It’s not every day you discover a bit of family history you share with the British Prime Minister, but it happened to me late last summer. I was flicking through family photo albums with my father, Oktay Hamit, when I came across a large black and white one of him and seven other men. I […]
Amnesty International, the US State Department, and Nacho Sánchez Amor, the European Parliament’s Rapporteur on Turkey, led the international calls for the immediate release of Osman Kavala. The Turkish businessman has been held in jail since November 2017 despite not being convicted of any crime. A crescendo of calls for Mr Kavala’s freedom came on […]
There has been public uproar and protests following the brutal killing of Pınar Gültekin, a 27-year-old university student whose body was found in the Aegean district of Muğla on Tuesday, 21 July. She had been missing since 16 July after stepping out of her flat in Muğla. Police were able to track her movements by […]
One of Turkey’s leading entertainers Seyfi Dursunoğlu has died in hospital after a short illness. Dursunoğlu, better known by his stage name and drag character Huysuz Virjin (The Grumpy Virgin), was admitted to Istanbul Acıbadem Altunizade Hospital a fortnight ago. He was being treated for pneumonia, as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according […]
On this day twenty years ago, actor Kemal Sunal suffered a fatal heart attack as he boarded an early morning domestic flight from Istanbul to the Black Sea city of Trabzon. He was just 55 years old. Sunal is said to have had a lifelong fear of flying and had not been on a plane […]
Manchester’s Turkish Cypriot community was plunged into mourning after learning that one of their oldest members, Beyhayettin Ali Mentesh has died. Affectionately known as ‘Uncle Jimmy’, Mr Mentesh passed away peacefully in his sleep at Lefkoşa Dr. Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital in North Cyprus on Wednesday, 24 June. He was admitted to hospital last weekend with […]
Süheyla Küçük, the wife of Turkish Cypriot leader Dr Fazıl Küçük, has passed away at Lefkoşa Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital on Monday. She had been receiving treatment for sepsis. Tributes have poured in for Mrs Küçük, who was given the title ‘First Lady’ after her husband, Turkish Cypriot leader Dr Fazıl Küçük, became the first […]
Unfortunately, when it comes to losing people that we love, our emotions are usually uncontrollable for a long time afterwards. There is never a good time to lose the people we love most, but in this period of great uncertainty and fear, somehow the loss of a loved one seems more amplified because of the […]
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 […]
With the circumstances that we are all experiencing at present, it is paramount that we look after our health and wellbeing. An important and crucial defence against any virus or infection is our immune system. Compromised nutritional status and poor lifestyle choices weaken the immune system. However, a strong immune system not only plays a […]
