Free Republic

The US congressman Ro Khanna says armed Israeli settlers detained him during a visit to the Israel-occupied West Bank recently, describing the experience as a first-hand view of the realities faced by Palestinians living under occupation. In an interview with Reuters on Thursday from a Palestinian village, the progressive US House Democrat from California said his detention happened the previous day while his delegation visited an area of the southern West Bank that has experienced repeated attacks by Israeli settlers. Khanna recounted how settlers carrying US-made M4 rifles surrounded the group’s van. “We were at a village that Israeli settlers...

A 26-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of murdering Ann Widdecombe has since been released from custody and is no longer part of the investigation, police say. Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said the force's "priority remains identifying those responsible and ensuring that all available evidence is thoroughly examined". He went on: “Detectives continue to carry out numerous enquiries as part of the ongoing investigation and we remain committed to establishing the full circumstances surrounding the incident."

Advocacy group calls on acting attorney general to lead ‘thorough, transparent federal investigation’The deaths in recent days of two Black men in Tennessee, one in the custody of police and the other at the hands of national guard troops, has prompted the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to demand the suspension of the so-called Memphis Safe Task Force, Donald Trump’s anti-crime alliance of federal, state and local law enforcement.In a letter to the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, on Friday, the NAACP also demanded “a thorough, transparent federal investigation” into the actions of the taskforce, which it...

Man arrested on suspicion of murder: What we know so far We've just heard from Devon and Cornwall Police, who said a 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after Anne Widdecombe's death. Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman spoke to the media at the force's Exeter HQ. Here are the key things we learnt: A 26-year-old white British male has been arrested on suspicion of murder It is "too early to say" if the suspect was known to Widdecombe There is "no evidence at this time" to suggest this is a politically-motivated crime and it is not being...

After the dramatic implosion of Graham Platner's US Senate campaign in Maine, Morris Katz was dispatched to help deal with the crisis. At 27 years old, the New Yorker has risen quickly in the world of Democratic strategists. The Gen Z media guru serves as Zohran Mamdani's top political adviser and is credited with helping to orchestrate the Democratic socialist's landslide victory in New York City's mayoral election. His skills in harnessing social media and creating savvy digital campaigns have put him in high demand among those vying for power in a party desperate to reengage young voters. Mr Katz...

Andy Burnham and his allies set out a vision of Britain moving even further to the Left under his premiership today, hours after he was effectively anointed Labour leader without a fight. The former Manchester mayor last night won the backing of 322 Labour MPs to replace Sir Keir Starmer, in practice meaning no challenger can now get enough support to oppose him. And this morning one of his closest allies in the Cabinet signalled he could put up taxes or increase public borrowing to fund an increase in defence spending.

NASA's chief administrator confirmed that the space agency has taken images of objects which can only be described as UFOs. Jared Isaacman, who took the helm in December, said real imagery captured from space could not be explained away as a comet or other natural phenomenon. While he stopped short of calling it proof of alien life, he was confident that the ultimate conclusion would be that the universe is full of extraterrestrial life, which humans have not yet discovered. The NASA administrator told podcast host Jack Gordon: 'We have captured imagery, and this is what President Trump is very...

Elon Musk is set to meet Rupert Lowe, the MP leading a rival right-wing party to Reform UK, after the tech billionaire fell out with Nigel Farage. Lowe said he would meet the tech billionaire on Sunday as part of a trip to the US, which has included visits to Texas and Washington. The MP appeared in a two-hour interview on the Joe Rogan Experience, one of the world’s most popular podcasts. Lowe split from Farage early last year after Reform UK accused him of bullying, which he denies. Restore Britain was founded by Lowe soon after. A candidate for...

The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s three-hour version of Homer’s epic poem, world premiered in London on Monday night, and critics who saw the film there and at early screenings in the US have been sharing their takes on one of the year’s most hotly anticipated films. “Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is a colossal origin-myth story of postwar disillusion and a loss of innocence witnessed by the dead,” wrote the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, ahead of the reviews embargo lifting next Wednesday and next Friday’s worldwide release. IndieWire editor-at-large Anne Thompson called the film the best picture contender to beat, and added that Matt...

@MLP_officiel Translated from French Yes, I am a candidate in the presidential election. With Jordan Bardella, we are going to launch this presidential campaign, and it is together that we will go convince the French that we are the only ones who can make good decisions to change their future.

