Free Republic

Do not accept the Ferguson police officer’s retirement. Just keep talking about his phantasmagorical fear of the black body – or else.It would be easy enough to call Darren Wilson a liar, as so many pundits have done, after reading the now-former Ferguson police officer’s testimony in the case of the killing of the 18-year-old Michael Brown. We could imagine this paragon of whiteness, soft-spoken and soft around the middle, as a rational actor, spending months after the shooting to carefully prepare for his grand-jury testimony, to repeat his performance in front of George Stephanopoulos for a television interview. Calling...

'Jane Haining was a quiet farmer's daughter from the south of Scotland who ended her life as a slave labourer in the most notorious extermination camp the world has ever known. She is the only Scot to be officially honoured for giving her life for Jews in the Holocaust. But her life began a long way from the barbed wire fences of Auschwitz - among the rolling hills of rural Dumfriesshire.'

'The ashes of a swashbuckling hero of the British Empire are to be reburied in Israel after a service attended by the country's prime minister. John Henry Patterson was a soldier, big-game hunter and writer, whose exploits inspired three Hollywood movies. The BBC's Kevin Connolly explains why he is so admired in Israel.'

"extraordinary act of self-destruction"

Britain will be forced to pay benefits to even more migrants under EU plans to be fought over in a politically explosive court case. Officials in Brussels last night confirmed that the European Commission is taking legal action to make Britain lift existing restrictions that prevent some migrants claiming child benefit and child tax credit in the UK. The news comes just days after David Cameron pledged to cut handouts in a bid to reduce soaring immigration. The case at Europe’s highest court will further anger the public and politicians who have called on the Government to tighten up Britain’s...

Koran should be read at Prince Charles' coronation says top bishop: Critics attack proposal and accuse Church of England of 'losing confidence' in its own traditions -Lord Harries said gesture would be a ‘creative act of accommodation’ -Speaking in House of Lords claimed it would help Muslims feel ‘embraced’ -Critics attacked idea insisting 'British values stem from Christian heritage' Prince Charles’s coronation service should be opened with a reading from the Koran, a senior Church of England bishop said yesterday. The gesture would be a ‘creative act of accommodation’ to make Muslims feel ‘embraced’ by the nation, Lord Harries of...

There could be between 10,000 and 13,000 victims of slavery in the UK, higher than previous figures, analysis for the Home Office suggests. Modern slavery victims are said to include women forced into prostitution, "imprisoned" domestic staff and workers in fields, factories and fishing boats. The figure for 2013 is the first time the government has made an official estimate of the scale of the problem. The Home Office has launched a strategy to help tackle slavery. It said the victims included people trafficked from more than 100 countries - the most prevalent being Albania, Nigeria, Vietnam and Romania -...

Shortly before Christmas 2012, a group of young men booked a room at a Premier Inn in Bristol. The friends, all in their early 20s and members of the city’s Somali community, chatted, drank and chewed the stimulant khat. One of the men, a local drug dealer called Said Zakaria – also known by his street name Target – was tasked with the job of finding some girls to “party with”. Zakaria, 22, made a few calls and went off to pick up a girl he had been having sex with who can only be identified as Complainant 1 –...

A squadron of ships from Russia's Northern Fleet is currently conducting drills in the English Channel, according to Russian media. The squadron, lead by the Udaloy-class destroyer Severomorsk and including the Alexander Otrakovsky amphibious ship and a tanker, are conducting exercises such as assisting a vessel in distress, communication training and transferring fuel in international waters. The ships are crewed by a total of 250 Russian marines. Russian media reports that the ships were also conducting drills to "repel air attack". According to the Russian navy's press service: "Today, a squadron of ships and support vessels from the Northern Fleet...

The bizarre story of the refusal of British royals to visit Israel, while they are constantly in the Arab world, continues. I wrote about this phenomenon here, last February, when Prince Charles visited Saudi Arabia. As I noted then, the Queen has never set foot in Israel and Prince Charles set foot there briefly only once, for the Rabin funeral. By contrast, in just the month of November 2014 we found Prince Andrew and Prince Harry at what the Foreign Office must have considered a diplomatic necessity: the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Prince Andrew also visited Saudi Arabia (at the...

