Free Republic

Researchers in South Africa are racing to track the concerning rise of a new variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The variant harbours a large number of mutations found in other variants, including Delta, and it seems to be spreading quickly across South Africa. A top priority is to track the variant more closely as it spreads: it was first identified in Botswana this month and has turned up in travellers to Hong Kong from South Africa. Scientists are also trying to understand the variant’s properties, such as whether it can evade immune responses triggered by vaccines and whether...

Global parliamentarians called on governments to revoke extradition treaties with China for fear the communist regime will use the international law enforcement body to chase down dissidents across borders, as China’s nominee won a key Interpol seat.The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) on Nov.25 elected Hu Binchen, an official at China’s Ministry of Public Security, as an Asia delegate in its 13-member Executive Committee during Interpol’s annual General Assembly meeting in Istanbul.Hu’s election gives the Chinese regime “a green light to continue using Interpol as a vehicle for its repressive policies globally and places thousands of Hong Kong, Uyghur, Tibetan,...

Every year around Thanksgiving, you hear of a turkey exploding in a deep fryer in someone’s backyard. Why does this happen and why are deep fryers still being sold, if it is such a dangerous practice? The biggest appeal of a deep frying a turkey is time — a turkey cooks faster if it’s deep fried, so the wait time from fryer to table isn’t as long as roasting it. Plus, deep frying seals in moisture, allowing the turkey to be incredibly juicy on the inside, while having the perfect crispiness on the outside. Clean up is a breeze. Thus,...

In yet another example that powerful teachers unions and labor unions enjoy joint custody of Joe Biden and the Democrat Party, the ridiculously named socialist monstrosity “Build Back Better” Act contains a provision that provides a tax credit of up to $12,500 to purchasers of electric vehicles — other than Teslas.Why not Teslas? Three words: United Autoworkers Union.That’s right, America, as reported by CBS News, only electric vehicles made in unionized U.S. factories qualify for the full $12,500. However, if Tesla it must be, your tax credit would be capped at $7,500.The full $12,500 tax credit will only be available...

SFGATE reporter Michelle Robertson on Banksy's critique of an art world he actively participates inPhoto of Starting at $40 a ticket and reaching $70 on weekends, the new — unauthorized — “Art of Banksy” touring exhibit has landed at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts, and tickets are already selling out quickly. Brought to the city by Starvox Exhibits, the same group responsible for the “Immersive Van Gogh” show that came to San Francisco in 2021, “The Art of Banksy” brings together more than 100 artworks by the secretive, anonymous artist, with the value of the pieces totaling more than...

A New York City woman believes she may have scored two Banksy artworks for just $120 after coming across a mysterious art sale inside a subway station. Colleen Alexander, 26, took to TikTok last week to share a video explaining how she bought the works that could have been created by the elusive British graffiti artist. “I just can’t stop shaking at the chance that this may be real,” Alexander exclaimed at the beginning of her 3-minute TikTok video, which has now been viewed more than 6.6 million times.

The United Kingdom is temporarily suspending flights from six countries as a new Covid variant with more than 30 mutations spreads in South Africa.

The Taylor County Sheriff's Office says nine people were injured — eight seriously — after a vehicle collided with an Amish buggy in central Wisconsin. Deputies responded to the crash after 2:44 p.m. Thursday near N1754 County Highway E in the town of Little Black. When emergency crews arrived, they said they found nine people injured, and that at least eight of them suffered "significant" injuries. The initial investigation shows the buggy was traveling north on County Highway E with 10 people aboard, when a vehicle also traveling northbound approached the buggy from behind and struck it at "highway speeds."...

SAO PAULO (AP) — Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the head of the Brazilian Olympic Committee for more than two decades, was sentenced to 30 years and 11 months in jail for allegedly buying votes for Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympics. The ruling by Judge Marcelo Bretas became public Thursday. Nuzman, who also headed the Rio 2016 organizing committee, was found guilty of corruption, criminal organization, money laundering and tax evasion. The 79-year-old executive won’t be jailed until all his appeals are heard. He and his lawyer did not comment on the decision. Bretas also sentenced to jail former...

Thanksgiving, the most American of Holidays, is here, and despite the commies’ best efforts, we have plenty to be thankful for. Grab a fork and a carving knife, and let’s get to it. 1. As a former New York City liberal, I’m thankful we conservatives can actually enjoy Thanksgiving. Imagine the rage libs must feel as they see us celebrate what they consider to be a day that “honors colonization.” Your pink-haired, gender-confused nephew’s eyeliner will flow like the Mississippi River as it screams about “cultural appropriation” and the “massacre” of indigenous people. Enjoy your tofurkey, you tragic creature. And...

