Free Republic

The population of England is set surge by more than four million in the next decade as parts of the south prepare to see the number of inhabitants swell by up to a quarter, official projections show. New estimates, drawn up to help councils and the NHS plan ahead, expose the full impact of years of mass immigration on top of a revolution in life expectancy. Immigration is set to account for almost half of the expected population expansion, which would also official rank London as one of the world’s megacities – passing the 10 million mark - for the...

London could get its first Muslim mayor after the main opposition Labour party selected Sadiq Khan, a bus driver’s son and former government minister, as its candidate Friday. Khan, a former human rights lawyer, will stand in elections being held next May to decide who should follow Conservative Boris Johnson, one of Britain’s best-known politicians, into City Hall. While the mayor of London has fewer powers than in comparable world cities such as New York, it is a high-profile job which usually attracts ambitious figures.

Clothes litter the parking lot where four people were shot during a pre-prom gathering for Saginaw High School near the Florence Event Hall, 110 Florence in Saginaw, Thursday, May 23, 2013. A 17-year-old girl died. Three other women, ages 18, 19 and 39 were injured during the shooting and were receiving treatment at a local hospital.

HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Authorities say a Good Samaritan who tried to intervene in a fight between two groups of teens in Huntington Beach Saturday evening, was nearly beaten to death by the same teens who attacked him with their skateboards. Police say 40 teens attacked the 25-year-old man — about 7:50 p.m. — at Murdy park in Huntington Beach. The man is in extremely critical condition. Officials said the man’s girlfriend saw the teens involved in an altercation. After the girlfriend tried to intervene, the crowd turned on her. She got away but returned with her boyfriend. Police said...

Officials say the graffiti started with just a few markings, but quickly spread. They blame vandals who posted pictures of their handiwork on social media sites, which enticed others to the same spot and leave their own illicit marks.

VICTORVILLE (CBSLA.com) — Students at a high school in Victorville said violent fights have been breaking out between African-Americans and Latinos for the past two days. Rafael Muñoz said a group of people started the fights at Silverado High on Wednesday, which have poured out into the streets. “One person started fighting, then the other would jump in. And continuously jump in and (it) ended up to be mob fighting. (I) got pepper sprayed by the security,” he said. Cellphone video caught one brawl, which spilled into 14-year-old Jeremy Buenrostro’s lawn. “They busted my lip. Well, they broke my tooth....

The Virginian-Pilot newspaper of Norfolk, Va., waited two weeks before reporting that two white reporters were beaten by a group of young black men. And since the story came out, the city’s police department has defended its handling of the case. Columnist Michelle Washington broke the news of the April 14 attack on reporters Dave Forster and Marjon Rostami in the May 1 edition of the newspaper. “Wave after wave of young men surged forward to take turns punching and kicking their victim,” Washington wrote. Washington and a police report obtained by NBC station WAVY indicate the reporters were driving...

A Brockton man brutally beaten over a parking space recalled the harrowing attack yesterday from his Hub hospital bed, telling the Herald he’s lucky to be alive and the argument wasn’t worth it. Sosa said he and his wife were out at a friend’s house Saturday night, and a neighbor was waiting for him when they got home. Sosa, 40, said his car was parked in its designated spot — and the neighbor was fuming because it was blocking his space.Sosa said the neighbor wasn’t supposed to park there. The pair exchanged words, Sosa said, and the other man threatened...

Caught on camera, a mob of young people bombarded the City Stop convenience store on Sunset Road and Pecos Road and stole $600 in merchandise. "It became a feeding frenzy," said City Stop owner Jon Athey. "They were in the store for three minutes and 30 seconds… It's a pretty scary thing." Athey says the crowd darted in and snatched numerous items from the store. "Beer to jerky to candy bars to soda, whatever hit their fancy… potato chips," he said. Athey says this tactic is known as a "swarm". After 42 years in the convenience store business, Athey says...

An ABC pilot called “Good Christian Bitches” has religious and women’s groups up in arms over what they describe as an extremely offensive and distasteful show title............. Still in the early stages, the pilot has not been guaranteed a spot on ABC’s lineup. And though the show’s title may change before it goes to broadcast, “Good Christian Bitches” is already causing uproar. Christian publisher Tessie DeVore told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column that the show, which features the tagline “For Heaven’s sake, don’t let God get in the way of a good story!” could put Christians in an unfairly bad light............

When it comes to human failings, I always try to be understanding. In fact, readers of my Saturday advice column in the Mail will know that it’s my stock-in-trade. But there are times, I’m afraid, when sympathy fails me and I am left nursing a deep anger which needs putting into words. Sometimes, even those words fail me. How else to respond to this week’s story of well-educated girls — brought up in decent homes with every privilege — choosing to sell their bodies for a fast buck, not caring how many footballers use them in one week?

Earlier this week the British Broadcasting Corporation, or BBC, appointed a Muslim as head of its religious programming department -- a move being hailed as a "radical departure from broadcasting tradition." Aaqil Ahmed, former executive at Channel 4, is the new of Head of Religion and Ethics and Commissioning Editor for Religion TV, a position some call one of the most influential religious roles in the United Kingdom. Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is concerned over the appointment of a Muslim, claiming it comes at a time when Christian leaders worry their faith is being marginalized and criticized...