David Cameron has passionately urged other EU leaders to support his "reasonable" proposals for far-reaching curbs on welfare benefits for migrants. Britain's prime minister said lower EU migration would be a priority in future negotiations over the UK's membership and he would "rule nothing out" ....... The main proposals in the speech-which are dependent on Mr. Cameron remaining in power after May's general election-are: . Stopping EU migrants from claiming in-work benefits, such as tax credits, and getting access to social housing for four years. . Stopping migrants claiming child benefit for dependents living outside the UK . Removing migrants...

The F-35B carrying two ASRAAM missiles on outboard pylons. Photo: BAE Systems In recent test series, US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II the combined test force configured to carry weapons load operated by the Royal Air Force completed initial aircraft handling trials carrying ASRAAM and Paveway IV weapons. The tests were carried out at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, MD in the USA by a test team including personnel from the UK BAE Systems. Two F-35B Short Take Off / Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft, flown by Billie Flynn, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 test pilot, and Squadron Leader Andy Edgell from the...

New figures show a "total failure" by David Cameron to reach his target of cutting migration to less than 100,000, says UKIP's Nigel Farage. He told the BBC it had "never been a genuine pledge" because the UK's EU membership meant "we have a total open door to nearly half a billion people". The prime minister's spokesman said immigration from outside the EU was down and more would be done. But Labour said the PM had made a promise with "no idea" how to keep it..... The Office of National Statistics said on Thursday that 583,000 people moved to the...

Ferguson protests against the police shooting of a black teenager have crossed the pond to England, where demonstrators gathered at the U.S. embassy in London.

Thousands protested in London on Wednesday in sympathy with demonstrations across the US over the killing of a black teenager by a white police officer. ... Following the vigil at the embassy, the crowd marched through London's central shopping district, stopping traffic

'The Royal Navy may ask US squadrons to fly off its new aircraft carrier following delays to its new F35B fighters, BBC Newsnight has learned. MoD insiders said the US Marine Corps would be offered the use of HMS Queen Elizabeth II for flight operations. The UK plans to have its first F35 squadron operational by 2018, but Newsnight has learned that there may be further delays.'

A British scientist whose research focuses on projects that could alter Earth's environment in drastic ways in an effort to curb or mitigate the effects of global warming admitted that the idea itself “terrifies” him.

Former England footballer Sol Campbell has clashed with Labour MP Owen Smith over the party's proposed "mansion tax" on properties worth over £2m. Mr Campbell owned a £25m house in London and a "country pile" in Northumberland. But Owen Smith said his party was only asking people like Mr Campbell "to pay your fair share". He also told Daily Politics people who were "struggling" under this government would have "zero sympathy" for people who complained about having to pay the tax. Mr Owen said there was a "gross inequality between those who've got the most, like Sol", and those at...

Spoiler Alert: 'The last minute of the last hour of the last episode of 'Peaky Blinders'" is revealed. As an American Anglophile who lived in London in 1995 and in Edinburgh ten years later, I was greatly dismayed to witness how much the U.K. has changed for the worse during my recent trip to London shortly after Remembrance Day. The highlight of my trip was to see the 888, 246 poppies and pay tribute to those who died in Afghanistan and Iraq, whose faces adorned small crosses lining the pavement alongside Westminster Abby. With Peaky Blinders’ season two finale still fresh...

Woolwich murder: Lee Rigby report published by Parliament - liveFollow latest coverage as the Intelligence and Security Committee delivers its report into what secret services knew prior to the murder of soldier Lee Rigby At a glance: key findings of ISC report Internet firm failed to report Adebowale's discussion of killing a soldier Sir Malcolm Rifkind: How the murder could have been prevented From quiet Christians to Islamist murderers Footage of attack released by court How the day unfolded Limited resources mean only a fraction of terror suspects can be watched 24/7