNC’s leaders recognise it. Let the UK’s experience be a lesson to the TRNC. Knife crime and gangland murder are the norm there. Political correctness rules the roost, leading to ineffective policing and (as just one example), a consequent ignoring of sexual grooming of young girls by predominantly Asian gangs for fear of “offending” the largely law-abiding Asian community. Madness and horror combined! Soft sentencing and early release also removing any form of deterrence the UK legal system possessed. No wonder that only last weekend a man was stabbed in Harrods (of all places) and a 16-year-old male stabbed a 15-year-old girl to death in normally civilised Hexham. When 50 per cent of all knife crime in London is now carried out by teenagers or children, something has gone badly wrong in UK society. The demise of religion, family life and discipline in schools may well be at the heart of it. Decadence,

ON WESTMINSTER

What a shambles

THE Tories are supposed to be the party of law and order, of strong national defences, of low taxes, of controlled government spending, of an efficient, cost effective public sector, the encouragers of enterprise, economic growth and of home ownership. On all these matters, the present Sunak government is not only failing, it appears to have abandoned every one of the above principles that made my party the most electorally and historically successful in the western world. In practice, you now cannot slide a wafer thin sheet of paper between Labour and the Conservatives. High taxes, uncontrolled spending and borrowing, on a scale not known since the Second World War, are now all that is on offer, whoever you vote for. It is killing the economy. They were supposed to have delivered Brexit. They haven’t.

Brexit hasn’t failed. The Tories have. UK still labours under thousands of EU regulations that restrict enterprise, competition and free trade with the world. A real Tory government would have removed those restrictions as soon as Brexit happened. They still haven’t. Tory and especially pro-Brexit voters have been betrayed. We haven’t had a real Tory government since Margaret Thatcher, John Major’s being the only one since to come anywhere near what the party has always stood for. Boris, with all his faults, being the best of a bad recent bunch. Which begs one very important question: who the hell do all those effectively disenfranchised electors vote for? Do you know? For the first time in my life, I certainly don’t. As things stand, whoever I vote for, I will NOT get what I want. What a shambles.

Stephen Day entitlement and selfishness reign supreme. Evidence of the TRNC communal decline has been around for some time. The “siege” and shootings at the Cratos and the automatic weapons murder of a leading TRNC businessman, near his home, stick in the mind, these being prime examples of a deteriorating social order. The unthinkable is happening. Thankfully, in the TRNC, the rule of criminal law still applies. The police usually get their man. Despite the İskele suspect abandoning his car at the border and crossing to the South, the Greek Cypriot police caught him on request and sent him back (a welcome level of cooperation sadly missing in other inter-communal relationships). The horrified and disbelieving reaction of TRNC society to this latest murder is understandably great. You can see it on the faces of the hundreds who turned up to the poor girl’s funeral. Unlike the UK, the TRNC’s leaders appear to be willing to do something about it, having not yet submitted to the constrictions of stultifying

political correctness. There lies some hope. One TRNC government minister has called for tougher sentencing and even the return of capital punishment to be seriously considered. He wants all options taken into account. I agree with him. Knee-jerk reaction is no good, considered deliberation of all options is the way. Deterrence is all, especially where personal morality of the suspect is absent and has ceased to be a constraint. Forget “rehabilitation” and think of genuine “punishment” for the unacceptable. At the very least, a “life sentence” should mean “life” (although why the taxpayer should pay for the lifetime incarceration of a murderer, in more comfort than many law-abiding folk can expect, I do not know). I will be quite open about it. When in the UK Parliament, I voted for the return of capital punishment to the UK at every opportunity. I still believe I was right to do so. What the TRNC does about it is up to the TRNC. I leave that moral dilemma to them. The only question that brought thoughts of hesitation into my head was the fact that a relatively small number of death sentences were passed on innocent people. That undoubtedly sad fact was always overridden in my mind by the knowledge that after the death sentence was abolished, the numbers of people murdered by killers who were given early release, because they were “rehabilitated” (according to the Parole Board) far outnumbered those who were wrongfully sentenced. That was MY deciding moral factor and mine alone. I believe the law’s primary function, especially in the case of murder, should be the protection of the overwhelmingly law abiding

AND ANOTHER THING . . . YOU’VE probably never heard of Christopher John Smith (Known as C J Smith to the music world). Songwriter, keyboard player and classically brilliant musician, CJ is one of my oldest friends. His career is lifelong. He studied at Ealing Art College with Freddie Bulsara (Mercury) and Brian May. With them he formed Smile, the precursor of Queen, Roger Taylor eventually joining them. CJ eventually left the band, citing “musical differences”. He thought they were becoming too “pop”. Not long after “Smile” became “Queen” they had their first hit – “Seven Seas of Rhye”. As a result CJ terms his leaving as “a shrewd career move”! He remains friends with Brian to this day and remained so with Freddie until his death. Described by one music

public from such a threat. An imperfect doctrine, but a workable one. It’s a matter of balancing overall interests with individual ones, especially in the circumstances described above. You have to believe that deterrence and punishment are vital in stopping murder. Of one thing I am sure, the present “liberal” sentencing regime in the UK is no deterrence at all. The worsening UK murder and knife crime statistics prove it. In the minds of too many people life is cheap. Amongst those who think it is not, all faith in UK laws and institutions that are supposed to protect them is vanishing. Any civilised society that accepts all that, with politicians incapable of reacting to it, is doomed to destruction. That is why I fear for British society in general. It is falling apart. My values, and those of the vast majority, are no longer embraced by the establishment. We are now the weirdoes – the “uncaring” and the “unacceptable”. Despite all that, one thing is certain. Whatever inescapable deterioration in social values exists in the TRNC it is nothing compared to the rapid social decline in the UK, not even when you take into account the murder of that young and innocent 16-year-old girl. TRNC politicians are saying all the right things. All that remains is for them to live up to their words. I believe they will. Family is still strong, community matters. The TRNC politicians dare not do other. Toughen up sentencing, make potential murderers fear the law and stop the public being fearful of them. To do other only creates a living hell. Britain is becoming one. The TRNC must not.

An unknown great

Stephen Day, right, with Christopher John Smith and his wife critic as “Britain’s greatest undiscovered songwriter”, CJ’s many incarnations include the King Ivory Band, the Wolves and his current CJ Smith band. I have all their albums. Look them up on

YouTube. His autobiography has just been published, entitled “The Smile File”. It’s a window into the real world of blues and rock. It’s available on Amazon. Rock on!

