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After a few days of relatively small changes, most bookies have changed their odds on a Scottish Yes vote.Of 23 bookies, only one (Betway) thought it more likely than yesterday that Scotland would vote Yes, while all but two showed odds shortening on a No vote.By doing some simple maths it is possible to work out the implied percentages, and betting companies have their money firmly on a No vote. The median probability across 23 bookies is that there is an 83.3 per cent chance the UK will stay together and a 22.2 per cent chance of a split.This...

Scotland’s drive to independence has been interpreted by many as a throwback to ancient identity politics – but many of the trends on display in the Scottish referendum have more to do with the politics of the future than those of the past. The polls show that this week’s vote is too close to call. There is still a chance that the “No” campaign will ultimately prevail – something that I dearly hope will happen both for the sake of the Scots and the rest of the Britain. But whatever the result of the vote, I think we must recognize...

On Thursday, Scotland will decide whether it intends to remain part of the United Kingdom or go its own way as a separate nation. Inspired, Catalonia has renewed its campaign for independence from Spain. Earlier this week, it became clear that San Francisco venture capitalist Tim Draper’s “Six Californias” initiative — which would have seen the state subdivided into six new polities, in effect allowing affluent Silicon Valley to secede from the state’s poor interior and the vulgarians down south — would not proceed to the ballot, having failed to secure sufficient signatures in the petition stage. Secession talk, indulged...

<p>This coming Thursday the Scots will vote on whether to make Scotland an independent nation. And I hope they do because it will be a disaster.</p> <p>I don’t say this as a prejudiced Irishman. Even though the thistle-arse sheep-shagger Scots swiped Ulster and sent a herd of Presbyterian proddy dogs and porridge wogs to squat on our land and won the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 by using unfair—indeed, unheard of —- organization, discipline, and tactics on an Irish battlefield. We Micks only hold a grudge about such things for 300 years or so.</p>

* Victim saw man she says abused her walking the town's streets * The now 28-year-old challenged him over claims of grooming and violence * But when police arrived, she was handcuffed and arrested by officers * She was 'shoved into van' by two officers in 'thuggish' arrest, witness says * Police later realised they had been hoping to interview her over claims * She refused to speak to them after she was reportedly pushed against wall A victim of Rotherham's child sex abuse scandal confronted a man she says groomed her - but was left shocked when she was...

nvestors have pulled money out of the UK at the fastest pace seen since the financial crisis of 2008 amid fears that Scotland will break away from the Union, triggering a broader political crisis.

Historically valuable items are continually being lost or destroyed or being found. For example, most R&L readers likely missed a two-paragraph item in the middle of page 10A of last Wednesday's edition. The title of the article was "Canada Finds One of Two Explorers Ships Lost in Arctic." I feel this discovery warrants more coverage. The two vessels were the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror, both lost during an expedition to determine the feasibility of traversing the "Northwest Passage," a route over the top of North America to link the Atlantic Ocean and Europe to the Pacific Ocean and...

A September 6, 2014 headline in Great Britain’s Daily Mail announced, “Now NHS lets you jump the queue for routine surgery... if you'll pay What is happening in Great Britain’s vaunted in NHS (National Health Service) is of vital interest to Americans. Dr. Donald Berwick, one of the prime designers of the Affordable Care Act, proudly said in 2010 that the NHS was his model for our ACA. By seeing where the NHS is today, we can foresee where U.S. healthcare is headed tomorrow. To reduce the escalating costs of their healthcare system, the NHS has been rationing care, either...

(CNN) -- Here's a question that seems to be lost in the debate over the Scottish independence vote scheduled for September 18: I realize that Americans fought a bloody war of independence from England in the late 1700s, but our rifts have healed over the past 240 years. In 2013, the Pew Research Center reported that England topped America's list of favorite nations, in a near-tie with our beloved northern neighbor, Canada. In the past few years, as America has degenerated into political and economic chaos, it has become increasingly clear that we would be far better off if we...

Last night, Barack Obama promised America that he would take the fight to ISIS/ISIL, using a four-pronged strategy that he laid out in his much-anticipated war speech. In each phase of this strategy, Obama insisted, we would be “joined by a broad coalition of partners,” emphases mine: First, we will conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists. Working with the Iraqi government, we will expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions, so that we’re hitting ISIL targets as Iraqi forces go on offense. Moreover, I have made it clear that we will hunt...

