Free Republic

“Germany is considering purchasing up to 2,500 armored fighting vehicles and as many as 1,000 battle tanks as part of a joint European effort to create new NATO brigades to deter Russia, according to people familiar with the matter. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has asked Germany to contribute as many as seven combat brigades to the alliance within the next decade. The fighting vehicles and tanks, if approved, would equip these forces, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.” “The order under consideration by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and the Bundeswehr’s top generals would include as...

The quintessential ice cream flavour is under threat, and many other dessert staples along with it, according to climate change researchers at the University of Costa Rica and Belgium's KU Leuven university. Increasing climate extremes are changing the habitats of wild vanilla species — primarily found in the tropical regions of Central America — and their mainly animal pollinators, the researchers say. This, in turn, is putting global production of vanilla at risk. In some regions, the plants may find more favourable conditions, but the insects that pollinate them may no longer find suitable habitats, according to the study published...

The Prime Minister of Qatar has received the 2024 Tipperary International Peace Prize. At a ceremony, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani accepted the award on behalf of his country, which the organizers say has emerged as a “significant mediator” in international diplomacy, notably for its role in brokering the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran. He said his country was a “steady voice for peace” in the world and said he was accepting the award with “deep humility and immense gratitude”. He said it was profoundly meaningful to be in Ireland, which he said was...

A convicted sex offender from Britain was arrested in France after he was accused of trying to stage a mock wedding with a 9-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris. According to the BBC, 39-year-old Jacky Jhaj reportedly set up the ceremony on Saturday, June 21, and paid Disneyland Paris to coordinate. There were around 100 people paid as extras in the staged ceremony that cost around $151,000, so it could be filmed privately. French prosecutors say the girl arrived in France two days before the ceremony and was not harmed physically or sexually, and she was not forced into the role...

Irish lawmaker Ivana Bacik held up a meme depicting Vice President JD Vance, in her country's parliament on Tuesday following reports a 21-year-old Norwegian tourist was refused access to the U.S. because he had the image on his phone. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has denied this allegation, saying the tourist, Mads Mikkelsen, was refused entry "for his admitted drug use." Newsweek contacted Vance for comment on Thursday via email outside of regular office hours.

HOVELTE, Denmark (AP) — Peering across a dense stretch of woodland outside of Denmark’s capital with camouflage paint smeared across her face, 20-year-old Katrine scans the horizon for approaching threats. After nearly four months of military training, the young soldier and the rest of her unit spent early June completing their final exercises near the Danish army’s barracks in Hovelte, 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of Copenhagen. Katrine and other female soldiers, all of whom spoke to The Associated Press on June 11 on the condition that only their first names be used because of operational security, volunteered for military...

So the EU in response to Victor Orban bans on gay pride events in Hungary decided to organize their own illegal event in Budapest on Saturday 28th June. There were counter protestors there who managed to prevent them from using the freedom bridge. How many of the "pride" demonstrators were actually Hungarian is uncertain but I can tell you there were many politicans from EU countries that were playing a part in it including my own Ireland.

At least one person has been left fighting for their life and five others have been injured after a shooting in France. The horror attack unfolded at around 7pm on Friday evening in Nimes, near Avignon. Six people were rushed to hospital with bullet wounds and one remains in a serious condition. An investigation for attempted murder has been launched by the French authorities, according to The Mirror. As of the early hours of Saturday morning, no arrests had been made - and it is believed that the suspects are still on the run. Witnesses reported hearing gunshots and explosions...

President Donald Trump responds to a reporter's question about Secretary General Mark Rutte calling him "Daddy" and whether he considers NATO members "children." Laughing, Trump said Rutte "did it very affectionately."

President Trump said he left the NATO summit feeling differently about the alliance than when he arrived, after countries showed their appreciation for the U.S. “I came here because it was something I’m supposed to be doing, but I left here a little bit different,” Mr. Trump said at his post-NATO press conference Wednesday. He said he watched other world leaders at the summit talk about the love and passion they have for their countries. “I’ve never seen quite anything like it,” he said. “They want to protect their country, and they need the United States, and without the United...