Opinion

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

17

Greek Cypriot elections offer no hope of change

OMORROW, Greek Cypriots both in Cyprus and abroad will head to the polls in order to elect a new leader. Nicos Anastasiades’s second and final term in office will come to an end, with the man who has led the Greek Cypriot community for the last decade set to retire at the age of 76. While some may be inclined to ignore the South’s electoral process as noise and an irrelevance, I am of the opposite opinion, and always watch these elections with great interest. These elections do not happen in a vacuum, and, with the Cyprus problem still unsolved at time of writing, both impact and are impacted by the Turkish Cypriot community and the existence of North Cyprus. This particular election piqued my interest primarily as it is the first Greek Cypriot leadership election to take place following the election of Ersin Tatar as President of North Cyprus back in 2020. One would be hard-pressed to find someone intellectually honest who would describe the 2020 election as anything but a gamechanger, given that he is the first politician of such prominence to boldly and repeatedly go against the conventional wisdom of a solution to the Cyprus problem by means of a bizonal, bicommunal federation. I wrote back in 2020 that any chance of a federal solution had “well and truly kicked the bucket”, but the resolve shown by opposition political parties in North Cyprus since then to continue advocating for such a solution following the election suggested to me that should the right circumstances arise and a more compromising and eager Greek Cypriot be elected to lead their community in 2023, a reversal of the new Turkish Cypriot position may be on the cards. As I mentioned, the two sides of Cyprus’s politics and electoral processes mutually impact one another, and there is form for candidates winning elections at least in part thanks to Cyprus problem-related developments on the opposite side of the island. The Turkish Cypriots responded to the Greek Cypriots’ rejection of the 2004 Annan Plan referendum

by replacing the retiring President Rauf Denktaş with vehemently profederation candidate Mehmet Ali Talat the following year. The Greek Cypriots then responded in kind and elected leftist Demetris Christofias in 2008. Slightly more recently, one could point to the election of Mustafa Akıncı in 2015, two years after Nicos Anastasiades was elected for the first time, back when he was known as the most high-profile Greek Cypriot “Yes” voter in 2004 rather than the man who torpedoed the Crans Montana conference in 2017. With all this in mind, therefore, are the Greek Cypriots set to elect a candidate tomorrow who will extend an olive branch northwards, improve relations between the island’s two sides, and maybe even resurrect the prospect of a federal solution to the Cyprus problem? No. The list of candidates and opinion polling suggests that the Greek Cypriot electorate is either resigned to the existence of two states which do not particularly like each other on the island of Cyprus, or determined to ignore the Cyprus problem in the hope that it will somehow go away. There are three viable candidates, all of them more or less disciples of Nicos Anastasiades, and therefore none offering any real positive change or initiative in order to solve the Cyprus problem. The most likely to win is Nikos Christodoulides. At 49 years old, he is set to be the youngest person to be elected as Greek Cypriot leader since Spyros Kyprianou was elected unopposed in 1978 following the death of Archbishop Makarios. He was until recently a member of the ruling party Disy, but has since been expelled, and is now endorsed by a flurry of minor parties. He rose to prominence first as the Greek Cypriot government’s official spokesperson between 2014 and 2018, and then as foreign minister between 2018 and last year, when he resigned in order to position himself for this electoral run. Having worked under Anastasiades for almost eight years, one should be under little doubt as to his position on the Cyprus problem, and that has been confirmed by his own campaign literature. He is on the record promising a solution which would entail no Turkish troops on the island, and no guarantees from other countries. Anyone who has been paying attention at any point in the last half century knows that the Turkish Cypriot side will never accept this, and therefore one can only assume that Mr Christodoulides intends to continue

Averof Neophytou

Andreas Mavroyiannis

By TOM CLEAVER Guest columnist

T

Nikos Christodoulides is seen as the candidate most likely to succeed Anastasiades

Mr Anastasiades’s policy of kicking the can down the road for at least another five years. While polls have narrowed in recent weeks, Mr Christodoulides still appears to be the most likely to be elected. The Greek Cypriot leadership elections work in a similar way to the Presidential elections in North Cyprus, and therefore should he fail to win 50 per cent of the vote tomorrow, there will be a run-off election between himself and the second-most popular candidate in a week’s time, but given that Mr Christodoulides is not markedly more divisive than either of his potential opponents, it seems probable that he will collect enough votes to win. Nothing, however, is certain in politics, and just in case he does not win, I have taken the time to present to you the other two serious candidates on Greek Cypriot ballot papers tomorrow. The pair of them are neck and neck in the polls, and either could find themselves in next week’s run-off election. My personal prediction is that Averof Neophytou, Disy’s preferred candidate, will finish in second. Disy have come out on top in every single election held in South Cyprus since 2008, but polling indicates that that streak is set to come to an end. Mr Neophytou has said little about the Cyprus problem in the run up to this election, but as Nicos Anastasiades’s protégé, one can imagine what his opinions look and sound like. Mr Neophytou took the time to meet with former TRNC President Mustafa Akıncı in the run up to the elections, and another minor point of interest is that he began his political career as mayor of the village of Polis Chrysochous, the place of birth of former TRNC Prime Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu. Aside from that, he is not particularly interesting, and he is probably not going to win the election. The third and final serious candidate goes by the name of Andreas Mavroyiannis. His career so far mirrors that of People’s Party leader and former Turkish Cypriot Cyprus talks negotiator Kudret Özersay, with Mr Mavroyiannis having rose to prominence as Nicos Anastasiades’s chief negotiator for the Cyprus problem following a successful career in diplomacy. Mr Mavroyiannis has remained largely coy on his opinions regarding the Cyprus problem, but one would imagine that the man who negotiated for Nicos

Anastasiades does not differ much on policy positions in that regard. Despite this, or maybe rather in addition to this, Mr Mavroyiannis has won the endorsement of Greek Cypriot leftist party Akel. Akel, as many parties are, is commonly accepted as a “big tent” party these days, but given that it also has among its members the Turkish Cypriot Member of the European Parliament Niyazi Kızılyürek, one might suggest that on the Cyprus problem at least, that tent seems to be the size of an aircraft hanger. This has the air of realpolitik to me, Akel attempting to appeal to the Greek Cypriot centre ground having lost every election since 2008, but effectively endorsing Nicos Anastasiades’s positions on the Cyprus problem shows to me a level of cynicism and a willingness to both use and abandon the Turkish Cypriots for political gain as and when they see it to be politically expedient. Back in 2019, Akel were more than happy to select a Turkish Cypriot candidate and hoover up Turkish Cypriot votes in the European Parliament elections. However, four years on, they have seemingly endorsed a vision for the future of Cyprus which involves attempting to continue the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots in perpetuity. Those with longer political memories will recognise that Akel have previous in this regard, promoting the ridiculous and frankly unforgivable “no to cement the next yes” tagline at the 2004 Annan Plan referendum. Had they endorsed a “yes” vote, the referendum would likely have passed and the Cyprus problem would have been history before my fifth birthday. The lack of a candidate among those three willing to make any sort of case for mending fences with the Turkish Cypriots is surely the final nail in the coffin of any federal

Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades will be stepping down after a decade in power solution to the Cyprus problem, but it is also unhelpful for attempts to work towards any other form of solution. A two-state solution to the Cyprus problem requires, at the very least, the begrudging consent of both sides in order for North Cyprus to achieve any meaningful recognition in Europe, and a good two-state solution would entail a broader cooperation among the two sides of the island on issues such as energy, water, irregular migration, and natural disasters. A Greek Cypriot leader determined to ignore the Cyprus problem altogether cannot and will not do any of the above, and therefore it seems likely that we will once again find ourselves at an impasse for the foreseeable future. At that point, it is the responsibility of the United Nations and other countries to point out the gross hypocrisy and intransigence of the Greek Cypriot side and their unwillingness to do anything at all about the Cyprus problem. It is simply unacceptable for one side to ignore the Cyprus problem and routinely elect leaders who have no intention of doing anything to improve relations between the two sides, especially when it is the other side which bears the negative consequences of such actions, and it is high time the world recognised this and, in light of tomorrow’s election, begins to do something about it. In short, therefore, tomorrow’s election, while interesting, is nothing to get excited about. The Greek Cypriots will elect someone who, regarding the Cyprus problem, will continue to refuse to compromise and refuse to negotiate in good faith for an amicable solution. At this point, it is time for the rest of the world to look at Cyprus with a fresh pair of eyes and recognise where the roots of this impasse lie.

18

Crosswords

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

Crossword hat-trick Cryptic 1598 (answers (answersin innext nextweek’s week’spaper) paper) Cryptic No 1497 ACROSS 1. Quality required by the one who supplies the forgotten line? (11) 9 & 17Dn. Compensating balance – is it used on shop scales? (13) 10. Uniform colour in private use (5) 11. Discipline a body of knights (5) 12. A kind of tanning in the heat of the moment (7) 13. A person of little importance is a problem for the murder detective (6) 15. In truth, war tends to cause frustration (6) 18. It’s harsh when the south wind goes to the east (7) 20. It’s an altogether different material (5) 22. This can be extracted from the earth in Germany (5) 23. A dog carriage (7) 24. An agreement to carry out – for the last time! (11) DOWN 2. About to follow this for fair entertainment (5) 3. Went by road to ‘drome, maybe (7) 4. Bird has half this water plant (6) 5. A sign in Kenneth’s direction (5) 6. The batman is a novel character (7) 7. Brown surrounded by bills – financial experts needed (11)

8. Key workers who attend to the pitch (5,6) 14. Obtains a variety of solid defence (7) 16. The kneeler possesses cover for the leg (7) 17. See 9 Across 19. One found in eyrie surroundings (5) 21. This will scratch a piece of metal once (5)

Last week’s answers: ACROSS: 1 Sciatica; 5 Form; 9 Spot; 10 Proceeds; 11 Stock; 12 In trade; 13 Algebraically; 18 Averages; 19 Ajar; 20 Minster; 21 Light; 22 Dors; 23 Triggers.

DOWN: 2 Capital; 3 Article; 4 Cardinal error; 6 Overall; 7 Mastery; 8 Acetic; 13 Alarmed; 14 Gleaner; 15 Blasts; 16 Abating; 17 Leather.

Quick No 1497 1598 (answers (answersininnext nextweek’s week’spaper) paper) Quick No ACROSS 1. Proviso (11) 9. Default (7) 10. Loose (5) 11. Navy (5) 12. Supplant (7) 13. Accompany (6) 15. Emerge (6) 18. Alarm (7) 20. Institute (5) 22. Poetry (5) 23. Issue (7) 24. Well-informed (11) DOWN 2. Roman standard (5) 3. Voter (7) 4. Follower (6) 5. Heavy blow (5) 6. Indignity (7) 7. Harmless (11) 8. Profaning (11) 14. Vexation (7) 16. Transient (7) 17. Annul (6) 19. Topic (5) 21. Foreign (5)

(answers in in next next week’s week’s paper) paper) (answers

ACROSS

DOWN

1 and 4 Across. Unknown murderer of women in London 1888-91 (4,3,6) 8. Supreme god of ancient Egypt (6) 9. Czech composer whose works include the opera The Bartered Bride (7) 10. Transparent precious stone (5) 12. Holders of the lowest British hereditary title (8) 16. Son of Cush, famous as a “mighty hunter” (6) 17. Traditional East Indian drum (3-3) 18. See 14 21. Muslim woman of high rank (5) 25. Daughter of Polonius in Hamlet (7) 26. Blue colouring matter from lichens (6) 27. A newly married couple’s holiday (9) 28. Quantity of paper equal to twenty quires (4)

2. A division of a church (5) 3. County of Munster, Republic of Ireland (5) 4. An elephant’s long, pointed tooth (4) 5. Painter and etcher famous for The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Culp, etc. (9) 6. See 24 7. Max —-, German surrealist painter (5) 10. Large, shallow arm of the North Sea (6) 11. German Nazi field marshal known as the “desert fox” (6) 13. Insect feeding on plants, etc., at night (6) 14 and 18. Common salt (6,8) 15. A kind of orchid (9) 19. A “river-horse”, in short (5) 20. A wild chrysanthemum, the —daisy (5) 22. Organic compound used for flavouring essences (5) 23. Fleshy, conical prolongation in the mouth (5) 24 and 6. South African author of Cry, the Beloved Country (4,5)

Last week’s answers

ACROSS: 1 Journal. 8 Origanum.

Last week’s answers: ACROSS: 1 Aversion; 5 Menu; 9 Used; 10 Fearsome; 11 Strew; 12 Edifice; 13 Presentiments; 18 Maritime; 19 Puny; 20 Outlast; 21 Swain; 22 Sack; 23 Adherent.

