Free Republic

The Church of England is to launch a poster campaign aimed at challenging the anti-migrant message of Tommy Robinson, whose “Unite the Kingdom” movement has urged its supporters to join a carols event next weekend to “put the Christ back into Christmas”. The posters, which will go on display at bus stops, say “Christ has always been in Christmas” and “Outsiders welcome”. They will also be available for local churches to download and display over the festive period. ... The Rev Arun Arora, bishop of Kirkstall and co-lead bishop on racial justice for the C of E, said: “We must...

Donald Trump voiced concern about the current political track taken by EU countriesWASHINGTON, December 9. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump criticized the fine imposed by the European Commission on X and warned that Europe is "moving in some bad directions." Asked about the fine at a meeting with representatives of the agricultural industry at the White House, Trump called Brussels' decision "nasty" and added: "I don't think it's right. Europe has to be very careful." He voiced concern about the current political track taken by EU countries. "We want to keep Europe Europe. Europe is going in some bad directions....

The completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 was not the only amazing feat of American railroad engineering in history. In 1886, railways in the south managed to convert the gauge on an estimated 11,500 miles of track in a period of just 36 hours. The History Guy remembers the 1886 Southern Railroad Gauge Change, an important moment in railroad history. The Day The Gauge Changed | 10:05 The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered | 1.61M subscribers | 1,173,812 views | June 16, 2018

"King Salman International Airport (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)....covers roughly 57 square kilometers....Around 12 square kilometers have already been reserved for residential construction" "Al Maktoum International Airport (Dubai World Central), Dubai, UAE...." "The large-scale Dubai South development program envisions an integrated city with a population of more than one million people that will include housing, business clusters, logistics zones, and technology parks. "According to estimates by analytical agencies, average annual housing price growth in Dubai South is expected to reach 15 to 20 percent in the coming years." "Ho Chi Minh City’s existing airport handles more than 40 million passengers per year...

I have written some "Beatles songs" without the use of AI. I'm a big Beatles fan, and couldn't help trying to write in their style. If you like the Beatles, check it out.

A deal to release up to £100 billion of frozen Russian assets in Europe to aid Ukraine is just days away, Sir Keir Starmer believes, as he said negotiations to end the war had reached a “critical stage”. The prime minister held talks with President Zelensky on Monday, along with his French and German counterparts, to discuss the latest US peace proposals. The four men also discussed European efforts to free up the funds, which are frozen in European bank accounts — either to fund Ukraine’s continuing war effort or to pay for the reconstruction of the country in the...

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is releasing hundreds of inmates from state prison, including convicted murderers, in his last days in office.

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Eleganti: Vatican trying to play both sides of the women deacons question It is all too obvious that, despite the historical findings regarding female ordination, the aim is to keep the issue alive and the question open.The study commission on the question of women’s ordination concludes, on the one hand, that the possibility of admitting women to the diaconate (as part of the sacrament of ordination) must be ruled out, but at the same time that it is not possible to “make a definitive judgment, as in the case of priestly ordination.”[1]This makes little sense. It is...

On Sunday, December 7, US lawmakers unveiled the final text of the defense policy bill, which includes record funding for national security as well as aid for Ukraine, according to Reuters, Fox News, and AOL.Media reports state that the bill allocates $901 billion for military spending for fiscal year 2026-$8 billion more than what President Donald Trump requested in May of this year.The legislation also assists Ukraine.“The legislation reauthorizes the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative at $400 million per year for fiscal years 2026 and 2027,” Fox News reports.Additionally, the US Congress will require more frequent reporting on allied contributions to...

Superior Court Judge Mandy Tovar surprised herself, and a Santa Cruz courtroom, when she became emotional Thursday as she explained her decision to grant diversion to a UC Santa Cruz student protester who faces charges of remaining at a riot and resisting an officer.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) shared dash cam video from a recent incident involving an unsecured load of tires hauled by a commercial vehicle driver identified by troopers as a citizen of Kyrgyzstan. OHP shared the video on December 3, 2025. It was captured in November 2025 by OHP Troop E troopers on US-69 in Pittsburg, Oklahoma. Take a look below. Troopers say that “a commercial motor vehicle hauling a load of loose tires lost part of its cargo. The tires bounced over the barrier wall and struck an OHP unit, creating a serious safety hazard.” The driver hauling the...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Serenate ex C, also called "Ganz kleine Nachtmusik" (A Very Little Night Music) on the steps of the Leipzig Opera. The spectacular rediscovery of a previously unknown Mozart composition attracted hundreds of interested listeners to the Leipzig Opera, where the work was previously ceremoniously presented to the international press. The trio consisting of Vincent Geer, David Geer and Elisabeth Zimmermann also play top positions in the youth symphony orchestra of the Leipzig School of Music "Johann Sebastian Bach". W.A. Mozart - Serenate ex C - Ganz kleine Nachtmusik KV648 (official release) | 11:26JSO Leipzig | 3.81K...

