Free Republic

Being raped by an asylum seeker, German women?Well, try this: Just yak! That'll get the Third World rapist off you!This story is out of the northern German city of Bremen.From ZeroHedge:Franka Haedke, a spokeswoman for the Bremen police, said the guidance is part of broader self-defense instruction offered by the department's Central Police Prevention unit.'In an emergency, such as attempted rape, defend yourself with all available means,' Haedke told the Kreiszeitung newspaper. 'Vomiting can also be an effective way to ward off a sexual offense.'Seminar instructors tell participants they can trigger a gag reflex by placing a finger down the...

Trade between Russia and Iran grew by more than 21 per cent in 2025, with positive growth continuing in the first seven months of 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. Putin said this during a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Turkmenbashi, where the leaders discussed bilateral cooperation under their strategic partnership agreement. He said the agreement, signed in early 2025, provided a framework for expanding cooperation across various sectors and strengthening economic ties between the two countries. Putin also highlighted growing humanitarian ties, including cultural exchanges and other joint activities organised in both countries. Pezeshkian reaffirmed Iran’s...

That spending increase was primarily driven by entitlement programs, the military, and interest payments on the national debt. The CBO notes that Social Security spending increased by 5 percent last year due to "increases in average benefits and in the number of beneficiaries." There was an 8 percent increase in spending on both Medicare and Medicaid, while military spending increased by 5 percent.

A painting by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill will be auctioned at Christie’s as part of its Modern British and Irish Art Evening Sale in London on October 21. Amaryllis Lily (1948) carries an estimate of £300,000–£500,000 ($396,000–$661,000). The painting depicts a red amaryllis belladonna, otherwise known as a March lily, blooming in a plant pot situated on a table against a dark backdrop. Churchill gave the painting to his daughter, Lady Mary Soames, who then donated it in 1995 to the Churchill Fellowship. Proceeds from the sale will be used to support Churchill Fellowship’s “Making Space for the...

The Renoir Museum is getting back two of its paintings that were taken during a pre-dawn raid. The paintings were recovered by the local authorities in Cagnes-sur-Mer, in southern France, where the museum is located. Mayor Bryan Masson, a member of France’s far-right National Rally, said in a statement that these “two paintings are far more than works of art. They are part of our city’s history, our cultural heritage and the legacy Auguste Renoir left to Cagnes-sur-Mer. Their recovery is a tremendous relief for the people of Cagnes-sur-Mer and for everyone who cares deeply about our museum.” Related Articles...

Mike Ditka, the legendary former Chicago Bears coach and first tight end ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 86, his family announced Friday. Ditka rose to national prominence leading the 1985 Bears, a team that boasted arguably the greatest defense in NFL history, to the franchise's only Super Bowl title. "It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka," his family said in a statement. "While the world knew Mike as a Hall of Fame football player, legendary coach, and...

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican theologian urges ‘new ways of being’ family, Church at Amoris summit Professor Vincenzo Rosito of the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences praised the 'spirit' of Amoris Laetitia and the 'changes' within the Church and family. Professor Vincenzo Rosito, the Vice Dean of the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences, asked attendees in an address to the ongoing Amoris Laetitia Summit, which praised the 10-year spirit of Pope Francis’ 2016 document, to ponder what is needed to learn new ways of “being a family” and “being a...

The alleged Flydubai hijacker had planned to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv and was inspired by the 9/11 attacks, a preliminary investigation has found. Hamam al-Hammami, the suspect in the hijacking attempt and co-pilot on board last week’s flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, wanted to carry out a similar attack to September 11, 2001, which led him to pursue an aviation career, according to a statement from the United Arab Emirates’ Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi shared by Emirati state media. “The idea of carrying out a similar operation using an aircraft became...

Leo XIV’s excommunication backfires: SSPX lists multiple priests who just joined them ‘While Rome plans a procedure for priests wishing to leave the SSPX, many priests from diocesan clergy and religious communities continue, around the world, to draw closer to the Fraternity or to join it,’ the SSPX noted.The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) on Friday posted a list of diocesan and religious priests around the world who have joined the Society, undeterred by penalties or the Vatican’s declared excommunications. “After the ordinations, diocesan priests continue to turn toward Tradition,” the official international SSPX Twitter account wrote in a...

