Free Republic

WASHINGTON — One of the most powerful men in the Trump administration, tasked with vetting thousands of staffers, hasn’t been fully vetted himself, The Post has learned. Sergio Gor — the director of presidential personnel who recently convinced President Trump to yank an Elon Musk-endorsed nominee for NASA — has yet to submit official paperwork about his own background needed for a permanent security clearance, according to multiple sources. ... Among the questions applicants must answer under threat of criminal penalties is where they were born and whether they have any foreign connections. Gor claims to be from the island...

A ship carrying humanitarian aid and activists bound for Gaza was bombed by drones while in international waters off Malta overnight Thursday-Friday, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a pro-Palestinian activist group, said. The Saudi Al Arabiya news channel, citing a Western security source, reported that the convoy was organized by Hamas and that those onboard planned to engage with IDF troops as they approached the Gaza shore. The group uploaded video footage on social media ostensibly showing a fire on one of its ships. The footage could not be independently verified. A ship carrying humanitarian aid and activists bound for Gaza...

According to a statement released by the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, researchers have found evidence that hunter-gatherers from mainland Europe traveled to Malta around 1,000 years earlier than previously believed. Archaeologists recovered stone tools, hearths, and food waste at a cave site in Latnija that indicated humans have been living on the island for 8,500 years. This means that they arrived there even before the widespread adoption of agriculture, which contradicts long-held assumptions. Experts theorize that they made the journey in simple dugout canoes, making this new discovery the oldest evidence of long-distance seafaring in the Mediterranean prior to...

Since 1815, the island of Malta had been viewed as one of the jewels in Britain’s crown of empire — a vital way-station to the East and a sun-baked fortress that showcased the Royal Navy’s dominance of the Mediterranean. But in the summer of 1942 it was the only surviving British bastion in the central Mediterranean, beleaguered, tottering and close to capitulation. Constant attack from as many as 300 aircraft in 24 hours — the Italians by day, the Germans by night — had left more than a thousand people dead, 4,500 injured and 15,500 homes destroyed. Its Grand Harbour...

Given the current tribulations of the Knights of Malta in our own time, it is well to remember that there were magnificent heroes among them in past days--men who did not shrink from combat even in their old age. When the Turks attacked Malta with an armada of nearly 200 ships and 40,000 soldiers in May of 1565, about 1,000 knights of St. John (later the Knights of Malta) from all over Christendom had already assembled to repel them. These men arrived at Malta with the full knowledge that many of them would never leave the island alive. The following...

THE SEIGE OF MALTA History's bloodiest siege used human heads as cannonballs By JAMES JACKSON 07 July 2007 A hot and fetid June night on the small Mediterranean island of Malta, and a Christian sentry patrolling at the foot of a fort on the Grand Harbour had spotted something drifting in the water. The alarm was raised. More of these strange objects drifted into view, and men waded into the shallows to drag them to the shore. What they found horrified even these battle-weary veterans: wooden crosses pushed out by the enemy to float in the harbour, and crucified on...

No matter what his detractors have thrown at him, Justice Thomas has stayed the course and remained true to his principles. An absolute legend.

The European Parliament has, once again, found itself at the heart of a corruption scandal, this time involving the Chinese tech giant Huawei. Police raids have been carried out across Belgium and Portugal amid suspicions of bribery, forgery, money laundering, and organized criminal activity. The European Parliament’s latest corruption scandal unfolds even as the previous one—the so-called ‘Qatargate’ affair—remains under investigation and litigation, further deepening preexisting concerns about foreign influence in EU institutions. The Qatargate scandal, which surfaced more than two years ago, involves allegations that Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), lobbyists, and their families accepted substantial sums of...

During a 30-minute call with a conservative activist that was recorded before he became a candidate, William Braddock repeatedly warned the activist to not support GOP candidate Anna Paulina Luna in the Republican primary for a Tampa Bay-area congressional seat because he had access to assassins... Source URL: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/17/secret-recording-florida-republican-threat-hit-squad-494976

The discovery consists of three burial chambers, each accessed through a central shaft, characteristic of Punic and Roman period tombs. Remarkably, the entrance to each chamber was sealed with original slabs, and the contents inside included human remains and grave goods... The human remains and artefacts have since been carefully transferred to the SCH laboratory for further analysis.The findings, which include skeletal remains, cremation urns, and other funerary artefacts, provide a valuable insight into the ancient community that once inhabited the region.Preliminary analysis indicates a Punic timeline, although some artefacts suggest an extended period of use into the early Roman...

