Town calls in shepherd to tackle rampant sheep.
Flocks freed by quad bikers tearing down fences cause havoc on roads and in gardens.
Monday, June 01, 2026
Ephesians 5. NIV. No To Crudity.
Ephesians 5.
New International Version.
New International Version.
1) Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2) and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3) But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4) Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5) For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6) Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7) Therefore do not be partners with them.
Well Done, Iraq.
Iraqi court rules in favour of Christian woman challenging Muslim religion status.
Baghdad, Iraq. (Photo: Getty/iStock)A court in Iraq has delivered a favourable ruling for a young Christian woman seeking to change her officially registered religion from Islam to Christianity.
The decision has been hailed by religious freedom advocates as a potentially significant step for minority rights in the country.
The woman had been legally classified as Muslim in Iraq’s government records while still a child, even though she grew up in a Christian family.
According to legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which supported the woman’s legal case, the designation stemmed from Iraq’s National Card Law, which states that children must adopt Islam if one parent converts to the religion.
After the woman’s mother remarried a Muslim man following a separation from her biological father, she and her sisters were automatically recorded as Muslims under the law.
After reaching adulthood, the woman launched legal proceedings in January 2025 seeking to have her official records amended to accurately represent her Christian faith.
The court has now approved the request, affirming her right to choose her religion and have that identity accurately recognised in state records.
ADF International says the case could have implications for other Christians and religious minorities facing similar restrictions across Iraq and the wider region.
Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom at ADF International, Kelsey Zorzi said: “Everyone has the fundamental right to choose and live according to their religion.”
She added that no government “should have the power to permanently” impose a religious identity on an individual because of decisions made during childhood or through state policy.
Under Iraqi legal procedures, the ruling is expected to be reviewed by the Federal Court of Cassation, the country’s highest court for personal status matters.
ADF International says a favourable appeal decision could strengthen legal protections for others attempting to challenge state-imposed religious classifications.
The woman’s younger sisters reportedly remain classified as Muslims, although similar legal challenges expect to be mounted when they become adults.
The case has drawn renewed attention to the issue of “state-assigned religion” across parts of the Middle East and Asia such as Iraq, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Egypt, where governments maintain official religious classifications in identity systems and databases.
ADF International says such classifications can affect access to marriage rights, inheritance, education, family law proceedings and the religious status of future children, while also potentially placing non-Muslims under the authority of Sharia courts in certain legal matters.
In some situations, families reportedly avoid listing a parent’s name on official birth records altogether in order to stop an inaccurate religious designation from automatically being transferred to their children, often resulting in further legal and administrative complications.
Across a number of states, among them Iraq, individuals are unable to amend these records even when they no longer reflect their personal beliefs.
ADF International argued that the case has drawn renewed attention to Article 26(2) of Iraq’s National Card Law, with campaigners questioning whether the provision is consistent with constitutional safeguards for religious freedom and international human rights obligations, including protections of the freedom of religion and belief contained in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The organisation said it will continue supporting efforts aimed at strengthening religious liberty protections in Iraq and across the region. CT.
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Why Wealth Taxes Simply Cannot Work.
Wealth taxes frequently fail because they are notoriously difficult to administer, incentivize capital flight, and often yield disappointing revenues. While conceptually intended to reduce wealth inequality, practical implementation is hindered by four core economic and logistical problems.
1. Valuation Nightmares
Assessing the value of all assets—such as private businesses, real estate, and art—every single year requires an immense and costly administrative apparatus. Illiquid assets often have no objective market price until they are sold, making consistent taxation arbitrary or subjective.
2. The Liquidity Trap
Most large fortunes are not held as cash, but as ownership stakes in operating companies and physical assets. A wealth tax can force business owners to extract capital or sell portions of their companies to pay the tax bill. This discourages entrepreneurship, reduces long-term investment, and can ultimately lead to job losses.
3. Capital Flight
Because the world's wealth is highly mobile, wealth taxes can incentivize high-net-worth individuals to relocate their assets and primary residences to jurisdictions with more favorable tax codes. This capital flight reduces the tax base entirely, leading to lower, not higher, overall tax revenues.
4. Narrowed Tax Bases and Avoidance.
As seen in the historical implementation of wealth taxes in Europe, governments inevitably cave to pressure to add exemptions (e.g., for primary residences, art, or pension assets). These loopholes allow individuals to shield vast amounts of wealth, rendering the tax ineffective.
Due to these economic consequences and complexities, many countries that experimented with wealth taxes in the 1990s have repealed them. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), only a handful of nations (such as Norway, Spain, and Switzerland) still maintain broad-based net wealth taxes. You can read more about the economic debates and global trends in Cato Institute's Analysis on Wealth Taxes or the Institute for Government's Explainer.
Ephesians 5. New International Version.
Ephesians 5.
New International Version.
New International Version.
1) Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2) and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3) But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4) Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5) For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6) Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7) Therefore do not be partners with them.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Ephesians 4. NIV.
29) Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31) Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32) Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
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Camilla Uses Unassailable Evidence Against Labour.