Generalknowledge knowledge792 893 General

DOWN: 2 Visitor; 3 Redress; 4 Overestimated; 6 Emotion; 7 Useless; 8 Truism; 13 Pompous; 14 Erratic; 15 Entrap; 16 Empower; 17 Tension.

9 Holster. 10 Cue. 11 Rump. 14 Manor. 15 Landau. 16 Amati. 18 Ligula. 20 Health. 22 Copts. 24 Ischia. 27 Pusan. 29 Sake. 30 Sam. 31 Purcell. 32 Aubretia. 33 Scorpio.

DOWN: 1 John Millais. 2 Uhlan. 3 Natural. 4 Lorcha. 5 Limelight. 6 Cairn. 7 Burma. 12 Udall. 13 Punchinello. 17 Marcasite. 19 Grock. 21 Esparto. 23 Pampas. 25 Sarum. 26 Henry. 28 Sheep.

Brain Teasers EASY

Cyprus Today, Today, February 4, 2023

Sudoku 889 788

19

DIFFICULT

RULES; ❐ Enter digits 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. ❐ Every row must contain one of each digit. ❐ So must every column. p So must every 3x3 square. Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS Difficult Easy

Kakuro 7889 88 Kakuro

Wordsearch Can you identify the words that contain ‘end’ from the clues listed below? 1. Fashion 2. Japanese fencing 3. Seller 4. Repair 5. Bequeath 6. Monster 7. Exhaust 8. Sex 9. Mix 10. Sinew

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS 1. Curtis; 2. Steve; 3. Mats; 4. Pedro; 5. Lloyd; 6. Stefan; 7. Ayrton; 8. Steffi; 9. Sandy; 10. Rhyme

HOW TO PLAY; ❐ Fill in the grid so that each run of squares adds up to the total in the box to the left or above it. ❐ You can use the numbers 1-9 but you must not use the same number more than once in any run.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Wordspiral

1. Casino counter 2. Liquid measure 3. Not false 4. Nervous 5. Tug 6. Nautical speed 7. Experiment 8. Army vehicle 9. Eager 10. Immediately following 11. Stumble 12. Nobleman 13. Spool 14. Camera part 15. Croon 16. Microbe

Starting from 1, fill in the grid in a clockwise direction with four-letter words. The last letter of each word becomes the first letter of the next word. If you have correctly filled in the grid there should be a seven-letter key word reading across from 8. Key word clue: Social insect

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

1. Scar; 2. Rota; 3. Ahoy; 4. Year; 5. Ring; 6. Gobi; 7. Idea; 8. Acne; 9. Ergo; 10. Omen; 11. Need; 12. Dual; 13. Lung; 14. Gear; 15. Room; 16. Myth Key word solution: Anthony

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Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

Classified

Information CONTACTS POLICE

Emergencies 155 FIRE

Emergencies 199 Forest fires hotline 177 AMBULANCE

Emergencies 112 HOSPITAL

Girne 815 2266/815 2254 Lefkoşa 228 5441 Gazimağusa 366 2876/366 5328 Güzelyurt 714 2125 CIVIL DEFENCE

Any disaster/accident/ emergency: Girne 815 4985 Lefkoşa 228 3036 TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Telephone faults 161 Billing information 163 ELECTRICITY

Reporting electrical faults 188 Girne 815 2223 Lefkoşa 225 3436 Gazimağusa 366 5514 Güzelyurt 714 2122 WATER

Girne 444 7800 Lefkoşa 228 3315 Gazimağusa 366 4483 Güzelyurt 714 3516 MUNICIPALITIES

Girne 815 2118 Lefkoşa 228 5221 Gazimağusa 366 5332 Güzelyurt 714 2018 BRITISH CEMETERY COMMITTEE

0548 888 2560, 0533 845 3495, 0542 852 0236 FOREIGN CEMETERY COMMITTEE 0392 822 2874/0533 847 6908/0542 872 4291 RELIGION

❐ For information call: Anglican: St Andrew’s 0542 872 4291 (temporary), email St Mark’s on info@ stmarksfamagusta.org or St Paul’s on [email protected] Catholic: St Elizabeth of Hungary 0533 870 5519; Protestant: Lefkoşa Protestant Church website: www.northcypruslpc.org/eng Islam: Religious Affairs department telephone; 0392 225 3062

CHURCH WORSHIP ST ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY CHURCH, Girne, Sunday 10.30am & Noon Mass ST ANDREW’S CHURCH, Girne Sunday 10.30am Communion Service

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

DUTY CHEMISTS SATURDAY, February 4

Lefkoşa – SEVAL ECZANESİ 9 Yavuz Konnolu Sok. Kermiya (0392) 223 86 75 İZEM ECZANESİ İsmail Beyoğlu Cad. 44/A Küçük Kaymaklı (0392) 228 00 40 BİRGÜN ECZANESİ Kemal Aksay Cad. No:36 Taşkınköy (0392) 225 24 12 Girne – ADAŞEHİR ECZANESİ Ecevit Caddesi, Avrasya Gold Apartmanı (0392) 815 01 88 ŞİFALI ECZANESİ Karaoğlanoğlu Cad. Yayla Mah. Dük.No:5 Alsancak (0533) 846 33 30 ÖMRÜM ECZANESİ Karaoğlanoğlu Cad. No:256 (0392) 822 22 87 Gazimağusa – UMUT ECZANESİ Salamis Yolu, Çetin Alkan Apt. No:2 (0392) 366 23 69 EMİR ECZANESİ Gülseren Yolu Şafak Pazarlama No:2/A Karakol Area (0392) 365 54 54 Güzelyurt – İNCİRLİ ECZANESİ 46/A Kemal Şemiler Cad. AydemetKermiya (0392) 330 20 22 Lefke – ENVER POLİLİ ECZANESİ Şht.Mehmet Salahi Sok. Doğancı Life Sitesi LAÜ YOLU (0392) 727 76 46 Upper Mesaoria – MELİZ ECZANESİ LefkoşaMağusa main road Demirhan (0392) 232 31 00 Lower Mesaoria – KINAY ECZANESİ Mersinli Sok. No:C/4, Türkmenköy (0392) 377 70 70 İskele – GÖKBERK ALP YAKAR ECZANESİ Mekanizi Cad. Royal Sun Residence (0539) 109 95 77

