Free Republic

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Europe face a new health threat from a mosquito-borne disease far more unpleasant than the West Nile virus. Chikungunya virus has spread beyond Africa since 2005, causing outbreaks and scores of fatalities in India and the French island of Reunion. It also has been detected in Italy, where it has begun to spread locally, as well as France. Unlike West Nile virus, where nine out of 10 people are going to be totally asymptomatic, or may have a mild headache or a stiff neck, if you get Chikungunya you're going to be sick....

Italy is one of the few EU countries not to have compulsory sex education in schools despite evidence showing that comprehensive relationship and sex education helps to prevent violence against women and girls. The bill, which the lower house of parliament has passed, allows the teaching of sex education in middle schools, so for children aged 11-14, but only with written parental consent. The bill, which the senate would have to pass before it became law, is in line with the current procedures in high schools. Sex education is banned in primary schools. Opposition parties, which had called for sex...

A 4,000-year-old copper dagger has been unearthed in northeastern Italy's Tina Jama Cave, according to a SciNews report. Federico Bernardini of Ca' Foscari University said that the dagger is similar to copper daggers uncovered in Slovenia. "The findings are essential for understanding the technological, cultural, and social transformations in Europe during that period," added Elena Leghissa of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences. "The discovery of the copper dagger is an exceptional event that raises questions about the cave's use," she added. A structure made of stone slabs and blocks between about 2000 and 1500 B.C. was also excavated near the...

Tens of thousands rallied in Paris on Saturday to show support for Palestinians in Gaza, as protesters accused Israel of violating a fragile US-brokered ceasefire and demanded tougher international action amid soaring death tolls and ongoing restrictions on aid. Gaza’s health ministry, run by Hamas, said Saturday that more than 70,000 people have been killed since the war began. “Gaza, Gaza, Paris is with you.” Marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, tens of thousands of people, according to organizers, marched in Paris on Saturday to show support for Palestinians in Gaza, devastated by more than two...

An incredible image captures the bizarre UFO–like ring floating above Possagno, a tiny town in the foothills of the Italian Alps. The photograph was taken by photographer Valter Binotto, who watched as the glowing structure flashed in the sky at 10:45 local time on November 17. A photographer has captured a baffling image of a red UFO–like halo floating over the small Italian town of Possagno This ring is likely a structure known as an 'emission of light and very low–frequency perturbations due to electromagnetic pulse sources', or ELVEs for short. These are rings of red or green light created...

Climate activist Greta Thunberg is in the news once again. As usual, she’s making national headlines for the wrong reasons. Italian authorities have fined and banned Thunberg from Venice, Italy after she was part of a group that dumped green dye in the Grand Canal. Fox News reported more on Thunberg’s actions: Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been slapped with a 48-hour ban from entering Venice, Italy after joining Extinction Rebellion protesters in dyeing the Grand Canal bright green, according to reports. The Swedish activist, 22, was also fined $172 along with roughly 35 other demonstrators involved in the action,...

[Catholic Caucus] Head of Italian bishops says ‘the end of Christendom is not a defeat’Cardinal Matteo Zuppi has described secularization as a providential opportunity to free the faith from 'constraints of power and culture.'The president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) has said that secularization was willed by God to deprive the Church of its cultural hegemony.On November 17, during the General Assembly of the Italian Bishops in Assisi, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi explained to his confreres why secularism should not be regarded as a defeat, but rather as a providential opportunity to rethink the way Christians live their faith.“What is...

A massive dry fracture has just opened on Mount Etna -- and scientists are now raising the alert level. This newly discovered fissure on the southeast wall is not releasing lava, but that doesn't make it safe. In fact, this type of "silent cracking" is often a sign of deep internal pressure, structural movement, or early-stage volcanic instability. In today's Geology Watch report, we break down the footage shared by Pio Andrea Peri and the latest update from INGV, which has now issued an F1 Alert Status -- indicating a high probability of lava fountains and increased volcanic activity at...

Just a hundred meters off Pantelleria's main road, and just under ten minutes south from the island's main settlement, a round stone mausoleum represents the most impressive evidence of an ancient civilization. These structures were crafted by a group that inhabited the island 5,000 years ago.The so-called Sese Grande, (sese is a local island term for a pile of rocks) is an impressive funerary monument reaching almost 20 feet (six meters) high. The 12 cells inside the structure can be reached through corresponding corridors.In some cells, archaeologists during the 19th-century discovered pottery and sarcophagi. There was also evidence that showed...

(Kitco News) – Italy is considering a one-off levy for households to declare gold that is being held off the books – a move that could raise over 2 billion euros, or $2.3 billion, according to an amendment to the 2026 budget seen by Reuters. The proposal would allow individuals to pay a one-time tax of 12.5% to certify the market value of their bullion, gold jewelry, and collectible coins for which purchase records are missing – the same rate levied on government bonds. Under the proposal, the certification must be done by June 2026. Under current rules, the lack...

