Free Republic

Sri Lanka's central bank stunned markets by raising its benchmark policy rate by an outsized 100 basis points on Tuesday, as policymakers scrambled to stem inflation and support a currency buckling under soaring energy prices. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka CBSL) raised the overnight policy rate to 8.75 per cent from 7.75 per cent, blaming higher inflation and a depreciating rupee due to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Seven out of a dozen economists and analysts polled by Reuters had forecast only a 25 basis-point or slightly higher change to the rate, citing the deepening impact on foreign reserves...

The New York Knicks are going to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. They swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals with a 130-93 victory in Game 4 on Monday, continuing a remarkable playoff run. After falling down 2-1 against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, New York has won 11 straight games and done so in dominant fashion: The team's +262 point differential is the largest in NBA history in an 11-game span, regular season or playoffs. The Knicks will face either the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs in the 2026...

Brent crude dropped below US$97 a barrel after both sides said talks had made progress.Oil prices fell nearly 7 per cent on Monday (May 25) as optimism grew that the United States and Iran were moving closer to a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even though Washington and Tehran played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough. Brent crude futures LCOc1 were down US$7.24, or almost 7 per cent, at US$96.30 a barrel at 2:29pm ET (Tuesday, 2:29am, Singapore time) and US West Texas Intermediate CLc1 futures were down US$6.30, or 6.5 per cent, at US$90.88. Trading...

Democrats will tell you crime is getting better in blue cities around the country. Does anyone actually believe that? Just ask residents of Los Angeles, where Mayor Karen Bass touts statistics showing that crime rates have lowered when, in reality, there’s been a home invasion wave, and street takeovers are as regular as the sunshine.Or you could ask the beleaguered residents of Seattle, where some residents feel forced to put up barricades to keep the perps out. They argued that they were getting no help from the police in the rainy leftist enclave where a Democratic socialist with virtually no...

VATICAN CITY—Pope Leo XIV warned that artificial intelligence “threatens to normalize an anti-human vision” and said that the concentration of immense digital power in the hands of a few private actors must be countered. The pontiff’s encyclical letter—a text that is poised to define Leo’s papacy—reads like a sharp warning to Silicon Valley executives and humanity more broadly about the future of civilization as new technologies rapidly advance. The risk, he said, is that humans will be reduced “to mere cogs in a system driven toward ever greater efficiency.” Leo used two biblical images to describe the choice humanity faces....

The U.S. and Iran are reportedly in the process of working out a deal to end hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump assured people he wasn't going to make the mistakes of the Obama Iran deal, and has placed focus on getting the highly enriched uranium to deter the nuclear threat. In fact, he was even pursuing a broader peace across the region, asking other countries like Saudi Arabia to sign on to the Abraham Accords once the Iran deal is finalized. This also may have pushed Iran to try to clean up its language when...

SNIP Posting to social media Monday afternoon, the former Laker placed a $36,000 bet on Spencer Pratt to become the next mayor of Los Angeles. The payout would be a whopping $133,588.89. Besides posting the bet, Kuzma spoke about the overall state of Los Angeles by responding to someone on X with, “LA has been cooked since Covid what am I missing lol.”

Re fake title on JSTOR. Fact: Arab Palestinians NOT against fascism.Mustafa Abbasi’s WWII Narrative Collapses Under the Historical Record. Mustafa Abbasi’s thesis attempts to recast the history of Palestinian Arab involvement in World War II into a story of broad anti-Nazi commitment and shared Arab-Jewish resistance. The historical record does not support that conclusion. Yes, thousands of Palestinian Arabs enlisted in the British Army during WWII. That fact is real and documented. But Abbasi’s interpretation of what that enlistment meant politically and socially collapses under scrutiny. The first problem is scale. Jewish enlistment dwarfed Arab enlistment. Roughly 27,000–30,000 Jews from...

President Donald Trump made an important post late Monday afternoon about the highly enriched uranium that has been the focus of the deal he's been trying to achieve with Iran. Trump said that the stockpile would either have to be handed over to the U.S. or be destroyed under supervision as part of the agreement. “The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy...

We don't want anything like this in the UK

“I told my staff today that we need an ICD code for Trump Derangement Syndrome, because it is a real thing … It should be studied.” Robert F. Kennedy, Jr As of this holiday morning, America is informed that the negotiations between the US and Iran may take several more days to resolve. You better believe that Iran is going to make a deal. One way or another, they will give up their stash of sixty-percent enriched uranium. Nobody believes they would not attempt to make bombs with it, especially Mr. Trump. So, Iran will not be going back to...

A couple sisters who defected from North Korea visit a gun range in the U.S.

Yes, you can build your very own nuclear fusion reactor in your house! But first, a few warnings: -This project includes lethal voltage levels. Make sure you know your high voltage safety or have a qualified electrical advisor. -Potentially hazardous levels of x-rays will be produced. Lead shielding of viewports is a must! -Deuterium, an explosive gas, will be used. Make sure to check for fuel leaks. -All the other inherent dangers of a home engineering project of this degree (a wide gamut of potential injuries, damage to the checking account, and the loss of general sanity) ========================================================================================== Here are...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business; End to Sex Slavery; Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14) I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to...

T. rex’s famously tiny arms may have been the result of one terrifying evolutionary upgrade: an enormous skull built for crushing prey. Credit: Shutterstock A new study suggests T. rex and other giant predators evolved tiny arms because their massive skulls took over as the primary hunting weapon. As their bites became more powerful, their forelimbs may have gradually faded into evolutionary leftovers. Why T. Rex and Other Giant Predators Evolved Tiny Arms The famously tiny arms of Tyrannosaurus rex may have evolved because these giant predators increasingly relied on massive skulls and powerful jaws to attack prey, according to...

The controversy began after Gabbard posted a verse from the Bible on X writing: "But my eyes are toward you, oh God, my Lord, in you I seek refuge." - Psalm 141:8 Loomer reacted to the post and questioned Tulsi's religion in an online rant: "It’s really interesting how @TulsiGabbard pretends to be a Christian. She did this at Charlie Kirk’s memorial too, if you recall. Tulsi is a lifelong Hindu. Yet nobody seems to know that. She should embrace it."

SALISBURY, N.C. (WBTV) - A group of people allegedly vandalized 200 American flags at a park in Rowan County this week. The flags at Salisbury Veterans Memorial Park on Miller Street were first stolen and vandalized on Sunday, May 17. Salisbury police said the flags were replaced but then vandalized again the next day.

Warships used to be defined by crews. Increasingly, they are being defined by payloads, autonomy and software. A 75-meter ship with no crew quarters says a lot about where naval design may be heading. Navantia Spanish shipbuilder Navantia has unveiled a new large autonomous surface vessel concept designed to support future naval operations involving both crewed and uncrewed platforms. The concept, called LASV75, was presented at the Combined Naval Event (CNE) in Farnborough and reflects the company’s vision of a future “hybrid navy” in which traditional warships operate alongside autonomous escorts, drones, and other uncrewed systems. Designed in the UK...

Full video at link is about half a minute in total duration.

At least 220 people are now suspected to have died from the ongoing Ebola outbreak, the head of the World Health Organization said Monday, according to the Reuters news agency. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that because of a delay in detecting cases, health workers were now "playing catch-up." The announcement came as Ugandan health authorities reported two new Ebola cases Monday, bringing the number of infections there to seven, after the number of suspected cases in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo surpassed 900. All the cases are linked to the Congo outbreak, which appears to have started several...