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- EU poised to reduce funding to Serbia by €1.5 billion over democracy concerns
- China Conducts Military Exercises Near Taiwan Amid Rising Tensions
- Met Police’s crackdown leaves Enfield sex workers in fear | News UK
- Pakistan exhibits evidence suggesting Mohenjo-daro’s origins date back to 3300 BC
- UNGA president criticises member states for failing to uphold peace
- Eric Swalwell Faces Multiple Sexual Assault Allegations Amid Campaign
- Uganda observes first-ever civil war among Ngogo chimpanzee group
- Spain states NATO will not engage in the Strait of Hormuz conflict
Hunt for Tube hero who gave blind man his shoes after he lost one through the gap The hunt is on find an ‘absolute hero’
EU poised to reduce funding to Serbia by €1.5 billion over democracy concerns
Amid an escalating crisis in Ukraine, the European Council is poised to endorse a new sanctions package against Russia, targeting key sectors, including energy and finance, in response to ongoing hostilities. The proposed measures, which will be discussed at the upcoming summit on 5 April, aim to tighten the EU’s economic grip on Moscow as concerns mount over the Kremlin’s military ambitions in Eastern Europe.
In financial markets, European equities are bracing for volatility as investors absorb the implications of potential sanctions, which could disrupt energy supplies and further exacerbate inflation across the eurozone. Attention will also centre on the European Central Bank’s upcoming monetary policy meeting, where decisions on interest rates will be influenced by these geopolitical developments.
Key developments across Europe
JD Vance’s claims about Orbán, the EU and Hungary fact-checked
EU POLITICS — JD Vance’s claims regarding Hungary and the EU have been scrutinised.
Fact-checks reveal that assertions made about Prime Minister Orbán’s relationship with the EU are misleading, highlighting the complexities of Hungary’s EU membership and its impact on democratic values.
After clashing with Trump and Israel, Sánchez casts Spain as moral model for EU
EU FOREIGN POLICY — Spain’s Prime Minister Sánchez positions his country as a moral compass for the EU.
Sánchez argued that Spain’s recent diplomatic stances, particularly concerning the US and Israel, demonstrate a commitment to progressive values, challenging other EU nations to follow his example in global politics.
Germany news: Gas price hike higher than other EU countries
EU ENERGY — Germany has reported increased gas prices compared to other EU nations.
This uptick in gas prices comes amid ongoing challenges in the energy sector, with implications for consumers and businesses as Germany navigates its energy needs and security in the context of current geopolitical tensions.
EU poised to slash up to €1.5B in funding to Serbia over democracy fears
EU ECONOMY — The EU is considering significant funding cuts to Serbia amid concerns over democratic backsliding.
This decision arises from rising apprehensions about Serbia’s political direction, prompting the EU to reassess its financial commitments to the nation as part of broader strategies to uphold democratic standards in candidate countries.
European Leaders Demand That U.S. Cease-Fire With Iran Include Lebanon
EU FOREIGN POLICY — European leaders are advocating for a cease-fire in Iran that also encompasses Lebanon.
The call to action from EU officials reflects heightened concerns about the regional impacts of the conflicts and underscores Europe’s role in seeking comprehensive peace agreements that address broader geopolitical stability.
What to watch — Increased scrutiny on Hungary’s EU relations and potential fallout from the upcoming elections.
Further reading from across European news sources
The Guardian
JD Vance’s claims about Orbán, the EU and Hungary fact-checked
Politico Europe
After clashing with Trump and Israel, Sánchez casts Spain as moral model for EU
DW.com
Germany news: Gas price hike higher than other EU countries
Reuters
Energy crisis stemming from Iran conflict will not be short-lived, EU says
Financial Times
Europe nervously eyes fragile Iran ceasefire as energy crisis rumbles on
October 12, 2024
6:18 am
‘Cheer up, you caught the bad guy,’ says killer Virginia McCullough as she is arrested for murdering her parents
A woman who murdered her parents “in cold blood” before hiding them in makeshift tombs for four years told officers to “cheer up, you caught the bad guy” as she was arrested in her home.
Virginia McCullough, 36, poisoned her father John McCullough, 70, with prescription medication and fatally stabbed her mother Lois McCullough, 71, shortly afterwards in 2019.
She ran up large debts on credit cards in her parents’ names and after their deaths, she continued to spend their pensions until she was finally caught in 2023.
In body-worn video footage released by police, a handcuffed – and eerily calm – McCullough told officers: “I did know that this would kind of come eventually.
