Free Republic

The news that some members of the UN Palestinian aid fund allegedly took part in the Hamas attacks against Israel has sent shock waves through the international community. Despite this revelation, the Spanish Government has renewed its commitment to continue making its contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), despite allegations involving some of its staff in a Hamas-led attack against Israel. Foreign Affairs Minister, Jose Manuel Albares, made this announcement, highlighting Spain’s nuanced position amidst international tensions. Spain’s response to UNRWA investigation ‘We will not modify our relationship with UNRWA although we are...

The bipartisan border deal that is dividing congressional Republicans is already leading to angry calls to shake up the Senate leadership and furious claims by Donald Trump that it represents a 'death wish' for the party in 2024. The fury came in the hours since negotiators put out details on their new bipartisan deal to provide new authority for the administration to 'close' the border when crossings spike, while sending billions to support allies Ukraine and Israel. Among those to heap the most scorn on the agreement was Utah Sen. Mike Lee – who even appeared to demand a change...

<p>The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik is being criticised for a video in which she poked fun at the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.</p><p>The actor, who was dropped as host of US game show Jeopardy! in December 2023, has angered many with the social media post, which showed her laughing at comedian Dan Ahdoot’s jokes about the situation.</p>

If you want to earn money, pick good-looking parentsGood looks can be their own kind of inherited asset, boosting income across the generations, a new study reveals. Children of conventionally attractive parents earn more than those from more average-looking families, according to new research by the US-based National Bureau of Economic Research. The study, entitled: "The Economic Impact of Heritable Physical Traits: Hot Parents, Rich Kid?" examined prior datasets which tracked the attractiveness of parents and their children, as well as the children's earnings. It looked at families in both the United States and China, as well as among billionaires...

Of all post-war decades, the 1970s has undoubtedly had the worst press, but the truth is that most ordinary families in 1970s Britain were better off than ever, writes historian Dominic Sandbrook. The 1950s are symbolised by the television and the washing machine, which transformed the lives of so many families. We misremember the 1960s as the decade of the Mini, which was actually invented in 1959, the mini-skirt, which surprisingly few women actually wore, and the Pill, which most women never took. We remember the 1980s as the decade of gigantic hair, shoulder-pads, the Filofax and the home...

A new problem has been found during the production of 737 Max jets that will force Boeing to rework about 50 planes that have not yet been delivered. The problem was disclosed in a memo sent to Boeing (BA) employees Sunday by Stan Deal, the head of the company’s commercial aircraft unit. An employee at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, which makes the fuselages of the 737 Max jets, notified the plane maker that two holes may not have been drilled exactly to Boeing’s requirements, according to Deal’s memo. “While this potential condition is not an immediate flight safety issue and...

The Ukrainian government could be heading for a major reset, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters in a press conference on February 4 that he is considering replacing several senior officials. Speculation over the potential dismissal of highly popular commander Valeriy Zaluzhnyi had been growing over the past few weeks. Mr. Zaluzhnyi and Mr. Zelenskyy have been at odds over the handling of the war with Russia, which has been ongoing for almost two years. Mr. Zelenskyy, however, said that any changes would amount to more than replacing a single person, as he is ramping up efforts to oust...

The American economy can’t catch a break. In addition to the massive price inflation of food, cars, housing, energy, and so many other elements, international companies are now suffering from a near-doubling of ocean transportation costs in just the past three months, due to simultaneous crises in Central America and the Red Sea that have restricted international shipping through the Panama and Suez Canals. This is adding to the cost of goods all over the world, along with damaging lead times, as longer transits cause disruptions to both factory schedules and retail offerings. For thousands of years, ocean carriers moved...

The New York Police Department (NYPD) on Monday shared a horrifying video showing the moment migrants on a moped dragged a woman along a New York City street and stole her phone. As The New York Post reported, these thugs are members of a Venezuelan moped-riding crew that has been stealing phones from female New Yorkers’ hands in audacious instances of street crimes. Two have been apprehended so far, but several remain at large. The sick footage shows a moped carrying three riders coming out of an adjacent alley and dragging a woman. The footage ends with her crashing into...

