Plastic bag ban
2023
First day of the implementation of the law prohibiting plastic shopping bags with wall thickness between 15 and 50 microns, which were the typical single-use bags at supermarket checkouts. Very thin produce bags (under 15 microns) were not included in the ban because they are used for hygiene reasons, such as packaging fruit and vegetables.
Because they are easily carried by wind and water, plastic bags often end up in oceans, where they can take decades to break down, harming marine life through ingestion and entanglement. Bans on thin plastic bags aim to reduce this pollution at its source by limiting single-use plastics and encouraging reusable alternatives.
1978
Yusuf Sibai Assassinated at the Hilton Hotel
On February 18, 1978, Egyptian politician, journalist, and writer Yusuf el-Sibai was assassinated at the Hilton Hotel. The murder became the trigger for the bloody events at Larnaca International Airport that followed.
1956
“Haravgi” Newspaper Published
The mouthpiece od left AKEL, Haravgi, begins circulation in Nicosia.
1951
Chrysostomos Ordained as Deacon
Christoforos is ordained as a deacon by Archbishop Makarios III and takes the name Chrysostomos.
1900
First General Assembly of the Savings Bank “The Nicosia”The assembly is held at the Cypriot Club. The first board includes Antonios Theodotou (physician), Ioannis M. Zachariadis (merchant), and Aristodemos Phinieras.
1856
Sultan Abdülmecid Issues Tanzimat Decree
Under pressure from European powers, Sultan Abdülmecid issues reforms to improve the administration of the Ottoman Empire and the position of Christian subjects.
The Tanzimat (“reorganisations”) was a series of major reform measures launched in the Ottoman Empire in 1839 to modernize the state and strengthen its administration. Proclaimed under Sultan Abdulmejid I, the reforms aimed to reverse imperial decline after military defeats and political crises.
The decree introduced promises of fair taxation, regulated military conscription, legal protections such as habeas corpus, and guarantees for the life, property, and honor of all subjects, both Muslim and non-Muslim. It marked the beginning of a broader modernisation period intended to centralize authority, reform institutions, and align aspects of the empire with contemporary European governance models, although its effectiveness and intentions were debated at the time.
842
End of Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm ends when Empress Theodora, wife of the last iconoclast emperor Theophilos, restores the veneration of holy images.
Births
1914
Kostas Montis
Poet
Deaths
2020
Amerikos Argyriou
Famous pediatrician from Limassol
2022
Angelos Gavriil
Journalist
2023
Kyriakou Pelagia
The traditional voice of Cyprus
From Politis' Greek Encyclopedia Polignosi