SUNDAY, February 5

Lefkoşa – YENİŞEHİR ECZANESİ Hüseyin İrfan Sok. Cankan Apt. No:1 Dük. 4, Yenişehir (0392) 227 23 63 BİLGE TÜRKSEVEN ECZANESİ Bolu Sok. Sosyal Konutlar 10. Blok Dük.No:2 Küçük Kaymaklı (0392) 228 55 15 ÖZÜN ECZANESİ 17 Belediye Bulvarı No:2 Yenikent Gönyeli (0392) 224 12 10 Girne – BAŞAK ECZANESİ Ziya Rızkı Cad. No:31 (0392) 815 36 20 AŞAR ECZANESİ Mustafa Çağatay Cad. Yetkili İş Merkezi No:32 (0392) 815 70 75 AHMET ÇAĞER

ECZANESİ Ankara Cad. No:50/2 A Alsancak (0392) 821 34 34 Gazimağusa – VELİ ATEŞ ECZANESİ Adsız Asker Sok. Noyan Apt. No:1, Salamis Yolu (0392) 365 04 19 VEZİROĞLU ECZANESİ Anafartalar Cad. Alibey Apt.No:2 Karakol İlkokulu Yolu Karakol (0392) 365 69 77 Güzelyurt – SEVİL ECZANESİ 55 Ecevit Cad. Beşyol Güzelyurt (0392) 714 35 91 Lefke – ALTINCI ECZANESİ Şht. Nejdet Levent Sok.Dük.No:4 A Denizli (0548) 889 17 07 Upper Mesaoria – SERDARLI ECZANESİ Serdarlı (0392) 376 70 06 Lower Mesaoria – KUDRET ECZANESİ Vatan Cad. No:95 Vadili (0392) 397 7 00 İskele – SELİN ECZANESİ Şht.Mustafa Orhan Cad.No:5 (0392) 371 28 56 Karpaz – SAKİNER ECZANESİ Yeni Erenköy, Karpaz (0392) 374 43 56 OLGUN KAHYAOĞLU ECZANESİ Ada Cad. Bafra No: 37/E Mehmetçik (0533) 849 99 46

MONDAY, February 6

Lefkoşa – DENİZ ÇORBA ECZANESİ Belediye Bulvarı 91/B, Yenikent (0392) 223 72 72 ÇAĞIN KORKMAZER ECZANESİ Atatürk Cad. No:17/A Yenişehir (0392) 228 09 09 ABBASOĞLU ECZANESİ Şht. Mustafa Ruso Cad. No:112/D Küçük Kaymaklı (0392) 227 16 64 Girne – AŞAR ECZANESİ (KARAOĞLANOĞLU) Paşaoğlu İş Merkezi Karaoğlanoğlu Cad. No:3 (0392) 822 38 85 GÜNDAL ECZANESİ Altınör Apt. A Blok Dük.2 Uğur Mumcu Bulvarı (0392) 816 05 43 EMİN ECZANESİ Karaoğlanoğlu Cad. Hasem İşhanı No:1 Alsancak (0533) 870 19 46 Gazimağusa – ÖZNERGİS ECZANESİ Salamis Yolu (0392) 365 24 92 GÜZER ECZANESİ City Mall AVM yanı (arka yol), Dersaneler yolu, Çanakkale (0533) 874 03 74 Güzelyurt – UYUMSAL ECZANESİ Kutlu Adalı Bulvarı 3A Güzelyurt (0392) 714 30 05 Lefke – HATİCE SOYER ECZANESİ Cengizköy (0548) 865 52 91 İskele – AVİCENNA

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OPENING HOURS SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 TO SEPTEMBER 17, 2023 WORKING HOURS FOR ALL CHEMISTS September 12, 2022 to May 14, 2023 Monday to Friday: 8am to 5.30pm Saturday: 8am to 1.30pm

Saturday: 8am to 1.30pm Duty chemists: Saturday: 1.30pm to 7pm Sundays, Bayrams and official holidays: 8am to 7pm

May 15, 2023 to September 17, 2023 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 8am to 5.30pm Thursday and Saturday: 8am to 1.30pm

KARPAZ Monday to Friday: 8am to 8pm Saturday: 8am to 6pm Sundays, Bayrams and official holidays: 8am to 6pm

LEFKOŞA, GİRNE, GAZİMAĞUSA & GÜZELYURT Monday to Friday: 8am to 7pm Saturday: 8am to 4pm

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MESAORIA Monday to Friday: 8am to 7pm

ECZANESİ İskele Boğaz main road (0542) 855 00 15

TUESDAY, February 7

Lefkoşa – YONCA HATİPOĞLU ECZANESİ Ecvet Yusuf Cad. Miniloy Dük.No:2 Kızılbaş (0392) 228 06 06 LAİKA GÖKÇEKUŞ ECZANESİ Belediye Bulvarı No:3713 Yenikent Gönyeli (0392) 224 09 88 SÖZÜÖZ ECZANESİ Şht. Mehmet Kemal Sok., Akasya Apt. Küçük Kaymaklı (0392) 229 33 00 Girne – GİRNE ECZANESİ Işil Sok. Bayramoğlu Apt.D/3 (0392) 815 14 47 AYGÜL AYGIN ECZANESİ Semih Sancar Cad. Nurel 21 Bee Tower Apt. Dük.No:2 (0533) 830 00 49 AYDIN ECZANESİ Karaoğlanoğlu Cad. Beyaz Plaza No:3 Alsancak (0392) 821 33 61 Gazimağusa – MAĞUSA ECZANESİ Eşref Bitlis Cad. Mağusa Port Residence No:2 (0392) 365 19 20 CEREN ECZANESİ Papatya Apt.No:2 Larnaka Yolu Anıt Çemberi yanı (0392) 366 33 74 Güzelyurt – AYCAN ECZANESİ Ecevit Cad. 4J Güzelyurt (0392) 714 23 16 Lefke – ŞİFA BILDIR ECZANESİ Fuat Yakup Sok. Denizli No:1/1 (0533) 841 95 78 İskele – SULTAN TOPEL ECZANESİ Makenzi Cad. Dük. No:6 (0392) 330 17 20

WEDNESDAY, February 8

Lefkoşa – ORTAKÖY ECZANESİ Şht.Gaz.Hasan Tahsn Cad. Ortaköy (0392) 330 32 00 CEMRE ECZANESİ Marmara Bölgesi 30. Sok. No:1 (0392) 227 65 49 ŞERİFE ADEMOĞULLARI