It’s confirmed! Mel Gibson set to produce epic TV series on the Great Siege of 1565 filmed in Malta We knew he was in Malta for a good reason! Hollywood star Mel Gibson has announced plans to produce a limited television series about the Great Siege of 1565, which will be filmed in Malta. After a recent visit to the island to scout locations for his ‘Passion of the Christ’ sequel, the famous actor was captivated by Malta's rich history and impressive fortifications, confirming that the series will be shot on location, in the very fortresses where the siege took...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Siege_of_Malta The number of casualties is in as much dispute as the number of invaders. Balbi gives 35,000 Turkish deaths,[4] Bosio 30,000 casualties (including sailors).[5] Several other sources give about 25,000.[43] The knights lost a third of their number, and Malta lost a third of its inhabitants. Birgu and Senglea were essentially leveled. Still, 6,000 defenders had managed to withstand a siege of more than four months in the hot summer, despite enduring a bombardment of some 130,000 cannonballs. Jean de Valette, Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, had a key influence in the victory against the Ottomans with...

Ireland, Spain and a number of other EU member states are considering 21 May as the date on which they will jointly recognize the State of Palestine, RTÉ News understands. Two sources have said that 21 May is being looked at. A third source said contacts between Dublin and Madrid, as well as between Slovenia and Malta, have been intensifying with a view to the countries jointly recognizing Palestinian statehood. […] Currently, eight EU member states recognize the State of Palestine, the most recent being Sweden in 2014. Ireland has been in ongoing discussions with “like-minded” states for a number...

Ireland, Spain, Malta and Slovenia standing ready to recognize the Palestine state has given Palestinians “hope,” its ambassador has said. Earlier, in a joint-statement, the four countries’ prime ministers said they were ready to recognize the Palestine state when the “circumstances are right”. The Palestinian ambassador to Ireland, Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, welcomed the statement, describing it as “promising news”. She said it might only be a few EU countries, but that Ireland is “leading” the way and she expressed thanks for “all the Irish efforts”. …

That Napoleon Bonaparte, he simply can’t leave well enough alone. He already conquered Malta. Most of the Maltese were even okay with it. But then he started disassembling the Maltese nobility and restricting the church. This displeased Dun Mikiel Xerri, and it was on this date in 1799 that Xerri was shot dead for spearheading a Maltese revolt against the French. Born on September 29, 1737 in Zebbug, Malta, Xerri studied as a young man at various universities throughout Europe. Learned, he becme a Roman Catholic priest and dabbled in both philosophy and mathematics, living warmly under the rule of...

By day, Brian Krewson is a technical expert at computing giant Oracle. But by night he’s Mr. Poto, a fire-breathing, stilt-walking party entertainer, happy to perform at birthdays, weddings and corporate picnics. A Facebook photo from Halloween 2020 shows Krewson dressed in full methlab attire as a remarkably convincing Walter White, the infamous drug trafficker played by Brian Cranston in Breaking Bad. According to a Justice Department DOC, Krewson's resemblance to that character extends beyond appearance. The agency alleges that Krewson helped store and launder $54 million worth of cryptocurrency for two friends, Christopher Castelluzzo and Luke Atwell, who were...

The remains have been identified as those of a gunner killed when the badly damaged aircraft crashed into the sea in 1943.Archaeological divers have recovered human remains from the wreck of a U.S. bomber that crashed near the Mediterranean island of Malta in May 1943.Scientific analysis by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has confirmed the remains are those of U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) Sgt. Irving R. Newman, who was 22 years old when the aircraft — a B-24 Liberator based in Libya — suffered engine trouble and was hit by anti-aircraft fire during a bombing raid over the...

In 2022, the Royal Australian Mint issued a $2 coin decorated with honeybees. Around 2,400 years earlier, a mint in the kingdom of Macedon had the same idea, creating a silver obol coin with a bee stamped on one side.Over the centuries between these two events, currency demonstrating a symbolic link between honey and money is surprisingly common.In a recent study in Australian Coin Review, I trace the bee through numismatic history—and suggest a scientific reason why our brains might naturally draw a connection between the melliferous insects and the abstract idea of value...Ancient Malta was famous for its honey....

Pre-born children are still safe in Malta due to the hard work of thousands of Maltese citizens. It is a moment for celebration and heartfelt gratitude. Since 2021, the pro-life movement in Malta has been fighting to keep abortion out of their nation—the last in the European Union where pre-born children are still protected under law. The Maltese government, under massive pressure from a pro-life coalition of doctors, lawyers, ethicists, judges, and tens of thousands of citizens who signed petitions, recently released a redraft of the abortion amendment to make it clear that the killing of pre-born children is not...

KanekoaTheGreat @KanekoaTheGreat BREAKING — Emails from the Biden laptop reveal a newly discovered Hunter Biden Maltese bank account opened by Burisma that coincides with the $10 million bribery allegations involving Biden and Burisma, as reported by an FBI source. Read below. 12:09 PM · Jun 16, 2023 ·