Teenagers guilty of killing man they thought was a paedophile
Alexander Cashford was chased and hit with rocks and a bottle before he died.
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53 migrants thought dead after boat capsizes in Mediterranean
Feb. 9 (UPI) — A rubber boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea last week after taking on water, leaving 53 people migrating from North Africa presumed dead, a United Nations-affiliated migration organization said Monday.
The boat capsized off the coast of Libya, north of the city Zuwara, on Friday while traveling along a migration route through the Central Mediterranean that has potentially claimed the lives of nearly 500 people since Jan. 1.
In coordination with Libyan authorities, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it provided emergency medical care to two Nigerian women who were the only survivors of the when the vessel flipped — one who reported losing her husband and the other losing her two babies.
“In January alone, at least 375 migrants were reported or missing following multiple ‘invisible’ shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean amid extreme weather, with hundreds more deaths believed to be unrecorded,” IOM said in a press release.
“These repeated incidents underscore the persistent and deadly risks faced by migrants and refugees attempting the dangerous crossing,” the organization said.
The boat that capsized Friday left Al-Zawiya, Libya, around 11 p.m. local time on Jan. 5 heading north but started to take on water and, six hours into the journey, the rubber craft capsized, the survivors told IOM officials.
Libya has over the past decade and a half been used as a stopgap for migrants to leave African nations for Europe, though the United Nations has reported torture, forced labor and extortion, among other abuses, by trafficking and smuggling networks offering opportunities to travel.
From Libya, migrants can reach Italy, which is less than 200 miles away across the Mediterranean. Other paths through the sea, which have been no less deadly, include those between Turkey and Greece and Morocco and Spain.
IOM’s director general, Amy Pope, met with leaders in Libya in December to discuss efforts to combat trafficking through the Central Mediterranean, as well as to enhance safe and voluntary return and migration methods.
“Every life lost on this route is a tragedy — one that we can prevent,” she said after the mid-December visit. “Saving lives requires shared responsibility and real cooperation.”
Since 2014, IOM reports that nearly 34,000 people are believed to be dead or missing while attempting to migrate to Europe from the northern coast of Africa.
The Netherlands’ gold medalist Jutta Keerdam (C) takes a selfie with teammate Femke Kok (L) and Miho Takagi of Japan after winning the women’s speed skating 1000 meter final during the 2026 Winter Olympics on February 9, 2026. Kok took silver while Takagi took Bronze. Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo
Inside Macaulay Culkin and ‘mama’ Catherine O’Hara’s close bond as Home Alone star says ‘I thought we still had time’
FOLLOWING the tragic news of actress Catherine O’Hara’s passing at the age of 71 following a short illness, her Home Alone co-star Macaulay Culkin paid a touching tribute to his “mama”.
The two starred in the iconic film together back in 1990, where he played the mischievous Kevin McCallister while she portrayed the role of Kate, his long-suffering mum.
They reunited two years later for the sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and have continued to share a mother and son bond over the years.
The pair showed just how close they are when she honoured him at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2023.
As the world mourns the legendary actress, let’s take a look at her relationship with Macaulay and their extremely close bond…
Heartfelt Tribute
Macaulay was one of the first to pay tribute to the Schitt’s Creek star as he posted two pictures from Home Alone and the Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony on his Instagram.
He penned: “Mama, I thought we had time.
“I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say.
“I love you. I’ll see you later,” the 45-year-old signed off.
Heartbroken Home Alone fans flocked to the comments section as one said: “Oh my god, I can’t believe it. Rest in peace Catherine. Thank you for taking care of Kevin.”
Another social media user penned: “A part of our childhood has been shattered today. Heartbroken.”
Hollywood Walk of Fame reunion
She attended his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in December 2023 and honoured him as he received his star.
Catherine gushed in her speech: “Home Alone was, is and always will be a beloved global sensation… the reason families all over the world can’t let a year go by without watching and loving Home Alone together is because of Macaulay Culkin.”
She went on to praise his professionalism and passion for acting, as well as bringing his “sweet and twisted yet totally relatable humour” to every project.
“Macaulay, congratulations. You so deserve your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“And thank you for including me, your fake mom who left you home alone not once but twice, to share in this happy occasion. I’m so proud of you,” she joked.
Mother and son bond
Despite it being more than three and a half decades since Home Alone released, the co-stars have continued to share a deep bond with one another.
