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Mint
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
A Franco-British Nuclear Umbrella as Clouds Gather
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Lost in the noise of President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to London, where British frustrations over migrants crossing the Channel drowned out geopolitical issues, was a remarkable turning point for the atomic age: an announcement to coordinate Europe's only two nuclear arsenals and their response to any 'extreme' threat to European security. It's a forceful attempt to address the twin defense pressures facing the continent, namely a US administration whose reliability as an ally is in doubt and a Russia less deterred by Western pressure. Only four years ago, Macron was humiliated by the Anglosphere when the Aukus deal torpedoed a key French submarine agreement with Australia. He's proving somewhat more successful at binding the Brits closer to European goals with Keir Starmer these days, when the US-UK relationship no longer feels quite so special and when they're all facing a tariff hit. Macron's upgraded defense agreement with Starmer comes after a recent French treaty with Poland and armaments cooperation with Sweden. The word 'coordination' has been carefully chosen. It does not mean 'shared': Charles De Gaulle, who equated France's nuclear deterrent with autonomy outside the Atlantic alliance — and the US security umbrella — would likely be spinning in his grave. Coordination could offer benefits even without being a convincing alternative to American hard power, according to Andrea Gilli, a lecturer in strategic studies at the University of St Andrews. Nuclear submarines that are reserved for training or maintenance could be offset by the partner country's. Knowledge-sharing might involve intelligence about enemy forces, capabilities and plans. This is all helpful in preventing the complex global 'balance of terror' from being too lopsided, even if the reality is that London and Paris's combined 500-plus warheads only account for a fraction of those owned by Russia and the US. And with both France and the UK also pledging to collaborate on conventional weapons, from missile production to artificial intelligence, it's a signal that they intend to be heard by Donald Trump, who is pushing NATO allies to step up on security, and Vladimir Putin, who has been waiting for European resolve to crumble for years. Macron's voice on the international stage may be fading in the twilight of his presidency, but even Germany is sounding a little more Gaullist. This still feels, however, like a very tentative first step toward bolstering continental security that will require a lot of follow-through. There are still clear strategic differences between France and the UK, with the latter's nuclear deterrence highly reliant on the US and limited to one type of launch platform via submarine (whose test launches have a tendency to fail.) Even in the event this partnership becomes a solid basis for a new nuclear umbrella, it will require a lot more investment, with think tank Bruegel estimating modernization costs alone for both countries' deterrence at €100 billion ($117 billion). De Gaulle once asked John Kennedy if the US would trade New York for Paris in the event of a nuclear strike; tomorrow, allies may wonder what London and Paris are willing and able to sacrifice together in a world where the US can't be counted on. With rising defense powers Poland and Germany increasingly thinking about their own 'nuclear option,' Europe has to urgently decide on a strategic path. One is finding more ways to share the burden of a truly continental nuclear umbrella, with 'coordination' a starting point. Another is allowing neighbors to get closer to acquiring nukes themselves. The first option would be preferable to letting nuclear weapons proliferate but brings its own challenges to sovereignty and credibility. If Macron, Starmer and others don't make quicker headway on these questions, Putin admirers like Marine Le Pen, Nigel Farage and Matteo Salvini — who once said he wouldn't want to put his child's future in Macron's hands — will. More From Bloomberg Opinion: This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Lionel Laurent is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist writing about the future of money and the future of Europe. Previously, he was a reporter for Reuters and Forbes. More stories like this are available on
Metro
09-07-2025
- Health
- Metro
I bought the online poison that killed my son
