Free Republic

Turkey on Thursday suspended all export and import operations with Israel due to what it described as its "aggression against Palestine in violation of international law and human rights," the Turkish Trade Ministry announced, according to the Anadolu news agency. "Since the first day, our country has rushed to the aid of the people of Gaza, delivered tens of thousands of tons of humanitarian aid to the region by ships and planes, especially food, health and medical aid materials, evacuated thousands of patients and stood by our Palestinian brothers and sisters in these difficult days," the ministry said. "However, the...

New details about Jim Biden’s foreign fundraising efforts are spilling out in a Kentucky bankruptcy court, where recent testimony indicates that President Joe Biden’s brother partnered with Qatari government officials in his quest to find money for U.S. health care ventures. The sworn testimony by fund manager Michael Lewitt, a former business partner of Jim Biden’s, attests that two companies that facilitated the efforts were part-owned by “members of the Qatari government.” One company named in the testimony partnered directly with Jim Biden in the multi-year fundraising efforts. The second company provided financial backing for a series of loans that...

WASHINGTON—The classified documents that investigators say were leaked by a junior member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard indicate the extent to which U.S. spy agencies rely on clandestinely intercepted communications to keep tabs on their adversaries and allies alike. In vivid examples, the documents track foreign governments’ military movements, diplomatic efforts and clandestine weapons sales, as well as debates in friendly capitals and more. The powerful eavesdropping program that enables some of that intelligence gathering is due to lapse at the end of the year. To persuade Congress to renew the program, Biden administration officials had been debating whether...

Shocking footage shows a vicious thug pummeling cops and cabin crew members on a flight from the UK to Turkey this weekend. The spectacle drew terrified screams from other passengers, including a little girl who can be seen covering her face with her hands before she is comforted by her mother. Footage shows the rowdy Easyjet passenger, wearing a green and white striped Celtic Football Club shirt, wildly throwing punches at flight attendants who are trying to detain him as the flight landed just after 8 p.m. Saturday.The incensed man can be heard shouting, “You’re a f—ing f—y” while pointing...

Greece will ban bottom trawling in all of its marine protected areas by 2030, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Tuesday making the the country the first in Europe to announce such a ban. Speaking at the Our Ocean Conference in Athens, he said the country would become the first to bring an end to the damaging fishing practice in these protected areas. It will be banned in Greece’s three national marine parks – one of which is the largest in the East Mediterranean Sea – by 2026 with the rest following before the end of the decade. Bottom...

The G7 leaders, representing the countries with most of the world's wealth, convened a special video conference on Sunday, following the Iranian attack on Israel. During the meeting, the members decided to use all possible channels of influence, to prevent Israel from launching a retaliatory attack against Iran. Charles Michel, President of the European Council, said that " We unanimously condemned Iran's unprecedented attack against Israel. All sides must show restraint. We will continue all our efforts to work towards de-escalation. Ending the crisis in Gaza as soon as possible, notably through an immediate ceasefire, will make a difference." Ahead...

Sergey Lavrov has affirmed that Russia supports Iran's response against Israeli aggression. In a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Russia would vehemently back Iran's response against "Israel" at the United Nations Security Council. Lavrov additionally affirmed that the Iranian response was "responsible and within an interval of self-control," and noted that Russia never doubted Iran's intention to retaliate against "Israel's" aggression against its consulate and officials in Syria. He also described the aversion of certain countries to condemn "Israel's" attack against the Iranian consulate as "unfortunate". On his part, Amir-Abdollahian...

After its drone attack against Israel, Iran seeks to continue building its partnership with Russia, which has slammed the UN Security Council's emergency meeting after the attack. Iran is hoping for Russian support in the wake of its massive attack on Israel. The Iranian Foreign Ministry praised Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday and noted a phone call between Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart, in which Russia said it would defend Iran at the UN Security Council. According to pro-Iran Al-Mayadeen media, Tehran views Russia’s comments positively. The Russians, according to the report, said the Iranian attack was coupled...

At a left-wing conference in Chicago, activists believe Iran is ‘part of the arc of resistance because the enemies are Israel and the USA.’ A few minutes after news broke that Iran had launched drones and missiles heading toward Israel, the crowd started chanting “Hands off Iran!” CHICAGO — About 300 anti-war activists crowded into the basement of the Teamsters Union’s headquarters on Saturday to hear organizers from all over the country describe their plans to disrupt the Democratic National Convention this August. Joe Biden’s backing of Israel since Hamas’s October 7 attack has turned these left-wing radicals against their...

Iran informed Turkey in advance of its planned operation against Israel, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters on Sunday, adding that Washington had conveyed to Tehran via Ankara that any action it took had to be "within certain limits." The Turkish source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had spoken to both his US and Iranian counterparts in the past week to discuss the planned Iranian operation, adding Ankara had been made aware of possible developments. Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Fidan to make clear that escalation in the...

