Free Republic

Great Britain on Monday sent warships to the Mediterranean and weighed legal action against Spain in a territorial dispute over the Gibraltar peninsula, as Madrid threatened to join with Argentina in a U.N. effort to strip Britain of the last remnants of its empire. In London, Ministry of Defense officials told the BBC that the Royal Navy deployments are part of a long-planned military exercise and not connected to the three-centuries old dispute over the Gibraltar enclave. The feud between the European allies has erupted anew in recent weeks amid Spanish protests over an effort to create an artificial reef...

The action follows concerns raised by privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, after details of the technology used in the bins emerged in the online magazine Quartz. Mr Memari told the BBC that the devices had only recorded "extremely limited, encrypted, aggregated and anonymised data" and that the current technology was just being used to monitor local footfall, in a similar way as a web page monitors traffic. He added that more capabilities could be developed in the future, but that the public would be made aware of any changes The bins, which are located in the Cheapside area of...

Author G. K. Chesterton, best known for his Father Brown stories, has been put on the path to sainthood – with the blessing of the Pope. Just days before he was elected Pope in March, the then Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, wrote to a Chesterton society in Argentina approving the wording of a private prayer calling for his canonisation. The Pontiff is said to be a fan of the author, one of whose most admired books was a life of St Francis of Assisi – whose name the Pope adopted.

A 31-year-old man was arrested today in Malmo on suspicion of having sexually abused girls aged 12 and up on the internet. The man is said to have got them to pose sexually in front of the camera. As many as 185 girls could be involved. ... He is said to have started chatting with the various girls in January 2012 shortly after he was released from prison after serving a sentence of two years and eight months for the rape of two 14-year-olds that he chatted and had telephone contact with. ... This article gives no details of the...

He was the mastermind of the mass prison break from a German camp which inspired the iconic film The Great Escape. But a new book has now suggested Spitfire pilot Roger Bushell could also have been linked to the assassination of notorious Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich, known as 'Hitler's Hangman' and the acting Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia. Simon Pearson's The Great Escaper places Bushell in Prague at the time Heydrich's car was bombed by Czechoslovakian Jan Kubiš, and Slovak Jozef Gab�ík, which led to the Nazi officer's death a number of days later.

Richard Dawkins has been forced to defend controversial comments he made online after saying the last time Muslims contributed something worthwhile was during the Middle Ages. Prof Dawkins, the bestselling author of The God Delusion, wrote on Twitter that all the world's Muslims had won fewer Nobel Prizes than Trinity College, Cambridge. He went on to argue that although Muslims were responsible for many achievements during the Dark Ages, including alchemy and algebra, their contribution since then was questionable. His comments sparked outrage from many high-profile writers and journalists including author Caitlin Moran and Channel 4 News Economics Editor Faisal...

A Fine Gael minister has backed the idea of a referendum next year on extending marriage rights to same-sex couples. Brian Hayes, minister of state at the Department of Finance, says he has “no problem” with a poll on the constitutional change, despite some in the Fine Gael top brass being wary of the issue. Mr. Hayes is the most senior Fine Gael minister to come out, specifically, in support of a referendum in 2014. And he joins Justice Minister Alan Shatter and Transport Minister Leo Varadkar in saying he would vote yes in a gay marriage poll. …

British people will be branded EU citizens from “cradle to grave” as the European Union introduces its own birth, marriage and death certificates, ministers have warned. Eric Pickles, the local government secretary, fears that the European Union flag could replace the royal crest on all the official documents within three years under EU regulations. The government says it is powerless to stop the forms from being rolled out across the country because they are being introduced under the Lisbon treaty. … The European Union insists the documents are optional, but Mr. Pickles believes that “Euro creep” means they will become...

FURIOUS passengers staged a sit-down protest on a BA jet after enduring two 'terrifying' aborted flights to London in 24 hours. About 70 refused to leave the plane for five hours as it sat on the runway in Saudi Arabia in temperatures of 50C yesterday. Passengers had screamed and been physically sick as the Heathrow-bound Boeing 747 had to turn round and make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff when its wing flaps jammed on Wednesday. Astonishingly, when they boarded the same plane yesterday the same problem occurred and they had to return to the capital Riyadh again. ........................ In...

