Measures to combat coronavirus that have left cities and towns deserted are having a disproportionate effect on the lives of Turkey’s vulnerable Roma community, according to activists and rights groups.
Europe’s largest Roma population lives in Turkey, where they typically scrape a living in the grey economy as waste paper collectors, street vendors and musicians.
Their perilous existence on the margins of society has been placed under greater pressure by a ban on most public activity to halt the spread of the virus.
“Unfortunately, coronavirus has probably affected the Roma community the most,” said Emin Karamese, a Roma from Izmir’s Karsiyaka neighbourhood in western Turkey.
“The main reason is we earn our living from unregistered, casual work in the streets. Roma who have lost their livelihoods are currently in a situation where they are unable to pay their rent, water and electricity bills and are now struggling with starvation.”
The exact number of Roma in Turkey, which does not record ethnicity in population statistics, is unknown but is estimated at 4 million.
Although spread across the country, they are particularly concentrated in Istanbul and eastern Thrace, where Europe’s earliest Roma communities were established in the 11th century. Their name indicates their long-standing association with Istanbul, known as “New Rome” under the Byzantines.
Roma communities across Europe have long faced discrimination and poverty. In Turkey, they tend to live in ghettoised neighbourhoods with poor access to basic services such as electricity and clean water.
As their source of income diminished during the outbreak, Roma have also faced a high risk of infection due to crowded living conditions while struggling to reach online health services due to low rates of literacy and internet access.
According to Ozcan Purcu, an opposition MP and Turkey’s only Roma parliamentarian, testing for coronavirus has been limited among the community.
“In the crowded neighbourhoods where Roma citizens live, there is no data on the number of cases or even whether there have been cases or not,” he said.
Hacer Foggo, who established the Deep Poverty Network in Istanbul to support poor families during the pandemic, said Roma found it difficult to follow government guidelines on preventing coronavirus.
“Many Roma families don’t have a regular income to allow them to stay at home because they don't have social security,” she said. “So, when we were told to ‘stay at home’ during the pandemic, Roma families had difficulty getting food on a regular basis.
“Also, for families crowded into small one-bedroom homes, the call for social distancing is meaningless.”
When the government lifted a curfew for over-65s for four hours last weekend, most pensioners took the opportunity to stroll in the sunshine and meet up with friends. Many elderly Roma, however, went out to earn for their families, Ms Foggo added.
Roma students face added difficulties following distance schooling because many do not have computers or televisions at home, creating further marginalisation in a community where children often leave school before reaching their teens.
Although Roma in Turkey do not face the same level of prejudice and persecution as in countries such as Slovenia, Romania and Serbia, they remain poor and marginalised, according to Jonathan Lee from the European Roma Rights Centre in Brussels.
“They tend to be disproportionately affected [by coronavirus measures] compared to the non-Roma population but there isn’t the same level of persecution that we see in other parts of Europe,” he said.
However, some incidents during the outbreak have shown Turkish society’s mixed attitude towards Roma.
A government official in Istanbul was sacked last month after tweeting “Die” in response to a Roma woman’s description of searching through rubbish to feed her children. Meanwhile, footage of police impounding the vehicle of Roma scrap collectors, depriving them of their means of earning, was heavily criticised on social media.
While coronavirus aid programmes targeting the neediest have provided some relief for Turkey’s Roma, the pandemic has underlined existing issues that need to be addressed.
“Policies that are guaranteed to meet employment, education, health and housing problems are needed as soon as possible,” said Mr Purcu. “National policies aimed at better integrating Roma in society should be developed by addressing the differences between Roma's living conditions and those of society in general.”
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Norway v Spain, Saturday, 10.45pm, UAE
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
by David Gilmour
Allen Lane
Rooney's club record
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
ANDROID%20VERSION%20NAMES%2C%20IN%20ORDER
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Results
Stage Two:
1. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 04:20:45
2. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates
4. Olav Kooij (NED) Jumbo-Visma
5. Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
General Classification:
1. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix 09:03:03
2. Dmitry Strakhov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:04
3. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 00:00:06
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:10
5. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:12
Oppenheimer
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5