Free Republic

Life often takes us in unexpected directions, but Maria Sue Bell’s life has been more rollicking and full of surprises than most. Back in 1984 and 1985, Bell served in the Army National Guard and was on Army Active Duty until Jan. 31, 1986. In a warning sign of what was to come, the criminal complaint against Bell says that she “received an Other Than Honorable (OTH) Discharge deemed Good for Service in lieu of a Court Martial,” although the reason for this has not been disclosed and has now been overshadowed by far more serious misconduct: Bell was sentenced...

On December 26, the Iranian chess player participated in the World Rapid Chess Championship in Kazakhstan with her head uncovered, a silent protest that is a very serious offense in her native country. After the photos circled the world, she announced her intention to settle in Spain. Her story represents the cause of freedom that so many Iranian women are fighting for One day, Sara Khadem will have to explain some very complicated realities to Sam, her 10-month-old son. Like why she decided to compete in the 2022 World Rapid Chess Championship in Kazakhstan with her head uncovered. These days,...

new research shows Recent research makes it clear that any amount of drinking can be detrimental. Here’s why you may want to cut down on your consumption beyond dry January.Sorry to be a buzz-kill, but that nightly glass or two of wine is not improving your health. After decades of confusing and sometimes contradictory research (too much alcohol is bad for you but a little bit is good; some types of alcohol are better for you than others; just kidding, it’s all bad), the picture is becoming clearer: Even small amounts of alcohol can have health consequences. Research published in...

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Thursday criticised a prohibition on Russian soldiers wearing beards, joining Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in the two men's latest outburst against the Russian military leadership. In an interview with the RBC news site on Wednesday, Viktor Sobolev, a retired lieutenant general and member of Russia's parliament, defended the ban on beards, personal smartphones and tablets as an "elementary part of military discipline". Writing on Telegram, the bearded Kadyrov, who has talked up the role of his troops in Russia's war in Ukraine, wrote: "Apparently, Lieutenant General Viktor Sobolev has a lot of free time...

HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (AP) — Residents of a Detroit-area community with a large Muslim population can sacrifice animals at home for religious reasons. The Hamtramck City Council explicitly approved the practice, 3-2, Tuesday, another step in recognizing a cultural shift in a city whose 20th century history was shaped by Polish immigrants. Muslims often slaughter animals, typically goats or sheep, or pay someone to do it for them during the holy holiday of Eid al-Adha. Meat is shared with family, friends and the poor.

Afghanistan's hardline Islamist rulers last week banned women from working in non-governmental organisations. The Taliban have already suspended university education for women and secondary schooling for girls ... Geneva: The Taliban must immediately revoke their policies targeting women and girls in Afghanistan, the UN rights chief insisted Tuesday, condemning their “terrible” consequences. “No country can develop — indeed survive — socially and economically with half its population excluded,” Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement. “These unfathomable restrictions placed on women and girls will not only increase the suffering of all Afghans but,...

Led by a respected former PM, and given a lot of resources by the Russian State, meet the Imperial Orthodox Palestine SocietyThe Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, a humanitarian NGO founded in Russia 140 years ago, now plays a key role in expanding Russian influence in the Middle East and beyond. As relations between Russia and the Western world plunge, Middle East and African countries engage in developing ties with Moscow. It is also quite remarkable that this rapprochement is based not so much on political foundations as on the common values and moral foundations. The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IOPS)...

A 24-year-old woman was placed into a coma after her Muslim ex-boyfriend allegedly attacked her. She had gone to the police earlier that day but was told to come back later. The woman, named Chloe, had initially gone to the local police station in the commune of Blois on December 12th at around 5 p.m. to make a complaint against her former boyfriend, a Muslim who had been pressuring her to convert to Islam. Police at the station did not record the complaint but told the young woman to return the next day to file her complaint. Just two hours...

Women's freedoms have been further curtailed in Afghanistan, after the Taliban barred them from working for non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The Islamist rulers said female NGO employees had been breaking Sharia law by failing to wear the hijab. It comes days after female students were banned from universities - the latest restriction on their education since the Taliban regained power. Women prevented from going to work told the BBC of their fear and helplessness. One said she was the main earner in her household, and asked: "If I cannot go to my job, who can support my family?" Another breadwinner insisted...

At least three people were killed and four others injured in a shooting in central Paris on Friday, the local mayor said. An unidentified 69-year-old man opened fire at the Ahmet-Kaya Kurdish cultural center in the city’s 10th arrondissement, Le Parisien reported. The mayor of the arrondissement, Alexandra Cordebard, said three people died and four others were injured in the barrage of gunshots, which rang out in the Rue d’Enghien, a street lined with small shops and cafes, CNN reported.

