A German Turk has been appointed spokesperson for Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of Germany and the Christian Social Union (CSU) in Bavaria, known as Union for short. Bülend Ürük will serve as the spokesperson for Germany’s two centre-right Christian-democratic and pro-European political parties, and also head their communications team. Ürük is currently CDU […]
Pope Francis has called on “believers of all faiths” to unite in a day of fasting, prayer and acts of charity on a single day during the holy month of Ramadan (Ramazan in Turkish), when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. On Thursday, 14 May, the Pope wants the world to come together through the […]
Local councils in North Cyprus and the main state hospital in the capital Lefkoşa are fifty thousand pounds better off this week following a generous donation by the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation – the charity vehicle of Greek Cypriot business tycoon Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou. The Foundation announced earlier today that it was making donations to four […]
Turkey’s biggest carrier Turkish Airlines has announced the continued suspension of its domestic and international flights. The news, posted on the company website on Tuesday, 28 April, stated that the suspension would run until 28 May, and was “in accordance with decisions taken by the official authorities” to help “protect public health against the novel […]
The relatively high number of British Turks to die from COVID-19 has been sending shockwaves across the Turkish world. With an estimated population of 500,000, the UK’s Turkish community is the fourth largest Turkish diaspora in Europe, behind Germany (4 million), France (1.2 million), and the Netherlands (600,000). A comparison of the the deaths among […]
Şakir Alemdar, the Imam of Hala Sultan Tekke – one of the Islamic world’s holiest sites – has issued a short video clip in English urging Muslims to stay at home for Ramadan, which this year starts on Thursday evening, 23 April. Posting on his personal Facebook page, Imam Alemdar reflected on the changes Muslims […]
DMC, the record label behind Turkey’s biggest pop stars Tarkan, Sezen Aksu and Ajda Pekkan, is being taken over by French digital music platform Believe. An agreement worth $23.4 million, signed on 17 April by Doğan Holding, Doğan Müzik Yapım’s (DMC) parent company, and Believe, will see the French company take a 60% stake in […]
Ersin Tatar, the Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, has sent a message wishing his British counterpart Boris Johnson “a full and speedy recovery”. The TRNC Prime Minister was among dozens of politicians in Britain and from around the world who issued public messages of support for Mr Johnson after it was […]
Turkish Cypriots have criticised the Chinese ambassador to Cyprus for his “deeply offensive” comments about EOKA, a Greek Cypriot paramilitary organisation responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people. Ambassador Huang Xingyuan took to Twitter yesterday, 1stApril, to praise EOKA on the 65th anniversary of the start of its murderous campaign, which killed over 450 British, […]
Applications by Turkish nationals for protection in Europe has seen a fresh rise in 2019. Over 25,000 applied for asylum last year, with Germany the preferred destination for more than 10,000 Turks. Turks were the sixth largest group seeking refuge in Europe in 2019, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. A […]
