Free Republic

2017-2021 The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday reversed the third-degree murder conviction of a former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an Australian woman in 2017, saying the charge doesn't fit the circumstances in this case. Mohamed Noor was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Justine Damond, a dual US-Australian citizen who called 911 to report a possible sexual assault behind her home. He was sentenced to 12 1/2 years on the murder count but was not sentenced for manslaughter. Noor was later sentenced on the manslaughter charge: Manslaughter sentencing Quaintance sentenced Noor to the...

4.5 minute video...Susan Kokinda explains how the British Financial system, along with Canada's, is impacted by Trump's actions in Venezuela. Very interesting...

Wary Pacific nations are resisting ‘good brother’ China’s offer to expand its scope Round one does not go to China. It failed to convince a group of Pacific island nations to sign an agreement to keep receiving security and economic cooperation from itself. They could not shed their suspicions that China was attempting to show off its ‘partners’ in the South Pacific to square off with the QUAD’s growing presence in the Indo-Pacific. Some nations were opposed to the Chinese offer, titled ‘China-Pacific Island Countries Common Development Vision’. What raised eyebrows were the Chinese proposals to train local police, help...

A wombat, spotted quoll and ringtail possum have also been caught up in the chaos.A family of cheeky Tasmanian devils have been caught on camera ransacking a suburban property yard in the state’s Central Highlands. CCTV video shows the mischievous marsupials dashing out a hole in the early hours of the morning, pinching dog toys and several other household items. Property owner Jayne Warner told 7NEWS several items have gone missing, “There’s at least seven or eight items under the house at the moment and previous to that we didn’t know what the hell was going on, so it could...

All week, Iranians have been mounting massive and widespread street protests. … These demonstrations have been far more consequential than previous such revolts. ... Even more remarkably, a number of bases for the fearsome Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij militia reportedly fell into the hands of protesters, with one Basij operative killed after demonstrators threw stones in Kuhdasht, a city in western Iran. At time of writing, this insurrection is still escalating. Although at least four protesters have been killed, the feared bloodbath by security forces hasn’t yet materialized. ... [If] this revolt ... succeed[s], this ... would...

Australia has activated a new requirement for search engines to verify the ages of their signed-in users, with companies now facing a six-month countdown to full compliance. The rule, which began on December 27, sits within a newly registered industry code under the authority of the eSafety Commissioner and extends the country’s expanding system of online content controls. Search services such as Google and Bing must soon introduce age-assurance checks when logged-in users perform searches that might surface adult or otherwise “high-impact” material. The mechanisms vary, but common approaches include prompting users to confirm their age through a pop-up screen...

Tony Clarke drove “28 hours and two sleeps” to watch High Limit International at the Perth Motorplex. The octogenarian from Adelaide hadn’t traveled to the capital of Western Australia since 1975. But after viewing the inaugural sprint car event in 2024, Clarke was determined to witness the top dirt trackers in the world battle for bragging rights and a record $110,000 (AU) purse. “I want to see Kyle Larson,” said Clarke, who keeps up with the High Limit co-founder and NASCAR Cup champion through FloRacing and local media channels. Clarke is also fond of High Limit champions Rico Abreu and...

Iranian state-controlled media has begun publishing several accusations that the Bondi Beach shooting was orchestrated by Israel as a false flag operation. Mehr News Agency accused the "Zionist regime" of orchestrating the attack as a false-flag operation to advance its interests. Senior IRGC figure Mohammad Reza Naghdi, a top adviser to the Guards' commander, echoed this narrative in a statement carried by Fars News. He argued that Israel was the "sole beneficiary" of the shooting, claiming it would suppress pro-Palestinian protests in Australia - where Sydney has seen significant demonstrations - and bolster narratives of Jewish insecurity to encourage emigration...

The NASCAR champion was solid, if not overly spectacular, over the first two nights of the three-night contest. He came alive when it mattered, though, with a late charge to deny local hero Dayne Kingshott and form man Michael "Buddy" Kofoid for the $110,000 bounty on Tuesday night. It was Kingshott that led the very early running ahead of Kofoid with Larson settling into third. That was until a lap 6 caution, the restart from which saw Kofoid bolt into the lead. At the same time Larson was shuffled back to fourth by Jock Goodyer, where he would stay until...

A sitting U.S. mayor responded to a Jewish mass murder by spreading antisemitic conspiracies, blaming Israel, excusing terror, and issuing a hollow apology—exposing how deeply normalized Jew-hatred has become in progressive politics. The mayor of Richmond, California, Eduardo Martinez, was hammered following the Bondi Beach massacre of 15 people, with calls for his immediate resignation after he posted numerous antisemitic social media rants branding the slaughter as an Israeli “false flag” operation, while blaming Israel for the rise in violence against Jews. Martinez was elected mayor of Richmond in November 2022. He has served on the city council since 2014...

