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“I fully believed that I was going to be killed. Killed for doing my job, killed for going to help members of the public.” Michael Donoghue, 21yrs, of Stocking Hill, Stocking Lane, Rathfarnham, Dublin pictured at the Criminal Courts of Justice (CCJ) on Parkgate Street in Dublin. pic: IrishPhotoDesk.ie A man who pointed a double barrel shot gun at uniformed unarmed gardaí causing the officers to have “genuine concerns for their lives” has been jailed for four years. Michael Donoghue (21) Stocking Hill, Stocking Lane, Rathfarnham, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of a firearm and making threats to kill at his home on December 20, 2023. He has 12 previous convictions, mainly for theft and fraud and public order offences. At a hearing earlier this month, Garda Michael Fox read his victim impact statement into the record. He said when he was staring directly at “two black barrels of a shot gun” the only thought in his head was that his mother would never get over his death. “I fully believed that I was going to be killed. Killed for doing my job, killed for going to help members of the public,” Gda Fox said before he added that he was simply doing his job and responding to a call from members of the public. Three gardaí read their victim impact statements into the record describing that while they appreciated their job as a garda was an occupation that came with risk, they never expected to be placed in such fear. They described watching Donoghue as he approached the vehicle and “waiting for gun to go off”, “waiting to be shot”. One garda, who was only six weeks into his career at the time, said his “life flashed before his eyes”. It was accepted by defence counsel Michael Hourigan SC that while it was later discovered that the shot gun was not loaded, the gardaí that day would not have been aware of that. He acknowledged that gardaí were not in a position to know that their lives were not in danger. Judge Orla Crowe said today that this was “a deeply serious matter” and that the officers had “genuine concerns for their lives”. “Gardaí had been called in to assist and they were obliged to investigate,” she said before she added that Donoghue pointed the gun directly at the officers. The judge said it was clear they were gardaí as they were in uniform and sitting in a marked patrol car. She acknowledged that Donoghue had “significant medical difficulties that led to significant drug difficulties” but said while this gives a reason for his offending it is not an excuse. Judge Crowe acknowledged that Donoghue has expressed a genuine apology, has been doing well in prison and has a loving and supportive family. He had provided urine analysis which demonstrated that he is now drug-free. The judge noted that the maximum penalty available to the court, because the “legislature consider it so serious” is 14 years. She said the offence also carries a mandatory minimum term of five years unless there are exceptional circumstances in the case which would make the imposition of such a sentence unjustified. Judge Crowe set a headline sentence of eight years before she imposed a term of five years. She noted that Donoghue has been working on his rehabilitation in prison and suspended the final 12 months of the term. Donoghue must keep the peace and be of good behaviour for two years and engage with the Probation Service for 12 months. Judge Crowe said the gardaí had come to Stocking Hill that day at the “behest of someone in that location”. She said the gardaí were doing “their lawful duty on behalf of all the people of Ireland” and they were not to know that the weapon was not loaded. Garda Thomas Kinsella told Aoife O’Leary BL, prosecuting at the earlier hearing, that officers arrived at Stocking Hill following a call in relation to a disturbance there. He was the driver of the patrol car and he and his colleagues were in uniform and unarmed. When they arrived at the halting site at 12.40am everything was quiet so he drove to a cul-de-sac and turned the patrol car. Donoghue was then spotted approaching the patrol car and pointing a shot gun at the vehicle. He was in an agitated and aggressive state. Gda Kinsella said he had genuine concerns that Donoghue intended to shoot at him and his colleagues. He reversed the patrol car in an attempt to get away. Donoghue continued to approach the car, pointing the weapon at the officers inside. He then ran to the back of the halting site and thew the gun over a wall. Gda Kinsella said a call was made for back up and two of his colleagues ran to retrieve the gun. Donoghue then ran off into a caravan before he re-appeared carrying a black steel three foot long crowbar. He threatened gardaí that he would strike them if they approached him and called the officers “pigs and rats”. Donoghue retreated into another building beside one of the caravans and refused to come out. He was ultimately arrested, after back up arrived and was later detained for questioning. Nothing came out of those interviews and he has been on remand in custody since. The shotgun was retrieved and it was discovered that it was not loaded. It was a 12 gauge double barrel shotgun and was later deemed, following a subsequent ballistic examination, to be in fair condition. Gda Kinsella accepted a suggestion from Mr Hourigan that his client is genuinely remorseful for his actions that night and has written a letter of apology. Mr Hourigan said his client has a condition which has limited his growth. He said he started abusing drugs as a young teenager after being the victim of bullying. Counsel said his client has suffered from acute depression for a very long period of time and “first exhibited suicidal ideation at the age of ten years old”. Mr Hourigan said his client’s condition has had “a profound impact on how he viewed himself”. He said he was “very much a solitary child” and only found comrades when he fell into the company of other addicts. Counsel handed in letters from Donoghue’s mother and brother and said he is from a loving and supportive family. He has been doing well in prison and is