Free Republic

BOULOGNE-SUR-MER, France — There is disquiet along the cold, foggy quays of this major French fishing port facing Britain. Captain after captain, returning to Boulogne-sur-Mer in squat fishing boats with the day’s haul of crab and sole, has the same story: Their boats are being broken into. The suspected culprits, according to the fishermen and local officials? Smugglers, and their migrant clients, who are intent on reaching Britain and are looking for vessels to cross the forbidding waters of the English Channel. A few of the stolen boats have even been taken to sea. Since the start of Europe’s migration...

At dinner the other night, a QC friend of mine — I forget what the Q stands for but I know exactly why they’re all called Cs — tried explaining to me why Theresa May’s Brexit ‘deal’ is actually a good deal for Britain. So I asked him to explain to me what’s good about it. He began by agreeing that the deal isn’t perfect but said that there’s got to be a bit of give and take on both sides. Then he conceded that of course “No deal” might have been better but because the government had made such...

Parliament is more likely to block Britain's exit from the European Union than allow it to crash out without a deal, Theresa May is set to warn as she launches a last-ditch plea to MPs to back her Brexit deal. The Prime Minister will use a speech on the eve of the critical Commons vote on her exit plan to urge MPs to consider the "consequences" of their actions on the faith of British people in democracy. She is expected to reiterate her warning that "catastrophic harm" will be inflicted to trust in politicians if they fail to implement the...

Remain-supporting backbench MPs are conspiring to upend Parliamentary protocol and seize control of Brexit from the Government in attempts to stop a WTO exit or even to prevent the UK from leaving the EU altogether, according to The Sunday Times. A group of cross-party backbench, or non-Governmental, MPs are said to be tabling an amendment to change House of Commons rules so that backbenchers’ motions could precedence over Government business, according to sources speaking to the newspaper of record. Downing Street is said to be concerned that that could result in laws being passed to stop the UK leaving the...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Saturday he will force a vote soon on a resolution to disapprove the Trump administration's decision to relax sanctions on three Russian companies connected to oligarch Oleg Deripaska…{snip} ...The U.S. Treasury announced on Dec. 20 that it would lift sanctions imposed in April on the core businesses of Deripaska, including aluminum giant Rusal its parent En+ and power firm EuroSibEnergo, watering down the toughest penalties imposed since Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea. After lobbying by European governments that followed the imposition of sanctions, Washington postponed enforcement of the sanctions...

A failure to deliver Brexit would be "a catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust in our democracy", Prime Minister Theresa May has warned. Writing in the Sunday Express, Mrs May pleaded with MPs to back her Brexit deal in Tuesday's crunch Commons vote. Not doing so risks the UK leaving the EU with no deal or Brexit not happening at all, she said. Meanwhile, No 10 is said to be alarmed at the prospect of MPs taking control of Brexit if Tuesday's vote is lost.

Labour MPs have been told to prepare for Jeremy Corbyn to table a dramatic and immediate vote of no confidence in Theresa May’s government as early as Tuesday evening in an attempt to force a general election if – as expected – she suffers a heavy defeat this week on her Brexit deal. Messages have been sent to Labour MPs, even those who are unwell, to ensure their presence both for the “meaningful vote” on the prime minister’s Brexit blueprint on Tuesday and the following day. Labour whips have told MPs the no-confidence vote is likely to be tabled within...

The Tornado has launched hundreds of airstrikes on so-called Islamic State in the Middle East (Picture: MOD). Built more than 40 years ago to fight a nuclear war, the RAF's primary ground attack platform is due to be retired from service by March 2019. The Tornado can also conduct intelligence gathering missions and is armed with a variety of Paveway bombs, Brimstone air-to-air missiles and Storm Shadow cruise missiles. The aircraft also possesses an Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) for defensive purposes. When deployed in an armed reconnaissance or close air support role, it would usually be armed with...

A non-profit group linked to Fusion GPS has ties to a cybersecurity firm recently implicated in a self-described “false flag” operation in the Alabama Senate race. The Democracy Integrity Project, which works with Fusion GPS and dossier author Christopher Steele, partnered before the 2018 midterms with New Knowledge, an Austin-based firm that has been tied to an operation that created fake Russian bots in Alabama’s December 2017 special election. New Knowledge recently produced a report for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and TDIP’s founder was in contact with two Democrats from the committee. A nonprofit group linked to Fusion...

