UK

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The roots of International Women’s Day, the current challenges and how Turks are commemorating the day

Today, 8 March, is International Women’s Day. While many use this annual day to celebrate inspirational women and their achievements, others will focus on the issues currently blighting women’s lives. The day’s roots lie in Russia where a little over a hundred years ago, on 8 March 1917, women wo...

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Lord Balfe challenges UK government on why it has a trade envoy for Taiwan, but not for North Cyprus

A Conservative politician in the House of Lords has sought to highlight inconsistencies in the British government’s policies on trade relations with states it doesn’t formally recognise. Lord Richard Balfe tabled a series of questions about the government’s use of trade envoys, asking what the cr...

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‘Naughty’ Turkish kid comes good: Jaye Ersavaş stars as “class clown” in new BBC comedy show PRU

A new British comedy set in a pupil referral unit (‘PRU’) gets its first-ever airing on BBC iPlayer today. The show will make its terrestrial debut on BBC 1 on Friday night. The 18-minute premiere of PRU is essentially a pilot, but BBC bosses were so impressed with the show that it's already been...

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British MPs raise questions about jailed Turkish opposition leader Selahattin Demirtaş

Two British Members of Parliament have quizzed the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab over what action he is taking to help free Selahattin Demirtaş, the jailed former co-leader of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP, Halkların Demokratik Partisi). Patrick Grady, the Scottish National Party (SNP) MP for...

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Does the UK have a new plan for solving the Cyprus dispute?

Earlier this month, a ‘Cyprus plan’ started to appear in a variety of publications in Cyprus, including Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Düzen. The high level ‘7-point plan’ outlines a confederal solution loosely based on the Belgian model for Cyprus, has been attributed to the United Kingdom (UK) – on...

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Ambassador Çimen Keskin announced as new TRNC London Representative

The speculation about who will take over from veteran Turkish Cypriot diplomat Ambassador Oya Tuncalı when she completes her term as the London Representative this summer is over. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has announced that Ambassador Çimen Keskin will become the new London Represent...

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CENSUS 2021: why British Turks must make their mark in this year’s population count

Every ten years, the United Kingdom holds a population count. There is one happening this year too, on 21 March 2021, with households given a month to respond. This once-in-a-decade survey captures vital details about all the people and households in the country; their ages, ethnicities, religiou...

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Stunning UK Turkish community art exhibition goes online

The Yunus Emre Institute in London’s annual Turkish Community Art Exhibition is now truly embedded in the British Turkish community’s social calendar. Now in its third year, the event is bigger than ever before, showcasing 88 art pieces from 51 artists, whittled down from “a great selection of ov...

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“Labour only cares about Greek Cypriots” – UK Turkish Cypriots blast Shadow Ministers’ letter to Foreign Secretary

Labour stands accused of “anti-Turkish bias” after a letter about Cyprus sent by Shadow Ministers Fabian Hamilton and Catherine West to Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, used offensive language and failed to incorporate Turkish Cypriot views. Hamilton, the Shadow Minister for Peace & Disar...

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TIME Magazine and BTCA Arpalık documentary show it really was “death at high noon” for Cyprus in 1964

The international community and media and many Cypriots often wrongly claim that Cyprus was split in 1974, when in fact the division had occurred a decade earlier. This crucial detail is clear from reviewing historical archives and articles written by journalists present in Cyprus during or immed...

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