Controversial atheist British professor Richard Dawkins has provoked outrage in a tweet he made deriding the lack of academic achievements by Muslims. On Thursday, the best-selling author of "The God Delusion," tweeted that: "All the world’s Muslims have fewer Nobel Prizes than Trinity College, Cambridge. They did great things in the Middle Ages, though.” That post provoked a slew of outraged responses, including accusations of "racism," and "Islamophobia." Responding to the fierce criticism, Dawkins retorted in another tweet: "Muslims aren't a race. What they have in common is a religion. Rather than Trinity, would you prefer the comparison with Jews?...

Jewellery, pieces of ships, medieval ice skates, Roman roads — some fascinating pieces of London’s history aren’t in museums, but underground. More often than not, they stay there, but work on a new railway line under the British capital is bringing centuries of that buried history to light. Part of unearthing that history involves delicate work by archaeologists as they excavate remains from the Bedlam burial ground, established in the 16th century underneath what is now Liverpool Street as the city’s medieval church graveyards filled up. Thousands of Londoners were buried there over 150 years, from paupers to religious nonconformists...

David Cameron yesterday confessed he found it a “little difficult” to follow Christ’s example and give all his possessions to the poor. Questioned about his religious beliefs, however, the Prime Minister described biblical teachings as “not a bad handbook” for life. …

Israel will not enter into any new agreements with the EU under the terms of the recently published settlement guidelines, diplomatic sources said Thursday following a meeting on the matter chaired by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Under the guidelines, Israel would have to sign a territorial clause reneging claims to the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan before entering in any future agreement with the EU. The guidelines also forbid any dealings with Israeli entities over the Green Line. The sources said that Israel would ask for further clarifications about the guidelines. It was not immediately clear whether Israel...

Katie Gee and friend Kirstie Trup, both 18, had the corrosive substance thrown in their faces by two men on a moped as they strolled through Stone Town, in the capital of the island, around 8pm last night One of the British teenagers attacked with acid in Zanzibar was assaulted in the street just weeks earlier for "singing during Ramadan". Katie Gee and friend Kirstie Trup, both 18, had the corrosive substance thrown in their faces by two men on a moped as they strolled through Stone Town, in the capital of the island, around 8pm last night. The girls...

Two British teenagers who were volunteering at a school were the victims of an acid attack on the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar. The police described the attack as "an isolated incident" and refused to link it to tension between majority Muslims and Christians on the island.

she was sold to Azam Khan, 34, who allegedly raped her three times and assaulted her twice while keeping her prisoner. He denies the charges. Nusrat, 40, and Mashrafat Khan, 61, of Colne Road, Burnley, also deny charges of trafficking a person for exploitation under the Asylum and Immigration Act. They are accused of having signed wedding documents at the fake marriage ceremony. . .. . It is also alleged the victim, who comes from a Romany gipsy community in eastern Slovakia, was forced into a sham marriage with Azam Khan at the mosque in Brougham Street. The court was...

Gender bender JW Anderson's backless, semi-sheer halter tops for men raised eyebrows at London Men's Fashion Week. Dry run Another London up-and-comer, Shaun Sampson, showed pale pink organza board shorts and 'skirts' made to look like beach towels. Frill seekers Martine Rose’s collection combines feminine elements with inspiration drawn from sports and athletic kits. Curtain raiser At Alexander McQueen, creative director Sarah Burton opened the show with a fitted suit of white lace. Skull disclosure The trademark Alexander McQueen skull was woven into the lace designs. Herd instinct The Topman show featured fanciful cowboys in embroidered florals. Some fashion...

But the stunt instead earned him a visit from armed police — who arrived during a wedding demanding to inspect his collection of 150 firearms. Three officers turned up at the home of Sir Benjamin Slade after a member of the public reported that they felt threatened by the image, which appeared in The Telegraph, of him dressed in camouflage and holding a semi-automatic rifle. The 67-year-old baronet said he had to intercept the officers at the gates of Maunsel House, near Bridgwater, Somerset, as he had hired the venue out for a wedding and feared that the guests would...

Al Qaeda terrorists may have developed undetectable liquid bombs prompting America to evacuate its citizens from Yemen, it emerged today. The explosive would be applied wet to clothing and then detonated when dry, according to senior US officials. Security experts fear it would be completely undetectable using the current range of security devices operated at airports across the world. The terrifying technology is thought to be the work of Al-Qaeda's master bomb-maker Ibrahim al-Asiri who is linked to the Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) group based in the Yemen. Al-Asiri is believed to be the man behind a...