The innocuous-looking envelope arrived through the letterbox in a tiny packet that could fit in the palm of your hand. However, the contents that landed on David Parfett's Maidenhead doormat were anything but harmless. Inside the plastic ziplock bag was 50 grams of a lethal white substance. After looking intently at his delivery, David put it back into its Canadian-stamped packaging and stowed it safely in his loft. The poison, postage and packaging came in at around $60CAD (approximately £30). David had purchased the substance to try to understand how difficult it would be to get hold of what killed his 22-year-old son, Tom. He found it disturbingly easy. 'Tom was just a lovely person who saw the good in people,' David, 56, tells Metro. 'One of his teachers described him as having an amazing moral compass. He was an incredibly intelligent man who I'm sure would have had an amazing career. I miss him dearly.' Tom's mother, Julia, described their son as a 'fine young man with an infectious laugh'. Growing up with anxiety, autism, and obsessive-compulsive disorder meant Tom didn't have it easy. His mental health severely faltered when his philosophy degree at the University of St Andrews was disrupted by the pandemic. 'A close friend of one of his best friends took his own life soon after starting university, and that was one of the first times I talked to him about it,' remembers David, who works as a data director. 'He was quite clear that he didn't want to use a method that potentially could go wrong or leave him disabled. He said he wanted to find something that was painless, cheap and reliable. 'I was naive enough to think that it was impossible, and therefore, we had time to help him. I'm pretty sure that he would be here today if he didn't find that online.' David and Julia separated 11 years ago, and Tom lived with his dad for five years as a teen. They spoke regularly and had a close relationship. When Tom started struggling with suicidal thoughts, he sought mental health support, was prescribed antidepressants and moved closer to home. Around the same time, he'd discovered suicide forums online where he was directed to a substance that he was told was effective and painless. In October 2021, Tom, who had also tried to take his own life the month previously, checked into a Premier Inn in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, ingested the small package of poison that he had ordered online and died. 'Grief is quite an individual process, but it is difficult to keep going. It's hard to think about anything else after losing Tom like that. There's guilt and the thought – could we have done any more to stop it,'says David, who shares his story in the new Channel 4 series, Poisoned: Killer in the Post. A year after his son's death, David, who now lives in Twickenham, was going through the police notes to the coroner and noticed that the package containing the poison came from a company run by a Canadian chef, Kenneth Law, the same name he'd seen on the stuff he'd ordered. David went to the police with this information, but because the substance is legal to buy, sell and export, they said they were unable to do anything. He then contacted a reporter called James Beal, who went undercover to request a phone consultation with Law. The Times journalist claimed that during the call, Law told him that he had sent his product to 'hundreds' of people in the UK and that he was doing 'God's work'. He also said he had set up the business after seeing his mother suffer following a stroke – a claim that has not been verified – and urged James to buy the poison so that he has something 'readily available.' Shortly after the story was published, Kenneth Law was arrested. He is now awaiting trial in Canada next year, facing a total of 14 first-degree murder charges and 14 counts of aiding and counselling suicide. His lawyer has said he will be pleading not guilty. At this point, forces across the UK were alerted that packages had been sent out and started visiting addresses, including David's. All of the charges are linked to the deaths of people from across Ontario aged 16 to 36, but he is believed by the Canadian force to have sent more than 1,200 so-called suicide kits to around 40 countries, including the UK. The National Crime Agency are investigating potential criminal offences linked to the deaths of 97 individuals who purchased items to assist with suicide online. An NCA spokesperson said: 'The National Crime Agency continues to investigate potential criminal offences linked to the deaths of individuals in the UK who purchased items to assist with suicide from Canada-based websites. Our investigation explores all viable leads linked to these websites and a Canadian suspect in order to identify evidence of crimes committed in the UK. Specialist officers continue to provide support to victims and families.' Assisting suicide is illegal in the UK and Canada and is punishable by up to 14 years in prison in both countries. Law's websites have been taken down, and he remains in custody. His trial is likely to be held in January next year, where his lawyer, Matthew Gourlay, has said he will plead not guilty. Meanwhile, suspected victims have been found around the globe; in France, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland and New Zealand. In the UK, packages have been found in Cumbria, Surrey, London, Plymouth and the Isle of Wight. As the scale of Law's alleged involvement in vulnerable people's deaths emerged, David wanted to do more to understand and publicise the dangers, which is why he ordered the poison online. He was on holiday on the Isle of Wight when the police knocked on his door a few days after the package arrived. David's youngest son, Harry, answered the door and showed the police to the attic where the poison was stored; they retrieved it and took it off to be destroyed. Following Law's arrest, Interpol had contacted local forces across the globe so officers could visit the homes who'd received the packages. Thames Valley Police coming to retrieve the substance was a 'brilliant result' for David. While charities warn against publicising information about suicide methods, which is why Metro won't name the substance that killed Tom, David wants to highlight how simple it can be to buy online. 