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has confirmed it is cutting 4,500 jobs, with the substantial majority coming from its 40,000 strong UK workforce. Most will be in office roles as the company wants to simplify its management structure. The cuts come on top of last year's 1,500 job losses. JLR is facing several challenges, including a slump in demand for diesel cars and a sales slowdown in China. The firm has also complained about uncertainty caused by Brexit.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez branded Donald Trump's border wall 'a campaign fantasy' and said he has a track record of discrimination against non-white people. The newly sworn-in congresswoman spoke of the 'dysfunction that the President is advancing' in the offices on Capitol Hill as the Government shutdown continues with no sign of a breakthrough. Ocasio-Cortez gave her reaction following Trump's address to the nation on The Rachel Maddow Show tonight.

Rebel Conservative MPs have joined forces with Labour to inflict a fresh blow on Theresa May's government in a Commons Brexit vote. It means the government will have to come up with revised plans within three days if Mrs May's EU withdrawal deal is rejected by MPs next week. It could also open the door to alternatives, such as a referendum.

The New York Times is quick to the typeset to explain how Brussels is desperately offended because President Trump and Secretary Pompeo have lowered the importance of the EU. Officials from the European Union are apoplectic that U.S. officials have downgraded their status amid the official registry of diplomatic protocols. (snip) -- BRUSSELS — The Trump administration downgraded the diplomatic status of the European Union’s delegation to the United States last year without making a formal announcement or informing the bloc about the change, a European official said on Tuesday.

The United Kingdom’s surge of the previously unheard of phenomenon of acid attacks has seen an average of 15 a week over the past three years, with the vast majority taking place in the crime-struck capital. There were 2,602 acid attacks in Britain between January 2015 and May 2018, according to government figures accessed by The Mirror. Comparing that figure, the newspaper notes that between 2007 and 2011 there were just 100 such attacks, or just one a fortnight over the period. The paper also reports instances of particular attacks that have taken place in recent years, some of which...

A key point of contention was the collaboration between the mosque and Yad Vashem, a Jewish organisation that focuses on preserving the memory of the holocaust. The exhibition at the London mosque, which was devoted to Muslims who helped save Jewish lives during the Holocaust, has been cancelled without an official explanation, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) reported. The cancellation of the event, held by the Centre for Islamic Understanding in Golders Green, was preceded by Muslim protests that were largely fuelled by statements of Roshan Salih, the editor of a Muslim media outlet called "5 Pillars." The man slammed...

We aren't grateful enough for the English Channel. Personally, I give thanks for it every day, but that is because I have been out in the world quite a lot and know just how dangerous our planet is. That short, rough stretch of sea is what has enabled us to create one of the greatest civilisations in human history. It is continuity, stability, peace, mutual understanding and long-accumulated experience that make civilisations. Without them, the most vital ingredient of human society-trust-cannot develop or flourish. Look at the rest of Europe, unprotected by deep water. Every century or so there's an...

YouTube star and fashion blogger Dina Torkia has received a wave of abusive and offensive comments on social media since she stopped wearing a hijab, the Daily Mail reports. Dina, who has more than a million followers on Instagram, said she had made a ‘personal decision to wear it when I want to’. In a video called The Bad, The Worse And The Ugly she reads out the torrent of abuse she has received from strangers on Facebook. Even in an uninterrupted 47-minute-video the fashion blogger is only able to get through some of the nasty messages. Among the offensive...

New York Knicks center Enes Kanter announced Friday that he will not be traveling to London for the NBA team’s upcoming game out of fear of a possible assassination attempt due to his opposition to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Kanter, a Turkish native, told reporters he can’t travel anywhere except the U.S. and Canada because “there’s a chance I could get killed out there.” “Sadly, I’m not going because of that freaking lunatic, the Turkish president,” Kanter said. “It’s pretty sad that all the stuff affects my career and basketball, because I want to be out there and help...

The brother of a U.S. citizen arrested in Russia on espionage charges said Tuesday that he's innocent and was in Moscow to attend a wedding. Paul Whelan, a retired Marine, was arrested in Moscow on Friday. The Russian Federal Security Service, in announcing the arrest three days later, said Whelan was caught "during an espionage operation," but gave no details. "We are deeply concerned for his safety and well-being," his brother, David Whelan, said in a statement posted on Twitter. "His innocence is undoubted and we trust that his rights will be respected." The Russian spying charges carry a prison...

Russia has detained a US citizen on suspicion of spying, according to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). American Paul Whelan was arrested December 28 in Moscow "while carrying out an act of espionage," the FSB said in a statement. "The investigation department of the Federal Security Service of Russia initiated a criminal case against a US citizen under article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The investigation is underway," the statement continued. Article 276 is espionage. If found guilty, Whelan faces 10 to 20 years imprisonment, Russia's state-run news agency TASS reported. The Russia Ministry of...