Iran said it warned its allies and neighbors in the region 72 hours before the drone and missile attack on Israel began, the Iranian foreign minister said Sunday. "We informed them that the Islamic republic's response was legitimate and definitive," Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a televised meeting.

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar warned on Friday that “one tiny mistake” could turn Cyprus into “a new Gaza”. Tatar, not recognized as a head of state by the international community, also suggested that Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan may soon recognize the north. Turkey is the only country that recognizes the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. in an interview with the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, said, “A mistake or a misunderstanding such as the shooting of a Turkish soldier on the Green Line… would provoke a bomb between the two populations.” “If you shoot one Turkish soldier, you...

Police in the northern German port city of Kiel on Friday said they had discovered counterfeit cash worth more than $103 million. Officials think the haul of low-quality forgeries was part of a wider shipment operation for falsified bills from Turkey, through Germany, to the United States. How did police find the counterfeit notes? Investigators tracked the company locations of a suspect after US security authorities tipped off German federal police. State police in Schleswig-Holstein said they conducted "extensive searches" of an apartment and two company addresses, in both Schleswig-Holstein and neighboring Hamburg. Officers discovered and seized four pallets containing...

With Israel's embassies around the world on a heightened state of alert, and extra IDF reservists called up, and home and weekend leave for all combat troops having been abruptly canceled Thursday, the Israeli population is anxiously awaiting a response - with some reports saying residents are already seeking the safety of bomb shelters. Tehran has vowed that vengeance is coming soon for the Monday Israeli airstrike on its embassy in Damascus. Most pundits believe this will take the form of ballistic missiles raining down on Israeli cities. But Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly vowing that if the Islamic...

ISTANBUL, April 1 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Monday to correct any mistakes that led to his party's defeat in Turkey's local elections where the opposition capitalised on economic woes and alienated Islamist voters, casting uncertainty over his reform plans. Sunday's vote marked Erdogan and his AK Party's (AKP) worst defeat in more than 20 years in power, revitalising the opposition party and strengthening Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's standing as the president's main rival. Redrawing a political map long dominated by the AKP, the Republican People's Party (CHP) won the popular vote for the first time in decades...

This sabotage operation is not the first one carried out at Iranian nuclear facilities. A workshop belonging to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization in the Shadabad area of Tehran was set on fire in July 2020, information concealed until now by Iranian officials, according to Iran International who claimed to have viewed judicial documents relating to the arson. The documents confirmed that Iran believes the Mossad orchestrated the fire. The judicial documents were obtained as part of a trove that a network of hacktivists leaked to the source on Thursday. Some of the referenced Iranian government documents are among millions of...

Gut bacteria and a diet rich in the amino acid tryptophan can play a protective role against pathogenic E. coli, which can cause severe stomach upset, cramps, fever, intestinal bleeding and renal failure, according to a study. The research reveals how dietary tryptophan—an amino acid found mostly in animal products, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes—can be broken down by gut bacteria into small molecules called metabolites. It turns out a few of these metabolites can bind to a receptor on gut epithelial (surface) cells, triggering a pathway that ultimately reduces the production of proteins that E. coli use to...

Today, a side of Adams that was not made much of in his lifetime has for many of us become the most important, and much-needed, part of his legacy: his critical view of Islam and of Muhammad. He derived these views from experience — his own and his father’s — of Muslim behavior (both of the Barbary Pirates and of the Ottoman Turks), from his lifelong study of history, and from his intensive reading of the Qur’an. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were sent in 1786 to negotiate in London with the ambassador from Tripoli, Sidi Haji Abdrahaman, about the...

Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Friday ordered the Foreign Ministry to summon Turkey’s envoy to Israel for a “serious reprimand” after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to “send [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] to Allah.” “I instructed officials to summon the Turkish deputy ambassador to Israel for a serious reprimand, following Erdogan’s serious attack on Prime Minister Netanyahu and his threats to send PM Netanyahu to Allah and to convey a clear message to Erdogan,” Katz posted on X. “You who support the burning of babies, murderers, rapists and the mutilation of corpses by Hamas criminals, [are] the last one...

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the Turkish President, and the rude-and-crude master of all he surveys from the 1,100 room “White Palace” that he had the government build for him in Istanbul, at a cost to the Turkish taxpayers of $615 million. But when a man like Erdogan comes along only once a millennium, why should the national exchequer skimp? In Istanbul, having announced to the world that he will not be running for office again (the hundreds of journalists he has imprisoned in Turkish jails must now be breathing proleptic sighs of relief), just to make sure we do not...