Free Republic

CNA Newsroom, Nov 15, 2022 / 08:25 am A church bell that was kept hidden by a Muslim family during the Islamic State’s occupation of Mosul rang out above St. Paul’s Chaldean Catholic Cathedral on Sunday for the first time in eight years. Christians from across Iraq’s Nineveh Plain came to the cathedral to participate in the bell-ringing ceremony and Divine Liturgy on Nov. 13. Archbishop Najeeb Michaeel, OP, the Chaldean archbishop of Mosul and Akra, led a procession to the grotto of the Virgin Mary, the patroness of Mosul, in the church courtyard before ceremoniously ringing the bell. The...

Will the new Disinformation Governance Board be forced to label mockery of it as disinformation? They might have to because at this point there is such widespread mocking of that new section of the Department of Homeland to Security that it could well be laughed out of existence. One measure of how popular the mockery of what is being called the updated "Ministry Of Truth" is that even Politico is laughing at it. On Friday, Politico's senior media writer, Jack Shafer, demonstrated his libertarian streak by ripping that new squad to shreds in "Biden’s Hopeless Disinformation Police."

Bild am Sonntag, the Sunday edition of Bild, the best-selling European newspaper, declared today that the hatred of Jews by radical Muslims is “a shame for this country.” The editorial, written by the editor in chief Johannes Boje, followed what the newspaper described as “an aggressive antisemitic agitation against people of the Jewish faith – in the middle of Germany” (Wieder offener Judenhass auf Deutschlands Straben [https://www.bild.de/news/inland/news-inland/antisemitische-demo-in-berlin-wieder-offener-judenhass-auf-deutschlands-strassen-79861108.bild.html]) According to Saturday night’s report, some 600 people marched through Kreuzberg and Neukolln with Palestinian flags, openly denying Israel’s right to exist. They roared aggressively, “c...d killer Israel” and attacked journalists.

The visit of Pope Francis, the world's Catholic leader, to Iraq is a political and historical event. An event that matters more than just a visit by a religious leader. The political significance of the Pope's visit to Iraq and his meeting with Ayatollah Sistani can be viewed as recognizing Ayatollah Sistani is the main figure in Shiite Islam. Pope’s visit of Ali Sistani in Najaf is a serious blow to Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, who calls himself, the leader of the world's Muslims. The meeting also confirms that Najaf is "the heart of Shiism and its...

Grocery store chain Trader Joe’s announced that it will not be removing popular international food labels despite being attacked as “racist” over the packaging. “A few weeks ago, an online petition was launched calling on us to ‘remove racist packaging from [our] products,’” the company said. “Following were inaccurate reports that the petition prompted us to take action. We want to be clear: we disagree that any of these labels are racist. We do not make decisions based on petitions. We make decisions based on what customers purchase, as well as the feedback we receive from our customers and Crew...

On the eve of a crucial primary that could determine the Republican nominee, Ohio Gov. John Kasich is tied with real estate mogul Donald Trump in the Buckeye State. Both have 33 percent support in the CBS News Battleground Tracker poll released Sunday morning. The poll shows that Kasich does well among voters who say the economy is in good shape, pollsters noted, while Trump leads among those who feel the Buckeye State’s economy is floundering. But Trump has a 20-point lead over his closest challenger in winner-take-all Florida. He has 44 percent support in the poll, followed by Texas...

BAGHDAD -An anti-American cleric is urging his followers to stop attacking U.S. troops in Iraq so that their withdrawal from the country isn't slowed down, a call meant to ramp up pressure on Baghdad's political leaders who are considering asking some American forces to stay. In a statement posted on his website, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr told his militias to halt attacks against U.S. forces till the withdrawal is finished at the end of the year as required under a security agreement between Washington and Baghdad. "Out of my desire to complete Iraq's independence and to finish the withdrawal of...

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The head of an independent panel investigating alleged corruption in the now-defunct U.N. oil-for-food program for Iraq (news - web sites) rejected on Tuesday a request to immediately turn over evidence that he has gathered to U.S. congressional investigators. Former U.S. Federal Reserve (news - web sites) Chairman Paul Volcker instead pledged to make virtually all the evidence public at his own pace, beginning early in 2005. Volcker, who leads the Independent Inquiry Committee on the scandal-ridden U.N. relief program, had been asked by two U.S. senators for immediate access to documents and U.N. witnesses for...