CAMILLA TOMINEY.
The Left still refuses to admit the truth about
mass migration.
Immigration is not the sole cause of our youth
unemployment crisis, but figures suggest it has
had a huge impact
Former Labour minister Alan Milburn has led a government review into worklessness
Camilla TomineyAssociate Editor
Camilla Tominey is an Associate Editor of The
Telegraph and co-presenter of the Daily T podcast
with Tim Stanley. She also hosts a Sunday
morning politics show on GB News. During her
25-year career, she has covered major news events
including 9/11, seven general elections and Brexit
alongside being one of the world's leading Royal
commentators. Her exclusive story breaking the
news of Prince Harry’s relationship with Meghan
Markle was nominated for Scoop of the Year at
the 2016 British Press Awards.
Camilla Tominey is an Associate Editor of The
Telegraph and co-presenter of the Daily T podcast
with Tim Stanley. She also hosts a Sunday
morning politics show on GB News. During her
25-year career, she has covered major news events
including 9/11, seven general elections and Brexit
alongside being one of the world's leading Royal
commentators. Her exclusive story breaking the
news of Prince Harry’s relationship with Meghan
Markle was nominated for Scoop of the Year at
the 2016 British Press Awards.
See more
Published 29 May 2026 4:23pm BST
While Alan Milburn was busy insisting that Britain’s youth worklessness crisis has nothing to do with immigration, a think tank quietly published figures that told a very different story.
According to the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), which was set up by former work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith, 27 young non-EU migrants have been hired for every one young British worker since 2020.
In other words, while the number of non-EU under-25s on UK payrolls has risen by 290,000 since the start of the decade, the number of young Britons employed increased by just 11,000 over the same period. Meanwhile, young people classified as Neet (not in education, employment or training) rose by almost 200,000.
How can anyone seriously argue there is no correlation here? Of course, immigration is not the sole cause of youth worklessness. But to pretend mass migration has had no impact whatsoever on the youth labour market shows a wilful kind of blindness.
Milburn’s headline findings are alarming enough. An interim report by the former Blairite minister has warned that the number of Neets is on course to soar by nearly a third over the next five years. That would mean more than 1.25 million young people effectively cut adrift. That would amount to one in six under-25s being classed as economically inactive, compared with roughly one in eight today.
Mr Milburn described the situation as a “whole-system failure”, blaming outdated education, welfare and healthcare structures that were no longer capable of preparing young people for adult life. There is undoubtedly truth in that diagnosis.
Britain’s institutions have failed many young people, particularly since the pandemic. Some schools aren’t fit for purpose, mental health services are overwhelmed and welfare systems that were once a safety net have become a trap.
Yet, when Mr Milburn was asked whether immigration might also have played a role, he flatly denied any link. “There’s no evidence,” he insisted. “It’s a blame game issue. We just sort of blame immigration as the problem – it’s not really, it isn’t.”
Imported labour
That response epitomises the modern political class’s refusal to engage honestly with the issue. Any attempt to discuss the relationship between mass migration and employment is instantly dismissed as bigoted.
I experienced exactly that during an episode of the Daily T podcast last week with former RMT union boss Mick Lynch. When I asked whether mass migration may have affected job availability or depressed wages for British workers, his response was to imply that the question itself was somehow racist.
Yet, as the CSJ has shown, the facts increasingly speak for themselves. Further, according to the CSJ’s analysis of HMRC payroll data, the number of non-EU workers aged under 25 has risen by an extraordinary 355 per cent since 2020. By comparison, the young British workforce has grown by just 0.3 per cent. These are the Government’s own numbers, spelling it out in black and white. Yet much of Westminster continues to avert its gaze.
The broader immigration picture has also played a part. Between January 2021 and June 2024, an estimated 3.9 million people arrived in Britain during the so-called “Boriswave”, when visas were handed out like confetti. Net migration reached a record 944,000 in the year ending March 2023.
Conservative ministers repeatedly insisted that these migrants were overwhelmingly “high-skilled workers” needed to plug labour shortages. But that argument no longer withstands scrutiny, since we now know the Home Office classified workers earning as little as £25,600 as “skilled”.The reality is that many sectors have become increasingly dependent on a constant flow of cheaper imported labour. Nowhere was this more evident than in the social care visa scheme, arguably one of the most reckless immigration policies introduced in modern times.It allowed employers to recruit large numbers of low-paid overseas workers with no meaningful age cap. Dependents could accompany them in large numbers, and little thought appeared to have been given to the long-term fiscal implications. Many of those workers did not remain confined to the care sector. Increasingly, migrants recruited under such schemes moved into retail, hospitality and service industries – precisely the sort of entry-level jobs that once provided British youngsters with their first foot on the career ladder.Walk down almost any British high street and the transformation is obvious. This is not about attacking migrants themselves, who are only trying to pursue a better life for themselves and their families. The responsibility lies with an immigration system that has been designed with little regard for the long-term consequences for domestic workers.
