Free Republic

Trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi between Russia, Ukraine and the US aimed at ending the war in Ukraine have concluded after a second day. Although the American side said they saw "some openings", there was no hint of any breakthroughs to end the nearly five year-long war sparked by Russia's invasion. However, both Moscow and Kyiv confirmed that a large-scale prisoner of war exchange was in the works and could be carried out soon. Davyd Arakhamia from Ukraine's negotiating team said that this round of talks - the first since February - "was one of the hardest." "I believe the...

The Canadian-based gold mining company, Allied Gold, recently announced that it has poured its first gold at the Kurmuk mine in Ethiopia, marking the start of production at a project expected to significantly increase the company's output over the next two years. Allied Gold has poured its first gold at the Kurmuk mine in Ethiopia, commencing production expected to significantly boost the company's output by 2028. Kurmuk is targeted to reach full production capacity by early 2027, with gold recovery rates expected to improve over time. Gold output is projected to increase from 25,000-35,000 ounces in 2026 to about 300,000...

Explanation: Don’t judge a galaxy by its size. Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is about 100,000 light years across. This huge expanse of space contains hundreds of billions of stars! The smallest galaxies, called dwarf galaxies, are about 1/10th the size of the Milky Way and only contain a few billion stars. They are also the most common type of galaxy in the whole universe. Today’s image shows one such dwarf galaxy, NGC 4449, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. NGC 4449 and similar dwarf galaxies are missing more oxygen than models predict. This suggests their stellar winds and...

In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with political activist Tommy Robinson for a wide-ranging conversation about Britain's grooming gangs scandal, his ongoing legal case, and his newly released book, The Grooming Gang Cover-Up. Tommy discusses his years investigating grooming gangs, the allegations of institutional failures that allowed the abuse of vulnerable young girls to continue, and why he believes the full truth has yet to emerge. We explore his battles with the British justice system, freedom of speech, censorship, and the controversies that have followed him throughout his career. We also discuss mass immigration, the...

France said on November 9 that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was responsible for a cyberattack last month that disrupted refrigeration systems at hundreds of French supermarkets. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Paris had summoned Iran’s ambassador and would seek European-level sanctions against those judged responsible. The Associated Press and ABC News Australia reported the announcement.French authorities attributed the October 11-12 operation to Shahid Kaveh, which officials described as an offensive cyber unit linked to the Revolutionary Guards’ electronic and cyber apparatus. The attack remotely altered refrigeration controls, forcing supermarkets to discard spoiled food; French reporting said roughly 700...

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently moved out of his home and onto a military base after Iranian threats against his life, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. U.S. officials concluded in recent weeks that Iranian plotting against current and former American officials had reached a more advanced stage, based in part on intelligence about threats to Mr. Bessent, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive information. Since August, Mr. Bessent has led an economic pressure campaign meant to isolate Iran financially through tougher sanctions and restrictions on trade routes. That...

For six months, no one really noticed Culper Research’s report. All that changed this week.When Christian Lamarco decided to start his own short-selling firm, he named it in honor of the spies who gathered intelligence for George Washington during the Revolutionary War. He had watched a television show about the Culper ring, which secretly tracked the movements of British forces almost 250 years ago, and he couldn’t help but see the similarities between his shorting and their spycraft. Now he’s caught up in his own story involving national security, the president of the United States and spectacular allegations of modern...

Thousands of people have marched through central Warsaw to mark Poland’s Independence Day amid heightened security following a deadly mass shooting in Krakow and political tensions over a constitutional crisis. The rally in the capital has in previous years attracted far-right demonstrators and has been blighted by violence. But officials have not so far reported any major disturbances at Wednesday's event. Organizers estimated that turnout could have reached up to 1 million people, but Warsaw's municipal public safety agency put attendance at up to 250,000. City Hall last year put turnout at around 100,000, while organizers claimed it was...

Alexandra R. Patterson was arrested by Miami University police on November 2 and charged with one felony count of making a terroristic threat, plus misdemeanor counts of aggravated menacing, telecommunications harassment, and inducing panic. Authorities also notified the FBI. The October 28 post, made in the app’s “Miami Ohio” group and visible to users near the Oxford campus, read: “How many dining dollars to kirk the anti-abortion table in Armstrong.” Court documents state that four students were at the anti-abortion information booth at the time. The students and others understood “kirk” as a clear reference to the September 2025 assassination...

Mehr news agency reported on Monday, November 9, that three commercial units, including two traditional coffeehouses and one coffee shop, had been sealed in Baharestan County. Concurrently, local media reported the sealing of a café in the Golestan area and the arrest of its manager on charges framed by the police as “promoting corruption and prostitution.” According to Mehr, these enforcement measures were carried out during inspections of 16 commercial units under police orders. During these inspections, closure notices were also issued to seven other commercial establishments. Sayed Hashem Hosseinikhah, the police commander of Baharestan, stated that the reason for...

