Free Republic

Yesterday the Senate was asked to vote on whether the best thing to do to prevent the assault, rape and murder of women is to arm them. I voted no, because I don’t believe that putting more weapons in the hands of the public will make women safer in their homes or on the streets at night. I also don’t think that women should continue to be made to have to take responsibility for the violent crimes and behaviour that some men perpetuate. Truth is, every woman I know has felt unsafe or intimidated at some point, whether it was...

The euro has recovered some lost ground and is trading at $1.232 so it’s looking like a bit of score-draw for the single currency so far. It’s a bit of a different picture for the Italian stock market which seems set to fall sharply later today. Futures trading points to a 1.3% drop in the Italy 40 index of leading companies, according to online trader IG. ...Italy’s ruling centre-left Democratic Party has admitted it had suffered a “clear defeat” in a general election after coming in third according to projections. ...More than 50% of Italians voters supported populist parties. ...The...

Following a referendum vote on sweeping constitutional changes in April 2017, Turkey's government will transition from a parliamentary democracy to an executive presidency after the next presidential election in 2019. The odds of a free and fair election are slim given the measures incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken — and the further measures he will take — to ensure he comes out on top. Though former President Abdullah Gul would be Erdogan's most credible challenger, he is unlikely to run in the next presidential race.

Nadine Dorries comes under fire after admitting she shares her office computer password with staff and interns as she tries to defend porn-row Deputy PM Damian GreenA senior Conservative MP was under fire today after admitting sharing her computer password with staff and even short term interns. Mid Bedfordshire MP Nadine Dorries claimed the behaviour was standard practice around Parliament despite being a breach of IT security rules. House of Commons handbook rules state: 'Staff must not share passwords.' Ms Dorries was accused of a 'cavalier attitude to data security' after her posts on Twitter. The MP made her stand...

The Turnbull Government has lost its one-seat majority after the High Court ruled Barnaby Joyce's election invalid because of his New Zealand citizenship. Mr Joyce will now face a by-election. The court also found former Greens senators Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters were not validly elected, along with One Nation's Malcolm Roberts and the National Party's Fiona Nash.

The Catalan regional parliament has voted to declare independence from Spain, just as the Spanish government appears set to impose direct rule. The move was backed 70-10 in a ballot boycotted by opposition MPs. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy earlier told senators direct rule was needed to return "law, democracy and stability" to Catalonia. The crisis began when Catalans backed independence in a disputed vote earlier this month. What powers does Catalonia have?The case for and against independenceReality Check: Police violence in Catalonia The Catalan government said that of the 43% of potential voters who took part in the...

"No backbiting, no carping. The choice is me or (Opposition Labour leader) Jeremy Corbyn - and no one wants him," Conservative MPs who were present reported May saying. LONDON: Around 15 Conservative party MPs have agreed to sign a no-confidence motion against British Prime Minister Theresa May as part of a plot to oust her, according to a media report. Although the letter of no confidence falls short of the 48 names required to trigger a leadership contest, the UK Parliament's summer break could prove critical for May's future as British prime minister, 'The Sunday Times' reported. "The numbers change...

Parliament has been hit by a cyber attack that has left MPs unable to access their emails if not in Westminster. MPs were alerted to the hack on Friday night and have reported problems getting into their email accounts on Saturday. The attack comes just days after reports that passwords of ministers were being flogged online after hacking groups managed to gain access. The parliamentary authorities are working with the National Cyber Security Centre to protect the network and ascertain the scale of the damage.

Just over an hour before the polls closed on Thursday, I took a call from a member of the Shadow Cabinet.  ‘There’s a strong possibility Jeremy’s going to resign tonight,’ they said. ‘He’s not going to Labour HQ from his count. They’re going to try to keep him away from people, and see if they can get him to change his mind.’ There was no need to keep him away from people. The people were coming to him – in numbers not seen for a Labour leader since the 2001 Blair landslide.

