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Turkey Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia called off amid Ataturk T-shirt row

Turkey Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia called off amid Ataturk T-shirt row

Istanbul rival teams Galatasaray and Fenerbahce were scheduled to play in Riyadh on Friday. The Turkish Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce scheduled to be played in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh was called off over an apparent disagreement about the players’ jerseys. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) and the two teams – who returned to Istanbul on Saturday after Friday’s postponed match – said the decision was made because of “some problems” in the event’s organisation. Haberturk television and other Turkish media said players from both Istanbul football teams wanted to wear T-shirts that featured an image of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the revered founder of the modern Turkish republic, during a prematch warm-up, but were not authorised to do so by Saudi organisers. Turkish media also reported that Saudi authorities did not allow banners featuring political slogans and Ataturk T-shirts to be displayed ahead of the match, including those with Ataturk’s “peace at home, peace in the world” slogan. The clubs refused to play in the final at the King Saud University venue, which is also known as Al-Awwal Park stadium. Saudi state TV cited a statement by organisers saying that the cancellation was the result of the teams not adhering to match regulations. “We were looking forward to holding the match on time in accordance with the international soccer rules and regulations that require the sport to be presented without any slogans outside its scope, especially since this was discussed with the Turkish [Football] Federation in the framework of the preparatory meetings for the match,” the statement said. “Despite this agreement, it was unfortunate that the two teams did not adhere to what had been agreed upon, which led to the match not being held,” it added. There has been no announcement yet on where or when the final will be held. A joint statement by the TFF and the clubs posted on X said: “The 2023 Super Cup … has been postponed to a later date as a result of a joint decision we made with our clubs, due to some problems in its organisation.” It also expressed “gratitude to the football federation of the host country and the relevant institutions for their efforts in organising” the event. Many fans had wanted the annual match to be played in Turkey, which this year commemorated its 100-year anniversary as a republic. Turkish TV in the stadium, but there won’t be a game tonight in Riyadh. The Turkish Super Cup is peak Middle Eastern football drama. So much is involved! 😱🇹🇷🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/KwoYNiEmFv — BabaGol (@BabaGol_) December 29, 2023 The cancellation of Friday’s final, which some football fans on X have called “peak Middle Eastern football drama”, has added to what has been a controversy-filled month for Turkish football. The president of club Ankaragucu, Faruk Koca, was arrested this month for punching a referee in the face at the end of his team’s Super Lig home match against Rizespor, which also led to the suspension of the Turkish league. On Saturday, photographs and video footage showed hundreds of Galatasaray and Fenerbahce fans cheering, waving Turkish flags and carrying pictures of Ataturk at the Istanbul and Sabiha Gokcen airports. There has been a recent warming of relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia in July amid efforts to repair ties that were ruptured after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018. Adblock test (Why?)

Genocide in Gaza: The coverage of Israel’s war

Genocide in Gaza: The coverage of Israel’s war

In this special edition, we compile our reporting on Israel’s war on Gaza – documenting the information war as it has played out since October 7. In 17 years of The Listening Post, we have never seen a story anything like Israel’s war on Gaza. It has been a turning point for the world order as we know it and its media ecosystem – which is why, since October 7, we have covered nothing else. In this special edition, we compiled our reporting on the Gaza war over the past 12 weeks. The extent of the brutality, a genocide unfolding in plain sight; the sheer volume of disinformation, designed to defend the indefensible; and the complicity of so many Western news outlets – repeatedly exposed for failing to question Israeli propaganda, then spreading it. Contributors:Ariella Aïsha Azoulay – Professor of Modern Culture & Media, Brown UniversityAzad Essa – Author, Hostile HomelandsDaniel Levy – President, US/Middle East ProjectOrly Noy – Journalist, Human Rights AdvocateOmar Al-Ghazzi – Associate Professor of Media & Communications, London School of EconomicsRami Younis – Journalist; Former host On the Other Hand, Makan 33Ramzy Baroud – Editor-in-Chief, Palestine ChronicleSarah Leah Whitson – Executive Director, DAWNSwasti Rao – Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies & AnalysesYara Eid – Palestinian Journalist in GazaYumna Patel – Palestine News Director, Mondoweiss Adblock test (Why?)

