Free Republic

Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) announced Wednesday that the country has commenced butter imports from Türkiye. According to a statement Rosselkhoznadzor made to Russian media, Türkiye began exporting butter to Russia on Oct. 27, with a total of 20 tons imported as of Oct. 29. The Russian Ministry of Agriculture previously noted it would be implementing several measures to address rising butter prices in the domestic market. Soaring dairy costs, along with increased logistics and packaging expenses, have driven up butter prices, impacting consumers nationwide. In response, the "Russian Union," an organization representing food producers and...

Turkey's government says its military struck sites on Wednesday night in Iraq and Syria linked to Kurdish militant group the PKK, after blaming it for an attack near Ankara that killed at least five people. Various videos from the attack earlier on Wednesday show at least two people firing guns around the entrance of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), which is located some 40km (25 miles) outside the capital.... No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, in which five people were killed and 22 injured. "A total of 32 targets belonging to the terrorists were successfully destroyed" in the retaliatory...

Pistachios of Aegina have been cultivated on the island since the end of the 19th century. Credit: Greek Reporter The Greek island of Aegina is internationally renowned for its pistachios, known locally as fistikia, which have been rated among the best in the world by TasteAtlas. TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. “This amazing pistachio nut is produced from the Aegintiki...

ANKARA, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Here are some of the issues underpinning ties between Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, who met on Wednesday in Russia on the sidelines of the summit of the BRICS grouping which NATO-member Turkey has voiced interest in joining:... In recent months, Turkey has also voiced a desire to join the BRICS group, which originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and has expanded to include Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Ankara sees BRICS as an opportunity for more economic cooperation with member states, rather than an alternative to its...

At least three people have been killed and 14 were wounded in a “terrorist attack” at one of Turkey’s top defense companies on Wednesday, according to Turkey’s interior minister Ali Yerlikaya. Armed assailants carried out the deadly “terror” attack in Ankara, on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) headquarters, said Yerlikaya. Two attackers were killed, he added. “I condemn this heinous attack. Our fight will continue with determination and determination until the last terrorist is neutralized,” Yerlikaya said. “May God have mercy on our martyrs. I wish a speedy recovery to our injured.” Video from the scene broadcast by local news...

A massive explosion rocked Turkey’s defense industry complex in Ankara, resulting in casualties and immediate chaos. Here are the detailed findings: Incident Details: A significant explosion was followed by gunfire outside the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) headquarters near Ankara. The explosion triggered panic among workers and nearby residents. Attack Details: The attack involved at least two individuals—one carried out an armed assault while the other detonated an improvised explosive device (IED). This combination of violence caused significant chaos at the site. Casualties: Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed multiple "dead and injured," labeling the incident a terrorist attack.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed Monday that the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror organization has hidden $500 million in cash and gold in a bunker underneath the Al-Sahel Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon. “Iran sends suitcases of cash and gold to the Iranian embassy in Beirut, and then directly it goes to Hezbollah,” said IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, detailing Hezbollah’s other economic resources in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Turkey. Hagari also said that Iran sent Hezbollah money earned by selling Iranian oil in Syria. (A recent U.S. government report indicated that after being choked by sanctions under President Donald Trump,...

“I smell cigarette smoke,” one of my travel companions noted. That was the moment I knew that we should not linger any longer. We had been warned twice on the way up the hillside not to come here. In one instance, it was claimed that two treasure hunters had been arrested by the police a week or two earlier. In the other case, we were told that if the military or police caught us there, we would be arrested. Such is the experience of interrupting the destruction of Armenian cultural sites in Turkey. There are few photographs of the monastery...

Israel strikes a building in the heart of Damascus, which was holding a top level meeting between Iranian officials and Hezbollah leaders. Will Syria now play a larger role in this escalating Middle East war? Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan just made ridiculous, yet troubling comments, claiming that he believes Israel wants to conquer parts of Turkey. Watch now.

‘It's not just innocent civilians who die in Gaza, #Palestine or #Lebanon, but humanity. Like Hitler, Netanyahu will also be stopped,’ he wrote.

