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LIVE: Israeli Consulate in Instanbul, Turkey being stormed

Turkish President Erdogan commented on the terrorist attack in Istanbul: "The blast was caused by a planted explosive. Attempts to take over Turkey and the Turkish nation through terrorism will not achieve their goal today or tomorrow, as they have not...

A least four people were killed and 38 others injured when an explosion hit Istanbul's popular pedestrian Istiklal Avenue on Sunday, Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya confirmed on social media...

The Hagia Sophia, a Byzantine-era religious building in Istanbul, Turkey, was reportedly damaged last week when heavy cleaning equipment cracked the marble floors. It is just the latest incident in recent years that has seen the site damaged. The Hagia Sophia, constructed by the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I between 532 and 537, served as the largest Christian cathedral in the world until Constantinople was taken over by the Ottoman Empire in 1453. It was then turned into a mosque and subsequently into a museum by Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1935. Considered one of the most important religious...

"MOSCOW, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday it would insist that Western governments respect a 1999 agreement that no country can strengthen its own security at the expense of others, an issue it argues is at the heart of the Ukraine crisis. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he raised the matter in a conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and that Blinken accepted the need to discuss it further."

Why Turkey is Transforming Istanbul Into an Island | RealLifeLore | 1,214,431 views | June 19, 2021 | YouTube

Last summer, Turkish authorities transformed Hagia Sophia ("Holy Wisdom") — which was originally built, and for a millennium functioned, as one of Christendom's greatest cathedrals — into a mosque (again). On that Friday, July 24, 2020 (which for millions of Eastern Christians is now deemed a "day of mourning"), Muslims met inside the desecrated church, where they were led in prayer by a sword-waving imam, to spasmodic cries of "Allahu akbar." The Turks, beginning with their president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have been presenting this bit of cultural appropriation as their "right." Imam Ali Erbas, Turkey's president of religious affairs, has...

* Thousands have taken to the streets in New York, London, Istanbul, Johannesburg and other major cities * Pro-Palestinian supporters are calling on Israel to stop the bombardment which has seen dozens killed * Israel's military responded after over 130 rockets were fired into their territory from Gaza * Tensions throughout Ramadan exploded into a riot on Temple Mount on Monday that left hundreds injured Protests have broken out around the world in support of Palestinians amid the violent clashes with Israel in the Gaza Strip. The disputed area is under the most intense bombardment since 2014, with Israel unleashing...

It’s easy to see why the American Left loved Sami al-Arian. Leftists hate Israel, too. Longtime FrontPage readers will remember Sami Al-Arian, the former University of South Florida professor who for years was a darling of the Leftist intelligentsia. IPT News reported Monday that he has resurfaced, but that the stalwart old Jew-hater hasn’t changed: while he has reined in his rhetoric a bit and speaks in a more civilized manner, he is still calling for Israel’s destruction, which would result in the murder of millions of Jews. Back in 1991, during a speech in Chicago, al-Arian screamed: “The Quran...

MOSCOW - The Russian and Egyptian Navy are preparing to conduct maneuvers, the first of their kind in the Black Sea. According to the press office of the Russian Southern Military District, representatives of the two armies held a three-day conference in Novorossiysk on the preparation of the joint exercises "Friendship Bridge - 2020", which will be held for the first time in the Black Sea. The Black Sea is an inland sea located between the southeastern part of Europe and Asia Minor. It connects with the Mediterranean Sea through the Bosphorus Strait and the Sea of ​​Marmara, and it...

The government of Syria has begun plans to construct a smaller-scale replica of the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Istanbul(formerly Constantinople) in the country’s Hama province, in response to the decision of the government of Turkey to convert the historic 6th century cathedral into a mosque for a second time. Hagia Sophia, which was first constructed as a Christian cathedral in the medieval Byzantine Empire, was turned into a mosque upon the 1453 conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire. It was later converted into a museum shortly after the foundation of the modern-day Republic of Turkey, and Turkish President Recep...