Nigel Farage says he will resign as an MP for Clacton, triggering a by-election which he says he will stand in

Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a stark warning to NATO: Europe cannot afford to wait years for a new generation of anti-ballistic missile systems while Russia continues expanding its missile attacks. Speaking at the NATO Defence Industries Forum in Ankara, the Ukrainian president said ballistic missiles remain “Russia’s last major advantage” and called for the rapid development of affordable, mass-produced European air-defence systems. His warning came after Russia launched another devastating missile and drone assault on Kyiv, killing 26 people in the second major attack on the Ukrainian capital in just four days. The strikes highlighted a growing weakness in Ukraine’s...

Ukraine and Germany have formed a joint working group to discuss how to return Ukrainian men of military age who left the country illegally, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, Oleksiy Makeiev. As of late May, Germany hosted approximately 1.35 million Ukrainian refugees, including 356,000 men between the ages of 18 and 63. However, the specific mechanisms currently under discussion have not been disclosed. The development followed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s April remarks that Berlin would limit the number of Ukrainian men seeking asylum and facilitate their return home during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Germany. The ambassador outlined broader...

Talking to LBC's Sunday with Lewis Goodall, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party called for more restrictions on social media usage around the date of elections, calling for rules to be aligned with current broadcasting restrictions. "We absolutely need to strengthen regulation in the social media place," she told LBC, adding that she already has some proposals to put forward, "especially when it’s election time,” as part of a current bill being looked at in Parliament. "We’ve got an elections bill going through the House of Commons at the moment; to strengthen that bill, so that social media comes...

The rise of Nigel Farage has prompted political leaders across Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to game the unthinkable: the breakup of the United Kingdom. Unionists who wish to save the union and nationalists who wish to end it are bracing for constitutional turmoil if Reform UK emerges triumphant – with Farage as prime minister or official leader of the opposition – after the next election. Representatives from each side believe a Farage-led government could trigger a hasty referendum on Irish unification and usher in Trump-style anti-immigration crackdowns that alienate the Celtic nations. The possibility of a strong Reform...

President Donald Trump said it is “ridiculous” for the United States to maintain its current level of support for NATO “when the relationship is not reciprocal." Referring to the alliance as a "one-sided path” late Thursday, Trump doubled down on his long-argued criticism of allied nations’ defense spending ahead of next week’s planned NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. Alongside his Truth Social remarks, Trump posted a chart displaying contributions from NATO members, showing the U.S. vastly outspending its allies. The President had earlier complained that the U.S. “spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far, to protect...

A British MP has demanded an "immediate stop" to a controversial plan to house dozens of asylum seekers in a small English village. The housing development in the Shropshire village of Stoke Heath in England’s west is poised to house a total of 83 asylum seekers, The Sun has reported. The newly built homes are worth around £250,000, equivalent to just over A$480,000. Following reporting on the matter, the British Home Office has said asylum seekers should not be housed in newly built homes. Conservative MP Mark Pritchard, who represents the constituency where the development is located, has called for...

Ministers are concerned that President Trump will publicly turn on Sir Keir Starmer at a Nato summit next week for failing to commit to spending more on defence. The prime minister this week committed to spending an additional £15 billion on defence as he published a 10-year investment plan. The £4.7 billion pledge was unfunded, leaving a hole in finances that would have to be filled by Andy Burnham at the next budget. It also included £6.8 billion of as yet undetermined cuts to government departments. Economists pointed out that hitting the government’s target of increased defence spending of 3.5...

Check out the utter state of policing in the UK. The guys surrounded. The mob circling him are clearly the aggressors. Right. So, he's being closelined to the floor, punched in the face. Guess who the female cop decides to tackle? Oh, you just knew it was coming, didn't you? The people who attacked him get away. Then this happens. I mean, fair enough. That was pretty dumb. Some people in the comments claimed he was just reacting and didn't even know it was a copper. I don't know about that, but if she hadn't charged into the wrong guy,...

Pope Leo will not be celebrating the United States' 250th birthday; instead, he will visit a poverty-stricken migrant island on July 4. The first American pontiff has been deeply critical of Donald Trump's immigration agenda and war against Iran, culminating in an unprecedented public falling-out with the president. On the day that marks the United States' independence from Britain, Leo XIV will visit the tiny Sicilian island of Lampedusa, the gateway for migrants and refugees trying to reach Europe's shores. His decision appears to be a deliberate but subtle rebuke of the Trump administration as the president pushes on with...