Sonya Kaygan, a 25-year-old mother of one, has passed away from coronavirus, her family announced today. She becomes the youngest British Turkish victim to die of COVID-19, which has already claimed the lives of over one hundred others in the community. Friends and family have said the young woman “gave her life protecting and caring […]
If you’ve always wanted to learn Turkish, here’s your chance! The Yunus Emre Institute in London is now offering a series of arts, music and language classes online for a variety of levels. One of these is an Intensive Turkish Course for complete beginners, which starts on Thursday 23 April. Under the expert instruction of […]
Two weeks ago, Erkin Guney, the chairman of the UK Turkish Islamic Trust (UKTIT), recorded a desperate plea for help. Overwhelmed by the growing number of deaths in the British Turkish Cypriot community, the UKTIT faced multiple shortages, including mortuary space, which Hackney Council has helped the mosque to overcome. Less easy to fix has […]
A 5-minute video by Dowan Ahmet warning about the dangers of coronavirus and offering tips for “these uncertain times” has gone viral. Addressed to “the Class of 2020”, Ahmet’s clip has been watched by over ten thousand people. His tribute to “healthcare professionals and other frontline staff” who “risk their lives so you don’t have […]
A Turkish court has accepted charges against twenty suspects over the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The decision from Istanbul’s Heavy Penal Court, on April 11, came after Turkish prosecutors presented 117-page indictment accusing 20 Saudi nationals of involvement in the gruesome murder. Among those accused are […]
An appeal to help a Turkish Cypriot family in London cover the cost of two funerals after losing their father and grandfather to COVID-10 has proved successful. The £2,000 target was reached on Monday afternoon, two days after T-VINE first publicised the fundraising effort, which had been launched by family friend Sheniz Suleyman on 4 […]
On Easter Sunday, the number of deaths from the coronavirus in Britain passed the 10,000 mark. The impact of this deadly disease has hit every corner of the country, and affected every community. Every day, hundreds of funerals are taking place for the deceased, which are being performed under severe restrictions. These include limiting the […]
Originating from the Ottoman era, Karagöz and Hacivat are among Turkey’s most famous and popular theatre characters, a perfect foil for each other as they seek to solve everyday problems. Karagöz represents the illiterate, but straightforward general public, while Hacivat is from the educated classes, always speaking in a posh form of Ottoman Turkish to […]
Ambassador Oya Tuncalı, the London Representative of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, has addressed the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on lives in a special message to Turkish Cypriots in Britain. The message, given in full below, acknowledges the “important changes to our lives”, and describes staying at home in self-isolation as an opportunity […]
A week after a family in London lost their granddad, tragedy struck again when their father also passed away. Both men died of coronavirus. An urgent appeal has been launched to raise £2,000 to help a family cover the costs of the second funeral. Husayn Hoca, the leading pastor for the British Turkish Cypriot community […]
