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NewsFix: Thursday September 16, 2021

NewsFix: Thursday September 16, 2021

Morning all,

More twists and turns in the Murdaugh murder mysteries, a ‘ruthless’ reshuffle, and a pact with the “fella down under”.

Until tomorrow,

Hilary


THE MURDAUGH MURDER MYSTERIES

May be an image of 4 people and people smiling
L-R: Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex Murdaugh

In yet another mind-blowing twist, Alex Murdaugh organised to be killed earlier this month so that his surviving son, Buster, could inherit his $10 million life insurance. He is expected to “surrender to authorities” later today.

Hang on, what’s this about? Stay with me. In June, Alex Murdaugh reported finding the murdered bodies of his wife and son, Maggie and Paul. At the time, Paul faced trial over the 2019 death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach, who was killed when Paul drunkenly crashed a boat.

Weeks after the double-murder, police reopened an investigation into the unsolved death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith in 2015. Why? Because of information they uncovered while investigating Paul and Maggie’s murders.

What happened to Stephen Smith? He was found on a road with a severe head wound. His death was ultimately ruled as a suspected hit and run, despite some evidence suggesting it could have been a staged scene.

Who are the Murdaughs? They have been a very prominent family of lawyers in South Carolina for generations. Alex was working in a law firm started by his great-grandfather.

Okay, so what happened recently? On Saturday September 4, Alex Murdaugh rang police and reported he had been shot in the head by a passerby while he was changing a tyre. He was hospitalised with a superficial wound. It then emerged that the day before the incident, Murdaugh resigned from his law firm after being accused of misappropriating “millions” of dollars, and he subsequently entered an undisclosed rehab for opioid addiction.

Anything else? Yes. Authorities in South Carolina have also revealed they are opening a criminal investigation in to the 2018 death of Gloria Satterfield, the Murdaugh’s former housekeeper. She died after a fall in the Murdaugh home.

*Here is a really helpful article on this.


WEDNESDAY RE-CAP

  • Ruthless reshuffle:Boris Johnson has made some significant adjustments to his cabinet in a move considered “his biggest shake-up” since becoming PM. Quick summary of the changes:Four out, four in, four moved.

    Key notes;

    • Four out - including Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson.

    • Four in - including Nadhim Zahawi who will takeover education

    • Four moved - including Dominic Raab, was moved from Foreign to Justice Secretary, but was also made Deputy PM. The move was widely seen as a demotion, weeks after he was repeatedly criticised for his handling of Afghanistan. Liz Truss replaces him as Foreign Secretary - becoming the first Conservative female Foreign Secretary ever.

    • Any other interesting appointments? Nadine Dorries - who has been quite outspoken against the “biased leftwing” BBC - was appointed Culture Secretary.

  • Aukus: The UK, US and Australia announced a security and defence pact on Wednesday, in what has been widely seen as a move against China. It means Australia will be able to build nuclear-powered submarines, with technology from the US.

  • How did China react? By accusing the countries of a “Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice”.

    Why is there a French fallout in all of this? Because Australia signed a $50bn deal with France in 2016 to build 12 submarines.

    What was discussed online? The fact President Biden appeared to forget Australian prime minister Scott Morrison’s name.

  • *Here is an excellent article on this story.
  • Almost 1,500 dolphins were killed on the Faroe Islands on Sunday in part of a tradition that even locals are now expressing disgust at. The Guardian described it as “the largest single killing of dolphins or pilot whales in the islands’ history”.

guardian

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MOST READ


AFGHANISTAN UPDATE

The women’s junior national soccer team have crossed the border into Pakistan, after weeks of being in hiding.

According to BBC News,they will now spend 30 days in Pakistan before applying for asylum in third countries.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-58571183


SOCIETAL SHIFTS

Denmark looks set to ban those serving life in prison from entering into new relationships.

Going forward, during the first ten years of a person’s life sentence, they will only be permitted to communicate with people they knew prior to going into prison.

Reports have emerged that a 17-year-old girl said she was in love with Peter Madsen - the killer who brutally murdered journalist Kim Wall in 2018.


Meghan and Harry have been trending consistently after TIME Magazine published a photo of them for their ‘100 most influential’ list.

Many were quick to joke about the photo, describing it as an airbrushing fail.


ON A LIGHTER NOTE…

memezar

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