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — A suspected U.S. drone killed four alleged al-Qaida members in Yemen on Tuesday, as the U.S. and British embassies evacuated staff amid reports of a threatened attack by al-Qaida that has triggered temporary shutdowns of 19 American diplomatic posts across the Muslim world. Yemeni officials have suggested al-Qaida threats to multiple potential targets in the Arabian Peninsula country in recent days, including foreign installations and government offices in the capital Sanaa as well as to the strategic Bab al-Mandeb straits at the entrance to the Red Sea to the south. It is not clear if these...

A statement issued Tuesday says the department has ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Yemen "due to the continued potential for terrorist attacks." The travel warning says U.S. citizens currently in Yemen should depart and calls the security threat level in Yemen "extremely high." A U.S. intelligence official and a Mideast diplomat told The Associated Press that the current shutdown was instigated by an intercepted secret message between al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri and his deputy in Yemen about plans for a major terror attack. Britain's Foreign Office says it has evacuated all staff from its embassy in...

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said there is “no question” that al-Qaeda is on the run, even though U.S. outposts remain closed due to terror threats throughout the world. “We do stand by that,” Carney said on Tuesday when asked if he stands by his previous comments that al-Qaeda has been weakened despite the recent threat, according to the pool report. “There's no question that core al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been severely diminished,” he said. …

Yemeni officials have suggested al-Qaida threats to multiple potential targets in their country in recent days, including foreign installations and government offices in the capital of Sanaa as well as to the strategic Bab al-Mandeb straits at the entrance to the Red Sea in the southern Arabian Peninsula. It is not clear if these reports are the same as the intelligence that led to the temporary shutdowns of 19 U.S. diplomatic posts across the Muslim world, reportedly instigated by an intercepted message between al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri and his deputy in Yemen about plans for a major terrorist attack. The...

Secretary of State John Kerry announced Friday at the U.S. Embassy in London that the State Department will now recognize in its visa-processing practices same-sex marriages performed in foreign countries—saying that “as long as a marriage has been performed in a jurisdiction that recognizes it so that it is legal, then that marriage is valid under U.S. immigration laws.” The State Department clarified to CNSNews.com on Monday that this principle does not extend to polygamous marriages, which are legal in many Muslim countries. … However, the State Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual describes polygamy as an “historical or religious practice” and...

*Repugnant mass of congealed rotting fat and other sickening waste found *Sewage workers have never seen the likes of the mass - as big as a bus *It could have sent sewage surging onto the streets of south London A lump of fat the size of a double decker bus has been discovered clogging a London sewer. The Fatberg, described as 15 tonnes of festering food mixed with wet wipes and a host of other disgusting ephemera, was found blocking pipes under Kingston in south London.

Nick Clegg’s party has unveiled proposals to only allow ultra-low carbon vehicles on UK roads by 2040. The controversial measures would mean millions of petrol and diesel cars being forbidden. Only electric vehicles and ultra-efficient hybrid cars would be allowed on UK roads under the Lib Dem plans. However, petrol and diesel vehicles would still be allowed for freight purposes. … The Lib Dems also want to introduce a system of road pricing in congested areas. … As part of the party’s plans to create a “zero-carbon” Britain, the Lib Dems could also embrace nuclear power and shale gas exploration....

The terrible story of the Oxford child sex ring has brought shame not only on the city of dreaming spires, but also on the local Muslim community. [...] part of the reason this scandal happened at all is precisely because of such politically correct thinking. All the agencies of the state, including the police, the social services and the care system, seemed eager to ignore the sickening exploitation that was happening before their eyes. Terrified of accusations of racism, desperate not to undermine the official creed of cultural diversity, they took no action against obvious abuse. [...] If they had...

With the NSA spying scandal continuing to make headlines in Europe, the German Justice Minister, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, has raised the possibility of new, tangible measures to punish corporations that participate in American spying activities. In an interview with Die Welt, the liberal Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger called for the creation of EU-wide rules to regulate the protection of information, and said that once those rules are in place, “United States companies that don’t abide by these standards should be denied doing business in the European market.”Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said that a package of EU measures is required in order to fight “the widespread spying of...

Farmers are fighting back against criminals. Spitting llamas, loudspeakers and security paint are just some of the ways Shropshire farmers are trying to combat rural crime. Countryside theft across Shropshire is costing hundreds of thousands of pounds a year – and it is farmers who are often the victims. New figures revealed today show that the cost of crime in rural areas has hit nearly £700,000 a year in the county. Farms with their secluded locations and expensive machinery are prime targets for thieves. And though there are signs that Farmwatch schemes are helping to address the problem, thefts of...