not due for release until July next year on a separate offence.The Volkswagen Phaeton launched in 2002 was a good car that bombed in sales because it had the wrong badge, as well-heeled customers weren’t ready to accept a “Volksie” in the luxury sedan ranks of the Mercedes S-Class and Audi A8. The Touareg that premiered the same year has been more successful at positioning the VW badge in the executive SUV league and it competes favourably in sales against blue-chip rivals such as the Mercedes-Benz GLE and Audi Q7. The Touareg shares a platform with the Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne. In August the large VW landed in South Africa with a facelift and an injection of hi-tech as the first refresh since the third-generation Touareg was launched in 2018. The updated Touareg 3.0 V6 is available in two grades: the Elegance, priced at R1,457,900, and the R-Line for R1,763,900, both inclusive of a five-year/100,000km maintenance plan and a three-year/120,000km warranty. A facelift sees the Touareg getting a sharpened design with a new radiator, headlights and front apron, while the rear end acquires a continuous horizontal LED strip for the tail light clusters and a Volkswagen logo illuminated in red. The latest tweaks include IQ.Light HD matrix headlights that use interactive LEDs to provide maximum road illumination without blinding other vehicles. Inside, VW’s executive SUV has an enhanced level of standard equipment, including USB-C connections with charging capacity increased from 15W to 45W for quicker charging of smartphones and other gadgets. The Innovision Cockpit, comprising a 12” digital instrument panel and 15” infotainment system, has been updated with lane-level navigation and HD map data. The leather-lined cabin has a more premium feel with softer centre console trims and adjustable ambient lighting offers 30 colours. The Touareg’s high-quality cabin ambience is a match for its more premium-badged German rivals. It has a clean and classy look with an uncluttered dashboard that employs mostly digital — and mostly user-friendly — controls. The giant infotainment touchscreen has large icons and intuitive menus and the haptic feedback controls on the steering wheel are not as finicky as in some other cars. The nearly R1.8m price includes a well-stocked list of standard luxuries, including adaptive cruise control, panoramic sunroof, navigation, wireless smartphone charger, four-zone climate control and a parking camera. The sporty R Line has decorative aluminium inserts, brushed stainless steel pedals, black headliner and diamond turned 20” alloy wheels. The front two seats are electrically adjustable and have heating and cooling functions as part of the highly specced package. The large cabin comfortably takes four to five adults with rear seats that have manually adjustable backrests for comfort and can be slid forward to increase boot space. The 810 l boot is enormous with the aid of a space-saver spare tyre, and the rear seats flip down for bulkier items. The Touareg is no soft roader and has respectable adventure capabilities by virtue of permanent 4Motion all-wheel drive, hill descent control, a slip-control differential and driving modes for off-road and snow. The 4Motion system maximises traction by continuously adjusting power distribution to the front and rear wheels based on driving conditions. While the Touareg Elegance rides on steel suspension with a fixed 215mm ground clearance, the more expensive R-Line has adaptive air suspension that can be adjusted for ride height with a rotary controller in the centre console. The car automatically lowers for better aerodynamics when cruising, but can be lifted to 258mm for improved ground clearance when off-roading. Another rotary controller selects the different road and off-road drive modes. The R-Line also has all-wheel steering that maximises high-speed stability but reduces the turning circle at low speeds to aid manoeuvrability and parking. It wafts with comfort on its air suspension, ironing out bumps that would spill the drinks in the cupholders of regular cars. The plush ride is one of the standout features of VW’s SUV and is accompanied by a solid feel and soft-spoken operation. Supplying the power is a hushed 3 l V6 turbo diesel that fits in perfectly with the Touareg’s refined nature. With burly outputs of 190kW and 600Nm, throttle inputs elicit a surge of swift and silky power, smoothly managed by an eight-speed auto transmission. The big SUV is brisk off the mark with a 0-100km/h time of 6.5 seconds and runs to a 228km/h top speed. The effortless performance is accompanied by impressive fuel economy with the test vehicle averaging 7.9 l /100km, which matched the factory claim. In an automotive market fast-tracking to EVs and petrol hybrids, diesel still has its day. The price puts the Touareg into prestige territory but justifiably so. The VW-badged SUV has earned its place in the premium league with its swift, silent and soft-riding driving experience and it isn’t afraid of getting its wheels dirty. VW Touareg vs rivals:Quisitive Reports Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results
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In a fast-paced home game, coming off their first loss of the season, the Center Point Lady Pirates hosted the Nueces Canyon Panthers. It was a hard-fought game with the Lady Pirates coming up short losing 59-24. “We fought to the very end, never giving up,” Coach Brian Mahler said. “The girls kept trying to score.” The Panthers scored first and often. With 5:28 on the clock in the first quarter, the Lady Panthers got on the board with 2-points off a shot by Christina Reyes. In the second quarter, Reyes would make a 3-pointer. Those were the only points the Lady Pirates would score in the first half going into halftime down, 38-5. In the second half, the Lady Panthers came out just as strong, although Center Point gained some momentum and were able to score 13 points in the third quarter, compared to 12 by the Lady Panthers. Both teams scored in the single digits in the fourth quarter, and the game ended with the