@ggreenwald If this Dem Senator genuinely believes "the fate of the free world is on the line in the war in Ukraine," that is demented. If he believes this, why wouldn't he be advocating direct deployment of US troops? Dems are so war-hungry. Biden has the US involved in 3 new wars. @brianschatz The fate of the free world is on the line in the war in Ukraine – and whether or not the United States continues to step up to help Ukraine fight back against Putin’s unrelenting assault will define our leadership on the global stage for generations to...

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter expressed her frustration with Republican Trump voters over the weekend and made the case for why she doesn’t believe the former president can beat President Joe Biden in a general election. “How many people who voted for Biden in 2020 have since switched to Trump?” Coulter asked on X/Twitter before breaking down the electoral math as she sees it: 1) those who voted for Trump but who’ve since died (older white people); 2) immigrants who turned 18 in the last 4 yrs and will vote (minorities); 3) Republicans who voted for Trump in 2020, but have...

Cathy Van Buskirk, who lives with complex and debilitating mental disorders, says she is heartbroken by the federal government's decision to delay her ability to access a medically assisted death. Eligibility for medical assistance in dying (MAID) was set to expand in March to include people with mental illness, something that had given Van Buskirk hope that her suffering from severe mental illness would come to a peaceful end on her terms. But federal Health Minister Mark Holland introduced legislation Thursday that would delay the expansion of MAID to include those suffering solely from mental illness until 2027, a move...

China's economic challenges are taking a toll as the fallout from the Evergrande crisis continues to reverberate. In Shijiazhuang, Hebei, the unfinished Central Plaza project stands as a stark reminder of Evergrande's default, leaving buyers stranded and uncertain about the fate of their investments. The once-largest Chinese developer's troubles extend beyond individual projects, with a Hong Kong court recently ordering Evergrande's liquidation, a process anticipated to span years and involve restructuring over $300 billion in liabilities. The impact of Evergrande's collapse is rippling through the real estate sector, adding strain to an already precarious economic situation.

Actors don’t need to share the ‘lived experience’ of their characters.The Globe Theatre in London has come under fire for a supposedly controversial casting choice. Last week, it was announced that Michelle Terry, who is also the Globe’s artistic director, would be taking on the titular role in Shakespeare’s Richard III later this summer. Outrage immediately ensued. Because according to identitarian activists, Terry doesn’t have the ‘lived experience’ needed to play the scheming king.Certainly, there are some pretty glaring differences between Michelle Terry and Richard III. For one thing, Terry is a woman and Richard, obviously, was a man. But...

If you thought that the resignation of Superintendent Monifa McKnight meant an end to MCPS’s leadership issues, you thought wrong! That’s because the person the school board plans to appoint as interim superintendent has problems of her own, some of them documented in a local government investigation as well as in Maryland courthouses... Monique Felder, who the school board has announced it is planning to appoint as interim superintendent tomorrow... During her tenure in Nashville, the public schools were the subject of many articles in local media. The story most directly tied to Felder was her acceptance of payments from...

I was recently released from reserve duty in Gaza, after serving 100 days in the IDF. Since the world can’t see firsthand the things I saw there, I feel I have to share. For years, well before October 7th, we’ve heard about how terrible life is for the poor, oppressed Gazans. How anti-Israel activists and media outlets claim the Gaza Strip can be compared to an open-air prison. This became the standard, accepted narrative about life in Gaza, promulgated by Al Jazeera and international human rights groups. But now, having experienced it myself, I can confidently tell you that we...

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this week on whether states can keep Donald Trump from appearing on primary election ballots for president based on the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause. More seriously, it could decide that Trump is ineligible to be president again even if he wins the November election. We should hope for two outcomes: First, that the court does not use technicalities and procedural issues to evade a clear decision; and second, that it allows common sense and the fate of democracy to loom large in its decision. The case before the court is an appeal...

"And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the...

@RandPaul Fed Chair Powell says federal debt problem is urgent. McConnell, Biden & Schumer response: borrow another $118 billion and send it to foreign countries.

Installing razor wire along the U.S.-Mexico border has led to a “massive reduction” of illegal immigrants crossing into the United States, according to state governor Greg Abbott, who said he has widespread support for the defensive measure. “More than half of the governors are now joined together in support of a very important proposition. And that is, we are guaranteed by the United States Constitution the right of self-defense if states face imminent harm or invasion,” Gov. Abbott said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday. “Texas obviously is facing both an imminent harm as well as an invasion....