Free Republic

Britain would be forced to accept the European Union's refugee quota if Labour rejoins the bloc. Before Brexit, the UK was allowed to opt out of the EU's asylum policy. But now, sources have indicated rejoining the union would require the acceptance of all EU "acquis communautaire" - the complete body of common rights, obligations and legal framework by which which member states abide. Post-Brexit rules enforce quotas of relocated refugees, and governments which refuse to accept them are penalised by as much as £17,500 per person. Fresh fears were raised over rejoining the EU when Labour leadership hopeful Wes...

Reason number 999,999,999 why migration is a bad idea. You can’t expect everybody to understand or cater to your religion or your customs. And what happened on a deportation flight from Ireland to Pakistan is a perfect example of that kind of cultural miscommunication. Several Muslim migrants, described as “high risk,” were being removed from the country after previous offenses and bad behavior. During the flight, they were served a full Irish breakfast, which included pork sausage. Irish Times: Catering on deportation flights was changed after pork sausages were included as part of an Irish breakfast served on a forced...

European negotiators agreed late on Tuesday to implement the controversial trade agreement concluded last summer with the US. However, the deal — signed in the Scottish city of Turnberry — remains fragile as long as US President Donald Trump continues to use tariffs as a tool of political pressure. Diplomats and MEPs reached an agreement late on Tuesday to implement the contentious EU-US agreement, which eliminates duties on most US industrial goods imported into Europe. The negotiations concluded two weeks after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on EU cars if Europeans did not implement the agreement...

The biggest issue for the Irish community in the United States is a current “sense of vulnerability”, Minister of State for Diaspora Neale Richmond has said. Speaking to RTÉ News during a visit to the US, he said that both those who live legally in the US and those who are undocumented are worried about their own immigration status and that of their neighbors. When asked about increased efforts to arrest and detain migrants, he said people are scared. “They’re not necessarily seeing ICE in their neighborhoods. They’re not necessarily feeling under immediate threat. But between media reports, between the...

Muslim passengers being deported from Ireland to Pakistan were insensitively served pork sausages as part of a breakfast during their chartered flight. A Government-appointed human rights monitor branded the meal choice "inappropriate" aboard the journey from Dublin to Islamabad transporting 24 men to the Muslim-majority nation. The monitor's assessment noted "the quality of food was a low standard" and criticised the decision to include pork products for individuals travelling to an Islamic country – naturally defying the dietary practices of the religion. Before the flight – which cost Irish taxpayers €473,000 – the men were detained overnight across three separate...

Sweden, together with the European Commission, will hold talks with the Taliban. The goal is to enable deportations to Afghanistan - but the announcement is being criticized. "A deal with extremists," says Annika Hirvonen (MP). Migration Minister Johan Forssell (M) tells TT that the Swedish government has been "very proactive" in the EU on securing deportations to Afghanistan. The issue of being able to carry out more criminal deportations, i.e. of people who have been convicted of crimes in Sweden or who pose a threat to Sweden's security, is one of my most important priorities, he says. According to Forssell,...

The Government has reiterated its condemnation of the detention by Israel of an aid flotilla with at least ten Irish citizens onboard. The Coalition is calling on the Israeli authorities to uphold their obligations under international law. Dr. Margaret Connolly, the sister of President Catherine Connolly, is among those on board. […] The Global Sumud Flotilla said earlier it had lost contact with the intercepted boats. “We condemn the interception of vessels in international waters and call on the Israeli authorities to uphold their obligations under international law to ensure the safety and welfare of all those on board the...

Two shooters have been shot dead after an active shooter situation at a San Diego mosque drew a massive police presence, three police sources told NBC on Monday. Helicopter footage shows one person in a tactical vest who appears to have been shot dead outside the at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Several people are believed to have been shot, Officer Anthony Carrasco told the Associated Press. Hundreds of cops and scores of emergency vehicles lined up outside the center only minutes after the call came in for an active shooter.

In a disturbing snapshot of today’s Britain, the Henry Jackson Society published figures after this month’s local elections suggesting that more than 570 of new councillors were what it classed as “sectarian-style” candidates. The criteria used to define this were the emphases those candidates had, in their campaigns, put on issues of “Muslim communal grievance” and “transnational Muslim causes”. The Green Party, illustrating how it has stopped focusing on the environment or ecology, accounted for 350 of those councillors. What this has to do with local government is unclear; what it has to do with a complete failure of certain...

Wes Streeting has called for a “proper contest” to replace Sir Keir Starmer and confirmed he would stand if the race is triggered, as he and other senior Labour figures make their pitch to replace the Prime Minister. In his first public appearance since resigning as health secretary, Mr Streeting set out a fledgling policy platform for a run at the Labour leadership. He said Britain must pursue a “new special relationship” with the European Union and signalled he wanted to see the country rejoin the trade bloc in the future. Mr Streeting is among the senior Labour figures to...