The United Kingdom is preparing to launch a Sharia-compliant alternative student loan system, allowing Muslim students to access interest-free higher education financing in accordance with Islamic law. Several leading British universities have already begun informing prospective applicants about the proposed scheme, known as "Alternative Student Finance" (ASF), which aims to broaden access to higher education for Muslim students while triggering debate nationwide. According to a report by British newspaper The Telegraph, the proposed system aligns with Islamic Sharia principles, which prohibit paying or receiving interest. The framework is expected to be introduced starting from the 2026–27 academic year, though the...

Former President Joe Biden was heckled Tuesday by anti-Israel agitators who threw at least one object at his motorcade and screamed obscenities during his visit to Ireland alongside former first lady Jill Biden. Biden, 83, made a surprise appearance at Trinity College in Dublin, where his son, Hunter Biden, accepted the Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse, The Independent reported. A mob of agitators gathered outside the venue while the event took place. As Biden exited the building, someone threw an object that was blocked by an umbrella near Biden. Local police arrested two people at the scene....

Here are a few options: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWB3dDnFxG0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVHj8iJW_J0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAkjzuSRdMY

“Veterans Day is very different now,” said Charles Simmons, the father of Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, who died in a refueling plane crash in Iraq in March. He added: “It takes on a whole different meaning because it’s come home. The bell tolls for thee.” Mr. Simmons said that he and his family “have a profound sense of pride” for all of his son’s accomplishments. But above all else, he said, there is “a profound hole in our hearts.” Mr. Simmons said his son died doing what he loved, but before his deployment in February he told his father he...

NOBUNAGA🇯🇵🏯@japan_nobunaga·16hFor years, cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy walked past the quiet old janitor who mopped their floors and cleaned their showers. Most of them gave him little more than a passing nod.In the fall of 1976, a cadet named James Moschgat was reading a book about the fighting in Italy in World War II. On one page he found the story of Hill 424, and a Private William Crawford from Colorado.He turned to his roommate. "Holy cow... I think our janitor is a Medal of Honor winner."On September 13, 1943, near Altavilla, Italy, Private Bill Crawford's company was...

Texas Democrats rode last week's blue wave to a majority in the state House and the governor's mansion, and they've wasted no time showing gun owners what comes next. It ain't pretty. When bill prefiling opened on November 9, Democrats flooded the docket with gun-control proposals. The Texan counted 23 gun bills, all but one in the House, and NRA-ILA tallied roughly 35 firearm-related bills on day one alone. That's a lot of gun control bills for a group that duped voters into thinking their primary concern was gas and grocery prices. The wish list reads like it was copied...

Ernie PyleMonday, January 10, 1944AT THE FRONT LINES IN ITALY, January 10, 1944 – In this war I have known a lot of officers who were loved and respected by the soldiers under them. But never have I crossed the trail of any man as beloved as Capt. Henry T. Waskow of Belton, Texas.Capt. Waskow was a company commander in the 36th Division. He had led his company since long before it left the States. He was very young, only in his middle twenties, but he carried in him a sincerity and gentleness that made people want to be guided...

Russia’s Ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, has died at the age of 66, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. “An outstanding diplomat, experienced leader, kind colleague and mentor has passed away,” the ministry said in a brief statement, describing the late ambassador as a “professional of the highest order and a brilliant expert on American affairs.” It did not disclose the cause of Darchiev’s death. Darchiev replaced Anatoly Antonov as ambassador to the United States in early 2025 amid a sudden thaw in U.S.-Russia relations following President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

A razor-thin North Carolina congressional race swung in both directions as counties counted late provisional ballots. The latest official numbers show Democratic challenger Chuck Hubbard leading Republican incumbent Rep. Virginia Foxx in the Republican-held 5th District. The contest remains active, unofficial, and uncertified. Every remaining ballot and deadline matters with only 335 votes separating the two leading candidates. The North Carolina State Board of Elections live results, checked November 11, 2026, show a stunning nail-biter in District 5 following the November 3 general election, with the numbers leaving virtually no breathing room between the leading candidates on election night. Democrat...

Ukrainian forces struck the Omsk Oil Refinery, Russia’s largest refinery by processing capacity, in a long-range drone attack covering approximately 3,000 kilometers. The strike was reported by Ukrainian open-source intelligence community Exilenova+ on November 11. The facility, located in the Russian city of Omsk, is part of Gazprom Neft and has a designed processing capacity exceeding 21 million metric tons of crude oil annually, accounting for approximately 10% of Russia’s total oil refining output, according to Exilenova+. The refinery produces several types of automotive gasoline, including AI-92, AI-95, and G-Drive 100, alongside Euro-5 diesel fuel, aviation kerosene, lubricants, and a...