Free Republic

A novice surfer mastered a pro’s move on the first try: He punched a shark on the nose to escape its jaws. The attack Monday afternoon off the Australian coast left Charlie Fry with superficial puncture wounds on his right shoulder and upper arm. A British doctor who arrived in Australia two months ago to work, Fry said Tuesday he had recently watched a video in which Australian professional surfer Mick Fanning described his famous escape from a great white shark during a surfing competition in 2015.

The Australian police described on Friday an elaborate terrorist plot in which two men from Sydney tried to place an explosive supplied by the Islamic State on a flight last month, an operation that officials said was among “the most sophisticated plots that has ever been attempted on Australian soil.” The two men, who have been charged with planning a terrorist act, were scheduled to appear in court via video link on Friday, and they were refused bail. The Australian Federal Police said the charges covered an aborted attempt last month to place an explosive on an Etihad Airways flight...

PRIME Minister John Howard will use the Bali terror attack to justify Australian soldiers' deaths in Iraq should war go ahead. Mr Howard will evoke memories of the 88 Australian victims of the Sari Club blast as an example of the deadly risks posed if Iraq aids international terrorists. "We lost 88 Australians in Bali because of a wilful act of international terrorism and we all had to grapple with that," he said yesterday. "I will, amongst other things, be asking the Australian people to bear those circumstances in mind if we become involved in military contact with Iraq." He...