ECZANESİ Şht.İsmail Dümenci Sok No:2C Yenişehir (0392) 228 17 67 Girne – İPEK YÖNEY ECZANESİ Karaoğlanoğlu Cad. Faraçoğlu İşhanı No: 320 Karaoğlanoğlu (0533) 862 76 56 İLGEN ECZANESİ Bedrettin Demirel Cad. Özyalçın 156 Apt. (0392) 815 81 18 AYŞEN ALTAN ECZANESİ Mareşal Fevzi Çakmak Cad. No:121/1 Lapta (0533) 858 52 08 Gazimağusa – BAHAR ECZANESİ İsmet İnönü Bulvarı No:45 (0392) 365 51 26 BARIŞER ECZANESİ Mustafa Kemal Bulvarı Apt. No:1 (0392) 365 60 40 Güzelyurt – İLKİN SADRAZAM ECZANESİ Binatlı Sok. No:6 A/B (0392) 714 12 22 Lefke – SIDIKA UMAR ECZANESİ Menekşe Sok. No: 2/B, Gaziveren (0392) 723 79 97 İskele – MEHMET İLBAN ECZANESİ Atatürk Cad. Ada Karanfil Sok. No:9D, Boğaz (0533) 834 82 51

THURSDAY, February 9

Lefkoşa – HARİKA OTAĞ ECZANESİ Cebeci Sok. 25 Yenikent Gönyeli (0392) 224 04 15 ZEHRA ECZANESİ Şht. Kemal Ünal Cad., No:11 Taşkınköy (0392) 225 59 47 ARZUM DAVULCU ECZANESİ Şht.Mustafa Yusuf Hacı Sok. No:3 Yenişehir (0392) 227 14 57 Girne – MELİS UZUN ECZANESİ Işıl Sokak, Uzun Apt. No:4 (0392) 815 97 77 GÜNAY VARIŞ ECZANESİ Uğur Mumcu Cad. Bekir Paşa İşMerkezi No:1 (0392) 815 25 85 NAZIM VARIŞ ECZANESİ Karaoğlanoğlu Cad. Yayla Mah. No:149 Alsancak (0392) 821 30 88 Gazimağusa – NASİM ECZANESİ Çözkoç Plaza Dük.No:5 Salamis Road (0392) 365 03 40 ÇİSE SEZEREL

From May 15, 2023 Monday to Friday: 8am to 5.30pm Thursday and Saturday: 8am to 1.30pm İSKELE Up to May 14, 2023 Monday to Friday: 8am to 5.30pm Saturday: 8am to 1.30pm From May 15, 2023 Monday to Friday: 8am to 5.30pm Thursday and Saturday: 8am to 1.30pm OFFICIAL HOLIDAYS October 29, January 1, April 23, May 1, May 19, July 20, August 1 and 30th and Eid al-Fitr (Ramazan Bayramı) and Eid al-Adha (Kurban Bayramı).

ECZANESİ Ziya Gökalp Cad. No:34 (0392) 366 39 15 Güzelyurt – KIVANÇ UFUK ECZANESİ Şht. Hasan Cafer Sok. No:B12 (0392) 714 18 94 Lefke – İLKSEN ECZANESİ Belediye Dükkanları No:18 Gemikonağı (0392) 727 82 40 İskele – MEVLÜT KAÇMAZ ECZANESİ Makenzi Cad. Ezgi Sok. Dumika Const.Ltd. Dük.No:10 Cevizli (0548) 860 55 54

FRIDAY, February 10

Lefkoşa – BALIN ECZANESİ Dr. Burhan Nalbantoğlu Cad. (0392) 223 18 13 SERPİN ONAY ECZANESİ 84 Şht.Mustafa Ruso Cad. Küçük Kaymaklı (0392) 227 39 24 YUSUF TANDOĞAN ECZANESİ (LEFKOŞA) Mehmet Akif Cad. HacıAli Apt., Dereboyu (0392) 227 23 50 Girne – KANDİL ECZANESİ Karaoğlanoğlu Cad. E48 Karaoğlanoğlu (0392) 822 38 42 ÖNCEL MAHMUTOĞLU ECZANESİ Ecevit Cad. Fuzuli Sok. Öncel Çerkez Apt. Dük. 1 (0392) 815 08 50 MARYAM ECZANESİ Ankara Cad. No:1, Lotus Park Sitesi A Blok, Alsancak (0533) 842 36 37 Gazimağusa – MEHMET ARTER ECZANESİ 15 Ağustos Bulvarı Piyale Paşa Mah. İlhan Apt. No:1, Larnaka Yolu (0392) 366 00 02 DEMET ECZANESİ NewCastle No:1 Bayraktar Yolu (0392) 366 33 50 Güzelyurt – GİLANLI ECZANESİ Ecevit Cad. No:112 Güzelyurt (0392) 714 47 90 Lefke – SADİYE TAŞAR ECZANESİ Atatürk Cad. 26/A (0392) 728 83 12 İskele – SULTAN TOPEL ECZANESİ Makenzi Cad. Dük. No: 6 (0392) 330 17 20

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Opinion

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

Who will win the Six Nations?

T

ODAY 4:15; Wales vs Ireland. 6:45; England vs Scotland. Tomorrow 5pm; Italy vs

France. As I no longer have a clue how rugby union works any more what with constant scrum resetting and mysterious penalties given every 39 seconds, I’ll keep my predictions simple. Winners: Ireland on the strength of playing both France and England in Dublin. Runners-up: France because they have to go to Dublin. Third: England; fourth: Wales; fifth: Scotland; sixth: Italy (the latter positions bar Italy are interchangeable).

GUESS WHICH PAPER “I would like an appeal made to the Twickenham crowd to stop the incessant insulting and demeaning singing of an old slave song. Particularly given the socio-economic and class base of the fans and how England (actually Great Britain) benefited from 400 (actually around 270) years of the African slave trade.” Personally I can’t stand “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” but to each his own. How about Jerusalem instead? Oh, can’t have that because of exploitation of the peasants and the dark satanic mills, etc. Land of Hope and Glory? Brazen nationalism so that’s out as well. Ok, I give up. And yes, it’s the Guardian.

IT’S JUST NOT RIGHT Footballers are very well recompensed for their efforts and if they weren’t then the dosh would just go to club owners and shareholders, but the sight of some of them withdrawing their labour to force through a transfer is not a good look. Anthony Gordon, a man with “blue blood” in his veins, refused to train with the Toffees to get his move to Newcastle. Moises Caicedo did the same at Brighton to try to

World of Sport

by Rev Walker

c/o [email protected]

get his move to Arsenal while in the past Dimitar Berbatov did similar when wanting out of Spurs, and there are numerous other examples of this errant behaviour through the years. It’s not on.