Pope Leo Praises Lutherans: Has Rome Abandoned Trent? Pope Leo XIV has praised the landmark Catholic-Lutheran agreement on justification. While the document's claims about faith, grace, and the Council of Trent raise serious questions about Rome's ecumenical project, the contrast with its treatment of the SSPX is impossible to ignore.In his October 1, 2026 address to the Delegation of the World Lutheran Federation, Leo XIV praised a 1999 joint declaration of the Lutheran World Foundation and the Catholic Church regarding justification:“I am pleased that the Lutheran-Catholic relations have matured both spiritually and theologically over the decades. The international dialogue, now...

A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake rattled Panama on Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System has issued potential tsunami threats in the region, saying "hazardous tsunami waves" are possible in the next few hours along some coasts in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, Colombia and Ecuador. The earthquake struck southern Panama on the Pacific side of the country, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was 12 km west-southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama.

[Catholic Caucus] Leo XIV approves radically pro-LGBT Tagle as new dean of College of Cardinals Tagle also participated in the Pachamama ritual in the Vatican Gardens in 2019 and defended the Vatican-China agreement in 2022.Pope Leo XIV has approved the radically pro-LGBT Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as dean of the College of Cardinals.The election of Tagle, who has been called the “Philippine Pope Francis,” was announced Friday by the Vatican press. He replaces Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re in the role presiding over the College of Cardinals. As dean of the College, he will supervise meetings of the cardinals and help...

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck near Panama's southern tip on Friday morning, shaking buildings more than 100 miles away in the capital and prompting evacuations, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had initially warned about the possibility of tsunami waves hitting Panama's coast, but later said the threat had passed. The quake was centered about 7 miles southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, the USGS said. It struck at a depth of about 7 miles.

"Concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able also to admonish one another" (Rom. 15:14). Scripture is the source of godly counsel. In recent years the question of who is competent to counsel has become an important issue in the church. Many pastors and other church leaders have curtailed their counseling ministries or stopped them altogether. They've been made to feel inadequate for not having formal training in psychological counseling techniques. Behind this movement away from pastoral counseling is the subtle implication that the Holy Spirit...

The popular gay dating app Grindr wants to hook up its users with Freddie. But it’s not what you think. Freddie’s not some dreamboat stud less than two miles away. Freddie’s something even hotter: a telehealth provider that offers HIV prevention services such as access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). That means, millions of Grindr members can access prevention information, get tested for HIV, see clinicians and have the meds delivered—all through the Grindr app.

The Trump administration is launching waves of ICE immigration operations across California over the next 45 days, the Washington Examiner reported this week. Gov. Gavin Newsom blasted the statewide raids weeks before November’s midterm elections as a “campaign of fear.” Dubbed internally as “Operation Safe California,” the Examiner reported, the enforcement began several days ago in the San Diego area, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials ordering its field agents to arrest all immigrants they meet, criminal history or not.

The vice president’s comments mark the first time a top Trump official has signaled some unease with the Pentagon’s decision to make the Fort Hood execution public. Vice President JD Vance said Friday he would not watch the planned live-streamed execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan and expressed skepticism over whether it will be broadcast. On Thursday, the Pentagon said Hasan’s execution by firing squad would be live-streamed for the public to watch. It would be the first time the U.S. military broadcasts an execution live on the internet. Hasan’s execution is scheduled for Dec. 3. Vance, a...

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives today released an Open Letter and Frequently Asked Questions explaining how it will treat ownership, transfer, and transportation of the National Firearms Act firearms for which Congress eliminated the making and transfer taxes in the One Big Beautiful Bill. The guidance follows an announcement by Attorney General Todd Blanche that the Department of Justice will not appeal an August decision made by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, which held that certain provisions of the NFA were unenforceable. In that decision, the court enjoined enforcement of...

The fake substitute teacher is accused of separating Rufus King students by race and gender; making racist remarks that include the N-word and derogatory comments toward white and Asian students; playing rap music in class; telling white male students they were the type of people to become school shooters; asking students if they were gay; asking students for a vape or “weed”; asking whether students were “virgins”; speaking positively about going to jail; making a graphic sexual comment to students…and more.

French teenagers blockaded several high schools and took to the streets in cities across the country on Thursday in the latest wave of protests over conditions in schools. With demonstrations showing no sign of slowing down, around half of the French population reportedly supports the movement. ...