Here are the top five most disruptive climate protests of 2023

Here are the top five most disruptive climate protests of 2023

Climate activists in the U.S. and across the world increased the intensity and number of disruptive protests staged in public places as they repeatedly called for governments to phase out fossil fuels in an effort to combat global warming. Protesters calling for climate action frequently blocked busy roads, interrupted sporting events and concerts, forced government officials to cut events short and vandalized public buildings, storefronts and famous artwork in museums.  Many of the activists engaging in those activities have received funding from groups like the California-based Climate Emergency Fund (CEF) which has, in turn, raised millions of dollars. “Climate Emergency Fund is proud to support some of the boldest, bravest climate activists in the world who are not just fighting but are winning,” Margaret Klein Salamon, CEF’s executive director, told Fox News Digital last month. “Throughout history, organized, passionate and dedicated people have awakened the public’s conscience to injustice and achieved change that was once considered impossible.” BIDEN ADMIN ROASTED FOR OFFERING TO PAY AMERICANS TO SEND VIDEOS OF THEIR ELECTRIC VEHICLES: ‘BEYOND PARODY’ “That’s why the Climate Emergency Fund supports activist organizations that engage in nonviolent protest and civil disobedience worldwide,” she said. “We are experiencing global catastrophic climate events, and they are accelerating – from the months-long summer heat waves in Europe to record-low levels of Antarctic sea ice to ocean temperatures that topped 100 degrees off the coast of Florida.” Here are five of the most disruptive protests staged by activists in 2023. In August, police officers in northern Nevada were filmed dispersing a group of climate protesters who were causing a massive traffic jam on the road leading into the Burning Man festival. The chaotic scene escalated when an officer drew his gun in an effort to get the activists to move away from the road. OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE UPHOLDS MAJOR OIL PROJECT IN BLOW TO ENVIRONMENTALISTS “We are not violent! Please … we have no weapons at all, we are environmental protesters!” a woman yelled as another activist was handcuffed. The activists staged their protest in front of a sign that said “Burners of the World Unite.” Some members of the protest chained themselves to a trailer parked on the road. “People are getting hurt because of climate change. Look at what happened in Maui, look at what is happening right now in Canada,” an activist told frustrated bystanders. “Get out of the way!” a woman responded.  “We got to get through, help us, we got s— to do!” a man in a cowboy hat added as he tried to dismantle the trailer.  RFK JR’S VOW TO BAN FRACKING MET WITH INTENSE CRITICISM President Biden, multiple cabinet officials and other senior government officials all attended events that climate protesters attempted to — and in some cases successfully did — shut down. In September, Biden was heckled during a speech in Arizona honoring the late Sen. John McCain. The president told the protesters to “shush up” and added “democracy’s never easy as we just demonstrated.” Weeks later, in October, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was chased from an event in Baltimore after more than a dozen activists stormed the stage where he was speaking, yelling slogans. “Your DOT just approved the Seaport Oil Terminal, a project that will have 80 coal plants’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions and will worsen air quality in areas that already live in cancer clusters,” one of the activists told Buttigieg on stage.  “This is about environmental racism, and it’s about climate impacts this project will have. Will you commit to stopping these projects?” “I get the urgency. By the time my kids are old enough to ask, we’re going to have a really good answer to get out of climate change,” he responded. PETE BUTTIGIEG SPENT $59,000 IN TAXPAYER MONEY TRAVELING ON GOVT JETS: INSPECTOR GENERAL Activists also disrupted events earlier in the year hosting Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and senior White House climate adviser John Podesta. And Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has been interrupted on multiple occasions by protests. “Close the f‑‑‑ing door,” Powell appeared to mutter during a November protest in which activists stormed a room where he was delivering remarks. BIDEN ENERGY SECRETARY BLAMES ‘POOR JUDGMENT’ ON HER STAFF BLOCKING EV CHARGERS WITH GAS CARS Protesters in September forced the U.S. Open semifinals match in New York between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova to be briefly delayed. The activists caused a disturbance from their seats by chanting for policies that “end fossil fuels.” One of the protesters even glued himself to the ground. New York Police Department officers soon responded and forcibly removed the activists. However, the match delay lasted about 49 minutes. “Following the first game of the second set in the Gauff-Muchová match, play was halted due to a protest conducted by four spectators,” the United States Tennis Association said in a statement. “Three of the four protesters were escorted out of the stadium without further incident. The fourth protester affixed their bare feet to the floor of the seating bowl. Due to the nature of this action, NYPD and medical personnel were needed in order to safely remove this individual from the stadium,” the statement added. “The four protesters were taken into NYPD custody.” LEFT-WING GOVERNOR’S RITZY FUNDRAISER SHUT DOWN BY CLIMATE PROTESTERS In November, a climate activist with a far-left advocacy group smeared red paint on an exhibit honoring an African American regiment that fought during the Civil War during a protest at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The member of Declare Emergency, a group that calls for an immediate end to fossil fuel production and reliance, vandalized a wall in the West Building gallery of the Washington, D.C., museum that houses the Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial, officials told Fox News Digital. Using red paint, the activist wrote, “Honor Them,” and explained President Biden could honor Black Civil War soldiers by declaring a climate emergency. “We should honor them by carrying on their work,” the activist

