Turkish referee Cüneyt Çakır has been handed the responsibility of officiating the second semi-final between England and Croatia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on Wednesday night. It will be the 41-year-old’s third match at this summer’s tournament. He was in charge during Iran’s 1-0 victory over Morocco and Nigeria’s 2-1 defeat against Argentina. Çakır […]
A film made in Turkey about the lives of gay Syrian refugees has picked up the Best Documentary Award at the Mix Milano Film Festival. It is the latest accolade in a string of awards and honourable mentions for Mr Gay Syria. Producer Ekin Çalışır posted the news on Facebook and wrote: “So proud to […]
Attempts by anti-Islamic group Pegida to hold a ‘pork fest’ by a Turkish-owned mosque in Rotterdam has been thwarted following a large turnout of Dutch counter-protests. The planned barbecue was due to take place by Laleli Mosque on Thursday, 7 June, with the permission of the local authority. According to news reports, when some 20 […]
An online petition calling for a Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) flag mobile phone emoji has gained over 1000 signatures. The plea, named “Make a TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) emoji!!” which is directed at tech giants Apple, Samsung and Microsoft is registered on campaigning website change.org and is intended to gain greater global recognition for the […]
Bids by Anastasiades to bin the 1960 Treaties of Guarantee and of Alliance in an effort to dictate the terms of the next round of UN Cyprus talks have been dismissed by a seasoned observer. Former TRNC Chief Negotiator Ergün Olgun says the Greek Cypriot President should actually give thanks for the 1960 Treaty of […]
A community of ethnic Greek Muslims who were exiled from Greece to Syria in 1897 seek to return to their homeland in Crete. Yet despite presenting the deeds for properties seized by the Greek Orthodox Church 120 years ago, they once again find themselves victims of public resentment and institutional discrimination. “Wherever we go, we […]
Having been under attack from his own side for supposedly diluting the vital elements of the Turkish Cypriot negotiating position, particularly on the issue of security and Turkey’s guarantees, President Mustafa Akıncı has been at pains to stress nothing could be further from the truth. Speaking at the Akıncılar Festival on 6 May, the […]
In advance of his UK visit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan talks to BBC current affairs presenter Zeinab Badawi in the Turkish capital of Ankara. The interview will feature in a special edition of HARDtalk, to be first broadcast at 04.30 UK time on 14 May, and repeated throughout the day. Among the topics […]
So Israel has won Eurovision with Netta’s quirky Toy song, which is themed around strong women and features chicken noises. While Netta had been the favourite to win for some time, Cyprus was the unexpected frontrunner after an impressive performance in both the rehearsals and semi-final. For a time it looked like Eurovision was heading to […]
On Friday, the White House announced President Trump’s intentions to appoint a variety of renowned individuals to key positions in his Administration. Among the names was Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr. Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and TV personality whose show Donald Trump appeared on during the 2016 Presidential campaign. Dr Oz is one of […]
