Free Republic

Israel’s power grid is vulnerable to a Hezbollah attack that could render it “uninhabitable” 72 hours later, Haaretz reported on 21 June. According to the CEO of a company that manages and oversees Israel’s electrical systems on behalf of the government, Israel is entirely unprepared for a war with Hezbollah that would likely target the country’s power infrastructure. “We are not ready for a real war. We live in a fantasy world, in my eyes,” said Shaul Goldstein, head of Noga – the Israel Independent System Operator. Goldstein made the comments while speaking at a conference organized by The Institute...

Swiss bailiffs yesterday seized dozens of Impressionist masterpieces on loan from Moscow as part of an octogenarian businessman's long campaign to recover debts from Russia. The impounding of the paintings, insured for £720 million and including works by Degas, Renoir, Van Gogh, Picasso and Monet, provoked indignation in Russia itself. The Swiss government last night overruled the canton that ordered the seizure and allowed the canvasses to return home - but not before a diplomatic scandal had blown up. "Although the paintings are kept in Russia, they are the inheritance of all people in the world and as such are...