Free Republic

STRASBOURG, France, April 9 (Reuters) - Europe's top human rights court ruled on Tuesday that the Swiss government had violated the human rights of its citizens by failing to do enough to combat climate change. The European Court of Human Rights's (ECtHR) decision on the case brought by more than 2,000 elderly Swiss women set a precedent that will resonate across Europe and beyond for how courts deal with a growing trend of climate litigation. The Swiss women, known as KlimaSeniorinnen, argued their government's climate inaction put them at risk of dying during heatwaves. In her ruling, Court President Siofra...

A group of older Swiss women have won the first ever climate case victory in the European Court of Human Rights. The women, mostly in their 70s, said that their age and gender made them particularly vulnerable to the effects of heatwaves linked to climate change. The court said Switzerland's efforts to meet its emission reduction targets had been woefully inadequate. It is the first time the powerful court has ruled on global warming. Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg joined activists celebrating at the court in Strasbourg on Tuesday. "We still can't really believe it. We keep asking our lawyers, 'is...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is the latest person dealing with problems with a Boeing jet. Blinken and other State Department officials who are in Europe for talks about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza were forced to ride by car between Paris and Brussels Wednesday because the Air Force C-40 jet, a modified version of the Boeing 737 used commercial airlines, developed unspecified problems, according to the press pool traveling with him. Blinken travels on aircraft from the Air Force fleet. The top US diplomat arrived without incident to the Belgian capital for a meeting of the NATO...

The open letter denounced those who wrote in objection to director Jonathan Glazer's moral equivalence between the Jewish State and Hamas Actors Joaquin Phoenix, Debra Winger, Chloe Fineman and nearly 150 other Jewish Hollywood creatives signed a letter Friday defending filmmaker Jonathan Glazer’s Oscars acceptance speech last month that critics saw as equating Israel with the Nazis and Hamas. The open letter accused Glazer’s critics of suppressing speech within Hollywood, stating, "The attacks on Glazer also have a silencing effect on our industry, contributing to a broader climate of suppression of free speech and dissent, the very qualities our field...

Conservative groups backing former president Donald Trump in his re-election bid say they are "deeply disappointed" with his official position on abortion unveiled Monday, but it won't deter their support in November. The former president and presumptive GOP nominee in a video posted on Truth Social Monday morning said he cemented his position on the controversial issue, saying that abortion access should be a states’ issue and didn’t endorse a national, federal limitation – like a 15-week ban. Pro-life interest groups who have endorsed Trump expressed disappointment at his announcement, but it appears unlikely to sway their support in consideration...

SHOTS FIRED. Trump violates the gag order, directly daring Judge Merchan to jail him. Pretty sure Judge Merchan will be very happy to do that

Three months ago, Celine and her best friend, Natalie* were both laid off from the same ad agency. No longer able to afford her $3,200 rent in Brooklyn, Celine was forced to move back into her parents’ house in the suburbs. “I’m still reeling, my whole life was flipped on its head,” the 29-year-old says. The only thing more humiliating than getting fired and packing up your adult existence into your teenage bedroom? Seeing your best friend survive the same brutal layoff and emerge unscathed. “I love Natalie but she didn’t have to lift a finger because her husband is...

But underneath the outcry is a certain segment of the world of women’s sports that believes female athletes should only be presented as Cleopatras on a golden chaise: yas queen journalism.

Most of the time, you're excited to return home after a vacation. That wasn't the case after Jimmy Kimmel's recent trip to Japan with his family. "After traveling to Japan, I realize that this place, this USA we're always chanting about, is a filthy and disgusting country," the host said on Monday night's "Jimmy Kimmel Live." The ABC host admitted that before spending seven days in Japan, he believed America was a country that had its faults and "areas for improvement," but that it was "pretty buttoned up" compared to the rest of the world. "I go to Europe, and...

Two dozen young women have quit an Australian soccer league after officials allowed one team to add five transgender athletes, some of whom went on to injure girls on other teams. Parents rose up in anger last month after the Flying Bats Football Club added the five male-born players to their girl’s soccer team and then went on a tear winning every single game for the pre-season Beryl Ackroyd Cup tournament in the Sydney, Australia-based league. “Flying Bats FC won every game they played over the course of the four-week competition, winning the grand final 4-0 at Macquarie Park on...

Protests erupted across the country against the federal carbon tax on Monday — the same day it rose by 23 per cent — while Canada's only Liberal provincial leader pressed for an emergency meeting to discuss alternative ways to cut emissions. In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey called for an emergency meeting of leaders throughout Canada, arguing the program is too costly for his province and doesn't work as intended. Instead, Furey is urging the federal government to make "bold investments" in infrastructure and incentives akin to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act...

