Front Page Headlines
“Half the cases are announced at night, the other half in the morning”
Head of the Union for Nurses and Midwives, İbrahim Özgöçmen makes striking claims. He says that the case numbers are deliberately announced in two parts as part of a communications strategy. “They are now announcing cases twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening,” he said. Özgöçmen also said that there are more than 350 people in each quarantine hotel with two nurses serving in each on a rotational basis. “We need to hire 156 new nurses immediately,” he added.
- Mutated variant detected – UK variant of coronavirus detected in 16 of 20 samples sent to Turkey.
- Dionysis Dionysiou wrote: Eight-point Cyprus plan from the UK.
The mutated virus spreads faster
Health Minister Ali Pilli announced the UK variant of Covid-19 has been detected in the country and warned the public. Pilli said the virus spreads faster, therefore, people need to adhere to protective measures such as wearing face masks, practising social distancing and showing more attention to hygiene.
- 42 locally transmitted, 65 coronavirus cases – Health Minister Ali Pilli said one of the cases identified came via air travel, 23 cases identified in Nicosia, 35 in Kyrenia, four in Famagusta and two in Güzelyurt (Morphou).
- Many people on the roads – People who displayed full compliance with the full lockdown measures on Sunday, acted completely the opposite yesterday. The (crowded) roads in the capital caused concerns.
Mutated trouble
Our fears have come true. The mutated UK variant of Covid-19 virus has started to spread in North Cyprus. Health Minister Ali Pilli: The UK variant of the coronavirus has been detected in 16 of the 20 samples sent to Turkey for testing.” Pilli: “This virus spreads faster and is more transmissible. People need to adhere strictly to personal protection measures such as wearing masks, practising social distancing and hygiene.
- “We want a federal solution” –Cypriots living in the UK who support a federal solution have mobilised, creating the Peace and Federal Cyprus Platform. In its founding declaration, the platform said they will work for a mutually accepted bicommunal, bizonal federal Cyprus based on the political equality of the two communities.
This is a record
Narcotics teams have seized 21kg of drugs in 66 different raids carried out in the last three months. 96 people were charged for drug-related crimes in the last three months with 51 persons arrested for selling and smuggling drugs. In addition to the 21kg, 212 pills were also seized by police.
- Corona raid – Police raids home, arresting 13 people (11 men and two women) for holding a party.
- Intense preparations – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis discusses 5-party conference with Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades.
Turkey is in the hands of a mafia disguised as a political party
Independent MP from Istanbul, Ahmet Şık, who is facing prosecution for his support to the righteous protests of the Boğaziçi (university) students, accused the Turkish government of being a mafia regime… He said: It is not possible to fight and win against a judiciary, which has accepted the role of being a mafia assassin.
- The mutated virus reached us – The UK variant was discovered in 16 of the 20 samples sent to Turkey for testing. The mutated virus spreads and infects faster.
- 32,887 people vaccinated in the south – 22,883 people aged 80 and above vaccinated… 10,024 elderly received their second dose of jabs…
- 100 nurses to be employed – Finance Minister Dursun Oğuz announced authorisation (for employment) has been given to the Health Ministry.
Main News
TC sources confirm the UK’s solution proposal
Yenidüzen, Havadis
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Reports that Britain has prepared an eight-point formula on Cyprus were confirmed on Monday by sources close to Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, according to Yenidüzen and Havadis on Tuesday.
The proposals were brought to the limelight by Politis editor Dionysis Dionysiou and picked up by a number of Turkish Cypriot dailies on Monday.
Although Tatar’s office has made no official statement on the issue, sources close to his office confirmed that the ideas had been voiced informally by the British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab during his recent meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader.
The sources, however, added that ideas had not received support from the Turkish Cypriot leadership. Furthermore, the same sources added that the UK will not attempt to intercede in efforts by the two sides to find a common ground for the resumption of talks.
The UK’s eight-point formula on Cyprus, as reported by the Greek Cypriot daily Politis, aims at satisfying the concerns of the two sides, namely the Greek Cypriot side’s desire for a decentralised federal solution and the Turkish Cypriot side’s insistence on sovereign equality of the two states.
The proposals include the introduction of a new term called ‘community states’ to appease the Turkish Cypriot side which advocates for a two-state solution. According to the new formula, the new decentralized federal structure will have shared competences on issues such as foreign policy, economy, security and citizenship.
The administrative structure will compromise of a federal cabinet, made up of six Greek Cypriots and three Turkish Cypriot ministers as well as two co-vice presidents. The legislative branch will be made up of 36 MPs, 12 of which will be made up of Turkish Cypriots.
In terms of residual powers, the ‘community states’ will have the right to sign their own international agreements.
Another important component of the proposal is for the gradual withdrawal of Turkish and Greek forces on the island over a period of ten years as well as the scrapping of Turkey’s right for unilateral intervention.
The Turkish Cypriots will return Maraş (Varosha) and Güzelyurt (Morphou) while keeping between 28.2%-29.2% of the island’s territory.
Meanwhile, a group of Cypriots living in the UK have established the “Peace and Federal Cyprus Platform” to provide active support to the efforts to reach a federal solution on the island.
Publishing a “Declaration of Establishment,” the platform said they will work for a mutually accepted bicommunal, bizonal federal Cyprus based on the political equality of the communities.
UK variant of coronavirus confirmed in north
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
The new variant of coronavirus identified in the UK has been found in the north, the Turkish Cypriot Health Ministry said on Monday after the testing of samples sent to Turkey was completed.
According to the health ministry, the UK variant was detected in 16 of the 20 samples sent, confirming earlier findings by Near East University’s Experimental Health Sciences Research Institute (DESAM). The statement urged the public to strictly adhere to social distancing, face masks and hygiene rules as the new mutated variant spreads faster and is more transmissible.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot Health Minister Ali Pilli on Monday said that 75,000 rapid antigen tests will be delivered to the north from the EU. Speaking during a programme on Bayrak, he said the bicommunal Technical Committee on Health had undertaken an initiative for the delivery of the tests.
Pilli added that the rapid tests will be used for mass screenings, with the north able to carry out 7,500 per day. He also noted that the second round of vaccinations for the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccines had begun on Monday. Reiterating his goal of completing the vaccination drive by the end of March, Pilli noted that a new shipment of vaccines from Turkey will arrive this week.
Also on Monday, businessmen Mehmet Saydam and Mustafa Bulutoğluları announced the launch of a fund-raising campaign to finance the cost of PCR tests to be carried out by local administrations.
The two donated 2,000 PCR tests for the Karpaz (Karpasia) municipalities, namely Dipkarpaz (Risokarpasso), Yenierenköy (Yialousa), Mehmetçik (Galateia), and Büyükkonuk (Komi Kebir).