Republicans fume at Biden for vacationing as border crossings explode: ‘Dereliction of duty’

Republicans fume at Biden for vacationing as border crossings explode: ‘Dereliction of duty’

Republican lawmakers are criticizing President Biden for vacationing in the Caribbean with his family while the crisis at the southern border threatens to spiral out of control.  Biden is ringing in the New Year on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He arrived Wednesday as strained discussions over how to handle the record number of illegal immigrants crossing the border continue in Washington. Border towns and sanctuary cities like New York City are seeing their infrastructures buckle under the surge of people. Sources told Fox News there have been more than 276,000 migrant encounters in December so far, already making it the highest month on record. “President Biden’s entire presidency has been a vacation from reality — 760,000 illegal immigrants have been encountered at the border since October,” Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., chairman of the House GOP Policy Committee, told Fox News Digital. US-MEXICO MIGRATION TALKS INCLUDED BENEFITS OF ‘REGULARIZING’ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS LIVING IN US  “This is intentional and tells the American people everything they need to know. President Biden has no desire to stop it. He will continue to vacation while the border burns because this is the outcome he wants. “President Biden’s dereliction of duty is on full display while he sits on the beach and ignores the thousands of illegal immigrants invading our country daily,” Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. “America as we know it will be unrecognizable unless this administration comes to the table, starts enforcing the laws and stops the flow of illegal immigrants.” LIBERAL MAYORS PUSH BIDEN FOR EMERGENCY DECLARATION, ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO DEAL WITH MIGRANT CRISIS Rep. Mark Alford, R-Texas, said Biden and his officials “should be ashamed” at the state of the U.S. migrant crisis. “Every month, we continue to see record-breaking encounters at our southern border. Instead of pursuing solutions, Joe Biden is spending time on vacation,” Alford told Fox News Digital. “Mr. President, the world is watching. They see that our borders are in shambles and your administration has zero intention of course correcting.” Another Texas Republican quipped that Biden “might not see the problem from the beaches” but that it’s always present in the Lone Star state. “Texans are enduring some of the highest numbers of illegal crossings on record while the White House and Senate Democrats refuse to take action,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. MIGRANT CRISIS INCREASING STRAIN ON BORDER OFFICIALS, IMMIGRATION COURTS WITH MASSIVE NUMBERS  Since the new fiscal year began Oct. 1., there have been more than 760,000 migrant encounters at the southern border, making the first quarter of fiscal 2024 the highest quarter on record. Meanwhile, there have been 82,000 known getaways since Oct. 1.  It caps a year at the southern border when multiple records have been repeatedly smashed with Border Patrol consistently overwhelmed by the numbers it is seeing. Republicans have blamed the surge on the policies of the administration, including the ending of Trump-era policies, while the administration says it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide challenge and needs more funding and immigration reform legislation from Congress. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. Fox News’ Griff Jenkins contributed to this report