Boston-born Thomas Whittemore, a friend of Turkish reformer Atatürk, uncovered the gems that had been hidden for 500 years.If Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia gets turned into a mosque, as many expect it will, its precious Byzantine mosaic icons are likely to be covered up during Muslim prayers. The mosaics were plastered over for centuries when the former cathedral of the Church of Constantinople served as a place of Muslim worship. On July 10, in an address to the nation, Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announced that Hagia Sophia would be reopened for Muslim worship on July 24. The Turkish Council of...

...The decision of the High Administrative Court opens the way for Hagia Sophia to become a mosque again, that will fill many Turkish Muslims with joy; after all, they have been waiting for so long to “break the chains” of Hagia Sophia and enter the place for free as they do with any other place of their faith. ...That, however, is not the view from outside Turkey. As the issue started gathering momentum this year, especially following the special celebrations organized in front of the monument for the 567th anniversary of its conquest. Christians around the world, Byzantine scholars or...

MUSLIM WOMAN tries to set airline seat on fire, threatens to blow up the plane DECEMBER 18, 2019 BY BARENAKEDISLAM The reason? This Turkish Muslim passenger was forced her to extinguish her cigarette. She’s the one in the full-face covering body bag in blue. The SUN A Pegasus Airlines flight from Istanbul to Tymbou, Northern Cyprus airport was canceled after a Muslim woman threatened to blow up the aircraft this morning, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported. According to Hurriyet, the woman argued with other passengers and kept lighting cigarettes in the plane before security forces arrived. She held up a picture...

Istanbul (AFP) - Dozens of women protested in Istanbul on Saturday to denounce rising violence against women and the government's failure to stop brutal attacks across the country. They gathered in the Kadikoy neighbourhood on the Asian side of Istanbul, recounting harrowing stories of women recently murdered across the country, including Emine Bulut, whose killing by her ex-husband in August sparked outrage. "Stop the murder of women!", "Stop male violence!" and "Do not watch violence, do something," they shouted.

“There are but 155 years left … at which time … the world will come to an end,” wrote Christopher Columbus in his book “Libro de Las Profecias,” composed in 1502 between his third and fourth voyages. Columbus continued: “… The sign which convinces me that our Lord is hastening the end of the world is the preaching of the Gospel recently in so many lands.” Though his predictions were off, Columbus’ writings revealed his motivation for setting sail on his first voyage Aug. 3, 1492, with the Nina, Pinta and the Santa Maria. He sought to find a sea...

Oh dear, it looks like a popular candidate – who is a thorn in the side of Turkey’s ruling party – won the mayoral election in Istanbul Sunday…for the second time. Supporters of Republican People's Party candidate for Istanbul mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, celebrate in the city after the elections re-do on Sunday. ISTANBUL—An opposition candidate has won a repeat ballot for Istanbul mayor Sunday, ending President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s quarter-century grip on the megalopolis and exposing troubles at his long-dominant ruling party.Mr. Imamoglu had defeated the AKP candidate in the initial March municipal ballot, but electoral authorities had voided the...

Turkey’s main opposition claimed a decisive victory on Sunday in Istanbul’s re-run election, dealing one of the biggest blows to President Tayyip Erdogan during his 16 years in power and promising a new beginning in the country’s largest city.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Islamist president of Turkey, attained national office after first serving as mayor of Istanbul, the mega-city that contains roughly 20% of the population of Turkey and which accounts for a third of that nation's GDP.  Now the city that birthed his national career has rejected the his party's candidate for mayor in a stinging rebuke. Bloomberg reports: Turkish opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu won the redo of the Istanbul mayor's race by a landslide on Sunday, in a stinging indictment of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's economic policies and increasingly autocratic ways. According to state-run Anadolu news agency, Imamoglu...

ISTANBUL — Opinion polls show opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu pulling ahead of his rival from Turkey's ruling party in his bid to recapture the post of Istanbul mayor. He briefly held the position before electoral officials revoked his mandate and forced a new election next month.Citing technical irregularities earlier this month, the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) canceled the results of Istanbul’s March 31 mayoral election in which Imamoglu of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) squeaked out a victory with a winning margin of just 13,729 votes out of the 8.5 million ballots cast. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has controlled the...