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 […]
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 […]
Britain has received the first planeload of emergency equipment sent by Turkey to help in the fight against coronavirus. The items, despatched by Turkey’s Health Ministry in Ankara, include personal protective equipment such as surgical masks and hazmat suits. A second flight is scheduled for Saturday. The boxes bore the words of 13th century Sufi Mevlana […]
Desperate times call for desperate measures and if you are a man used to regular grooming at the salon, the prospect of at least a month without access to your barber due to self-isolation is daunting. Many have taken matters into their own hands, trying to cut their own hair, or asking relatives and partners […]
The success of last Sunday’s Mevlit, which was watched by tens of thousands of people in Britain and abroad, has prompted Kanal T to create a new weekly prime time slot for the religious programme. The broadcaster, one of North Cyprus’ biggest television channels, will screen the Mevlit at 5.30pm UK time (7.30pm Cyprus & […]
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 […]