State of the Race: Top 5 Senate seats held by Democrats most likely to flip in 2024

State of the Race: Top 5 Senate seats held by Democrats most likely to flip in 2024

It was the announcement Senate Democrats were dreading. When it came, it appeared to strike a major blow to their hopes of holding their razor-thin Senate majority in the 2024 elections. “I have made one of the toughest decisions of my life and decided that I will not be running for re-election to the United States Senate,” Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced in November. Manchin, a moderate Democrat and former governor, won over 60% of the vote in his 2012 re-election, but his margin of victory fell to just three points in 2018. CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 POWER RANKINGS  The consensus was that Manchin was the only Democrat who could win in West Virginia next year after his state shifted dramatically to the right over the past decade. Former President Donald Trump carried West Virginia by nearly 40 points in the 2020 election. MANCHIN SPARKING MORE 2024 SPECULATION WITH UPCOMING TRIP TO KEY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY STATE Democrats control the U.S. Senate with a 51-49 majority, but Republicans are looking at a favorable Senate map in 2024, with Democrats defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs. Three of those seats are in red states that Trump carried in 2020 — West Virginia, Montana and Ohio. Five other blue-held seats are in key swing states narrowly carried by President Biden in 2020 — Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. “Democrats have multiple pathways to protect and strengthen our Senate majority and are in a strong position to achieve this goal,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman David Bergstein argued in a statement after Manchin’s announcement. “In addition to defending our battle-tested incumbents, we’ve already expanded the battleground map to Texas and Florida,” Bergstein added, pointing to what he called “unpopular Republican incumbents.” Texas and Florida, where respective incumbent Sens. Ted Cruz and Rick Scott are seeking re-election, appear to be the only potentially competitive GOP-held seats up for grabs next year.  Here’s a look at the five seats most likely to flip in 2024. With Manchin not seeking re-election, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chairman Sen. Steve Daines said, “We like our odds in West Virginia.” Right now, the main action is in the Republican Senate primary, where popular Democrat-turned-Republican Gov. Jim Justice has the backing of the NRSC and Trump. Justice has raised more money than his main rival, conservative Rep. Alex Mooney, who enjoys the support of the fiscally-conservative Club for Growth. The first Democrat to jump into the race following Manchin’s departure is 32-year-old Zachary Shrewsbury, a native West Virginian and Marine Corps veteran. Democrats breathed a sigh of relief when Sen. Jon Tester of Montana announced earlier this year that he would seek re-election in 2024 in a state that Trump carried by 16 points three years ago. The Democratic incumbent has hauled in a formidable $15 million in fundraising so far this year. Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and Purple Heart recipient who notched more than 200 missions in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere around the globe, launched a Republican Senate bid in late June. Sheehy, the CEO of Bridger Aerospace, a Montana-based aerial firefighting and wildfire surveillance services company, enjoys the NRSC’s backing. Rep. Matt Rosendale, a hard-right congressman, is seriously mulling a bid. Rosendale narrowly lost to Tester in the 2018 Senate election. Longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is the only member of his party to win a non-judicial, statewide election in Ohio in the past decade. As Brown runs in 2024 for a fourth six-year term representing Ohio, he will be heavily targeted by Republicans in a state that was once a premier general election battleground but has shifted red over the past six years. Trump carried Ohio by eight points in his 2016 presidential election victory and his 2020 re-election defeat. Last year, Trump’s handpicked Senate candidate in Ohio — Sen. JD Vance — topped longtime Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan by six points despite Ryan running what political experts considered a nearly flawless campaign. Brown, who has served as a congressman, state lawmaker and Ohio secretary of state during his nearly half-century career in elective politics, is well known across the Buckeye State. The senator, known as a champion for populist causes, raked in $3.6 million in contributions during the first three months of this year. Two Republicans who ran unsuccessfully for the 2022 GOP Senate nomination in Ohio are already in the race to oust Brown. State Sen. Matt Dolan, a former top county prosecutor and Ohio assistant attorney general, launched his campaign in January. Dolan, whose family owns Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians, shelled out millions of his own money to run ads for his 2022 Senate bid.  He surged near the end of the primary race, finishing third in a crowded field of Republican contenders, winning nearly a quarter of the vote. In April, Bernie Moreno, a successful Cleveland-based businessman and luxury auto dealership giant, declared his candidacy. Moreno, an immigrant who arrived in the U.S. legally from Colombia with his family as a 5-year-old boy, also shelled out millions of his own money to run TV commercials to try and boost his first Senate bid. But he suspended his campaign in February 2022 after requesting and holding a private meeting with Trump. In July, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose joined the race, launching a much-anticipated Senate campaign. With Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema appearing to gear up for a re-election campaign — even though she hasn’t officially announced a campaign — the Senate race in battleground Arizona could be the most complicated of the 2024 cycle. Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego is already running on the left and has raised more money than Sinema, although the incumbent enjoys a healthy cash-on-hand advantage. Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb recently became the first major GOP contender to launch a campaign. But 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake instantly became the Republican front-runner when she jumped into the race in October. Lake, a former

