Ambassador Çeviköz: No UK vendetta against Turkey
Turkey’s outgoing ambassador to London has insisted Britain’s press has shown no sign of vendetta against his country.
Ünal Çeviköz said his four-year posting in London represented a peak in UK-Turkey relations, seeing three presidential visits, two from the prime minister and “countless” trips here by the foreign minister.
In a wide-ranging farewell interview with Londra Gazete, conducted on the day the Alevi community demonstrated outside the embassy building, Mr Çeviköz defended their right to peaceful protest and said he did not feel any pressure from British officials over last year’s Gezi Park incidents.
BBC suspends deal with NTV after Turkish TV censors broadcast
By Michael Daventry
The BBC dramatically suspended its deal with its Turkish broadcast partner NTV tonight after it failed to show an item on media censorship produced by the World Service’s Turkish section.
The item on the flagship Dünya Gündemi programme, which was filed by BBC Turkish correspondents Selin Girit and Göktay Koraltan, covered the atmosphere of media censorship in Turkey and included a candid interview with NTV director Ahmet Yeşiltepe.
Like a prisoner
An Ankara agreement applicant says she has not seen her passport for six months and feels like a prisoner
AN ACCOMPLISHED Turkish musician whose passport has been held by the Home Office for almost half a year has said she feels like a prisoner in Britain.
Didem Cömertoğlu, who is legally allowed to work as a piano teacher, has not been able to open a bank account, apply for jobs or even board a plane for six months. She sent in her passport when she applied to extend her work permit in January, but the UK Border Agency, which is handling her application, will not even confirm they have it.
Atatürk row in Westminster
POLICE were called in to break up the argument that raged in a Westminster parliamentary committee room after opposition figures hurled abuse at a panel discussing Turkish politics.
Erol Başarık, a Turkish opposition supporter, was ejected from the room by an officer after repeatedly attempting to interject in the proceedings. Members of the panel, which included journalists Amberin Zaman and Hilal Kaplan, were frequently heckled as they spoke.
“We saw every kind of abuse as Hilal Kaplan and I spoke,” Ms Zaman tweeted after the event. “Ergenekon is London is still alive” she wrote, referring to the shadowy ultra-nationalist organisation that is allegedly involved in plots to topple the Turkish government.
Face-to-face interview for your Ankara visa
Turkish nationals who want to work in Britain under the Ankara agreement scheme are to be subjected to a face-to-face interview as part of Home Office plans to combat fraudulent applications.
The new measure, which is to begin before the end of this month, represents yet another hurdle of scrutiny for a work permit scheme that existing applicants have criticised as slow and inefficient.
It was discussed during a meeting in January between the Turkish consulate and representatives from the Home Office team that handles Ankara agreement applications held in January, but details only emerged this week during a briefing for law firms and visa agencies.
A UK Border Agency spokesman said: “We are introducing sweeping changes to the immigration system while ensuring we continue to attract the brightest and best who will help to drive economic growth.
Bağış visits London, boasts Turkey’s wares
Turkey’s EU affairs minister said he was optimistic about progress
Turkish interpreter fails to appear for arson hearing
A judge described the Ministry of Justice’s new interpretation system
Ban North Cyprus adverts,London politician says
A London Assembly member is campaigning to ban Tube advertisements
Traders hail £2m award for Green Lanes facelift
The main shopping area in Green Lanes will be radically