Northern Cyprus

A scandal involving fake diplomas that erupted in February in Turkish Cyprus has now engulfed the media, leading to the arrest of a prominent journalist.

Sefa Karahasan, a journalist and broadcaster, who is also a trustee at Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University (KSTU) in Güzelyurt, is charged with acquiring a fake doctoral diploma.

Some 20,000 Turks traveled to five Greek islands in the Aegean Sea during the nine-day-long Eid al-Fitr break after Greece launched the visa-on-arrival scheme for Turkish holidaymakers.

The number of Turkish tourists visiting those Greek islands increased by 20 percent compared to the same period of last year.

Hundreds of Greek Americans and guests gathered along Manhattan's Fifth Avenue in New York to partake in the annual Greek Independence Day Parade, which commemorates the anniversary of the Greek War of Independence against Ottoman rule.

This year's procession also paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of Turkey's invasion and occupation of Cyprus.

The Republic of Cyprus is entitled to request from the implementing entity - Greece's Independent Power Transmission Operator (ADMIE) - an updated report on the cost-benefit analysis regarding the electricity interconnection between Cyprus and Greece as well as the updated business model, Cypriot Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry George Papanastasiou has said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a speech he delivered to Turkish military personnel at a dinner Monday, not only defended the Turkish invasion of Cyprus but went even further by arguing that if Turkish forces had moved further south in 1974, then Cyprus might be all Turkish today

More specifically, Erdogan said:

Northern Cyprus will not sit at any negotiating table unless their sovereignty and equal status is recognized, Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar has told AFP.

Turkish-Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar announced on Thursday he is transferring control of the Gecitkale air base in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus to the Turkish Army to serve as a deployment hub for unmanned aircraft.

In a televised interview with the 24TV network, Tatar said the "parliament" of the entity, which is only recognized by Ankara, approved the move.

The lifeless bodies of two more people washed up on the beaches of Turkish Cyprus in the last two days, increasing the number of bodies washed up on the country's beaches to five in the month of January alone.

Proposed changes to Turkish travel laws ignite a debate as tourist guides claim that removing foreign language proficiency requirements for guides will compromise professional standards and service quality in the tourism sector.

Cyprus announced a series of gestures to support estranged Turkish Cypriots on Friday, days before the visit of a United Nations envoy who will assess prospects for the resumption of long-stalled peace talks.