Conservatives blast Republican Ohio governor as ‘coward’ for transgender bill veto

Conservatives blast Republican Ohio governor as ‘coward’ for transgender bill veto

Conservatives online torched Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, over his veto of a state bill to protect women’s sports. The bill, the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, passed the GOP-controlled state legislature but was vetoed by DeWine on Friday. The SAFE Act would have barred sex change treatments for minors while blocking transgender women and girls from participating in female sports leagues in Ohio. OHIO GOVERNOR VETOES BILL BANNING GENDER-REASSIGNMENT TREATMENT, TRANS PARTICIPATION IN WOMEN’S SPORTS “Were I to sign Substitute House Bill 68 or were Substitute House Bill 68 to become law, Ohio would be saying that the State, that the government, knows what is best medically for a child rather than the two people who love that child the most, the parents,” DeWine said in his veto message. “While there are rare times in the law, in other circumstances, where the State overrules the medical decisions made by the parents, I can think of no example where this is done not only against the decision of the parents, but also against the medical judgment of the treating physician and the treating team of medical experts,” he continued. The veto did not sit well with conservatives online, who blasted DeWine over the move. “This is a slogan, not a justification,” Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, posted Friday on X. “There are many things the law rightfully says no one, including parents, may do to children.” “This slogan also ignores the extraordinary pressure from interest groups and big pharma to green light poorly understood, irreversible procedures,” Vance continued. “I’m extremely disappointed in the governor’s decision and hope it is overridden.” GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who is from Ohio, wrote on X that DeWine “just vetoed a simple law that would have stopped boys from competing in girls’ sports [and] stopped kids from undergoing genital mutilation [and] chemical castration.” “Even Ohio’s Lt. Governor [Jon Husted] favored passage of the bill,” Ramaswamy wrote. “Shame on DeWine.” “Governor Mike DeWine has vetoed HB 68, a bill that would protect women’s sports and prevent child mutilation,” women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines wrote. “Fortunately, Ohio has the votes to override the veto.” “[DeWine] is a spineless coward that needs to be removed from office,” she added. Other conservatives didn’t hold back on DeWine over the veto. DeWine’s office pointed to the governor’s press release containing the veto message when asked for comment. Not all Republicans joined in the pile-on of DeWine, however. Ohio state Rep. Gary Click, a Republican, said the governor was working to “find a solution.” “The governor did not end the dialogue today. He joined it. I look forward to our discussions,” Click added on X. “There remains much more to say and do. A veto is not the final word.” The Ohio state constitution requires a three-fifths majority vote in both chambers to override the governor’s veto. The Ohio state Senate has 33 seats, while the state House is made up of 99 seats. Currently, Republicans control the super majority in both chambers, with the GOP holding 26 of the 33 state Senate seats and 67 of the 99 state House seats. Fox News Digital’s Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.