Five of the teens were found guilty of aggravated rape by the Solna District Court on Friday, with the sixth guilty of attempted aggravated rape. The attack took place in early March at an apartment in Tensta, where one of the teens dealt out condoms while the other five took turns raping the 15-year-old girl. The court took into account that the girl’s information included “a cohesive, long, and relatively detailed account” of the incident that did not contain “any contradictions or elements to the story that could be considered inexplicable”. Despite denying the incident occurred when the trial opened,...

Jakarta/Hong Kong (CNN) — Indonesia's controversial sex laws will not affect foreign tourists visiting Bali, officials have confirmed in a statement issued Monday. "Based on the provisions of the new Indonesian criminal code, visitors who visit or live in Bali would not need to worry," said Balinese governor Wayan Koster, adding that there would be "no checks on marital statuses at tourist accommodations like hotels, villas, guest houses or spas, or inspections by public officials or community groups." Like most major tourism hotspots around the world, Bali suffered vast economic turmoil during the Covid-19 pandemic. International travelers have been returning...

The Lockerbie bombing suspect was taken into custody on Sunday. "The United States has taken custody of alleged Pan Am flight 103 bombmaker Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi," a Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed to Fox News. "He is expected to make his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Additional details, including information regarding public access to the initial appearance, will be forthcoming."

Medics treating protesters in Iran said they were seeing a difference in the type of injuries inflicted on men and women by the security forces — with the female activists often being shot in their faces, breasts and genitals.. multiple doctors and nurses who have been surreptitiously caring for wounded demonstrators during months of unrest said it appeared that officers tasked with stopping the protests have been targeting specific body parts in women. One doctor from Isfahan province speaking to the outlet on condition of anonymity said he believed the authorities “wanted to destroy the beauty of these women.” Iran...

The incidents come to light via a federal memo following a deliberate attack last week in Moore County, North Carolina, that left tens of thousands of people without power for days as seasonal temperatures fall. In Washington state and Oregon, spokespeople for several energy companies - Puget Sound Energy, the Cowlitz County Public Utilities District and Bonneville Power Administration - confirmed the attacks occurred in November. A federal law enforcement memo revealed that the Pacific Northwest substations have described attacks using 'handtools, arson, firearms, and metal chains possibly in response to an online call for attacks on critical infrastructure.'

The Mall of America has confidentially settled a lawsuit with the family of a five-year-old boy who was tossed off a third-floor balcony by a man who claimed he was 'looking for someone to kill'.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A man was charged with making antisemitic and racist threats to parents, young children and security at Temple Beth El; a preschool and synagogue in Bloomfield Hills. 35-year-old Hassan Yehia Chokr from Dearborn is charged with two counts of ethnic intimidation in connection to the threats made at Temple Beth El on Friday, Dec. 2. The Bloomfield Township Police Department said they started their extensive investigation on Friday. Temple Beth El, Jewish Community Security, and The Jewish Federation are sharing ongoing security and communication efforts according to police. The security director at Temple Beth...

Israel’s amb. to UN launches first exhibit showing Jewish expulsion from Iran, Arab countriesBy Halwy Cohen, The Jerusalem Post, November 30, 2022.https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-7236831947-1948 - Forced transfer or mass escape?Ha’aretz claims that 800,000 Arabs were expelled from the country by the Jews during the War of Independence. The purpose of this lie is to hide the shameful truth: the great majority were not deported but fled on their own initiativeHanan Amior, Presspectiva, 29.11.22https://presspectiva-org-il.translate.goog/1947-1948-%d7%98%d7%a8%d7%a0%d7%a1%d7%a4%d7%a8-%d7%9b%d7%a4%d7%95%d7%99-%d7%90%d7%95-%d7%91%d7%a8%d7%99%d7%97%d7%94-%d7%94%d7%9e%d7%95%d7%a0%d7%99%d7%aa/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=enThe fate of the Jews in Arab countriesConrad Myrland, Miff.no, June 28, 2022.https://miff.no/jodenes-skjebne-i-arabiske-landhttps://miff-no.translate.goog/jodenes-skjebne-i-arabiske-land?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=enFrom Hitler to Putin: Palestinian habit of always backing ‘wrong side’Opinion: In 1940s, then-Palestinian leader Mufti Hajj Amim...

As a United Nations body prepares to take an unprecedented vote on whether to expel Iran from the U.N.’s top gender equality body, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday the regime should “never” have been a member of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in the first place. Noting that she recently joined “a group of women leaders” calling for Iran’s ousting from the CSW, Clinton told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that removing the regime from the U.N. body dealing with the advancement of women would be “the right thing to do.” “They should never have...

The UN General Assembly this week passed a resolution to characterize the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948 as a “catastrophe,” in what has been heralded as a major victory for pro-Palestinian activists. The word “Nakba,” which means catastrophe or disaster in Arabic, was also a term coined by the Palestinians to commemorate the Jewish state’s founding. The UN resolution acknowledges the Palestinian version of the events that led to Israel’s creation, and calls for the “commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Nakba,” with a “high-level event” at the global body on May 15th, 2023. May...