Free Republic

Slovakia will not have a representative at the December 10 UN meeting in Marrakesh where the Migration Compact will be signed. Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini stated this as a final decision, given that the cabinet approved the parliamentary resolution about the Marrakesh Pact on December 5. At the same time, the prime minister indicated he will send a letter with Slovakia's comments on the document. The Migration Compact has been at the centre of the conflict between the ruling coalition Smer and Slovak National Party (SNS) and the Smer-nominated Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajãák. The minister defended the compact and insisted...

Late on Friday afternoon, people slowly gather at Freedom Square in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, to protest against the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico. This isn't the first rally of its kind being held in Bratislava. The latest series of protests began on December 23, a day after the prime minister's surprise trip to Russia, and have been held at regular intervals ever since. The protesters here agree on one thing: Slovakia does not belong to Russia. And many feel that Fico's pre-Christmas meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow was an act of treason. Fighting for...

In 2004, Paolo Pellegrini was out of a job, living in a one-bedroom apartment in Westchester County, N.Y., with little money in the bank. He soon managed to land a gig working for hedge-fund manager John Paulson. Today, after helping Paulson & Co. score $20 billion with a bet against housing and pocketing about $175 million for himself, Mr. Pellegrini is an unnamed but key character in the government's lawsuit against Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS), according to people familiar with the matter. The government alleges the bank deceived investors by selling them mortgage securities that the hedge fund...

PARIS - The French general who leads the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon said Monday he wants reinforcements quickly, warning that even one "stray act" could unravel a diplomatic effort to halt the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Maj. Gen. Alain Pellegrini, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, said a U.N. Security Council resolution approved Friday could give unprecedented new strength to the 28-year-old UNIFIL force that often has been criticized as ineffective in the past. Diplomats and military advisers were working Monday to decide which countries could help boost the 2,000-strong force to 15,000, as was approved...

The following is a recent e-mail letter sent by attorney Sheila Schreiber-Parkhill of Bismarck, North Dakota, to sociologist and author Father Andrew Greeley (I wrote a commentary on this very subject some time back; but Sheila has acquired a few additional details that I find very interesting.): Dear Father Greeley: I have followed your career and writings for many years now, reading the many stories you've written about the sexual abuse crisis in our Church, the problems, the solutions, stories you have written denouncing the bishops and their cover-ups. "Are the bishops sorry at all?", you asked 8/3/2003. They all...