During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live! In 2015, she revealed the two had a sweet reunion at an art opening.
“He was coming out and he went, ‘Mommy!’ and I said, ‘Baby’,” Catherine told host Andy Cohen.
He also confirmed that he called her “mom” each time her saw her, proving their bond was unmatched.
Macaulay told New York Times in 2024: “She opens up her arms – she goes, ‘Son’.”
On-screen reunion
The much-loved duo delighted fans back in 2024 when they reunited on-screen for a Christmas ad for Freedom Unlimited alongside Kevin Hart.
Catherine was seen walking into a shopping mall before shouting out her iconic “KEVIN!” dialogue.
The co-stars shared a warm embrace, with Kevin joining in on the hug with the two.
Excited fans couldn’t believe their eyes as one gushed: “This is hysterical. I love these nostalgic commercials.”
Somebody else added: “So beautiful, a home alone reunion.”
Co-star chemistry
Macaulay and Catherine’s on-screen camaraderie translated off-screen, with many Home Alone fans believing they were actually mother and son in real life.
She recalled to Today in 2024: “A child came up to me, like, a little 8-year-old, in a mall. ‘Are you Kevin’s mom?’
“I said, ‘Well, yeah, I played Kevin’s mom in a movie, yes’.
‘Why did you leave him?’ ‘Sorry. It was in the script!’,” she remembered.
Speaking to PEOPLE back in 1990, when the film first released, Catherine described then 9-year-old Macaulay as ”a darling little guy who has been acting since he was 4, so he’s very professional.”
“He comes in knowing all his lines, knowing where to hit his marks — he even knows all the other actors’ lines.
“I expect he should become the head of the studio by the time he is 12,” she joked.
Helen Flanagan reveals she thought she was ‘being drugged and her kids taken away’ amid tough split from Scott Sinclair
HELEN Flanagan has revealed she thought she was being drugged and feared her kids would be taken away from her following her split from ex-fiance Scott Sinclair.
The former Coronation Street actress opened up on the breakdown she experienced after parting ways with the footballer in 2022 after 13 years together.
She told The Mirror: “It was the worst time that I’ve ever struggled with my mental health.”
Helen, who is on medication for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), believes she experienced an adverse reaction to her prescription drugs which fuelled the feelings.
“He really wasn’t playing fair,” she said of Scott’s behaviour at the time.
“So I had quite a lot of financial stuff going on as well and the stress of solicitors. I was also totally heartbroken after David Haye.
“It just all became too much and I began to experience psychosis,” she said of the post-break-up breakdown.
“I thought I was being watched, filmed, hunted, possibly even drugged, I was seeing things that weren’t there.
“It was really frightening – I thought my kids were going to be taken away, the nursery got involved,” she added.
“I do think the medication was really bad for me, but I became quite addicted to it.”
Helen shares three kids with Scott – Matilda, ten, Delilah, seven, and Charlie, four.
The Celebs Go Dating star credited her parents and therapists as helping her to get through the dark time.
Her relationship with ex Scott continues to remain strained, with Helen recently taking several public swipes at the father of her children.
Just last week, The Sun reported how Helen was being forced out of her £1million family home by her ex.
A friend of Helen’s said: “Scott pays for the house and all the bills and he’s decided a six-bedroom place is way too big for Helen on her own with the kids.
“But Helen doesn’t want to move and is digging her heels in. She loves the place, the kids are settled at the local school and her mum and dad live around the corner.
In wake of the news, the lingerie model branded Scott “a d***head” in a new interview with the Daily Mail, confessing that the two have a “very bad relationship”.
“We only communicate through my father now. There is so much worse I could say,” she told the publication.
Over Christmas, Helen was also left furious after she spotted photos of Scott at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
She publicly hit out on her Instagram Stories: “You really are a piece of s***. How dare you not turn up to Charlie’s nativity.”
At the time, the former soap star was playing the Wicked Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Liverpool‘s M&S Bank Arena.
Helen admitted she now takes jobs she usually wouldn’t do to pay the bills and that she feels “mum guilt” at leaving her kids to work.
“So, I can’t forgive Scott for stealing a lot of my time with my children. I resent him for that.”
Helen is expected to dish more on her break-up with Scott in her new book Head And Heart: Break-ups, Breakdowns and Being Rosie, which is released tomorrow.