Turkish police have arrested a gang that had been attempting to forcibly monopolise the local flatbread market in an operation carried out on Monday.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement that 38 suspects connected to the so‑called flatbread gang, officially known as the Barıs Turgut Organised Crime Group, were apprehended in Mersin during simultaneous raids at multiple locations.
Yerlikaya said that 17 members of the crime group have been formally arrested, while 19 suspects were placed under judicial control. Proceedings against the remaining individuals are still ongoing.
Authorities have seized 23 vehicles and 85 bank accounts found to have been used for illicit financial activities, with transactions totalling 10.76 bn lira (approximately $358.7 m ) over the past five years.
Yerlikaya said the gang used threats and intimidation against bakery owners in an attempt to monopolise the flatbread market in Mersin.
They were involved in two cases of aggravated assault and carried out 10 shooting attacks targeting businesses and individuals producing flatbread,” the minister said.
During the operation, police also seized one long‑barrelled firearm, five unlicensed handguns and one unlicensed hunting rifle.
While Ankara has stepped up its nationwide operations targeting organised crime, particularly those linked to drug trafficking, an operation against a flatbread gang is unprecedented in the country.
Yerlikaya has faced criticism in recent months amid a rise in organised crime‑related attacks targeting local businesses by motorbike‑borne gunmen.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-nabs-flatbread-mafia-targeting-bakeries
If you're worried about ticks, put up an owl box.
The animal driving most Lyme disease in the eastern US is the white-footed mouse. Ticks that feed on them are far more likely to come away infected than ticks that feed on other animals. The bigger the local mouse population, the worse the next year's tick year.
A single barred owl pair raising chicks can take hundreds of rodents in a breeding season. Owls also don't carry Lyme. The bacterium can't survive their digestive tract, so an owl that eats an infected mouse is a dead end for the disease.
Researchers at the Cary Institute, the leading lab on Lyme ecology, have been explicit about this: "Landscapes that support predators have reduced Lyme disease risk."
One owl box on its own isn't going to fix a tick year. But a yard with owls, foxes, bobcats, and weasels in it has fewer mice, and a yard with fewer mice has fewer infected ticks.
If you have woods or fields nearby, a properly sized barn owl or screech owl box (different species, different ...
The woman’s injuries were “a real disaster,” Ippolito said. “I’m telling you, she had no foot.”
National Fruits
1. 🇮🇳 India - Mango
2. 🇯🇵 Japan - Japanese Persimmon
3. 🇦🇷 Argentina - Apple
4. 🇩🇪 Germany - Apple
5. 🇵🇰 Pakistan - Mango
6. 🇰🇷 South Korea - Asian Pear
7. 🇦🇲 Armenia - Apricot
8. 🇦🇺 Australia - Riberry
9. 🇲🇾 Malaysia - Papaya
10. 🇳🇵 Nepal - Raspberry
11. 🇦🇫 Afghanistan - Pomegranate
12. 🇦🇱 Albania - Cherry
13. 🇩🇿 Algeria - Dates
14. 🇦🇴 Angola - Palm Fruit
15. 🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda - Pineapple
16. 🇦🇹 Austria - Apple
17. 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan - Pomegranate
18. 🇧🇩 Bangladesh - Jackfruit
19. 🇰🇭 Cambodia - Chicken Egg Banana
20. 🇨🇦 Canada - Blueberries
21. 🇨🇴 Colombia - Borojó
22. 🇨🇫 Central African Republic - Banana
23. 🇨🇳 China - Fuzzy Kiwifruit
24. 🇨🇺 Cuba - Mamey
25. 🇬🇷 Greece - Olive
26. 🇮🇩 Indonesia - Durian
27. 🇮🇷 Iran - Pomegranate
28. 🇮🇱 Israel - Sabra (Prickly Pear)
29. 🇯🇲 Jamaica - Ackee
30. 🇵🇭 Philippines - Mango
31. 🇷🇸 ...