Cyprus honors Noratlas dead

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades is attending on Friday the unveiling ceremony of a Greek Noratlas aircraft replica, which has been assembled at the Tymvos Makedonitissas military cemetery in Nicosia to honor the fallen.

The ceremony is part of a series of events and gatherings by which Greek Cypriots mark July 20 as the day of Turkish invasion.

The original Noratlas "Niki-4" was taking part in a secret mission on 22 July 1974, in order to assist Greek Cypriot forces as they put up a resistance to the advancing Turkish army, which invaded in response to a short-lived coup on July 15 engineered by Athens and local supporters of union with Greece.

Niki-4 with 33 souls on board was shot down by friendly fire during landing, when Greek Cypriot forces manning the Nicosia airport mistook the plane for the enemy.

The plane crashed seconds later with...