Tag: Turkey

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Turkey Begins Attack On Northern Syria

The New York Times reports:

Turkey launched a planned military operation in northeastern Syria on Wednesday aimed at flushing out a Syrian militia backed by the United States, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote on Twitter.

Mr. Erdogan said the operation aimed to “prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border,” but provided no other information about whether Turkish ground troops had entered Syria or how far in they would go.

A spokesman for the United States-backed militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces, said that Turkish warplanes had begun carrying out airstrikes.

Turkey’s long-planned move to root out United States-allied Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria accelerated rapidly after President Trump seemingly gave a green light in a call with Mr. Erdogan on Sunday. The operation has sparked fierce debates in Washington and could open a dangerous new front in Syria’s eight-year-old war.

Donald Trump tweeted that he wants the Middle East to take care of itself:

Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives underscored their opposition to Trump’s decision to move U.S. forces out of the area:

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Criticism From Right & Left As Trump Announces Withdrawal From Syria

Donald Trump defended his decision today to pull support for America’s Kurdish allies in northern Syria saying it was “time for us to get out” and let others “figure the situation out.” From the Washington Post:

President Trump faced a swift torrent of Republican criticism Monday as lawmakers rebuked his plan to withdraw troops from northeast Syria, a move Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said would undermine America’s national security and potentially bolster Islamic State terrorists.

McConnell (R-Ky.), in a rare public split with Trump, said that a supermajority in the Senate disagreed with the president’s abrupt withdrawal announcement, raising the specter of veto-proof action to oppose the decision.

“A precipitous withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria would only benefit Russia, Iran, and the Assad regime,” McConnell said in a statement Monday. “And it would increase the risk that ISIS and other terrorist groups regroup.”

McConnell’s statement, in which he called on Trump to “exercise American leadership” and reconsider his plan to withdraw troops from Syria’s border with Turkey, echoes the comments of other Republicans who have condemned the president’s decision Monday.

The Donald took to Twitter to try and defuse the criticism:

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News Round-Up: November 13, 2018

Adrian de Bererdinis, the Bear-Naked Chef

Some news items you might have missed:

• Woofy ‘Bear-Naked Chef,’ Adrian de Berardinis (above), has scored a super-cool gig for the next month traveling and cooking for former First Lady Michelle Obama as she travels around the country on her book tour.

• An alleged hookup in Australia went horribly wrong as an American man seems to have jumped from his 3rd floor balcony in the middle of the night impaling himself on a poolside table leg.

• Police are investigating threatening calls made to two Boston area gay bars. The threats included gun violence.

• Over 50 men have filed complaints against a gay pop star in Turkey for allegedly hooking up with them, then trying to blackmail them for money to keep their sexuality hidden.

• The point of a new alt-right video game titled Angry Goy II is to target and slaughter minority groups like LGBTQ people in a Pulse Nightclub-like setting. The creator of the game refers to gay men as “mongrels” and “degenerates” that should be destroyed by using “guns, knives, pepper spray, and more.” He sounds nice.

• Check out the latest from electronic duo Phantoms (aka Kyle Kaplan and Vinnie Pergola), alongside actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens, in their new single, “Lay With Me.”

The music video is inspired by the history of friendship between Phantoms and Vanessa, giving a wink to the TV/Film phenomenon, High School Musical.

Speaking of musicals, Hudgens is set to play the bisexual role of “Maureen” in the upcoming RENT Live! scheduled to air January 27.

I love how they get out of control (and the two girls kissing) the last minute of the video 🙂

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Turkey: Capital City Of Ankara Bans LGBTI Events

From Mic:

Officials in Turkey’s capital city of Ankara have indefinitely banned all events hosted by LGBTI rights groups in a move one advocacy group called “a disgraceful breach of the freedom of assembly,” the Associated Press reported Sunday.

The ban took effect Saturday, according to the AP, and applies to any gathering or event hosted by an LGBTI group, including film screenings, panels and performances.

According to the BBC, the new ban was in direct response to a German-language gay film festival, Pink Life QueerFest, that had been scheduled to take place in Ankara and was sponsored by the German Embassy.

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News Round-Up: November 19, 2017

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk of the day: Alfred Liebl

• Authorities in Turkey have declared a ban on all LGBT cultural events in the capital of Ankara until further notice to “maintain public order”.

• For the comic book geeks (like me): Justice League had a disappointing showing at the box office as the super-hero flick only grossed $96 million domestically in its opening weekend. Compare that to rival Marvel Studios The Avengers which debuted in 2012 raking in a then-record $204.7 million domestically. Justice League earned $185.5 million from 65 markets internationally.

• Anti-LGBT groups continue to stand by embattled Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore despite the heinous allegations of sexual misconduct with teens.

• A British woman who attempted to renege on her agreement to serve as a surrogate mother for a gay couple, wanting to keep the now-18-month-old child, has lost in court. The mother had no biological connection to the child — both men donated sperm paired with an egg from a Spanish donor.

• How about one more from photographer/model Alfred Liebl?