A LEADING TRNC, economist has likened the global financial and social impact of Covid-19 to “World War 3”.

AROUND 30,000 Turkish Cypriots are being denied the right to obtain a “Republic of Cyprus” passport, it has been claimed, while wealthy foreign investors – alleged criminals among them – have been given the sought-after travel documents.

WIDESPREAD water cuts could be on the cards after Prime Minister Ersin Tatar said that the flow from Turkey should resume after September 25 – at least five days after current supplies in the Geçitköy reservoir are expected to run dry.

NORTH Cyprus was in partial lockdown this week after an alarming rise in locally transmitted coronavirus cases prompted the government to reintroduce strict restrictions, including the temporary suspension of all but emergency and military flights into the TRNC.

PEOPLE arriving in North Cyprus from “Category B” countries – which includes Turkey and the UK – must now go into quarantine for seven days, even if they have presented two negative PCR Covid-19 tests.

AN ONLINE petition calling on the British government to authorise direct flights between the TRNC and the UK has received more than 10,000 signatures – with its creator now aiming for the 100,000 signature mark.

PEOPLE who break Covid-19 laws could be fined up to six times the minimum monthly wage – 22,920TL based on the current gross minimum salary of 3,820TL – or even sent to prison, under tough new penalties approved by Parliament.

CAMPER vans at Kaplıca beach, a prime nesting site for Caretta Caretta turtles, have turned it into a rubbish-strewn shanty town, claims a leading environmental campaigner.

DEMANDS are growing for Lefkoşa Turkish Municipality to end growing pollution on the city’s four industrial estates, including untreated sewage flowing down roads that are often blocked by discarded factory waste.

WIDESPREAD water shortages are set to continue after it was announced that repairs to the 80km undersea pipeline carrying supplies from Turkey would not be completed until Monday at the earliest.

THE British government has “no plans” to allow direct flights between the UK and the TRNC because such a move would be “unlawful”, it has been announced.

THE number of people working in the TRNC’s tourism sector has shrunk by almost half due the Covid-19 pandemic, it was disclosed this week.