Free Republic

This is the gravest crisis for Western security since the end of World War Two, and a lasting one. As one expert puts it, "Trumpism will outlast his presidency". But which nations are equipped to step to the fore as the US stands back? ... Donald Trump is the first US President since World War Two to challenge the role that his country set for itself many decades ago. And he is doing this in such a way that, to many, the old world order appears to be over - and the new world order has yet to take shape....

A court in Japan has ordered the disbandment of the controversial Unification Church, which came under scrutiny after the shock killing of former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. The alleged assassin had confessed that he held a grievance against Abe because of the ex-leader's ties with the church - he blamed the church for bankrupting his family. Japan's education and culture ministry sought the church's dissolution and accused it of manipulating followers into making huge donations and other financial sacrifices. But the church, more popularly known as the "Moonies", argued that the donations were part of legitimate religious activities....

The BBC reporting of the hostages comes nearly a month after they aired a documentary about the war in Gaza featuring a narrator with alleged familial ties to Hamas. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was accused of downplaying the Hamas terrorist organization's harsh treatment of Israeli hostages, according to a Sunday report by The Telegraph. The Arabic branch of the British public service broadcaster was forced to edit a video clip of the "shadow unit" of the terror group's Al-Qassam Brigades, the report said. The "shadow unit" was described in the video clip as "guarding the kidnapped female Israeli hostages,"...

When Kajol contracted tuberculosis in January, USAID kept her alive. Now she and her family are in danger again after the Trump administration ordered most US aid spending to end. "You ask people on the street, they will say yeah, it's the US, they are the ones that are keeping it [tuberculosis] in control," said a director of a USAID project in Bangladesh. "Bangladesh was USAID's largest programme in Asia," says Asif Saleh, executive director of the non-profit BRAC organisation. "In terms of its impact, particularly in the healthcare sector, it has been massive. In 2024, Bangladesh received $500m in...

When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered up to 200,000 soldiers into Ukraine, his aim was to sweep into the capital, Kyiv, in a matter of days. He wanted to overthrow the pro-Western government and return Ukraine to Russia's sphere of influence. Putin failed, but more than three years on a fifth of Ukrainian territory is in Russian hands (Excerpt)

UK Lawyers for Israel says use of inaccurate data, inconsistent methodology, potential bias led to false assertions that were utilized by ICC when charging Netanyahu with war (sic) crimes. A review conducted by the UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) organization into allegations by international famine review bodies that famine and severe malnutrition were widespread and prevalent in Gaza during the war between Israel and Hamas has found that famine did not break out in the territory according to the figures of the very organizations making the claims. The report noted severe problems with the reports these organizations issued, due to...

UK lawmaker calls for inquiry into national broadcaster over contentious documentary featuring senior Hamas official's son

An Israeli government spokesman slammed Hamas as a “death cult” after it paraded the coffins containing the remains of four civilian hostages, including those of a baby and a child, during a propaganda stage show in Khan Yunis, the southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday morning. “Hamas is not a resistance movement. Hamas is a death cult that murders, that tortures and parades dead bodies,” government spokesman David Mencer told journalists during a press briefing. The Palestinian terrorist organization “has no place amongst civilized nations. It has no place in Gaza,” he said. One of the bodies has been identified as...

‘Hamas propaganda promoted as reliable fact’, anti-Semitism campaigners say in official complaint The BBC has been accused of focusing a documentary about ordinary Palestinians on the son of a Hamas government minister without disclosing the connection. The documentary, Gaza: How To Survive a War Zone, was broadcast on Monday evening as an account of the conflict through the eyes of three children whose lives have been devastated by Israel’s military campaign against Hamas. The hour-long film was narrated by a 14-year-old English-speaking boy named Abdullah, who is listed in the film’s credits under his full name, Abdullah Al-Yazouri. It has...