BRIGHTON ROCK There’s a lot wrong with Brighton the city, from its pathetically green council through to their self-serving and obnoxious MPs, but their football team has to be the best run in the game. What other club that celebrated their best ever finish last season could lose their best centre back and technical director to Newcastle, their left back to Chelsea along with their manager and most of the coaching team,

and arguably their best wideout and another central defender to Arsenal, as well as their number one defensive midfielder to Spurs and yet seemingly, seamlessly, improve? Simple answer: none. Their owner Tony Bloom and chief executive Paul Barber (a lifelong Spurs fan) are the best partnership in the game bar none and I’m in no way jealous that he was once Spurs’ top man, much.

MEET THE NEW BOSS SAME AS THE OLD BOSS When Roman Abramovich was forced out of Chelsea the perceived wisdom was that the crazy finances that had sustained Fulham’s second club were about to be curtailed, but it hasn’t quite turned out as per expectation. Two transfer windows later, Todd Boehly’s regime have a net spend of a barely believable £510 million on a club currently languishing in 10th place. Money well spent? We’ll see.

WINNERS Arsenal: it galls me to say it but bringing in Jorginho from Chelsea and Trossard from Brighton are really smart moves to bolster their squad for the run in.

Pedro Porro

Brighton: although they lost Trossard, keeping Caicedo sends a message that the only business they’ll do is as and when it suits them.

LOSERS Just about every other club, especially Everton for doing nothing while losing Anthony Gordon, Liverpool for not upgrading their midfield, and Chelsea for spending a shedload of money on players who may or may not be suitable for the Premier League.

MOST BAFFLING TRANSFER AWARD GOES TO. . . Spurs. Pedro Porro may or may not be the best thing since sliced bread, but to get in the Spanish right back they had to terminate Matt Doherty’s contract, send Djed Spence out on loan and, for some reason, keep Emerson Royal. All of this after previously selling Kyle Walker to Citeh, Kieran Trippier to Atletico Madrid now leading Newcastle’s resurgence, Kyle Walker-Peters to Southampton and give Serge Aurier a free transfer to Forest, all of whom were better than Messrs Doherty, Spence, and Royal. No pressure on Porro then.

TEAM OF THE WEEK Owen Evans Walsall, Tariq Lamptey Brighton, Nathan Ake Citeh, Lewis Dunk Brighton, Romain Perraud Southampton, Casemiro United, Pascal Gross Brighton, Son Heung-min Spurs, Patrick Bamford Leeds, Dejan Kulusevski Spurs, Kaoru Mitoma Brighton. Manager: Roberto De Zerbi Brighton, see above piece. Player: Kaoru Mitoma. For his last minute winner against Liverpool his first touch was sublime, his second sent Joe Gomez to Shoreham, and his third left the keeper for dead. A tremendous player who will no doubt be tapped for

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi a move to a “big” club, probably in the summer.

THIS WEEK’S GAMES Premier league today 2:30; Everton vs Arsenal. 5pm; Villa vs Leicester, Brentford vs Southampton, Brighton vs Bournemouth, Manchester United vs Palace, Wolves vs Liverpool. 7:30; Newcastle vs West Ham. Tomorrow 4pm; Forest vs Leeds. 6:30; Spurs vs Manchester City. Wednesday 10pm; Manchester United vs Leeds. Selected Championship today 2:30; Norwich vs Burnley, Rotherham vs Sheffield United. 5pm; Luton vs Stoke, Middlesbrough vs Blackpool, Millwall vs Sunderland, Reading vs Watford. Friday 10pm; Birmingham vs West Brom. Selected Scotland today 5pm; Rangers vs

Ross County. Tomorrow 2pm; St Johnstone vs Celtic.

AND FINALLY Last week’s question: what connects an antibiotic and Aberdeen? The antibiotic is penicillin, which was discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming who was born in Darvel in Ayrshire. The small town’s (population circa 4,000) football club Darvel FC recently saw off Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup, a feat that is reckoned to be the mightiest giant killing in the long history of the competition. This week: on the subject of giant killing name the future Leicester manager who plotted the shock defeat of an Old Firm club in 1967. Bonus question: for which foreign club did Bertie Mee and Sir Tom Finney turn out for in the early 1940s?

EAST SIDE GAMES LEAGUE - POOL RESULTS 31.1.23 - WEEK 12

Results: Wanderers 6-5 Lodge A, AA Bar 10-1 Spice Garden A, Tropicana Tornados TBF Tropical Knights, Spice Garden Drillers 6-5 Saygin Cafe TEAM

MATCHES MATCHES GAMES GAMES POINTS TOTAL PLAYED WON WON LOST THIS WEEK Spice Garden Drillers 11 10 77 44 8 97 Wanderers Lodge A AA Bar

10 11 11

8 7 8

71 70 67

39 51 54

8 5 12

87 84 83

Tropical Knights Lodge B Tropicana Tornados

10 10 10

5 2 3

59 49 47

51 61 63

0 0 0

68 53 53

Saygin Cafe Spice Garden A

10 11

3 1

38 39

72 82

5 1

44 41

Sport

Cyprus Today, February 4, 2023

Küçük Kaymaklı v Hamitköy

Mağusa Türk Gücü win 14th league match in a row MAĞUSA Türk Gücü (MTG) have set a new North Cyprus football record for the most number of consecutive league victories. Aksa Super League leaders MTG had equalled their own record of 13 straight wins, set in the 20052006 season, by winning their final game of December before the fourweek winter break. With the teams back in action last weekend, MTG extended that run to 14 wins by beating Türk Ocağı 1-0 at home last Saturday. The only goal of the game at the Gazimağusa Dr Fazıl Küçük Stadium came in the 13th minute from Emre Özsin. The result lifted undefeated MTG on to 46 points out of a possible 48.