The United States of America is in active talks with Greenland and Denmark to expand its military presence in Greenland. US officials are seeking to open three new bases in the south of the territory, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark, as they work to resolve a diplomatic crisis sparked by President Donald Trump when he threatened to seize Greenland by force. Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, mentioned on Tuesday that increasing the U.S. military presence in the Arctic territory was ‌part of ongoing negotiations with Washington, as the United States’ desire to own or control the territory remains alive The...

The House will have to take up a major security package for war-torn Ukraine after enough Republicans joined Democrats to give the needed 218 signatures to force a vote. A vote is likely to come in the next few weeks on the package that would marshal $1.3 billion in security aid to Ukraine and allow the war-torn country to get up to $8 billion in additional loan support. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced the bill in the House last year, where it sat for months. It would also slap tighter sanctions...

An anti-corruption association accused the RN of using European funds to train its members, including Bardella, to address the media during the 2022 French presidential election campaign. The complaint, filed in Paris last December by anti-graft association AC!!Anti-Corruption, was forwarded by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) to the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) for assessment. "Following a preliminary review, an investigation has been opened on suspicion of fraud," said the source. Bardella's mentor, Marine Le Pen, is seeking to overturn a court ruling that convicted her of embezzlement in 2025 and could derail her presidential bid next year. If...

The European Union is moving to tighten migration controls after years of struggling to deport most migrants ordered to leave, with a top official saying the bloc is now working to "get control back" ahead of sweeping new asylum rules set to take effect in June. European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said deportations have increased and new border screening systems are identifying potential security threats, part of a broader effort to address gaps in enforcement that have drawn criticism from the United States and fueled political pressure across Europe. "Ten years ago, we didn't have a...

RTÉ and other public service broadcasters in Slovenia and Spain will not show the Eurovision Song Contest this week as they boycott the event over Israel’s participation. The world’s biggest live televised music event holds its first semi-final in the Austrian capital Vienna on Tuesday, bringing together participants from 35 countries — the fewest since entry was expanded in 2004. Five countries — Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain — are boycotting the contest over Israel’s war in Gaza. […] During Saturday’s grand final, RTÉ One will show the animated family comedy Mummies and the acclaimed John McGahern adaptation...

More than 300,000 names have been removed from Ireland's electoral register over the past two years, in a major push to remove duplicate names as well as those who have either emigrated or died. The work is being undertaken by local authorities, overseen by An Coimisiún Toghcháin — the independent electoral commission — and funded by the Department of Housing and Local Government. […] Mr [Art] O’Leary said: “We also added 700,000 new voters to the register and over 600,000 people have updated their details, such as changed their addresses.” He added: “Right now, we have 31 separate registers, and...

I spent last weekend crossing half the globe with Prime Minister Mark Carney, to spend a few hours with European leaders in Yerevan, the stunning Armenian capital, before crossing all the way back to Ottawa. Mr. Carney was the first non-European leader to be invited to a meeting of the European Political Community, a grouping that brings together the 27 European Union member states with allies and neighbors, including Britain and Turkey, as well as aspiring members such as Ukraine and Albania. This meeting happens twice a year, and it’s mostly a chance for the leaders to talk about pressing...

Following a yearlong deterioration of relations with the United States, Ukraine is considering its options for material assistance as Russia's war continues and the possibility of a peace deal remains remote. "When [President Donald] Trump was elected, many in Kyiv were hopeful he'd bring a welcome change," John Hardie, the deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) Russia Program, told Newsweek. "Now, the Ukrainians deal with Washington because they can't afford not to. The frustration is palpable." Former acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy James Anderson, who worked in the first Trump administration, told Newsweek the...

In France, the National Front was co-founded in the 1970s by the avowed anti-Semite Jean-Marie Le Pen, along with a former member of the Waffen SS, and a member of the Vichy parapolice. Jean-Marie’s daughter, Marine Le Pen, took over the party in 2011...During her 2017 presidential campaign, she said that France was not responsible for the July 1942 roundup in which French police arrested and deported approximately thirteen thousand Jews. “I think, generally speaking,” she said, “if there are people responsible, it’s those who were in power at the time-not France.” ... By the time snap parliamentary elections were...

Albanese specifically criticized Greek authorities for their cooperation with Israel's interception of the Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla Sumud off Crete on Friday."The fact that the Greek authorities go hand-in-hand with the Israelis in stopping a humanitarian mission is wrong," she said.Regarding the military cooperation between Greece and Israel, she added that Greece, while presenting itself as a defender of international law, is in practice assisting a state that maintains an illegal occupation."Israel has no right to stop anyone going to Gaza. Greece should be taking positive measures to stop the genocide, instead of cooperating with the Israeli weapons industry. Greece is...