'I was just trying to follow Tom's footprints and understand what he went through. It was incredible how easy it was to find, which is just astonishing.' David also disputes the idea that this particular material, which has only been used in suicides in the past decade, provides a painless end, as it was advertised online. 'It is an excruciating death – and that is backed up by medical research. That is by no means painless.' He explains: 'It's important to educate people. I work in IT and have used the internet ever since I could. And yet, before Tom died, I was blissfully unaware that he could go online and find this stuff. He didn't have to go on the dark web or anything. If you've got a kid like my son, you need to be aware of these dangers 'Tom had been on a suicide forum. I didn't even know these places existed. He actively started to chat to a few people, found the information he wanted about how to take his own life and where to buy it. 'If you've got a kid like my son, you need to be aware of these dangers, and then at least you can arguably do something about it. I want to educate families that this is out there, so they can talk to their young people about it. Because these sites are echo chambers. They take what you're feeling and amplify it. It's sick.' And those selling the poisons and making money from suicide websites continue to profit from death, says David. 'It is difficult to understand people's motivations. To actually trade things for suicide as a business, I can't think of many worse acts. Encouraging people to take their own lives is just monstrous and quite beyond comprehension.' Meanwhile, Tom's family is left with grief, devastation, and a yearning to ensure others don't suffer in the same way. Last year, David set up the Thomas William Parfett Foundation to improve online safety for vulnerable people and prevent the supply of poison online. More Trending 'If you look at any product you can buy, a meal from a restaurant or a car from a dealer, there is a duty of care on the people who provide that product to make sure it does no harm. And yet, you can build an internet site that encourages suicide,' he explains. 'It seems quite incredible to me that the internet doesn't have that safety by design. It is hugely frustrating, knowing that there will be people who are not necessarily in the best of mental health, who are looking for advice, but unfortunately, they will find people who encourage them to take their own lives. 'It just seems ridiculous that we allow it. And I am determined to stop it.' A version of this story was first published in May 2025. MORE: Glastonbury headliner branded 'dreamiest boss' after paying for entire crew to have therapy MORE: Is this the new 'Circle of Shame' in 2025? MORE: Boy, 14, arrested after rape near Surrey library
STV News
08-07-2025
- Health
- STV News
Scots health board becomes first in 50 years to receive university status
A Scottish health board has become the first in more than 50 years to be formally granted university status. The award is in recognition of NHS Fife's commitment to education, research and innovation, and acknowledges its partnership with the University of St Andrews. It will officially be known as NHS Fife University Health Board, and was granted the status by the Scottish Parliament. NHS Grampian, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Lothian and NHS Tayside are also prescribed health boards. The formal partnership between the health board and the university followed the end of a historic prohibition preventing St Andrews from awarding its own medical qualifications. As a result, a new five-year medical degree programme was developed, allowing students to undertake all of their clinical training and complete their primary medical qualification in Fife. A representative of the University of St Andrews will also become a member of the Fife NHS Board. Carol Potter, chief executive, NHS Fife said: 'Becoming a University Health Board is a landmark moment for NHS Fife and a testament to the strength of our partnership with the University of St Andrews. 'This designation recognises our shared commitment to excellence in education, world-class research and innovation, and will enable us to play an even greater role in shaping the future of healthcare in Scotland. 'We are incredibly proud to be leading the way as the first Scottish health board in over half a century to receive this honour.' Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE, principal and vice-chancellor, University of St Andrews, added: 'Achieving University Health Board status marks a significant milestone in deepening our partnership with NHS Fife. 'It will see the University of St Andrews take an active role in shaping local and national healthcare by joining the NHS Fife Board and contributing directly to strategic decision-making. 