British and Turkish officials have refuted British media reports that personal protection equipment (PPE) from Turkey has fallen short of required standards. On Thursday evening, Britain’s envoy to Ankara Sir Dominick Chilcott took to Twitter to say, “Stories in the UK media that 400K items of PPE sent from Turkey are unusable are untrue.” The […]
Not many words were shared, but the language of love took over all those years ago in a white house in Elephant and Castle, south London. The road name was Elliotts Row, house No. 32. It was 1986, spring time. My mother Carole Mitchell had come over from Essex with her best friend Corrine. Money […]
T-VINE’s İpek Özerim will this afternoon appear on a live link up with Gizem Özgeç, the editor of one of North Cyprus’ leading newspapers Kıbrıs Haberci, to discuss a host of issues affecting the UK Turkish Cypriot community during the coronavirus pandemic. Among the leading issues on today’s agenda are the attempts by over a […]
A councillor for the London of Borough of Haringey has paid tribute to key workers on May Day, while calling for their position as the “lowest paid workers” to change. Cllr Peray Ahmet made the comments in a short clip broadcast online earlier today. In her opening remarks, the Labour councillor said that “It’s always […]
The UK’s two opposition parties are pressing for action over issues adversely affecting Britain’s black, Asian and ethnic minority communities during the coronavirus pandemic. The Liberal Democrats have called on the Government to improve the diversity of journalists and media outlets invited to pose questions to No. 10 spokespersons “as a matter of priority.” Separately, Labour’s […]
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 […]
This weekend marks the start of the holiest month for Muslims worldwide. Ramadan, or Ramazan in Turkish, is the month when the Ku’ran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammed. For the next thirty days, all healthy Muslims will fast during daylight hours. This means not eating or drinking anything from sunrise to sunset. Ramazan is […]
A Royal Air Force A400 plane took off from Istanbul in the early hours of this morning carrying a large consignment of personal protective equipment (PPE) from a commercial supplier in Turkey. The plane arrived back at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire just after 3am local time, ensuring essential PPE, such as surgical masks, gloves, […]
“One love. One heart. Let’s get together and feel alright,” sing NHS staff, key workers and volunteers from London’s Turkish Cypriot community. Their digital rendition of a Bob Markey classic not only aims to uplift spirits, but to also raise awareness of multiple good causes that need funding through the crisis. The clip is the […]
Ten days ago, I highlighted the plight of some 120 British nationals, many of Turkish Cypriot descent, stranded in North Cyprus due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lots of affected individuals, their British MPs, and community groups have all been lobbying the UK Foreign Office to demand their return. Since then, there has been a flurry […]
