Cyprus’s Othello Tower, named after the ill-fated Shakespearean hero, reopened Thursday after a facelift with a performance of the tragedy that organisers hope will spread unity among long-divided communities. The year-long, EU-funded project to renovate the mediaeval tower in the port of Famagusta’s 14th century castle comes as Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders are locked in talks to reach a breakthrough on the decades-old split. Thursday’s retelling of Shakespeare’s tragic love story featured actors from both communities, a rare act of cultural coexistence on an island cleaved by politics. ‘We don’t have lots of opportunities for Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots to work together. It’s a very good opportunity to know each other and do something with art together,’ said actor Vasiliki Andreou, 31. In 1974, Turkish troops invaded northern Cyprus in response to an

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