THE barricades that have severed Ledra Street for the past half century were torn down at dawn yesterday, only hours before the long-awaited crossing was finally opened to the public.
Hundreds of Greek and Turkish Cypriots gathered at either end of the newly-paved road linking the two sides, waiting patiently for the police cordons to be taken away.
Sirs,
I was interested in the legal aspects of the ECHR decision in relation to the Mike Tymvios case.
Sir,
As a long-term (20+ years) and regular visitor to Cyprus, my commiserations go to everyone living on the island who is having to suffer the current drastic water cuts. It’s tragic that the Cypriot government did not take sufficient action in advance, thus leaving the situation to reach its current crisis stage.
Emotional pensioners and giggling teenagers swarmed the narrow street
Greek and Turkish Cypriots were yesterday united in celebrating the historic opening of Nicosia’s Ledra Street.
Turkish Cypriots flock to the opening
As the crowds began to gather in the morning sunshine the excitement was tangible. People had been waiting a long time for this – not just since early morning, but for decades.
April 23, 2003 First crossing point opens at Ledra Palace Hotel in Nicosia
May 24, 2004 With four crossing points open, the government first touts the opening of Ledra Street
May 28, 2004 Turkish Cypriot ‘Prime Minister’ Mehmet Ali Talat said his side was preparing to open a checkpoint at the end of Ledra Street
BUSTLING with crowds of locals, immigrants and tourists, it might be difficult to believe that Ledra Street, now home to Starbucks, McDonalds and other global brands, was once known as ‘Murder Mile’ by British colonial rulers.
PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias arrived in London last night, after an invitation by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take part in a conference on “The promotion of Global Welfare”.
POLICE arrested a 15-year-old boy from Limassol, while a second 15-year-old is still wanted, in connection with four cases of burglary and theft committed in the past few months in the seaside town, police said yesterday.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
