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- EU condemns latest Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, Yemen.
- Ukraine condemns Russian missile strikes as civilian casualties rise
- South Korea football association apologises over allegations of sexual services to referees
- Roughriders defeat winless Redblacks 42-20 in commanding performance
- Pentagon revokes Frank Kendall’s security clearance for disclosing classified Air Force One information
- Boy, 12, left with minor injuries after being dragged under lorry in Brazil
- Europe experiences temperature rise at double the global average rate.
- Abelardo de la Espriella sworn in as Colombia’s president, pledges crackdown on armed groups
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 condemns latest Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, Yemen.
In a decisive move following increased military tensions, the European Union has implemented new sanctions targeting Russia in response to recent strikes on Ukraine. The package, approved by EU foreign ministers, involves extensive measures aimed at crippling Moscow’s energy and financial sectors, reflecting the bloc’s unified stance against aggression. The sanctions will come into effect immediately, indicating the EU’s commitment to bolster Ukraine’s resistance against ongoing hostilities.
Economically, the sanctions are anticipated to further strain the already wavering European energy markets, potentially driving up prices as member states seek alternative sources to diversify away from Russian gas and oil. Close monitoring will be required as the European Council prepares for the upcoming summit, where leaders will discuss additional measures to support both energy stability and economic resilience.
Key developments across Europe
EU chief criticises Spain’s migrant plan after Ceuta crisis meeting
EU MIGRATION — The EU’s commissioner has publicly opposed Spain’s recent strategy for handling migrant arrivals.
Following a crisis meeting in Ceuta, EU officials voiced concerns regarding Spain’s plans to manage increasing numbers of migrants from North Africa. The criticism suggests a need for more coordinated EU policies to address migration challenges effectively.
Germany’s gas gamble puts Europe’s winter at risk
EU ENERGY — Germany’s energy crisis is creating significant concerns for the entire European Union this winter.
Amid reduced gas supplies, Germany’s reliance on emergency strategies raises alarms about potential energy shortages across Europe. This situation could catalyse further discussions on EU-wide energy security measures ahead of the winter months.
Fish over Trump: Economy will determine Iceland’s vote on the EU
EU FOREIGN POLICY — Iceland’s EU membership debate is primarily driven by economic factors rather than political considerations.
As Iceland weighs the benefits of joining the EU, recent polling indicates that public opinion leans heavily towards economic pragmatism over political alignment, notably in light of current international relations and trade dynamics.
EU to push countries to invest in nature as wildfire costs spiral
EU CLIMATE — The EU is encouraging member states to prioritise investment in natural capital.
In response to increasing wildfire incidents and associated expenses, the EU is advocating for enhanced environmental investments. This initiative aims to mitigate climate-related risks and foster sustainable practices across member countries.
What to watch — Future discussions in the EU are likely to focus on refining energy independence protocols as winter approaches.
Further reading from across European news sources
The Guardian
EU chief criticises Spain’s migrant plan after Ceuta crisis meeting
Politico Europe
Germany’s gas gamble puts Europe’s winter at risk
Euronews
Fish over Trump: Economy will determine Iceland’s vote on the EU
Reuters
EU to push countries to invest in nature as wildfire costs spiral
Politico Europe
The EU has new anti-Beijing instruments, but will China have to face the music?
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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