Brazilian wandering spider venom causes loss of muscle control and breathing problems, paralysis and asphyxiation. Photograph: Apex Photo Agency/Rex The Brazilian wandering spider – perhaps the world's most aggressive and venomous spider – is a rare visitor to these shores, but has recently been turning up in shipments of bananas, most recently in Colchester. Such is their fearsome reputation that a woman who found its eggs in bananas she bought from Tesco on Monday had to incinerate her vacuum cleaner after using it to clean them up. Abby Woodgate, 30, was told by pest control experts that she would have...

Cameron's spokesman said: "No. There has been no change here. The government's entire focus ... is on making the case for the UK staying together."

The UK, however, is (not surprisingly) a close second with 600 — up from the 400 reported here. “Hundreds Of Westerners Have Joined ISIS — Here’s Where They Came From,” by Ben Winsor, Business Insider, August 27, 2014: U.S. and European security services estimate that more than 1,000 of jihadist militants fighting in Iraq and Syria were drawn to the conflict from Western nations with some estimates putting the number as high as 3,000.Business Insider compiled the graph below, which illustrates best estimates of where just some of those Western fighters originate. Business Insider Business Insider sought to use only...

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States – UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage was in studio with radio show host Laura Ingraham this week to discuss the rise of UKIP, America's political establishment, Vladimir Putin, and even Piers Morgan. On the possibility of Jeb Bush running in the 2016 presidential election race, Mr Farage said: "He represents the Establishment. He represents more of the same. He represents the kind of Republican following of Romney... Democrats have an advantage here with the changing population, so for the Republicans to win they need someone who is actually going to inspire people, and I’m not...

“When you meet the unbelievers, strike the necks…” (Qur’an 47:4) “When you gonna wake up, and strengthen the things that remain?” (Bob Dylan, echoing Revelation 3:2) This is denial and willful ignorance on a scale so massive as to spell nothing less than a doomed society. “Woman beheaded ‘with machete’ in north London garden,” by Tom Whitehead, Ed Malnick, Tom Brooks Pollock and Gordon Rayner, the Telegraph, September 4, 2014 An 82-year-old woman was beheaded in a north London garden after a crazed attacker went beserk with a machete. Pensioner Palmira Silva was decapitated at her house in Edmonton in...

The survey, by Opinium Research, found 60 per cent of people were in favour of taking action to deal with the threat from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil). Almost two thirds of the public would support some form of British military action against jihadist fighters in Iraq, an exclusive poll for The Telegraph suggests. The survey, by Opinium Research, found 60 per cent of people were in favour of taking action to deal with the threat from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil). The measures that people were prepared to support ranged from...

None of this is supposed to be happening at all. Better Together is supported by every major media outlet in Scotland as well as in London. It has the full research resources of the British government and the backing of big business. Yet there now seems to be an irresistible momentum towards yes. This week saw polls showing a massive eight-point swing to yes in the last month alone, with women and Labour voters leading the way. Photos of people queueing up to register to vote in Glasgow have been circulating. Maybe they were people queueing up to defend the...

ItÂ’s time to add to our collection of horror stories from the U.K.Â’s government-run healthcare system (previous examples can be found here,here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here,here, here, here, here,here,and here).What makes todayÂ’s story different, though, is that the bureaucracy not only is denying care to a small child, but also seeking to prevent the family from seeking treatment elsewhere.Check out these excerpts from a blood-chilling story in USA Today. The parents of a child suffering from a severe brain tumor signaled Monday they would defy efforts to force them to return to Britain, days after their...

A hoard of Roman treasure believed to have been hidden from Boudicca in the first century has been discovered by archaeologists in Colchester. The collection, including fine gold and silver jewellery, had been buried for safekeeping during the early stages of Boudicca's Revolt, Colchester Archaeological Trust said. It represents the first hoard of precious metals ever found in Colchester town centre and is thought to have belonged to a wealthy Roman woman, who stashed the treasure under her house when she heard the vengeful queen's armies were approaching. The archaeologists said the hoard was found under the floor of a...

BEFORE he was named as a key suspect in the brutal beheading of two western journalists, the man who has become known as Jihad John was an aspiring rapper with a dark message. Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, who released music videos under the name L Jinny and even had a few songs played on BBC radio, has gained notoriety for darker reasons other than his music. The British man has gained worldwide attention after he was named as the chief suspect in the gruesome beheading of American journalist James Foley. Police and intelligence officials told Britain’s Sunday Times that “MI5 and...