The share price of Trump Media plunged Monday after the social media app company closely tied to former President Donald Trump reported a net loss of $58.2 million on revenue of just $4.1 million in 2023. Trump Media & Technology Group shares were trading down by more than 25% around 1:08 p.m. ET.

The mysterious ailment known as “Havana syndrome” did not result from the actions of a foreign adversary, according to an intelligence report that shatters a long-disputed theory that hundreds of U.S. personnel were targeted and sickened by a clandestine enemy wielding energy waves as a weapon.The mysterious ailment known as “Havana syndrome” did not result from the actions of a foreign adversary, according to an intelligence report that shatters a long-disputed theory that hundreds of U.S. personnel were targeted and sickened by a clandestine enemy wielding energy waves as a weapon.###Seven intelligence agencies participated in the review of approximately 1,000...

Is Taylor Swift the last hope for Biden’s flailing presidency? Rob Reiner seems to think so. Rob Reiner is begging Taylor Swift to publicly endorse President Joe Biden’s reelection bid, saying he’d “give anything” for the pop star to make an announcement. Swift has remained conspicuously silent on the 2024 presidential election, after endorsing Biden four years ago. The singer must weigh the damage such an endorsement would do to her personal brand at a time when 81-year-old Biden is facing record-low popularity, especially among young Democrats, millions of whom have soured on his presidency. “I’d give anything for her...

Electric-vehicle startup Fisker said on Wednesday it was cutting the prices of its 2023 electric Ocean SUV model, signaling an attempt by the cash-strapped firm to drum up demand and ease concerns regarding its uncertain future. The company slashed the price tag of the entry level version - Ocean Sport - by around 36%, or $14,000, bringing it down to $24,999 from $38,999 earlier. The company said it will reduce the price of the top-end version of the vehicle, called "Extreme", by around 39%, or $24,000, to $37,499. Fisker also cut the price of its Ocean Ultra version to $34,999...

Electric vehicles release more toxic particles into the atmosphere and are worse for the environment than their gas-powered counterparts, according to a resurfaced study. The study, published by emissions data firm Emission Analytics, was released in 2022 but has attracted a wave of attention this week after being cited in a Wall Street Journal op-ed Sunday. It found that brakes and tires on EVs release 1,850 times more particle pollution compared to modern tailpipes, which have “efficient” exhaust filters, bringing gas-powered vehicles’ emissions to new lows. Today, most vehicle-related pollution comes from tire wear. As heavy cars drive on light-duty...

Together with my good friend and occasional courtroom adversary David Boies, I am attempting to persuade a federal court to invalidate California's Proposition 8—the voter-approved measure that overturned California's constitutional right to marry a person of the same sex.... Many of my fellow conservatives have an almost knee-jerk hostility toward gay marriage. This does not make sense, because same-sex unions promote the values conservatives prize. Marriage is one of the basic building blocks of our neighborhoods and our nation. At its best, it is a stable bond between two individuals who work to create a loving household and a social...

On Wednesday, Thailand’s House of Representatives voted 400-10 in favor of same-sex “marriage.” Only 10 lawmakers voted against the bill. Two abstained and three didn’t vote. The country’s Senate “rarely rejects any legislation that passes the lower house,” the Associated Press noted. Once it passes the Senate, it then must be approved by the majority-Buddhist country’s king. In addition to redefining marriage, the bill “extends all rights and protections contained in the Civil and Commercial Code to LGBTI+ persons,” the pro-LGBT group “Fortify Rights” said in a press release. The group’s lobbying to add the “gender-neutral language of ‘parent’ addition...

Black culture is ubiquitous, and it has caused other races to try and poach certain aspects of how they move. Lizzo recently called out white people for “talking like Black people.” The “About Damn Time” singer jumped on TikTok on Wednesday (March 6) to respond to a white woman speaking about her suitors using the phrase “type sh*t.” This prompted her to go into a full rant. “Why don’t we bring back gatekeeping?” she asked. “So that AAVE is reserved for the people who created it and grew up speaking it. So that all these people that are now talking...

NBC News is already planning to drop ex-RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel as a contributor following backlash from inside the network, reports claim. The former top Republican has responded by seeking legal representation after the sudden ousting, as reported by Puck News. It comes after the network's top political analyst Chuck Todd erupted into an on-air rant about McDaniel's hiring, particularly taking issue with her support for Donald Trump's false 2020 election fraud claims.