What is undeniable is that many of the jobs once traditionally filled by British youngsters Рsupermarket shelf stacking, caf̩ work and bar shifts Рare no longer functioning as reliable gateways into employment. And those jobs matter far more than many politicians seem willing to admit.
More than one million Neets
16-24 year olds not in employment, education or training (Neets) by quarter
Oct-Dec 2001Apr-Jun 2008Oct-Dec 2014Apr-Jun 20210.600.700.800.901.001.101.201.30m
Source: ONS
They may be menial, but for generations, these low-level roles served as the foundation upon which young people built the self-confidence required for a future career. Working behind a till, serving pints in a pub or handling customers in a busy shop teaches lessons no classroom can replicate.These roles don’t just develop resilience. They teach punctuality, communication, negotiation and responsibility. Young people learn how to deal with pressure, solve practical problems and interact with people from all walks of life. These are not trivial skills. They are essential building blocks for adulthood. Employment teaches what the national curriculum can’t.When young people are excluded from the workforce at the beginning of their adult lives, the consequences often last decades. Economic inactivity becomes entrenchedThe biggest irony of all? We now have a post-Covid generation that is suffering from unprecedented mental health problems and record unemployment – when work would actually be the best medicine.The betrayal is two-fold: young people have not only been abandoned by the very institutions meant to prepare them for adulthood but also misled about the forces that helped shut them out in the first place.
DT.
Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi Christians continue to live in fear following elections.
Bangladeshi Christians taking part in Holy Communion 2025. For converts from a Muslim backgrounds, practice of their faith is particularly difficult. (Photo: Open Doors)Christians in Bangladesh are increasingly becoming the targets of sectarian attacks, particularly in areas dominated by the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami.
In February the country had its first elections since the deposition of Sheikh Hasina in 2024. Hasina ruled Bangladesh for 15 years and while her administration was characterised by increasing authoritarianism and allegations of corruption and cronyism, she was also credited with taking a zero-tolerance approach to Islamism.
Since her fall, both Christians and Hindus have reported a rise in attacks, particularly against those who have converted from Islam.
The election was won by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), broadly representing the status quo. Their main opposition is a coalition of Islamist parties known as Jamaat-e-Islami. Although defeated in the election, Jamaat-e-Islami still managed to claim just under a third of the vote.
According Open Doors UK & Ireland, which supports persecuted Christians, violence against minorities, which had already been rising, has intensified following the election.
CT.
Murder By Any Other Name.
Church leaders raise alarm over record 55% increase in abortions in Scotland.
Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesFollowing the news that abortion has reached record levels in Scotland, the Catholic Church in the country has called for greater support for pregnant women and has expressed concern about the increase in abortions on the grounds of disability.
Latest figures from Public Health Scotland show that last year there were 18,783 abortions in the country, representing a rise of 55% from the 12,135 procedures conducted in 2016. The rise cannot be attributed to population growth, with figures also showing that the abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 rose from 11.9 in 2016 to 17.6 in 2025. In both per capita and gross terms, abortion is rising.
The figures also revealed that in 2025, there were 277 disability-selective abortions, a rise of 61% from 2018. There was also a 50% increase in abortions carried out in the 18th to 20th week of pregnancy. The legal limit for abortion is 24 weeks.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Scotland said the figures underlined the need for a compassionate response toward women facing difficult pregnancies.
Bishop John Keenan, president of the conference, said, “Behind every figure is a unique human life, created with inherent dignity, and a mother who may be facing fear, isolation or hardship. These numbers should prompt not resignation, but a renewed determination to build a society where every life is welcomed and protected.
“The Church does not underestimate the real challenges that can accompany a crisis or unexpected pregnancy. Women deserve practical, emotional and financial support, not a culture that too often presents abortion as the only solution.”
The bishop urged the Scottish government to facilitate a culture that would support and value both pregnant women and unborn children, rather than seeing abortion as an easy answer.
“Scotland should aspire to be a nation where compassion means standing with both mother and child, and where the dignity of every human life is defended from conception to natural death," he said.
A review into abortion law in Scotland, commissioned by former First Minister, Humza Yousaf, recommended that abortion be permitted for any reason prior to the 24-week limit.
The review, while stating that the 24-week limit should be retained, also states that abortions after the limit can occur if certain conditions are met. Those conditions, however, are vague and subjective, one such being consideration of “the patient’s current and reasonably foreseeable physical, psychological and social circumstances.”
Right to Life UK has warned that if the recommendations were implemented, Scotland would have “one of the most extreme abortion laws in the world.”
This article was originally published at Christian Today
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Gotta Admit That The Flock Do Not Look All That Rampant To Me! - (Just a tad sheepish because of all the embarrassment.)
Town calls in shepherd to tackle rampant sheep . Flocks freed by quad bikers tearing down fences cause havoc on roads and in gardens.
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Franklin Graham preached in Glasgow, launches new fund to defend religious freedom in the UK. Staff writer Franklin Graham preaching at ...
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Nigel Farage’s general election spending will not be investigated by the elections watchdog, it was confirmed. Labour had called on the E...
