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- Aid sector criticises lack of foreign aid in federal budget
- Democrats secure Senate control as Abdul El-Sayed claims victory in Michigan
- Vomiting illness affects seven on easyJet flight from Egypt to Scotland
- Six-year-old boy dies in hospital weeks after Waterford arson attack
- El Hierro declares emergency as migrant and refugee arrivals surge
- Daughter of WWII veteran sells door poppies to support local Legion
- Trump offers UFC CEO Dana White the White House press secretary position
- British citizen among six killed in shooting at Krakow market square
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’
What’s the Latest: Aid sector calls out omission of foreign aid in federal budget
Canada‘s aid sector has expressed dismay over the federal budget announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government, which made no mention of foreign aid for the first time in over 15 years. Kate Higgins, head of Co-operation Canada, stated, “The budget is largely silent on issues of international development co-operation and humanitarian action.”
The Canadian government has not specified a timetable for the anticipated foreign policy review that is expected to address international development assistance and humanitarian action. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand stated that the update would be available in a matter of weeks, emphasising that development assistance remains a priority for Global Affairs Canada.
Canada’s aid sector has expressed disappointment at the federal budget’s omission of foreign aid, with Co-operation Canada head Kate Higgins urging the government to clarify its stance during an upcoming foreign policy review. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand confirmed that this review will occur in “a matter of weeks” and will address the country’s approach to development assistance.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain how Canada’s federal budget will specifically affect foreign aid allocations moving forward.
Aid sector criticises lack of foreign aid in federal budget
Canada’s aid sector has expressed significant concern following the federal budget’s omission of any mention of foreign aid, marking the first time in over 15 years that international assistance has been excluded from budget discussions. Kate Higgins, head of Co-operation Canada, stated, “The budget is largely silent on issues of international development co-operation and humanitarian action,” highlighting the precarious global context where aid is often critical.
The budget, presented by Prime Minister Mark Carney, notably lacks references to “international assistance,” “foreign aid,” and “international development.” A review by The Canadian Press shows previous budgets since 2010 included these terms. The latest document references Ukraine only in connection with drone production and briefly mentions aid workers in relation to a permit program for organisations operating in conflict zones.
Higgins remarked on the government’s prior commitment to cut $2.7 billion in foreign aid over four years, suggesting that while no further reductions were introduced, “the stakes around the world are very high.” She urged the government to consider the vital role of development funding in addressing international crises, such as the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand assured that the foreign policy review, expected soon, will incorporate “our approach on development,” emphasising that “development assistance is a priority for Global Affairs Canada.” However, advocates remain sceptical, with Lindsay Sheridan from Results Canada expressing disappointment at the lack of details, stating their search of the budget turned up no relevant terms regarding international assistance.
UNICEF Canada and The One Campaign both echoed these concerns, arguing for the inclusion of international development in discussions of global volatility. The House of Commons finance committee had also urged the government for more transparency regarding aid allocations, with critics pointing to missed opportunities to establish a comprehensive strategy akin to earlier initiatives led by Canada under past administrations.
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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