Free Republic

A Taiwanese lawmaker caused a major commotion by grabbing a bill and running out of the legislative chamber to prevent it from being passed. The event happened just before President-elect Lai Ching-te was set to take office on Monday. According to reports, the morning session was already heated, with lawmakers shouting and shoving each other even before any votes were cast. The situation escalated when one MP, now nicknamed the “Bill Bandit,” grabbed the bill and dashed for the exit. Other lawmakers chased him, turning the chamber into a scene of chaos. The video was shared by @CensoredMen on X...

Black smoke has been seen billowing from China’s first assault carrier in Shanghai. The new Type-075 carrier, which is similar to the U.S. Navy’s America Class assault carriers, is designed to carry helicopters and hovercraft to support amphibious landings. The smoke was reported on Chinese social media platforms earlier today. Images suggest that the fire took hold within the hull of the ship, possibly in the expansive aircraft hanger. Smoke came out of the open aircraft lift near the front of the island superstructure. Smoke also came out of the rear hangar opening. For a time a massive cloud of...

When Richard Marx boarded a flight from Vietnam to South Korea with his wife Daisy Fuentes today, he had no idea he’d be called upon help keep the airplane safe from a deranged passenger. Fuentes posted photos of Marx helping subdue a passenger who had grown agitated and begun attacking the flight crew. The collage showed Marx working with crew to help keep the passenger in his seat. His help appeared to be necessary because, as Fuentes reported, the crew wasn’t properly trained to handle the incident. “On our flight from Hanoi to Seoul a guy sitting in the next...

A two-year-old Chinese boy is thought to be the world’s youngest smoker. Tong Liangliang was taught how to light up by his father, who believed the habit would alleviate pain caused by a hernia. The toddler now smokes a pack of cigarettes a day and throws a tantrum if he can’t get his fix. ‘The father wasn’t aware of how serious the toddler’s habit became until the child began to increase the number of cigarettes he smoked per day’, China Radio International reported. Tong received his first cigarette at the age of 18 months in a bid to reduce the...

Thu Jun 29, 7:31 AM ET BEIJING (Reuters) - A Beijing soccer fan refused to let the small matter of his house burning down disturb his enjoyment of Tuesday's World Cup match between France and Spain. A fire broke out in a hutong in the center of the Chinese capital at 3am local time Wednesday -- kickoff time in Hanover -- and gutted the traditional courtyard dwelling, the Beijing Daily Messenger reported. "When the neighbors shouted 'fire!', I took my little baby and ran out in my nightclothes," the man's wife told the paper. "My husband paid no attention to...