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has assured that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have safe passage and will not face arrest if he attends the 80th-anniversary commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz later this month, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. The assurance follows a call by Polish President Andrzej Duda for the government to guarantee Netanyahu's security. In a letter obtained by Bloomberg News, Duda cited the "absolutely exceptional circumstances" surrounding the event. Netanyahu is currently under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Gaza. “Anyone who wishes to attend the Auschwitz...

Justin Raimondo: An American Neo-Fascist By Stephen Schwartz FrontPageMagazine.com | March 15, 2005 Dennis “Justin” Raimondo is a minor celebrity in the U.S., thanks to a 10-year career as an amateur demagogue in the libertarian milieu of the San Francisco Bay Area, a political environment where anything goes and nothing matters. He has the familiar personality traits of the type: “sentimental formlessness, absence of disciplined thought, ignorance combined with gaudy erudition.”  He poses as a conservative but maintains a website at antiwar.com, that features anti-American cranks like Noam Chomsky and is hugely popular with the left – not surprisingly since it...

President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday designated four European left-wing groups as terrorist organizations, following through on his vow to crack down on leftists after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The networks targeted by Trump’s Republican administration all appear to be based in Europe, with no operations in the United States. They are an Italian anarchist front that sent explosive packages to the then-president of the European Commission in 2003, two Greek networks believed to have planted bombs outside riot police and labor department buildings in Athens, and an anti-fascist group whose members were prosecuted by German authorities...

[Catholic Caucus] What to make of the Italian bishops document on homosexual and transgender lifestylesContinuing months of controversy, the Italian bishops have overwhelmingly approved a document that many argue expresses official support for homosexuality and transgender lifestyles.Much like the Synod on Synodality, the Italian Bishops’ Conference’s multi-year synodal assembly has been marked by controversy over LGBT-related issues.The four-year synodal process convened by the bishops’ conference (known in Italian as the CEI) culminated in a late October vote to overwhelmingly approve the final document. The CEI is led by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi.That vote, originally scheduled for the spring, was delayed until...

The traditional Italian observation -- Se non è vero, è ben trovato (even if it isn't true, it makes a good story) -- reflects a good deal of human history.One such colorful event was the 14th-century War of the Bucket between the Italian cities of Bologna and Modena. The story is that after years of tension, a group of Modenese entered Bologna and stole the bucket from the town well.The Bolognese demanded its return, but the ruler of Modena refused, and war ensued, culminating in the Modenese victory at the Battle of Zappolino in 1325...After the collapse of the Western...

The historic Torre dei Conti in Rome, Italy, partially collapsed twice on Monday during renovations, trapping at least one worker in the rubble and critically injuring another. These videos show the moment of the second collapse and its aftermath. Medieval building partially collapses in Rome | 8:53 CBS News | 6.82M subscribers | 46,740 views | November 3, 2025

[Catholic Caucus] Fr. Nicola Bux on the Church in Italy and Homosexuality: "The Church cannot change Revelation."Those pastors who argue for the need to change teaching on homosexuality and other moral issues should be reminded that “the Church does not have the authority to change ‘even one iota or one sign’ ” of Revelation, of which the Catechism is a faithful interpreter. The Catechism can “change,” or develop, only in the sense of advancing understanding of the doctrine, but without distorting it. La Bussola interviews Fr. Nicola Bux.On Friday evening, October 24, in Rome, in the Basilica of San Lorenzo...

[Catholic Caucus] Italian bishops call for ‘research’ into female diaconateThe least-supported proposal that still received approval at the Italian bishops' synod calls for 'research projects' to explore the question of the female diaconate.Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi leaves the Vatican after a College of Cardinals' meeting on April 30, 2025 in Rome, ItalyAs far as the Italian bishops are concerned, the issue of a female diaconate is still on the table.On October 25, the Italian Synod approved a final document of proposals in which the synod affirmed its support and called for research into the issues addressing the ordination of women...

[Catholic Caucus] Italian synod moves to ‘recognize’ homosexual and transgender identities in the ChurchThe document rejects ‘discriminatory attitudes’ in the Church against homosexual and transgender identities despite associated sins having the potential to cause eternal death.The Third Synodal Assembly of Churches in Italy has taken a significant step toward normalizing and affirming homosexual activity and gender dysphoria in a document released Friday.Issued in Rome, “Yeast of Peace and Hope” utilized unprecedented language to express openness toward disordered identities that may encourage those who have fallen into these tragic conditions to further risk the salvation of their immortal souls.Under section 30(c)...

[Catholic Caucus] Synodal Apostasy About to Claim its Next VictimNow the spirit of synodality, Satan’s shadow version of the Holy Ghost, seems to be on the verge of ruining another former Catholic country.It is safe to say that through the process of synodality, the German Catholic Church finds itself in full-blown apostasy and tottering on the brink of schism.If not schism from the Post-Conciliar “Church”, then from the One Christ founded.And now the spirit of synodality, Satan’s shadow version of the Holy Ghost, seems to be on the verge of ruining another former Catholic country.On October 25, 2025, the Third...