When he penned his eyewitness account of the 1917 Russian Revolution, American journalist John Reed famously titled it Ten Days That Shook The World. But 10 days is too long for Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. They've shaken things up in a week. -snip- The Kremlin wants the Russian public and the international community to see that Western efforts to isolate Russia over the war in Ukraine have failed. Russian media are welcoming the prospect of warmer ties with Washington and pouring scorn on European leaders and Kyiv. "Trump knows he will have to make concessions [to Russia] because he...

Navy Seal Author and Historian Matt Bracken joins military vet and podcast host of both “The Chasing Ghosts” and “WarNotes: A Conflict Podcast” Bill Buppert to discuss free speech, USAID, DOGE, the Middle East, Trump’s comments on Gaza, Panama Canal, war against the cartels, and much more.

A state of emergency has been declared on the Greek island of Santorini after days of consecutive earthquakes. It comes after a magnitude 5.2 tremor was recorded at 21:09 local time (19:09 GMT) on Wednesday between the Greek islands of Amorgos and Santorini, making it the strongest in recent days. It is estimated to have occurred at a depth of 5km (3.1 miles). The decree will be in effect until 3 March to "address the emergency needs and manage the consequences", officials said. More than 11,000 people have already left Santorini, with around 7,000 departing by ferry and 4,000 by...

STATEMENT A free press is essential to freedom and democracy – and 75% of countries around the world do not have a free press. BBC Media Action supports local media around the world to deliver trusted information to people most in need. Like many international development organisations, BBC Media Action has been affected by the temporary pause in US government funding, which amounts to about 8% of our income in 2023-24. We’re doing everything we can to minimise the impact on our partners and the people we serve.

Summary Donald Trump said the US could "take over" Gaza, in a joint news conference with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House The president says the US could "do a real job" by removing unexploded bombs and economically redeveloping the Palestinian territory into "the Riviera of the Middle East" He also proposed that Palestinians should be resettled outside of Gaza while it was rebuilt, though countries throughout the Middle East have previously rejected this proposal Netanyahu - the first foreign leader to visit in the US president's second term - said Trump's plan was an idea "worth...

The future of the US government's main overseas aid agency has been cast into doubt, with employees locked out and the Trump administration planning to merge it with the US Department of State. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) would continue to function as a branch of the state department, but the plan involves a significant reduction in its funding and the workforce, CBS News, the BBC's US partner, reports. On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused USAID's leadership of "insubordination" and said he was now its "acting head". US President Donald Trump and one of his...

Warning: This story contains strong and offensive language. Far-right activists groomed people by "piggybacking on legitimate concerns" about asylum seekers, a prominent Welsh politician has said. Former government minister Lee Waters said vulnerable constituents in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, were targeted to push a "race agenda" during protests in the town in 2023. UK government plans to temporarily house asylum seekers in the four-star Stradey Park Hotel prompted 100 days of protests. The Llanelli MS' comments come as pressure grows on police to investigate a far-right group exposed in an undercover BBC investigation. "What the far right do time and again is...

AMAZINGLY the BBC covered this (on TV) Freepers and interviewed Vaxx damaged especially those who took AstraZeneca's. Its not online but here is why they're covering it (from Sky). Grieving families speak at hearing The latest round of the COVID inquiry focuses on vaccines and anti-viral treatment across the UK. Today we've heard from several groups representing bereaved families whose loved ones died in the pandemic. 'The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme awards just £120,000 ($150k), which nowhere near replaces the potential lifetime earnings of a middle-aged parent.'

With fires still burning in Los Angeles after several days, some have been accusing politicians of mismanaging resources and making the fires worse. President-elect Donald Trump has pointed a finger squarely at California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, who he said is responsible for LA's struggling water supply. A lack of water for firefighter's hoses has been cited as one of the reasons the fires have burned so long. Meanwhile, others have blamed LA Mayor Karen Bass for cutting the city's fire department budget. BBC Verify looked into the facts behind the political fallout

President-elect Donald Trump has reiterated his desire for the US to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, calling both critical to American national security. Asked if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over the autonomous Danish territory or the Canal, he responded: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two. "But I can say this, we need them for economic security," he told reporters during a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Both Denmark and Panama have rejected any suggestion that they would give up territory. Trump also...