Free Republic

A man who lives like a Victorian and claims to be one of England's most eligible bachelors has finally met the woman of his dreams who shares his passion for the 1800s. Michael Koropisz, 24, a classical portrait painter from Stockport, Greater Manchester, refuses to watch television and writes with a quill and ink. The Victorian enthusiast insists on living in the past by dressing strictly in clothes from the 19th century and filling his house with antiques. Despite getting odd glances from strangers, Michael claims that his unique lifestyle leaves him inundated with offers from the opposite sex -...

A student who went to visit family in Iran has been locked up for five months over comments she made to friends on Facebook, her family say. Roya Saberi Negad Nobakht, from Stockport, was arrested as she stepped off a plane in the provincial city of Shiraz and accused of being a spy, husband Daryoush Taghipoor told the M.E.N. Daryoush said his 47-year-old wife has been detained at Evin, an infamous prison in Iranian capital Tehran, on suspicion of plotting to commit crimes against security and insulting Islam. He claimed her arrest was over comments she made on an internet...

NOTE: Photos included. PHOTO CAPTION: "Investigation: Faisal Mostafa, pictured in 2002, is facing allegations that his orphanage was in fact an arms factory and terrorist training camp" SNIPPET: "A British charity worker twice cleared of terror charges in this country is being hunted in Bangladesh after explosives were seized at an orphanage he founded. Security forces there claimed last night that the orphanage set up by Dr Faisal Mostafa, from Stockport, was in fact an arms factory and terrorist training camp. Mostafa ran Green Crescent, a charity that provided humanitarian aid to families in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Local security forces...

Political correctness is turning lethal. Stockport Council is now using resource packs provided by the Muslim Council of Britain to teach schoolchildren about Islam, an initiative which is to be extended across the nation. According to the Stockport Express, councillors think this will promote 'multi-racial [sic] harmony'. Councillor John Pantall, executive member for 'diversity strategy', said: 'If we can get to pupils at an early age we hope they can grow up understanding other cultures and religions and without prejudice. There is a great deal of ignorance about major faiths, resulting in dangerous and destructive myths. The use of the...