THE Iranian Parliament is under fire with a gunman shooting guards, with at least eight injured. Iranian state TV has reported that there were four attackers in parliament with one person killed and eight people injured. The situation is still ongoing, according to the broadcaster. [Snip] [Additionally] an armed man opened fire at the Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini in southern Tehran and wounded a number of people. A gunman opened fire at pilgrims at the late Imam Khomeini mausoleum in southern Tehran on Wednesday injuring a number of people. There are reports of witnesses saying that they heard an explosion...

UK PM Theresa May announces plan to call snap general election on 8 June. She said Britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership following the EU referendum.

Andreea Cristea, Who Fell Into Thames During U.K. Attack, Dies By DAN BILEFSKYAPRIL 7, 2017 Continue reading the main story Share This PageContinue reading the main story LONDON — A 31-year-old Romanian architect who plunged into the River Thames when a terrorist plowed a vehicle into pedestrians in London became the fifth victim to die as a result of the attack last month, the police said on Friday.PhotoAndreea Cristea Credit London Metropolitan Police, via European Pressphoto Agency

REPORTS OF LOUD BANGS AND GUNFIRE OUTSIDE UK PARLIAMENT

Debate raged in the United Kingdom’s Parliament Monday over whether or not President Donald Trump should be extended the warm welcome of a full state visit. As insults targeting Trump flew back and forth, CNN seemed to get a good laugh out it all. “Insults flying over Trump's invitation for a formal state visit to the UK,” hyped Erin Burnett during her show OutFront, “One Member of Parliament today likening it to quote, “pimping out the queen.’” All while the on-screen headline read “Can God Save the Queen…From Trump?” “President Trump doesn't just get people stirred up at home. Look...

John Bercow is facing a fight to hang on to his job amid a major backlash over his 'grandstanding' decision to ban Donald Trump from addressing parliament. Furious Tory MPs are considering forcing a vote of no confidence in the Speaker after an extraordinary intervention in which he branded the US President 'racist and sexist' and said he would not authorise the use of historic Westminster Hall during the impending state visit. The comments were cheered by many MPs in the chamber, who have been heavily critical of the travel ban imposed by the White House on nationals from seven...

LONDON — House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has announced that he intends to block US President Donald Trump from addressing Parliament when Trump visits the UK later this year. It is customary for visiting presidents to address MPs and members of the House of Lords in Westminster Hall when making state visits to Britain. As speaker of the House of Commons, however, Bercow is one of three people who has the authority to block visiting figures from doing this. The speaker said on Monday afternoon that addressing Parliament was an "earned honour" and not an invitation that came automatically...

MPs have voted in favour of the Government's timetable to trigger Article 50 by March 2017.

BERLIN — German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt’s political future is tied to the success of imposing a toll on foreign drivers using the country’s autobahns, and despite being slapped down by the European Commission he isn’t giving up on the idea.“The tolls are coming,” Dobrindt told the Bild newspaper on Friday, following news that the EU and Germany are about to settle their dispute over introducing the payments. “I am confident that we will be able to close negotiations with the EU Commission on a positive note in November.”Dobrindt told reporters he expected tolls to come into effect after national...

Theresa May will on Sunday announce she will repeal the 1972 European Communities Act in a move that will formally begin the process of making Britain’s Parliament sovereign once again. Addressing the Conservative Party Conference for the first time as leader, Mrs May will declare that her government will begin work to end the legislation that gives European Union law supremacy in Britain. In its place, a new “Great Repeal Bill” will be introduced in Parliament as early as next year to put power for the nation’s laws back into the hands of MPs and peers. The announcement is Mrs...

Egyptian member of parliament Elhamy Agina has encouraged women to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) to “reduce their sexual desires” to match that of Egypt’s “sexually weak” men, Parlmany reported. “We are a population whose men suffer from sexual weakness, which is evident because Egypt is among the biggest consumers of sexual stimulants that only the weak will consume,” Agina said. “If we stop FGM, we will need strong men and we don’t have men of that sort.” The parliamentarian, who hails from Daqahliya, said that it is therefore better for women to undergo FGM because it “reduces a woman’s...