“It’s proper that I serve my punishment.”
She said she had slipped something into her father’s drink then put his body under a bed on the ground floor, and put her mother’s body in an upstairs wardrobe.
McCullough, having been arrested on suspicion of double murder, told an officer: “Cheer up, at least you’ve caught the bad guy.”
She added: “I know I don’t seem 100% evil.”
At the police station, she told officers where a kitchen knife was, which she described as a “murder weapon”, and a hammer which she said “will still have blood on it”.
McCullough, of Pump Hill, Chelmsford, Essex, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday with a minimum term of 36 years at Chelmsford Crown Court, after she admitted to their murders between 17 and 20 June 2019 at an earlier hearing at the same court.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard how she hid their bodies in makeshift tombs at the family home in Great Baddow in Essex, then told persistent lies to cover her tracks.
The court heard she cancelled family arrangements and frequently told doctors and relatives her parents were unwell, on holiday or away on lengthy trips.
But concerns over Mr and Mrs McCullough’s welfare were raised in September 2023 by a GP at their registered practice, and Essex County Council’s safeguarding team referred these to police.
The GP had not seen the couple for some time and said Mr McCullough had failed to collect medication and attend scheduled appointments. It was found McCullough had frequently cancelled appointments, using a range of excuses to explain her father’s absence.
Police said a missing persons investigation was initially launched and McCullough lied to officers, claiming her parents were travelling and would be returning in October.
It became a murder investigation, and when officers forced entry to the house in Pump Hill on September 15 2023, McCullough confessed that her parents’ bodies were in the house and that she had killed them.
Nicola Rice, a specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “McCullough callously and viciously killed both of her parents before concealing their bodies in makeshift tombs within their home address.
“She spent the next four years manipulating and lying to family members, medical staff, financial institutions, and the police, spending her parents’ money and accruing large debts in their name.”
She added: “This was a truly disturbing case, which has left behind it a trail of devastation, and I can only hope that the sentence passed today will help those who loved and cared for Lois and John begin to heal.”
To downplay the genocide, the israelis claim there’s only 20,000 people left in north Gaza, says
@MahaGaza
: the real number exceeds 400,000
Man of the right wing Nigel Farage taking more second jobs and freebie helicopter rides
Gosh he’ll soon be a true blue Tory at this rate
Or far far worse
The cost-of-living crisis is far from over, yet the government’s 50% increase to the bus fare cap is a political choice, adding hundreds to annual costs.
To address hardship & the climate crisis, the government must keep the £2 cap & make public transport accessible for all.
G20 waters down support for Ukraine amid pressure for peace talks
The Tech Titan Who Led His Company From a 68-Square-Foot Jail Cell
November 23, 2024
8:25 am
Defense alliance NATO chief Mark Rutte has met US President-elect Donald Trump to discuss global security issues, according to a NATO spokesperson.
The meeting took place in Palm Beach, Florida.
During his first term as US president, 2017-2020, Trump pushed for European NATO countries to spend more on defense and described the alliance’s cost-sharing as unfair to the US.
Rutte took over as NATO chief from Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg in November.
Before taking office in January, Trump has nominated Pete Hegseth for the post of defense secretary, which has raised eyebrows among many allies.
Hegseth, 44, has served as an infantry captain in Iraq and Afghanistan, but has no senior military or government officer experience.
November 23, 2024
8:25 am
November 23, 2024
8:17 am
Multiple missiles were fired in an airstrike towards a densely populated part of Lebanon’s capital early on Saturday.
The huge airstrike targeted Beirut’s Basta neighbourhood, and no prior warnings were given by the Israeli military. The largely residential area was struck last month.
At least one violent explosion was heard across the city, Reuters witnesses said, and plumes of smoke could be seen. Scenes of massive destruction at the site were shared online, including a massive crater in the ground.
“Beirut, the capital, woke up to a horrific massacre, as the Israeli enemy’s air force completely destroyed an eight-story residential building with five missiles on Al-Mamoun Street in Basta,” the state-run National News Agency reported.
The health ministry put the initial death toll at four, with 23 wounded. The number is expected to climb in the coming hours as search and rescue efforts continue.
It came after a long day of Israeli airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, which have been non-stop since last week.
The cross-border fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group escalated into a full-blown war in mid-September.
Israel has bombed southern Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs and the eastern Beqaa region, and has sent ground troops across the border. Hezbollah has continued to fire rockets deeper into Israel.
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