Free Republic

The state’s new congressional lines have yet to be approved, but would-be candidates are jockeying behind the scenes. Supervisor Hilda Solis hasn’t publicly announced her candidacy, but she’s already lining up support for a potential new southeast L.A. County congressional seat. As Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push to redraw California’s congressional maps plays out at the state Capitol and on the national stage, a quieter but no less bloody scramble is simultaneously underway. Newsom’s plan — a bid to counter President Trump’s drive for more GOP House seats with his own California show of force — still needs to be approved...

The EU Parliament has lifted the immunity of AfD foreign policy spokesman Petr Bystron because he shared a photo of Angela Merkel on Twitter in 2022. The reason? Bizarre: since Merkel is seen raising her arm in the image, it’s being interpreted as a Nazi salute – but only because Bystron posted it. Prosecutor: Waving is not a Nazi salute This farce has a backstory: In 2022, during a protest against COVID-19 measures, Bystron waved to the crowd. The public prosecutor immediately launched an investigation: “Nazi salute!” In response, hundreds of AfD supporters filed complaints against Angela Merkel, who had...

Estonian lawmakers voted Wednesday to ban non-EU residents from voting in local elections, a move aimed at the large number of Russian citizens living in the Baltic state as it warily eyes Moscow. The amendment was proposed in response to security concerns over Russia's war in Ukraine. Estonia has been a steadfast supporter of Kyiv since the invasion in February 2022. In the vote on Wednesday, 93 lawmakers in the 101-seat chamber backed a constitutional amendment to impose the restrictions, a result that was met with applause from MPs. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal hailed the outcome as "a victory...

After a few tense hours we have a definitive verdict and sentence - and it is the worst Marine Le Pen could have hoped for. She expected to be convicted, but the key question was the sentence. It is a five-year period of ineligibility which is to be carried out straight away. What this means is Le Pen cannot run in the next 2027 election - barring some legal twist of which I am completely unaware of. This of course is an earthquake. It has massive implications for her, her party and French democracy.

Paris CNN — French far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen has been banned from running for political office for five years after being found guilty of embezzling European Union funds, in a politically explosive ruling that has shattered her hopes of winning the presidency in 2027. A Paris court also handed Le Pen, who was the frontrunner for the next election, a four-year prison sentence with two years suspended, to be served under house arrest, and a €100,000 ($108,000) fine. She can appeal but the ban will stand unless overturned by another court. Her party, National Rally (RN), was ordered to...

The steal is on in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania’s Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro on Tuesday announced his state will automatically register people to vote while getting their driver’s licenses. “Today, I’m proud to announce that for the first time ever, Pennsylvania is an automatic voter registration state,” Shapiro said. “I made a commitment when I was campaigning for this office that we would bring automatic voter registration to Pennsylvania and break down the barriers for legal eligible voters,” Shapiro said in a video posted to X. “This is a key step to make our elections more secure,” he said. WATCH:

While the world’s attention is focused on a struggling Iraq and a rising China, a battle for the heart and soul of the Americas is being waged closer to home. A simplistic account might describe this confrontation as a tug of war between U.S. president George W. Bush’s vision and that of his self-appointed nemesis, Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. Equally misleading are characterizations that describe the showdown as one between left and right, rich and poor, north and south. But this is not a battle between two powerful leaders or between ideologies of the left and right. The contest being...

Home > News > Interview The Rediff Interview/Lt Gen [retd] Kirpal Singh Randhawa April 01, 2003 Lieutenant General (retired) Kirpal Singh Randhawa, commissioned into the 7th Light Cavalry in 1952, headed a team of Indian Army officers that trained Iraqi officers in the 1970s. The training was part of a bilateral military agreement. Among those he trained was Iraq's present Defence Minister General Sultan Hashim Ahmad. Hashim's proximity to Saddam Hussein enabled General Randhawa to visit Iraq several times in the last 25 years. He first visited Iraq in 1977 and remained there till 1979, and subsequently made one more...