Foreign Relations
PUTIN QUIT THE G20 SUMMIT EARLY
He said he needed some sleep after a few uncomfortable meetings about Ukraine
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Vladimir Putin left Brisbane’s G20 summit early after a number of meetings with Western leaders who were critical of Russia’s part in the crisis in Ukraine.
Putin met one-on-one with five European leaders, including Angela Merkel and David Cameron, who urged him to drop his support to the rebels in eastern Ukraine, which he refused to do.
Putin said of his departure: “It will take nine hours to fly to Vladivostok and another eight hours to get to Moscow. I need four hours of sleep before I get back to work on Monday. We have completed our business.”
Meanwhile, Barak Obama met with the leaders of Australia and Japan, vowing to oppose Russian activity in eastern Ukraine.
IS Propaganda
ISLAMIC STATE CLAIMED THEY’D KILLED ANOTHER HOSTAGE
A video was released purporting to show the beheading of US aid worker Peter Kassig
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Militants from Islamic State posted footage on Sunday that claimed to show the beheading of American aid worker Peter Kassig, but the video’s authenticity is yet to be confirmed.
The video doesn’t show the beheading itself, but instead a masked man standing over a decapitated head.
The man says, “This is Peter Edward Kassig, a US citizen.”
Kassig – who converted to Islam while in captivity and took the name Abdul Rahman – was taken hostage while doing humanitarian work in Syria in 2012.
The video also shows the killings of pilots and officers of the Syrian army, with the narrator saying, “To Obama, the dog of Rome, today we are slaughtering the soldiers of Bashar and tomorrow we will be slaughtering your soldiers.”
Child Abuse
A WESTMINSTER PAEDOPHILE RING ALLEGEDLY MURDERED CHILDREN
The Mirror claimed MPs abused and murdered children in the 70s and 80s
(Photo by Adrian Pingstone via)
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A victim of child abuse told the Sunday Mirror that he saw a Conservative MP murder a boy at a sex party in the 1970s. The police have confirmed that they’ve launched a murder investigation into the allegations.
The victim, who the Mirror identified as “Nick”, said he also witnessed another boy be deliberately run down and killed by a car.
The Mirror says the murder claims have been corroborated by a second witness.
The Met police said on Friday that “detectives from the child abuse investigation command are working closely with colleagues from homicide and major crime concerning this information”.
Offensive Christmas Mascots
SOME DUTCH PEOPLE BLACKED UP FOR THE “BLACK PETE” PARTY
Weirdly, this didn’t go down too well with everyone
(Photo by Jan Arkesteijn via)
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“Black Pete” is a character in Dutch Christmas folklore – a companion for Saint Nicholas who, according to which account you believe, either arrived by (what typically looks like a slave) boat from Spain, or is a chimney sweep covered in soot.
Either way, this time of year it’s a tradition in the Netherlands for people to put Medieval-style clothing on, black up and party in public – a tradition that’s come up against an increasing amount of criticism over recent years.
On Saturday, at a festive celebration in the Dutch city of Gouda (where the cheese is from), police arrested up to 90 people after protesters turned up to demonstrate against the tradition.
“Sixty people were arrested for demonstrating in unauthorised areas, and 30 for disturbing the peace [during children’s festivities],” said police spokeswoman Yvette Verboon, who also confirmed that arrests had been made in the pro-Black Pete camp.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte helpfully put everything into perspective with the statement: “Everyone can talk about Black Pete’s colour, but you can’t disturb a children’s party like that.”