An Iranian former deputy defense minister who has been missing for nearly three years was abducted by Israeli agents and is now being held in Israel, several Iranian news Web sites reported Sunday. Ali Reza Asgari, a retired general who served in Iran's Revolutionary Guard, disappeared while on a private trip to Turkey in December 2006. In March of this year, a former German Defense Ministry official said Asgari had defected and was providing considerable information to the West on Iran's nuclear program.

A former Iranian deputy defense minister who disappeared from Turkey last month is not cooperating with Western intelligence agencies and his whereabouts remain a mystery, a U.S. official told FOX News Thursday… [A] senior U.S. official flatly denied the [Washington Post’s] report… The official did not rule out the possibility that Asgari, who once commanded Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards and served as the country’s deputy defense minister, was conducting negotiations with an intelligence organization, but denied that there was any type of cooperation with the U.S.

A former Iranian deputy defense minister who once commanded the Revolutionary Guard has left his country and is cooperating with Western intelligence agencies, providing information on Hezbollah and Iran's ties to the organization, according to a senior U.S. official. Ali Rez Asgari disappeared last month during a visit to Turkey. Iranian officials suggested yesterday that he may have been kidnapped by Israel or the United States. The U.S. official said Asgari is willingly cooperating. He did not divulge Asgari's whereabouts or specify who is questioning him, but made clear that the information Asgari is offering is fully available to U.S....

During an interview with Nexstar Media’s Austin, TX NBC affiliate KXAN on Wednesday that was released on Thursday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) stated that while Iran’s missile attack against Israel “is unacceptable.” He agrees with the United Nations “and others who are fighting for an immediate ceasefire. The last thing in the world this country needs is to see American troops getting engaged in another Middle East war.” And so, we have to make sure the war doesn’t expand. Sanders said, “The fear right now — obviously, what Iran did and all of those 180 missiles coming into Israel is...

"Israel will continue to defend its citizens and uphold its national dignity, with or without António Guterres," he concluded. Israel's foreign minister declared UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres 'persona non grata' and was henceforth banning him from entering Israel, according to a post on X/Twitter on Wednesday. The ban on entry, said FM Israel Katz, was due to Guterres's failure to "unequivocally condemn" Iran's massive missile attack on Israel. "Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel, as almost every country in the world has done, does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil," Katz wrote. He...

Uzay Bulut @bulutuzay_: İsmet Özel, a well-known Muslim poet from Turkey, said at a conference: "Muslims are terrorists. The first duty of Muslims is to be terrorists. Kafirs [infidels] should be afraid of Muslims. If they are not afraid, then a Muslim is not a Muslim." https://t.co/oyNMAnLP7E — Uzay Bulut (@bulutuzay_) September 27, 2024.

Mayor Adams’ corruption indictment involving the government of Turkey seems like weak tea compared to other recent scandals. But it also indicates just how intertwined America’s ruling class has become with foreign governments — and foreign money. ... Adams asserts that the prosecution is payback for his criticism of Biden-Harris immigration policies ... American politics, all the way to the top, is riddled with corruption and foreign cash ... Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) revealed an extravaganza of gold bars and envelopes full of cash (along with a Mercedes and, weirdly, basement carpeting) in exchange for favors ... involving gifts and...

Iranian leaders, including Khameni are going into hiding. Their attack on Israel failed. Civilians are panic buying. Link to transcript below video.

Does the indictment of Eric Adams represent a bona fide prosecution of a dishonest politician, or is it mainly retribution against a political opponent by a deeply corrupt DOJ and FBI? As several commenters on yesterday’s post noted, we have come to a very sad point when our first thought upon an indictment of a politician is that it may well represent the deep state using its powers to take out a political opponent. But after four years of the deeply politicized Biden-Harris-Garland Justice Department, that’s where we are. And it is entirely appropriate for the citizenry to evaluate the...

It’s confirmed! Mel Gibson set to produce epic TV series on the Great Siege of 1565 filmed in Malta We knew he was in Malta for a good reason! Hollywood star Mel Gibson has announced plans to produce a limited television series about the Great Siege of 1565, which will be filmed in Malta. After a recent visit to the island to scout locations for his ‘Passion of the Christ’ sequel, the famous actor was captivated by Malta's rich history and impressive fortifications, confirming that the series will be shot on location, in the very fortresses where the siege took...