RECORD BREAKERS They are seven points ahead of their nearest rivals Cihangir, who kept up the pressure with a 3-1 at home to Yonpaş Dumlupınar last Sunday. The match was level at 1-1 when the visitors had a player sent off for a second yellow card in the 60th minute. Cihangir then scored twice in the final 20 minutes of the encounter to

AKSA SUPER LEAGUE TABLE

China Bazaar Gençlik Gücü v Yenicami

(AS OF JANUARY 31)

P

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Mağusa Türk Gücü Cihangir Mesarya Yenicami Yonpaş Dumlupınar Doğan Türk Birliği Lefke Küçük Kaymaklı Göçmenköy Merit Alsancak Yeşilova Hamitköy Türk Ocağı Limasol China Bazaar Gençlik Gücü Çetinkaya Gönyeli

16 16 16 16 16 15 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16

secure the three points. The defeat left Yonpaş Dumlupınar in fifth place on 29 points. A further seven points separate Cihangir from Mesarya in third place, who were held to a goalless draw with seventh-placed Lefke. Yenicami ended the weekend in fourth place with a 4-1 away to China Bazaar Gençlik Gücü. Küçük Kaymaklı came from 2-

Mağusa Türk Gücü players celebrate a record 14th consecutive league win

AKSA SUPER LEAGUE WEEK 17 FIXTURES (All games kick off at 2pm) Today: Türk Ocağı Limasol v Gönyeli, Hamitköy v Çetinkaya, Merit Alsancak Yeşilova v China Bazaar Gençlik Gücü, Göçmenköy v Lefke, Mesarya v Cihangir Tomorrow: Yenicami v Küçük Kaymaklı, Yonpaş Dumlupınar v Doğan Türk Birliği

Cihangir v Yonpaş Dumlupınar

W D L GF GA GD Pts

15 12 9 9 8 7 7 5 3 3 3 3 2 2 2

1 3 5 5 5 4 3 2 5 5 2 1 4 4 3

0 1 2 2 3 4 6 9 8 8 11 12 10 10 11

50 38 27 34 22 32 20 21 22 19 18 15 19 9 18

11 18 8 20 17 17 17 31 38 35 31 27 34 32 45

39 20 19 14 5 15 3 -10 -16 -16 -13 -12 -15 -23 -27

46 39 32 32 29 25 24 17 14 14 11 10 10 10 9

President attends martial arts ‘Oscars’ PRESIDENT Ersin Tatar attended the “Martial Arts Oscar Awards” organised to mark the 46th anniversary of the TRNC Taekwondo Federation.

0 down to win 4-2 against Hamitköy. The two teams that are bottom of the league – Çetinkaya and Gönyeli – both managed to avoid defeat with draws against Göçmenköy and Merit Alsancak Yeşilova respectively. Doğan Türk Birliği in sixth position have a game in hand following Miracle Değirmenlik’s expulsion from the Super League.

23

In his remarks during the award ceremony at Girne’s Avrasya Taekwondo Centre, President Tatar spoke of the importance of children from different cultures playing sports

“in unity”. He congratulated the TRNC Taekwondo Federation for their efforts before watching a tournament and presenting medals to the competitors.

HASAN Garabli and John Taylor were declared the champions of the “Monthly Medal” tournament, the first of the season, which took place on Sunday, January 23, at the CMC Golf Club’s Yeşilyurt course. The Stableford format contest was played over 18 holes and based on a 95 per cent handicap. In a change to the rules, players with a handicap of 0-21 were placed in “Category A” while players with a handicap of 22 and above competed in “Category B”. In Category A, Hasan Garabli finished first with a score of 69 net. Karl Crosby was second with 74 net, with Bertan Erçin taking third spot on 75 net. In Category B, John Taylor won with 68 net, Sinan Şemiler was second on 74 net and Vincent Alen was third on 75 net. After the tournament, CMC Golf Club captain Hasan İlkay presented awards to the winners.

Garabli and Taylor January’s winners

Photo courtesy of Olgun Emirzade

port S

oday Cyprus T Rev Walker: ‘Ireland will win the Six FEBRUARY 4, 2023

Nations on the strength of playing both France and England in Dublin’ PAGE 22

Wales host Ireland, England take on Scotland, Italy to play France

SIX NATIONS 2023 BEGINS Goddard wins CMC Cup golf tournament

KEITH Goddard was declared the champion of the CMC Cup Golf Tournament, which took place last Sunday at the CMC Golf Club’s Yeşilyurt course, with a score of 39 points. The closely fought contest saw Özcan Bundak finish second and Bob Hodge finish third. Both players also finished on 39 points, with the back nine scores deciding the final standings. The Stableford format tournament was played over 18 holes with a 95 per cent handicap. After the tournament, CMC Golf Club captain Hasan İlkay presented awards to the best players. Meanwhile the traditional “Seniha-Niyazi Öztoprak Golf Tournament”, organised by the TRNC Golf Federation, will take place at the CMC Yeşilyurt course tomorrow.

Photo courtesy of Olgun Emirzade

THE 2023 Guinness Six Nations rugby union championship begins this weekend with three exciting ties. Wales and Ireland will get the tournament under way today at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff. The match will start at 4.15pm TRNC time. Warren Gatland takes charge of Wales for the first time in four years – and for the first time since replacing Wayne Pivac as head coach last month. Gatland also coached Ireland between 1998 and 2001. The second match, starting at 6.45pm North Cyprus time, will be at Twickenham, London, where England and Scotland will wrestle for the Calcutta Cup. Scotland will be looking to record three straight wins against England for the first time in 51 years, but England have a new head coach in Steve Borthwick, who will be looking for a winning start. The third game will see defending champions France begin their title defence against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome tomorrow. Les Bleus beat the Azzurri 37-10 a year ago and will be hoping for a similar result as they begin their quest for a second straight Grand Slam, with the match beginning at 5pm TRNC time. The second round of matches will take place next weekend, with Ireland v France and Scotland v Wales next Saturday, and England v Italy on Sunday, February 12. There will be further

fixtures on February 25 and 26, and March 11 and 12, with the final round of games taking place on Saturday, March 18.

DELILAH BAN Meanwhile it has been reported that Wales have banned the singing of the Tom Jones song “Delilah” at the Principality Stadium. Choirs at the Principality Stadium will no longer be able to sing the 1968 song due to its lyrics, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) announced. The lyrics, written by Barry Mason, describe the murder of a woman by her boyfriend after seeing her with another man, including the lines: “She stood there laughing/I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more.” A Principality Stadium spokesperson said: “Delilah will not feature on the playlist for choirs for rugby internationals at Principality Stadium. “The WRU removed the song from its halftime entertainment and music playlist during international matches in 2015. “Guest choirs have also more recently been requested not to feature the song during their pre-match performances and throughout games. “The WRU condemns domestic violence of any kind. We have previously sought advice from subject matter experts on the issue of censoring the song and we are respectfully aware that it is problematic and upsetting to some supporters because of its subject matter.”