Far-right activists have targeted mosques in Bradford attempting to hand out Bibles and also to distribute leaflets accusing community elders of failing to stop grooming gangs. Members of Britain First, some wearing uniforms, staged protests at 10 places of worship in the city centre. They posted images of themselves on Facebook confronting members of the Asian community. They also visited the office of Labour councillor Nazam Azam. Mr Azam said, ‘They have come to Bradford to cause residents to fear for their safety. As far as I understand they have tried to access mosques and hand out leaflets but I don’t know anyone who took anything.' According to the anti-fascist organisation Hope Not Hate, Britain First is a Protestant far right group with its roots in Northern Ireland and Scotland. A Facebook site statement said, ‘This is the first of many such operations to be launched across Yorkshire against Islam.'
Legalising assisted suicide would open a ‘Pandora’s box’ and lead to ‘horrible consequences’, a senior Roman Catholic Archbishop has said. Archbishop Antonio Mennini explained that the ‘reality’ of assisted suicide should be revealed, as he warned that the change could lead to further attempts to weaken the law. The House of Lords is set to discuss the issue when it debates Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill. Archbishop Mennini, who has represented the Pope in Great Britain since 2011, said the ‘nice’, ‘politically correct’ term ‘assisted dying’ should be exposed. ‘But once we open this ‘Pandora’s box’ we know as well the horrible consequences that follow.’ He then gave the example of Belgium, which after introducing euthanasia in 2002 brought in child euthanasia earlier this year.
The Rev John Chalmers, Moderator Designate of the Church of Scotland, is to conduct a reconciliation service three days after the referendum on Scottish independence. The Church says that the service, to which leading figures from the Yes and Better Together campaigns will be invited, is to be held at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh on 21 September and will focus on healing divisions and building the future together. It said the service would highlight the need to put differences aside and begin working with each other, whatever the outcome of the referendum on 18 September. Speaking to BBC Scotland, the Rev Chalmers said: ‘Reconciliation is the business of the church. So it seems fitting, at a time when people are taking sides and passions are running high, that we should prepare for the day after this is all over.’
The organisers of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow have closed the ticket website and phone line until ongoing problems with sales can be resolved. Glasgow 2014 said the measure was necessary to address technical issues which had hampered the sales of 100,000 extra tickets since Monday. So far, about 55,000 of the extra tickets have been bought with diving, swimming, mountain biking, track cycling and the triathlon all sold out. Glasgow 2014 chief executive David Grevemberg said that the website and phone line would be unavailable until the technical issues had been resolved. At the time of printing this article they had still not been resolved. The ticket system has not met capacity and has not coped with demand. Extra tickets for all 17 sports and the opening and closing ceremonies went on sale on a first-come, first-served basis at 10:00 BST on Monday.
Marriage is a big issue in the Euro elections
19 May 2014With just under two weeks to the European Parliament elections we’ve got some important news on how your Euro candidates can defend true marriage. These upcoming elections are crucial because Members of the European Parliament have been demanding an ‘Equal Treatment Directive’ that will threaten our freedom to talk about marriage. The Directive would bring in a dangerous low-level harassment law and give the EU control of UK goods and services discrimination legislation. Amongst other things, it would require equal treatment for same-sex marriages and traditional marriages. Schools could be sued for harassment if they allow teachers or pupils to explain why they believe in traditional marriage.
TV marriage experiment to begin on Channel 4
19 May 2014Strangers will marry after meeting for the first time on a Channel 4 television programme, set to air next year. The series, currently called Married at First Sight, will see TV cameras follow the couples for six weeks after their official ceremony. They will then be offered the choice to stay together or separate. Channel 4’s chief creative officer Jay Hunt claims the programme is a ‘celebration of marriage’, but family groups have criticised the show. The Marriage Foundation said the producers do not understand commitment, while The Christian Institute said the show belittles marriage. Simon Calvert, a spokesman for The Christian Institute, said the idea ‘denigrates marriage’ and it is ‘horrible for broadcasters to be experimenting with people’s lives in this way’. Harry Benson from the marriage group said: ‘Instead of getting married with clarity and intent about their future, these couples will still be in a relationship that is riddled with ambiguity.’
The NHS is quietly ditching an electronic booking system for outpatient appointments, Choose and Book, which has cost £356m since 2004, in a further sign of the difficulties of introducing efficient IT systems into the health service. The decision to replace it with a potentially even more expensive e-referral scheme by 2016 follows a drop in its use by doctors and patients. During a recent investigation into NHS waiting times by the House of Commons' public accounts committee, MPs were told by NHS staff that while some GPs liked Choose and Book, many did not, and that not all outpatient appointment slots were available on it, limiting its usefulness. Meg Hillier, a Labour member of the committee, said: ‘It's another NHS cock up. A system designed for use by GPs but only used by half of them, has been quietly dropped, so quietly that even most of the NHS seems unaware.’
Children are still being exposed to ‘harmful material’ on television despite strict rules on what can be shown before 9pm, say head teachers. The National Association of Head Teachers - which has drawn up a charter to protect children's innocence - says the media must ensure pre-watershed content is free from sex and violence. A poll of 1,013 parents found 96% believed the rules were being broken. Speaking at the NAHT's conference in Birmingham, its president Gail Larkin said: "We know that most parents are trying their best to protect their children from certain dangers in the outside world. I know, as a grandparent, how much more difficult it is with such advanced technology to prevent children from accessing, often unwittingly, materials and media that are not just inappropriate but often obscene and mentally damaging." Media regulator Ofcom said protecting children was a ‘fundamental concern’.