Ankara’s move to shoot down a Russian Su-24 near the Syrian border prompted a media blitz from Moscow. Over the past five weeks, Turkey’s role in facilitating the trafficking of illicit Islamic State crude has been exposed for the world to see. Ankara’s move to shoot down a Russian Su-24 near the Syrian border prompted a media blitz from Moscow, which has variously accused the Erdogan government... 

The Israeli town named after the birthplace of Jesus Christ has banned signs celebrating the holidays at an intersection in the town that has become a local battleground for the War on Christmas. Officials from Bethlehem, New York had a “Happy Hanukkah” sign and a “Merry Christmas” sign removed from a busy intersection and have refused to put up any new holiday signs out of fear the signs... 

A recent statement by a Turkish official revealing detailed awareness of Russian Air Force sorties in Syria can be regarded as “official acknowledgment” that the operation to down the Su-24 was a planned step, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said. “When on November 24 the Turkish fighter jet treacherously fired a rocket at our Su-24, the Turkish General Staff was perfectly aware about when... 

Afghan opium is being processed into high-grade heroin in clandestine Turkish drug labs for distribution in Europe and Russia, Russia’s anti-drug chief has revealed. The trafficking route was exposed after a joint Russian-Afghan anti-drug operation. “The cargo traveled through Badakhshan-Doshi-Bamiyan-Herat, then further through Iran and into Turkey, where the opium was processed in well-equipped... 

A 20-year-old green-eyed girl from Kirkuk was chosen Miss Iraq in the first national pageant in over four decades. The final had to be moved from Basra to Baghdad after receiving threats from radical Muslims. Eight contenders competed for the crown and a chance to represent Iraq in the Miss Universe contest. Organizers tried to stick to criteria of the international event, but made concessions to... 

Dozens of Kurdish fighters and several Turkish soldiers have lost their lives in bloody clashes in Turkey’s southeast this week, and the shadow of civil war is increasingly seen day by day. Increasingly, signs that ongoing clashes between Turkish security forces and Kurdish fighters may soon turn into a full-scale civil war, with much of the Kurdish population involved, have caused deep concern. ​Ankara’s... 

Bashar al-Assad, the democratically elected leader of a sovereign country, has been labeled as a “dictator” and “tyrant” by the West; however, the Western media-narrative falls apart at the seams as Bashar al-Assad continues to enjoy overwhelming support in Syria, geopolitical analyst Steven MacMillan notes. Paradoxically, while the Western media keeps branding Bashar al-Assad... 

President Barack Obama appears to have finally abandoned the Assad must go stance and agreed that the Syrians are the ones who can and will decide the future of their country – something Russia has long advocated, investigative journalist Robert Parry asserted. Although this is a positive development for Syria, US hardliners and their Middle Eastern allies, who tried to push through a “regime... 

A Christmas choir had a surprise visitor overnight after Bashar Assad made an appearance at a church in the Syrian capital of Damascus where rehearsals were taking place. The Syrian president and his wife, Asma, visited the Notre Dame de Damas Church, an ancient cathedral located just 2 kilometers from the rebel-held neighborhood of Jobar in the eastern suburb of Ghouta in Damascus. Assad and his... 

In a dramatic move, Germany is set to become the first western nation and NATO member to break ranks and begin cooperating with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and set up an intelligence agency branch in Damascus. Although there has been no official announcement, anonymous sources quoted in the German Bild newspaper, confirmed that the federal government is keen to establish a branch of its Federal... 

Turkey will not be able to violate the Syria airspace after Russia had deployed S-400 defense system in Hmeymim airabse, Russian president Vladimir Putin told journalists during the press-conference in Moscow. With Russia’s deployment of the S-400 anti-aircraft system, Turkey will not be able to violate Syria’s airspace with impunity, as they had previously done, Russian President Vladimir... 

Russia may impose additional sanctions against Turkey that may affect the hospitality industry, woodworking, pilot training, as well as all government orders. In fact, it goes about the move to stop the imports of works and services. Russian legal entities will not be allowed to enter into contracts with relevant Turkish counterparts, RT reports. According to the Kommersant newspaper, the Ministry... 

Eren Erdem, from Turkey’s opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was accused of treason after he revealed that Turkey knew about Islamic State-bound shipments of deadly sarin gas passing through its territory. Ankara’s top prosecutor has opened a criminal investigation against a Turkish lawmaker after he revealed that Turkey knew about Islamic State-bound shipments of deadly sarin... 

Russian President Putin spoke at an extended session of the Defense Ministry Board of the Russian Federation on December 11. Putin spoke about Russia’s strategy to defend national security interests, about the support for Russian military men who take part in operations outside Russia, about the struggle against terrorists in Syria and against international terrorism on the whole. About the... 

Thousands of Iraqis across the country protested against the deployment of Turkey’s troops to a base near the northern city of Mosul, held by Islamic State militants. Protesters chanted anti-Turkish slogans and burned and trampled on Turkish flags. At least 4000 people joined in with the rally at Tahrir Square in Bagdad. They called on Ankara to immediately withdraw its forces from Iraq calling...