Free Republic

Los Angeles authorities investigating a string of more than 35 fires set over the last two days strongly suspect the blazes are the work of more than one arsonist. On Friday morning, 21 fires were started in a relatively small area around Hollywood and West Hollywood. On Friday night and Saturday morning, 16 more fires were reported. They were similar to the ones in Hollywood but were spread out over a much larger area.

Several more cars burned in suspected arson attacks in the Los Angeles area early Saturday morning, and authorities investigated if they were connected to nearly two dozen deliberately set blazes a day earlier, police said. Seven or eight cars burned Saturday in the North Hollywood area, said officer Robert Collier. He said he didn't have further details of the blazes, but said arson is suspected and there could be a link to the earlier blazes.

NEW Year’s Eve was quiet “with no major incidents” according to the Interior Minister, who has been criticised by the Opposition for a “minimalist” report on the night. Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux has not published figures for cars burned during the night (a new year tradition for criminals) because he believes the annual toll is turning into a competition. Publishing figures just gives a kind of target for criminals to beat, he believes, having refused to publish similar figures for car burning on July 14 last year. Nonetheless, the minister said that 501 people were questioned by police during the...

Elections: France's radical leftists lost big when Nicolas Sarkozy got elected president on May 6. But they aren't going without a tantrum. Stirring up riots, they're now trying to intimidate French voters. They'll likely lose. Through a new round of post-election riots, a nasty but determined fringe of French leftists is showing an amazing unfitness for democracy. Their "demonstrations" are not over dirty tricks, broken laws or electoral operations. Just a hatred at the result. The rioters have alliances with various grievance groups, including France's unassimilated Muslims. But they're best described as anarchists, radical leftists and the 10% of France's...