'This development strengthens our commitment to advancing research, delivering world-class teaching, and playing a leading role in addressing the health and wellbeing of our communities. 'Our responsibility as a university is not only to educate and graduate the next generation of medical professionals but also to work alongside our NHS colleagues to secure its future, playing a vital role in supporting the development of innovative solutions to regional and national health challenges and improving outcomes for patients in Fife and beyond. 'We look forward to welcoming the first cohort of our new five-year medical degree with NHS Fife in September.' Scottish health secretary Neil Gray said: 'It is great to see this partnership between NHS Fife and the University of St Andrews. This will be an excellent opportunity to embed research, education, and training across the region. 'It's exciting to see how this new status will continue to drive improvements and ensure that patients receive the best possible care.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
USA Today
07-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan State to play in third annual St Andrews Links Collegiate this October
Michigan State's men's and women's golf programs are going to be crossing the Atlantic Ocean to compete in one of the coolest events college golf has to offer. The programs will be competing in the The St Andrews Links Collegiate this October. The event, taking place from October 13-to-15, is a three-day event will consist of two days of stroke play on the Jubilee Course followed by a day of medal match play on the Old Course at St Andrews. Both men's and women's programs from the four universities will be competing. The four universities that will be competing in the event include MSU, University of St Andrews, Princeton University, and the University of California, Berkeley. Golf Channel will coverage of the event beginning each morning at 9 a.m. ET, with encores airing each afternoon at 1 p.m. ET. This is the third annual playing of the event, that begun in 2023. A very cool event that ill allow these collegiate golfers to play at one of the coolest venues in all of golf. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Cory_Linsner
Elle
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
Schiaparelli's Latest Couture Collection Included a Bejeweled Beating Heart
Schiaparelli has always pushed the boundaries of design, wafting between surrealism and hyper-realism, but under artistic director Daniel Roseberry, these garments have taken on a whole new quest for perfection. Bodices are divinely shaped and Elsa references expertly executed. Many of his looks possess such a measure of impossibility that watching a Schiaparelli couture show can feel like holding one's breath. His technical skill and signature exaggerated beauty has shed modern light back both on the house and the craft of couture itself, drawing celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Julia Fox inside its show doors. Kicking off couture week bright and early this morning, Cardi B was spotted in attendance carrying a (very real) raven, which stood guard at the outer door with a handler during the show. She sat alongside other Roseberry celebrity disciples, including Hunter Schafer and Dua Lipa. This season's sartorial experiments were no exception; however, there was an overarching sense of minimalism and looser shapes that coincided with a darker, edgier color palette. Where the spring 2024 couture collection was an investigation of defunct technology, fall 2025 is Roseberry's mission to return 'Back to the Future.' It prods at what nostalgic design could look like in an imagined modern context, one that resists the advent of AI and technological development. Of course this means that the collection was flush with archival recreations, among them Elsa's 'Apollo of Versailles' cape, this time shown in glimmering silver. Perhaps the centerpiece achievement was a recreation of Carlos Alemany and Salvador Dalí's functional Royal Heart Brooch, which adorned the nape of the neck on a backwards sculpted dress. If the heart could be made to move with basic hidden mechanics back then, Roseberry was sure to demonstrate that he could make it pulse now. The vintage silhouettes and pillbox hats, though a 'throwback' by design standards, didn't feel overtly nostalgic. Roseberry's editing eye veered away from any overwrought interpretations. Instead, '30s skirt suits, sleek semi-sheer slip gowns (one complemented by a glittering exposed thong), an embroidered matador ensemble, and a metallic encrusted leopard jacket co-mingled to form the daring, eccentric persona that Roseberry wishes to emulate. By relinquishing the present, in which technology like social media has irreparably altered our self-perception, Roseberry was able to fully grasp the past and propose an alternative standard of beauty. Many of these pieces were refined, relaxed, and all the more perfect for it. Alexandra Hildreth is the Fashion News Editor at ELLE. She is fascinated by style trends, industry news, shake-ups, and The Real Housewives. Previously, she attended the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Following graduation, she moved back to New York City and worked as a freelance journalist and producer.