The archdiocese also issued several “protective health measures,” including mandatory mask wearing at all times and a prohibition to receive Holy Communion on the tongue.BERLIN (LifeSiteNews) — The Archdiocese of Berlin will effectively segregate vaccinated and unvaccinated faithful during Advent and Christmastime. The archdiocese issued the harsh restrictions in a communiqué published Friday on its official website, announcing that from November 27 onward, the so-called 2G rule will apply to most Masses and church services of the diocese throughout Advent and Christmastime. The 2G rule allows only people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or who have recently recovered from...

ST. PAUL, Minnesota — About 50 parishioners protested outside Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in St. Paul on Sunday over what they say is the eradication of culture and tradition from Minnesota’s first Hispanic parish. Many of the demonstrators were third-generation members of the Catholic church, which has a 90-year history in St. Paul. Among specific complaints, they say Aztec dancers are no longer allowed inside the church, there is no Sunday school or choir, masses previously led in Spanish are now in Latin and women are not allowed on the altar. One of the protesters, Vincent Mendez, said “it...

LOS ANGELES — Inside a wood-clad meeting room in Orange County, five school board members sat before a sign-waving, opinionated crowd. For more than three hours, the trustees listened, debated and asked questions as they tried to decide whether to ban classroom teaching on a hard-to-define topic not taught in their schools: critical race theory. "I don't think that this definition is really good," trustee Marilyn Anderson said after reading the dense entry. "I think it needs to be really specific. It needs to spell out the specific theories that we do not want taught in our district — like...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has designated China, Russia and eight other countries as violators of religious freedom. Blinken said in a statement Wednesday that the 10 countries "engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom." The U.S. secretary of state compiles a list of such countries each year. Other countries on this year's list are Myanmar, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Eritrea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Pakistan. Nigeria, which was on the list last year and which Blinken is scheduled to visit this week, was removed. Algeria, Comoros, Nicaragua and Cuba were added to a watch...

The former secretary of the Bishops' Conference, Msgr. Igor Kovalevskij, has left the ecclesiastical service in disagreement with his superiors and confreres. The debate hinges on the fate of the buildings associated with the Moscow church of Saints Peter and Paul. The need to develop a "healthy Russian Catholic patriotism".Rome (AsiaNews) - The resignation of the secretary of the Bishops' Conference Msgr. Igor Kovalevskij, has sparked commotion among Catholics in Moscow and elsewhere, following his stepping down from from his ecclesiastical post in protest with his superiors and confreres. His priestly ministry coincided with the thirty years of the "religious...

General Ahmed Naser al-Raisi....who has been part of the UAE's police force since 1980 and serves as inspector general at the country's ministry of interior, received 68.9% of the vote at Interpol's general assembly in Istanbul. The role is largely ceremonial -- he will chair the general assembly as well as three executive committee meetings for each of the four years of his tenure. The vote went through despite criminal cases made by ex-detainees. Matthew Hedges, who was detained in the UAE for seven months, filed a claim for damages at the High Court of London against Raisi and several...

The FBI is asking for an extra helping this Thanksgiving in tracking down people who were involved in the Capitol riot. The bureau's Chicago field office sent a tweet Thursday, stuffed with hashtags, requesting members of the public consider reporting fellow holiday dinner-goers if they look like someone who may have been involved in the unlawful entry and violence that took place in the nation's capital on Jan. 6. "See this smiling face at your table tonight? The #FBI continues to seek tips about those involved in the violence at the U. S. #CapitolBuilding on #January6th. Call 1-800-CALL-FBI with tips...

The incident started when coal dust in a ventilation shaft caught fire on Thursday, filling the Siberian mine with smoke and killing 11. By nightfall, a failed operation to reach dozens of missing miners had turned to tragedy after several rescuers reportedly suffocated. An emergency services source told one news agency "no one is left alive". The majority of the 285 people in the the Listvyazhnaya mine, in the Kemerovo region some 3,500km (2,175 miles) east of Moscow, escaped in the immediate aftermath of the incident, at around 08:35 local time (01:35 GMT) on Thursday. Officials said 49 had been...

Former President Donald Trump issued a Thanksgiving Day message, telling Americans "do not worry, we will be great again." Trump issued his comment as progressive lawmakers remain focused on passing $2 trillion in social spending and climate legislation amid rising inflation, and on a partisan House select committee investigating events surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The country also is dealing with a surge of migrants at the southern border, critical race theory affecting school curricula, and recent high-profiled trials concerning fatal shootings with racial implications. Additionally, China and Russia have taken steps that seem to threaten U.S....

<p>The first months of school this fall have laid bare what many in education feared: Students are way behind in skills they should have mastered.</p><p>Children in early elementary school have had their most formative first few years of education disrupted by the pandemic, years when they learn basic math and reading skills and important social-emotional skills, like how to get along with peers and follow routines in a classroom.</p>