Free Republic

Britain’s most senior doctor has said the under-pressure NHS may be forced to abandon the concept of free healthcare for all. Prof. Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the NHS in England, said there were doubts over whether the taxpayer-funded model was “sustainable in the longer term”. He added that huge changes were needed—including less reliance on hospitals—if free treatment was to be preserved. He told the Guardian: “If the NHS continues to function as it does now, it’s going to really struggle to cope because the model of delivery and service that we have at the moment is not...

Two male witches have tied the knot in the UK’s first pagan same-sex marriage. Tom Lanting, 34, and Iain Robertson, 39, who have been together for 12 years, were married in a ceremony in the 16th-century vaulted cellars of Marlin’s Wynd in Edinburgh. The couple, who live in the Scottish capital, are both described as being hedge witches, who use herbal remedies to deal with medical and spiritual ailments. The ceremony encompassed a number of pagan traditions, including handfasting, where their hands were bound together, the sharing of mead and jumping the broom.After their wedding, the couple said: “Getting married...

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Monday called for an anti-terror alliance with Arab countries to boost cooperation and information-sharing in the wake of deadly attacks and arrests across Europe. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Monday that "we need an alliance. We need to strengthen our way of cooperating together."...

BRUSSELS -- EU High Representative Federica Mogherini met here Monday Nabil Al-Araby, Secretary General of the Arab League and discussed how to increase counter-terrorism cooperation. Speaking to reporters before the meeting, she underlined that terrorism "is not an issue between the West and Islam, terrorist attacks are targeting most of all Muslims in the world so we need an alliance and a dialogue to face the issue together." "We also need to take full responsibility for what we do and say, I think respect is one of the core values of the EU, drawing the line between freedom and respect...

A SOLDIER serving in the British Army has become the first and only transgender officer. Saying she was “living an act” Captain Hannah Winterbourne, 27, decided to become a woman while on tour in Afghanistan reported The Mirror. Winterbourne, an officer in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, began her transition in 2013 and is now the highest ranking trans soldier in the British Army.

As parliaments in more and more European nations vote to recognize “Palestine,” European politicians insist they are doing so to promote the objective of an independent Palestinian state living in peace beside a secure Israel. But both the declared aims of Palestinian leaders and the pattern of European policy vis-a-vis Israel and the Palestinians give the lie to European averments of benign intent. Neither party of the divided Palestinian leadership has, to say the least, demonstrated an interest in peace with Israel. Hamas, now controlling Gaza and enjoying extensive popularity in the West Bank, openly trumpets its objective not only...

Fox News issued an unusual on-air apology on Saturday night for having allowed its anchors and guests to repeat the false claim that there are Muslim-only “no-go zones” in European countries like England and France that are not under the control of the state and are ruled according to Shariah law. The statement was referred to as “a correction” by the Fox Report host Julie Banderas, who said that “over the course of this last week, we have made some regrettable errors on air regarding the Muslim population in Europe, particularly with regard to England and France.” “Now this applies...

Sir Paul McCartney and wife Nancy Shevell, who attended Yom Kippur services prior to their wedding in deference to Shevell’s Jewish faith, might well be bentsching gommel (a thanksgiving prayer for escaping a dangerous situation) on their next visit to the synagogue after the couple narrowly escaped a crash when two helicopter pilots missed danger signals, as reported by the Daily Mail. The terrifying ordeal occurred when the two were flying back from London, where they attended a celebration of the release of a vegetarian cookbook by McCartney’s daughter Mary, to their home in East Sussex. The pilots were attempting...

Government Tells Mosques: Force Out The Preachers of Hate Eric Pickles writes to 1,100 imams and community leaders, urging them to tackle radicals and make young Muslims proud of Britain Channel 4 has defended plans to broadcast the Islamic call to prayer every morning during Ramadan by suggesting there are more Muslims in Britain than people who tuned in to watch the Queen's coronation anniversary service. Channel 4 will broadcast the call to prayer at sunrise on television and over the internet as part of plans to appeal to young Muslims Photo: By Matthew Holehouse, 18 Jan 2015 The Government...

In 1945, Britain’s army film unit commissioned a sprawling doc on the liberation of Nazi concentration camps, supervised by Hitchcock. A new film explores the forgotten masterpiece. It is, perhaps, the greatest documentary never made. Back in 1945, Sidney Bernstein, the chief of the Psychological Warfare Film Section of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, was commissioned to create the definitive documentary chronicling the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps. Bernstein’s aim was, in his words, to “prove one day that this had actually happened” and have it serve as “a lesson to all mankind as well as to the...