Lady Panthers on top, 59-24. Scoring leader for the game was sophomore Reyes with 13 points. Cobee Beckerson racked up four defensive rebounds and one offensive rebound, and Kaylani Ritter had four blocks. The loss put the Lady Pirates at 2-2 for the season. Their next two games will be on the road in Medina and Comfort, before hosting Goldthwaite in their district opener at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10.Billionaire Elon Musk had accused MacKenzie Scott of being one of the "super rich-ex-wives" who would contribute to "reasons that Western Civilization died" following which Scott doubled her donations to philanthropic causes. Now, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who recently admitted to using Ozempic-like weight loss drugs, has taken a fresh dig at her over her charitable donations. Musk shared an X post by John LeFevre on Monday that criticizes Scott's donations to nonprofits that focus on liberal issues like immigration rights, LGBTQ+ rights, racial equity, and social justice causes. WNBA star tells Elon Musk to 'go back to Africa' after Donald Trump failure Musk warned he's 'making enemies and will get hurt' if he doesn't quit politics LeFevre sounds alarm over the same post, saying: "She's just getting started." Musk agrees with LeFevre's criticism as he reshared the post with a single-word comment: "Concerning." Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos has donated over $19 billion to more than 2,450 non-profit organizations through her organization Yield Giving since 2019. Courtesy of Amazon's rising share values, Scott's net worth is above $30 billion and she shows no signs of slowing down on donations. Musk, a close ally to President-elect Donald Trump , is the world's richest man and has made more than $270 million to help Trump win. This is not the first time he has attacked Scott for supporting progressive issues. In a now-deleted X post from March, Musk wrote: "'Super rich ex-wives who hate their former spouse' should be listed among 'Reasons that Western Civilization died.'" Two weeks after his post, Scott announced she was doubling the size of her donations to $640 million across 361 nonprofits. DON'T MISS: Russia attacks Ukrainian energy system with drone missiles on Christmas Day [NEW] More than 30 feared to be dead in Azerbaijan plane crash en route to Russia [CHILLING] Drone warning issued as mystery sightings surge - new tech used to fight back [EXCLUSIVE] Concerning https://t.co/C11Lnm8XeH — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 23, 2024 On Dec. 18, Scott announced that Yield Giving had given "about $2,004,400,000 in gifts to the 199 organizations." "Roughly 75% of them are non-profits that support the economic security and opportunity of people who are struggling by improving access to affordable housing, jobs that provide stability for themselves and their families, child development and post-secondary education, healthcare, and financial counseling, business coaching, and low-interest rate loans focused on increasing economic potential and building wealth. The others support well-being through other means, such as work on human rights and natural resources conservation," she wrote. Scott also explained the gift-making process where instead of withdrawing funds from a bank account or stock portfolio that "increases the wealth and influence of leaders who already have it," she withdraws them from "a portfolio of investments in mission-aligned ventures, with leaders from the populations they are serving, or from generally undercapitalized groups like women and people of color." "In this way, the money can help address these issues twice, first by advancing economic mobility and unlocking the innovation and social benefit that comes from incorporating diverse needs and perspectives in the world being constructed around us, and next in the hands of experienced non-profit teams creating value through their transformative models of care and change," Scott explained.West Virginia 86, No. 3 Gonzaga 78, OT
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The S&P 500 fell less than 0.1% after spending the day wavering between small gains and losses. The tiny loss ended the benchmark index’s three-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1% and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%. Trading volume was lighter than usual as US markets reopened following the Christmas holiday. Semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, slipped 0.2%. Meta Platforms fell 0.7%, and Amazon and Netflix each fell 0.9%. Tesla was among the biggest decliners in the S&P 500, finishing 1.8% lower. Some tech companies fared better. Chip company Broadcom rose 2.4%, Micron Technology added 0.6% and Adobe gained 0.5%. Health care stocks were a bright spot. CVS Health rose 1.5% and Walgreens Boots Alliance added 5.3% for the biggest gain among S&P 500 stocks. Several retailers also gained ground. Target rose 3%, Ross Stores added 2.3%, Best Buy rose 2.9% and Dollar Tree gained 3.8%. Traders are watching to see whether retailers have a strong holiday season. The day after Christmas traditionally ranks among the top 10 biggest shopping days of the year, as consumers go online or rush to stores to cash in gift cards and raid bargain bins. US-listed shares in Honda and Nissan rose 4.1% and 16.4% respectively. The Japanese car makers announced earlier this week that the two companies are in talks to combine. All told, the S&P 500 fell 2.45 points to 6,037.59. The Dow added 28.77 points to 43,325.80. The Nasdaq fell 10.77 points to close at 20,020.36. Wall Street also got a labour market update. US applications for unemployment benefits held steady last week, though continuing claims rose to the highest level in three years, the Labour Department reported. Treasury yields mostly fell in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 4.58% from 4.59% late on Tuesday. Major European markets were closed, as well as Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. Trading was expected to be subdued this week with a thin slate of economic data on the calendar.