He died at the age of 81 after a long illness, his family said. Admiral Woodward was commander of the naval force sent by Margaret Thatcher to re-take the Falkland Islands in 1982. He later served as deputy chief of the defence staff and went on to be the Flag Aide-de Camp to the Queen.

Christians are less likely than atheists to be promoted to top jobs, official figures show. Nearly a quarter of people with no religious belief live in homes headed by someone with a senior executive position or a job in one of the professions. However, well under a fifth of Christians work in the best-paid and most influential jobs or are married to someone who does. … Barrister Andrea Minichiello Williams, a member of the Church of England’s General Synod, said: “If you hold views that are contrary to the prevailing orthodoxy, you are seen as potential trouble. This is a...

Never did three words, surely, have a more explosive and utterly disproportionate effect. In a Commons debate last week on the deficiencies of the new 111 emergency service, a Tory MP, Anne McIntosh, suggested one reason why there were too few GPs to answer urgent calls. Since some 70 per cent of medical students were now women, she said, the fact that many of them wanted to have children and then go part-time meant a ‘tremendous burden’ on the NHS if it effectively had to train two GPs to do the work of one. In reply the junior Health Minister...

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy's hopes of a political comeback got a boost on Tuesday after a fundraising campaign he spearheaded to avert a financial crisis for his conservative UMP party raised 8.3 million euros in less than a month. The national drive to refill the UMP coffers -- dubbed "Sarkothon" by the media -- underscores Sarkozy's continued star appeal among centre-right voters despite his loss of the presidency to Socialist Francois Hollande in May 2012. With the UMP's finances now largely repaired, Sarkozy can more easily prepare for a possible presidential bid in 2017. For this, he will have...

Britain was due to close on Sunday amid heightened security fears after the US issued a global travel alert because of a threat of possible al Qaida terrorist attacks. The two-day closure, described by the Foreign Office as a "precautionary measure", came amid concerns over escalating violence in the country. snip Clashes were reported in Sana'a on Friday. Military officials said one fighter was killed and six were wounded in the unrest. The casualties were reported to be part of a rebel group of Republican Guard troops loyal to Yemen's ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh. There has been a rise...

Germany has canceled a decades-old agreement on information-sharing with Britain and the United States, in the wake of controversy sparked by American leaker Edward Snowden's disclosures about mass surveillance programs. Germany's Foreign Ministry announced the move Friday, saying it was effective immediately.

TEL AVIV – The Obama administration is working behind the scenes in tandem with the European Union’s boycott of Israeli settlements, tying the seriousness of the EU’s future ban to the Jewish state’s actions during current U.S.-brokered talks with the Palestinians, according to a senior Palestinian negotiator. Last week, the EU published guidelines that deny EU funds in the form of grants, prizes and financial instruments from going toward any Jewish entities in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights or eastern Jerusalem. The guidelines further require any future Israeli-EU financial agreements to include a clause stipulating that the West...

A SOLDIER was attacked in an Exeter underpass by a gang who chanted “Lee Rigby” as they kicked him on the floor. The 18-year-old, known as Alexander, has been a member of the Coldstream Guards for six months. But on route to his home in St Thomas, Exeter, he said he was targeted by the hateful mob as he is a serving member of the armed forces. After a period of about two minutes he managed to escape after fighting off but fear his injuries could have been a lot worse. The incident happened at just before 2pm on Wednesday...

Britain's governing Conservative Party has hired U.S. President Barack Obama's former campaign manager as part of its election team ahead of polls due in less than two years, the party said. Jim Messina, a lifelong Democrat, is the latest appointment by Prime Minister David Cameron in a bid to win the party's first overall majority in over 20 years, against a weak economic backdrop and poor poll ratings.

Britain’s governing Conservatives have hired Jim Messina, President Barack Obama’s former campaign manager, to advise them ahead of the 2015 general election. Messina was Obama’s national chief of staff for the 2008 presidential campaign and the president’s campaign manager in 2012. His organizational flair and social media strategy have been credited for helping secure Obama’s re-election. … Messina said Friday that he had “long admired Prime Minister (David) Cameron” and would be offering the Conservatives “strategic campaign advice.” …

Coming soon to an American court room near you. Wealthy gay dad, Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, says he and his civil partner Tony will go to court to force churches to host gay weddings. He told the Essex Chronicle that he will take legal action because “I am still not getting what I want”.A Government Bill legalising gay marriage passed Parliament recently but it included measures to protect churches from being forced to perform same-sex weddings.Mr Drewitt-Barlow said: “The only way forward for us now is to make a challenge in the courts against the church.“It is a shame that we...