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Spain's refusal to meet the NATO defense spending target of 5% of gross domestic product will mean a tougher trade deal for the southern European country. Speaking at a news conference at NATO's annual summit in the Netherlands, Trump said it was "terrible" that Spain wouldn't commit to meeting the target by 2035. "You know they are doing very well. The economy is [doing] very well. And that economy could be blown right out of the water with something bad happening," Trump said. "You know what we're going to do? We're negotiating with...

Irish students seeking US educational and exchange visas will be required to make their social media profiles public to allow officials to review their online activity, the US Embassy in Dublin has said. In a statement on Monday, the embassy said the US State Department is “committed to protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process”. “A US visa is a privilege, not a right,” it said. The embassy said visa applicants will be required to list all social media usernames or handles for every platform they...

French police have detained 12 suspects after 145 people reported being pricked with syringes during the country’s annual street music festival, officials said on Sunday. Millions of people took to the streets across France on Saturday evening for the Fête de la Musique, with authorities reporting “unprecedented crowds” in Paris. Before the party, posts on social media had called for women to be targeted during the festivities. The interior ministry said 145 victims across the country had reported being stabbed with needles. Paris police reported 13 cases in the capital. Officials did not say if these were cases of so-called...

The EU cloaks supranational tax increases in green.On the hunt for fresh sources of cash, the European Commission has zeroed in on households and motorists. A planned expansion of the EU’s carbon pricing scheme to include home heating and transportation fuels is set to plug Brussels’ gaping budget deficit — at the expense of its citizens. What we are witnessing is a fiscal smash-and-grab dressed up in green. Starting in 2027, private homes, small businesses, and passenger vehicles will be folded into a second emissions trading system (ETS2), placing them under the strict control of EU-level cap-and-trade mechanisms. This bureaucratic...

You (probably) don’t hate leftists enough.Here’s the gist of the story, from Thomas Brooke’s new report at Remix News today: the German government pulled a sneaky, condemned an old folks housing complex, and forced the residents to find new accommodations before demolition day… before city officials “scrapped” the plans and changed course. Now, on the taxpayer dime, the city of Bargteheide will renovate a number of units while the rest will remain as-is, ready to house… migrants.As reported by Abendblatt, Mayor Gabriele Hettwer defended the decision, saying all cost-related issues had been resolved and that a full renovation was unnecessary....

PARIS/JERUSALEM, June 16 (Reuters) - France shut down the main Israeli company stands at the Paris Airshow on Monday for refusing to remove attack weapons from display, sparking a furious response from Israel and inflaming tensions between the traditional allies. Stands including those of Elbit Systems (ESLT.TA), opens new tab, Rafael, IAI and Uvision were blocked off with black partitions before the start of the world's biggest aviation trade fair. Smaller Israeli stands, which didn't have hardware on display, and an Israeli Ministry of Defence stand, remained open. France, a long-time Israeli ally, has gradually hardened its position on the...

The Danish have caved and will allow US bases in their territory. When US President Donald J. Trump expressed his desire to gain control of the island of Greenland, it took most by surprise, and generated a panic in the kingdom of Denmark. While the former colony and present semi-autonomous territory has belonged to the Danish for centuries, the geopolitical situation may cause a historical shift. Greenland is located between North America and Europe, making it vital for monitoring Russian military activities, particularly ballistic missile threats and naval movements through the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) gap. The U.S. already operates Pituffik...

Those are some incredible crocodile tears from Eva Longoria over the ICE raids. Stop and think about the audacity it takes for this fraud to run from the United States because Donald Trump was elected president only to turn around and want to look like the champion of illegal aliens while holed up in what appears to be her mansion in Spain. Takes big balls, Eva.

On January 20, 2025, the first day of his second presidential term, Donald Trump signed an executive order: “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship.” The bad old days of the “censorship-industrial complex,” allegedly responsible for suppressing online speech under President Joe Biden, were over.Except they weren’t. The driving force behind online censorship had never been the U.S. government, which meant that freedom of speech could not be restored by the stroke of a president’s pen. Rather, the European Union has wielded its Digital Services Act (DSA) to restrict the speech not just of Europeans but especially of Americans...

Argentine President Javier Milei sparks outrage in Spain, shouting "Death to socialism!" and urging citizens to "beat up" PM Pedro Sanchez at the Madrid Economic Forum. His fiery speech rocked the crowd and ignited fierce debate across political lines.