This week's reception will give three young entrepreneurs who were finalists in a Pitch@Palace competition the chance to speak to the assembled tycoons. Another of the Prince's pet projects, iDEA, supports 14 to 25-year-olds in developing digital business ventures... Alan Dershowitz, one of Jeffery Epstein's lawyers, has issued writs denying Ms Roberts's claims one by one, saying he has never met her... Writing in The Times, he added: 'She has also claimed that Stephen Hawking and I were on the island together during a sex orgy. I have never met Professor Hawking.' ... A secret cache of videotapes locked in...

Authorities said computer equipment linking the teen to the hack attack was removed from the suspect’s home Friday. The teen lives near Liverpool. British officials credited the FBI with cracking the case.

The Towie fan who fled ISIS terrorists with her toddler son could be sent back to Syria by Turkish authorities. Tareena Shakil, 25, ran away to Syria last year after telling relatives she was going on holiday to Spain with her 16-month-old son Zaheem. But she escaped back across the Turkish border after, she claims, the militants tried to force her into marrying a one-legged fighter. However, instead of being deported to Britain, Shakil, from Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, might be sent back to Syria and into the clutches of ISIS. (snip) Shakil is being held at a facility on the border...

On Thursday, January 15, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Ukraine. The document has been very tough and uncompromising with regard to Russia, even with the traditional support of Ukraine by the European Parliament. It refers to the European Parliament the EU Council with a proposal to not only maintain but also to strengthen the sanctions, and the member states - to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons. The document also contains a number of other very important point. Although this decision is not legally binding, it will be a significant element of pressure on other governments of the European...

Europe’s energy union needs to be bolstered by EU laws binding on each nation, Germany said in a policy paper seen by Reuters that sets it at odds with Britain. […] After last October’s outline agreement on 2030 climate goals on carbon emissions, increased use of renewable energy and improved energy efficiency, Germany urged the Commission to draw up a proposal on “governance”. Governance refers to legal implementation plans for targets on renewable energy and energy savings. […] That position is diametrically opposed to the stance of Britain, which has called in general for a “light-touch and non-legislative” approach. …

Barack Obama And David Cameron Fail To See Eye To Eye On Surveillance British prime minister takes tougher line on internet companies than US president at White House talks on Islamist threats Barack Obama and David Cameron struck different notes on surveillance powers after the president conceded that there is an important balance to be struck between monitoring terror suspects and protecting civil liberties. As Cameron warned the internet giants that they must do more to ensure they do not become platforms for terrorist communications, the US president said he welcomed the way in which civil liberties groups hold them...

Praying With A Muslim Colleague Ruined My Career, Says Christian NHS Worker Claims by Christian NHS worker that she was discriminated against on religious grounds after saying a prayer for a Muslim colleague come during a tense period in relations between Islam and other faiths, following the Paris terrorist attacks Victoria Wasteney was suspended by the NHS Photo: Patrick Sawer 17 Jan 2015 It was intended, she says, as a simple but heartfelt gesture of comfort and support for a troubled colleague. Victoria Wasteney put her hand on her friend’s knee and, asking if she could pray for her, said...

British Prime Minister David Cameron is appealing directly to some senators in the U.S. Congress to reconsider a bill that would open up the possibility of new sanctions against Iran. "I have contacted a couple of senators this morning, and I may speak to one or two more this afternoon," Cameron said during a joint press conference with President Obama at the White House Friday. The prime minister arrived in Washington Thursday to meet with the president and his administration to discuss a range of issues. Cameron said his calls were "not in any way... to tell the American Senate...

'Britain's ties with Saudi Arabia stem from the exploits of a dashing diplomat, Capt William Shakespear - an explorer and pioneering photographer. If he hadn't met an early death while photographing a desert battle scene, asks Matthew Teller, would we now know him as Shakespear of Arabia?.'

Passengers are facing severe disruption after the Channel Tunnel was closed "until further notice" following a fire on a lorry. Eurostar says all its services today have been cancelled and trains are returning to their original stations. Kent Police said the fire happened at the French end of the tunnel and is being dealt with by the French authorities. There were no reported injuries, a police spokesman said.