Tina Peters will remain in state prison during appeal, federal judge rejects bid for release by: Colleen Slevin, Associated PressPosted: Dec 8, 2025 (AP) — A federal magistrate judge on Monday rejected a bid by a former Colorado county clerk to be released from prison while she appeals her state conviction for orchestrating a data breach scheme driven by false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential race. Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters filed a federal lawsuit asking that she be released on bond while her appeal is considered. Attorneys for the state had argued the case...

France has refused to reveal the whereabouts of €18bn in frozen Russian assets in discussions over the European Union’s future funding for Ukraine.The majority of the cash is being held by commercial banks, which Paris has argued should be protected from the €140bn “reparations loan” for Kyiv.Despite publicly backing a scheme which envisages using frozen Russian assets in Europe to guarantee a loan to Kyiv, France has emerged as a potential blocker by refusing to allow private, commercial banks from being plundered to aid Ukraine, according to reporting by The Financial Times.EU member states are caught up in fractious talks...

Jimmy Kimmel has signed a one-year extension with Disney’s ABC Network and will continue to host Jimmy Kimmel Live! through at least 2027, the Guardian has confirmed. Bloomberg first reported the news on Monday, noting that Kimmel and Disney struck a new one year extension. His current contract had been set to expire in May 2026. Kimmel and Disney agreed on the extension several months ago but delayed announcing their plans out of respect for fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert, according to Bloomberg. This summer, CBS announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert had been cancelled and would end...

Colin Allred is dropping out of the 2026 U.S. Senate race in Texas to instead run for the U.S. House, saying that staying in the Senate race would hurt the Democratic Party’s chances of winning against one of President Donald Trump’s “bootlickers.” “In the past few days, I’ve come to believe that a bruising Senate Democratic primary and runoff would prevent the Democratic Party from going into this critical election unified against the danger posed to our communities and our Constitution by Donald Trump and one of his Republican bootlickers Paxton, Cornyn, or Hunt,” Allred said Monday in a statement....

In recent days Russia’s medium ice-class LNG carrier Buran has failed repeatedly to reach the Arctic LNG 2 terminal in Ob Bay as thick, early-season ice has shut down regular navigation. The events underscore mounting winter constraints on the Northern Sea Route and the project’s acute shortage of powerful Arc7 carriers. The Arc4-class Buran attempted four times since December 2 to push south into Ob Bay, alternately following closely behind two nuclear icebreakers, 50 Let Pobedy and Arktika, working to open a path through the ice. Two nearby Arc7 LNG carriers in service of neighboring Yamal LNG project were also...

A real funny take on Ukraine. Had me in stitches.

Seattle’s World Cup “Pride Match” will feature Iran and Egypt, two countries where homosexuality is illegal, on June 26. The Group G clash, taking place on a Friday at Lumen Field, coincides with the city’s pride weekend. The Pride Match was planned before the teams were selected and in advance of the Friday’s 2026 World Cup Draw in Washington D.C. “The Pride Match has been scheduled to celebrate and elevate Pride events in Seattle and across the country, and it was planned well in advance,” a spokesperson of the Pride Match Advisory Committee told Outsports. “It is a Host City–led...

For months, the Trump administration has been accusing its political enemies of mortgage fraud for claiming more than one primary residence. President Donald Trump branded one foe who did so “deceitful and potentially criminal.” He called another “CROOKED” on Truth Social and pushed the attorney general to take action. But years earlier, Trump did the very thing he’s accusing his enemies of, records show. In 1993, Trump signed a mortgage for a “Bermuda style” home in Palm Beach, Florida, pledging that it would be his principal residence. Just seven weeks later, he got another mortgage for a seven-bedroom, marble-floored neighboring...