Turkish Cyprus

Three Molotov cocktails were thrown at the Köprülü Hacı İbrahim Ağa Mosque in Limassol province of Greek Cyprus on June 1.

Molotov cocktails thrown at the entrance of the mosque were noticed early and put out.

The bodies of 18 Turkish Cypriots who are due to be sent back to their homeland are still being held in a London mosque weeks after their deaths.
Turkish Cypriots in the United Kingdom, one of the communities most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, are holding the bodies in a Hackney mosque in east London to fulfill the will of their relatives who lost their lives.

A forest fire broke out in Turkish Cyprus' northwestern town of Tepebaşı, as heat waves continued to grip the island.
The fire occurred in forestland in the area, and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı said the fire was partially under control, but it would create massive environmental damage.
Akıncı noted it was too soon to say what the cause was.

Senior Turkish officials on Feb. 8 condemned the remarks by Mustafa Akıncı, the leader of Turkish Cyprus in a British daily.         

The condemnations came after Akıncı talked to The Guardian about the long-standing reunification efforts in Cyprus island.         

The presidency is an important position for overcoming the "frozen uncertainty" in Cyprus and "the deadlocked problem can be solved with more creative and new ideas," according to a top Turkish Cypriot politician.

Ersin Tatar, the prime minister of Turkish Cyprus announced on Jan. 18 that he will run for presidential race that will take place in April 2020.

He announced his candidacy after the party assembly meeting of the National Unity Party (UBP), of which he is the leader.

Kudret Özersay, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister of the Turkish Cyprus, announced on Jan. 9 that he will run for 2020 presidential race.

Özersay said on Facebook that he will run as an independent candidate for the elections slated for April.

Greek Cyprus is in a bid to "stall for time" by rejecting the Turkish Cyprus's proposal for cooperation on the joint exploration and profit-sharing of hydrocarbon resources while suggesting cooperation with Turkey, Turkish energy minister Fatih Dönmez has said.

Both Turkish Cyprus and Turkey will defend their "legitimate rights" following Greek Cyprus' unilateral moves to search for gas off the divided island of Cyprus, said Turkish Cyprus President Mustafa Akıncı.

Voicing frustration over the collapse of peace talks last summer to reunite Cyprus, the president of Turkish Cyprus said on Sept. 14 that Turkish Cypriots have no intention of entering an open-ended process with an unclear outcome.