A Bay Area Jewish advocacy organization is calling for Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez’s resignation, accusing him of spreading conspiracy theories about a deadly terror attack in Sydney, Australia. The Bay Area chapter of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) said in an open letter sent to Bay Area media organizations that Martinez has “posted repeatedly on LinkedIn spreading false conspiracies blaming Jews for the Bondi Beach terror attack.” Two gunmen killed 15 people, including a child, during the Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration on Sunday in what Australian authorities called an antisemitic terror attack linked to an “Islamic State group.” Martinez,...

One Australian politician has said the quiet part out loud It’s not often the Premier of New South Wales says something that changes the political debate in the UK and elsewhere, but so it is this week. Following the awful carnage on Bondi Beach, NSW Premier Chris Minns gave a press conference about new legal restrictions on speech, and said this: “I acknowledge that we don’t have the same free speech rules that they have in the United States and I make no apologies for that, we have got a responsibility to knit together our community, that comes from different...

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett (above) has faced criticism for saying the Bondi Beach terrorist attack was “not motivated by religion”. Commissioner Barrett had stated in the aftermath of the December 14 attack that the alleged terrorists were “inspired by Islamic State”.

A group of Western and allied states issued a joint statement condemning the Israeli security cabinet’s approval of 19 new communities in Judea and Samaria, stating that the move was "part of a wider intensification of the settlement policies in the West Bank." The statement, issued by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom, described the decision as a unilateral action and claimed that such steps "not only violate international law but also risk fueling instability." According to the statement, the decision risks undermining "the implementation of the Comprehensive...

Down Under, the pace of life in the control tower looks entirely different. Shorter weeks, more predictable schedules, and a culture that prioritizes balance – it’s no surprise that it’s drawing attention from those feeling crushed by the system back home. Many of these professionals aren’t chasing bigger paychecks. Over 40% of controllers in the US regularly pull six-day weeks with 10-hour shifts. Many opt for patterns that promise a few days off but come at a steep cost to the body’s natural rhythms. You might finish an afternoon shift and then start a midnight one just hours later. It’s...

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been heckled and booed on his return to Bondi Beach for a vigil, the first time he has visited since a brief visit on Monday morning. A National Day of Reflection is being held today to honor the victims of the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, on a night that should have been the final night of Hanukkah.

An emotional meeting took place at a Sydney hospital between Rabbi Mendel Kastel, the brother-in-law of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was murdered in a terrorist attack in the city, and Ahmed al-Ahmad, the Syrian Muslim citizen who courageously intervened and neutralized one of the terrorists during the attack. Al-Ahmad’s attorney, Sam Issa, also attended the meeting, which was reported by Kan News. Speaking to Ahmed at his hospital bedside, Rabbi Kastel expressed his gratitude. “Thank you-not only for saving lives, but for your courage,” he said. “The fact that you come from a non-Jewish background, from a Muslim background, makes...

(Australia) It took police nearly a day to enter the apartment of a woman who called police saying her ex was “trying to kill me.” “My ex-boyfriend is here and he’s trying to kill me … He’s bashing me,” she told police. But Tatiana Dokhotaru’s desperate plea for help was abruptly cut off as her killer, Danny Zayat, threw her phone from the balcony of her 22nd floor apartment, marking one of the final cruel acts he carried out against the 34-year-old after years of violent abuse.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has erupted at the nation’s leaders over the Bondi terror attack, reiterating her longstanding warnings about mass immigration, Islam, and multiculturalism. Speaking today, the 71-year-old said Australians who continue to vote for major parties should expect “what we’re going to get”. Ms Hanson said the violence reflected a broader breakdown in social cohesion and national identity, which she blamed on immigration policy and political leadership. “(If) you keep voting for these bastards who actually don’t have pride for our country, Australia, our flag, then be prepared to get what we’re going to get,” Hanson said....

Clueless leftist “comedian” Whoopi Goldberg was forced to apologize and issue a correction just minutes after falsely claiming President Donald Trump did not comment on the Brown University shooting. As a reminder, Trump offered his condolences less than two hours after the campus tragedy, which left two students dead and nine others injured. On Monday’s episode of “The View,” Goldberg attacked Trump, claiming he had said nothing about the Dec. 13 Brown shooting or the Dec. 14 mass shooting in Sydney, Australia. At the time, Goldberg was fuming over a Truth Social post Trump issued on Sunday following the shocking...