Free Republic

Draft documents say defence and security will make up 40% of government spending as Putin continues war against Ukraine. Russia is to increase its spending on defence by 25% to its highest on record, as Vladimir Putin vows to continue his war efforts in Ukraine and further escalate his standoff with the west. The latest planned increase in spending will take Russia’s defence budget to a record 13.5tn rubles (£109bn) in 2025, according to draft budget documents published on Monday on the parliament’s website. That is about 3tn rubles more than was set aside for defence this year, which was...

And now for something completely different on Broadway, that is. Mike Nichols, legendary director of both stage and screen, has signed on to helm Spamelot, a musical adaptation of Monty Python's wacky 1975 cult film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The project is the brainchild of Python alum Eric Idle, who wrote the book for the musical based on the script he did with fellow Flying Circus members John Cleese (news), Michael Palin (news), Terry Gilliam (news), Terry Jones (news) and the late Graham Chapman (news). And according to Idle, the musical's moniker is about as permanent as the...