Free Republic

A family in Värnamo in southern Sweden awoke on Sunday morning to find an Indian elephants wandering about in their garden after having escaped from a circus which had set up camp in the vicinity. The Enoksson family caught the whole elephantine drama on film and could be heard becoming increasingly anxious as the animal approached and collided with their house. "We became very frightened and then we heard a crash in the wall of the house," said Sofia Enoksson to the Aftonbladet daily, which has broadcast the film. The elephants had apparently evaded the attention of their handlers at...

A deeply divided contingent of more than 1,200 Republicans has gathered at a Sparks casino to elect delegates to the national convention in Tampa, Fla. Within an hour of the convention being gaveled open, accusations of fake ballots, scuffles over seating and brief disagreements over rules erupted. Overall, however, business proceeded rather smoothly with a delegation that seemed tipped toward Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who is scheduled to speak this afternoon. Josh Romney, whose father Mitt Romney is the presumed GOP nominee, gave a brief speech to the crowd, focusing his attacks on President Barack Obama. “This is a very...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sirius Satellite Radio's $4.59 billion purchase of rival XM Satellite Radio was given antitrust clearance on Monday as the Justice Department concluded consumers have many alternatives, including mobile phones and personal audio players. The deal, announced in February 2007, would combine the only two providers of satellite radio in the United States and is still being reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission. "Competition in the marketplace generally protects consumers and I have no reason to believe that this won't happen here," Justice Department antitrust chief, Thomas Barnett, told a conference call with reporters. The traditional radio industry,...