Remember When: Korean War heroes remembered on 60th anniversary The Korean War 60th anniversary parade and thanksgiving service gave a chance to remember the North East soldiers who played a vital role The 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War was marked last week by a parade and thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey in London. The events remembered the 1,000 or so comrades who were killed and 1,060 who were taken prisoner during the ferocious conflict in which North East soldiers played a vital role. In all, about 300 veterans of the Korean War took part in the...

A child prostitution trial has heard that "other Sikh girls" were involved with men who paid a 16-year-old girl for sex. ... Aabidali Mubarak Ali, 39, Rakib Iacub, 20, and Wajid Usman, 22, deny all of the 22 charges. Three other men have already pleaded guilty to related charges. 'Not the only girl' In a police interview played to jurors, the girl said other Sikh people in Leicester had approached her family with concerns their daughters might be "in the same situation".

Revolutionary War reenactors at Princeton Battlefield. Douglas Sherlock, a bombardier, in the Continental Army, help pull the canon, during a Revolutionary War reenactment held at the Princeton Battlefield, May 25, 2013. Mary Iuvone/For The TimesPRINCETON — Preservationists opposed to the Institute for Advanced Study’s plan to build faculty housing on land they say was a Revolutionary War battlefield have appealed a court decision allowing the construction project to proceed. The appeal filed Friday continues a long-running dispute over the historical significance of the site next to Princeton Battlefield State Park. The planning board approved the construction project last year and...

British Foreign Secretary William Hague signalled on Wednesday that Britain was open to improved relations with Iran on a “step-by-step” basis, following talks with his counterpart in Tehran, reported the Daily Telegraph. … A Foreign Office statement quoted by the Daily Telegraph said Britain and Iran could explore improved ties in the face of the need for “urgent progress” to resolve the West’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. …

Wealthy gay dad, Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, says he and his civil partner Tony will go to court to force churches to host gay weddings. He told the Essex Chronicle that he will take legal action because “I am still not getting what I want”. A Government Bill legalising gay marriage passed Parliament recently but it included measures to protect churches from being forced to perform same-sex weddings. Challenge Mr Drewitt-Barlow said: “The only way forward for us now is to make a challenge in the courts against the church. “It is a shame that we are forced to take Christians into...

We may be in the era of Facebook and fracking. But 2013 is still beginning to look a lot like the cataclysmic century we just left behind.Victor Davis HansonVictor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and a recipient of the 2007 National Humanities Medal.

Primary school dinner lady sacked for 'negligence, carelessness or idleness' after she accidentally served gammon to a Muslim pupil A primary school dinner lady has been sacked for accidentally serving pork to a Muslim pupil. Alison Waldock, 51, 'forgot' the seven-year-old dietary needs when she asked if the schoolgirl wanted gammon and the youngster said yes. The school's headteacher spotted the mistake as the youngster was about to tuck into the meat and swept the plate away from her. The girl's parents were then told how close their daughter had come to eating the meat, which is banned in their...

(CNN) -- First came the dramatic discovery of the long-lost remains of King Richard III.Now, there's the mystery of the coffin within the coffin.Archaeologists working at the site in central England where Richard III's body was found underneath a parking lot are currently puzzling over a sealed lead coffin containing the remains of a yet-to-be-identified person.The lead coffin was found encased in a larger stone coffin.The smaller coffin is intact "except for a hole at one end of the casket through which we could tantalizingly see someone's feet," said Mathew Morris, the fieldwork director at the site.New discovery just as...

Those who get their news from the mainstream media (or the Guardian) could be forgiven for believing that there are nearly 5 million Palestinian refugees from the 1948-49 Arab-Israeli War. So often is that figure bandied around that most don’t understand that it only reflects the number of Palestinians qualifying for “refugee” benefits under the bizarre formula of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency by which the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren (ad infinitum) of actual refugees continue to inherit this status. This designation is even bestowed upon those Palestinians who are already citizens of other countries. (Using such demographic...

Scientists have grown rudimentary teeth out of the most unlikely of sources, human urine. The results, published in Cell Regeneration Journal, showed that urine could be used as a source of stem cells that in turn could be grown into tiny tooth-like structures. The team from China hopes the technique could be developed into a way of replacing lost teeth. Other stem cell researchers caution that that goal faces many challenges. Teams of researchers around the world are looking for ways of growing new teeth to replace those lost with age and poor dental hygiene. Stem cells - the master...